[artinfo] machinima workshop in prague

[Denisa K]

Last chance to apply to TransISTor workshop http://transistor.ciant.cz in JUNE organised by www.FAMU.cz and www.CIANT.cz

TransISTor focuses on computer games technologies while opening up their creative potential for non-gaming storytelling domains including art, cinema, TV, educational applications and cross-media productions.

Session 1:     Game modifications and machinima films
14. 06. - 17. 06. 2007, Prague

Application deadline: 14. MAY 2007

Working language is English.

Game modifications and machinima films
>From combination of comics and video games to films created with game engines. This session will provide an overview of tools and techniques used for customizing and expanding computer games. We will examine issues of game design and game play in the context of cross media production. The goal is to explore the basics of how to create and modify game levels. In the intensive 4-day workshop your will create your first machinima film.

14. - 17. JUNE 2007 | Prague | € 400 (freelancer) / € 800 (corporate) - The price includes training, didactic materials, accommodation and meals. 

Preliminary schedule:
14. June 
9:00 - 12:00 AM | VIKTOR ANTONOV: Visual storytelling for Game worlds:  designing and building a sci-fi universe
1:30 - 5:00 PM |  DANI SÁNCHEZ-CRESPO: Independent Vs. Commercial games: from aesthetic to industry aspects 

15. June 
9:00 - 12:00 AM | FRIEDRICH KIRSCHNER: From game engine to machinima movie
1:30 - 5:00 PM | FRIEDRICH KIRSCHNER: Machinima workshop I.: What makes a machinima?

16. June
9:00 - 12:00 AM | MICHAEL NITSCHE:  Machinima and performance
1:30 - 5:00 PM | FRIEDRICH KIRSCHNER: Machinima workshop II.: Live Machinima Sketch. 

17. JUNE
9:00 - 12:00 AM | MICHAEL NITSCHE:  Machinima and the moving image
1:30 - 5:00 PM | FRIEDRICH KIRSCHNER: Machinima workshop III: A small Movie. 

VIKTOR ANTONOV: Visual storytelling for Game worlds:  designing and building a sci-fi universe
Case studies of game design  by Viktor Antonov, the concept designer and the lead art director of Half-Life 2. On examples of his previous and current work, he will illustrate the different stages of world creation from research to architecture, lighting, and concepts, concentrating on the functions of visual design and visual storytelling. In the presentation he will discuss the fundamentals of game design and principles of creating game environments and spaces that provide good gameplay. 
VIKTOR ANTONOV (USA/FR/BG)
Art-director and concept designer for Half-Life 2 currently working on a new game “The Crossing” which merges single- and multiplayer aspects into a new genre of "cross-play“. 
www.vulkanbros.com





FRIEDRICH KIRSCHNER: From game engine to machinima movie
Machinima is a somewhat new and emerging medium that makes use of the realtime rendering capabilities of modern day computer systems to create animated movies. Often enough, machinima repurposes computer gaming technology to help „shooting film in virtual reality“. Though by definition not necessarily bound to computer gaming as such, the two are closely link, not only technologically, but also in their social relevance. Often using the characters and assets from the underlying computer game, machinima works as a way of criticising the games' content and enables the audience to become creative and expand the boundaries set by the rules of the computer game.
Machinima transforms into creative play, emphasizing the process of filmmaking as a socially relevant new form of expression and media awareness. With the way machinima is made come broader issues stretching from copyright infringement to new channels of distribution.
FRIEDRICH KIRSCHNER: Machinima workshop
I. What makes a machinima? 
In this session we will look at the Workflow and Content Production Pipeline for Machinima movies.
II. Live Machinima Sketch. 
In this session we will create a simple character setup and perform a live sketch.
III. A small Movie. 
In the final Workshop session, participants will create a small Machinima sequence and render it to the disk for editing, sound and post-production.
The Machinima workshop will consist of a brief overview of the history of machinima, followed by a basic explanation of the concepts and workings and finally some hands-on experience. Through analysis of example movies, attendees will get an idea of what makes machinima unique. The larger context of computer games and gaming culture will be explained and the idea of the social relevancy of machinima will be discussed. We briefly talk about the legal aspects of machinima moviemaking and take a look at newly formed distribution channels like youTube or google video. Druing the 4 day workshop participants will create a small machinima movie with a tool based on the game Unreal Tournament 2004 called MovieSandbox.
FRIEDRICH KIRSCHNER (AT)
Artist and researcher at the Ars Electronica Futurelab in Linz working with the emerging genre of machinima films. www.zeitbrand.de


DANI SÁNCHEZ-CRESPO: Independent Vs. Commercial games: from aesthetic to industry aspects 
Should we consider video games an art form or they are simply a commercial product with no values? The presentation will discuss the need for an aesthetic of video games and evaluation of artistic merit, so consumers learn to appreciate what is and what is not relevant in a video game. We will talk about video game artists, their training, and the need to broaden our creator base to incorporate new ideas and creativity. The lecture is driven by examples, from Mario to Half Life, trying to bridge the gap between classic gamers and art critics. 

DANI SÁNCHEZ-CRESPO (ES)  
Entrepreneur and one of the leading voices in game research in Europe who founded Europe’s first Master’s Degree in Video Game Creation. Sub-director of ArtFutura, Spain’s main multimedia festival, and a member of the jury at the Independent Games Festival. 
www.novarama.com


MICHAEL NITSCHE: Machinima and performance
'part theatre, part film, part videogame' [Salen 2002, 99]
Machinima grows from a performance in a virtual world. What are the conditions of this performance? We will look at theory and practice of the idea of the computer as theater for machinima.
Project presentation:
Tangible User Interfaces for 3D Real-Time Environments (TUI3D)
MICHAEL NITSCHE: Machinima and the moving image
'Filmmaking + Animation + Game Tech' [Marino 2004, 3]
No matter what the appearance of machinima, it always deals with the question of the cinematic. But because it is generated so differently from established methods, the 'question of the cinematic' is a two-sided sword in the case of machinima. Is it a move of game media towards film or a simple acquisition of game technologies in the world of moving image production? What is the position of machinima in relation to film?
Project presentation:
Machinima editing tool
Pre-vis efforts
MICHAEL NITSCHE (USA)
Assistant Professor at the School of Literature, Communication & Culture LCC at the Georgia Institute of Technology who launched a website on the academic take on machinima and the first academic book publication on this relatively new field where games and film/ video merge.
ww.lcc.gatech.edu/~nitsche



TransISTor http://transistor.ciant.cz is a training initiative
organised by CIANT - International Centre for Art and New Technologies
in cooperation with FAMU - Film and TV Faculty of the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague supported by the MEDIA Training Programme of the European Union. 



CIANT - International Centre for Art and New Technologies
Address: Kubelíkova 27, 130 00 Prague, Czech Republic
Tel.: +42 (0) 296 330 965, Fax: +42 (0) 296 330 964
e-mail: transistor2007 AT ciant.c, URL: http://transistor.ciant.cz