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Special effects exhibit highlights video game biz
DURHAM, Sep 08, 2010 (The Herald-Sun - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) --
The N.C. Museum of Life and Science will be filled with heroes and villains this weekend.
"Heroes, Villains and Special Effects" Saturday and Sunday will highlight North Carolina's booming video game and film industries.
Top gaming companies, including Redstorm Entertainment, Epic, Virtual Heroes and Playdom/Merscom, will be on hand to introduce visitors to what they do. Film industry experts such as award winning makeup artist Dean Jones, stunt choreographers and Star Wars characters from Carolina 501st Garrison, will also be at the two-day event.
"North Carolina has the third largest gaming industry in the United States, and the film industry is growing as well. This is a great opportunity to expose today's youth as well as adults to these fascinating and emerging fields," museum spokeswoman Taneka Bennett said.
Most people know the gaming industry as consumers, Bennett said, but to see what goes into the creation of the games and the levels of technology used will be a different experience.
Virtual Heroes, a division of Applied Research Associated, will demonstrate and discuss the design and creation of its "Moonbase Alpha" game, an official NASA, free online video game. Jerry Heneghan, managing director of the Virtual Heroes division, said the game involves spacecraft, robots and astronauts, and centers in a disaster that players must work their way through as a team.
The company has a history of employees working with the museum.
One of its artists also is a paleo artist who focuses on dinosaurs. Thomas Miller donated time to help with the Dinosaur Walk to do signage and website designs. About halfway through the project, he began finishing his artwork before life-sized models were done, and ended up helping shape with his work some of what the life-sized works look like on the trail.
Redstorm Entertainment, a division of Ubisoft, will offer a chance to see how game artists do their jobs, and will give visitors a chance to put themselves in a scene.
"We're going to talk and show materials that are based on what we do for developing games, mostly in the preproduction aspects," said Steve Reid, managing director with Redstorm Entertainment.
Preproduction involves the period from concept to playable prototype, and includes engineering, design, and art forming a direction for the game. It's very similar to the way movies work.
They experiment with a small group of people to explore what direction they want to go for the finished product, before bringing in a larger group to complete the project.
At "Heroes and Villains," the company will show some of the preproduction and concept art and have concept artists there demoing work.
The company also will set up a green screen at its booth, so kids will have the opportunity to walk in front of it, maybe put on a costume and see themselves projected with a different background behind them to essentially create a scene.
Additional activities at the event include an opportunity to spar with stunt choreographer and coordinator David McClutchy. Visitors can also take part in an experiment to discover what precautions are needed to safely protect a stunt man or woman from getting hurt when they crash cars and jump off buildings. Gary Destefano, an accomplished artist, science fiction diorama and model maker will present his superhero and pop culture work.
This is the third year the museum has hosted the event. Last year's one-day event drew a record crowd of 5,298, so the museum decided to make it a two-day event this year, Bennett said.
IF YOU GO
Overflow parking with free shuttle service will be available at Brogden Middle School, 1001 Leon St., and at Durham County Memorial Stadium on Stadium Drive.
Museum hours are 10 a.m to 5 p.m. Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday. Admission is $12.50 for adults; $9.50 for ages 3 to 12; and $10.50 for 65 and older and active military with ID. Children under 3 get in for free. Pre-registered groups of 10 or more get in for $8 per person. The Museum of Life and Science is at 433 W. Murray Ave.
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