ACMI Stories & Ideas Folgen

Having conquered the cutthroat world of satirical online cooking shows with The Katering Show (Australian TV's all-time most viewed digital series), the two Kates are ready to take their trademark sassy swipe at morning lifestyle television in Get Krack!n, a new series for Seeso and ABC. Each morning the Kates will shuffle through a roster of unsafe demonstrations, surly guests, unprepared experts and the over-lit decomposition of the duo’s already rocky relationship. Viewers will quickly discover that McLennan and McCartney will leave no cultural touchstone unturned, even though they are in no capacity qualified to speak on them, or on anything for that matter. As always, neither of the women has any sense of on-camera technique. While McCartney’s Daria-esque enthusiasm is a total miss-match to the bright and breezy format, McLennan’s hosting is imbued with a fetid air of desperation. The show should be McCartney and McLennan’s Big US Break. But, like any televisual format that the Kates put their rough, manly hands to, things on Get Krack!n will go downhill fast. This Q&A with Kate McLennan and Kate McCartney followed the screening of the first two episodes.

To celebrate the opening of the groundbreaking exhibition Code Breakers, join us for a discussion with some of the top female critics, developers, designers and artists. Hosted by actor, director and author, Stephanie ‘Hex’ Bendixsen, Breaking the Code featured makers Nicole Stark and Brooke Maggs and leading games expert Dr Helen Stuckey as they dived into their artistic and technical processes and insider advice for breaking into the games industry. Featuring live gameplay from works featured in the exhibition including The Gardens Between and Ninja Pizza Girl, the panel delved into the creative inspiration behind these boundary pushing games and characters, from a kick-ass ninja pizza delivery girl to time-travelling adventurers. Stephanie Bendixsen (known by her gamer tag ‘Hex’) is an Australian video game critic and television presenter, well known for her presenting role for ABCTV’s Good Game and its companion show for younger gamers, Good Game: Spawn Point. Nicole Stark entered the games industry during the formative years of Krome Studios working on their first PS2 title, Sunny Garcia Surfing. She worked as the entire character department on Barbie Ice Skating. In 2011 she formed Disparity Games with her husband Jason Stark, developing the multi award-winning Ninja Pizza Girl. Brooke Maggs is a writer, researcher, and a narrative and game designer. Her area of research is in the importance of games and play in creative writing practice and the intersections between traditional and digital storytelling. Brooke's current projects include The Gardens Between and Earthlight. Dr Helen Stuckey is a media arts curator and researcher with extensive experience in exhibition research and development. She is Program Manager of Games at RMIT, Melbourne. Helen was a member of the Curatorial Advisory Committee that assisted ACMI in the development of Code Breakers. Event Notes 1:39 The assumptions women game makers face Nicole Stark “I will never be one of the guys” Brooke Maggs “Its assumed women play a certain type of games” Stephanie Bendixsen “Women don’t want to play games they don’t see themselves represented well in. It’s great to see a more confident shift with women working in games to change that.” Helen Stuckey “Games that women enjoy don’t sell. It’s a myth” 4:40 What the industry used to look like? 6:52 What games got you hooked and when did you realise you could make a career out of it? 10:03 What have been the most significant changes in the industry? 23:00 How the games and game makers were selected for the exhibition Code Breakers? 25:11 What does an exhibition like Code Breakers mean for the industry? 31:47 The inspiration for The Garden’s Between 38:50 The themes in Ninja Pizza Girl 42:20 What do you love about making indie games? 44:11 What are the big developments that have come out of the Australian indie industry? 46:35 What they’re working on now? 48:50 How have developments in technology impacted how you make games? 49:50 Where would you like the industry to go in the future? 51:40 What games are you playing now? 52:50 What have been your fxxx yeah this is why I persevere moments? 54:30 What is the best way for young people to get into the industry? 56:30 How do you navigate difficulties in the workplace? 58:00 Do you see new tropes on women arising? 1:04:30 How important is accessibility in getting indie games out to a wider audience? 1:08:50 Degree vs portfolio – what is more useful to get a job?

Join us for this animation industry masterclass with the founders of Aardman Studios Peter Lord and David Sproxton, and Academy Award-winning animator Adam Elliot (Mary & Max, Harvie Krumpet). Aardman Studios is renowned for their signature animation style and unique character creations, like the eccentric inventor and his loyal canine in Wallace & Gromit and the melancholy mountain lion of Creature Comforts. The masters will share trade secrets about the studio’s storyboarding, model making and animation techniques, as well as insider tips on producing for animation and how to forge a sustainable animation career. Peter and David will also discuss their predictions for the animation industry, including new platforms, markets and opportunities, as well as their latest foray into the brave new world of VR. 3:45 The beginnings of Aardman 10:00 The arrival of Morph 12:37 Aardman’s secret plasticine formula 14:50 Documentary animation. 20:53 “British people are so dull.” - Creature comforts 24:45 Where the ideas come from? 29:20 How ideas progress in drawings, the progression of Wallace 37:20 Innovations in stop motion animation 42:39 Aardman’s handmade style 43:40 Scripting 52:00 Storyboarding and the Train Chase sequence 57:00 Music magic 58:30 Puns and humour 1:03:11 Secrets in the Sets 1:08:11 Camera movement 1:12:40 Acting out 1:17:00 Switching to digital cameras and cinematography 1:23:10 Financing and crowd funding 1:29:40 VR 1:34:20 Q&A