Filmmaker REACTS to God of War | Experts React

Filmmaker William Rouse returns to Gamology to react to God of War. William talks about the styles of camera movement and how they change the feeling of a scene, symbolism and foreshadowing in a narrative, and the thinking behind directing a fight among other things. Join us as William takes a look at the expansive world of God of War.
The Sony Interactive Entertainment video game God of War tells the tale of Kratos, a Spartan warrior tricked into killing his family by his former master, Ares, the Greek god of war. Consequently, this drives the Gods and mythological creatures to war.
As a result of the machinations of the Olympian gods in the Greek mythology era, Kratos follows a path of vengeance, whereas the Norse mythology era, which introduces his son Atreus to the story, shows an older Kratos on a path of redemption, which inadvertently puts them against the Norse gods.
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Willam's Instagram: / williamerouse
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0:00 Intro
0:26 What's Up?
0:45 Camera Movement
2:34 Lighting the Scene
3:41 Symbolism and Foreshadowing
4:10 Acting Tough
5:05 The Fight
6:50 The Bournes and Filming Action
8:46 A New World
9:52 Storytelling
10:40 Conclusion
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#GodOfWar #FilmMaker #ExpertsReact

[@wildcoyote84]

It goes farther than you know, the game is "filmed" in a single shot, if you never pause, never do upgrades, the game never ever cuts

[@DausBugaboo]

Even the bifrost doesn't have a loading screen despite it being a fast travel.

[@GreatOldOne9866]

Technically the cuts are still there, but they’re done in a way that give the illusion of a single take. So it can give other chunks time to load.

[@wildcoyote84]

@@GreatOldOne9866 Aaackually

[@derplololol9717]

@@wildcoyote84 Reminds me of the nerd from Th3Birdman

[@triambtalwar1393]

Actually it doesn't even cut during upgrades, you're just standing there talking to Brok Or Sindri

[@lukasf7574]

I would really love if you could have martial artists react to Sifu!

[@gavinr.3170]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/Y2ibp4ypdrKNb9U the reality

[@miscellaneous9506]

👍🏼

[@jaedenkhalid]

Gemma & Noah PLZ @Gamology 🙏🏽

[@AFancyLemon]

Seriously where in the world are Gemma and Yoshi???

[@jackie_boi116]

Yakuza choreography though

[@jbzhummerh2gamer]

Have this guy on more often. I'd actually like to see him do other games like FPS (campaign & not, like kill cams), racing games, Uncharted Series, Mortal Kombat. There's all sorts of games this guy can make videos on.

[@TheAcidicMolotov]

This dude is a joke. he is saying blatantly obvious nonsense

[@Africanboahh]

@@TheAcidicMolotov not gonna lie kinda true he's just saying what an amazing game it is

[@Patwhy]

@@Africanboahh still interesting tho

[@jbzhummerh2gamer]

@@TheAcidicMolotov So far 349 folks disagree with ya

[@TheAcidicMolotov]

@@jbzhummerh2gamer so far 108 is a small amount of people

[@HVGVN]

I'm fascinated by directing and cinematography and great editing. Every time William is here, you just learn that much more. It is appreciated.

[@williamErouse]

Thanks man I appreciate the love! Glad I could teach you a thing or 2. The beautiful part of filmmaking, is that we all are constantly learning as well. Hope all is well!

[@LokiAndLoiDontGiveADamn]

3:11 please tell me someone told him that there is literally NO CAMERA CUT in the whole game! That’s like one of the many great achievements of this game.

[@TreatMySoul]

Nobody in the gamology studio told him but he slowly realize it

[@liamevans9815]

"This dude looks like a WWE wrestler." Shad Gaspard (RIP) apparently did the motion capture for Kratos in this game.

[@ZukoVR9055]

That fight scene is hands down one of the best scenes I’ve ever played in a game. The villain acting is spot on, amazing moment in the game.

[@williamErouse]

Yea def would have won an oscar if there was one for video game actors.

[@brziperiod]

@Prabh Sandhu little hint... Go lookup who played teal'c in Stargate SG1

[@user-lz2iz5mv8r]

@@brziperiod Christopher Judge 😘😘😘😘😘

[@koishi3449]

i like how he refers to this game as a "piece". games have truly become pieces of art.

