Xeni Jardin

BB Video: John Gaeta on "Ninja Assassin," and Hybrid Entertainment Merging Film and Games.

In today's episode of Boing Boing Video (sponsored by WEPC.com, in partnership with Intel and Asus), Academy Award winning visual effects guru John Gaeta (Matrix, Speed Racer) offers a sneak peek inside his newest project, Ninja Assassin.

Along the way, we explore a broader realm of questions about the future of games, movies, and interactive entertainment. Will movies become more like games, offering new ways for us to insert ourselves inside the stories? Who will create them, using what tools, and how will the experience be different? Will computer-generated actors replace human actors, or stunt persons -- or will the two realms overlap in ways we can't yet predict? All of this we ask of the guy who invented "bullet time."

Due in theaters this fall, director James McTeigue's Ninja Assassin follows the story of Raizo (played by Asian mega-popstar Rain), one of the world's most deadly assassins. As Gaeta explains in this video, the movie merges blindingly badass Bruce-Lee-esque martial arts stunt work with tastefully integrated post processing work.

Below, and after the jump, a partial transcription of the longer conversation we had about the future of interactivity and "hybrid entertainment" -- and why Hollywood is, in Gaeta's words, "like a mule."

This interview took place during our live coverage of the 2009 Game Developers Conference, and many of the questions I pose were taken directly from our live chat audience.

Xeni Jardin: John, your involvement in "Ninja Assassin" was a little different than in "Speed Racer" and the "Matrix" films, where you were the lead visual effects designer.

John Gaeta: Ninja Assassin was directed by James McTeigue, who directed "V for Vendetta." It's sort of a family tradition of the Wachowskis to help James in parallel with other odd films. After "Speed Racer" was completed, we went back to Berlin and decided to make this super psycho horror ninja movie. Supremo stunts and martial arts. We're friends with the action design firm 87eleven, they've worked alongside Wu Ping for many years, after the "Matrix" Trilogy they did "Kill Bill," "300," they're fantastic. It was really their show. They were told they could be very creative and so they were. Lots of inventions!

Xeni: What was your role?

Gaeta: I didn't want to miss it because it seemed like it would be very fun. I was only helping out with some special unit directing, but no visual effects for me personally.

"Ninja" is surprisingly invisible on effects work, and intentionally so. No virtual humans in this one. The only real post processing comes from heavily stylistic color grading, think graphic tones like "Se7en," compositing and some CG weapons and blood augmentation. But this film shines brightest for the martial arts team. To put it another way -- it's old school.

There is far more going on in this movie with respect to "stunts technology" and innovation with respect to specialized and "next gen" rigs and flying machines.

Xeni: You are known for visual effects in motion pictures, but every time you and I have spoken, there's this idea of hybrid entertainment that comes up. Can you tell me more about what you're doing there?

Gaeta: I'm curious about possible destinations where there's crossover with regard to simulation cinema, "sim cinema," ways of creating elaborate trapdoors and portals between different mediums. Also, over the years, there are strange subgroups from the visual world like Douglas Trumbull -- I used to work for him many years ago -- their passion went beyond cinema to immersive content. Virtual reality, perhaps games, are a step toward that -- so are other methods of surrounding people with an experience. There are a lot of interesting progressions going on with immersive cinema, immersive entertainment, hybridizing the two.

(Interview continues after the jump)

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Rob Beschizza

Diego Silvério's Tetris furniture

Whenever you complete a row, Amazon sends round a guy to delete your books. Also, Diego, some of those are not proper Tetrominoes.

Tetris Furniture [Coroflot]

Brandon Boyer

Let's start a new meme: #backgames from finish to start

Mr_Staypuft sends in this post riffing on of the current #backflicks meme of describing a film from the end to the beginning, hoping to start a games version at #backgames.

The cream of 'puft's current crop:

Doom: A space marine brings demons to life, locking colour-coded doors behind him before falling asleep, as his colleagues close a portal to hell.

Katamari Damacy:
A prince must hide the stars, by rolling them across the earth’s surface, until they break into small everyday objects.

Deus Ex:
JC Denton overthrows one of 3 new world orders, travels the globe, then waits for terrorists to rebuild the statue of liberty.

Pacman:
Pacman fills mazes with dots, pausing only to regurgitate fruit & ghosts.

He adds that he's not quite sure where the meme started, but I'm fairly confident it grew out of this self-linking weekend Reddit thread entitled, "If you watch the movie 'Jaws' backwards, it's a movie about a shark that keeps throwing up people until they have to open a beach."

BackGames = Videogame plots in reverse [Just One More Game]

Brandon Boyer

Dream teams: UFC remix brings Punch-Out!! to life

I would never miss UFC fights if it was always like this: the uppercut stars totally make it. See also: 'lookoutawhale's similar UFC as Street Fighter II.

lookoutawhale's YouTube channel [via VG Arts]

Previously:
Video: Real-life Mario Kart - Offworld
Super Mario in real life - Offworld

Brandon Boyer

Warthog from hell: OXM test-drives Halo's transport

In a fun left-field feature done by former workmate and friend of Offworld Alistair Wallis, Official Xbox Mag takes a trip to Peter Jackson-related special effects house WETA for a Top Gear-type tour test-driving the Warthog, Halo's signature four-wheeler vehicle: a remnant of the since-canceled live action film Jackson was set to produce:

While the rounded acrylic windshield might look incredible in-game — and on film, too — the fact that the left-hand crease lines up exactly with the driver’s line of sight could be considered a bit of an issue. Suddenly, I’m a little worried again, and this is before he even starts explaining the three different steering modes: front-wheel steering, four-wheel independent steering, and a frankly rather frightening prospect he refers to as “crab mode.”

