Screenshot deluxe: Sylvain Entressangles "Mafia 2"
Screenshot deluxe ist zurück für den Sommer! Wie letztes Jahr soll in dieser Serie in (un)regelmäßigen Intervallen bemerkenswerte In-Game-Fotografie vorgestellt werden - man könnte das vielleicht auch Videogame-Tourismus nennen. Diese Woche, frisch aus dem Flickr-Pool: Sylvain Entressangle.
Der Pariser Musiker und (nicht nur Screenhot-)Fotograf Sylvain Entressangle porträtiert auf seinem Flickr-Stream die ruhige Schönheit von Mafia 2.
When Mafia 2 game was released, the game’s city (Empire Bay) got a fantastic atmosphere. The 2K studio designers‘ work was so great! It was a complete and coherent universe describing a U.S. city 40-50 years ago. As I was not born at that time, I imagine to be at the place of a photographer in the 40’s-50’s who decided to make a complete photographic work on this city.
The shooting in this game is quite similar to what we can do in the reality. The field of view of the game generally corresponds to a camera with two lenses : a 30mm and a 45mm lens. This is perfect to work in a street’s photography context.
The main differences with the real photography is an unlimited depth of field (there is any blur in the photography and it is not possible to control a focus on an object).
In Mafia 2, I took photographs by making screenshots and using several mods downloaded from the Internet. I used a mod to hide my avatar, a mod to improve the textures, and an another to control the climate and the day/night.
I decided to take photographies from the height of a real person (my avatar’s height). I wanted to experience the same problems when I have to shoot in a real city. When I photograph Paris, where I live, I could walk several hours taking pictures. I used the same method in the game.
I spend many hours to capture the feel and atmosphere of the city (in about 5-6 months). I took about 10,000 shots, to finally select 100. The images are taken without rendering filters. I work my images, as I do for all my other photographic series, using editing software.
During the time I was doing the shooting, I often looked at the paintings of Edward Hopper. I tried to see how he painted the American city. How he let enter the light into the streets and buildings.
I was also inspired by the photographers who worked on American city in the 30’s-50’s : Walker Evans, Berenice Abbott, Andre Kertesz and many others.