[@EnlightenedMrArms]

All games are a piece of art, some may not be as good as others but they are still art all the same.

[@aut0mat1c11]

@@EnlightenedMrArms videogames are contemporary art, under the category of digital art

[@EnlightenedMrArms]

@@aut0mat1c11 Correct they are a piece of art, even the ones that aren’t so good.

[@aut0mat1c11]

@@EnlightenedMrArms agreed

[@Frangucci]

This is BY FAR the most cinematic game ever made! Best ever

[@Zoxxies]

Without a doubt…

[@MatiZ815]

The one take thing kinda makes it less cinematic for me. At times it feels like they couldn't get the best angle because of that. Definitely beautiful though.

[@jpkdesignz]

Y'all are tripping - it's definitely in the Top 10 most cinematic but Metal Gear Solid V are at the very least on the same level.

[@egosdragonis6149]

Quantick Dream: Am I joke to you?

[@Zoxxies]

@@jpkdesignz GoW 4 doesn’t have a single cut or loading screen from when you start the game to when you finish it, that is if you don’t die. Plus the amount of work they were able to accomplish with a fixed camera angle is crazy, that’s 🧢

[@Frank7G]

If the expert were to play this game I think he would enjoy it for sure and especially when Kratos & Atreus is on the boat together and their back and forth conversations.

[@williamErouse]

Hoping to make some time to play it soon!

[@Frank7G]

@William Rouse Ghost of Tsushima is also a must-play hands-down

[@williamErouse]

@@Frank7G That's on my list for sure!

[@Frank7G]

@William Rouse hopefully you can in enjoy it on PS5

[@Frank7G]

@@PaganMin671 I've played both I beat part one I didn't beat part 2 I kind of stopped playing it because I didn't care for it that much, I like Ghost of Tsushima better than the last of us 2

[@hoodwynk1389]

Part of me always worries if doing long scenes in one take will become a lost art, so seeing cutscenes in this game let's me appreciate the production side even more

[@joshuaseptember4473]

Yo man. The whole game is one take. If it's played from beginning to end then the camera would never cut unless you died. Really awesome to experience, they've even gotten around loading screens as well.

[@iurigrang]

@@joshuaseptember4473 the camera also fades to white when entering the branches of the world tree for fast traveling, and it fades to black when entering and exiting the serpent. Still a technological/creativd marvel either way.

[@GrimDrive]

@@iurigrang I see this brought up often, but I wouldn’t call it a cut if it can be explained in world. Fade to white because it’s teleportation to and from a mystical realm, and fade to black because it’s pitch black after closing its mouth until your eyes adjust. Film makers use hidden cuts all of the time to accomplish a “one take” even though it’s not technically a one take.

[@CZProductions]

That's because it can also be a negative. Sure, it gives you the world from the perspective of Kratos which is cool, but you also have no idea what's happening in the rest of the world. Would be nice to know what Zeus and Thor and them are doing or what they think about everything. Various viewpoints are largely beneficial to building a world like this one. Imagine Game Of Thrones if you were only following one of the characters. A unique look? Sure. WIll you lose appreciation for other characters and their struggles since they are just popping in every now and then though? Absolutely.

[@CZProductions]

@@iurigrang Same can be said about the film 1917 but since the cuts are hidden it usually counts.

[@RollingxBigshot]

You can tell this guy has passion for cinema

[@williamErouse]

Can't get enough of it haha! Hope all is well!

[@kabbyrp]

I love how William not only discusses the things he does, but also highlights the other jobs that other people do on film sets. Definetly want to see him more!

[@aisadal2521]

It's awesome to finally hear what filmmakers think of the cinematography in video games!

[@williamErouse]

It's honestly better than movies I was blown away by this one!

[@haydenford9587]

he really is good at explaining what he is enjoying about this game specifically about the camera but is still appreciating the story and the execution of it. this game has an amazing story and I wish it showed more of the interaction with brok and sindri but I can't wait to see more interaction with mimir and some of the bosses

[@williamErouse]

I appreciate it Hayden! Hoping to make some time to play it soon!

