Steve Douglas and Big Screen Dreams

Steve strikes his best producer pose.

 By Sarah Galvin, ENGL 336.002

Although he is a 19-year-old sophomore still exploring his academic potential, Steve Douglas has already established his artistic calling in movie production, a glamorous field that fits his gregarious and warm personality. Originally from Hyattsville, Md., Steve was first drawn to computer science because of his technological skills. However, after three semesters at FSU, he realized that his computer expertise can be applied in other creative directions, away from the tribulation of advanced mathematics.

Just last semester, Steve became a mass communication major with minors in journalism and Spanish. Mass communication gave Steve the opportunity to unite his interest in technology with his lifelong devotion to writing. Even in elementary school Steve was recognized for his composition talents, and he has worked on drafts of several books through the years.

He started combining his writing with video production about two years ago, when he began experimenting with Machinima. Machinima is a type of video production that utilizes 3-D computer graphics from video games to facilitate animation. Steve speaks excitedly about Machinima, moving earnestly to the edge of his seat to declare, "I have huge plans for some of the videos I want to do. It's something I am really passionate about." He explains that he finds his inspiration from the work of Steven Spielberg, particularly in "Jaws" (1975), from the contemporary "Paranormal Activity" movies (2007, 2010, 2011, 2012), and from one of his favorite movies, Paul Thomas Anderson's "There Will be Blood" (2007).

Steve's project since 2011 has been developing his Machinima movie, "The Blood of Kardisha." Since it is a work in progress, Steve leaves his description of the movie open-ended, revealing only that it is "a little bit of a lot," including comedy, romance, and drama. He also admits that he incorporates some autobiographical elements, such as his experiences with love. Steve's creative style is dynamic, and he enjoys building excitement and tension through sudden twists and turns. "I like game-changers," he states, "You think you are feeling one way, and then boom!" To characterize his film, Steve describes one scene from "The Blood of Kardisha" in which panic on a sinking ship is mitigated by a random saxophone player offering comedic entertainment. Steve relishes humor but does take his work seriously. He is constantly looking to give his productions greater significance and explains, "I don't want Machinima to be just about video games. I want it to be about life." Steve has already established his own production name, Kardisha Productions, and samples of his work can be found on his YouTube channel and Facebook page.

Steve may be starting his career in Frostburg, but his dreams are much bigger than this small mountain town. Right now, he knows that his success depends on gaining name recognition, and he continues to consider his options for post-graduation plans. Steve's eyes sparkle when mentioning Hollywood, but he concedes that he is content on earning his fame "one step at a time."