EXCLUSIVE LIL INTERVIEW WITH CODY CHANCELLOR

DIGITAL HIT MEN
By Santiago Mendez

Mechadeus, was an old game developer that was part of a company called Mondo Media. They created 2 games only: “Critical Path” and “The Daedalus Encounter”. LucasArts hired Mechadeus to do some additional 3D Animation work and imagery adjustments. Cody Chancellor was part of the team that worked on The Dig.

What was exactly your job on The Dig?

Haha! There's the best question. I was working at Mondo Media at the time and we had several contracts
with Lucas Art and Lucas Learning at teh time. I think I was working on some pyramid of sorts. A crystal perhaps? There was some background cave stuff if I recall as well.
I do remember working on it but honestly I was a two pit player on the production. A little photoshop retouching and the like. I was already committed to another production as art director so they was very little time for my invlovement.

Any idea of why LucasArts needed to hire Mechadeus for The Dig?

We were already working with them on other projects and our artist team was crack! Fast robust imagery done with creative flair. I think they had a deadline to meat. We were digital hit men at the time.

Mechadeus is credited as 3D Animation on The Dig. Did your job involved 3D animation or just photoshop retouching?

There was animation done as well. I think it was a fusion between 3D with photoshop frame by frame augmentaion.

Have you played The Dig?

I never played the game. We were doing a lot of different games at teh time and I don't think we were
gettting demo copies of everything.

Here are a few words from other guys I talked to that worked at Mechadeus on The Dig:

"That was a long time ago…great game and Sean Clark is the man on that one, as I’m sure you know. We were just a work for hire team that came in and made 3 of the pre-rendered cinematics." - Melissa Kangeter

"I worked on the game for about a week, when I was with Mondo Media (some of the graphics work was farmed out). So I in fact don't even remember what I did on it." - Bill Niemeyer

© 2005 Santiago Méndez

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