The Beatles: Rock Band -- Entering the Dreamscape
Transforming the songs of The Beatles into visual artistry.
July 17, 2009 - The Beatles: Rock Band follows the career of the Fab Four from their early days playing in The Cavern Club to their years away from touring, when they only performed in Abbey Road studio. Representing the first half The Beatles' career is a no-brainer. You render the most well-known clubs and stadiums and put John, Paul, George and Ringo in appropriate outfits. But what do you do for those years in the studio, when The Beatles created their most experimental songs?
Harmonix came up with the genius idea to begin these songs in the studio, but quickly transition into dreamscapes. These artistic representations of Beatles songs are unlike anything you've ever seen in a music game. We spoke with Lead Artist Dare Matheson about what went into the creation of these visuals and how Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr assisted in ensuring their authenticity.
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IGN: How did the idea first come about to do the dreamscapes?
Dare Matheson: As The Beatles' career escalated, the band got too big to tour. They took to Abbey Road Studios and suddenly found themselves with the freedom to record music that would not have to be reproduced live. Here, they produced some of the most imaginative, and inventive popular music ever. In the game, each of these songs starts with The Beatles in the studio. But we transport the band --and hopefully the player --to a dream world that is unique to each song, reflecting the emotion each song delivers. An aspect of The Beatles that has always stood out to me is that every song, even on the same album, is radically different from the next--each crafted to its ultimate possibility. So the dreamscapes are our visual interpretations of the songs themselves.
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IGN: Stylistically and even just in terms of the gameplay representation, it's not exactly in line with what we've seen from Harmonix in the past. Was there ever any resistance to this idea?
Dare Matheson: Not at all--we strive to treat every game design as a standalone entity, and to identify and meet the unique needs and opportunities each game presents. We all agreed that these songs needed to be treated properly. It may sound like a cliché, but for most of the team, this really was a labor of love. We love these songs and having the chance to do a sanctioned interpretation is a great honor and responsibility that we were thrilled to take on!
IGN: There's a unique dreamscape for each song during the studio days, is that correct? I'm assuming though that this doesn't include the rooftop concert?
Dare Matheson: Yes, each dreamscape is unique to the song it accompanies. We treated the Rooftop Concert as its own venue. This was the last concert The Beatles played, and we treated the venue as such.
IGN: How many dreamscapes are there on the disc?
Dare Matheson: Can't say--you'll have to wait til we announce more songs. But maybe if you add up all the band's songs, and divide by the proportion of time they were writing non-live albums… and carry the four…
IGN: How do you feel the introduction of these dreamscapes, which probably don't pop up until at least a third of the way through the career mode, highlight the changes the Beatles themselves were experiencing?
Dare Matheson: Although the band had already moved past teenage heartthrob boy band by this point, I believe this phase of their career was marked by the maturity each member of the band had attained, and brought back to the joint creative process, bringing the band as a whole to a higher level. So, in the game, the dreamscapes are a place where the player gets to experience each of the guys up close, and personal. Not on stage, but almost singing directly to the player.
Here Comes the Sun is so damned peaceful.
IGN: You couldn't do this same thing for a Led Zeppelin game or a Quiet Riot game. For the young'uns in the crowd, what was it about the Beatles that made this fit so well?
Dare Matheson: The Beatles had a unique platform from which to deliver the message of awakening freedom from the psychedelic era to the masses--and they didn't disappoint. It was a revolution, but not just a political one: it was a fiercely creative example they set, and the sheer immersive depth of many of these songs instantly provokes the listener's imagination… and ours.
IGN: What was your source material when designing the dreamscapes?
Dare Matheson: Mostly we worked out visual themes and settings that we felt delivered the vibe of each song, itself. Certainly the lyrics gave us leanings--though at no time did we strive to literally depict the lyrics. We also looked at a lot of the art of the album sleeves, and the band's movies.
IGN: What kind of insight did Paul and Ringo and others provide? Are there any sort of in jokes that would never have happened if it weren't for their collaboration?
Dare Matheson: They were able to answer some interesting details about the other historical venues. It was great to hear them share recollections about playing the Cavern Club, which they look back on fondly.
IGN: What were Paul and Ringo's reactions when they first saw these?
Dare Matheson: They liked them! Paul liked them so much that he has started featuring dreamscape footage in his live performances.
Looks like an Octopus' Garden to us.
IGN: Was your focus primarily on the song itself or on where the Beatles were in their career when these were written?
Dare Matheson: Same thing! Again, it's all about the emotion expressed by the song. The playful songs have playful dreamscapes; the more dramatic, or emotionally charged songs have dreamscapes that express the same.
IGN: Is it possible to watch the dreamscapes (and listen to the songs) without anyone playing, so you can just enjoy them on their own?
Dare Matheson: There is a Performance mode, where the HUD is minimized so you can see more of the imagery.
IGN: These seem to be very scripted events. Are there ever any variations or when you play, say, Yellow Submarine, will it always plays out in the exact same way?
Dare Matheson: First off we haven't announced if Yellow Submarine is in the game so you'll just have to wait to find out if that's a dreamscape. But to answer your question, the dreamscapes are scripted, so it isn't like if you do extra well one time in Octopus' Garden, you'll see the guys ride off on an octopus. However, there are varying elements within each level. There will be subtle differences in how they interact with the camera and each other upon replay. Also, the camera shots themselves have variation, so with some of the dreamscapes you'll see different areas of the level revealed when you reload it.
IGN: Were there any songs where it was tough to come up with the dreamscape or did it all come easily?
Dare Matheson: It wasn't easy! Some worked out really naturally, but others --which we thought we had nailed in the conceptual phase--turned out not to feel quite right once in the game. We took a very iterative approach with these, and it was a real balancing act establishing the proper mood through the setting, the cinematography, and character animation.
This ain't your daddy's Rock Band... but it's for your daddy.
IGN: Which one is your personal favorite and why?
Dare Matheson: Let's just say you don't know of my favorite one yet! Out of the songs that have been announced, "I Am The Walrus" dreamscape is my favorite, because it is completely bonkers. Though, no more so than the song itself. I also love "Here Comes The Sun," as it is just so damn pleasant.
IGN: What's the one song from the Beatles' concert days (whether it's in the game or not) that you wish had been a studio song so you could have made a dreamscape for it?
Dare Matheson: Well, "Day Tripper" seems appropriate for a psychedelic dreamscape.
IGN: Will the other songs from the studio days being released as DLC have custom dreamscapes?
Dare Matheson: Yes.
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