国产游戏《黑神话:悟空》发售以来
其热度在海内外依旧不减
除游戏本身外,游戏中每章节末
制作精良的动画短片也大放异彩
其中,作为游戏通关结局出现的
动画短片《未尽》惊艳出圈
▲《黑神话:悟空》第六章章节动画《未尽》截图
Since its release two months ago, Black Myth: Wukong has captivated global audiences worldwide. Beyond the gameplay, the game's beautifully animated shorts, shown at the end of each chapter, have received widespread acclaim. Most notably, the hidden ending short Unfinished has amazed viewers with its unique style.
▲《黑神话:悟空》第六章章节动画《未尽》片段
“意犹未尽”
“顶级动画团队的制作”
“游戏的点睛之笔”
“人物、色彩、构图、动态无一不美”
在评论区,中国网友赞不绝口↓
有人看完表示:
“希望这是中国动画的新起点”
还有不少人呼吁,
未来能按《未尽》这个风格
制作《西游记》动画剧集↓
此外,《未尽》在海外
也收获了大量外国玩家和网友的盛赞
甚至不少人表示“看哭了”↓
“这就是艺术,没有其他词汇可以形容。”
“绝美!”
“我看哭了……”
“我的天啊这简直太惊艳了!”
“绝对的电影艺术!”
“我的年度游戏!一周目通关看到这个结局,不骗你,我哭了。”
“求你了游戏科学,请出一部动画剧集!这个短片的艺术风格太棒了,堪称杰作!”
还有外国网友看完这支动画
感叹“我爱中国文化”……
“我每次看这部动画都要哭一遍。我虽然不是中国人,但作为亚洲人,看到古老的文化和故事即使在现代化的今天也能依旧存在,并且以如此美丽的形式呈现,我真的很感动。”
For many Chinese viewers, Unfinished represents a potential new chapter for Chinese animation, with some even envisioning a full Journey to the West series in this style. International fans have also praised this film, describing it as both tear-jerking and awe-inspiring.
虽然《未尽》只有5分钟
却是中国顶尖动画团队和优秀动画人
集体制作的结晶
最近,这部动画短片的导演之一——羊廷牧
接受了记者的专访
羊廷牧除担任导演外
也是这支动画的
作画监督和造型白描设计
同时,羊廷牧也是《未尽》中后期制作团队
——幻想师动画公司的创始人及CEO
他不仅介绍了这部短片的创作历程
也解读了其独特的连环画风格背后的巧思
At just five minutes long, Unfinished showcases the artistry and dedication of some of China's finest animators. Recently, we sat down with the director and animation supervisor, Yang Tingmu-founder and CEO of Fantasier Animation, the studio behind the film’s mid-to-late production. In our interview, Yang reflects on the creative process and inspirations that shaped the film's distinctive style.
《未尽》是羊廷牧受《黑神话:悟空》公司游戏科学的邀请,担任该片导演及作监,并带领幻想师动画完成了这部短片的中后期制作部分。羊廷牧在采访中透露,“整个中后期的制作大概做了半年的时间左右。中期绘画这个阶段是花的时间是最长的,工作量也是最大的。” 羊廷牧笑道,“在临交片前的一两个礼拜,我们有一些祥云还在画,因为都画不完。”
Unfinished was created after Game Science invited Yang to serve as both director and supervising animator. Fantasier Animation led the mid-to-late production, a process Yang says took about six months. "The animation drawing phase was the most time-consuming and required the most work," he recalls. "A couple of weeks before the deadline, we were still working on the auspicious cloud animations because there were so many to draw."
被问到为何这部动画短片能让观众感受到浓郁的“中国风”和熟悉感,羊廷牧导演认为,《西游记》这个IP前人已经有很多作品,《未尽》则是“复合型的传承了前人”。
When asked why Unfinished resonates with such a powerful "Chinese feel," Yang explained that Journey to the West is an IP with a rich legacy. With Unfinished, "we're carrying on that tradition in a way that's layered and multifaceted."
“例如如来说的台词,就是小说里面的原文;然后它的音乐用的是86版《西游记》的音乐(《云宫迅音》改编版);画面则用了连环画的风格;孙悟空的造型设计则用了京剧的造型。”羊廷牧总结。
"For example, it includes lines spoken by the Buddha, taken directly from the original Journey to the West novel. The music is from the 1986 Journey to the West TV series. The visual style is inspired by lianhuanhua (palm-sized comic books), while Sun Wukong's design draws from Peking Opera aesthetics," Yang elaborated.
“其次,我觉得作为国内的第一款3A游戏来说,它需要有足够的中国标签。”羊廷牧表示。“一般来说我们想到要做中国风的画面时,大家首先就会想到做水墨,但我觉得略微有点刻板。”因此,羊廷牧最终决定,用连环画这种既有中国特色,却又不常见的风格制作动画,“大家小时候可能都看过,但是没见过它在动画里动起来。”
Yang continued, "Secondly, as the first AAA game developed domestically, it needed to have distinct Chinese characteristics. Usually, when people think of a 'Chinese aesthetic,' they immediately envision ink painting, but I felt that would be too cliche. So, I decided to use lianhuanhua, a distinctly Chinese yet relatively uncommon style in animation. Many people have seen this style in books as children, but they've never seen it animated."
在绘画技巧上,羊廷牧表示,为了呈现《西游记》的历史感,使用了更为“古风”的画法。比如参考了很多中国传统的白描,尤其是北宋画家李公麟的绘画方式;此外还参考了传统壁画,例如衣褶的画法就是敦煌壁画的常用画法。至于连环画的风格,则借鉴了中国连环画大师戴敦邦的作品。
Yang also employed historically inspired techniques to evoke the classic atmosphere of Journey to the West. He drew from traditional Chinese baimiao line art, influenced by Northern Song painter Li Gonglin, as well as mural techniques from Dunhuang to illustrate clothing folds. Additionally, he referenced works by renowned lianhuanhua artist Dai Dunbang.
