Village Gamer

The 26^th edition of the Vancouver International Film Festival’s Film & TV Forum runs from September 27th through 30th, and New Filmmakers’ Day is on October 1st. The 2011 Forum is proud to stimulate the development, co-financing and co-production of the creative documentary by creating Storyville Vancouver, an opportunity for filmmakers based in British Columbia and the Pacific Northwest to pitch their projects to an international forum of commissioning editors. Please Download the entry form and regulations (Excel .xls 151kb) from the Storyville page for complete information.

Storyville Vancouver, in partnership with BC public broadcaster Knowledge Network Corporation is scheduled for presentation during The Forum.  The Forum and Knowledge Network are delighted to have attracted some of the world’s leading broadcasters to Vancouver to help our filmmakers develop long-term strategic relationships and enhance project development. This initiative is inspired in part by the Amsterdam Forum organized by IDFA and with a nod to Nick Fraser’s BBC strand.

Pre-selected creative, feature length (minimum TV hour) documentary projects, at various levels of development, from BC and the Pacific Northwest will be publicly pitched to international commissioning editors with accredited Forum observers in attendance.

Not sure what The Forum is looking for? According to the Storyville page, “the creative documentary is the crown jewel of the non-fiction world – passionate, cutting edge, filmmaker-driven, in-depth, up close and personal…These are projects that take the writer’s/director’s point of view on a real-life subject in a ‘creative’ manner and require significant writing and research before filming begins.

The format for a creative documentary is therefore relatively free form and open to the creative team’s interpretation of the subject at hand. The style and approach used in the cinematography, editing and final composition of the film makes a statement in and of itself and reflects the filmmakers underlying POV on the topic or person being considered.

The film should be complete and contained and thoroughly explore a tangible subject or person. A creative documentary is not: open ended, investigative, educational, “DIY” in style nor like a news report, a docusoap or a reality show. A creative documentary can examine a historical event or person but, once again, it must be done in a unique and creative fashion and not simply recount the past.”

To date, the following key commissioning editors have been confirmed:

• Nick Fraser (BBC)
• Mette Hoffman Meyer (DRTV)
• Axel Arno (SVT Documentaries)
• Olaf Grunert (ARTE TV)
• Tom Koch (PBS)
• John Lindsay (KCTS9)
• Murray Battle (Knowledge Network)

The Vancouver International Film Festival runs from September 28th through October 14th, 2011.

Bell Media has announced that it has begun early development on three unique projects, based on the work of some of Canada’s most respected and best-selling authors. Bell Media has optioned the television rights on two novel series, one written by William Deverell and the other, Giles Blunt, two of Canada’s foremost award-winning mystery writers. In addition, Bell Media and Shaftesbury are in development on an adaptation of Old City Hall, written by acclaimed criminal lawyer-turned-author, Robert Rotenberg.

“Our acquisition of these options is a great opportunity for Bell Media,” said Corrie Coe, Senior Vice-President, Independent Production, Bell Media. “A diverse mix of stories, these projects exemplify our commitment to developing great Canadian programming. And we are equally delighted to be working with terrific Canadian screenwriters to adapt these novels and bring them to the screen.”

The first project in development is based on a witty and intelligent crime series written by British Columbia-based writer William Deverell (Kill All The Judges, April Fool and Mind Games – McClelland & Stewart), the creator of the popular and long-running drama Street Legal, and the winner of the Dashiell Hammett Award for Literary Excellence in North America for Crime Writing. To date Deverell’s books have been translated into 14 languages selling more than one million copies worldwide. Deverell is described as “a master of the laugh-out-loud crime novel” by the Vancouver Sun. Deverell’s series of novels feature lawyer Arthur Beauchamp defending his clients in taut urban courtroom dramas while trying to balance his personal and home life in a Gulf Island community full of eccentric and complex characters. Renowned Canadian screenwriter Andrew Wreggitt (One Dead Indian, Shades of Black and Mayerthorpe) has been attached to the project to adapt Deverell’s work for television.

