PadeMoNiuM Prods

Thanks guys for your feedback, I really appreciate it. I understand what you mean about shorter videos and more direct gameplay. I agree that this kind of approach can be useful, especially if the goal is simply to show how the game plays. But for me, a cinematic theme has a different purpose. It is not only there to demonstrate the gameplay. It is there to catch the viewer’s eye, create atmosphere, make the interface look more attractive, and make people want to enter the game’s world. Gameplay videos already exist everywhere, and of course they have their place. I don’t want to diminish that approach at all. But personally, if I spend time creating a cinematic theme, building animations around it, designing an intro, working on rhythm, transitions and atmosphere, I don’t really see the point of ending up with something that only shows basic gameplay. At that point, it almost makes more sense to simply use a short gameplay preview. It can be clean, efficient and direct. But if the goal is to create a cinematic theme, then I feel it should fully embrace that direction. It should bring staging, mood, identity and a stronger sense of presence inside the interface. About the fullscreen moments, I also want to explain that they are not random. When I use fullscreen sequences, it is usually at very specific moments. They are chosen to emphasize an action, an impact, a camera angle, or a key moment in the trailer. They are part of the rhythm of the theme. If I remove all those moments, the video may feel more “interface-friendly”, but it also loses a lot of its energy, pacing and cinematic impact. These shots are selected because they create tension, movement and atmosphere. They help the theme breathe, accelerate, slow down, and highlight the game in a more dramatic way. For me, the fullscreen moments are not there to break the interface. They are there to create impact. They are like close-ups in a movie: used at the right time, they make the scene stronger. The Need for Speed Unbound theme I posted after that actually shows exactly what I mean. Try to imagine that theme without the editing, without the visual effects, without the rhythm, without the fullscreen impact moments, and with only raw gameplay footage instead. It would completely lose a big part of its appeal.The game would still be there, of course, but the atmosphere would not be the same at all. The energy, the style, the visual identity, the sense of movement… all of that would disappear. It would become much more neutral, much flatter, and honestly a lot less exciting to watch.And that is really the point I am trying to explain. Removing all the cinematic work around the theme is not just “simplifying” it. It also removes a big part of the creative work itself. The editing, the effects, the timing, the selected shots, the transitions — that is where a lot of the atmosphere comes from. Of course, I can make a more gameplay-focused version by removing those cinematic moments and using more direct gameplay instead. I have no problem testing that. But I honestly think the difference will be very obvious. It will probably feel cleaner and more classic, but also much flatter in terms of atmosphere. So yes, I’ll do the test with Forza Horizon 6. I’ll prepare a more neutral version, with the theme animation, the car, and then classic gameplay footage, without dynamic editing, without fullscreen moments, and without any particular cinematic staging.That way, you’ll be able to really compare both approaches.The idea is not to say that one approach is better than the other. Everyone has their own taste, their own use, and that’s also what makes it interesting. This way, people will be able to choose what they prefer.But I also think the comparison will show exactly why I made these cinematic choices in the first place. When you remove the rhythm, the selected shots, the transitions and the moments of impact, you also remove a big part of what gives the theme its soul. That said, if this is really what some people prefer, I can do it. Technically, it is not difficult at all. In fact, it would probably take me one or two hours less work. But in that case, we are not really in the same creative approach anymore. It becomes more like a gameplay video placed inside a theme, while my approach is to create a real cinematic atmosphere around the game.So yes, I hear your feedback, and I’ll keep it in mind. I may make two versions in the future: a simpler gameplay version, without dynamic editing or fullscreen moments, and a cinematic version in my usual style. But I also don’t want to erase what makes my work feel like mine. If I remove all the staging, rhythm and atmosphere, then I simply end up doing the same thing as many others. And my goal is precisely to bring something different to the interface. I think the test will speak for itself.

Yes, that’s the Nvidia recording icon that appears when you capture footage.I animate through Wallpaper Engine, then I record the animation and usually do the editing afterward. Most of the time, I erase or clean up that annoying little icon in post-production… but this time, I forgot.That tiny Nvidia pictogram basically invited itself into the scene like an extra nobody asked for. The kind of detail you only notice after the export, of course otherwise it wouldn’t be funny. I’ll make a correction! Good catch, eyes of the tiger!

Still top quality as always. You’re really great with element placement. Everything feels super cohesive, and that consistency shows across all your themes. Great job, man !

Thank you man, that’s really kind of you. But be careful not to compliment me too much, it wakes up the trolls, lol. Just kidding. It’s the kind of sentence that reminds you of something simple but profound: on the internet, creations live much longer than we imagine. A theme posted ten years ago can still end up in someone’s hands today, spark an idea, a vocation, or simply the desire to tinker with a frontend. In retro communities, it’s even more true. Projects circulate, get remixed, inspire other setups and other interfaces… and after a while you don’t even know who inspired who anymore. It’s a bit like an old cartridge being passed around between friends and ending up in ten different houses.So yeah, it’s just a comment, but it made me want to share a couple more.I’m posting two more themes. I’m a bit embarrassed because some of them haven’t aged very well . they’re about ten years old after all. But if a few of you enjoy them, then that’s great. It also shows the very beginning of my work and creations. I started exactly like many of you I didn’t really know what I was doing back then. It was a lot of tinkering: editing, layering things together, green screens, basic compositing… nothing very professional at all.So it definitely doesn’t represent my current skills, but honestly I don’t mind sharing it. At least it shows where it all started. I’m not going to pretend my early work didn’t exist. Launch themes are pretty rare anyway. There aren’t that many around. Back then I really enjoyed making them. It was pure imagination — I was just letting my creativity run wild.