thewitcher2artbook-eng

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INTRO 

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INTRO | INTRO CHARACTERS Demavend, son of Virfuril, the third of his name. Wise, kind and just King of Aedirn, Protector of Upper Aedirn. Murdered by a sinister assassin, he is survived by his son, Stennis, and his loving people, who will mourn his untimely passing from this world for many years. May the gods keep his soul […] The witcher saga provides few hints about King Demavend’s appearance and personality. His fancies are not even mentioned. The sole details available mention his prominent belly and his probable penchant for beer. These served as the basis for producing the image of a man who partakes of life’s pleasures and, like many crowned heads in the Middle Ages, has a rather base sense of humor.Master Abelard of Hagge, alumnus of theAcademy at Ban Ard, learned scholar andsage, perished that tragic day as the spells andpowers he wielded could not stop the assassin’sblade […] The mage is a relatively enigmatic character.We do not know if he is a royal advisor or if theking simply invited him along for the river cruise.He appears to be something of an outsider and isclearly disgusted by the on board entertainment.After coming across initially as a “boring sorcerer,”viewers should be surprised by his spectacularreaction and the composure he demonstrates ashe assumes a leading role during the clash. 210

Harmond and Dagonet, droll fools who broughtmirth to our good monarch with their farcesand jests […] The two jesters display truly clownish humor.Their coarse, at times even vulgar situationalcomedy was meant as a foil to the monarch’smajestic presence. Though this is achieved, theysimultaneously underline the king’s evidentlyplebeian tastes. The ruler finds their bumblingfunny – as most probably many people in theMiddle Ages would.The brothers Allgood and Semko, honorable menof a gentle nature and immense strength. Thethreads of their lives were crudely cut on the eveof their twenty-eighth summer […] The fist fighters were designed to evoke theconcept of primitive, almost plebeian contests.Both strongmen have simple, bloated faces andframes that bear little resemblance to whatwe consider the athletic ideal today. Layers ofblubber and a profusion of body hair emphasizethe effect. Their boxing technique is also less thanspectacular. It’s a simple test of strength, withvictory going to the last man standing.Tybalt of Vengerberg, royal archer, unmatchedmarksman, master of the longbow, whose handnever wavered, whose eyes never failed. Yet hisarrows could not repeal Fate’s decree [...] At first the archer was to be one of many sup-porting characters, a member of the king’s guardshowing off his archery skills, another attractionduring the cruise. As we expanded and modifiedthe screenplay, however, he grew in importance.Ultimately we decided to turn him into one ofthe Kingslayer’s chief adversaries. The marks-man’s confrontation with the experiencedassassin produced some very interesting visualeffects.Himsbach and Anselm, royal guards whoshielded their king with their own bodies untotheir last breath. They died fulfilling their dutyand shall be remembered for their valor. Though in the scene as a whole these royalguards are mere background figures, they areas detailed as any primary character. Both men-at-arms wear chainmail and breastplates, whichmeant their clothing needed to be animated dif-ferently than that of the other fight participants.Due to the effort we put into creating them, wedecided these initially nameless defenders of theking deserved mention. 211

INTRO | MAking ofPlatige Image Tomek Bagiński Tomasz Zaborek Stanisław MarekDirector Compositing Jarosław HandrysikTomek Bagiński Szlum Pinkumbaum Character ModelersScript Senior Environment Artists Tomasz Wróbel Marcin KlickiTomek Bagiński Marcin Stępień Tomasz Stefański Stanisław Marek Maciej HalberProducer Michał Firek Michał Godlewski Artur OwśnickiMarcin Kobylecki Environment Artists Tomasz StryjewskPiotr Sikora Andrzej Sykut Senior Environment ModelerArt and Animation Director Selim Sykut Krzysztof OlszewskiMaciej Jackiewicz Senior Lighting Artist Additional ModelersCG Supervisor Stanisław Marek Mateusz BargielMaciej Jackiewicz Lighting Artists Piotr LuzińskiProduction Manager Krzysztof Olszewski Character Animators Grzegorz KukuśMarta Staniszewska Wojciech Idzi Łukasz Kubiński Mariusz Giętkowski Waldemar NalepaLayout Supervisor Łukasz Krawczyk Senior Texture Artist Arkadiusz FirlitDamian Nenow Arkadiusz Zawada Wojciech Idzi Paweł ŚwierczynskiLayout Artist Texture ArtistsBartłomiej Kik Bartłomiej WalendziakFilm EditorsDamian Nenow212

