Spielberg says: Play more videogames

Started by MacGuffin, September 15, 2004, 05:18:35 PM

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MacGuffin

Spielberg and Zemeckis Talk Video Games

Filmmakers Steven Spielberg and Robert Zemeckis say students at the University of Southern California could change moviemaking by playing more video games.

The two Hollywood directors were at the campus on Tuesday night to inaugurate a new Electronic Arts video game development lab at the university's school of cinema and television, where they detailed the coming fusion between games and film.

They said video games are getting closer to a storytelling art form but not quite yet.

"I think the real indicator will be when somebody confesses that they cried at level 17," Spielberg said.

Zemeckis, the "Back to the Future" and "Who Framed Roger Rabbit" director whose name adorns the building where the new gaming laboratory is located, said that he has borrowed gaming techniques for his films.

While developing his digital Christmas move "The Polar Express" he updated motion-capture technology game companies use to recreate the moves of athletes in sports games to digitally capture the facial features of actor Tom Hanks.

Both directors agreed that movies like "Spider-Man 2" and "The Matrix" series reflect the impact that gaming style has had on cinema.

"My influence, when I was a film student here, was a television influence," Zemeckis said. "In the '80s, cinema became influenced by the pace and style of television commercials. And in the '90s, it was the pace and style of the music video. And I think the next decades are going to be influenced greatly by the digital world of gaming."

They offered no solutions, but outlined the hurdles between the film and game formats.

"The next big emotional breakthrough in gaming is being able to tell a story that is consistent throughout the narrative. If the game is 15 levels, it's just like 15 chapters in a story," Spielberg said. "That's what I hope young students will bring here."
"Don't think about making art, just get it done. Let everyone else decide if it's good or bad, whether they love it or hate it. While they are deciding, make even more art." - Andy Warhol


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Stefen

Quote from: That Old Man Spielberg"I think the real indicator will be when somebody confesses that they cried at level 17," Spielberg said.

Video games don't have levels anymore, when did Spielberg get so old? Why would he want someone to cry when they get to a certain level? This isn't one of his movies. Ask him about the time he had to walk 4 miles in the snow just to play jacks with the other kids at the synagogue. Ask him what level he got to then.
Falling in love is the greatest joy in life. Followed closely by sneaking into a gated community late at night and firing a gun into the air.

coffeebeetle

more than any other time in history, mankind faces a crossroads. one path leads to despair and utter hopelessness. the other, to total extinction. let us pray we have the wisdom to choose correctly.
woody allen (side effects - 1980)

NEON MERCURY

Quote from: Stefen
Quote from: That Old Man Spielberg"I think the real indicator will be when somebody confesses that they cried at level 17," Spielberg said.

... :oops: ..i know what hes talking about....although it wasnt when i reached a certain "level"...it was about 8 or nine years ago...when i eagerly anticipating the release of the final fantasy games..i couldnt ge to sleep the night before it was going to be released that next day...all i could think about was playing that game...i mastered the previous  games and through it all most of my friends abandoned me but phuck them.. .friends cum and go but a video game can last  alifetime [if treated properly]..and plus they thoguth i was a dork b/c i wanted to play videogames instead of hanging out, getting drunk, and feellin gon girls tits...i got so pissed at them for embarrasing me in front of people by calling me a "pussy-ass bitch"...but i guess anyone would get mad about that.... :( ..but...phuck them and phuck people who diss on gamers..anyways, i didnt not want to go to school the next day so tried to do my best ferrris bueller and it worked..parents gone and my money in hand i went oto target to get the game....at the time i didn thav emy liscense yet so i had to ride my bike..bu ti peddled that bitch like a mother phucker.i could hav epowered a generator w/ the amount of pressure i put into the bicycle...i finally reached target about 15-20 minutes later..i ran over to the games and there it was...all shinin gand new in the celophane wrapper....my final fantasy game.....and it wasnt a fantast after all-i was now the owner of this badass game...well, i peddle back even faster home because the anticipation of finally playing this game made me want to piss....so i had to get home before i soiled myself.. :| .... once home i opened the wrapper and read through the instructions-even through i had played previous final fantasy games and new the basic "formula"...i liked to read the booklet anyway...its sort of a "thing" i do... :? ....after brushin gup on my skils i prepared my journey...i remeber the graphics being incredible and th esounds and music were quite good for a game like this...i assembled my party and i named the part leader after me[which i normally do] then the remain ones i use as the default names for the male characters and the female characters i would name them after the girls in my class that i thought were hot...and i played that day/night for 10 hours straight....while pretending to be sick so my parents wouldnt find out...i liked these types of games because i can control a life and watch it grow...its like parenting..i give my character a name, feed it, cloth/amour it, train/teach it..etc, etc..and it becomes either a powerful warrior or a wizard/magician...

