Justin Leeper has worked with everyone from Hideo Kojima to pro wrestlers and has been a part of projects like Death Stranding and Wanted: Dead. We were lucky enough to pick the brains of this stuntman, turned mocap artists, turned creative auteur, to learn more about his methods of working and how he has managed to transition his skills from one niche to another.
From stuntman to narrative designer: how Justin Leeper’s career began
Justin Leeper’s journey as a creator began in stunt work.
FandomWire: In case our readers aren’t aware of your work, could you please tell us a bit about yourself and your career?
Justin Leeper: Hello, Fandomwire readers. I’m Justin Leeper, a guy who’s been lucky enough to do a bunch of stuff that my 12-year-old self might think was cool. You may remember me from such things as Death Stranding, WWE SmackDown vs.
From stuntman to narrative designer: how Justin Leeper’s career began
Justin Leeper’s journey as a creator began in stunt work.
FandomWire: In case our readers aren’t aware of your work, could you please tell us a bit about yourself and your career?
Justin Leeper: Hello, Fandomwire readers. I’m Justin Leeper, a guy who’s been lucky enough to do a bunch of stuff that my 12-year-old self might think was cool. You may remember me from such things as Death Stranding, WWE SmackDown vs.
- 3/31/2024
- by Daniel Boyd
- FandomWire
If you think modern microtransactions are bad, check out a few classic arcade games sometime. Sure, they might only ask for a quarter or 50 cents to play, but that’s just the starting price. As soon as you run out of lives, it’s time to feed the machine again. In theory, you might be able to beat an arcade game for just a quarter. Actually getting there took weeks or months of practice.
It wasn’t uncommon to have to drop $20, $50, or even more to see the ending of some old arcade games. And of course, that was just for one playthrough. Yup, classic gaming was a whole different beast from what we have in the 21st century with its host of mods and accessibility options. But even taking into account that these games were designed to make as much money as possible off of you, a few were truly devious.
It wasn’t uncommon to have to drop $20, $50, or even more to see the ending of some old arcade games. And of course, that was just for one playthrough. Yup, classic gaming was a whole different beast from what we have in the 21st century with its host of mods and accessibility options. But even taking into account that these games were designed to make as much money as possible off of you, a few were truly devious.
- 3/30/2024
- by Matthew Byrd
- Den of Geek
You’re not imagining things: video games really have gotten easier over the years. That’s due, in large part, to the now-common addition of variable difficulty settings and other accessibility options. While some gamers complain these things make games too easy, they’re a welcome change for many of us who grew up in the ‘80s.
Much of the Nes library was known for its extreme difficulty. Part of that was due to the console’s technical limitations. It just wasn’t always easy to make characters move as developers intended. Sometimes it was much more conscious. Developers would make games harder so that they would last longer and so that gamers couldn’t just blow through titles in a weekend rental. But even keeping those things in mind, a few developers went above and beyond to create some of the most devious and fiendishly difficult challenges imaginable. Decades later,...
Much of the Nes library was known for its extreme difficulty. Part of that was due to the console’s technical limitations. It just wasn’t always easy to make characters move as developers intended. Sometimes it was much more conscious. Developers would make games harder so that they would last longer and so that gamers couldn’t just blow through titles in a weekend rental. But even keeping those things in mind, a few developers went above and beyond to create some of the most devious and fiendishly difficult challenges imaginable. Decades later,...
- 3/15/2024
- by Matthew Byrd
- Den of Geek
The “graphics don’t matter” argument always makes me a little sad. Though there is some truth in that stance, it is often triggered by the views of those who overvalue raw gaming visuals or otherwise believe games can’t be great if they don’t have top-of-the-line graphics. Perhaps a game doesn’t need incredible graphics to be great but incredible graphics certainly have the power to elevate or define tremendous experiences. They are a vital component of the evolution of the medium.
For as memorable as the most stunning video games often are, it can be remarkably easy to lose track of the milestone advancements that got us from Pong to Red Dead Redemption 2. While it would take more space than I have here to give all those milestone advancements their due, these are 15 of the most notable games that revolutionized video game graphics.
Space Invaders (1978)
This article has to start somewhere,...
