This thesis is dedicated to Leonard Sansone and Needham Vernon Smith for their
inspiration.

I would like to thank Dr. Jane Douglas and Dr. Donald Ault for their tireless effort
in helping me with this thesis, and for their words of wisdom and humor through the
years. I would especially like to thank Dr. Ault, whose brilliance throughout the past six
years has inspired and guided my studies and has given me memories I will take with me
and treasure my entire life.
I would also like to extend my sincerest gratitude to Dr. Gregory Ulmer and Dr.
Nora Alter, as well as Dr. Patrick Brennan and Dr. Rita Martinez. Without their
encouragement, guidance, and support, I never would have become an English major.
I would like to extend my sincerest thanks and love to my family, friends, and co-
workers. Their patience and support have always been in the back of my heart, even
when my head would not permit for it to creep into my studies.
I would like to thank [JKT] for being a great and supportive gaming team. I hope
you all will enjoy this essay, and thanks for not holding my studies against me.
Lastly, but certainly not least, I would like to thank to Cathlena and her infinite
tolerance for putting up with all of the above.

Univesity of Florida
2004
sansone_m-1pdf
98 pages

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C) Gottfried Helnwein's uncanny rendering of "Mickey," whose referent is Disney's two-dimensial cartoon.
36
Helnwein's “Mickey,” another work whose simulated three-dimensionality is uncanny in
comparison to Disney's two-dimensional referent (Figure 5-C). Amazingly enough, all
three films were produced by Pixar's Renderman engine, and the movies stand as
testimonies as to the strength and robustness of what Renderman is capable of
accomplishing. Certainly I do not mean to discount the importance of what Final
Fantasy: TSW represents in terms of computer-generated filmmaking; however, when the
franchise exploded on the PlayStation console with Final Fantasy VII (1997) and VIII
(1999), it was the highly stylized Cloud, Aeris, and Co. that provoked renewed audience
interest in the franchise on the PlayStation, not just a general fascination with the
spectacle of realistic-looking CGI.

A B C
Figure 5. Games whose detailed renderings share a closer similarity with their referent
allow for a more believable and less-jarring game experience. A) Cloud in a
FFVII CGI film clip versus his in-game representation, B) Dr. Aki Ross in
Final Fantasy: TSW, C) Gottfried Helnwein's uncanny rendering of
“Mickey,” whose referent is Disney’s two-dimensional cartoon.
Final Fantasy VII's jaw-dropping, stylized CGI cut-scenes in the game succeeded
because of the strong resemblance they shared with their in-game representations (Figure
5-A)—a referent that Final Fantasy: TSW does not possess, with its only basis for
comparison being other films casting live human actors. In casting popular actors with
distinct voices, like Steve Buscemi's character Neil Fleming, this unsettling effect only

Michael Sansone was born in Conley, GA, and attended a number of schools before
moving to Gainesville, FL, in the seventh grade. His passion for games started at a
young age, when he was first introduced to the Atari by his parents. In the years
following, he graduated up to more complex forms of game narratives, such as the early
Sierra and LucasArts adventure games of the late-1980s and the mid-1990s. Michael
attended Eastside High School’s International Baccalaureate program in Gainesville for
two years, and then completed his high school education at Charlotte High School in
Punta Gorda, FL, after relocating.
Upon his graduation, Michael returned to the University of Florida to begin his
bachelor’s degree in English, which he completed in 2002, specializing in Film and
(New) Media Studies and graduating cum laude. He returned to the University of Florida
for his Master’s degree in English, where he has taught classes in Technical Writing and
noir as it operates throughout a host of media forms. Michael has worked with and
analyzed a number of media throughout his education, including photography, classical
and avant-garde film, television, graphic novels, animation, videogames, and children’s
literature. He still somehow manages to find the time to play the newest in personal
computing games, and he launched an internationally-renowned and successful online
gaming team, The Jedi Knights Templar, in 2002. He also has developed an extensive
knowledge of matters concerning the dangers of globalism, hallmarks of the police state,
and secret societies.

Univesity of Florida
2004
sansone_m-1pdf
98 pages