Posted July 1, 2005
Eight months ago, while playing San Andreas, I got this idea that I could use the in-game camera to craft some sort of article. I had already begun playing around with the camera, snapping pictures of various game oddities and easter eggs as a sort of hobby, and had previously captured some interesting shots. I didn't really consider the size or scope of the project when I began; my only goal was to use the camera and have some fun.
What started out as an experiment to see what could be done within the confines of the GTA game engine quickly turned into something much larger. Snapping pictures of the guys during the perfect frame of an idle animations to convey the right message or letting them wander in just the right direction to give them intention was extremely tedious. If the time of day wasn't right for the shot I'd need to loiter in the area for 20 minutes (in real time) for the next "day" to come around. Driving around the state is never without incident and more than once I was left stranded in the middle of the country with no vehicle large enough for my guys.
And the deaths! Oh, my poor crew. Taking pictures is (apparently) pretty hazardous. Their lives were much safer when they were just drinking and smoking in the alleys of Grove Street.
But during all of this, I kept snapping. I'd say that for every shot that made the final article, there were five shot in a similar manner which got cut. And after my final "roll" of film was snapped and my ending written, I could wrap up the article. What of all those extra pics? What ideas were cut? What situations made the gave me an ulcer?