weeks later i remeber fondly as my phuckiong friends who use to piss me off tried to get me out of the house and hang out with them...but i made up some exscuse to get rid of them.i either told my mother to tell them that i was sick, or i wouldnt answer the door/phone....i didnt give a sh*t if they left me.... :roll: .... so, for most of the time playing this game i didnt care much for a social life or "partying" or "fucking girls"....b/c when you are this serious about games you dont have time to deal with petty sh*t like that..you have "train" yourself to these games...its like being an athelete...after plenty of playing time and leveling up and gathering experience points with my characters i was twards the end of the game[i could feel it]..but i didnt know what to do next...i was stuck and that sh*t was really pissig me off.and i didnt want to be a pussy and look at a nintendo power magazine for hints...i have yet to use a "aid" to help my final fantasy and i sure wasnt about to now...i felt like it woul dbe stupid to give up and cheat like that...its phucking useless to cheat ona game... after m,any hours seaching and fiddling around i finally made my way through the castle to go face to face with the final boss....now, i dont know about the rest of you but when ever i get to the last boss of a game i get a sort of smirk on my face and a sense of gratification enters me...i feel like that i at least accomplished something my life....and i love it when i get this feeling...but i pause the game right before the fight begins and i reach into my desk drawer and pull out my "boss character log"..this is essentially a collection of the names, dates, profiles, etc ...of all th eboss characters i have fought over the years of gaming...what i do it first create my own type of font and lettering and write the name of the boss in..then i use coloring pencils to do my best visualization of the boss,  write the time and day and year....its serves as sort of a resume..[you got to remeber that the movie the wizard was such an imprtant movie to me back then..and still now]....after i logged my needed info..i unpaused th egame and began the fight...

by the time i faced the final boss my characters were skilled in their respective fileds..and i had plenty of healt and magic points to use..no to mentio th emost powerful spells..the fight lasted about 30-45 minutes...and all of my characters survived with the exception of michelle... :( ....the boss use some sort of instant death spell as a last ditch effort because he knew that i was about to phuck him up and he was going to die...and victory was mine.and yes, i did strt to cry [a little]..its till a game but it affected me.... :cry: ..............and i am making all of this up but i hope it was a good read....i am taking a semester off and  i needed to brush up on creative speed writing....was it any good...?..interesting at least??....feedback please...thanks...

cine

Neon just took a shit and thought of Stefen.

Myxo

Quote from: StefenVideo games don't have levels anymore, when did Spielberg get so old? Why would he want someone to cry when they get to a certain level? This isn't one of his movies. Ask him about the time he had to walk 4 miles in the snow just to play jacks with the other kids at the synagogue. Ask him what level he got to then.

Haha..

Well said! Levels..

Ghostboy

I was working as a camera operator on this documentary a few months ago about professional cyber-athletes. It was shot at this big tournament, where players came from all around the world, bringing their own computers to spend a whole week playing Halo and other first person shooters of that ilk. At first I though, what a bunch of geeks. Then we started interviewing these kids who were making over 100 grand a year in corporate sponsorships, just to play these games and trave the world to these competitions. At that point, it was I who felt like the loser.

