THE FUTURE OF FILM BUT NOT AS WE KNOW IT

Did anyone else hear about a new film called Pulp?

Instead of a release in the cinema or onto DVD, Microsoft released British indie film Pulp exclusively on a games console, Xbox 360 to be precise. Microsoft is expanding the reach of the console as an all-round entertainment unit and involvement on this level is a perfect way to engage with consumers.

Pulp tells the story of a group of comic book geeks who get pulled into the criminal underworld so it is perfectly pitched for an audience of gaming enthusiasts.

The company is not afraid to do things differently – I blogged about the release of the Halo 4 feature film in the Autumn which Microsoft chose to place online rather than the cinema.

The world of gaming has an enormous global audience and is now most definitely one to take seriously if you are involved in film-making. Watch this space!

 

WHERE SCIENCE MEETS ART

I’m all for the promotion of science. Having been told as child that I was not clever enough to learn it, I have developed a passion for all things scientific as an adult.

I was therefore interested to read about the inaugural Wellcome Trust Screenwriting Prize.

This is an annual prize that aims to encourage the creation of high-quality feature films inspired by biology or medicine.

The Trust is looking for screenplay proposals that use bold ideas and inventive ways of weaving biomedicine into the narrative, and they will support the winner in developing their idea. Exciting stuff!

And UA client Emma Sullivan is on the shortlist for the Award. The six-strong shortlist will be judged by a panel of experts from the Wellcome Trust, the BFI Film Fund and Film4. The Award ceremony takes place on Monday 8th October in London.

In addition to the Award, the winner will receive a £20,000 cash prize; support from the Wellcome Trust with scientific research and inspiration; and support from the BFI Film Fund to develop their screenplay.

You can watch some of Emma’s work HERE.

The Wellcome Trust is definitely an organisation to be reckoned with. Not only are they working in film, they are also embracing new media. Have a look at this film illustrating their work with stroke victims using gaming technology:

THE WORLD OF GAMING

Now as I think you know, I am not the world’s most enthusiastic gamer, but I do recognise the significance of gaming culture and its importance in the world of transmedia artforms.

I was therefore interested to read about improvements in the sophistication of games, particularly the developments coming out of Crytek the video game company. For those, like me, not familiar with all this, Crytek market a game engine called CryEngine and they have just unveiled the latest version, which I am sure will have developers everywhere getting very excited.

What struck me was just how realistic the effects are – the characters who people games look incredibly realistic, even in close up. And apparently they have even improved the glass shader: it can represent a wide range of glass types, including regular windows, stained glass, leaded glass, beveled glass, some crystal types and some types of transparent plastics as well. The improved glass shader now also boasts features such as a dirt layer designed to produce extremely realistic-looking glass surfaces complete with dust and dirt, differential fog and refraction blur. Incredible!

Watching their demo made me think about how far we have come since the 1990′s.

Have a look at Sierra’s very popular King’s Quest VI:

And then compare it to the demo for the new CryEngine technology and marvel at how you could have been addicted to something so basic …