Lucky Frame is a BAFTA-winning creative studio based in Edinburgh, Scotland. We make games, instruments, performance systems, and interfaces, often focusing on creative and accessible approaches to music. Our projects range from award-winning games to interactive music installations for schools, art galleries, and venues around the world.
What we are working on now
Martin vs Monty is a Victorian themed head-to-head two player game for iPad. It features fast paced gameplay, lavish art, and bit of a twist...
We are currently collaborating with Dundee Contemporary Arts on an interactive gallery installation for audience engagement.
We are also working on a University of Edinburgh Design Informatics Residency, where we are researching and developing game control systems for musical creation.
Who we are
There are three of us, here at Lucky Frame. Yann Seznec is the director and in charge of music and sound. Jonathan Brodsky is the developer, and does lots of game design and other things. Sean McIlroy is our artist and designer.
Background
Lucky Frame was founded in 2008, after Yann's success with the Wii Loop Machine. We have a received awards and support from the University of Edinburgh, NESTA, the British Council, Creative Scotland, Channel 4, BAFTA, and more. Our work includes making games, instruments, installations, and software, in addition to consulting and client focused development. Please get in touch if you'd like us to do some work for you!
Some experiments
Toobchopper
A music video remixing machine prototype. A video is automatically beatsliced and replicated, allowing you to create amazing synced audiovisual rhythms.
unVerse for iPad
iPad version of the beautiful generative music system by Ian Snyder. Rejected by Apple for not being useful enough.
Some of our projects
Wave Trip
Wave Trip is a musical arcade game for iPad and iPhone. You control a mysterious and wonderful geometric astronaut as she travels through worlds of unimaginable beauty and danger, saving her friends through the medium of awesome tunes. Players can create their own levels and share them with the world.
One Pig Live
Lucky Frame has created a musical pigsty for Matthew Herbert's incredible One Pig show. This custom built instrument and software is used onstage to musically recreate the life of a pig. Yann has toured extensively with the pigsty, playing with Matthew in venues from Berlin to Australia to Tokyo.
Bad Hotel
Bad Hotel is an insane hybrid of a tower defense game and a procedural music toy, with beautiful art and tons of bullets. The beautiful artwork, quirky storyline, and frantic gameplay all work seamlessly together with a generative music system, which creates original music depending on the player’s actions and decisions. The player becomes a composer, creating complex musical structures to defend their hotel. Bad Hotel won a BAFTA for Best Game at the 2012 Scottish BAFTAs, and has been nominated for an 2013 IGF Award.
- Bad Hotel website
- Bad Hotel on iTunes
- Bad Hotel Trailer Video
- Epic blog post about the release of Bad Hotel
Proteus (mac version)
We were very pleased to be involved in the release of Proteus, a beautiful generative "game of audio-visual exploration and discovery" by Ed Key and David Kanaga. We made the Mac version, which is available now on Steam.
Pugs Luv Beats
Our first music game for iOS, in which the player controls an alien breed of pugs. Once the masters of a wondrous and highly advanced civilization, these pugs are the victims of their own greed. Focusing on musical creativity, all of the players actions generate original and beautiful music. It was a finalist in the 2012 IGF Awards.
Love Music Festival
Love Music Festival was a gigantic music festival for children all around Scotland that took place in November 2010. Lucky Frame’s job in all of this was to take care of all of the digital, interactive, and multimedia side of the festival. We first developed two pieces of interactive software for students to use in their schools, and Yann delivered workshops to students from Peebles to Shetland. We also developed several interactive installations for use during the actual festival shows.