#nff14

[ninawestervelt-blog]

John C. Reilly & Jack White backstage at Newport Folk Festival 2014

full story now live on Exposure, check it out HERE!

[pvbaikun]

The Failings Of A Panel About Storytelling In Games

Last Thursday, October 2nd, a couple of friends of mine and I went to Utrecht to witness a panel supposedly about storytelling, cinematography and Hollywood in games. It was set up by Control Magazine in collaboration with Improvive and co-hosted by Zoomin TV during the NFF, the Netherlands Film Festival. A noble endeavour, especially since storytelling is still somewhat lacking in games, a lot of times falling back on tropes and other clichés, or generally pushing out a story so devoid of actual story that you're left wondering who came up with it. In those cases, it's the production team itself or a gamedesigner, with no feeling for narrative design, or scriptwriting or any part remotely close to actually delivering a compelling story. For over ten years I've written about games, most of the time decrying the lack of a cohesive story or the detachment of story and gameplay making for a messy endeavour. Granted, storytelling in games has gotten better, but even today we're still dealing with certain issues that could've gone better if only they had a good writer with a feeling for gameplay onboard, who could work well with the gameplay designer. Destiny, Bungie's recently released online MMOFPS (although you will never see thousands of others in your portion of the worlds), shows that a seperation of gameplay and story can be devastating for your game. They're in luck the game has great gameplaydesign and people like to play together, otherwise this title would be getting even lower grades than Risen 3: Titan Lords. And I say that kindly, because reducing your story to grimoire cards you can't even read within the game itself but through your internetbrowser or an app on your phone is simply a bad design decision. You want people to feel connected to your world, you want to make them feel part of something big, you want them to wonder at the vast universe you've put them in. Instead, we get short badly written "quotes" that were acted out even worse by otherwise high-quality actors who should have no trouble with sci-fi, fantasy, and geek-lore in most cases. But I digress, we were attending the Control created Game Café at the Netherlands Film Festival in Utrecht. The moment I read about it, I had some questions concerning the panelmembers, although I was happy I was wrong about one of them. They were, Jan-Bart van Beek, Jeroen de Cloe and Joost van Dongen. Three very much Dutch sounding names, but none of them were storytellers. Jan-Bart is the art director at Guerrilla Games, responsible for the style and consistency of the art used for the Killzone game-series. He came packed with a short video about the change of creating cut-scenes between the first Killzone game and the latest, Shadow Fall. An interesting video, accompanied by some interesting background information, but mostly centered on the changes in technology. Of course, technology has always had a very important role to play when it comes to cinematography, but this was still lacking somewhat. I mean, I've been in a Digital Film Making course at the SAE for a year now (currently on hiatus as I try to rebuild myself) and that's not really what I learned about cinematography. The second panelmember was Jeroen de Cloe, founder of Sticky Studios who collaborate on small games based on films created purely for marketing purposes. Those games are loosely based on the script for said movie, without telling the plot, and are quick to make. At least, that's what I took away from it. One of the games shown was based on the 300: Rise of an Empire movie and looked a little like a poor-man's God of War. Not the kind of epic, Hollywood-like game you would expect in a panel about storytelling. If anything, it started to look a little more like a marketing panel than what was the perceived notion for this Game Café. Joost van Dongen was there to provide a counterpoint, although I'm not really sure why. His company, Ronimo Games, favour gameplay more than story and they're doing a great job at that. They provide a minimal story and then let you blast away in their 80s cartoon-based Awesomenauts. A great game (I refuse to use the word awesomefor abvious reasons although it's still one of my favourite go-to words ever, next to Cowabunga) which is very good at what it does. Suddenly, the focus shifted to something else entirely and had absolutely nothing to do with what we were there to hear about. The panel hosts, and Joost, started talking about how other people created short video's where they've played out Awesomenauts and started doing voice overs creating a small story. Sure, you could see that it might be connected to the talk, but as soon as they went to people making video's of themselves playing or discussing a game, they lost me and many others. Several people left, and I would've done too because I wasn't there to listen to an Irish vlogger who practically always yells in his microphone, talk about how to create Youtube video's. Or a blond model doing the exact same thing, for that matter. So yes, I was extremely disappointed in the event, and got bored after Jan-Bart's way more interesting video and explanation ended. A sentiment he seemingly agreed with as I saw him slowly sagging back into the couch they were sitting on during Jeroen and Joosts' "informative" talks about storytelling and the link to Hollywood in games. It's a shame that this panel didn't fulfill it's own promise but instead focussed more on the business standpoint and on something that has absolutely nothing to do with narrative design, scriptwriting, and cinematography. But, I may have an idea for a better panel. Actually invite people involved with that whole process. Maybe, I don't know, someone like the current writer for Guerilla Games. You already seem to have direct access to the studio, so why not him? Maybe ask someone like Rhianna Pratchett who worked with the Dutch Triumph Studios on the Overlord games, and has experience writing for games like Mirror's Edge, the Tomb Raider reboot and the Divine Divinity series? Perhaps ask some people involved in the gameplay aspect who has some ideas and can tell us about how to incorporate the story and deal with certain pitfalls. Maybe talk about schools, especially those teaching people how to develop and design games, and how they're severely lacking in teaching students how to create a design document and/or script. I've been asked by several students to provide a voice for their project, and they were still working on the design and the script. But, I shouldn't expect much as they didn't know how to write a decent script and even a story. I'm not saying it's all that important, it depends on the game you're trying to make, but you should at least have learned some basic elements in how to bring a story to life through gameplay and other narration. This is something I'm still working on with my own design documents, and I can tell you it's not easy, but I know of a few people who are doing the same thing. Storytelling in games has always been an afterthought and that has hardly changed in the last fifteen years. It's time to turn that around. Bioware can do it, Kojima can do it, Yager did it with writers Walt Williams and Richard Pearsey in Spec Ops: The Line, so why can't the rest? Why is writing for games still so underdeveloped at most studios? On another note; If we want our games to be taken more serious, why can't we deal with certain subjects? For example; The attack on Fallujah game. If it was made a movie, no one would have a problem with it. But as a game? Oh no, we can't have a game based around that. This panel did not help us get rid of the perception that story is less important than gameplay, but maybe it is time for a panel that does help us get more coherent and wonderful stories in games claiming they have that. PS: I grew up with point & click adventures, filled with story, and more gameplay filled titles like Sonic The Hedgehog. I am well aware of the limitations put on studios. A story has to fit the gameplay, and vice versa. Just don't let story be an afterthought, because it could seriously hamper a game.

