The literary genius that is Neil Gaiman (The Sandman, Coraline, Good Omens) has certainly been working hard this year, having just released a new book (The Ocean at the End of the Lane), along with news that he is working on a prequel to The Sandman. He has now just broke the news that he has been working with Moonshark (Verticus) and The Odd Gentlemen (The Misadventures of P.B. Winterbottom).
The game titled ‘Wayward Manor‘ follows a ghost residing in his home for 200+ years as he deals with many tenants who come to stay and learns about his own life and death. This sounds like a perfect fit with all of Gaiman’s dark works.
The ‘first part‘ will be released this fall, that’s according to the Moonshark mobile video in which Gaiman introduces the game. Gameplay will be focused upon puzzles and adventures as the poltergeist protagonist scares away the squatters in his home.
This isn’t the first time Gaiman has worked on a computer game, however it will be the first time one comes to fruition.
‘Back in the late 1990s I spent a lot of time working with various gaming companies. What tended to happen is I put an incredible amount of work in these things and just as something was about to happen, the company was about to go bankrupt….I think the biggest surprise is I did it and got involved in [Wayward Manor]. Nobody would have expected it and I didn’t have the time. It just got fun and I had to make time.’
These past few months I’ve been spending a lot of time with Skyrim. I’ve already invested hour upon endless hour on the PS3 version, and my character has seen more troll fat than a night out in Newcastle. Still on a whim I decided to pick up the Legendary Edition on Steam. I can safely say it’s one of the best things I’ve ever spent my money twice on.
See, when I say ‘spending time’, I don’t really mean in the game. I’d heard Skyrim has a huge modding community and wanted to try it out, but what I wasn’t expecting, when I poked my naïve little kitten head into the big lion’s den of texture enhancers, lighting effects and ENB’s, was the pure quantity and quality of content on offer. I spent an hour saving tab after tab of mods that I wanted, in a frenzy. At one point I saw a mod that turned dragons into giant My Little Ponies. I was overwhelmed. I had to go for a lie down.
The development of dedicated mod managers now means the days where you had to spend hours messing in files and folders are over. Nowadays it’s as easy as downloading, enabling, and playing. So, over the next few guides I’ll give you the sum of my collected knowledge on the art of modding, and tell you everything you need to know. This edition will tell you everything you need to get started, from choosing your manager, how to avoid common problems and installing your first few mods.
And before you know it you can have a view like this, and an FPS of 7.
Choosing your Manager
The most important thing before you even start looking at mods is think about how you’re going to install and manage them. I currently have around 50 mods in my setup all running simultaneously, and attempting to install, run and organise them into load orders can be a daunting task. Luckily, to make life easier there are mod managers available, which take care of all the hard work for you. The two most popular managers are the Steam Workshop, and the Nexus Mod Manager;
Pros; No install of manager or mods, very easy to use, easy to navigate catalogue
Cons; Limited selection of mods; practically no ability to customise/tweak mods
The Steam Workshop is all about convenience. There’s no software to download and no manual installation of mods; all of this is done by Steam itself. Literally all you need to do is browse the vast catalogue of mods on the Steam Store and subscribe to the ones you like. Once subscribed Steam will automatically download the files, install them into a specialised folder and enable/configure them for use, ready and waiting for the next time you load the game. This all means you can be up and running, quite literally, in seconds.
This convenience does come at a price, however. Firstly there’s practically no customisation available, as Steam does everything for you. This means you won’t get the full effect of many mods, especially graphics and lighting ones. Additionally, the Workshop is by no means exhaustive. There’s a wide selection of top quality mods, but there are also many independent ones that that never get a look in on Steam. Finally, the Workshop is by no means foolproof, either. It can’t detect if you have the wrong load order, or if two mods you download are incompatible, so you will still have to do your research.
Pros;Many more mods & full customization options lead to better gameplay, easy to browse & download
Cons;No Steam style integration, need to download manager to use, can be more complicated & time consuming to use
The Nexus Mod Manager is a downloadable piece of software that links with the Nexus website, which is without doubt the place to go for the best selection of mods. It’s much more varied and all inclusive than Steam, and because it isn’t as automated it’s also more flexible, and will allow you to do things that Steam can’t, for example checking you have the correct load order, or cleaning your files to improve performance.
However this freedom again comes at a price; there’s a bit of a learning curve. While it’s handy that when you download something off the site it automatically appears in the manager, that’s about as automated as it gets. It’s pretty much up to you to work out how everything works, so expect to spend a lot more time with it than the Workshop. It’s simple enough once you get used to it, but if you want an experience that’s easy and quick, then this might be best avoided.
Additionally of course, giving creative freedom to the filthy mind of the internet naturally isn’t always a good thing. For every quality mod, you’ll find five top-heavy female body mods, or something similar. The current file of the month is hilariously entitled “Shlongs of Skyrim”. Fine if you like that sort of thing, but crude if you don’t.
