Future Cinema

Course Site for Future Cinema 1 (and sometimes Future Cinema 2: Applied Theory) at York University, Canada

Celebration of the Simple

It seems to me like there is a movement towards simplicity in new interactive media. Just as some people involved in the cinema decided that long takes may be the future, some people in interactive cinema and game developing seem to have decided that it is time to use what is freely available to further technological advancement.

There are several interactive shorts on this page: http://www.shortoftheweek.com/category/style/interactive/. Some of them make use of up-to-date technologies, but the most interesting video on there is an Arcade Fire music video, which, instead of turning to some modern concept which will be obsolete in a year, utilizes google maps, in order to create a personalized interactive film, which will connect the band’s music with a feeling of nostalgia for childhood.

Similarly, games have been embracing this simplistic ideology for some time, going back to Limbo or Super Meat Boy. My current addiction is a game called TagPro (tagpro.koalabeast.com) which is a basic capture the flag game which looks like it was designed by an amateur.

This celebration of the simple will paradoxically be extremely important in the advancement of new media. There is a reason why a film like Primer is more frequently discussed than the Abyss!

Wed, March 26 2014 » FC2_2014

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