New Line New Media: Behind The Mask

Behind The Mask was produced in cooperation with New Line New Media and Crossover Technologies. Behind The Mask represents a breakthrough in multimedia design employing techniques and concepts never before seen in commercial CD-ROMs. The Glyph Media Group Inc. assisted in the initial design of the program, consulted on technical issues, incorporated and combined all media elements, and programmed the software.

The user’s exploration of the CD-ROM has been enhanced through several dynamic and original techniques. Some of the technical achievements of this project include animated button icons, comparative digital video sequencing, single frame viewing of digital video, and user-specific sound effects synchronized with digital video. Production of Behind the Mask was carried out by the Glyph Media Group using Macromedia Director for both the Windows and Macintosh versions. Maintaining functional consistency between both versions, constant attention to detail, and many hours of cross-checking and debugging, have ensured a high level of technical quality.

Behind The Mask was produced to provide avid film buffs with the means to greater understand what goes into the production of this highly technical film. The CD-ROM employs illustrated examples of the film’s audio and video special effects; provides insight into the production techniques of both the film crew and the computer graphics animators at Industrial Light and Magic; and explores everything involved in the creation of the film, from the screen play to the audio and visual effects, from the actors and their histories to the inspiration and development of the concept. The function of supplementing The Mask’s merchandising efforts is also served by the CD-ROM, which allows for home shopping, and provides the purchaser with a complimentary Mask screen saver (Windows platform). The Mask is a fun-filled exploration into the imaginative world of Stanley Ipkiss and his animated and crazy life as the hyperreal superhero The Mask.