Just not this. This is the stuff nightmares are made out of…
You can by all means use both together if you wish, but I prefer to stick to one, simply so if you run into any problems you don’t have two programs and two sets of downloaded files to look through. However, either manager is a good choice. Now, with your manager decided, you can feel free to browse and download every jiggly booby mod you can find, you dirty dogs. But read on, because these next pieces of information will save you many, many hours of frustration…
READ. THE. INSTRUCTIONS
I know it’s boring, but there’s nothing worse than starting a game and having every single light give off a horrific bright red neon similar to a certain district in Amsterdam and spending hours trying to solve it, only to find out it’s a common problem and there’s a two-minute fix on the mod’s home page. If the author thought it important enough to write it down; then it’s important enough to read!
Mods in Moderation
Now, you will be tempted to go on a rampage and download and install 60 mods in one go, but that way madness lies, and spending hours trying to find the one mod out of 60 which is making your game crash every 3 minutes is not fun. Install your mods 5 at a time, then run the game and see how it performs. If it’s as smooth as a Bosmer’s bowstring then you’re spot on. But, if it’s rougher than an Orc’s backside, it’ll be a lot easier to identify the offending mod and see where you’ve gone wrong.
Installing Your First Mod
Now, you bet your handsomely chiseled Nordic jaw line it’s time to get installing. I’ll list some of the most essential mods in the next guide but for now I’ll just show you how to download and install a very simple one; the Immersive HUD. This is a handy little mod that removes any aspect of the HUD you don’t need at that moment, leaving you to enjoy the view free from clutter. If you’re using Steam, all you need to do is find it’s page and subscribe to it, and Steam will do the rest. But if you’re using Nexus, there’s a little bit of housekeeping, so just follow these tips;
Head to the mod’s page on the nexus site and look for a green “Download (NMM)” button on the top right. This will automatically download the mod and add it to the Mod Manager. Note that some mods with multiple files don’t have this function, so just hit the “Download (Manual”) option instead and chose the file you need. It should be added to the manager in the same way.
Once it’s downloaded, look in the Mod Manager and find it in the mod list. It should have a red cross next to it, indicating it’s disabled. Simply double click to install.
Once it’s done, you should see a green tick next to the mod. If you do, then voila! You’ve just installed your first mod!
And that’s all there is to it! There’s only one more thing you need to be aware of. When installing, you’ll sometimes see messages checking if you want to overwrite data. Always click “Yes To All”, because this is just a check to ensure the newly installed files don’t conflict. And with that, you know all you need to know to get out there and get started! Go try your new graphics, or embark on brand new adventures, complete with jiggly boobies, and don’t forget to keep an eye out for my second guide coming very soon, where I talk about some of the best and most essential mods out there.
Logan (Hugh Jackman) now living in self imposed exile in the Canadian wilderness, is tracked down by Yukio (Rila Fukushima) on the behalf of Yashida (Hal Yamanouchi) a man from Logan’s past. Yashida, the head of a massively successful tech company, is now dying and wishes to see Logan before the end. Reluctantly agreeing to visit Tokyo at the behest of his dying friend. Logan finds himself dragged into unexpected events.
After the mess that was X-Men Origins: Wolverine, this latest from the Fox stable of Marvel films has a lot of pressure on it to be the film that Wolverine fans have been wanting.
Inspired by a fan-favourite Wolverine story from the early 80s written by Chris Claremont and illustrated by Frank Miller, this latest outing for Logan is definitely an improvement on the last.
For a start, transplanting the setting from the generic USA of previous films to Tokyo makes for a refreshing change, the crowded and illuminated streets are rich with
Rila Fukushima as Yukio
atmosphere and numerous elements of Japanese culture feature from bullet trains to love hotels. There’s also a distinctly subversive edge to having a summer blockbuster film which features a cast relatively unknown to Western audiences- it’s a risky but most welcome move.
A prologue featuring Logan as a prisoner of the Japanese in WWII, where he meets and saves the life of a young Yashida, establishes the context for everything that follows.
This isn’t just a ‘bad man does bad things let’s go hit him’ affair; the story revolves around the dynamic of the Yashida family, who are all aware of Logan to some extent due to him being the subject of numerous stories throughout the years.
Shingen (Hiroyuki Sanada) is Yashida’s son and running the Yashida company in his father’s stead and Mariko (Tao Okamoto) is Shingen’s daughter.
Mariko is engaged to be married to Noburo (Brian Tee), a marriage arranged by Yashida to strengthen the political ties of the family which Mariko is going along with not wanting to dishonour her father and then there’s Harada (Will Yun Lee) a childhood friend of Mariko’s .
Only Viper (Svetlana Khodchenkova) a mysterious mutant and doctor with her own agenda seems a little out of place in the ensemble cast.
There does seem to be a catch-22 problem for comic-derived films: if they feature too much action and not enough characterisation and story they come off as dumb and shallow, but too little action leads to accusations of being boring and slow.
Whilst there are undoubtedly those that would say the latter applies here, it’s always better to know the what and why behind a character fighting rather than just seeing them fighting and in this respect The Wolverine is unlike any of the previous X-Men films. Its more of a noir esque story, an exploration of the character’s tormented psyche, with a love story and shady individuals than it is an action oriented blockbuster.
