Director Dialogues: Sniper2477

Director Dialogues: Sniper2477

He's not a huge name in the community, but Sniper2477 is a machinima maestro. He's the creator of the "Marathon Man" series as well as many other shorts. Check out the interview below to learn how he got started (a story unrelated to RvB!) and what he would like to see in future games to help directors do their work.

Tell us a bit about yourself.

Well im that guy who knows a guy that is friends with a guy that's famous. Nah not really im just a dude who enjoys making films that will entertain you. My real name is Andrew, im 22, and currently starting my first ever live action film aside from Machinima. I'm living on a very small Island in between the upper and lower Peninsula's of Michigan and TV/Internet is very hard to come by which is a good thing for me at least since I tend to procrastinate ALOT.

What inspired you to start creating Halo videos?

I actually have a reason besides the boring 3 words "Red vs. Blue" which you have all heard one to many times. Back in the day I was the guy who you were friends with that didn't believe in Xbox and was angry that Bill Gates was even trying to beat out Sony. I had every system BUT the Xbox and enjoyed playing FREE online games with my PS2. For me it was all about SOCOM and SOCOM II. I would occasionally get invited to friends LAN party's and tear people apart with the Halo 1 pistol sniping and noob combo. I really have no clue how I was so good at Halo and yet never even owned an Xbox for the longest time. I just found it hilarious owning all my friends until they threw down their controllers and wouldn't talk to me for the rest of the night. Nothing will ever beat that feeling.......well maybe one other thing might.

After the dust settled and smoke cleared I got kinda tired of playing and wanted to do something other then useless killing. Halo 2 came out and everybody was going crazy. Xbox just went down in price so I was like what the heck I guess ill just buy it since I had a fulltime job. At this time I started becoming friends with Digitalph33r (yea I know). He has just completed his 1st ever SERIOUS Machinima called, "Abnormality". I watched it and was blowen away by all the possibilities Machinima can create. Casting for part 2 began and I was more than excited to be a part of it and help Jon out in anyway possible. After alot of frustration and people quitting due to killing, teabaging, and all that other nonsense, Jon completed the part 2 which ran for about 20 minutes. This is what really separates Jon Graham from every other Machinima maker out there. He watches his video that he spent countless hours on and decides to scrap the whole video and redo it himself. I don't know about you guys but if I spent a shitload of hours on a video it is going up on the internet no matter what. It's all history after that.....very few people know about this story and im glad I had the chance to tell it.

Which one of your videos are you most proud of?

To be completely honest I have watched my videos so many times that I don't really like any of them. I know all the flaws and stuff that should of been better every time I watch them. I have yet to make a PERFECT film so lets hope it happens in the future.

What software/hardware do you use?

I get asked this SO MANY TIMES so here it goes. I use Sony Vegas for Editing and used to use Dazzle but switched to HD Capturing. My HD capture card is called, "Hauppauge 1212 HD PVR".

How long does it take to gather the clips, capture, and edit one of your videos?

You would think that it wouldn't be that long but it takes ALOT of time and patience to produce your very own Machinima. There's times when you just want to give up because it feels like you spent an eternity on a certain scene. Just be patient and spend time on your machinima....that's what will separate you from the rest.

Any tips for aspiring machinima makers?

If your new and want to get your stuff out there my advise to you is not to try so hard. A lot of times I will go on a forum and see directors SPAMING their videos and doing whatever they can for you to see their new video. This is a good way to get views but a BAD way to represent yourself and your image. You might get a few cheap views but in the end it won't be worth it.

What features would you like to see in future games to aid machinima makers?

This is a no brainer to us and thanks to Bungie's efforts more and more companies are incorporating ways for us to make Machinima easier and help us forget about the days of joining an oddball match with plasma pistols. Anyways I hope that Bungie's efforts will open up other opportunities for machinima in games besides Halo.

Care to give a hint for some of your future projects?

"Mackinac Man" code name of my project at least. The script is still being worked on but filming has begun on Mackinac Island. I'm taking it upon myself to make entertaining videos since im sick and tired of watching these boring Michigan films. After Summer ends ill continue making Machinima and hope to start on a new series.

Thanks for reading and hope you guys enjoy whats coming up next, thanks!

Thanks Sniper!

You can see all of Sniper2477's videos on his youtube channel, and check out his blog.

See you next week!

If you have any suggestions for future guests, message RandomSauce on Bungie.net!