Senior TD Alan Uran CD PROJEKT REDBartosz Opatowiecki Grading Original StoryTD Piotr Dutkiewicz Sebastian StępieńMateusz Popławski On-line Editors CG SupervisorFX TD Adam Kałuski Paweł Mielniczuk Magdalena Mikołajczyk–ZielińskaŁukasz Sobisz Concept Art MusicFX Artists Bartłomiej Gaweł Adam Skorupa Jan MarekMarek SulęckiBartosz Grzybowski Sound Characters and Locations ModelsPiotr SuchodolskiMaciej Jurgielewicz Genetix Jarosław Wójcik Studio: Marcin BłaszczakJakub Jeziorski Marcin Kardach Marian Chomiak Arkadiusz MatyszewskiR&D Motion Capture Performers Tomasz Polit Bartłomiej GawełAdam Wierzchowski Maciej Kwiatkowski Paweł Mielniczuk Sławomir KurekConcept Artists Tomasz Lewandowski Bartłomiej OstapczukBartłomiej Gaweł Marek WasilewskiDamian Bajowski Artur ŻebrowskiAdditional Artists Motion Capture SessionTycjan Bartuś Sointeractive StudioKamil PohlOlga Szablewicz–PisukAdam Trędowski 213

Papercrafts

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PAPERCRAFTS The tie-in papercrafts for The Witcher – silly cardboard representations of game characters and monsters which we informally refer to as “papermen” – are a nice gadget for the game’s fans. Their design was spread out over several stages. We had to devise the shapes of the figures, create a template for each, and then design their look. The hardest stage entailed designing the tem- plates so they would accommodate the largest possible figures and all their accessories on a card- board sheet of a specific format. Some of the models are relatively detailed and include accessories like weapons, clothing elements and equipment. In retrospect, many of the problems we faced while designing them now seem trivial. Yet at the time, finding a way to affix these elements to the papermen easily and securely was quite challenging. The photo on the right shows the prototypes and the tools we used to produce them, while that above presents the entire Witcher papercraft family. 216

Success came through weeks of hard work.The papercrafts got a warm reception fromplayers, and that was the best compliment wecould possibly receive. The figures quickly gainedmany fans who set out to collect the entire set.One fan even designed figures of additional gamecharacters. You can download all papercrafts from http://thewitcher.com/papercrafts.zip 217

COVER ARTS

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OUTRO

228 | LOCATIONS230 | the tale will continue… 227

OUTRO | LOCATIONS 228

The movie that concludes The Witcher 2:Assassins of Kings was created by CD Projekt REDbased entirely on the game’s graphics engine. Weproduced a number of unique character modelsfor this segment, including the mounted scoutsof the Empire of Nilfgaard. The cinematic needed to bring the story as awhole to an end, to provide proper closure. Webegin with the idyllic countryside, build tensionthrough the sudden, unsettling appearance ofarmed horsemen, and end on a strong, grim notein the final few shots as the village burns andwe reveal events that will affect the entire gameworld. A conceptual stage similar to that used in pro-ducing the game’s other visual assets precededwork on the movie itself. This stage entaileddesigning every last detail. The sketches anddrawings produced by our graphic artists werean important step towards creating a final resultthat would satisfy us. The wooden bridge in themovie is one of the more interesting elements.Originally, it was supposed to be the work of atroll. The drawing on the left shows the designfor the bridge and its builder. 229

OUTRO | the tale will continue… OPOWIEŚĆ TRWA ART Z OUTRO 230

The final frame of the movie ends the game, butit does not conclude the tale told in The Witcher 2.The armies of Nilfgaard ostensibly prepare to fordthe river. Through the morning mist, the terrifiedinhabitants of the village observe disciplinedImperial infantrymen assembling into ranks onthe opposite bank. Is it just a show of force, orare the Northern Kingdoms about to face a full-scale invasion? What fate awaits the world andits heroes? Thus the story’s finale brings us to the end ofthis art book. But the tale will continue… 231

CREDITS CD Projekt REDILLUSTRATIONS AND CONCEPT-ARTS Bartłomiej Gaweł Sławomir Maniak Jan Marek Jakub Rebelka Monika Zawistowska grzegorz krysiński Damian Bajowski CHARACTERS Marcin Błaszczak Grzegorz Chojnacki Arkadiusz Matyszewski Paweł Mielniczuk Dominik Milecki LOCATIONS Michał Buczkowski Marian Chomiak Arkadiusz Duch Jacek Krogulski Krzysztof Krzyścin Jonas Mattson Marcin Michalski Daniel Olejnik Adrian Sobieraj Lucjan Więcek Igor Zieliński Marek Ziemak Łukasz Ziobrowski ANIMATION AND VISUAL EFFECTS Patryk Brzozowski Paweł Kwiatek Map designed by Karol Kowalczyk TEXT Marcin Batylda TRANSLATION Jerzy “Gorthuar” Śmiałek Troy Goodfellow WORDING Daniel Denisiuk Marcin Blacha PROOFREADING Daniel Denisiuk Brand Art Direction Studio Bitter Lix The Witcher 2 Logotype Studio Bitter Lix Photos bartosz czechowski przemysław juszczyk DTP AND GRAPHIC DESIGN Przemysław Juszczyk ARTISTIC VISION Adam Badowski