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 Michael Levine has been working with interactive and digital media for over 15 years, many of which he spent in San Rafael, California at
LucasArts Entertainment Company – George Lucas’ gaming and software division. As Senior Effects Specialist and Art Technician, Mike
oversaw compression, compositing, and video, and developed several art production techniques and worked on classics such as Sam & Max Hit the Road,
Full Throttle, The Dig, Rebel Assault 1 & 2, and Jedi Knight: The Force Within. In 1997, Mike left LucasArts to form Puffin
Designs, a software company founded by Scott Squires of Industrial Light & Magic. Mike was Product Marketing Manager for the award
-winning program ‘Commotion,’ and ran the Engineering, Quality Assurance and Tech Support teams at the company at various points.
Mike has spoken on numerous trade show panels such as Macworld New
York and San Francisco, and the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB). Mike and his family
relocated to Western Massachusetts in 1999 after realizing he was longing for four real seasons, insects, and humidity.
Mike is the co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Pileated Pictures, an all purpose interactive
entertainment, marketing, and technology studio designing and producing character animation, games, and next-genteration websites.
We were able to coax Mike away from his busy schedule long enough to grant us an interview
about his entrance into the business, his thoughts on the gaming and animation industries, and his suggestions for those who wish to follow in his footsteps.
TeachingSpot: How did you get your start in games and animation?
Mike: More or less by accident. I had a strong visual background, having studied photography
extensively as a teen. I moved to California in 1990 to continue my education and potential future
career of Journalism, and documentary filmmaking. The latter I moved out there to learn more
about. I needed a job, and saw “LucasFilm Games” was hiring. I had played video games as long as
one could play them more or less, and I of course knew who George Lucas was. I had to apply. I
guess they liked me, or I fooled them, or they were in awe that someone with an actual college
degree would apply for a position to test games, so they hired me. It didn’t take me long to move
from the QA Department over to the ArtDepartment, and away we went. What I was learning about
on the side – all this new stuff called digital video - had a fairly huge impact on production at LEC
and in games in general, and really helped propel my “career”.
TeachingSpot: Not from a technical side necessarily, but more from a business perspective,
how has the games industry changed since you first began working in it?
Mike: A lot. From a business perspective, everyone has heard this or that latest stat “games
makes more money than the film box office”, etc. Well, it’s all true. And as they say, money
changes everything. When I started out, this was still a small business, though I think everyone
working in it thought it was big at the time, because to us, it was our whole world, and everyone
we knew was like that too. It was big to us. Our generation knew that video games were cool,
long before they started to make a lot of money in retrospect. More money brings more suits, and
more pressure, which unfortunately generally stifles creativity.
TeachingSpot: What do you believe is the biggest false impression or misconception that
new people just entering the workforce have about the fields of animation and games?
Mike: I know a lot of people think its all fun. People might hear about someone who plays video
games all day long and go, “boy, that sounds like a fun job!”, and to an extent they are right. It
has to beat being an accountant any day of the week (with all due respect to accountants – Lord
knows I need them!). But ultimately, playing one game for 60 or more hours a week, or doing
anything that intensely - art, animation, etc, - does become a job. And the videogame and
animation industries are known for working people very hard. Young people will have to pay their
dues. I did, and everyone does. Yet somehow in all that you have to figure out a way to have a little balance in your life. That’s the trick.
TeachingSpot: What trends do you see happening in animation? What about games?
Mike: Bigger...Better. Everything is going global. International is huge. A movie can flop here or
be seen as a flop and then go on to do fantastic around the world. (The Polar Express comes to
mind.) Think global. Other than that, games are just going to keep growing. We are still only at the beginning.
TeachingSpot: Where do you see the most opportunities cropping up for new animators and
artists?
Mike: Hone your craft and you can travel the globe if you want from job to job. I know people that
do that. Yet like I said, always try to stay true to yourself as an artist. Never give up on your
personal vision. At the same time, remember you have to be a professional. When you are paid to
do a job you need to do it to the client or employer’s liking. All the clichés are more or less true, for
better and for worse (another cliché!). But you need to keep your eyes on the big prize and
sometimes put your ego aside along the way. Don’t worry; there will be plenty of time for it later!
Beyond that, the internet has changed everything. If you make something that is that good, people
will pass it around and you can take off from there. The internet is and will continue to break down a lot of walls.
TeachingSpot: Starting a company is a huge undertaking. After working for several
prominent companies for a number of years, how did you come to the conclusion that it was time to form your own studio?
Mike: For me it was a matter of survival, though looking back on it, it seemed to be the right thing
to do regardless. I had relocated to a fairly remote region in western Massachusetts. If I wanted to
live out here without a fulltime job, I either needed to freelance constantly or start my own
company. Luckily, I was brave enough or just dumb or naïve enough to try this...and so far, so
good. I was inspired by the hordes of others who have left Lucas to do similar things – Matteworld
Digital, Blackpool Studios – these come to mind immediately.
TeachingSpot: Your company, Pileated Pictures, began life as an entertainment destination
website. How did you manage to survive the dotcom crash when so many others such as Icebox did not?
Mike: Actually we never planned on being a “destination site”. For what now seems like a very
short time, we planned on making content for the bigger sites and licensing it out. This model
obviously never took off as the entire internet economy crashed. But I wouldn’t write it off forever.
Games have proven that people will pay for content online, and now some very big hitters like Yahoo are suddenly investing a lot of money again in content.
TeachingSpot: Can you tell us a little about your company’s structure and pipeline?
Mike: We are a “virtual company”. I work out of my home office, and I work with a network of
subcontractors who are literally spread across the world. Many of these folks are people I worked
with before and trust, or people that I have been introduced to through others I know. The more
you know a person and have worked with them before the less risks there are, especially as a
virtual company. With the internet and Flash and even 3D, it’s very easy for us to exchange files
and work together. It’s all about good communication.
TeachingSpot: You have done game design and have worked in animation and visual effects
for television, film, games, and new media. Ruling out luck, if you had to narrow your success down to one main ingredient what would it be?
Mike: Why do we have to rule out luck?! Seriously, I think it’s important to be a good person and
be true to some values, as corny as that sounds. For me, I have always been a bit of an oddball. I
was always more technical than most artists and more artistic than most programmers, so I found
my niche. Everyone needs to find their niche and go with it. Sometimes you might want to do this
or that, but ultimately don’t deny what you are good at and what you love to do. Listen to yourself.
TeachingSpot: Do you have any advice about how to deal with getting into and staying
employed in animation or games?
Mike: I think I may have answered this already as far as staying employed. Be a professional, be
courteous, and always know there is more to learn. As far as getting employed, my one advice about reels for people is – keep it short. You can get a job, at least in my experience, on a shot or
two if they are that good. Less is more, if its good enough.
TeachingSpot: Super Pointless Bonus Question - So when it’s movie night at the House of
Levine and you’re ready to pop a disc into the ol’ DVD player what’s your favorite classic film to relax and enjoy?
Mike: Favorite classic film? That’s an impossible question for me to answer since I would have to
list about 30 films. I have a better question for you - “If you were stranded on an island and could
have only one film to watch, what would it be?” Dr. Strangelove, Young Frankenstein, Raiders of the Lost Ark, or John Carpenter’s The Thing. There, I couldn’t even keep to my own question!
TeachingSpot: Thank you for setting aside some time from your schedule to talk with us.
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