overcast #030
Phil Rice (Overman) and his new cohost Ricky Grove take on the topic of Pro Machinima [EDIT: Part 1 - Game Company Employment] Who has gone pro in this way? What impact has it had on the community? And what can you do to put yourself on a path which might one day lead to a game developer’s doorstep?
Thank you for listening! As always, your feedback is welcome and appreciated.
This Week’s Hot List (URLs from the show’s content):
- Music Credits for this show:
- Opening music is by Nine Inch Nails, from the album Ghosts, the track title is “26 Ghosts III,” from the third CD in that 4-disc set.
- The music for Ricky’s World of Sound #1 is from Magnatune.com. The artist is Swivel Neck Jones, the album is Deep Life and the cut is “Arlo’s Auto Parts and Salvation”.
- Both musical selections are used under the Creative Commons license graciously chosen by these artists. Please consider supporting them with a music purchase if you enjoy these tunes.
- Molotov Alva Reviews:
- Online Machinima Film Festival 2008
- Mass Effect Comes to PC (May 28)
- DiVAS Season 1 Finale is May 31
- Ricky’s Wonderful World of Sound #1
- Topic: Pro Machinima [EDIT: Part 1 - Game Company Employment]
- Those who have gone pro (Name [website, if available] / Example Film or Project / Where they now work):
- Tristan Pope / Converse WoW Ad / Blizzard Entertainment
- Terran Gregory / Return / Blizzard Entertainment
- Ezra Furgeson / Return / Blizzard Entertainment [EDIT: Correction - I'm told Ezra does not work for Blizzard, my mistake. -Phil]
- Ken Thain / The Everseason / Bioware
- Jonathan Perry / Inside the Machinima / Bioware
- Nathan Moller / Just a Game / Bioware
- Jason Choi / Edge of Remorse / Shiny Entertainment / Double Helix Games
- Todd Stallkamp / The Fixer / Electronic Arts (EA Games)
- Paul Marino / I’m Still Seeing Breen / Bioware
- Michelle Pettit-Me / The Snow Witch / Bioware
- Ingrid Moon / The Machinima Road Show / Disney
- Brandon Dennis / Inventing Swear Words / WeGame.com
- Matt Kelland, Dave Lloyd / No License / Moviestorm
- Johnnie Ingram, Ben Sanders / BloodSpell / Moviestorm
- Zachariah Scott / Combine Nation / Bioware
- Robert Stoneman / Rusty Whispers: Dennis / Bioware
- If you want to get the attention of a game developer and go this route, what can we learn from those hired above?
- Have a commitment to quality in your work
- Build relevant skills
- Demonstrating that you know your way around (at least) one of the more advanced game machinima toolkits, like Source (Half-Life 2) or Unreal Tournament, is a big plus
- Study everything you can to become a better director and cinematographer (the games which have cinematic designers want them to feel like interactive movies)
- Develop an eye for design – use of color, use of light – and let that show in your work
- Any relevant skills not directly related to machinima can set you apart – sound design, CGI knowledge (3ds Max, Maya, etc.), training in filmmaking, etc.
- Networking can help; knowing someone already at the company can sometimes help you get a foot in the door, but ultimately it comes down to what can you do (show don’t tell), how well can you work in a team, aptitude to learn new tools, etc.