This might prove to be a jarring or disappointing experience to those that just want to see Jackman’s Wolverine letting rip for a few hours.
Tao Okamoto as Mariko Yashida
It should be made clear for anyone living in a cave for the last several years that Hugh Jackman is Wolverine, in the sense that Robert Downey Jr is Tony Stark and Ron Perlman is Hellboy. From the physicality to the attitude to the psychological fragility Jackman impresses. The Logan here is wracked by nightmares and plagued by visions of Jean Grey (Famke Janssen) Not only does this tie the film to the events of previous films in a way that doesn’t baffle or confuse viewers that might not have seen all of them but it also neatly establishes why Logan is so tortured.
Fukushima impresses as Yashida’s bodyguard and Mariko’s ‘sister’ who is clearly disliked by Shingen. Her combination of rebellious attitude ‘badass in boots’ as Logan puts it and the more traditional attire makes for a good combination and will no doubt inspire a few cosplayers. Her initial encounter with Logan in a dive bar dealing with some callous meatheads establishes her as more than capable of looking after herself.
Okamoto’s Mariko is essentially a damsel in distress but the chemistry between her and Jackman is believeable and the idea that Logan has been made out as almost a myth to her is a recurring theme . Sanada is as good as would be expected as the nefarious father figure whilst Yun Lee makes an impression as Mariko’s ‘brother’ even if their roles are somewhat perfunctory to the story.
James Mangold’s 3:10 to Yuma showed he can handle action but Walk the Line showed he can handle character drama too. The Wolverine blends the two and throws some great imagery in to the mix, especially the third act which features a great sequence in a snow covered village.
Whilst there are plotholes (but not to the point of breaking the film) and maybe the odd superfluous character, the only problems with The Wolverine are those that big fans of the Wolverine comic will pick up: the dramatic licence that has been taken with the story that inspired the film. These problems don’t really affect the film, and to those with only a passing knowledge or no knowledge of the source material won’t be noticeable, but those expecting references to things from the comics will be left wanting.
P.S. There’s a mid credits sequence you won’t want to miss.
So during one of my regular procrastination sessions I happened upon some geeky make up creations and I thought I’d share my top 10 with you. Unfortunately I couldn’t seem to find many people using make up in this kind of way (you’ll soon see what I mean) so many of the pictures come from the same artists – there are links to their sites at the end of the article. Some of the creations are images and some are just using the same colour scheme. It was hard to choose a final 10 and even harder to order them! I hope you enjoy and feel free to send in any of your own creations! I’d love to see what the people of Geek Pride Nation can come up with!
10. Starting with something a bit different, here is YouTube user Emma Pickles’ finished result of her pop art inspired look. It’s pretty impressive. It’s number 10 because it’s not exactly a day look or a night out look (unless that’s your style – if so, go you!) and though this particular instance of pop art make up is impressive it can look very creepy.
9. PACMAN! I love how fun this is but it doesn’t grab me as much as my top 8. I think there are slight changes I would make in the design to make it more aesthetically pleasing but other than that it’s a great fun piece done by Jangsara.
8. Up at 8 is this incredibly detailed design by Sahily. Sahily recreated the Star Trek: Into Darkness poster with her eyelid and up over her eyebrow as her canvas. She does a great job but I wish that it resembled the poster just a little more by showing the same outline of the badge as the poster does.
7. This look by Jangsara follows on quite nicely from the Star Trek artwork by Sahily. Her Dark Knight Rises inspired arrangement is intricate but effective.
6. This next look by Kirsty Childs doesn’t really need an introduction to who inspired it (*cough* Spiderman *cough*). The colours are vivid and the lashes and contacts really make it stand out. I reckon if you wanted to recreate this, it would still look great without those extras.
5. This look making it into position number 5 may be swayed by my soft spot for God of Thunder, Thor. I wish that the red came up just a little higher but other than that it is a fantastic reflection of Thor’s costume.
4. Just to add a little bit of variety to the list I love this lip look created by Celine Nonon showing a clear resemblance to Captain America’s shield. Although it may look photoshopped there has been no manipulation. Although, it would be a bit hard to wear – you wouldn’t be able to eat, drink, talk, smile or do just about anything with your mouth.
3. I adore this Wonder Woman design by Kirsty Childs. If you aren’t feeling this bold, I think even without the little stars and even the gold eyeliner this is a look that would still show Wonder Woman influences and could be worn on a night out or to parties.
2. One for the Star Wars fans! This R2D2 inspired eye look was created by Jangsara. It’s a little intricate but would go great with a R2D2 costume.
1.And the winner is…this Harley Quinn look by Kirsty Childs. The great contrast of colours with precise lines make it a great dramatic look while still paying homage to Harley Quinn. It would take a lot of patience to get the look spot on but it certainly pays off.
So there we have it, my top ten! Jangsara and Kirsty Childs both have many more looks inspired by comic book characters and Kirsty Childs has many special effects make up pictures which are amazing so be sure to check them out! Sahily is a fashion blogger who dabbles in many things including make up. She even has a Despicable Me 2 Minion look! Emma Pickles also has some amazing videos where she transforms into movie characters like Mystique and Edward Scissorhands.
