STEVEN SPIELBERG'S DIRECTOR'S CHAIR

CAN YOU BRING IN A BLOCKBUSTER FOR UNDER $40 MILLION?

It's harder than you think and more exciting than you ever imagines.

Steven Spielberg has created the first interactive movie-making game. A game so realistic, challenging and compelling, you won't want to quit. Steven will be your personal guide and mentor every step of the way. He'll team you up with Hollywood's "A-list" talent... the most respected cinematographer, editor, writers, special effects and sound effects experts, music and marketing professionals, plus super hot actors Jennifer Aniston and Quentin Tarantino. And, in this ground breaking game, you'll be using actual footage to create your movie. As the director, you'll be under incredible pressure to make the right choices - choices that will keep you on time and on budget, or have the studio heads breathing down your neck. Only DIRECTOR'S CHAIR recreates all the excitement, creativity and behind the scenes obstacles of producing a real film from beginning to end. Whether you end up with a blockbuster hit or box office bomb is totally up to you. If you think you can cut it, lets get rolling!

Share your movie-making experience - download it on a floppy, trade it over the internet or post your movie on our web site. Or, make it a real collaborative effort... you write, have a friend shoot, then pass it along to someone else for post-production. Then see if the movie is what you pictured!

4 levels of play. Endless choices.

LEVEL 1 - NOVICE

Steven Spielberg and Hollywood's top professionals take you through the movie-making process step-by-step. Build a storyline, shoot your scenes, edit, add sound effects, music and titles. Premiere it for your friends or on the internet. Keep it on time and on budget and your next film is a go!

LEVEL 2 - INTERMEDIATE

Now the studio's giving you more time and money... but things could get complicated. You'll have multiple story lines and additional shots to work with. Master this and there's a prime project with your name on it.

LEVEL 2 - ADVANCED

You're ready to control a big budget picture so millions more are at your disposal. Now you can finall afford special effects and dramatic stunts. But remember, big budgets, big effects and big stunts mean big headaches. And lots of them!

LEVEL 4 - "A" LIST

You beat out Spielberg for this movie - don't make the studio regret their decision. You've got more choices, but 40 million bucks doesn't go as far in this town as it used to. Let your actors improvise their lines and see the outrageous results. And, take advantage of the unlimited stunt and effects options. You're in the pressure cooker now... so make the right choices or blow it big time!

Hey, everyone wants to make movies, but can you make the cut?

So you think you have what it takes to direct Steven Spielberg's next feature film... Well, here's your chance to prove it. He has green-lighted and hired Hollywood's best "A-list" talent to help you create your masterpiece. And, he'll be right by your side to guide you through every stage of the production. After that, you're on your own. All you have to do is make a blockbuster hit that's on time an don budget... or you'll never work in this town again. Still want the job?

• If your lighting director doesn't remove that shadow soon, it'll be a dark day for your budget.
• If you can't make your script flow, you're in for a river of problems.
• If you don't re-edit that love scene, you can kiss your Academy Award goodbye.
• If your sound effects aren't funny, your comedy will be no laughing matter.
• A fully operational movie studio at your command.

~ from the back of the box

 
As a wee little movie buff, I - like many others - was in awe of Steven Spielberg. The director almost single-handedly shaped my cinematic interests so when I found out he put his name behind a computer game, I had to play it. Released in 1996, Steven Spielberg's Director's Chair was that game and it highlighted every facet of filmmaking from screenwriting to editing to promotion. You could make your very own movie with big-name stars of Quentin Tarantino, Jennifer Aniston and Penn & Teller! Sold.

You start off as a rookie director, signed to create a new studio picture with a budget of $845,000 and a shooting schedule of 22 days. Those days go by fast, but this first movie is more of a tutorial with your very chatty personal assistant telling you where to go. We start with the screenwriting, enlisting the talents of Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio who co-wrote Disney's Aladdin. This process is just a matter of dragging scenes from an outline to get automatically fleshed out into a script that you can print off. The writers may stop you after a while to tell you the work day is up so this process can take up multiple in-game days to complete, though some of that could be wasted should you want to watch copyright free archival clips for "inspiration". The hands-off gameplay here is rather indicative for the rest of the game, but the hosts make for good company and they sure give out some solid behind-the-scenes information about the business.