[@crumbs7826]

3:54 it's more commonly known as Chekhov's Gun. “If in the first act you have hung a pistol on the wall, then in the following one it should be fired. Otherwise don’t put it there.”

[@saurophaganax_0]

what a chill guy, this was really enjoyable

[@williamErouse]

Thank you!

[@saurophaganax_0]

@@williamErouse eeyyy! Dope🤙🏼

[@ShakShak1999]

0:52 funny enough the model of kratos in this game is from the late former WWE wrestler Shad Gaspard

[@williamErouse]

Man that's dope!

[@ShakShak1999]

@@williamErouse yeah

[@francisgabrielangcos3198]

At 5:26, I like how he calmly explains the lighting while Kratos is literally sending Baldur flying with the axe swings.

[@blade1hunter100]

I love how Will is able to explain why people should be invested about Kratos at 6:02, even if they've never played the previous God of Wars. It makes that explanation even more powerful for veteran players because it is basically Krato's second attempt at being a father.

[@Shrektus]

"she's a good character" People who didn't play the game:🌞 People who played the game:🌚

[@ZK-56]

It's really cool to see William's insight into these games, hope to see more of him

[@BattleManiac7]

This was great. Always found the technical side of film making and cinematography really interesting. The commentary was really nice.

[@williamErouse]

Thank you!

[@HeWhoSlayethCain]

This game actually had ZERO camera cuts. It is one, massive "long take".

[@rashidstrife5207]

I definitely would like him to come back. The details and how be broke it down is amazing and insightful.

[@williamErouse]

Thanks bro!

[@Louie661]

Can we have this filmmaker react to scenes from Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain? Or any of the Metal Gear Solid Series would suffice. I'd like to see what his thoughts would be on Hideo Kojima's production of cinematics in his work.

[@TheRealPots]

this guy was great loved hearing him talk about this 😎👍🔥

[@WastedGTAZ]

“This dude looks like a WWE wrestler for sure” his body was actually molded by a wrestler that sadly passed away…

[@krisnatherryano4610]

I actually hoped you showed him the scene where Baldur finally died, to me that's one of the greatest scene ever made

[@kasrae192]

Make a part 2 of this video ! This dude is great

[@EddieLove]

Notice there was never any cut scenes as well! Any in game map transitions were used to slow the player seemingly to let the rest of the map to render

[@theycallmecity]

"this dude looks like a WWE wrestler for sure" 🥺🥺🥺 RIP SHAD GASPARD

[@parnmonkuma5461]

This guy is unbelievably enchanting; i could watch him and learn for hours

[@undertakernumberone1]

"the guy looks like a WWE wrestler fir sure!" well, Kratos' mocap actor was former WWE Wrestler Shad Gaspard, who Unfortunately died in a riptide, saving his son.

[@SerialGemini]

The story of this game is so GOOD!!!!!. This is 100% worth your time to play, the fight scenes are the MOST!!!! cinematic parts of this games, just the actions, the environments, the camera, EVERYTHING!!! is so astonishingly to watch This guy needs to watch or even play more of this game

[@hughjanus3562]

always glad to hear extremely good things about one of my all time favorite games

[@thetwistedspartan4602]

I'd love to see him react to Halo Reach cinematics. That games visuals were amazing beautiful and the score by Marty ODonnell really set the experience

[@williamErouse]

Man I grew up on Halo! Even before I knew I wanted to be a filmmaker, I was playing Halo! Would love to review it from that lens.

[@gothickah0]

What a great reaction. Love this guy

[@andrewknowles7493]

Yessss i was waiting for him to watch God of War👏🏽

[@Void278]

enjoying this kind of content

[@joefloggg3257]

I just finished this game for first time last week, replaying through NG+ is fun. Need to beat it on Give Me God of War+, but I love this story

[@petre1758]

One of my favorite things about this game it that it is entirely uncut. If you never close it you will never see a loading screen, transitions between cutscenes (ironic) and gameplay are perfectly smooth. It's like the entire game is filmed in one take.

