Can Games Save The World?

In our ongoing discussion about the merging worlds of gaming and filmmaking, check out this recent article in the New York Times. It's a discussion about so-called "serious games" and their ability to present complex situations to players. Not unlike film's ability to deliver complex information and emotions to viewers, no?.

From the article:

Henry Jenkins, an M.I.T. professor who studies games and learning, said the medium has matured along with the young people who were raised on it. “The generation that grew up with Super Mario is entering the workplace, entering politics, so they see games as just another good tool to use to communicate,” he added. “If games are going to be a mature medium, they’re going to serve a variety of functions. It’s like with film. We think first of using it for entertainment, but then also for education and advertising and politics and all that stuff.”

UCF FILM Students featured in OBJ Article For iPod Video Project

Featured in this weeks issue of the ORLANDO BUSINESS JOURNAL you'll find a fantastic article on Laura Lopez and Danny Daneau, graduate film students at UCF, and the work they are doing with the iPod Video and the Orlando Museum of Art. The online article is identical to the print version minus the photographs.

FETUS FETISH Takes 3rd Place At Indie Gathering Film Festival

Professor Robert Jones says his alien epic FETUS FETISH has taken 3rd Place in the Comedy Category at the 2006 Indie Gathering Film Festival, which appears to be held in early August in Cleveland. Congratuluations!

Fest Update - GOODNIGHT CHARLIE To Screen At DC Shorts Fest

Goodnight Charlie, the Directing 3 project of Danny Daneanu ('05), has been accepted for screening at the 2006 DC Shorts Film Festival. The film will appear in the Screening 5 Program on , Saturday, September 16 @ 1:00pm. This fest is unique in that it allows the filmmakers to read the judge's comments about their films. It's interesting to note what viewers think of this simple but very tight film. From Goodnight Charlie's feedback:

>>Great subject matter and not at all predicable from the start of the film. The lighting was very well done and the tight shots of both Charlie and his Teddy Bear made me see a real conversation between two people.

>>A simple story very, very well told and completely entrancing. The puppetry and voice acting of Charlie was excellent. He was a completely believable and well-realized character. The story unfolded at the proper pace so we identified with the bear...and the end reveal of the title line was heartbreaking. Very well done.

>>I loved this story—it was charming, touching, and moving. I definitely felt sorry for the teddy bear. The piece was also the perfect length. I loved how the filmmaker told the story of a child growing up through a conversation with his stuffed animal. This was a very clever choice and worked very well with the premise.

Need A Sound Mix On Your Film?

The good people who've been doing sound mixes of our student films need some more projects and I don't have anything in my pipeline. Have you got a finished film that needs a sound mix? If so, send them my way.

You'll need to provide a Quicktime of the movie and audio mix as it is now, plus the OMF output of the sound. If you have DATS of the production sound, that would be great too. In exchange, you'll have to add credits the your film to credit the folks doing this mix.

Send me an email if you're interested. ASAP.

Fest Update - MR MALIKAI and TEARS IN THE RAIN To Play In South Korea

Two UCF films have been selected for screening at the Youth Competition Section of the 8th Annual Seoul International Youth Film Festival. The shorts are MR MALIKAI BATTLES THE AEROPLANE, directed by Drew Blatman ('06) and TEARS IN THE RAIN, directed by David Estrada ('06). The festival will be held from August 2nd to 6th in Seoul, Korea.

SILENT BOB SPEAKS - CLERKS Director Kevin Smith To Visit Orlando Sept 23rd

Spend an afternoon with Kevin Smith, director of Clerks, Clerks II, Clerks in a Mall (TV cartoon based on Clerks), Dogma, Chasing Amy, Jersey Girl at the Orange County Convention Center.

It's Sept. 23, and tickets are $25. Go here for details. Florida's Future Filmmakers are bringing in the movie-maker/comic book fan/convenience store junky and once and future Silent Bob, for a meet and greet. And tell us all how it's done

What Did You Do This Summer? Professor Peters and Students Headed West & The Orlando Sentinel Came Along For The Ride

Professor Phil Peters took some students on a cool road trip this summer. Dubbed Cowboys With Cameras, it retraced parts of a 25-year, eight-movie journey that revered film director John Ford made from 1939 to 1964. With John Wayne often featured as his leading man, Ford directed a series of Westerns on location in Monument Valley and Moab. Two UCF FILM grad students, Danny Daneau and Laura Lopez, made a documentary about the project, while a reporter for the Orlando Sentinel went along and published this article.

Fest Update - LOVE IS DEAF To Play Thunder Bay

LOVE IS DEAF, directed by Andrew Gay ('06) has been selected for screening at the Bay Street Film Festival.

The festival will take place September 16, 17 and 18, 2006 at the historical Finlandia Hall in Thunder Bay, Ontario. To date, the fest says it has scheduled 45 films from 9 different countries taking part in its second annual festival.

Andrew's thinking of attending, so if you're interested, give him a shout.

Fest Update - GOOD NIGHT CHARLIE Needs YOUR VOTE @ Cloud 9 Film Festival

A message from Danny Daneau ('04), director of the short film GOOD NIGHT CHARLIE

A friend of mine was flying to Colorado when he decided to take a look at what the in-flight entertainment had to offer. To his surprise (and mine) he found Goodnight Charlie as one of five short films to watch. I was never notified that Charlie was playing in the Cloud 9 Festival for the month of June 6th-July 6th. If I was I could of got the campaign started sooner. In any case check it out here.

What is the campaign you ask? Simply put, thye Cloud 9 Film festival allows anyone on the planet to go to the website linked above and enter a vote for GOOD NIGHT CHARLIE. I've done it and you can do! Let's put Danny and his weird little kiddie puppet flick over the top! DO IT NOW!

Please.