That fact notwithstanding, trying to film someone playing a videogame and making it look exciting is pretty much impossible. And also, after five days of 24-7 gaming, that convention center stunk like you wouldn't believe.

Gabe

Quote from: NEON MERCURY..............and i am making all of this up but i hope it was a good read....i am taking a semester off and  i needed to brush up on creative speed writing....was it any good...?..interesting at least??

Man, That really. . .Hit Me  :shock:

MacGuffin

Spielberg's next War

At long last, Steven Spielberg will be returning to his fantasy roots – or so the rumour machine just foretold.

According to JoBlo.com, the "Munich" director will helm "World of Warcraft", a film based on the PC Game of the same name by Blizzard Entertainment. Legendary Pictures (the production troupe behind "Superman Returns" and "Batman Begins") will be bankrolling the thing.

No word on when the film will get underway, but with Spielberg attached to no less than four other films at the moment – including an Abraham Lincoln biopic, and the long-awaited fourth "Indiana Jones" movie – it's safe to say it won't be anytime soon.

Let's see how this rumour pans out.
"Don't think about making art, just get it done. Let everyone else decide if it's good or bad, whether they love it or hate it. While they are deciding, make even more art." - Andy Warhol


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polkablues

Quote from: MacGuffin on June 20, 2006, 10:28:05 AM
Spielberg's next War

At long last, Steven Spielberg will be returning to his fantasy roots – or so the rumour machine just foretold.

According to JoBlo.com, the "Munich" director will helm "World of Warcraft", a film based on the PC Game of the same name by Blizzard Entertainment. Legendary Pictures (the production troupe behind "Superman Returns" and "Batman Begins") will be bankrolling the thing.

No word on when the film will get underway, but with Spielberg attached to no less than four other films at the moment – including an Abraham Lincoln biopic, and the long-awaited fourth "Indiana Jones" movie – it's safe to say it won't be anytime soon.

Let's see how this rumour pans out.

I will bet one billion dollars this doesn't happen.
My house, my rules, my coffee

Gold Trumpet

Quote from: polkablues on June 20, 2006, 03:35:20 PM
Quote from: MacGuffin on June 20, 2006, 10:28:05 AM
Spielberg's next War

At long last, Steven Spielberg will be returning to his fantasy roots – or so the rumour machine just foretold.

According to JoBlo.com, the "Munich" director will helm "World of Warcraft", a film based on the PC Game of the same name by Blizzard Entertainment. Legendary Pictures (the production troupe behind "Superman Returns" and "Batman Begins") will be bankrolling the thing.

No word on when the film will get underway, but with Spielberg attached to no less than four other films at the moment – including an Abraham Lincoln biopic, and the long-awaited fourth "Indiana Jones" movie – it's safe to say it won't be anytime soon.

Let's see how this rumour pans out.

I will bet one billion dollars this doesn't happen.

Don't bet what you don't have.

It actually would make sense for him to do this project. No video game has had its great adaptation to film yet. And why not have Speilberg be the filmmaker who sets the standard? His entire career has been setting the standard for superior entertainment. Jaws was the first film to define the blockbuster and Jurassic Park was the first to define excellent CGI work. Speilberg has also expressed interest in video games (hence the thread) and knows the challenge that this project would be. Plus the resources for this adaptation is no more scarce than what Raiders of the Lost Ark had to work with.

modage

Quote from: polkablues on June 20, 2006, 03:35:20 PM
I will bet one billion dollars this doesn't happen.
yeah this is a total internet rumor.
Christopher Nolan's directive was clear to everyone in the cast and crew: Use CGI only as a last resort.