The second project in development is based on a chilling crime series penned by Toronto author Giles Blunt, focusing on his main character Det. John Cardinal. Winner of Britain’s Silver Dagger Award for Fiction, the New York Times describes Blunt’s work as “forceful…surprising” while the Los Angeles Times describes his work as “riveting [and] relentless”. Blunt’s first storyline delves into the mind of a serial killer and the tormented police officer assigned to the case – a story for those who love to be entertained with one eye open. Giles Blunt (Crime Machine, Black Fly Season and Forty Words for Sorrow – Random House Canada) will adapt his own material for television.

Additionally, in partnership with Shaftesbury, Bell Media is in development on a project based on Toronto native Robert Rotenberg’s acclaimed first novel Old City Hall (Simon & Schuster). “Clever, complex and filled with an engaging cast of characters, Old City Hall captures the vibrancy and soul of Toronto,” said Kathy Reichs, author of the Bones series of novels. Published in March 2009 and named a “hard-boiled classic” by The Globe and Mail and “masterful debut” by Maclean’s, Old City Hall uncovers the complexities and human drama of the criminal justice system when a popular radio host is arrested for the murder of his wife in a seemingly open-and-shut case. An international bestseller, Old City Hall has been sold in 11 countries and translated into nine languages. Shaftesbury is currently in negotiations with a top-Canadian screenwriter to pen the script. Rotenberg’s second novel, The Guilty Plea, was released in May 2011 and currently sits on The Globe and Mail’s bestsellers list.

THQ has announced that industry heavyweight Patrice Désilets has joined the THQ studio system as a creative director, working out of its Montreal video game development studio on a yet to be created title. Fresh off a yearlong break from the industry, Désilets will be charged with leading a dynamic team that will create and develop original intellectual properties for THQ.

“The creative freedom that THQ gives its artists and developers–and their willingness to make games that truly reflect an artistic vision–really drew me to THQ,” said Désilets. “I plan to build an incredibly talented team at THQ, and am very anxious to get started on creating a new project.”

“Working with the top talent in the industry is one of THQ’s key strategies for creating bold, original, and high-quality games,” said Danny Bilson, THQ’s Executive Vice President of Core Games. “Patrice Désilets is one of the most innovative minds in games, and has proven it by leading the teams behind some of the most influential games of the past and current consoles. Needless to say, THQ can’t wait to unleash his talent.”

Patrice Désilets will join THQ’s already impressive roster of notable industry artists, including Double Fine’s Tim Schafer, Guillermo del Toro, who is teaming with THQ’s Volition, Inc. to develop inSANE, and Valhalla Game Studio’s Itagaki-san as he develops Devil’s Third.

Before joining THQ, Désilets served as a creative director on the Assassin’s Creed franchise, as well as Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time. Désilets holds a bachelor’s degree in film studies from the University of Montreal and he is represented by the Creative Artists Agency.

Dragons vs Spaceships is a new project from Game Production Studios for Microsoft’s Dream Build Play competition. According to the game’s web page, Dragons vs Spaceships uses the XNA platform, with all engines developed by Game Production Studios excluding the Easy Storage engine for data management, developed at CodePlex and used under their license.

Dragons Vs Spaceships seeks to capture the essence of the genre, while putting a new spin on old conventions. Travel across many worlds destroying the enemy, using three weapon types that combine for a total of six special weapons. Fun and challenging, players will quickly master the controls, but will have a more difficult time downing the legion of Spaceships that stand in their way on the path to victory. There’s no telling who will lose the war, but Game Production Studios says the winner will be the player.

[youtube:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nf7zp5e4EkQ]

The game’s premise, again from the official web page, is as follows:

Independent development studio Chaotic Box has launched its latest mobile game title to the iTunes Store. Match Panic challenges the tap skills of iOS gamers as they race to beat the clock and level up in order to increase their score multiplier as they tap madly to match the game pieces. Power-ups help blast players through each challenge to the next level, each more difficult than the previous.