Be sure to check them all out at the following links:
It’s highly unlikely that even Telltale themselves could have predicted the level of impact that The Walking Dead would have on the games industry. After a disappointing Jurassic Park spin-off in 2011, Telltale quietly dropped the first episode of their zombie epic onto Xbox Live, PSN and Steam in early 2012 and waited for a reception. What followed was a huge cultural phenomenon that wowed critics and possibly changed how narrative will be perceived across the medium for years to come.
Through a series of multiple-choice questions and QuickTime events, The Walking Dead caused players to question their own morality and created a seemingly unique experience on the back of some creatively developed branching logic. The Walking Dead’s scenarios and conversations remained the same throughout almost every play through but the consequential weight tied to even the smallest of choices created the kind of video game experience many never would have thought possible. If ever there was an interactive experience capable of showing us how far the medium has come since the founding days of Pac-Man and Nolan Bushnell then this was it.
The story involves five survivor photos left on a public noticeboard.
Entirely unrelated to the AMC TV series of the same name, The Walking Dead is actually based on the original comic book series by Robert Kirkman. Without giving away too many spoilers, the first season of this episodic adventure series focused on the story of an escaped convict named Lee Everett and young orphan girl called Clementine, thrown together by chance after a zombie apocalypse has struck their home state of Georgia.
Across it’s five episode, each approximately two hours in length, The Walking Dead Season One explored friendship, deception and a complex father-daughter relationship which is likely to remain in the minds of all those who experienced it long after this generation has passed. At it’s core, the game play is essentially a point-and-click adventure with elements of combat but it in the story telling and narrative that this game truly shines. In recent years only Quantic Dream’s Heavy Rain stands out as a comparable mainstream interactive experience.
400 Days has been designed to act as a bridging episode between Season One and the forthcoming Season Two which is due to be released later this year. You do not need to have played through Season One to play 400 Days although at least Season One Episode One needs to be installed on your PC, console or device for 400 Days to work. It is strongly advised that you play through Season One first however as 400 Days does make passing references to earlier events and playing through Season One will help you to better understand the world.
400 Days forces players to make some difficult choices before making them face up to the consequences.
Rather than being a direct continuation from Season One, the characters of 400 Days are all completely new and the plot focuses on a series of photos found of five survivors on a gas station pin board. Players are free to choose the order in which they play through each survivor’s back story and although each character’s is only briefly explored, Telltale manage to pack in some fantastic levels of characterisation.
Similarly, the way in which these five stories intertwine is nothing short of magnificent and, although I will not go into any specific detail on the different characters in this review, suffice to say that each person who plays 400 Days is likely to have their favourite by the end. There is also a unique and extremely well conceived twist at the conclusion of the episode that adds further weight to the various choices made by the player throughout.
Visually, 400 Days is more of the same. The now synonymous art-style and trademark brown decor remains although the amount of visual polish applied to this episode does seem to surpass many parts of Season One and I didn’t notice any glitches or issues on the Xbox 360 version. The voice acting on the other hand, whilst mostly fantastic, does occasionally feel wooden and whilst this didn’t really detract from the experience, one character actor in particular failed to impress me.
My only other minor complaint about this episode is that it does seem to be slightly shorter and more linear than the preceding episodes from last year. The occasional puzzles which were dotted around throughout Lee and Clementine’s story are absent and 400 Days instead seems more focused on short and high-impact drama and suspense. Whilst 400 Days definitely doesn’t represent poor value, this could be worth bearing in mind if you enjoyed the more open parts of the previous episodes, particularly as 400 Days is being marketed as a standalone product and isn’t included as part of the season pass for either Seasons One or Two.
At the low cost of £3.99/$4.99 or 400 Microsoft Points though, Telltale have definitely provided a worthy followup to last year’s episodes though and I would urge any fan of Season One or even anyone with a general interest in games as a interactive storytelling medium to play this title. 400 Days opens our eyes to a new world within The Walking Dead universe and I now personally cannot wait to experience more of it.
As you might have noticed, earlier this month, a review for The Last Days of Edgar Harding was published on the site. Stephen Fox, the writer and director of the movie, graciously accepted to answer a few questions about his film (you can find my review here) and give us some insight on the process of bringing The Last Days of Edgar Harding to life.
It’s quite hard to find information about you, could you tell us a little about yourself? What drew you towards writing and directing movies?
I come from a musical family and spent much of my youth travelling around with my dad who was a singer. I sang from an early age but also loved making short films (usually Zombie films) with my friends. They were all terrible but I had a real passion for film making. In my late teens though, the music took over and I began writing songs and playing gigs with my band.
We released 5 independent albums which sparked interest from Sony Records. We were set up with a manager and spent a year recording an album…then we were dropped and we had nothing. I fell into deep depression and couldn’t do music anymore and so began to write ‘The Last Days of Edgar Harding’ I had no idea why really other than I needed a creative outlet. Since Edgar I have directed and produced a live concert/documentary DVD and mainly worked on music videos. I have recently started a follow up novel to ‘The Last Days of Edgar Harding’.
