Peter Greenaway speaks at 48Hour Film Project Machinima 2010 from Chantal Harvey on Vimeo.
I must admit I was a little wary about watching this after reading various comments around the machinima blogosphere, and after listening, I think that a fun community event maybe wasn't the best arena to air these particular sentiments.
However, taken a little out of that context he makes a lot more sense than I imagined.
Cinema has become mostly homogenised into a style format which originated in Hollywood and is focused a great deal towards making money. The Hollywood format is text based, and often utilises exisitng popular works of literature.
His theory seems to be that the new media are copying the old styles of working, and his personal vision is to see more visually based storytelling which thoroughly exploits the potentials present in new media (he seems to have said elsewhere something about non linear storytelling as it comes up in people's comments but not here)
He says he likes a fight, and encourages debate, and that doing and showing is better than telling.
My response?
Is cinema dead?
I doubt conventional media is dead. I did think that when I first encountered Machinima though, I've mellowed out a bit since.
Are machinimators pursuing experimental non-linear story telling techniques?
Yes (well we are at Pineapple and we can't be that unique surely?) Non-linear visual storytelling is hugely popular and driven by video games. I must admit it has taken me a while to get a grasp on this idea, though Mike has been pursuing it for a long time, but then he had 30 years to get to grips with Cinema. It has also taken me quite a while to find video games which I like.
Is there an audience for experimental machinima?
No (or at least the audience is tiny), but the good thing is that some of what was once experimental eventually becomes mainstream by various stages.
Will Peter be good for machinima?
I hope so. I'd like to meet him anyway.
Kate