Next Level Dundee - Sequences - Part 1

During the summer of 2010, I was, as usual, bored. With the majority of my games completed and 100%'ed (I have no life, I know), I looked for another task to keep myself busy. And boy did I find one hell of a task.

Walking through the halls of Abertay Dundee during the summer was like strolling through a graveyard at the dead of night. It was lifeless. And the few staff that were left floating around resembled ghosts searching for unfinished business. It was then when I spotted a poorly printed poster; "Next Level Dundee" it read, and having nothing else better to do. I cried made my way to the nearest computer and sent Iain Smith, the organizer, one of those pretend-to-be-interested-with-enough-questions-to-look-like-you're-serious-but-leaving-it-open-ended-enough-for-a-quick-getaway-if-it-turns-out-to-be-shite, email. That's where I knew my life would change forever. Seriously. No joke (I'm joking). I was so bored that some random stupid email managed to change my life forever (Again, joking). Besides, statements like that help keep the reader interested. Right?.. No?.. Nvm...

Skipping forward, I managed to charge enough Ki (we're talkin' enough Ki to reach Super Sayajin 2 here, for the sake of accuracy), to fly down to the university and meet my new team. The idea of the event was after submit a application listing our individual skill sets, we would then be grouped accordingly into teams of 5 or 6. What was interesting with the event however is that it was a digital media collaboration (keep this in mind because it'll serve as a key plot device later on. See? I'm nice.). What this meant was that any form of digital media (a game, animation, ect.) could be submitted at the end of the 5 days of hard work, depending of course on the people you'e grouped with. So, clenching my chest after a quick heart attack, I hoped to god I would be grouped with programmers and artists ready and hyped to make a game. God, however, was not on my side (although he may have been at the front, not sure.)

While the other participants were tydidily-doodley (?) grouped into neat, skill-sorted teams - we weren't. I was quickly regretting my decision to enter this dumb-ass what-doya-call-it event. Keep in mind that we had to create something that involves all of the team's skill sets, those are the rules. Now, allow me to explain the other team layouts, there were 5 teams total: 2 teams of artists/animators, who were both going to make a short animation of sort. Another 2 teams of programmers/artists, and they were both going to make a game. Then in comes us: a team built from 2 artists, a programmer (myself), an audio guy and lastly - I kid you not, a frickin' jewellery maker. Oh. My. Dear. Good. Lord.

So, what would you have us make? Take a moment and contemplate our pure awesome-fail situation as a team. What do you think, using ALL our skill sets, we could make in a form of digital media in 5 days?... 

Exactly.

I sat there, quietly, gently soiling myself... We had to make something in 5 days while using all our available skill sets. And I could not think of anything. Nothing. At all. Ziltch. Zero.

      Yep, soiled                                                 

Scared, I pushed the thought from my mind and realized I should take the opportunity to gather some info from the members of our new F-Team. From the first few minutes of conversation I gathered that our team was a humble bunch; calm, collected, cool. But other than that no real input was given in regards to what on earth-fuck we were going to make in 5 mother-slappin' days. And just before the soiling process was about to re-start, it came to me.

Over the past few summers, I had worked on my video compositing skillz (when you spell "skills" with a "z" thats when you know you're pro.) That meant I was rather adapt at video editing and post production with programs like Adobe After Effects, 3DS Max, Premier, ect. So, by replacing my focal contribution, programming, with video post-production and creation, we got ourselves a project. That's right folks, we're making a film!!!...

[End of Part 1]