I’ll start with saying how much I loved the movie and how surprised I was about all the twists and turns it took. It always kept me guessing and that’s quite hard to find in movies lately. There’s a certain predictability factor that your film seemed to lack, which I thought was fantastic. With that out of the way, let’s get down to business.
You not only directed The Last Days of Edgar Harding, you also wrote the script for it. What made you choose this particular topic, given that most people tend to pick a lighter subject for their directorial debut. Were you ever faced with a situation as that depicted in the movie or do you know someone that was forced in that position? Is it just a critique brought to the way in which the world of the famous works?
I primarily wanted to write a film about a band but I knew that I didn’t want to write the traditional ‘band get record deal and become famous’ film. I wanted the band element to take a backseat to the actual story if that makes sense! Having been in a band with a development deal with a major record company and managed by a reasonably high profile manager (David Arden – brother of Sharon Osbourne) I knew first-hand how it feels to get so close to having your dreams come to fruition only to lose everything overnight.
I think we would have done anything to secure the actual record deal at that point. Regarding the darker elements of the story, I did draw from certain experiences in my youth.Certainly as a first time writer/director the rule of thumb is write what you know and I really tried to do that, along with extensive research for any issues I wasn’t familiar with. My aim was to write an honest film with realistic characters and I hope I came somewhere close to achieving that.
The cast was mostly made of little known actors, how did it all come together? Were they your first choice or was there an audition process involved, and if so, how did that one go? What made you pick Richard, Michael, Carolynne and Daniel as the band as well as everyone else? I have to say, Edgar’s actor, Wayne Russel, was amazingly creepy and perfect for therole.
There were extensive auditions for the roles of the band and we had people audition from all over the UK. I had people helping me with this process but I knew exactly what I was looking for as I had lived and breathed these characters for almost 2 years whilst writing the script. The band was decided when we did group auditions and had 4 people for each band member, we would swap them around and they would perform scenes together.
It was in this process that Dan, Carolynne, Richard and Michael were cast. They performed a scene and it was breathtaking to watch them work together, I have to say it was quite an emotional moment for me personally seeing characters that had only been alive in my head suddenly become human before my eyes!Wayne was a joy to work with. He is a wonderful actor and played the role perfectly. Some may say a little over the top but I have to say, I based the way in which Edgar Harding speaks and his mannerisms on my bands former manager, David Arden and Wayne totally nailed it.
How was it working with everyone, both the cast and the crew?Are there any stories from the set you could share with us?
Everyone who worked on the film was not only chosen for their talent and passion but also for how they would fit in with everyone else. The days were extremely long and the budget was extremely tight so it was always going to take a certain type of person to be able to cope with these situations. I sincerely could not have wished for a nicer bunch of people to work with on what essentially was a six week shoot collectively.
While on set everyone was completely professional and got on with whatever needed doing but as soon as the day was over we would all go for dinner and there was plenty of partying which in turn created a solid bond between the cast. The one on set story that always springs to mind is the kissing scene between Dan and Chris. We had to create the set from scratch in an old school which took most of the day so we were ready for when the sun set as it was a night shoot.
I had explained to Dan and Chris that I wanted an authentic kiss, as a gay man I have always hated when gay kisses in movies look awkward and forced. So on the first take action was called and they began to kiss, they kissed for about 5 minutes and I finally said cut and said ‘that was wonderful guys but you were supposed to stop after about 15 seconds and say your lines!’ I think at least it took away any awkwardness they felt….I think they did about 20 takes after that, I’m pleased with the end result.
I watched the DVD interviews and commentaries from the actors and they all had nothing but kind words to say about working with you and with each other. Do you think that helped in creating the bond that seemed to exist between the band members on screen?
I think the fact that they all got along with each other and me definitely helped with on screen chemistry and I think the essential element was that they trusted my vision for the characters and I trusted their take on their own character. As a writer I had around 20 or so characters in my head whereas they just had their own so it would have been foolish of me to not trust that they understood how to play their given character probably better than I did.
Was there any scene that was problematic to shoot? For you as a director and for the actors? In the commentary it was mentioned that the scene between Jack and Edgar had been quite difficult for the actors involved. Was it the same for you, behind the camera? Because it was quite hard to watch for me, I even had to pause it and start over after a while.
I think that scene in particular wasn’t problematic from a technical point of view as by that point we were established in the hotel room set after been on a different location everyday for two weeks. It was difficult from an emotional point of view though and was certainly a tense day. Richard Massara (photo) tried to stay in character for most of the day so obviously was quite hard to be around but that was important for him and for the film and the performance he delivers still gives me shivers when I watch it. I’m glad you found it hard to watch as that was the intention; it was not about pushing boundaries or exploitation but designed to make the viewer feel uncomfortable.