The different departments are access from the studio lot. Press "M" to enable the quick travel bar (left).

Filming a happy ending. Will it make it to the final cut? (right).

As does cinematographer Dean Cundy, a regular collaborator with Spielberg who worked on Jurassic Park and Casper (which would have been brand new when this game was released). This is the production section and is perhaps the most chunky part of the game. You will have to shoot each scene, choosing the angle for each. As you go, you will be interrupted with unexpected snafus like a costume mis-hap or a time-consuming make-up session. Time is money, so you have to decide to continue shooting the scene and possibly go over budget, or skip it entirely hoping you can fix it in the edit.

Starring Quentin Tarantino as a wrongly accused murderer on death row, I - in a nod to one of his movies - called the film Kill Quentin. It's a punchy title that fits with the plot as I decided he would get the electric chair at the end. It's also a comedy. Jennifer Aniston stars as his girlfriend who attends a magic show hosted by Penn & Teller in a ploy to uncover the real killers. The story is rather short and basic but it has everything you might need to know if you want to make movies; multiple props, sets, guns, stunts. I'd watch it. In fact, if you want to bypass this game you can view the whole short complete with alternative takes in a choose-your-own-adventure style right here. It's very much worth it.

The budget for your first film. Press "C" to cheat your way to the top (left).

Designing a poster. Your P.A. will chime in on your pager for help tips (right).

Okay, so you have your rushes in the can. It's now time for the editing process. Weirdly enough, the game includes a fully featured editing suite, though you can only use it for the clips in the game. It's no Adobe Premier or DaVinci Resolve, but it does allow you to cut the film at any point. Later departments allow you to add credits and comedic sound effects to create your final film. The end result may take multiple real-time minutes to process (about 12, so you might as well go make a sandwich while you wait), but what you get is a fine, if pixelated interpretation of what you've created.

Now it's on to marketing. You can design ticket stubs and posters however you want, but like the editing section it is very simple. The selection of images that can be placed like stickers are very limited to a point where you cannot make anything aesthetically pleasing, despite what Mr. Spielberg may tell you. Once all is done, it's time to showcase your feature at a press screening. By this point, you'll be tired of seeing the same clips time and again so you might not want to watch it with them, but no matter what you've made your debut feature will be a hit. You will now have a bigger budget for your next film.

Click on your pager to get access to the in-game help file and user's guide. 

It's useful to get a grips on the somewhat unconventional interface.

Alas, the next film will just be the same as the last. You may have extra scenes to pick from when writing the script and new angles to choose while filming, but I didn't particularly want to go through it all over again. In fact, I wish I had cheated on my first time - a feature that's even expressly mentioned in the in-game help file. Press "C" when the game discusses how some folks "cheat their way to the top" and you will begin with a budget of $4 million and 40 days to complete it. All shots, angles and scenes are now open to you giving you the complete experience without having to re-do everything multiple times.

While neat in concept, the game's biggest downfall is the lack of replay value. I would've liked completely different plotlines and scenarios to further hold my interest. How about takes on a horror movie, a sci-fi extravaganza or a fluffy rom-com? All you get is either the dramatic or comedic version of Quentin Tarantino being put to death. Even so, Steven Spielberg's Director's Chair is a unique game, adequately detailing the troubles and tedium of moviemaking alongside the enthusiasm and excitement. Worth a try.

To download the game, follow the link below. This custom installer exclusive to The Collection Chamber uses the DOSBox-X build of DOSBox running Microsoft Windows 3.1 to get the game working on modern systems. Manual included. Read the ChamberNotes.txt for more detailed information. Tested on Windows 10.

File Size: 1.68 Gb.  Install Size: 2.14 Gb.  Need help? Consult the Collection Chamber FAQ

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Steven Spielberg's Director's Chair is © Knowledge Adventure, Inc & DreamWorks Interactive
Review, Cover Design and Installer created by me

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