The son also rises: Max Spielberg, 17, whose father's first name happens to be Steven, is following in his old man's footsteps.

And, apparently, he's doing that in a formal manner, rather than through the backdoor on his father's coattails.

Reuters reports that the young Spielberg recently wrapped his first movie, a short thriller called "Snap Shot," which he wrote, produced, directed, shot and edited during a month-long filmmaking workshop run by the New York Film Academy and held on the Universal lot in Southern California, an academy spokesman said Wednesday.

As described by the news service, the film concerns a tourist couple drawn into a string of homicides after their instant camera accidentally gets switched with that of a serial killer. The couple learns of the murders once they get their film developed.

There are no immediate plans to release Max's film publicly, the spokesman said, adding, "It will be for his own personal use when he pursues other avenues in the industry."

Max is Spielberg's son by a former marriage to actress Amy Irving and is the eldest of six children either born to or adopted by the Oscar winner, who is currently married to actress Kate Capshaw, with whom he has a stepdaughter.