Interviews with game developers about how narrative has developed in gaming. Full of examples and an excellent resource for the A2 Comms Fictions essay.
Monthly Archives: February 2011
How the idea of beauty affects young women’s lives
An interesting discussion on the fashion industry and how issues such as size zero, plastic surgery and pornography affects female self -image. Some very relevant comments are made about how the new media inspired move away from traditional magazine consumption to online fashion blogging is producing a plurality of opinions and some diversity in the fashion industry. Great for A2 Media and A2 Comms topics – Celebrity, Beauty and Body Modification.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/feb/27/fashion-women-cosmetic-surgery-debate
One in five films will be ‘sequels’ in 2011 | Film | guardian.co.uk
For those who like originality in their films, it seems 2011 will not be a good year, with the news that one fifth of the currently scheduled US domestic releases are franchise films. Of course, perhaps those who like originality won’t be looking to that sector too much anyway. Another useful article for AS Film FM2 section A.
Website Box Office Mojo says there will be 27 movies which are either followups, prequels or spin-offs from former properties in 2011, up from a previous high of 24 in 2003. By contrast, last year was a relative oasis of originality with just 19 “sequels” hitting the big screen.
via One in five films will be ‘sequels’ in 2011 | Film | guardian.co.uk.
Warner Bros launches Inception and The Dark Knight movie apps | Technology | guardian.co.uk
This is an interesting development in digital distribution – iOS apps for a film containing the movie and DVD-style extras updated for the Web 2.0 world with obligatory social network features. Free to download and then £5.99 in-app payment to unlock the film, they are also cheaper than the download equivalents from the iTunes store.
The advantage of using apps as a distribution mechanism for movies is the ability to wrap DVD-style extras and interactivity around them. The Dark Knight includes a trivia game, a soundboard and art gallery, while Inception bundles in five music tracks from composer Hans Zimmer. Both apps tap into social networks too, allowing fans to post quotes on Twitter and Facebook, while seeing a feed of what people are saying about the films.
This is particularly relevant for AS Film FM2 section A.
via Warner Bros launches Inception and The Dark Knight movie apps | Technology | guardian.co.uk.
Tweeting teens can handle public life | Alice Marwick and Danah Boyd | Comment is free | guardian.co.uk
Good article on the different ways teenagers use Twitter:
The Press Complaints Commission in the UK has now ruled that there is no “reasonable expectation” of privacy on Twitter. With this decision and the fact that teenagers are flocking to Twitter in a big way, frustrated adults are asking the same questions of teen Twitter feeds as they did of MySpace and Facebook: don’t young people know this stuff is public? Why do they put personal things online? Why don’t teens care about privacy?
The Beauty Myth, Naomi Wolf
A good overview review of Naomi Wolf’s Beauty Myth book. For any students writing about beauty in any way, both masculine and feminine.
CBS sends a YouTube takedown to itself – Boing Boing
Superbly ironic copyright claim – CBS have demanded YouTube take down a video that was embedded in a CBS website.
CBS sends a YouTube takedown to itself – Boing Boing.
Charlie Brooker: Q: When does a tabloid become crude propaganda? A: When it starts printing it | Comment is free | The Guardian
Uncharacteristically sober piece from Charlie Brooker looking at the representation of Muslims in the Daily Star. There are blogs pretty much entirely devoted to this topic and The Star’s ongoing flirtation with the EDL. Depressing stuff that makes the other tabloids look like the New York Times by comparison.
Baftas 2011 – The King’s Speech the clear winner
No big surprises from last night’s Baftas, with The King’s Speech winning in 7 of the 14 nominated categories and Natalie Portman deservedly getting Best Actress for Black Swan.
I was pleased to see Chris Morris awarded best debut for his superb Four Lions.
More here: Baftas 2011: The King’s Speech sweeps the board | Film | The Guardian.
In Hollywood, black and white unite … for a quick fling | Melissa Thompson | Comment is free | guardian.co.uk
An interesting article about one of the Oscar nominated films this year.
The article looks at Hollywood representation of mixed race relationships,
But what I was wondering was why is it that Hollywood cannot portray mixed-race relationships that go beyond the bedroom. Will black characters ever be more than a shag?
In the film, sperm donor Paul is a laid-back, free-spirited organic smallholder. He’s heavily typecast as a “cool guy”, and what better way to validate his liberal credentials than to introduce him with his black girlfriend.
The article concludes by saying,
If attitudes have moved on, so can’t the film industry too?
Sadly, The Kids Are All Right suggests perhaps not. At least it’s an improvement from when black characters would only date each other – think the solitary black couple in Dirty Dancing, or Turk and Carla in Scrubs.
But there’s still a long way to go before Hollywood gets comfortable enough with the idea to portray a lasting mixed-race relationship. And maybe it will have to happen even more in real-life before it becomes better represented in art.
The film may be a good case study of race representations in Hollywood.