Here you can find my detailed track record. A summarized version of my CV is also available here. Video demos are here.
If you're interested in knowing a little more, just remember to highlight the secret scripts for that extra-juicy info. Ready?
Go! >>>>>>
name: Francisco Reis Silva da Mota Furtado
e-mail: francisco@franciscofurtado.net
born in: Lisbon | Portugal | 23/01/1981
residence: Rua Professor Mira Fernandes, Lote 10-A, 4ºesq. | 1900-381 Lisboa | Portugal
Professional Experience
February 2008 to November 2009 - Game & Sound Designer for Gameinvest, an investor, developer and publisher of games
and interactive entertainment products.
July 2005 to October 2007 - Sound Designer for Ignite Games, game developing company which resulted
from the splitting up of an older entertainment and software company (eWORKS Studios).
November 2009 - Invited Lecturer for Odd School of creative media, teaching a month-long module
on sound design for animation.
August 2007 to March 2009 - Sound Direction for Sophia, a multimedia performance about the poetic work
of renowned Portuguese writer Sophia de Mello Breyner.
October 2004 to April 2006 - Musician for Monsieur Cochon, a project included
in the 12th edition of the Biennial of Young Artists from Europe and the Mediterranean, in Naples.
February 2004 to June 2004 - Composer for the youth oriented information TV show “Etiqueta”
aired by one of the four open tv channels in Portugal, RTP2.
Released game credits
ABC CUBES: Teddy's Playground - Online (2010) | BlitPop | WEB
additional music
http://www.bigfishgames.com/online-games/7529/abc-cubes-teddys-playground/index.html
The shorter and online version of ABC Cubes: Teddy's Playground. To play in-game, BlitPop decided to use one
of the tunes I had already composed for the offline version of the game (Parents' bedroom - in-game 3).
DR. WISE - Medical Mysteries (2010) | Gameinvest | PC / MAC
game design
http://www.gamehouse.com/download-games/dr-wise-medical-mysteries
A Hidden Object game inspired in the popular TV series "Dr. House", only this time I delivered its game design.
Some innovations to Dr. Wise were the inception of searching tools such as a "Toxicometer" and a liquids' sampler
to aid in regular Hidden Object game-play. Also, Hidden Object titles generally require mini-games to stir the pace
of "Where's Waldo?" game-play, and for this one I designed a couple based on the tried and true concepts behind
Mastermind and the popular Cooking Mama series.
G-SWITCH (2010) | (indie) | WEB
music and audio design
http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/526596
An indie web game by Vasco Fernandes which can be played with only one button, and where you run through a series
of obstacles by switching gravity back and forth to avoid them. Its gameplay is a hybrid between the web and iPhone hit
Canabalt and Terry Cavanagh's brilliant VVVVVV. For this one I fetched inspiration from the earlier Sonic the Hedgehog
titles (1 and 2 to be more precise, with soundtrack by Masato Nakamura) and tried to combine that with a cold
yet sleek futuristic feeling. Art by Frederico Martins.
WORLD OF ZELLIANS - Kingdom Builder (2009) | Gameinvest | PC / MAC
game and level design; music and audio production
http://www.bigfishgames.com/download-games/6258/world-of-zellians/index.html
A city-builder game, set in the fantasy World of Zellians. This one is a simplified Sim City experience, focused more on puzzling
structures together, and less on resource management. It all comes down to meeting straight-forward objectives
while building beautiful cities, making use of a large variety of buildings available. Kind of Lego meets Tetris, if you will.
With the music I went for a Dogtanian and the Three Muskehounds feel, in which Guido & Maurizuio De Angelis presented
a very playful and light-hearted soundtrack. With this inspiration present, I tried to come up with a slow-paced
and evocative score which would underline the simple and peaceful nature of the game.
The outsourced sound FX were aimed towards music-box aesthetics, filled with
both mechanical and delicate sounds. Pedro Santo took care of them.
HYSTERIA HOSPITAL: Emergency Ward (2009) | Gameinvest | PC / Wii / DS
music and audio design DS; audio design PC, MAC, Wii
http://www.oxygengames.net/games-details.asp?gameid=52
A spin-off title based on Hospital Hustle, and released in retail. For the Wii and PC, I produced the audio design
and supervised platform audio translation. For the DS I was in charge of all music, FX content, and implementations,
which were really interesting to pull off in an 8 meg cart. I got to play with all types of scripting goodies the DS offers
in terms of audio, and in the end some very hectic-sounding FX resulted, adding up to a Time Management experience
with an old-school vibe to it. The music also came out faithful to the original, even if in a retro kind of way (and just up my alley).