Pubrick

Quote from: modage on June 20, 2006, 04:05:47 PM
Quote from: polkablues on June 20, 2006, 03:35:20 PM
I will bet one billion dollars this doesn't happen.
yeah this is a total internet rumor.
i bet it was started by the makers of WoW to get even more dateless wonders hooked on that shit.

(i will wait for you, JB, for a thousand summers, i will wait for you)
under the paving stones.

MacGuffin

Spielberg serious about EA collaboration
Visits EA every week

It appears that Peter Jackson isn't the only big-time film director seriously interested in creating games, with GameDaily revealing today that Steven Spielberg regularly attends EA in order to work on the games he's playing a role in the development of.

EA's Neil Young revealed to the website that Spielberg spends between one and four hours a week at the company. "Steven's in the studio about once a week, anywhere from 1 to 4 hours; he swings by and he's in the office by about 8:30 and usually leaves like 11:00 or midday," Young revealed.

"It's everything you'd hoped the relationship would be but were nervous to ask upfront. It's really wonderful spending time with him... he's incredibly creative and just has such a great sense of what entertains people."

The legendary Schindler's List director is committed to crafting three games alongside EA, two of which are in the works at EA LA. One game is being created under the eye of veteran Doug Church, with a 'dramatic event' on planet Earth tapping into a popular theme of the director's films. Another project, being developed by Lou Castle, is said to be a Wii game. No details are available on any of the games, sadly.

Young concluded that the game designers at EA have learnt much from working with Spielberg, and that the Hollywood giant seems enthused by the prospect of creating interactive entertainment. More as we get it.
"Don't think about making art, just get it done. Let everyone else decide if it's good or bad, whether they love it or hate it. While they are deciding, make even more art." - Andy Warhol


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MacGuffin

EA divulges clues to Spielberg games

In a move aimed primarily at whetting the appetite of gamers heading into this week's E3 Media & Business Summit, Electronic Arts unveiled several details on two games it is developing through a partnership with Steven Spielberg.

Although he stopped well short of revealing the names of the two titles, Neil Young, general manager of Electronic Arts Los Angeles, noted that one is an action puzzle game for the Nintendo Wii that was inspired by a meeting Spielberg had with renowned developer and "Mario" creator Shigeru Miyamoto at last year's E3.

The second game, code-named "LMNO" and for the Microsoft Xbox 360 and Sony PlayStation 3, is described as a contemporary epic action-adventure story. "The 'LMNO' product is probably more of what you might expect from a partnership between Steven Spielberg and Electronic Arts in that it focuses on a relationship between the player and a nonplaying character," he said.

Young was coy about the release dates for any of the games, noting only that the action puzzle game, code-named "PQRS," would be out during EA's current fiscal year, which ends in March.

"There's a lot of software coming into the marketplace for the Wii, and we want to make sure that not only is it a great game but that it's got the right commercial window that it can own," he added.

As for the second game, Young said it would not be released in the current fiscal year, while the third game in the deal signed in 2005 still is at the idea stage.

Whether these Spielberg-inspired games eventually can end back in the realm of Hollywood as movies or other entertainment, Young said: "I actually think in both cases there are great opportunities to move the properties across different media. At EA right now we're concerned with trying to build intellectual property that can move in a connected way across media, and these projects are no exceptions."

Spielberg does have a track record in the gaming industry through DreamWorks Interactive, and while the division lost money before it eventually was sold to EA in 2000, it was the original developer for EA's tremendously successful "Medal of Honor" series.

Young said Spielberg understands that you can't simply borrow techniques from film and hope that it will make a good game.

"Steven respects games as a unique medium, and he understands very well what defines it, which is interactivity," Young said. "When Steven Spielberg introduces ideas that we collaborate on, they're' always framed by an understanding that above all else, the experience has to remain interactive and it has to remain compelling and fun."
"Don't think about making art, just get it done. Let everyone else decide if it's good or bad, whether they love it or hate it. While they are deciding, make even more art." - Andy Warhol


Skeleton FilmWorks