Film Directors & Game Directors, Living Together?
April 2, 2007 9:31 AM | Simon Carless
One of my favorite outlets, The New Gamer, has a new article up called 'Film Directors We Want in Games', and ranging all over the shop, but starting with this whole '300 can be criticized because it's like a video game' thing, citing John Carpenter defending it.
Blogger G. Turner notes: "In fact, ever since I read the [Carpenter] interview I've been asking myself 'Just what film directors would I like to see push out a game?' And the answer is, honestly, 'very few'. Excellent multidisciplinary artists are a rare breed, and most of those in film that have crossed over to video games have had a lackluster impact, at best."
He continues: "Most of the examples I can think of are little more than stunt-casting anyways, brought in for their name recognition and outwards flair rather than any deeper thematic values or insight. Take for instance, Metal Gear Solid: Twin Snakes, which had Versus director Ryuhei Kitamura reshaping the original game's cut-scenes."
Turner _does_ cite David Cronenberg as someone he'd like to see working in games, given Existenz - which I agree with, and would add Terry Gilliam as someone else who might make a seriously interesting game, given a chance - not that I think he cares. What do you guys think?
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2 Comments
Cronenberg already has dabbled in videogames, with a company in Toronto called Trapeze New Media. Ernest Adams was hired to back up the project. I don't know what became of it though.
CaRteR | April 2, 2007 12:23 PM
Funny - I just wrote a similar piece yesterday.
People like Joss Whedon use comics as an outlet to their creativity, and I cite the recent success of BtVS Season Eight as an example of how filmmakers have extended the life of a film or TV franchise post-cancellation.
But why not use videogames? As I quote, "Even with established, and undoubtedly expensive, licenses; the story is tasked to some staff writer who writes the equivalent of children’s movie storybook, and its delivery inevitably lags behind the technology used to tell it."
The point is, comics are getting people like Whedon while we are trying to make water out of wine with writers like Susan O'Connor. Our industry will have difficulty maturing if we don't start realizing crossover potential with Hollywood aside from franchise licensing.
SpotAnime | April 3, 2007 4:07 AM