Speaking of that scene, it was dealing with some difficult things, potential triggers for some people, but it was handled quite carefully and it didn’t come across as being made simply for the shock factor. The little hints that it had happened to James (Robert Bennie) as well were also a nice touch, though he seemed to handle it better than Jack. It seemed like you put a lot of thought into everything. How long did it take you to write the script?
The script took me nearly 18 months to write and then myself and the script editor Helen Cooke spent a further 6 months on it. I think when you are dealing with any story relating to abuse of any nature you have a responsibility to the audience to not sensationalise it. A lot of preparation went into that scene and we were careful not to add things for shock factor, this continued into the edit where we actually toned the scene down as it was actually too difficult to watch. I knew even when writing the scene that I wanted it to be a montage with Frankie’s performance of ‘People Like Us’ which was actually the first song I had ever wrote and my first attempt of expressing my feelings on abuse. That scene in particular is one of my proudest creative moments as it upsets me to watch it which in a strange way makes me feel I got it right.
One of my favourite parts about the film was the ending, that little twist in which we discover that our “heroes” haven’t iterally gotten away with murder. Have you ever thought about ending it in a different fashion, in a way where they actually get the happy ending that most viewers might feel they all deserved?
Oh no…I don’t like happy endings, I’ll leave that to the big budget Hollywood films! Personally I like to leave a film with questions, I don’t like to be spoon fed the answers.
Why was Edgar stuck in limbo for so long? It was released in 2011 if I’m not mistaken and it took almost three years for it to come out on DVD. That’s quite a long time.
There are a few factors to this. The edit was finished in 2011 and there was a premiere and a screening at the Bradford International Film Festival but at that point we had not secured any distribution deal. One of the main reasons for this was independent film was suffering due to the increase in illegal file sharing…quite simply there is very little money to be made in small films like ours.
Another factor though was I had personally lived and breathed Edgar for five years at this point and I was burnt out with it. I decided to take a break and go back to music so I put a band together and went on tour with 80’s band Bucks Fizz, who I got to know as Jay Aston from the band appeared in the film as Claudia Brite. I had a wonderful time and even played the London Palladium which was a childhood dream of mine.
Once this was over I got back to Edgar with fresh eyes and we did a few tweaks to the edit and created the DVD extra features. It certainly did take a while but I’m so pleased that it is now out and seems to be received well. I know Daniel Sharman and Teenwolf fans have a lot to do with the success so far and I know everyone who worked on the film appreciates their support.
What was the thing you liked most filming and writing when it came to The Last Days of Edgar Harding?
Strangely, I actually think I preferred the writing stage of Edgar. As a song writer I love to get lost in this kind of creative process so writing the script was a wonderful and creative experience for me…almost like writing a very long song. I think also it was quite cathartic for me as it let me express certain issues that I have never really talked to anyone about both from my personal life and my time in the band…I feel like the process of writing the script helped me lay some demons to rest!
I did love the shooting of the film though mainly because I got to work with so many talented and artistic people who, to this day, are close friends. As a first time director it was wonderful working with people like Dan who had done a lot of acting already and spending time with him off set (Dan, Michael and Richard lived in my house for 6 weeks)was great as it gave me the opportunity to get to know them personally, Dan and I would constantly talk about our mutual love of LA and how we wanted to live there…6 months later he was!
How long did it take to shoot the film?
We shot all interior scenes over a four week period in August 2008 with exterior scenes filmed in October 2008 (the film was set in Autumn so we had a few months break)
I read on the film’s Facebook page, as well as on tumblr and twitter that everyone worked on this for free, from the actors to most of the crew, what do you think made people rally behind this project, especially when it involved them doing mostly volunteer work.
It’s not uncommon for people wanting to break into the movie business to do projects like this for free but I think the difference with ours was that although we had a tiny budget we had a very ambitious production schedule which meant long hours and very hard work. I think everyone involved could see that we had done our pre-production, we were organized and that they were getting involved with something that had the potential to be something worthy of their time.
The soundtrack of this film was amazing, it was one of my favourite things about it, will it ever be released?
Thank you…that means a lot as I wrote several of the songs! There are discussions in place about a soundtrack but nothing concrete yet. The main song which the band perform ‘All These Years’ is a personal triumph as it had to be written from Jacks perspective so I had to dig deep for that one…half a bottle of JD helped a lot!
There was a post from the Edgar Harding tumblr about the possibility of you writing a book in which we learn more about the future of the band, except this time it would revolve around the character of Harry. Can you confirm that and tell us more about it? If it’ll be successful, would you consider bringing it to the big screen?
Yes…I have started work on this. I suspect it will me a labour of love as the truth is these four characters over the years have become part of me and in the time away from Edgar I missed them as I would close friends so from a personal point of view I wanted to know what happened to them! I decided to write this one based mainly on Harry as I feel I connect with him the most,not just because we are both gay but also because he is so sensitive to his surroundings which makes him a really interesting character to write as putting him in any situation will ultimately create some kind of drama.