不过,羊廷牧表示,想要制作这种画风的动画,难度很大。
据羊廷牧介绍,动画制作一般会有很多运动规律,其中有一些是模板化的,例如人物走路。但《未尽》这支短片,很多场景并没有这类运动规律可以套用。“由于没有前人的(动画)作品进行有效借鉴,所以实际上是从零开始摸索的。”羊廷牧说。例如将祥云这样的图案制作成动画,其实非常棘手,工作量也极大。
▲《未尽》片中的运动的祥云
▲羊廷牧的研究手稿
However, creating animation in this style presented challenges. Many animation techniques rely on established motion patterns, such as walking sequences. In Unfinished, however, many scenes lacked these templates. Yang explained, "Without previous animated works to reference, we essentially had to start from scratch."
五指山坍塌这一个场景,制作起来也十分困难。由于山崩地裂的场景在中国古画中难寻先例,因此“要先编一个图像出来,再看怎么样做成动画。”羊廷牧在采访中谦虚表示,这个场景也是他认为“做得还不够理想的地方”,还可以有改善空间。
▲《未尽》片中五指山坍塌画面
即便探索和制作过程困难重重,羊廷牧仍觉得,从《未尽》这支项目中,有了许多新的收获。
“(做这个项目)最大的感受是,我更好地感受到了前人艺术形式的魅力。” 羊廷牧表示,为了做《未尽》这个项目,他看了很多中国连环画大师的作品,“包括以前我们中国80年代的时候,还有一些装饰画的画法,我觉得这里面有很多没有被开发的宝藏。”
羊廷牧感叹,“我看的时候觉得真可惜,现代的创作者好像已经遗忘了,但前人已经走过了很多尝试,我们现在看依然觉得很新鲜。现在大家好像脑子里只有日本或者美国这种主流的,忘记了其实我们新中国这几十年来,事实上尝试过很多种不同的视觉方向。”
▲《黑神话:悟空》第六章章节动画《未尽》截图
Despite the countless challenges, Yang gained invaluable experience from working on Unfinished.
"My biggest takeaway is a deeper appreciation for the artistry of our predecessors," Yang shared. "While working on this project, I revisited many classic lianhuanhua artists' works, and I discovered so many untapped treasures within them. Also, for instance, during the 1980s, China had a period where decorative painting styles flourished, and I believe there's still hidden potential in those techniques."
"It's a shame that our predecessors created such groundbreaking work, yet today's creators seem to have forgotten about it. Japanese and American styles dominate the mainstream now, causing many to overlook the various visual directions China has experimented with in the past decades."
功夫不负有心人,《未尽》不仅收获中国观众的盛赞,也在海外备受外国玩家及网友好评。不少直播《黑神话:悟空》的外国游戏博主,当通关看到《未尽》时,都夸赞“动画太棒了”,还有人激动落泪。
羊廷牧在采访中表示,《未尽》之所以能打破文化壁垒,首先是“游戏自身做得足够好”,大家玩到结局前已经经历了很多,“在这个游戏整体性足够好的情况下,大家才能获得感动。”
Through hard work, Unfinished has received high praise from both domestic and international fans. Many streamers who played Black Myth: Wukong have been moved to tears by this ending animation. Yang attributes this success to the strong foundation laid by the game itself, explaining, "It's because the game is so well-made as a whole that players can feel the emotional impact."
其次,他认为,这个短片可能确实给外国玩家带来一种“意外”的感觉。“虽然可能玩到结局之前,你已经看过好几支不同这样的短片了,但是这个短片出来之后,因为它的风格其实是很特殊的,尤其对外国人来说,他又能直观地感受到这个是有足够强的中国特色,或者有东方特色。”
不过,羊廷牧表示,在创作过程中只是考虑如何让短片的中国特色更强,“并没有想过怎样去打动外国人”。
“但后来发现他们这么感动的时候,我就发现事实上,你只用把自己的本土的东西做得足够好,而且你做的时候是真的把自己的情绪、情感,把这些作为中国人的感受给放进去的时候,这种真诚外国人是能感觉到的。”羊廷牧说,“虽然他们可能不熟悉《西游记》这个故事,也不熟悉这一种视觉风格,但是他们能感受到这个东西成一套,是一个体系性的东西,它是完整的,就容易被打动。”
Yang emphasized that his primary focus during production was to strengthen the Chinese elements.
"But when I saw how moved they were, I realized that as long as you stay true to your culture and pour genuine emotions into your work, foreign audiences can feel that sincerity," Yang said. "Even if they're unfamiliar with Journey to the West or this visual style, they sense that it's a cohesive, self-contained work, making it easier for them to be moved."
羊廷牧认为,对于中国传统文化而言,就像游戏科学制做《黑神话:悟空》,把传统《西游记》用3A游戏这种更符合现在审美经验的表现媒介来重新呈现,《未尽》这支动画短片,也是用了现代的动画媒介工艺,尝试把传统文化现代化,才能让当代观众更容易接受。
According to Yang, making Chinese culture accessible to global audiences depends on adapting traditional stories through modern techniques. Game Science used a AAA game format to retell Journey to the West in a way that resonates with contemporary audiences. Similarly, Unfinished utilizes modern animation techniques to make traditional culture more relatable.
“我们还是要延续前人的某种脉络,但一定要把它赋予某种当代性。”羊廷牧说。
"We're continuing the legacy of our predecessors, but we must always give it a contemporary twist."
▲《黑神话:悟空》第六章章节动画《未尽》截图
来源/中国日报双语新闻