DEFENDERS OF LAW: The Rosendale File (2009) | Gameinvest | PC / MAC
audio production
http://www.bigfishgames.com/download-games/4816/defenders-of-law-the-rosendale-file/index.html
A Hidden Object, Cluedo-inspired title, revolving around the murder of a Ms. Rosendale, and where you take up a role
in a legal investigation team. I had the main audio work outsourced, and did the level background ambiences
as well as some additional music. The challenge here was to have people forget they were playing "Where's Waldo?"
and transport them to Willburg, where a heinous crime had just been committed. An eerie and mysterious soundtrack
was produced (Pedro Marques, from Jump Willy), and the sound FX (Somatone Interactive Audio) were directed towards
CSI aesthetics. In the end, the publisher had us take out an occasional phone ring in a given level, because "some users
got confused and went to check on their phone, thus breaking their immersion in the game".
ABC CUBES: Teddy's Playground (2009) | BlitPop | PC
additional music
http://www.bigfishgames.com/download-games/4219/abc-cubes-teddys-playground/index.html
This is a toys-come-alive themed Same Game title for which I contributed a couple of in-game tunes.
They were inspired by toy mechanics, and tried to keep balance with the highly colorful and youthful
visual ambiance going on, by having a somewhat nostalgic and downbeat feel to them. Not all the music
I produced made it into the game, probably for this same reason. But I think it eventually came out as a good
exercise on emotional tone setting.
HOSPITAL HUSTLE (2008) | Gameinvest | PC / MAC
music and audio design
http://www.bigfishgames.com/download-games/4349/hospital-hustle/index.html
A hectic Time Management game. Relaxing elevator tunes, the circus, and every other hospital themed game out there
were my inspirations for this rather violent but humorous title released worldwide for the casual market.
Not all the patients' voice recordings made the final version because of religious and racial sensibility issues.
ENIGMA 7 (2008) | Gameinvest | PC
cut-scene audio; additional music and FX; level design
http://www.bigfishgames.com/download-games/4161/enigma-7/index.html
A full on Match 3 game. This title released for the PC casual market has the peculiarity of having its story unfold
in a John Carpenter fashion, so both the cut-scene sound design and music editing ended up being quite fun (and funny as well).
Never thought I'd get to hear the terms "John Carpenter" and "Match 3" in the same sentence, but it eventually happened.
TOY SHOP (2008) | Gameinvest | DS
audio support
http://www.nintendo.com/games/detail/TZmICriAB4iN6Zu9v_7FVgEFSW5oGax9
A Tycoon-type strategy game where you must run a toy shop all the way up to success.
I provided audio support during QA as well for the title's marketing.
STEAM - The global Candy Theft! (2007) | Ignite Games | PC
music and audio design; additional art
http://www.bigfishgames.com/download-games/1433/steam/index.html
A Puzzle-Bobble type 3D adventure game. In this title released for the casual market worldwide,
I invested the utmost care and dedication in recording and handcrafting all of the in-game FX, voice acting,
and music. All that you hear within your gaming experience was personally field recorded, foleyed, synthesized,
composed and produced, with no sound libraries having been used. I also designed Steam's logo, the main menu
interface, and some GUI elements.
IGNITE ASSEMBLY LINE (2007) | Ignite Games | WEB
music and audio design
http://www.bigfishgames.com/online-games/2210/en_ignite-assembly-line/index.html?gameid=2210&campid=0&
A game inspired by a very old version of Nintendo's Mario Bros for one of their primitive portable Game&Watch machines,
and adapted for Flash. It's a graphic, audio, and conceptual extension of the online Ignite Games Factory. Like in the work
I did on the site, for this game I combined electronic sounds with real life machinery sounds to come up with
the technical & playful ambiance which both the workers and the player will experience during game-play.
NETLIGA (2006/07) | Ignite Games | WEB
intro audio; additional art
http://netliga.sapo.pt/
A Massive Multi-player Online Game on which you take the role of a football (soccer) manager and compete
against other people in virtual leagues. The sound track to this intro involved the live recording of a Superliga
Portuguesa de Futebol game (the Portuguese premier football league) at a stadium, and editing the result
in order to simulate the action depicted in the intro's animated action. Luckily, goals were scored!
Music and voice recording were also necessary (got my inspiration from the Portuguese TV game broadcasts).
WIP & unreleased game credits
AQUATIC TALES (WIP) | Gameinvest | PC / Wii / DS
audio design and soundtrack production PC/Wii
http://www.gametrailers.com/video/debut-trailer-aquatic-tales/53060
An adventure game where you must lead a school of fish through underwater mazes filled with puzzles and perils. My objective here,
in terms of ambience, was to have the game experience feel both like a fable, and like you really were underwater. To that end
I got into a wetsuit and went to record underwater sounds and sounds under the water at a friend's pool, using the famous
"Rubber John" mic isolation technique (almost ruined a microphone). I also had the privilege of having my nieces give life to
the young fish, while me and my girlfriend played the adult fish and meanies.
For the soundtrack, my executive producer at the time had the idea to turn the game into a crossed-media release, complete with
soundtrack CD and music video DVD, and he wanted a killer orchestral sing-along score (not my forte). So I called upon
João Camacho to compose the score and conduct its performance, Paulo Muiños to help out with the recording procedures,
got everything into place, and we went to the beautiful City of Amarante to record the Orquestra do Norte performing
the music. In the end, about thirty minutes of music were written, rehearsed, recorded and produced for this game
in only one month and 20.000€. It was hard work and a lot of fun.