For as memorable as the most stunning video games often are, it can be remarkably easy to lose track of the milestone advancements that got us from Pong to Red Dead Redemption 2. While it would take more space than I have here to give all those milestone advancements their due, these are 15 of the most notable games that revolutionized video game graphics.
Space Invaders (1978)
This article has to start somewhere,...
- 2/8/2024
- by Matthew Byrd
- Den of Geek
Despite a union with SAG-AFTRA and increasing attention paid to the very best voice acting performances in the industry, it’s still easy to take those performances for granted. It’s part and parcel of a medium that still struggles with being recognized as an art form, and one where those union protections don’t yet protect the most vulnerable performers.
Voice acting is often the key to whether a story-heavy game sinks or swims. Granted, it is possible for a game’s voice acting to become iconic, even with a crappy dub. The original Resident Evil is still a meme for B-movie lines like the Jill Sandwich, and Shenmue’s English voice acting, respectfully, flat-out sucks. But a truly remarkable job, like the whole of Final Fantasy Xii or Nolan North’s various appearances as Nathan Drake, reminds us why it’s important to remember our roots, appreciate the creators,...
Voice acting is often the key to whether a story-heavy game sinks or swims. Granted, it is possible for a game’s voice acting to become iconic, even with a crappy dub. The original Resident Evil is still a meme for B-movie lines like the Jill Sandwich, and Shenmue’s English voice acting, respectfully, flat-out sucks. But a truly remarkable job, like the whole of Final Fantasy Xii or Nolan North’s various appearances as Nathan Drake, reminds us why it’s important to remember our roots, appreciate the creators,...
- 1/3/2024
- by Matthew Byrd
- Den of Geek
Randy Fullmer, an effects animator, visual effects supervisor, artistic coordinator and producer who worked at Disney for almost 20 years, has died after a lengthy battle with cancer. He was 73.
Over his nearly two decades at Disney, he did everything from work on the Toon Town portion of “Who Framed Roger Rabbit?” (his first gig at the studio) to working as an artistic coordinator on “The Lion King” to producing full Disney features like “The Emperor’s New Groove” and “Chicken Little.” A key and unsung player in the Disney Renaissance of the ‘80s and ‘90s, Fullmer’s legacy will live on.
Fullmer, who died July 10, in Woodland Hills, California, attended the California Institute of the Arts, a school co-founded by Walt Disney. After Fullmer graduated in 1974, he spent time working with Don Bluth, the Disney hotshot whose departure from the studio nearly crippled the animation department. Fullmer joined Bluth on his...
Over his nearly two decades at Disney, he did everything from work on the Toon Town portion of “Who Framed Roger Rabbit?” (his first gig at the studio) to working as an artistic coordinator on “The Lion King” to producing full Disney features like “The Emperor’s New Groove” and “Chicken Little.” A key and unsung player in the Disney Renaissance of the ‘80s and ‘90s, Fullmer’s legacy will live on.
Fullmer, who died July 10, in Woodland Hills, California, attended the California Institute of the Arts, a school co-founded by Walt Disney. After Fullmer graduated in 1974, he spent time working with Don Bluth, the Disney hotshot whose departure from the studio nearly crippled the animation department. Fullmer joined Bluth on his...
- 7/26/2023
- by Drew Taylor
- The Wrap
Randy Fullmer, a veteran Walt Disney Animation Studios animator and producer who worked on “The Little Mermaid” and “Chicken Little,” died of cancer on July 10. He was 73. Walt Disney Animation confirmed the news in a statement to Variety.
“Most people are good at one thing in their lives. Randy was good at a lot of things,” wrote Don Hahn, whom Fullmer worked with on “Beauty and the Beast” and “The Lion King.” “He could draw and paint beautifully, but he had the mind of an engineer, and the heart of an artisan. He was great at animation; great at producing movies, too. He was at the very center of the Disney renaissance in animation, then when he needed a new chapter in his life, he started making exquisite and much sought-after bass guitars with that same engineer’s mind and artistic soul he brought to Disney animated movies. His masterful...
