Mikros MPC Brings Extreme Realism and Cinematics to ‘Ghost Recon Breakpoint’ Film

• Mikros MPC was involved in every step of the process, from pre-production to on set to post-production.
• The team created multiple versions – ranging from 30 seconds to nearly 5 minutes – all with the cinematic quality of a feature film.
• Of the 146 shots for the movie, 80 required effects; 18 have 3D; and three are in full CG.

Ubisoft’s Ghost Recon Breakpoint continues the game publisher’s legendary renown in the industry for cinematic trailers that match the extreme realism of their games. Achieving such high standards requires strong collaboration and Mikros MPC – on their seventh outing with Ubisoft – were joined in their efforts by DDB Paris, Frenzy, acclaimed director Vellas and cinematographer Khalid Mohtaseb, as well as major actors in the industry.

“I’ve worked on four different Ubisoft projects with DDB Paris so far,” says Jao M’Changama, VFX Supervisor at Mikros MPC. “Each of them relied on fantastic storytelling and visual challenges so that each movie responds to the highest level of realism. So, whether in the prep stages or on set, our teams are deeply involved in the discussions to ensure we support the artistic direction and expectations.”

For the director and DoP, authenticity in both storytelling and artistic approach was paramount. While an army consultant was on set to provide direction to the actors and to advise on effects, it was also important to balance realism with the universe of the game. To scale up the visual impact, Mikros MPC enhanced most plates with smoke, explosions, bullet trajectories, impacts, and tracers. They also recreated game assets in 3D, such as guns, drones, and a full CG shot of a helicopter explosion.

“Ubisoft provided us with the models and the design, but we had to rework them all to ensure that we met a consistent level of photo-realism in every sequence,” explains Guillaume Dadaglio, CG Supervisor at Mikros MPC. “As they were initially designed for gaming, we had to augment their definition and retexture them to import in our pipe, so that our animators could raise the bar even higher.”

Color was also discussed at an early stage, including an initial session with the DoP. During the shoot, reference schemes were developed to get alignment on the look of the realistic game world and to refine it for visual effects.

“As is the case for most projects shot exterior, there is a high degree of complexity to reach an equal level of excellence on every sequence,” says Jean-Clément Soret, Global Creative Director of Color Grading at MPC. “As the colorist, it was a great experience to help the director and the DoP facilitate their vision, reveal the potential of the images, as well as give overall structure to the narrative.”

“It all truly came together during the two final days,” he adds. “With DDB in Paris and London, and Vellas in Sao Paolo, our remote grading capabilities allowed all to input.”

Learn more about this exciting project and the work of Mikros MPC here.