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Hammer Films have been relaunched with the posting of two four- minute webisodes every week
on MySpace
Web of terror
Henry Northmore witnesses the rebirth of film studio Hammer and looks at how the internet is changing film production and distribution
he intemet has irrevocably changed the way we
consume media. ‘lnstant‘ has become standard
and even institutions like the BBC have taken to ()nl)emand in a big way. Access to downloadable films old and new is increasing and. of course. piracy and filesharing is rife. But these are films created for the cinema or DVD while there's a new wave of film produced via. and for. the internet.
An increasingly common practice is to offer movie shorts that fill ottt or add to the main product. creating hype and giving more back to fans. The Grudge 2. for example. offered Tales from the Grudge (www.sonypictures.com/movies/thegrudgeZ/site) a three episode self-contained story. while Hitmmz threw up an animated prologue (www.hitmanmoviecom).
The net is a great showcase for getting product direct to consumers. Babelgum (www.babelgumcom) is hosting an online Film Festival to be judged by Spike Lee with the winning shorts in each of the seven categories receiving 20.000 Euros at an awards gala in Cannes on 20 May.
Horror and sci-fi seem to be at the forefront of the movement with passionate media literate fans. Perhaps the highest profile project is the relaunch of the legendary Hammer Films with Beyond the Rare (www.myspace.com/beyondtherave). currently being broadcast on MySpace in four-minute segments with two new webisodes posted every week. For a web film. the production values are astounding and will certainly get the film into the consciousness of' fans who weren‘t even born when the last full-scale Hammer production was released.
‘We wanted to expose a new audience to the Hammer brand. while satisfying our legion of loyal fans.’ explains Hammer CIiO Simon ()akes. ‘So we set out to combine Hammer‘s horror knowledge and Pure Grass Film‘s experience in multi-platf'orm content with strong music and interactive game elements. The only platforms on which you could pull all these strands together and broadcast to a guaranteed user-base are the social networking sites. MySpace had the experience
with content. the technical expertise and a real understanding of how we wanted to position the Hammer brand online.‘
Posting the film on the net also opened new possibilities. "l‘wo important elements in our thinking were how to give the sottndtrack an organic feel and how to integrate the ARG (Alternate Reality Game).‘ says ()akes. ‘We sorted the music pretty quickly when legendary 1)] Pete Tong came on board as executive music producer. The second key element was interactivity. We chose US company Seize the Media who have just the right balance of genre savvy. cutting- edge technical know-how and real passion for pushing the boundaries of how you develop online content.‘
‘THEY HAVE JUST
THE RIGHT BALANCE OF GENRE SAVVY, TECHNICAL KNOW-HOW AND REAL PASSION'
Though perhaps Massify (www.massif‘ycom). who have teamed up with After Dark Films. are pointing towards a new user-created approach to film production. Their 'Ghosts in the Machine’ project certainly lives up to their ‘connect. collaborate. create‘ tagline. Unfortunately only open to US residents. it’s still a truly innovative idea. Users upload synopses. full scripts are fleshed otit by professionals. users can post audition tapes and everything is voted for by the Massify online community with the final products being made into horror features by established professionals.
The internet offers possibilities and audience participation on a far greater scale than ever before. combining all these elements to create a more immersive viewing experience. Where film goes next will be determined by technology's evolution.
GTA IV
David Meikleham tests the hottest game of the year as Rockstar unleashes the new Grand Theft Auto on the world Typical, isn't it? You wait two years for the most anticipated videogame of all time and it turns out all wrong. What have Rockstar being doing with their time? The driving feels different. They've changed the shooting. And Liberty City is only a fraction of the size of the state-spanning San Andreas. Of course, by ‘wrong', actually read “the best game in a decade'. Yes, the driving is different; it's far more substantial and satisfying. The shooting system has changed. but with a brilliant cover system and responsive aiming, it now rivals titles like Gears of War. Granted. GTA’s New York-inspired rotten apple may be smaller, but it’s also immeasurably more detailed and convincing.
Liberty City is rammed with a raft of incidental details that make it easily the most immersive game environment ever created. From bars in Broker (where. controversially, you can actually try to drive home drunk), a fully working mobile phone and in- game internet, to a robust ‘Euphoria' physics engine that lends the world and its characters an unparalleled sense of weight and motion. Niko Bellic. a broken Bosnian soldier and the game's protagonist, is the real star. though. Believable, vulnerable and. at times. even sympathetic. he’s a far cry from the amoral assassins of GTA's past. And although you can still mow down malcontents and gun down grannies, you'll find yourself less inclined. as it feels out of character for this flawed anti- hero.
Combine all this with GTA's power to make random events feel scripted (like when the right song perfectly compliments a Michael Mann-influenced bank heist) and you have a game that is peerless. And, with almost the entire title made within a mile of List towers. GTA IV is arguably Scotland's most remarkable technological achievement since John Logie Baird and the television.
I GTA IV (Rockstar) available now on Xbox 360 and P83 .0”.
8—22 May 2008 THE LIST 17