[@EskChan19]

6:16 One thing I like about the game that is not really shown well here: There are a few times in the story where the cutscene forces you to use the Spartan Rage (The L3 + R3 prompt here). It becomes apparent through the story that Kratos has always had a bit of an anger issue, he is very scared of his anger and rage and always tries to stay calm and composed. These prompts are him unleashing his rage and they ONLY happen to protect his son. Every time these prompts show up, they happen as a direct result to a threat against his son, in this cutscene it was Baldur saying that he'd go back to the house and try to see what he's hiding (his son), but it also happens when he sees someone attacking his son.

[@swart.385]

3d animation must be the wet dreams of so many directors around the world. Like, you can make the scene and pose the camera exactly where you want to

[@therkokid215]

That's why this game won so many GOTY awards.

[@williamhopp3024]

I could listen to this guy all day.

[@skywalkin2186]

He said “ Ima have to play this “ . Bro bout to be flabbergasted 🤣

[@smackzack6640]

"This guy looks like a WWE wrestler for sure" Well they did use former WWE wrestler Shad Gaspard (R.I.P.) as a model for Kratos body so technically yes he is

[@dankfailure4984]

I would love to see this dudes reaction to the cutscenes earlier in the series, more so the first 2 the games then the 3rd

[@BarelyA1ive]

Thanks we need more stunt master reaction to god of war

[@wajahatali557]

Man I am invested we know you will

[@HeadBodyMasterPersonal]

I would love to see this dude react to other highly cinematic games. Stuff like Metal Gear, Uncharted, The Last of Us, Yakuza, Red Dead Redemption.

[@HoodWeegee]

He did Red Dead Redemption 2 already

[@hypocriticalgrammarnazi]

i forgot how much I love uncharted

[@SMOOTHIEGOOSIE]

I can’t wait to see what they have in store for god of war ragnorok

[@gritynity]

I think the way they motion captured the performances, it is a camera man filming single takes no cuts

[@dunsun6395]

God of war is the masterpiece

[@enochswen3601]

5:03 here you can see in order to get the shot without cutting the cameraman had to engage flight for a moment. Just one example of how seriously God of War takes its production.

[@babasemka]

6:00 - I'm invested in "this character" since 2005😂

[@johnyesjustjohn]

7:00 Ah, yes, the half-hour three-camera family comedy “The Bournes!”

[@simphiwentshalintshali8728]

Plays one key: already the score is fire

[@Syriand]

His good of war!!! Lots of blue screen acting I think and great digital cinematography, great artists on all kinds of categories.

[@Erricane]

0:51 "This dude looks like a WWE wrestler for sure." He ain't wrong. RIP Shad.

[@ShakShak1999]

I still can't believe he's gone. Sacrifice himself to save his son. Something that Kratos would do. May rest in peace 🕊️

[@Erricane]

@@ShakShak1999 Exactly. Shad was a great performer but a better dad.

[@ShakShak1999]

@@Erricane 👍

[@DarkSpartan062]

“They still have not cut” I hope he plays the game so he can see there never is a cut. Not that I remember at least. It’s awesome.

[@RaggenZ]

This guy know his job

[@vickvance748]

Make him react to Ghost Of Tsushima next! from the opening, the title card scene, the duels and the ending of Lord Shimura! it would be awesome!

[@Stand1Down]

this guy is the best we want to see him more loved the red dead video

[@FearlessSpecialist]

Love this guy btw. Great guest.

[@williamErouse]

Thank you!

[@devonmc4417]

I've often been confused about what makes a good movie. Sometimes the movies I like, are considered bad. Sometimes the movies I think are "Meh...", are considered good. So I'm glad I can watch this and find out what kind of things make a good movie

[@sirhubbard3628]

Ok quick note we need to fill him in, what impacted it the most was he lost his first family by his, and he’s trying to change and protect his new family.

[@jifij89]

i’d love to see william react to uncharted 4 and/or lost legacy! gorgeous games

[@DoesRocksFloat]

I wonder if the GOW live action is gonna have this one shot style of cinematography. As the guy said, it’s hard to do and some stuff can’t be done irl.

[@KorruptKitsune]

I love the fact that BOTH GAMES have absolutely NO MAJOR CUTS if at all

[@AngryJT]

Hey, that first scene shown is one that made me screenshot. .... about a second too late.

