vertigo games Tag

7thGuest VR Game Making-Of
January 26, 2024 In Blog

‘7thGuest’ VR Game Making-Of

Greg Shapiro appears in 7thGuest VR Game Making-Of

26 January, 2024

One year ago – in January 2023 – I spent a week in a 360-Green Screen studio to help create a remake of the classic 1990s video game The 7th Guest. This time for VR! Which meant a LOT of very ambitious recording. High / Middle / Low cameras in 360-surround, with every second of footage generating approximately 10GB of data. It felt like shooting on film again.

Vertigo Games teamed up with 4DR Studios in Eindhoven for the shoot. Here we are: Guests 1-6 in front of a 2-D green screen.

But – the actual 360-degree VR studio looked more like this…

…like The Void from Stranger Things – complete with surprise void-dweller.

Yes, there were stunts – which meant I had to work with the stunt coordinator in a green suit.

Thank you, Rouke Pouw. I can think of no better name for a stuntman.

THE STORY

As one of the 6 guests in the storyline, I can tell you it felt like a cross between Disney’s Haunted Mansion and a remake of Clue: the Movie. The story takes place in the early 20th century, hence our period costumes.

Some costumes needed more help than others. Here’s Claire King getting the Dorothy Gale ‘Emerald City’ treatment.

(Actually, ‘Emerald City’ would be a great name for a green screen studio, if 4DR Studios ever need a rebrand.)
And here’s the baddie, played by Carl Wharton:

THE SHOOT

Here are all 6 of us on set, but with the 360 recording, we could only record 3 of us at a time.

Our takes were uploaded to the servers, and on the monitor they looked like this:

And then – after 6 months of data-crunching and editing – the finished product looked like this:

 

CREDITS

Credit to Vertigo Games and pioneer Paul van der Meer for bringing back The 7th Guest.

Great working with director Ruwan Heggelman…

… thanks to Ron Groenewoud the producer…

…and thanks to Costume Designer Isabelle Croon !

Photo 1 from L-R: Alexander Baggett, Marnie Baumer, Greg Shapiro, Claire King, Daniella Down, Robert Paul Taylor. Casting by International Native Casting.

From Vertigo Games:
“Explore The 7th Guest VR foreboding mansion, solve challenging puzzles, and uncover dark secrets. The 7th Guest VR is the ultimate mystery adventure, and it’s almost time for you to experience it for yourself. Wishlist Now →”

http://the7thguest-vr.com

Shapiro Shares '7th Guest' Reviews

Reviews of The 7th Guest: 
https://gregshapiro.nl/blog/shapiro-shares-7thguest-reviews/

For more Greg Shapiro as Actor & Voiceover: 
https://gregshapiro.nl/greg-shapiro-actor-voiceover/

 

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September 13, 2023 In Blog

Shapiro in 7thGuest Remake

Shapiro in Remake of The 7th Guest Video Game

13 September, 2023
I’m appearing in the remake of a classic video game called The 7th Guest. As one of the 6 guests in the storyline, I can tell you it felt like a cross between Disney’s Haunted Mansion and a remake of Clue: the Movie. Super fun!

Greg Shapiro in Remake 'The 7th Guest'

From the producer:
“Explore The 7th Guest VR foreboding mansion, solve challenging puzzles, and uncover dark secrets. The 7th Guest VR is the ultimate mystery adventure, and it’s almost time for you to experience it for yourself. Wishlist Now”
http://the7thguest-vr.com

Do you remember the 90s CD-ROM game MYST? The 7th Guest was the ‘haunted mansion’ version of that. Vertigo Games set out to do a full 2023 reboot of the CD-ROM game for VR. They had us watch the original from the 90s, with 90s-era graphics and clunky characters. Then they showed us the script – a total rewrite. The director wanted realistic acting and characters.

There were real auditions (via Int’l Native Casting), real rehearsals, and a full production team. It felt like we were making a good ol’ feature film. Here’s a sample (from Instagram):

Never heard of the original game? No problem. Here’s a ‘No-Commentary’ video preview. (I appear at appx 04:00 minutes.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k5pCDmaKiO4

 

The official release date for the VR game is coming up around Halloween, natch. But in late August Vertigo Games released a YouTube Release Date Reveal Trailer.

 

Screen rant magazine writes:

The 7th Guest VR Preview: A Potentially Groundbreaking Title For VR Gaming

KAITLYN PETERSON

PUBLISHED AUG 23, 2023

“The 7th Guest VR is an experience that preserves everything great about a classic title while showcasing the possibilities that VR can accomplish.
Often when titles are translated to a new platform or playstyle, there is a concern that what makes the game special will be lost in the process. For something that began as a point-and-click to be adapted for VR, this is even more of a pressing worry. All those worries for The 7th Guest VR should be cast aside, however, as this version of the game handles its modern upgrades excellently.”

 

For more Greg Shapiro film & video roles click here:
https://gregshapiro.nl/greg-shapiro-actor-voiceover/

 

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