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ssRfotgOQFA]

Unlock a dozen cute pixel characters and compete with friends on 5 Game Center Leaderboards. For the ultimate player challenge, there are 9 Game Centre Achievements for the taking. Match Panic is available for 99 cents USD and is rated 4+. This game is compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad devices running iOS 3.1.3 or later.

Distribution360 today announced at the Banff World Media Festival the sale of Splatalot (26 x 30’ episodes) to TÉLÉTOON. The French Canadian broadcaster has acquired rights to the French language version of the series set to air this fall. marblemedia produced three original localized English versions of Splatalot for YTV in Canada, BBC in the UK, and ABC in Australia.

Splatalot is a hilarious medieval-themed physical game show geared to the 8-12 year-old audience. The 26-part series features a larger-than-life extreme obstacle course with more splats and spills than ever imaginable. Each episode features a different group of 12 thrill-seeking teen contestants, dubbed Attackers, competing in three hilarious rounds: Cross the Moat, Escape the Stockade, and Capture the Crown. The Defenders of Splatalot, an international squad of nine costumed gladiators, do their best to protect the castle from the Attackers—leaving only one to be crowned King or Queen of Splatalot.

“We’re thrilled to be able to bring the fun of Splatalot to audiences in French Canada,” says Stéphanie Röckmann-Portier, Head of Sales, Distribution360. “This series is a great example of a format that works well in international markets and across different languages.”

“TELETOON has been a longtime partner of ours, and we’re very excited to be working with them on this version of Splatalot for French Canada,” says Matt Hornburg, the series’ co-creator and Partner at marblemedia. “The ratings are consistently showing that Splatalot attracts a very strong co-viewing audience of both kids and parents because it’s so much fun to watch together. Matt adds, “This has definitely been a major contributing factor to the show’s success.”

Splatalot was produced with the financial participation of the Canada Media Fund, Shaw Rocket Fund, and Bell Broadcast and New Media Fund

Other Ocean Interactive is proud to reveal that Sir Patrick Stewart, the acclaimed TV and film star, will be lending his voice talents to The War of the Worlds, its upcoming cinematic side-scrolling platformer, coming to Xbox LIVE®Arcade and PlayStation®Network later this year. Based on the classic novel by H.G. Wells, The War of the Worlds showcases Stewart’s distinct voice as the narration for the game, which follows one man’s experience in 1950s London during a decimating alien invasion.

Known to millions for his role as Captain Jean-Luc Picard in the popular TV show Star Trek: The Next Generation, as well as his performance as Professor Charles Xavier in the X-Men film franchise, Stewart has enjoyed tremendous success over his decades-long film career including several Emmy and Golden Globe nominations.  However, providing narration for The War of the Worlds is an experience that hearkens back to Stewart’s childhood.

“As a young boy, I remember watching the The War of the Worlds so many times I was quoting the lines,” said Stewart. “The alien invasion both terrified and fascinated me and the movie has stuck with me since then. Now, being part of this project will provide a new way for gamers around the world to experience a fresh new take on a classic.”

The War of the Worlds is a dark and breathtaking new vision inspired by the classic H.G. Wells novel, retold as a single player, 2D action-adventure. The gameplay narrative parallels the timeline and events from the 1953 movie adaptation, but introduces a new story arc, characters, locations, and sub-plots.  With gameplay paying homage to classic cinematic platformers such as Flashback and Out of This World, players follow the exploits of an unknown everyman struggling to escape the Martian invasion of London and rescue his family. Forced to think through insurmountable odds, players will outsmart an army of alien tripods, spiders and drones as they make their way through a landscape of total devastation.