“Most people are good at one thing in their lives. Randy was good at a lot of things,” wrote Don Hahn, whom Fullmer worked with on “Beauty and the Beast” and “The Lion King.” “He could draw and paint beautifully, but he had the mind of an engineer, and the heart of an artisan. He was great at animation; great at producing movies, too. He was at the very center of the Disney renaissance in animation, then when he needed a new chapter in his life, he started making exquisite and much sought-after bass guitars with that same engineer’s mind and artistic soul he brought to Disney animated movies. His masterful...
- 7/25/2023
- by McKinley Franklin
- Variety Film + TV
Randy Fullmer, the wildly creative effects animator, visual effects supervisor, artistic coordinator and producer who contributed to films including Who Framed Roger Rabbit, The Little Mermaid and The Lion King at Walt Disney Animation Studios, has died. He was 73.
Fullmer died July 10 at his home in Woodland Hills following a long battle with cancer, his family announced.
From 1983-84, Fullmer worked for Don Bluth Studios, creating special effects for Dragon’s Lair and Space Ace, the first video games to be produced on laserdisc. He later was employed at John Dykstra’s live-action special effects house Apogee and at Filmation, where he handled animation for such TV shows as Happily Ever After, BraveStarr, She-Ra: Princess of Power and Ghostbusters from 1985-87.
In 1987, Fullmer was hired by Walt Disney Feature Animation (now known as Walt Disney Animation Studios) for a three-month contract to animate the Toon Town section of Who Framed Roger Rabbit...
Fullmer died July 10 at his home in Woodland Hills following a long battle with cancer, his family announced.
From 1983-84, Fullmer worked for Don Bluth Studios, creating special effects for Dragon’s Lair and Space Ace, the first video games to be produced on laserdisc. He later was employed at John Dykstra’s live-action special effects house Apogee and at Filmation, where he handled animation for such TV shows as Happily Ever After, BraveStarr, She-Ra: Princess of Power and Ghostbusters from 1985-87.
In 1987, Fullmer was hired by Walt Disney Feature Animation (now known as Walt Disney Animation Studios) for a three-month contract to animate the Toon Town section of Who Framed Roger Rabbit...
- 7/25/2023
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Randy Fullmer, a Walt Disney Animation Studios effects animator, VFX supervisor and producer who worked on such classics as The Lion King and Beauty and the Beast, has died. He was 73. The studio said he died July 10 at his home in Woodland Hills, CA, after a long cancer battle.
Fullmer worked at the Disney toon studio for nearly 20 years, racking up credits that also include effects animator on Oliver & Company (1988) and The Little Mermaid (1989), effects supervisor on The Rescuers Down Under (1990), artistic coordinator on The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996) and producer on The Emperor’s New Groove (2000) and Chicken Little (2005). He served as artistic coordinator on 1994’s The Lion King and as VFX supervisor on 1991’s Beauty and the Beast.
“Most people are good at one thing in their lives. Randy was good at a lot of things,” said Don Hahn, producer of Beauty and the Beast and The Lion King.
Fullmer worked at the Disney toon studio for nearly 20 years, racking up credits that also include effects animator on Oliver & Company (1988) and The Little Mermaid (1989), effects supervisor on The Rescuers Down Under (1990), artistic coordinator on The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996) and producer on The Emperor’s New Groove (2000) and Chicken Little (2005). He served as artistic coordinator on 1994’s The Lion King and as VFX supervisor on 1991’s Beauty and the Beast.
“Most people are good at one thing in their lives. Randy was good at a lot of things,” said Don Hahn, producer of Beauty and the Beast and The Lion King.
- 7/25/2023
- by Erik Pedersen
- Deadline Film + TV
The ‘80s were an incredibly innovative and fast-paced time for video games. Arcades were king, with iconic classics like Pac-Man, Donkey Kong, and Dragon’s Lair being released every few months. Atari’s poor business decisions briefly crashed the home console market until Nintendo resurrected it with the Nes, starting a new boom that never really slowed down.
And then there was the home PC: a then-nascent technology that few even thought was suitable for gaming as it was just starting to find an identity beyond text-based titles. The history of PC gaming in this era is full of starts and stops, games that seemed to be the next big thing that never quite clicked, and those that laid foundations for ideas that still stand decades later. Yet, some of those games have held up incredibly well, and indeed feel like they should have been released years later than they actually were.
