When people think of Valve, very rarely do they think of theatrical motion pictures.
The company is far better known for its work in computer game development, with hits like Portal ingrained into society.
Nevertheless, the company is venturing off the beaten path into a new project called Deep, which will be a brand new experience for Valve.
“The Deep team has been working in collaboration with Valve, one of the world’s most successful video game developers whose hit titles include the Half Life and Portal franchises. Valve has provided the Deep team with new tools and technologies based on the developer’s Source game engine,” Valve wrote in a statement.
“The tools enable flexible cinematography and editing, a simplified character animation process and economical lighting, sound and visual effects. Render time is cut to nearly nil, enabling rapid revisions to animation, which brings dramatic savings in time and money over traditional production,” it continued.
Originally, Deep was to be a graphic novel, but the team decided it could be more immersing if it turned it into a movie.
Deep’s director will be Shane Acker, who directed a critically acclaimed short entitled “9.”
“Deep offers real sci-fi credentials but the story is rooted in the complex motivations of the characters making tough choices between right and wrong. I’m excited to be part of a team that is redefining what storytelling in general, and animation in particular, can be,” Acker said.