Frima Studios and Bolt Interactive have announced today that the Pygmies of Pocket God on Facebook have to worry not only about the gods smiting them, but now their fellow tribe members as well in Episode VIII: Hi-islanders. The latest expansion for the Pocket God world features a brand new item, a LARP rack, which enables Pygmies to duel one another using one of five fantastical weapons, introduces a new god challenge from new rival god Kali, and also expands the amount of in-game content by adding five new solo quests and a plethora of clothing options based on characters from the Pocket God comic book.

Since its debut in December 2010, the Facebook version of Pocket God has grown exponentially and is attracting more players every month. To date, there are more than 700,000 deities who have tortured Pygmies and more than 55 million loyal, unquestioning Pygmies have met their demise—that’s approximately the record-setting number for most votes cast in a single show on American Idol (okay, one more vote: Simon or Steven). Another two million sacrifices can be attributed to friends on Facebook sacrificing other friends in a host of brutal and irreverent ways, including electrocution, shark attack, venus fly traps, tornados, tar pits, and more!

The new updates for Hi-islanders include:

• There Can Only Be One Hi-islander: A mysterious LARP rack has appeared on the island and there’s only one thing to do now that it’s here: kill everyone. The new LARP item dons five video game-inspired weapons and swords, and when two Pygmies each get a hold of a weapon you’ll be witness to a fight to the death until only one Pygmy is left standing. Alternatively, if you dangle one of your hapless devotees in front of an armed Pygmy, your floating follower will be pummeled like a piñata (candy sold separately).

• Challenge Kali and Her Rack: New rival god Kali has showed up on the island, and she thinks that her rack is better than yours. Of course, you agree, and if you try to touch her rack then you best prepare for trouble as she won’t take your advances lightly. Successfully defeating Kali will earn you a weapon rack idol of your own, proving that your rack rules them all.

• Dress Up in Those Snazzy Comic Duds: Pocket God on Facebook is taking some fashion advice from its comic book counterpart and now offers fans the ability to customize their Pygmies with articles of clothing found in Pocket God Comics, as well as control the actual characters from the comic themselves! What’s that? You’ve always wanted to feed Ooga to a shark because he goes against everything the tribe says? Well then, your wish is our command.

• New Quests and UI Improvements Added: As always, we’re making sure to deliver new content for newbies and veterans alike with the latest update including five new solo quests for those deities who like to go it solo, as well as a slew of UI improvements in the Power and Clothing stores, along with some gameplay balances here and there.

The first of today’s Wild Games Studio video releases features the five minute E3 trailer for Dhaila’s Adventures, which focuses on the games’ three open worlds and the dungeons.

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ph_jhLS8n18]

The second trailer, also from E3, introduces the studio’s new IP World Circus, an innovative and original game that allows players to build and manage their own circus. World Circus is scheduled for release in 2013 and offers 3 game modes – career, simulation and multi-player.

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZxoU3-un1I]

The third and final E3 video presents Wild Games’ new iPhone game Kung Fu Lobster, a colourful undersea world where you control a well-armed lobster and take on other denizens of the deep to prove that only the strong survive.

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=spg71sOkYDM]

Calgary’s chapter of the Canadian Public Relations Society (CPRS) is hosting its annual summer social and networking event immediately following the organization’s annual general meeting at the Vue Café on Thursday, June 16, 2011. The meeting will run from 5:30pm – 6:00pm with a networking social immediately to follow. A new members’ reception will be held immediately before the meeting from 5:00pm – 5:30pm. The gallery closes at 8:00pm.

“This is a great opportunity and venue for Calgary’s PR community to connect again before dispersing for the summer,” says the Calgary chapter president, Dan Muys.

Chapter news and updates, as well as future organizational plans, will be discussed at the AGM, which is open to both members and non-members. Only members in good standing can vote. CPRS will host a summer social and networking event immediately following the meeting. The social is a chance for public relations professionals to meet and network while exchanging ideas and best practices. This event is free for CPRS-Calgary members, $25.00 for non-members. The Vue Café is located in the Virginia Christopher Fine Art Gallery on 11^th Ave SW.