illy Salon at the Cinema Research Institute

Earlier this week we filmed the pilot episode of the illy Salon at the Cinema Research Institute featuring John Sayles and Matthew Weise in a conversation about narrative at the intersection of film and games in an evolving media landscape. The conversation, moderated by CRI Advisory and Faculty Committee member Colin Brown and enriched by CRI Fellows and members of the NYU Graduate Film community, touched on issues of authorship, independent markets, and audience interaction. The conversation was a blast to hear and will be available via Tribeca's Future of Film website in early November. New episodes will be released once a month through May 2014 - stay tuned!

Transmedia Synergies – Remediating Films and Video Games

This video from UCLA and posted on Indiewire is a great discussion on the dialogue between film and video games. My feelings on the word "transmedia" will be discussed in future posts, but aside from that, Matthias Stork makes some very insightful points.  

Screen Shot 2013-04-26 at 2.01.24 PM

"All media work by remidating that is, translating, refashioning, and reforming other media"

- Lev Manovich

Narrative and Statistics

Large Animal Games on Narrative & Statistics in ensemble games and storytelling GDC Companion Article on Narrative and Statistics

Game Narrative Summit :: GDC 2013

For anyone in the SF area, I'll be representing the CRI at the inaugural Game Narrative Summit at the 25th Game Developers Conference at the Moscone Center in San Francisco this week. Follow me on twitter  for live updates where we will be discussing case studies on the narrative in AAA, indie, and interactive projects. Topics that I'm looking forward to delving into include:

Narrative in Games - Role, Forms, Problems, and Potential

The Future of Storytelling: How Medium Shapes Story

ZombiU : Creating an Undead Cult

Creating Immersive Narrative Games Without Big Budgets or Resources

I'll be reporting back on the discussions and findings this week on the blog.  Direct message me if you want to meet up in the area.

Kubrick as Chess Hustler, an introduction to the collaboration between storytelling in game design and film

My work at the Cinema Research Institute is focused on storytelling at the intersection of video games and film. Specifically my focus and deep interest is how each craft can inform the other as we enter a world where a tablet or phone has morphed into a mini-multiplex where you can swipe between your choice of entertainment multiple times a day. My work will focus on the practical elements of what designers, directors, programmers, and producers can learn from one another  in an effort to create both new collaborative narratives and advance our understanding of how creators interested in working in both mediums can find a common language.

To kick things off, I wanted to start my blog posts here by sharing a quote from one of the pioneers of modern cinema, Stanley Kubrick whose prophetic visions of the future in Dr. Strangelove, Clockwork Orange and 2001 still resonate today.

"You sit at the board and suddenly your heart leaps. Your hand trembles to pick up the piece and move it. But what chess teaches you is that you must sit there calmly and think about whether it’s really a good idea and whether there are other, better ideas."

Kubrick was not only a visionary storyteller, but it's astounding to see him as one of the first to identify the cross-collaboration possible between game design and film storytelling well before Pong was invented or players immersed themselves in the Mass Effect trilogy.

2001 Chess Scene

While it is widely documented that his nascent photographic eye was developed as a stills photographer for Look Magazine, less reported is that Kubrick was a an amateur chess player and hustled games in Washington Square Park. In fact, as this quote indicates, I would argue that his keen photographic training, paired with his careful understanding of the game of chess might be two of the key factors that would inform the creation of his filmography.

George C. Scott and Kubrick playing chess on the set of Dr. Strangelove