James Bond
My first foray into art direction...a tough, high pressure project that helped push me forward as a well rounded thinker.
I started this project as the 2D Texture Lead, but after a troubled production the Art Director left the project with only 6 months to go, and I was asked to step up. Luckily I had a Producer who believed in me and helped guide my efforts.
The main focus was to direct the atmosphere, mood, lighting, and detail on all of the levels that had been only partially (and unsatisfactorily) built. I started by taking each as they stood and extrapolating what kind of engaging visual they could be reconstructed into, being inspired by each location's natural and dramatic potential. With such a short time window and small staff, I did most of the paint overs myself. From there I worked with the lighting, vfx, and level builders to get us to a competitive visual bar.
It was the beginning of understanding the art team as an organism, each part working well with the others, and taught me to consider every department in terms of visuals, production, and personnel.
 Miami Science Center PaintoverI was challenged with taking many existing levels and getting them to completion...learning how to quickly communicate to the team direction. I started with raw geometry and began paintovers that pushed lighting and mood. In this case, we just asked, what if it was raining? Instantly we had a noir like setting befitting a James Bond game. |  Cave PaintoverOne challenge was that this was a cover based shooter, systematically set up so the animation system could work on a preset 3D grid. I had to find ways to make organic formations like this sinkhole cave look natural when bent into the clear cover standards needed for gameplay. |  White's Estate PaintoverAfter one failed attempt at re-envisioning this locale, the producer said to me, 'this is a place where an evil, evil man lives....' That really got me started thinking from the vantage point of the antagonist, and set me on a path where I was more in tune with what the game needs vs. what I happened to like. |  Lighting PaintoversMore paintovers where I took simple unfinished raw geo and gave it visual direction. By this time I was thinking more in terms of gameplay, and started using lighting to guide player actions. |  Science Center PostersThese posters are found throughout the Miami Science Center level. As Bond threaded his way through the archives, he would pass old exhibit items. I made these to represent exhibits of decades past, from the 30's to the early 70's. |
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