Ubisoft has teamed up with Little Minx and Academy Award-winning directors Herve & Francois to create a live-action/CGI prequel film Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Alpha in anticipation of the release of the "Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon" video game, which went live online yesterday.
The twenty-five minute prequel film, produced by Rhea Scott for Little Minx, a Ridley Scott & Associates company, follows elite U.S. Army team the Ghosts as they are dropped deep behind enemy lines in order to eliminate one of the world's most sought-after war criminals, and sets the stage for the game which will be released later this month.
Ghost Recon Alpha is in many ways the penultimate of video game commercials, which have become increasingly essential and elaborate pieces to the chess match of a successful game launch. Directors Herve & Francois intended for the film to provide viewers the feeling of the game without being a literal interpretation of it - in fact, the directors specifically worked against a blow-by-blow reenactment of the game, choosing instead to amp up fans with a cinematic interpretation of the gaming experience.
With gamer outcries for film and television versions of their favorite RPGs, Ghost Recon Alpha delivers a tailored experience to both viewer and brand, integrating the client's goals and video game aesthetic into a larger entertainment experience that defies the constructs of a traditional advertisement. Ubisoft's "Tom Clancy Ghost Recon" brand launched in 2001 and the franchise has sold more than 18 million video game units worldwide. This is the second Ubisoft film release following Assassin's Creed: Lineage in November 2011.
Little Minx has made the video game world a strong part of their repertoire in recent years. Previous work in the genre includes the Bright Falls for Alan Wake six-part series directed by Phil Van; and Ben Mor's work for Ubisoft with the spot for "Ghost Recon Future Soldier" and the trailer for the Black Eyed Peas game. AXIS, who is represented by Little Minx worldwide, directed the Spiderman "Edge of Time" spot for Activision as well as the trailer for Dead Island which was a 2011 Cannes Gold Lion winner in both Film and Film Craft categories as well as taking Gold at the 2011 Shark Awards in the Digital Craft section.
Ghost Recon Alpha boasts a line-up of top Hollywood talent that pushes the film beyond a standard commercial into a larger cinematic endeavor, and could have only been pulled together by the likes of producer Rhea Scott and Little Minx. In addition to directors Herve & Francois, who won an Oscar in 2010 for Logorama with the support of Rhea Scott who was integral to the success of the film, the script was written by Tim Sexton, 2010 Academy Award nominee for Children of Men, and Gregory Pruss, longtime writing collaborator with David Fincher. The film was shot by District 9 cinematographer Trent Opaloch; edited by Pietro Scalia, two-time Academy Award winner for Black Hawk Down and JFK . Each element of the film was expertly crafted by some of the best creative minds in the entertainment industry, resulting in a film that simultaneously stands alone and supports the long-awaited video game release.