[willemvanzeeland-blog]

De 5 interessantste fenomenen van het Nederlands Filmfestival

De Gouden Kalveren zijn uitgedeeld, het Nederlands Filmfestival zit erop. Dit waren voor mij de 5 meest opvallende fenomenen:

1. TIVOLIVREDENBURG

TivoliVredenburg was het nieuwe festivalhart van het Nederlands Filmfestival (NFF) en dat werkte heel goed. Het gebouw zag er beter uit dan ooit, mooi aangekleed en met fantastische videoprojecties. Vooral op zaterdagavond kon je goed zien wat dit gebouw vermag met volop activiteiten en publiek in alle zalen. Ik kwam uit de Talkshow van Wilfried de Jong in Cloud Nine, via een premiereparty op Plein 6, ging naar de Pandora waar de talkshow van het NFF net overging in een afterparty en van daar uit door naar de dansavond 90s Now in de Ronda, waar het afgeladen vol was. In de Grote Zaal, het oude Muziekcentrum Vredenburg, was net de premiere van de film De Infiltrant geweest. Zo levendig zou ik TivoliVredenburg iedere zaterdagavond wel willen zien. Wel jammer dat portiers zo druk in de weer zijn met hun gouden paaltjes en hun rode koordjes om te voorkomen dat publiek van de ene naar de andere zaal gaat. Ze zouden dat juist moeten stimuleren! Al kan ik me voorstellen dat ze er niet op zitten te wachten dat iedereen komt partycrashen bij een premiere met gratis drank.

