MACHINIMANIA AT EIEF06
World premieres from leading Machinima works ‘Red vs Blue’ and 'Blood Spell'
Friday 28 July 2006/…Machinima, the making of short movies using video games, will be taking centre stage at the fourth Edinburgh Interactive Entertainment Festival (EIEF06) in August with three of the movement’s biggest names.
‘Machinima –the triumph of hybrid authorship’ will be an exploration of the new amateur art form that is taking the media world by storm and has seen companies such as MTV and Lionhead embracing its modus operandi.
Pioneers in the field Rooster Teeth Productions will be unveiling an exclusive Scottish themed episode of their long-running series Red vs Blue. Written especially for the festival, the episode will be performed live on 22nd August during the industry conference.
Based in the world of Halo, Red vs Blue is downloaded by over half a million people each week and the conference organisers are giving a local Edinburgh resident the exclusive chance to star in this hugely successful series.
Also participating in the session is industry luminary Ken Perlin, who will be premiering his unique exploration of the inextricable relationship between music and movement for the first time outside of the US.
The EIEF06 screenings programme also takes a look at this growing creative movement with Hugh Hancock, one of the founding fathers of Machinima, unveiling the world premiere of an episode from his latest work ‘Blood Spell’. It will form part of the very first movie-length piece of Machinima.
Session producer Ricard Gras of La-Interactiva, comments: “With the growing fusion of games and cinema, and the current User Generated Content revolution, the variety of genres and approaches Machinimators are experimenting with places Machinima as one of the most dynamic and thrilling new tools for content creation. The audience at EIEF will be able to see the most accomplished practitioners in this burgeoning art form.”
The EIEF06 programme of events consists of:
* Two days of conference sessions - The Conference will take place at the Royal College of Physicians on 21st August and at the Odeon, Lothian Road on 22nd August
* Game Screenings - Offering members of the public a chance to get up close with the creators of some of the leading video games at the Odeon, Lothian Road - 22nd August
* Edge Award - Key industry figures will gather at the Jam House for the annual Edge Award followed by the EIEF networking party - 21st August
Visit the official website at eief.co.uk.
About EIEF06
The Edinburgh Interactive Entertainment Festival (EIEF) is managed by a committee drawn from all areas of the industry, including publishers, developers and the two industry trade bodies; The Independent Game Developers Association (TIGA) www.tiga.org and the Entertainment & Leisure Software Publishers Association (ELSPA) www.elspa.com.
About ELSPA
ELSPA (Entertainment & Leisure Software Publishers Association) was founded in 1989 to establish a specific and collective identity for the computer and video games industry. Membership includes almost all companies concerned with the publishing and distribution of interactive leisure software in the UK. ELSPA’s activities include: Official Chart and Industry Reports, Anti-Piracy UK and EU, PR and Communication, and Government Lobbying. More information all these activities can be found at http://www.elspa.com.
About TIGA
TIGA (The Independent Game Developers Association) is the trade association which represents the business, commercial and political interests of game developers. Its members are both independent and in-house studios of companies producing for games consoles, PC handheld, and mobile and iTV games. TIGA aims to benefit its members' businesses and creative interests by encouraging a better climate for investment in games, best business practice, dialogue and favourable terms with publishers and by lobbying for government support to the industry. www.tiga.org