The book will be based around the band as they re- locate in the USA (Santa Cruz) to record an album. Without giving too much away, Harry takes a troubled young man under his wing with a disturbing back story….that’s all I can say for now but I do have a ‘twist and turn’ pin board above my desk so expect more of that! It would be amazing to make it into a film but the reality is that it probably won’t happen due to cast commitments…and I could never replace any of them…it just wouldn’t work! Never say never though.
Are there any new projects for you, that we should keep an eye out for?
At present I am mainly making music videos and music documentaries but I do hope to make another feature film in the near future. Edgar was amazing to work on but draining at the same time due to the time it has taken to get it released. I’m actually really excited about the book and hope to write the adaptation of ‘The Last Days of Edgar Harding’ to book format too so the two will tie in together. I feel the four band members have a life beyond the film with many adventures ahead and they excite me the most at the moment.
Any director that has inspired you in your work? And are there any actors/actresses you’d like working with in the future?
I love Gus Van Sant, he is a genius! Sean Penn blew me away with his direction of ‘Into the Wild’ and I love Steve McQueen’s films as every frame is like a piece of art. As far as actors…to be honest I love discovering new actors so I’m not one for big names. I would love to work with Michael Gamarano again (Taylor in Edgar) as he is such a great actor to direct, he now lives in LA and I hope he gets his big break out there. The only famous actor I would really like to work with is Emile Hirsch. I think he has the same quality as River Phoenix did in his early days and in a selfish way I don’t want him to get really famous as I don’t want him to be destroyed!
Here’s All These Years, one of my favourite songs from The Last Days of Edgar Harding, performed by the writer/director and musician Stephen Fox.
The Star Wars franchise rumour mill continues, Latino Review have claimed that Gosling and Efron recently met with Disney executives to discuss the prospect of being cast; and to be on the shortlist of those to be considered for roles within Star Wars Episode VII. It is rumoured that Gosling will be taking on the role of Luke Skywalker’s son, there has been no speculations as of yet who Efron’s potential role could be
There is not much more to report on this speculation at the moment, as that is all it is. However, that being said, Latino Review have been correct in the past with their speculations; namely how Harrison Ford would be reprising his role as Han Solo.
These are four things I feel at nearly every convention I ever attend – sometimes fleetingly, and others far more prominently. Don’t get me wrong I love my far from conventional outings into the Expo scene, or running around Ayacon or LFCC. However beneath the buzz of excitement and that moment of elated glee I have at being able to see old friends for a few short days, more often than not there’s a cloud there too – a dark feeling of sudden apprehension that tears right through my gut at the thought of showcasing a costume.
For the most part I attend conventions for the cosplay, despite not being very good at it. I like the moment of sheer liberation putting a costume on gives you. I like that sudden moment of anonymity when for a few hours, you don’t have to be yourself anymore. You don’t have to be weighed down by the worries of work, or real life and you don’t have to pretend that you’re something you’re not. Because for that brief interval of time you spend portraying one of your idols and mingling with others geeks, you really are someone else and breathing life into a character.
Why should somewhere this much fun, have any dark cloud brought along with it?
For me, that’s what Cosplay is. It’s not about perfection, or this barely obtainable standard of beauty – it’s simply about having fun and unburdening yourself from a few of life’s hassles, however briefly it may be.
Don’t get me wrong, my hat goes off to the creative geniuses that manage to personify glory in their costumes. The people that make art jump off the page, or recreate movie-esque costumes to further the mystique and appeal created by the respective series. This in itself is an art form, it’s pure, and majestic really – full of a great deal of skill and respect.
The same can be said for the drop-dead-gorgeous women who bedeck themselves in costumes and brave scrutinising glances or the handsome and well built men who wade in, like true costumed heroes to bring joy to the masses.
But what about the rest of us hmm? Where’s the nod of recognition for people trying so damned hard to have a laugh? Where’s the respect and acknowledgement for the brave and well meaning individuals that aren’t trying to vye for a sex appeal vote, or to win the award for the greatest craftsmanship? What makes us any less deserving of the same simple courtesies afforded to the rest of the human population? A costume doesn’t strip you of your humanity, and nor should it somehow act as a homing beacon to suddenly attract wave upon wave of hatred, and yet that’s exactly what it does.
If Aretha Franklin can ask for respect, why can’t we?
Every year, it’s always the same. You go to a con, you have oodles of glorious fun, the event comes to a close and you go home and wait for the photos to start circulating. For me, that’s when I usually sit and hide behind a cushion cringing and hoping to god I’ve managed to commando roll out of the way of enough images to avoid making an impression.
I’m not photogenic. I’m not attractive, and for the most part I’m proud to say I’m quintessentially average by all accounts. This suits me just fine – I’ve had twenty two years to come to terms with who I am.
Despite that degree of self-assurance and respect I have for my flaws, I still can’t help but feel the severity of venom’s bite when the comments start rolling in on a photo or two.
Here’s some examples:
‘That bit’s wrong.’
‘You’re too fat to be wearing that.”
‘Oh god, those scars are horrible and ruin the costume.’
‘Shame she’s so ugly!’
‘I’d have thrown her to the snakes.’
‘It’s alright, But x or y is so much better.’
‘Shame there’s not more tit.’