2. HOLLANDS HOOP

Tv-series, daar hebben mensen het tegenwoordig met elkaar over, meer dan over films, Met Breaking Bad, The Sopranos, Mad Men, House Of Cards en Girls als meest aansprekende voorbeelden. In Nederland is er nu Hollands Hoop, een serie die tijdens het Nederlands Filmfestival van start ging op de zaterdagavond van NPO 2. Hollands Hoop won het Gouden Kalf voor beste tv-drama en het is eigenlijk DE hit van dit Filmfestival. Hollands Hoop, dat is waar men over praat. Hollands Hoop wordt breder gewaardeerd dan welke Nederlandse film dan ook en Hollands Hoop heeft een groter publiek dan welke Nederlandse film van het afgelopen jaar dan ook. Ik ben erg benieuwd hoe dit zich de komende weken gaat ontwikkelen. Zowel de serie zelf als de ontvangst van deze serie.

3. ONZE KRESJ

VPRO-collega Marije Meerman maakte de documentaire Onze Kresj, over haar kinderjaren bij de Ant-Autoitaire Kresj in Amsterdam. Het heeft echt bestaan eind jaren 60 / begin 70, deze wonderlijke wereld van kinderen die vrolijk naakt vingerverven met hun eveneens naakte leiders, die niet hoeven op te ruimen als ze daar geen zin in hebben en die gerust met echte hamers en boormachines mochten spelen. Toezicht op de kinderopvang was er in die tijd nog niet. Marije sprak voor deze film met de ouders van toen, inclusief haar eigen vader. Zij kijken heel wisselend terug op deze tijd, maar ze zien allemaal op een of andere manier de charme nog wel in de idealen van toen. Overigens kan ik deze Ant-Autoritaire Kresj wel volgen als, weliswaar extreme, reactie op de strenge wereld van kerk, school en gezin uit de jaren 50. Zeker in Duitsland, een lichtend voorbeeld voor deze ouders, waar men er terecht zeer van overtuigd was dat het fascisme in de jaren 30 juist wortel kon schieten in een zo autoritair georganiseerde maatschappij. Ik denk dat iedereen dit een fascinerende film zal vinden. Op 18 november te zien bij de VPRO op NPO 2.

4. VIDEOCLIPS

Muziek was dit jaar het hoofdthema van het Nederlands Filmfestival en in dat kader was er bijzondere aandacht voor videoclips. En terecht. Ik zou willen dat er volgend jaar een Gouden Kalf kwam voor de beste Nederlandse videoclip. Op het NFF werden vaak videoclips als voorfilm vertoond en rapper Rico mochtlive performen bij de vertoning van zijn videoclip tijdens de openingsavond. Twee jaar geleden mochten Stephan van Peursem en ik namens 3voor12 op het Nederlands Filmfestival al een avond vullen met onze favoriete videoclips. Dat was erg leuk om te doen en je vindt onze keuzes in deze YouTube-playlist: http://3voor12.vpro.nl/nieuws/2012/september/Beste-Nederlandse-Videoclips-NFF.html

