AMS Pictures takes an inside look at the technology behind the new crime detective video game thriller,  L.A. Noire, which has captivated gamers and technology pundits across the world.

Consider the changes in cinema that have come with developing Computer Generated Imagery or CGI. From Neo in the Matrix dodging bullets in ultra-slow motion to Final Fantasy’s CGI-driven digital actors, to the highly popular Transformers series and every action movie in between, digital effects are here to stay. And, they’re only going to get better.

Yet, Brendan McNamara, the creator of L.A. Noire, decided not to use CGI-driven facial expressions for the characters in this crime saga that plays and feels like more than just a video game.  With the clear and unrelenting ascent of CGI digital technology, why would McNamara spend millions to create the Depth Analysis studio? Why would he go through the long and challenging production process of casting every character, make-up, line delivery and re-delivery?

AMS Pictures’ Creative Director Mark McGovern points out, “As a production and post house, we’re often in conversations with peers and clients about whether technology is allowing us to move away from the need for actors.  ‘Why not just create them digitally?’ is often the argument that is made.  My thought is that we’re actually moving in a great direction where technology is working, not to replace the actor but, enhance the range and techniques an actors’ performance brings to good storytelling.  Case in point, the Hollywood Blockbuster Avatar married the live action performance of the actor with the CGI versions of the Na’vi characters.”

Great stuff even though the Na’vi were make believe characters whose facial expressions and detail could easily be overlooked.  So what about the real nuances of the human performance, the facial subtleties that further the story of the character? Using the groundbreaking technology of Australian company Depth Analysis, Team Bondi set up a ‘rig’ of 32 high-tech video cameras that captures the ultra-realistic facial expressions of the game’s characters and renders them into digital versions. All the characters in the game are played by real actors.

The technology, called MotionScan, requires a spotlit white room in which shadows are completely eliminated. Sitting in this unique studio that looks like the vault from Mission Impossible, the actors must wear an orange outfit (an equivalent of green screen technology) that streamlines post-production.

Brendan McNamara, the creator of Team Bondi and Depth Analysis, as well as the scribe of the L.A. Noire story, has embraced the power of using live actors.  His team is a leader in the paradigm shift that is closing the gap between digital and physical reality.  So why is this gap closing?

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With over 25 years of experience in telling stories, we at AMS Pictures get it. McNamara realized and embraced the fact that for this game to work, his characters needed to have nuances, quirks, and subtleties that are refreshing, that reveal the humanity in the character, and most of all, that allow the gamer to perform the crucial act of lie-detection. Yes sir, in L.A. Noire, you are Detective Cole Phelps, and your success in solving a slew of shocking and mysterious cases is dependent upon your ability to accurately tell if the characters in the game are lying to you. It could be as small as a raise of an eyebrow or a glance downwards, but the subtleties are there.

From actors to animators, from producers to programmers, L.A. Noire transcends the medium and the Playstation 3 platform, becoming more than just one thing. We are all ultimately in the business of telling stories, so it is refreshing to see a team come together to produce something truly creative and innovative.

Take it from Aaron Staton himself, who plays the protagonist Cole Phelps in L.A. Noire and also plays adman Ken Cosgrove in the AMC series Mad Men. He spent several months in the Depth Analysis studio. His reaction after seeing the result?

“My first thought in seeing it — I just thought it was incredible. I was just blown away by the detail, that this was footage from a video game.”

Now, if only they could release it on Xbox 360 and PC!

Note: All L.A. Noire images are screenshots from the following superbly made Rock Star Films behind-the-scenes video, “Technology Behind Performance.”

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