National Film Theatre Videogame Weekend
NTI*
(*non trivial interaction)
It used to be that we played the game of the film, then we watched the film of the game.
Increasingly, it's getting difficult to tell where one ends and the other begins.
NTI* is about placing videogames at the heart of creative culture. A unique and dynamic weekend of events, talks and activities including exclusive previews of forthcoming titles, live cinematic-sized gameplay, machinima screenings, discussions with industry leaders, and a 'video arcade' with both 'retro' and contemporary arcade machines and home
platforms.
NTI* is for anyone interested in seeing where these two forms are going.
Think, talk and - most importantly - play.
- Programme includes : Peter Molyneux, Jonathan Smith, Roger Avary, Ian Livingstone, Jamie Fristrom, David Doak and Valve.
- Exclusive 'sneak-peak' showings soon to be announced. Presented by the National Film Theatre, South Bank Centre, London and Res Media Group - NTI* is directed by Iain Simons.
Full details at: www.bfi.org.uk/nti.
Tickets on sale from the NFT box office on : 020 7928 3232
For more information please contact:
Ian Cuthburt
BFI Press
tel:+44 (0) 020 7815 1330
Full Programme Details
Saturday, 9th July
Peter Molyneux
The Trailer
Sat 9 July 2.10 NFT3
One of the best-known innovative designers in the history of the form, Peter has done much to position videogames as a legitimate element of the entertainment media, an important area of popular culture and - perhaps? - even an art-form. Using examples from his own work and providing one of the first public looks at his forthcoming game The Movies, Peter will give a personal account of why games are so important to modern culture, then discuss the topic with a specially invited NTI* panel.
Peter Molyneux OBE is director of Lionhead (Populous, Theme Park, Syndicate, Black and White, Fable, The Movies)
Jonathan Smith
Lego Star Wars - Brick by Brick
Sat 9 July 4.00 NFT3
Lego Star Wars: The Videogame is one of the most fascinating movie tie-ins of recent years. Jonathan
Smith gives an entertaining insight into what it means to play with Star Wars, how to fuse together two of the best loved cultures in the world - and explains exactly what he means by 'Lego-ness'. Jonathan Smith is development director of Giant Entertainment (Lego Star Wars).
Playing with Games
Sat 9 July 6.00 NFT3
Let NTI* introduce you to some of the most subversive, radical and entertaining work from the worlds of modding, machinima and design. From music videos to political activism to short films - using game engines just for playing is really only scratching the surface.
Jamie Fristrom: The Action Movie Aesthetic
Sat 9 July 7.40
NFT3 Hollywood and videogames are locked in a race to create the greatest dramatic action sequences. To
date Hollywood has always won, but the margin is rapidly closing. Using examples as varied as Errol Flynn, Saving Private Ryan and Spider-Man 2, Fristrom will take you on an entertaining ride deep into the heart of the action. Jamie Fristrom was creative director of Spider-Man 2 at Treyarch
Roger Avary
The Rules of Adaptation
Sat 9 July 9.20 NFT3
Oscar-winning screenwriter, director, dedicated gamer and restorer of vintage Atari XY arcade machines, Roger Avary has had a lifelong passion for all things console-related. Amongst other things, Avary will discuss the adaptation of horror classic Silent Hill, which he co-wrote with the film's director Christophe Gans, and is currently in production.
Sunday, 10th July
Ian Livingstone
Lara Went to Hollywood
Sun 10 July 2.30 NFT3
Lara Croft is one of a select band of videogame characters to have transcended their digital beginnings to become a film star, industry figurehead and pop-culture icon. Ian Livingstone gives a candid account of her journey from game to movie as an introduction to an NTI* panel discussion exploring the convergence of these two worlds.
James Newman
A License to Kill For
Sun 10 July 4.20 NFT3
Drinker, smoker, womaniser, chauvinist, spy. One of the best-loved characters in contemporary popular culture, James Bond is best known from novels and movies, yet for the past 20 years Mr Bond has lived a double life as a videogame hero. James Newman discusses making Bond interactive with the developers of Goldeneye and other Bond videogames, examining the adaptation of these well-known narratives into playable experiences.
Dr James Newman is co-editor of 'Difficult Questions About
Videogames' and a Senior Lecturer in Media Studies at Bath Spa University.
Valve
Written All Over Your Face
Sun 10 July 6.20 NFT3
Videogames have often been accused of creating a narrow emotional experience, but with the new facial animation techniques pioneered in Half-Life 2, Valve ushered in a new age of empathy with videogame characters (winning six BAFTAs in the process). Bill Van Buren, choreography director of Half-Life 2, demonstrates what this means to videogame storytelling, exploring the implications for acting and performance in an ever-more cinematic videogame world. Valve are the developers of Half-Life and Half-Life 2.
The Pitch
Sun 10 July 8.30 NFT3
Requiem for a Dream? Taxi Driver? Dumbo? NTI* comes to an argumentative close as three teams of developers compete to win your approval with their pitches for as-yetunproduced movie-license videogames. A panel of industry experts offer their verdict, but the final decision is up to you.