A few weeks ago, Lucca Comics & Games 2024 was held, the very popular pop culture event that takes place in the Tuscan city and which has long since taken on international importance, to the point of hosting leading figures from the world of cinema and TV.
And it was precisely in Lucca that we had the opportunity to interview Tim Miller (Love, Death & Robots, Deadpool, Terminator: Dark Destiny) present at the event to introduce to the public his new production, Secret Level, available from 10 December on Prime Video with a frequency of two episodes per week.
It is an anthology series created with computer animation in which each episode of the fifteen produced is based on a popular video game, from Pac-man to Mega Man via Warhammer 40,000 and Unreal Tournament.
We discussed with the director and producer what led him to work on such a project and what his expectations are for the public’s response.
The Secret Level review
Why did you want to produce a series like Secret Level?
“My company, Blur studio, has been in business for almost 30 years. We have always worked primarily with the video game industry. Our experience with CG (computer graphics) animation first inspired us to make Love, Death & Robots and then this series led us to Secret Level. We had already worked with some of these video games and therefore those who made them trusted us completely.”
How did you choose the video games for the various episodes?
“The choice was based on several variables because in this series of shorts you can see video games belonging to different categories represented. From first-person shooters to puzzle games. We wanted to range between the various typologies, as well as between the story genres, from science fiction to fantasy to the more realistic shootings of a game like Crossfire we also played with the tones of the story: there’s Spelunky which is more for families and there’s Warhammer for which you really have to have a weakness for violence.”
I saw it in preview ahead of Lucca Comics, I understand what you mean
“Yes, but it’s still beautiful to look at. I’m not a fan of violence for violence’s sake. That episode has some really beautiful visuals if you like animation.”
How would you describe Secret Level to someone who doesn’t like video games much?
“It’s a terrible thing to say, but I don’t think we need that segment of the audience. Of course I would like everyone to watch it.”
After all, everyone knows Pac-man!
“True, but there are always people who don’t know about it. Let’s say that even if you don’t like video games or animation, you might be intrigued by the presence of Keanu Reeves and Arnold Schwarzenegger. But geek culture is dominant today. Chances are that if you love Keanu Reeves and Arnold Schwarzenegger you also like action movies and if you like action movies it is highly likely that you also love video games. And those who love video games often love comics too I’m old, when I was young, nerds had to be found, comic conventions were in small hotel rooms. Now look where we are. In a city like Lucca that hosts an event for three hundred thousand people. If you only take into consideration the people who play to the video games you see in Secret Level we’re talking about two billion people.”
Have you also tried contacting Nintendo?
“We talked to everyone, believe me. Sometimes it’s a question of timing that doesn’t coincide because maybe there isn’t a game coming out. But the level of trust also counts because we’ve already worked with some of these companies before, like for most of Secret Level’s video games will be successful when it comes out, it will be easier to collaborate with other companies.”
Live action filmmaking can have physical limitations that animation doesn’t have, assuming you have the budget. In which area are you best?
“You’re right: if you have the budget. That’s the key. Because well-done animation has costs, which can decrease over time with increasingly sophisticated tools. You can use the Unreal Engine for free and do whatever you want with it at home There’s a whole new generation of filmmakers growing up like this. I love animation just because of what you said, because of the creative freedom it offers. If I want to tell a space story that explores many different planets, I can do it it’s cheap, but it still costs a third of a similar film it would end up having a budget of 200 million. Sometimes it’s the story you want to tell that tells you whether it’s better to do it with live action cinema or animation.”
You mentioned Arnold Schwarzenegger, with whom you had already worked on Terminator: Dark Fate, and Keanu Reeves. Was it easy or difficult to involve them?
“Keanu Reeves immediately said yes. With Arnold Schwarzenegger we had fun with Terminator and we see each other quite regularly because he has this small group of people with whom he often sees each other.”
If you need an extra person I am available
“If you like cigars and chess he will welcome you with open arms! However, sometimes we have breakfast together and we also go to the same gym, Gold’s Gym, which is at the end of the street where we live. That is, he is in a more luxurious area of the city We were chatting and I told him I was doing this stuff and if he wanted to participate. And he said, “Yeah, okay, I’m in.” But I told him I should record a video of him accepting it for Dave Wilson to see , ours supervisor. I still have that video in my phone memory.”