“It lets you drive sideways,” he explains cheerily.

We Drove The Warthog! [OXM ONLINE]

Brandon Boyer

What's it going to build then, eh: 'A Lego Orange' imagined

Corvus Elrod's imagined version of A Clockwork Orange done up Lego-game-style makes me as uncomfortable to read as I imagine Elrod wanted it to: it's a bit heavy handed at times (as, I suppose, it should be), but the post-Ludovico twist at the end was a nice touch, as is its deliberately destructive design:

Unlike you’d expect from a LEGO game, however, the majority of the game features absolutely no building. None at all. It’s all destruction and ultra-violence. The closest thing to a constructive action is in the Milk Bar, where pouring and drinking milk mixers from different taps slightly alters your interactions with the game. One drink slightly speeds up your movement, another makes you a bit stronger, yet another alters the coloration of the lighting in the levels, casting everything in a ghastly purplish hue.

A LEGO Orange [Man Bytes Blog, via Infovore]

Brandon Boyer

Because He Co-oo-hoo-uld: Asteroids, Diamond Dave edition

Today's 60 second diversion: The current wave of David Lee Roth fever -- from soundboard to Songsmith -- seems to be leaving no corner of net culture unscathed, and now Flash gaming is no exception. To wit: As(s)teroidz: Diamond Dave Edition, which is basically precisely what it says on the tin.

Just mind the Hagar.

David Lee Roth Asteroids [via WFMU, via Gus]

Brandon Boyer

Housecleaning: Offworld RSS feed no longer an uninterrupted jumble of words

Unless it's my own over-dense prose, that is. As you may or may not have been experiencing, since launch our RSS feed has had a bit of a rough time properly converting line breaks, resulting in a single, near-unreadable mashed-up paragraph.

But no more: our own resident renaissance man Rob has finally kicked out the last of the feed gremlins and restored order, so you can now (re-)subscribe with confidence. Thanks to everyone who stuck that out.

I've also been getting an increasing number of emails and anonymous comments that some of you are having problems logging in to leave comments -- we're currently working on issues there and will let you know when those wrinkles have been ironed.

Let me know if you're experiencing any other issues putting a damper on your stay here via the comments (you know, if you can) or that send-a-tip email at top right.

Brandon Boyer

Super Mario Land: the drunken edition

This is how I picture it: it's 3:30am and you've just got off the express train back to your cramped flat after a long drunken night at a secret Kiiiiiii show or Delaware exhibi+ion, where you down a few more beers to keep the buzz alive, and that's when your friend, er, 'Steve' (apparently) breaks out the Super Game Boy.

Knowing full well that his grasp of English is even more tenuous than yours with Japanese, he gives you the full play-by-play anyway, because he knows that's what makes it so funny, and it is.

I have to imagine it this way because it's almost impossible to get your head around otherwise. I still don't understand why the Goomba broke the house windows to bite the pizza.

Possibly drunk japanese guy rambles over Mario Land (in English) [sp0rsk's niconico re-upload, same guy/same schtick to Super Ghouls'n Ghosts in Japanese]

Previously:
Revolvingdork's Super Mario Land etched Eee PC - Offworld

Brandon Boyer

Champion of Guitars: text adventure Guitar Hero gets real

The current management of this rather seedy venue doesn't much care about appearances, apparently. Nonetheless, it's become one of the hottest spots in the area, attracting surly alcoholics from all around. A variety of local acts, the vast majority unrelentingly terrible, play here every Tuesday night. Coincidentally, it's Tuesday night.

A host of unsavory-looking people makes up your audience for the night. They're all staring at you expectantly.

A fake plastic guitar lies on the ground in front of you.

Bolted to the wall is a television screen, dark and foreboding.

I take back everything I said: moments after after clicking my tongue at the internet for not turning ianwarren's Guitar Hero 1.0 concept into a playable text adventure, real ultimate hero Bill Meltsner emailed to let me know that his Champion of Guitars is, in fact, playable online.

It's everything I'd hoped it would be, particularly its wry version of the audience enthusiasm/performance meter, and though I haven't had the time yet to make it all the way through my first gig, Meltsner says the game does let you play the song to completion. He also hints that there are other audience-related and item manipulation easter eggs that I've yet to discover: let us know what you find via the comments below.

Play Champion of Guitars online, or grab his Zcode here for use in any interpreter -- create the most fumbly version of an iPhone Rock Band imaginable!

Image via DeGraeve's IMG2TXT.

Brandon Boyer

Rave City: The corner of D.A.N.C.E. and Main

A little Monday morning epileptic error to get the week started right: I'm not sure which game this screenshot will end up being part of, but I'm almost positive it won't be as excellent as this bug could've made it. For best results, mix with this.

The Error Party Shader [I Get Your Fail]

Previously:
I Get About 55 Percent Of These Fails - Offworld

Brandon Boyer

Wrestle Jam: Randy 'The Ram' goes next-gen

While it may lack that hardened mournful pall that says 'determination in the face of a life of regret,' kudos to Create-a-Wrestler forum-goer 'Mani-Man' for doing his eager best to recreate Randy Robinson -- Mickey Rourke's just-Oscar-nominated lead in The Wrestler -- (without having seen the film!) and bringing 'The Ram' home from the 8-bit roots we saw on-screen.

Randy „The Ram“ Robinson (the Wrestler) [CAWs.ws Forum, via branduponthebrain]