Project MYCO (WIP) | (indie) | PC
music and audio design
http://projectmyco.wordpress.com/
Project Myco is a brainstorming and art showcase for a point & click adventure game, or interactive story,
written by Luís Melo, and set in a science-fiction universe not too far away from our time. It draws inspiration
from old-school first-person adventure games like Rise of The Dragon and KGB.
"It’s the not-too-distant future. Air is stale, smog abounds, and fungi grow everwhere. Artificial intelligence is a reality,
and thanks to [insert genius scientist's name here], it’s a part of society. (...) Humans are free to pursue their dreams
and obsessions, free to deal with their perishing bodies, to seek enlightenment and pleasure. (...) You are a doctor,
but what this means for a man or woman these days is you’re the human link between flawless automatic medical apparatus
and the patients. (...) You’re suspended in a timeless routine, everyday is the same. (...) You feel elevated when someone
gets treated, (...) but after 3 years, things wear out. It’s all so out of your control you feel like just another cog. A piece in a gear
which needs a human lubricant you seem to be running out of. (...) It’s 5:00 a.m. You wonder if today will be any different."
STARWHEELS (2007 - unreleased) | Ignite Games | PC
game design; music and audio design; additional art
http://www.frederico4d.com/pics/garrygreen.html
A space-bound, buggy racing, Mario Kart type game, which saw its production come to a halt about
a year and a half
into it. The same commitment invested in the audio production of Steam was also being invested
in this would-be racing title.
It was also my first serious venture into game design, which sadly never got to see the light of day.
The experience had me profiting invaluable insight on the needs, structure, and limitations inherent to a project of this nature.
MEKWA (2007 - unreleased) | KwameCorp | MOBILE
audio design
http://www.mekwa.org/
A game where you jumped around from tile to tile (Jumping Jackson for the Commodore Amiga style) in order to find your way
through a maze, and produced for J2ME platforms. Used General MIDI and my imagination to craft
whirlwind, trampoline, and collision sounds, all in a very clean ambiance.
DOC MAGGIE (2007 - unreleased) | Ignite Games | PC
music
A canceled game which would have been a cross between the hugely popular casual game Diner Dash,
and the also highly successful Nintendogs for Nintendo's DS. The player would take on the role of veterinary Maggie,
and build a successful career taking advantage of a mouse-drawn gesture system and mini-games which would
explore this kind of game-play mechanics. For this title's music production, I went for a youthful, natural sound,
relating to American shows about doctors and health in general.
SIEGE (2006 - unreleased) | Ignite Games | PC
music
A techno-medieval strategy / shooter type game. About six months into its production, the project was abandoned
in favor of the production of Steam and StarWheels. I only got to do some in-game music for this one, and went
for an out-of-line baroque sound, with a rather mechanical feel to it (the game was indeed about warring
steam-engine contraptions).
QUARANTINE: Total Zombie Apocalypse (2005 - unreleased) | Oblivion Entertainment | PC
music and audio design
http://www.quarantinegame.com/
An independent web-based cooperation project for a Half-Life 2 first person zombie-basher MOD, which never
went farther than its pre-production stages. Only got to do some club swinging and zombie moaning effects,
as well as the first stage's in-game music for it.
Education
Licenciate in Communication Design
FBAUL - Lisbon University's Faculty of Fine Arts | 5 year academic degree - Lisbon - 2009
3D & Animation w/ 3D Studio Max 2010
AR-FOR Professional Instruction Center | Lisbon - Jan. 2010
Japanese Language level A1 (equivalent to JEES level 4 diploma)
LanguageCraft school | Currently attending level A2 for low-intermediate proficiency | Lisbon - 2007 / 2009
Electronic Music Production, workshop | Lisbon - Dec. 2008
Audio Capture for Cinema and Video, workshop | Lisbon - Jul. 2005
Soundtrack for Short Film, workshop | Lisbon - Apr. 2005
Video for XiuXiu, workshop lectured by Austrian film-making duo Gräu Boeckler | Lisbon - Jan. 2003
Restart - School of Creativity and New Technologies
Steinberg Cubase SX sequencing certificate level 1
Visound - Steinberg certified training centre | Lisbon - May 2004
Two years of Jazz guitar theory and practice
Hot Clube de Portugal Jazz school | Lisbon - 2000 / 2002
Two years of Classical guitar theory and practice
Cítara music school | Lisbon - 1995 / 1997
High school graduation
António Arroio School of Artistic Teaching | Lisbon - 1995 / 1998
During these high-school years, I came in contact with the most diverse forms and technologies
of technical and creative expression.
Thank you for your time,
Francisco Furtado :: Sound Designer / Professional Hitman
P.S: I have a secret room. Don't go in there! Consider yourself warned.
<<<<<< Goal!