Steam Filmmaker is a hell of a thing. I wish I could express to you exactly just how of a hell of a thing it is for a major publisher to open its entire asset library to its fans and give them a suite of animation and video editing tools to run amok with those assets. Imagine if the Walt Disney Corporation came along and said you can use any cell from its entire library of feature films, free of charge, to make your own movies. (Note: this will never happen.)
We’ve seen talented Steam Filmmaker videos aplenty, but nothing quite compares to an entire playlist of Valve-themed shorts. This past week, a number of talented videographers from first-time animators to Bioware cinematic designer Zachariah Scott have come together to give us Turret Week, a compilation of 33 videos about turrets, sentries, and the fragile meat creatures who love them.
It’s hard to pick out a favorite among this lineup but I’m going to have to go Zachariah Scott’s “Target Practice”. Really, though, you should get some ice cream, curl up with your favorite plush Companion Cube and watch the whole set. It’s equal parts film fest and fanfiction. Seriously, we live in a world where a developer not only tolerates this; they encourage it.
Youtube Playlist: Turret Week.