Billy Eline
Education
Columbia College Chicago
Double Major:
Game Design - Sound Design Concentration
Audio Arts and Acoustics - Audio Design and Production
Technical skills:
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Programming languages: Javascript, HTML5, CSS, C, Python, SQL, Dust
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Version control: GIT, SVN
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Multimedia editors: Abode Creative Suite, Pro tools, iZotope RX
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Prototyping software: Axure
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Project management: Jira, Confluence
College Portfolio
Interactive Projects
Water Aloft the Ridge
Water Aloft the Ridge was my senior capstone game Project. It follows the story of three characters as they attempt to traverse a mystical ridge in order to find the spirit of their lost loved one.
The production of this game was yearlong process involving a 26 person team made up of game designers, artists, programmers and sound designers. I was the Sound Effects Lead for the project, so I was responsible for helping shape the mysterious, yet spiritual soundscape of the game. Additionally, I recorded and helped edit all of the voiceover in the game which is presented to the player in the form of flashbacks. All of the voiceover was also localized in Spanish.
Beat Pirates
Having a smaller team can sometimes produce greater results than having a large one. In two weeks, a scripter, a pixel artist, and myself managed to make a pretty fun game with limited resources. Beat Pirates is an arcade rhythm game following the adventures of Captain Beat and his trusty rocket boat. The player takes control of a savvy rhythm pirate as he kidnaps people around the Caribbean for his concert. Each character the player “collects” adds a new beat to their musical mix, creating a fun and unique seafaring experience every time.
Team Members:
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Billy Eline: Design, Music and Sound
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Brice Puls: Design and Programming
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Larry Griffin: Design and Art
Make it Rain!
Sometimes having a shorter production time can lead to a more focused outcome. Over the course of a 24 hour game jam, a small group of designers, one artist, and myself created a four player arena shooter designed for the PC and Mac. Using a gamepad, each player controls a robotic character that must pick up coins, gold bars, and money bags in order to fire them at their opponents. It features 1-4 player modes, expandable ammo wallets, and various power-ups. I had a lot of fun coming up with the upbeat music for the game as well as recording completely original sounds throughout the game’s production.
Team Members:
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Billy Eline: Sound & Music
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Brice Puls: Design and Programming
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Ben Zohar: Programming
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Steven Crump: Design and Programming
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Josh Huseman: Art
Bull Market
During another 24 hour game jam, I collaborated with a slightly larger team to create sounds for an action arcade game. In Bull Market, the player controls an angry matador who, after losing his job as a bullfighter, leads his bull through the local village, destroying carts and stands in the process. The object of the game is to cause the most amount of damage within the time allotted.
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Billy Eline: Sound Design
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Steven Crump: Designer, Scripter
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Brice Puls: Designer, Scripter
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Amanda Dittami: Designer, Scripter
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Mason Arrington: Designer, Scripter
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Rowan Buck: Designer, Scripter
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Gewargis Envia: Designer, Scripter
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Peter Gabriel: Designer, Scripter
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Brendan Gilbert: Designer
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Lawrence Griffin: Designer
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Alexander Teske: Music
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Josh Huseman: Environment Artist
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Sarah Karczewski: Character Artist
Video Projects
Puffs Tissue commercial
In doing a Puffs Tissue commercial, it was important that music, sound design, and voiceover fit the product. For this project, I recorded and edited the voiceover talent, edited the music, and also provided all of the sound effects (most which were from my personal sound effects library).
Twas the night
Designing sound for a comedy can be a lot of fun. This is a short I did the post-production audio for that was finished just in time for the holidays. The production was a Chicago based film collaboration. I had a lot of fun designing certain sound elements to help accent the humor of the situation the characters were in.
Jack in the box
When given a video with no dialogue, you are also given a lot of artistic freedom when it comes to sound design. This is a small horror short I did the sound design for in which I tried to convey a sense of fear and mystery in a character’s story, even though main character never says a word. I was only given the camera mic audio so I had to get pretty creative in the sound design to cover up the poor quality of the recording. I still own the creepy Jack in the Box I bought and recorded to get the sounds I needed.
Audio Projects
"Max and Max" movie Trailer
I love working on satires and comedies. This is a fake movie "radio" trailer I did featuring all of the cliche action movie characters and dialogue you would expect from a blockbuster film. It was written with the help of Mason Arrington and Peter Gabriel and features the voice talents of Derek Dziak, Molly Ragen, Spencer Riedel, Mason Arrington, and Peter Gabriel. If this movie was actually made it would either be the greatest or worst film of all time...
Banquete de Cadaveres
Creating a professional project in a limited time frame can be a fun challenge. As part of a sound team, we set out to make a 25 minute audiobook based off of a short story that was provided to us. In just under a month, we recorded voiceover, created sound effects, and developed music for a horror audiobook set in the jungle. I recorded and edited all of the voiceover for this project in under a week, while also contributing to the sound design.
Natalie Alms music interview
Being a young musician in today’s society is a struggle in itself. However, the idea of success is often what drives artists of any kind to achieve their goals. Natalie Alms is an acoustic guitarist with a phenomenal voice, who bases her musical success on respect rather than popularity. She shares in her interview how she first got into music and how her songs have affected her life.