act3 is a communication strategy and design firm that specializes in telling stories.

This blog is our story laboratory, a way to poke, prod, and take a closer look at the stories we see, the stories we tell, and our own assumptions and knowledge about why stories work (or don't). The goal is to better understand what makes a story connect with people, and how to tell better stories.

Like any blog, it's an evolving concept. We hope you'll follow along.

April 25

One good post ...

Our good friend Dan Zettwoch just wrote a great post about the work he did with us on the Scott Smith Photographer video game. Dan talks a little bit about his process, and how the game is different from most of his other work (which is also pretty great; you should poke around the blog and check it out).

Two of the coolest things about the post are how Dan shows Scott’s building (and the former act3 World Headquarters) at Shaw and Marconi on The Hill in historic South St. Louis, first as photographed in preparation for the illustration …

Shaw & Marconi photo

… and then in full pixellated glory …

Shaw & Marconi illustration

… and also his sketch for the final photo shoot scene …

Final shoot sketch

… and then the scene as rendered for the game …

Final shoot, rendered

For higher-resolution looks at these images, be sure to check out Dan’s original post.

Of course, if you haven’t played the game yet (or in a while), you should! It’s like a trip back to the world of Atari …

:: Posted by Eric Ratinoff ::