And then there was the home PC: a then-nascent technology that few even thought was suitable for gaming as it was just starting to find an identity beyond text-based titles. The history of PC gaming in this era is full of starts and stops, games that seemed to be the next big thing that never quite clicked, and those that laid foundations for ideas that still stand decades later. Yet, some of those games have held up incredibly well, and indeed feel like they should have been released years later than they actually were.
- 3/11/2023
- by Matthew Byrd
- Den of Geek
Sega has officially revealed the full game lineup for the Sega Genesis Mini 2 (or Mega Drive Mini 2) retro console. While most of the pre-installed games that will be included with the retro console when it launches on October 27 shouldn’t come as a surprise, it is a bit surprising to see that the console will include Sega’s most notorious and controversial game ever.
I’ll include the full list of games featured in the Mini 2 at the bottom of this article for your perusing pleasure. For now, though, it’s enough to know that the retro hardware’s pre-installed lineup is…eclectic. While the console will include the usual number of all-time classics, it also includes quite a few games you’ve probably never heard of. Actually, two of the games in the console’s lineup (Devi & Pii and Star Mobile) were never actually released before now.
Yet, if...
I’ll include the full list of games featured in the Mini 2 at the bottom of this article for your perusing pleasure. For now, though, it’s enough to know that the retro hardware’s pre-installed lineup is…eclectic. While the console will include the usual number of all-time classics, it also includes quite a few games you’ve probably never heard of. Actually, two of the games in the console’s lineup (Devi & Pii and Star Mobile) were never actually released before now.
Yet, if...
- 8/19/2022
- by Matthew Byrd
- Den of Geek
Daily Podcast: Jaws, Dragon’s Lair, Mad Max, & What Happens To The Oscars & Golden Globes This Year?
On the March 30, 2020 Episode of /Film Daily, /Film editor-in-chief Peter Sciretta is joined by /Film senior writer Ben Pearson to discuss the latest film and tv news, including Jaws, Dragon’s Lair, Mad Max, and a bunch of Coronavirus updates. Opening Banter: Is it still March? In The News: Ben: ‘Bruce’, a Musical About […]
The post Daily Podcast: Jaws, Dragon’s Lair, Mad Max, & What Happens To The Oscars & Golden Globes This Year? appeared first on /Film.
The post Daily Podcast: Jaws, Dragon’s Lair, Mad Max, & What Happens To The Oscars & Golden Globes This Year? appeared first on /Film.
- 3/30/2020
- by Peter Sciretta
- Slash Film
If you’ve ever dreamed of Ryan Reynolds as your “knight in shining armor” — this film is for you!
The hunky Canadian-American actor is in talks to star in Dragon’s Lair, a live-action feature adaptation of the popular ’80s video game, Netflix confirmed Friday.
Reynolds, 43, is expected to play Dirk the Daring, a noble knight on a quest to rescue Princess Daphne from Singe the vicious dragon.
Dragon’s Lair was released in 1983 and quickly became popular for its revolutionary 3D graphics. In 2017, the game was featured in the opening scene of Stranger Things Season 2, where Will and the gang compete...
The hunky Canadian-American actor is in talks to star in Dragon’s Lair, a live-action feature adaptation of the popular ’80s video game, Netflix confirmed Friday.
Reynolds, 43, is expected to play Dirk the Daring, a noble knight on a quest to rescue Princess Daphne from Singe the vicious dragon.
Dragon’s Lair was released in 1983 and quickly became popular for its revolutionary 3D graphics. In 2017, the game was featured in the opening scene of Stranger Things Season 2, where Will and the gang compete...
- 3/30/2020
- by Morgan Smith
- PEOPLE.com
Ryan Reynolds has found his next quest.
Reynolds is in talks to star in and produce a live-action feature adaptation of Dragon’s Lair, one of the most iconic arcade video games from the 1980s.
