''Steven Spielberg's Director's Chair'' is a 1996

simulation video game Simulation video games are a diverse super-category of video games, generally designed to closely simulate real world activities. A simulation game attempts to copy various activities from real life in the form of a game for various purposes such ...

Knowledge Adventure JumpStart Games, Inc., formerly Knowledge Adventure, Inc., was an American edutainment video game company based in Torrance, California. Founded in 1991, it was acquired by Chinese holding company NetDragon Websoft in 2017. History From 1991 ...

for

Windows Windows is a Product lining, product line of Proprietary software, proprietary graphical user interface, graphical operating systems developed and marketed by Microsoft. It is grouped into families and subfamilies that cater to particular sec ...

and

Macintosh Mac is a brand of personal computers designed and marketed by Apple Inc., Apple since 1984. The name is short for Macintosh (its official name until 1999), a reference to the McIntosh (apple), McIntosh apple. The current product lineup inclu ...

. In the game, the player is guided by film director

Steven Spielberg Steven Allan Spielberg ( ; born December 18, 1946) is an American filmmaker. A major figure of the New Hollywood era and pioneer of the modern blockbuster, Spielberg is widely regarded as one of the greatest film directors of all time and is ...

through the process of moviemaking, including scriptwriting, filming, and editing, using pre-generated film clips featuring

Jennifer Aniston Jennifer Joanna Aniston (born February 11, 1969) is an American actress. She rose to international fame for her role as Rachel Green on the television sitcom ''Friends'' from 1994 to 2004, which earned her Primetime Emmy, Golden Globe, and Scr ...

Quentin Tarantino Quentin Jerome Tarantino (; born March 27, 1963) is an American filmmaker, actor, and author. Quentin Tarantino filmography, His films are characterized by graphic violence, extended dialogue often featuring much profanity, and references to ...

Katherine Helmond Katherine Marie Helmond (July 5, 1929 – February 23, 2019) was an American actress. Over an acting career spanning six decades, she was best known for her starring role as Jessica Tate on the sitcom ''Soap'' (1977–1981) and her co-starring ro ...

, and

Penn & Teller Penn & Teller, Penn Jillette and Teller, are American magicians, entertainers, and scientific skeptics who have performed together since 1975. They are noted for their ongoing act that combines elements of comedy with magic. The duo has bee ...

, among others. The game features advice from Hollywood professionals such as editor Michael Kahn, special effects supervisor Michael Lantieri, and cinematographer

Dean Cundey Dean Raymond Cundey, A.S.C. (born March 12, 1946) is an American cinematographer and film director. He is known for his collaborations with directors like John Carpenter and Robert Zemeckis, with an extensive work in the horror genre, as well a ...

. The game was produced by Roger Holzberg, who directed bluescreen scenes in which Spielberg, Kahn, Lantieri and Cundey themselves appeared. Spielberg served as executive producer and live-action director.

Plot

The player begins with a small budget and a personal assistant who provides guidance. Spielberg gives a pep talk to the player before the first feature can be made. Ted and

Terry Terry is a unisex diminutive nickname for the given names Teresa or Theresa (feminine) or Terence (given name), Terence, Terrance (masculine). People Male * Terry A. Canales, American politician * Terry A. Doughty (born 1959), American district ...

(or Terry and Ted) offer the player useful suggestions on changing the film's script. Delays can occur during the filmmaking process. Ultimately, the player works with actor

and actress

, as well as

. Cinematographer Dean Cundey also works on the player's film to keep it within budget. The film is then edited by the player, who can choose which angles to use, and can add sound effects and a soundtrack. Spielberg then presents the film at its premiere. The studio sometimes offers the player a chance to make the film again with a larger budget. Script and shot options increase as the player advances in experience. The short film within the game concerns a prisoner on death row (Tarantino) sentenced to death for the killing of an old lady (

). His partner (Aniston) sets out to clear his name by investigating a pair of sinister magicians (Penn & Teller). The virtual budget of the game is $40 million.

Reception

Computer Gaming World ''Computer Gaming World'' (CGW) was an American Video game journalism, computer game magazine that was published between 1981 and 2006. One of the few magazines of the era to survive the video game crash of 1983, it was sold to Ziff Davis in 199 ...

'' rated the game two and a half stars out of five.

AllGame RhythmOne , a subsidiary of Nexxen, is an American digital advertising technology company that owns and operates the web properties AllMusic, AllMovie, and SideReel. Blinkx was founded in 2004, went public on the Alternative Investment Market, ...

rated the game three stars out of five. In 2020, Molleindustria released a free browser version of the short film within the game, presented as a simplified interactive movie similar to '' Black Mirror: Bandersnatch'', or ''

Mosaic A mosaic () is a pattern or image made of small regular or irregular pieces of colored stone, glass or ceramic, held in place by plaster/Mortar (masonry), mortar, and covering a surface. Mosaics are often used as floor and wall decoration, and ...

''.

References

External links

* * {{Steven Spielberg 1996 video games Classic Mac OS games DreamWorks Interactive games Filmmaking video games North America-exclusive video games Single-player video games Cultural depictions of Steven Spielberg Video games based on works by Quentin Tarantino Video games developed in the United States Windows games