September 19, 2007
Professor Steffen, I Presume?
Just wanted to announce that I have moved on from Sony Pictures and am now an Adjunct Professor teaching "Introduction to Multimedia" at California Lutheran University, and "Physics of Art & Perception" at Cal State Channel Islands. Yeah for quick career changes!
July 22, 2007
Cinematographer Needed for Short HD Film, Shooting August 18-19
We are looking for a cinematographer to design the lighting and visual style for a short HD film called Daily Bread. The ideal candidate is willing to work for free, as most of our production team are unpaid volunteers, though we may be able to negotiate a small stipend for an exceptional candidate.
Daily Bread is the story of a college student who begins receiving notes from God in the midst of planning a major campus event. The theme is trusting God in every situation, and we are producing it in conjunction with Ascension Lutheran Church in Thousand Oaks, who is providing us with a small budget. We are shooting the weekend of August 18-19 at the church and at California Lutheran University (also in Thousand Oaks). Our primary goal is ministry through quality filmmaking with an inspirational message that is powerful but not "in-your-face".
Daily Bread will be shot in the HDV format, with a final running time of 10 minutes. We will screen initially at Ascension Church and California Lutheran University, and then plan to enter the film in festivals.
If interested, please contact Michael Steffen at:
(805) 551-4508
michael[at]steffenstudios[dot]com
www.steffenstudios.com
June 27, 2007
The Boomerang Kid: A New Interactive Theatrical Experience
My friend Megan is producer/stage manager on this. Looks interesting!
It's running now until July 14th. More at: PowerhouseTheater.com
March 16, 2007
Mikey Got a Job!
Hi all! I wanted to share the good news that I got a job with Sony Pictures Entertainment as a Menu Authoring Associate. What's cool is that I will be working with the new Blu-Ray disc format, which actually uses the Java programming language to support new levels of interactive content (kind of wish I had access to this technology when I was making my thesis project, Telmahre). I will be starting out assembling the menus, though as I learn more there could be opportunites to help design some of the interactive content and 3D art assets. I start Monday. Yay!
November 8, 2006
Serious Game: Escape From Diab
Have you guys heard about this at all? It is an educational game that teaches kids about proper nutrition. Looks interesting!
August 31, 2006
Agile/Scrum Methodology For Game Development
I am doing some research into the game industry and came across the following article on a relatively new methodology for game development called Agile. Scrum is a more specific implementation of the Agile method:
Traditional game development uses a production methodology that spends a lot of front-end time, defining intended functionality, often with implementation of important elements such as mechanics and levels waiting around until the mad scramble at the end. The traditional methodology, often called Waterfall, isn’t dissimilar to an assembly line, with the beginning of the line starting the process of piecing together the product while the end of the line waits to add polish.Agile puts the emphasis on producing demonstrable iterations of a game almost immediately into production, creating prioritized vertical slices that iterate on the most critical elements and features. The method also puts great emphasis on the organization of teams and the relationships therein, as well as the cycles in which teams must plan and carry out their project objectives.
Scrum breaks down production into short work cycles called Sprints. At the beginning of each Sprint, the entire project team meets to create objectives and self-organize into small Scrum teams. The Scrum teams are interdisciplinary, with artists working alongside designers working alongside programmers.
Full text may be found here:
http://gamasutra.com/features/20060628/mcguire_01.shtml
April 29, 2006
3 Years Ago...
I found some old text documents on my computer that shed light on what was going through my head 3 years ago when I applied to the IMD. The first entry's especially poignant to me as I start to think about where I'm going to work after I graduate. Thought I'd share them:
1/15/2003
I studied Computer Science because I thought it would be a good tool for me to have.
Now, I have the ability to
make a game, whether or not I end up working for a game company.
People are always trying to categorize me, asking
things like, "So you want to be a programmer? Or do you want to be an
artist?" To which I reply: "I want to create
audio-visual works of art. I want to help write the story, design the
world, breathe life into the characters. And if
some programming is required to accomplish the overall project...then
yes, I'll do that too. Whether I make a game or
a movie is only a matter of what tools I decide to use. Programming is
a tool for gamemaking, just as a camera is a tool
for filmmaking. Few aspire to be mere cameramen, and as such I aspire
to be much more than a programmer.
3/18/2003
- I enjoy exploring the emotional motivations of myself and those in the world around me, and consequently enjoy the prospect of creating and exploring characters and their motives.
- Interactive mediums allow the player to experience a narrative first-hand, and even effect that narrative.
April 16, 2006
Easter and Passover
To all who celebrate, hope you have a blessed holiday!
March 21, 2006
Great Hall Redesign
The Great Hall was the very first inspiration for Telmahre, which means the concept for it was born in my mind nearly 5 years ago. I struggled with myself as to whether I should really redesign it again, considering there are still pieces of art for my thesis that haven't been designed at all yet. But considering it only took me a day of work today to realize the vision I always had for this room, I'd say it was time well-spent.
Comparison between new wall (left) and the old (right)
A front-on view of the Romanesque architecture
March 7, 2006
Memory Leaky!
I knew the memory leaks in my Tantallon Engine code would kill me someday. This is the first time I tried putting all of Telmahre together. It got 2/3 the way through just fine, but as Camlan was instructing the Player on the Age of Enlightenment, Tantallon had a nasty seg-fault (oh wait, Windows doesn't call 'em that...)