5. GOUDEN KALVEREN

De Gouden Kalveren-uitreiking dat is natuurlijk altijd weer het spektakelstuk van het NFF. Ik zag alle drie de kandidaten voor het Gouden Kalf voor Beste Film: Nena, Aanmodderfakker en Hemel Op Aarde. Mijn favoriet was Nena, die won Beste Film uiteindelijk niet, maar wel Beste Regie voor Saskia Diesing en Beste Actrice voor Abbey Hoes, een mooie oogst. Aanmodderfakker won Beste Film, Beste Scenario (Anne Barnhoorn) en hoofdrolspeler Gijs Naber werd de beste acteur. Nena is een originele, poëtische coming of afge-film over een meisje met een vader die zelfmoord wil plegen. Het speelt zich af op het Groningse platteland in 1989. Precies een film voor mensen van mijn generatie en dat geldt ook voor Hemel Op Aarde, dat zich afspeelt in Limburg rond 1980. Die film, over een puberjongen die verliefd wordt op een meisje dat ernstig ziek is, is een beetje een Limburgse smartlap, maar dan wel een van het sympathieke soort. De ontvangst was niet onverdeeld gunstig, maar ik krijg meteen warme gevoelens bij een film met de trefwoorden Limburg, Rooms-Katholiek en Rowwen Heze, maar dat geldt natuurlijk niet voor iedereen. Met Aanmodderfakker heb ik me ook heel goed vermaakt. Er zitten briljante momenten in, maar ik vond hem niet over de hele linie overtuigend. Wel knap van deze jonge makers dat ze zich zo goed onderscheiden met een eigen beeldtaal, een eigen ritme en een eigen taal. Mooi ook hoe hier met de Gouden Kalveren voor Anne Barnhoorn, Gijs Naber, Abbey Hoes en Saskia Diesing in een avond een nieuwe generatie op de kaart wordt gezet. Aanmodderfakker is pas vanaf 28 november te zien in de bioscoop, Hemel Op Aarde verscheen al een half jaar geleden en is nu te huur bij Pathe Thuis. Nena is nu te zien in de bioscoop en volgend jaar op tv bij de VPRO.

[marknazemi-blog]

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I was bored so I made this with #hyperlapse #nff14

[undone-music]

Oneohtrix Point Never + Nate Boyce - Russian Mind

Brooklyn artist Daniel Lopatin (Oneohtrix Point Never) has reached a strange point for an ambient composer. Possibly the biggest name at New Forms this year, his tremendous body of work has exposed him to an audience rarely seen by experimental artists. 'R Plus Seven', his debut LP on the hallowed Warp Records, was released last year.

Frequent collaborator Nate Boyce provides the visuals for heavy arpeggiated slabs of 'Russian Mind', a track from Lopatin's 2009 album of the same name.

The duo will be performing at the Omnimax theatre at New Forms Festival on Saturday September 20. Looking forward to seeing Boyce's visuals compliment OPN on the big screen!

[undone-music]

DJ Sotofett - Lagrimas Negras (Dub)

Insane deepness from the one of a kind Norwegian artist DJ Sotofett. The 11-minute 'Lagrimas Negras (Dub)' goes so deep you won't know which way is up, weaving in and out of impossible house grooves. This one was released last year on the artists own Wania imprint. Sotofett also co-runs Sex Tags Mania with fellow Norweigan DJ Fett Burger.

Both DJ Sotofett and DJ Fett Burger take the reigns of New Forms festival for the afternoon on Sunday September 21, closing the event in style at Creekside Park in Vancouver. Looking forward to dancing on Sunday!

[undone-music]

Visionist - M

Had to post 'M' here, one of the heaviest tracks in recent memory. The pillowy vocal loops caress the mind while that punishing low end upends the listener completely, creating a tense grime atmosphere. This one was released on Ramp Recordings last fall. Visionist has been operating on another wavelength for some time now. Killer track.

Visionist is set to DJ New Forms Festival at midnight on Saturday September 20th. Science World will be buzzing for this one.

[undone-music]

Dresvn - Corbaci Bay

SUED 005. Dresvn is the glorious connection of Berlin artists SVN and Dynamo Dreesen. Their recent 12" 'Corbaci Bay' is just the best. Inherently forward thinking but also so unbelievably playful. Those sharp, chiming synth stabs really push this one over the edge. This one was released about a year ago on SUED, one of the most fascinating imprints out there at the moment. Dynamo Dreesen also runs Acido Records, home of many more of the duo's releases.

Dresvn will be performing a live set at NFF14. Taking the stage at midnight on Saturday September 20th, the performance will follow DJ sets from members SVN and Dynamo Dreesen.