The[Crafty]Gamer: Andreas Heikaus (Mario Bros. Sidewalk Speedrun)

Last week we reported on a Mario speedrun unlike anything you've ever seen — a Mario Bros. run through seamlessly playing out on a sidewalk. We got in contact with the producer, Andreas Heikaus from Germany, to get the scoop on how the impressive video was put together.

Name: Andreas Heikaus                   
 
Age: 28

Hometown:  Hannover/Germany              

Occupation: Student looking to get a job as a professional matchmover or compositor

Creation: Super Mario Bros. On A Sidewalk

Give us a quick rundown of the Mario project. What inspired this idea?

The video was done as the practical part of my bachelor's thesis at the Hannover University of Applied Science and Art. Coincidentally, I saw a Super Mario wallpaper, but the paperhanging was expensive (and obviously not playable) so I made my own version. Mario and I have been good fellows since the 80s so he was my first choice. Besides, the NES is the only game console I own at the moment.

Can you share the process of how you put the video project together? How long did it take to complete?

One semester. I cannot say an exact time because I didn't work on the project everyday. It was difficult to find the right location for the shot that would fit the game. First I got some screenshots from the levels and stitched them together as a panorama. Then I had to animate the enemies, coins, and all other moving parts at the right time in my panorama level. For Mario, I needed exact positions at specific points in time because I needed some time-markers on the wall. I took the original live game footage on my computer and made a virtual camera. This technique is called matchmoving. With the aid of this virtual camera, I modeled the wall in a 3D program and projected the previously constructed level on my digital board. I assembled the footage from my original camera of the street and the digital camera together. The CG elements had to exactly sync with the live footage. Calibration was exhausting, but in the end everything (almost) fits.

What sorts of challenges, if any, did you come across when putting the video together?

There was a lot of trouble with matchmoving a sequence longer than six minutes (the video is roughly seven minutes long). It wasn't my first matchmoving track, but I had huge problems with the 3D track because of the long take. I won't go into too much detail. It's very technical.

How many times did you have to play through the game to get it right for the project?

I never counted how many times I played this game, normally I do it on my NES with a gamepad, sometimes on sidewalks, but not on a computer. So my first few times playing the game with a keyboard were not very good.

Any Web links to other work?

Check out my Vimeo channel.

Will we see more video game-themed projects in the future?

There are some ideas in my mind, so I will write some concepts in the coming weeks. Hopefully I get some funding for my next project...

Until we hear about his next project, check out Heikaus' Mario Bros. project here:

[View:http://vimeo.com/13118504:610:343]

The[Crafty]Gamer has officially moved from the Editor Blogs section to the Features section. Check out our previous entry on Dan Bull and his excellent Generation Gaming Rap here. We are regularly looking for new entries, so if you'd like your work featured, please send me an e-mail to express your interest and I will follow up with details: annette@gameinformer.com.