Whatever happened to the old addage; if you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all? Just because an image is there, doesn’t mean it’s okay to start criticising it, with snide, or sometimes backhanded remarks. For me personally, I’m well aware of my flaws and don’t need reminding. I think the same can be safely said for others that receive the same degree of remark. I have met so many wonderful people, that have gorgeous, spectacularly detailed costumes, only to see them torn apart, vilified and brutalised for the most idiotic of things, to the point where they don’t want to bother costuming anymore. They don’t want to become the victim of a troll’s tirade, and I think that’s a shame.
Why should people be compared to others? Why should they be judged on their demerits, rather than her achievements and skills? Why the hell should they be judged at all for that matter? The cosplay isn’t consent campaign nailed it on the head a while ago, when it came to regarding sexism in the cosplay circuit. Dressing a certain way, doesn’t make it okay to objectify or sexualise someone. But by the sake token, nor does it make it okay to start spewing malice and condescending lunacy all over the internet either. It needs to stop and it needs to change, right now.
I could easily stop costuming. Instead, I could go to a cosplay convention and simply photograph and churn out print articles, and I wouldn’t mind in the slightest, because I’d avoid that terrifying moment of dread and self-disgust when I realise I’m the walking epitome of imperfection that is so often pointed out to me.
But the point is I shouldn’t have to, and nor should anyone else. If I enjoy myself, what business is it of anyone else to scrutinise and criticise? If someone wants to go and get dressed up, let them. If they want to enjoy themselves and have fun through this medium, let them do that too.
A respectful human being would find a way to comment on something in a positive manner. Maybe on the colour scheme, the construction, the mannerisms or effort involved. Just little things that save someone from having to feel inadequate, by being compared (either by themselves or others) to another incarnation of the same costume.
Respect isn’t optional, it’s a right. We aren’t animals – we’re human beings, and it’s about time we started damn-well acting like it. We need to be there for each other stop turning the entire social stratosphere into an elitist circle or complicated bitch-fest. And hell, start doing what cosplay was intended for in the first place: uniting freedom and fun in one neat little package of geekdom.
It’s no secret that I’m a Supernatural fanboy. It’s also no secret that the fans adore lead actor Jensen Ackles. What may be a secret is that Jensen’s no stranger to superheroes, so it shouldn’t be a surprise when someone asked him at SDCC if he was interested in playing the Dark Knight, hours after Superman/Batman was announced, and he (in his Batman shirt) responded:
“Any guy in his right mind would die to play Batman,” and “”It would be a dream come true. I won’t hold my breath.”
This really shouldn’t surprise anyone. Not only does he already work for Warner Bros., the company that owns both his network (The CW) and DC Comics, but he’s already worked in comic adaptations. Just a few years ago he got the chance to voice act for Batman: Under The Red Hood as the titular character Jason Todd, a.k.a. “Red Hood”, but he was also a fan favorite candidate for Steve Rogers until Marvel announced that Chris Evans would be getting that honor. Personally, out of all the candidates that have been named (ranging from The Lone Ranger’s Armie Hammer, to Spartacus’ Liam McIntyre to Teen Wolf’s Tyler Hoechlin), I like Ackles the best.
Sure, Hammer was supposed to play the role in 2007 when Warner was supposed to make a Justice League movie in Australia, but with his cinematic track record I doubt he’ll be putting on the cape and cowl anytime soon. For one, he was the villains in The Social Network, he did a splendid job as Hoover’s assistant and lover in Clint Eastwood’s J. Edgar, and The Lone Ranger wasn’t his fault, but executives don’t care.
On the one hand, he’s already shown that he’s a bankable name. Hell, it’s the only reason I saw Ten Inch Hero (a great movie that I reviewed not too long ago, by the way) and I fangasmed when I found out he was Jason Todd. He’s also shown that he can handle action roles and drama side-by-side in Supernatural, and that he can bring in the ladyfolk. For that last one, a quick Google Image search for SuperWhoLock will lead to HOURS of original content. Hell, he’s even the right age.
On the other hand, dark and brooding aren’t exactly his strong suits. Granted, anyone who’s seen Season 8 of Supernatural, a sizeable chunk of Ten Inch Hero, or the climax to Under the Red Hood knows that he can do it FLAWLESSLY. However, he tends to gravitate toward cheeky and joking. Bruce hardly ever jokes (note how quickly that changed in TDK), and he’s anything but cheeky. I’d be interested to see it, because I can’t really see it failing, but riddle me skeptical.
Dean at the beginning of Supernatural’s 8th season.
Episode 151 of the GameOverCast is up and at them!
This weeks show opens with Radar talking Pacific Rim and what a good game concept it could make, Nij regails us with storys of stupidity and random chance whilst at Glastonbury.
We remember we are gaming podcast and talk games, such as talk Injustice Gods Among us, Remember me, The Last of us, Dark Souls and mucho mucho more!
There’s news, including Massive desperate Wii U price cuts, also we ask Scratch and sniff, is it the future of gaming?
The show ends on a Quiz, a really random quiz brought to us by Jay!
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