[@minicute2234]

god of war truly a masterpiece

[@johnpalcon7570]

shouldve included the final Baldur fight! What an accomplishment

[@bella8672]

The boy uses that knife from the beginning to save Kratos for death. He then gives the Boy a knife he made with medal from his home and this current area. I fell like it signifies the growth in the Boy and how the trust each other more.

[@i_are_penguin805]

i was gonna comment this and i thought it was insane that this guy deduced that from just the way the scene is shot its really impressive love this guy would love to see him in more stuff

[@user-lz2iz5mv8r]

I wish they also included when the world serpent was introduced ..

[@kristenfrankie7628]

Could you please do a part two of this

[@Shroobi]

This man said "I need to hit the gym" like he'd be carrying trees when he done 💀😭😭

[@yeetnoodle9668]

3:52 I believe it's also called Chekov's gun

[@arcfurrie4856]

I love God of War

[@RavinKaito]

_Great..._ I was trying to keep it the hype buried and this only reminded even MORE why I should be hyped for the next game lol

[@DreiCortavoyz]

Never knew vignette was read as "vinyet". I've always read it as vij-net😂

[@yeahboyz9314]

And this is why games are arts

[@justaguywhoplaysgames]

Wow he was actually right about the knife

[@greglmao6185]

Yo, you should have this guy do some of the cinematics from Halo 2: Anniversary!

[@bryanreyes5358]

That is all really cool wow 😮👌

[@thelordofthelostbraincells]

(3:54) isn't that also called "tchaikovs gun"? Or something like that? Where a thing is introduced early in a story and then is used later, like you said?

[@FierceDeity35]

No, that when something is introduced then never used.

[@user-tl3ho6ml9h]

it's Chekhov's gun.

[@kieranarmstrongproductions4743]

@@FierceDeity35 no, Chekhov’s gun is what he’s referring to. “If you show a gun on a rack, it must be fired before the story ends”

[@Kaen880]

The thing is how did he see the cameraman when he is invisible man 😳😂

[@Ismail-tp1wn]

*I think the priest should react to Bayonetta or Far Cry 5.*

[@yf16237]

The gun rule, got it👌

[@besaleta4047]

Kratos after seeing this: PLAY IT, BOY

[@saltylemon4436]

5:54 They're called Foley artists and videos of them on youtube are really interesting.

[@sammlangeni8819]

Everything he just said, I have never noticed it before

[@ryujisama]

3:53 "The Gun Rule"... Is that like that film-making version of the narrative device "Chekhov's Gun"? They both seem to imply the same effect, just a slight difference in definition. That being said, having played the game **SPOILER WARNING**: - - - - - - - - Atreus's knife seems to be more tied to his development as a character than an actual plot device. When his god-hood or rage gets the best of him, he often draws his knife to help vent his anger. Though this only really happens a few times in the story until his anger issues are resolved.

[@kieranarmstrongproductions4743]

He’s referring to Chekhov’s gun, yes

[@goodgamer13572]

SPOILER If i get that rule correctly then the gun rule would be the arrowhead that Kratos uses to repair Atreus quiver belt, same one wich disables Baldur immortality by stabbing

[@RicochetForce]

@@goodgamer13572 Correct.

[@mrqwerty005]

This game is nothing short of Masterpiece. So hyped for Ragnarok

[@Rakolai]

It’s kind of ironic that he compares Kratos to a WWE wrestler since the guy who provided his body model and motion capture was literally a former WWE wrestler.

[@williamErouse]

Man that's dope I had no idea!

[@Noah_AWICB]

This guy is awesome

[@hippityhoppity5823]

I agree with him, it's the reason why I respect naughty dog games. Many games involved great gameplay and amazing story, but it's the way they decided to animate the facial expressions and move the camera that made them stand out

[@editating_2614]

But this is not a naughty dog game

[@hippityhoppity5823]

@@editating_2614 I didn't say it was though? There are more cinematic games than god of war

[@SoupRices]

Would the Yakuza series be a good idea for this guy to react to?

[@render_dream33]

Of course!

[@Crystalhair2024]

Yes!!

[@braxtonbuck1295]

Great game but I really love how this is all on shot no loading screen only if you die