Above: Alice Coulthard played Lady Igraine in The Order: 1886.
Time is an unexpected luxury
While the wardrobe was limited, working on the game had its special perks. Coulthard explained how the project’s timetable allowed her to really explore her role. “We had lots of time to work on things before we started shooting. [This] made the shooting process much more enjoyable. … We knew where we were at with our characters by the time we started shooting,” she said. “It happened over a long period of time. That was nice as well. … It was [a] much more kind of involved process. You had time to let things settle and let your character grow. It was great fun to work on.”
“We were lucky that we would get rehearsal every time,” West mentioned. “Rehearsal would get the technical side out of the way, so that … when we were filming we could just play the scenes, which was freeing because sometimes in TV and stuff, [things can] be very quick and choppy.”
For West, having more time differentiated this effort from others he’s worked on. “Going back to TV, it’s hard nowadays because it’s so quick. The turnaround, you don’t get that much time to invest with someone. Film can be like that as well. … So this was kind of a real treat.”
When it all comes together
The Order is one of the PlayStation 4’s premier exclusive releases, and the shooter received mixed reviews when it hit stores in February. Despite the criticism, most players agreed that the title is beautiful. People praised The Order’s acting, realistic animations, and supreme graphical fidelity — a testament to the work put in by West, Coulthard, Weerasuriya, and their colleagues.
“I’m really impressed and very proud of how it’s turned out. … The look of it, and the feel, and the storyline, and how these characters have come to life — I’m really proud of that,” West said.
Weerasuriya couldn’t be more pleased with the work his actors put in. “[West] created [Galahad] … because he became that character,” he said. “[Coulthard] became a better [Igraine] than I would have imagined. … There’s a certain ease about her when she plays a character. There’s a certain humor that she brings also.
“To find that in actors was just really amazing. As a director, I have to tell you, it’s a blessing to work with people like that,” he concluded.
With their time on The Order, the performers have experienced firsthand the interactive-entertainment industry’s commitment to telling gripping, powerful stories in its offerings. Both West and Coulthard look forward to working on more games in the future.
“[My experience] definitely makes me more inclined to play games because of the character-driven, more narrative element to [The Order]. That is something which appeals to me much more than games which … seem more focused on fighting than characters or story. So, this definitely makes me want to play games,” Coulthard said. “For me, it’s been the most exciting realization of a character that I’ve played.”
West sees great potential in gaming moving forward. “As a storytelling medium, I think [gaming] is a brilliant evolution of TV and film and all those things because visually it’s amazing, and then also you get to decide and make the choices. So you’re immersed in it way more than passively watching something.”