After almost a year of negotiations, Netflix has closed a deal to pick up the rights to the game. Roy Lee will produce via his Vertigo Entertainment with Trevor Engelson of Underground Films. Don Bluth, Gary Goldman and Jon Pomeroy are also producing. Reynolds will produce via his banner, Maximum Effort, along with the shingle's George Dewey and Patrick Gooing.
Dan and Kevin Hageman, who ...
Reynolds is in talks to star in and produce a live-action feature adaptation of Dragon’s Lair, one of the most iconic arcade video games from the 1980s.
After almost a year of negotiations, Netflix has closed a deal to pick up the rights to the game. Roy Lee will produce via his Vertigo Entertainment with Trevor Engelson of Underground Films. Don Bluth, Gary Goldman and Jon Pomeroy are also producing. Reynolds will produce via his banner, Maximum Effort, along with the shingle's George Dewey and Patrick Gooing.
Dan and Kevin Hageman, who ...
- 3/27/2020
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
Ryan Reynolds has found his next quest.
Reynolds is in talks to star in and produce a live-action feature adaptation of Dragon’s Lair, one of the most iconic arcade video games from the 1980s.
After almost a year of negotiations, Netflix has closed a deal to pick up the rights to the game. Roy Lee will produce via his Vertigo Entertainment with Trevor Engelson of Underground Films. Don Bluth, Gary Goldman and Jon Pomeroy are also producing. Reynolds will produce via his banner, Maximum Effort, along with the shingle's George Dewey and Patrick Gooing.
Dan and Kevin Hageman, who ...
Reynolds is in talks to star in and produce a live-action feature adaptation of Dragon’s Lair, one of the most iconic arcade video games from the 1980s.
After almost a year of negotiations, Netflix has closed a deal to pick up the rights to the game. Roy Lee will produce via his Vertigo Entertainment with Trevor Engelson of Underground Films. Don Bluth, Gary Goldman and Jon Pomeroy are also producing. Reynolds will produce via his banner, Maximum Effort, along with the shingle's George Dewey and Patrick Gooing.
Dan and Kevin Hageman, who ...
- 3/27/2020
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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Don Bluth and Gary Goldman just moved one step closer to making a Dragon's Lair movie...
Don Bluth and Gary Goldman may well have got another movie off the ground, with the news that their Indiegogo appeal to bring videogame Dragon's Lair to the big screen has hit its funding target. That said, it's still the first step in a fairly lengthy adventure.
The crowdfunding appeal launched just over two weeks ago, and still has over a month left. However, over $260,000 is in the pot already, and that's going to be spent to put together a teaser presentation. Said presentation will then be used to pitch the film to investors, as the pair need $70m to actually get the film made. Which is a little beyond the reach of a crowdfunding campaign.
Bluth and Goldman have worked on films such as All Dogs Go To Heaven, Thumbelina,...
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Don Bluth and Gary Goldman just moved one step closer to making a Dragon's Lair movie...
Don Bluth and Gary Goldman may well have got another movie off the ground, with the news that their Indiegogo appeal to bring videogame Dragon's Lair to the big screen has hit its funding target. That said, it's still the first step in a fairly lengthy adventure.
The crowdfunding appeal launched just over two weeks ago, and still has over a month left. However, over $260,000 is in the pot already, and that's going to be spent to put together a teaser presentation. Said presentation will then be used to pitch the film to investors, as the pair need $70m to actually get the film made. Which is a little beyond the reach of a crowdfunding campaign.
Bluth and Goldman have worked on films such as All Dogs Go To Heaven, Thumbelina,...
- 12/16/2015
- by simonbrew
- Den of Geek
The budget for a modern animated movie starts in the neighborhood of $75 million, so the crowdfunding campaign for a movie version of video arcade game Dragon's Lair is not intended to raise that kind of money. No, the intention here is to create a pitch video first in order to secure funding for the complete movie, which would revolve around a knight seeking to rescue a princess. Filmmakers Don Bluth and Gary Goldman enjoyed good success in the 1980s and 1990s (The Secret of Nimh, An American Tail, All Dogs Go to Heaven) but before the former Disney animators got their movies going, they created Dragon's Lair, which become available in arcades in 1983. As an occasional player, I can testify that it looked...
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[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
- 10/29/2015
- Screen Anarchy
Animation veterans Don Bluth and Gary Goldman are collaborating once again - this time to try to create a pitch for a prequel movie to the 1983 video game cult classic Dragon's Lair.
The title was one of the first games to blend the lines between movies and games, introducing quick-time events before the term had even been coined.
For many fans though, it felt like it would have worked better as a movie, and if it reaches its $550,000 Kickstarter goal, we could finally see if that's the case.
Obviously this modest target is nowhere near enough to make a fully animated movie, with the best animated films costing anywhere from $55 million to $240 million to produce - and that's without taking marketing costs into account.
Luckily, Goldman and Bluth have plenty of industry experience - working on movies such as The Secret of Nimh, An American Tail, The Land Before Time,...
The title was one of the first games to blend the lines between movies and games, introducing quick-time events before the term had even been coined.
For many fans though, it felt like it would have worked better as a movie, and if it reaches its $550,000 Kickstarter goal, we could finally see if that's the case.
Obviously this modest target is nowhere near enough to make a fully animated movie, with the best animated films costing anywhere from $55 million to $240 million to produce - and that's without taking marketing costs into account.
Luckily, Goldman and Bluth have plenty of industry experience - working on movies such as The Secret of Nimh, An American Tail, The Land Before Time,...
- 10/27/2015
- Digital Spy
[ video unavailable on this device ]
Self-scrolling runner games have really made a name for themselves over the last couple of years. Canabalt demonstrated how a simplistic concept could feel new, over and over again. Bit.Trip Runner proved that a well-timed soundtrack and collectables could make an addictive genre even more compulsory. And now, Harold, an original game from a new development team at Moon Spider Studio aims to take you out of control of the runner, and instead put you in control of the world.
Birthed from the mind of French game designer Loris Malek, Harold puts players in the role of a guardian angel, Gabe, who has skated his way through angel school by excelling without really trying, who, as part of his final exam, must assist a runner at completing one of the world's most challenging races. Gabe, of course, randomly chooses the underdog (read: dud) of the bunch, Harold, a guy...
Self-scrolling runner games have really made a name for themselves over the last couple of years. Canabalt demonstrated how a simplistic concept could feel new, over and over again. Bit.Trip Runner proved that a well-timed soundtrack and collectables could make an addictive genre even more compulsory. And now, Harold, an original game from a new development team at Moon Spider Studio aims to take you out of control of the runner, and instead put you in control of the world.
Birthed from the mind of French game designer Loris Malek, Harold puts players in the role of a guardian angel, Gabe, who has skated his way through angel school by excelling without really trying, who, as part of his final exam, must assist a runner at completing one of the world's most challenging races. Gabe, of course, randomly chooses the underdog (read: dud) of the bunch, Harold, a guy...
- 8/23/2012
- by Jason Cipriano
- MTV Multiplayer
If you're a child of the 1980s and spent any time in a video arcade, you no doubt remember the Dragon's Lair video game. With animation by Disney veteran Don Bluth, players helps Dirk the Daring as he tries to rescue Princess Daphne from the evil dragon Singe. It was a pretty advanced game for its time and mixed humor with adventure.
While the game was still very popular, Ruby-Spears Productions made an animated series for Saturday mornings. The 1984 series roughly follows the format of the game and a storyteller asks viewers how they would solve Dirk's delimma before each commerical break. After the break, viewers are shown the results of each of the possible choices.
The series didn't really catch on and Dragon's Lair lasted just 13 episodes. The show features the voice talents of Bob Sarlatte, Ellen Gerstell, Fred Travalena, Michael...
While the game was still very popular, Ruby-Spears Productions made an animated series for Saturday mornings. The 1984 series roughly follows the format of the game and a storyteller asks viewers how they would solve Dirk's delimma before each commerical break. After the break, viewers are shown the results of each of the possible choices.
The series didn't really catch on and Dragon's Lair lasted just 13 episodes. The show features the voice talents of Bob Sarlatte, Ellen Gerstell, Fred Travalena, Michael...
- 11/8/2011
- by TVSeriesFinale.com
- TVSeriesFinale.com
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