Ah well, apparently I should not have ignored all those notices to upgrade WordPress. Seems that the site was hacked. Minor annoyance, index.htm was changed, nothing else. Lucky I guess. Anyway, the upgrade wasn’t kind to my previous site theme so we’re stuck with “white” until I find some time to restore things to the way they were.
Monthly Archives: August 2005
“Be prepared, not scared.”
(Image by Kin, Bad Day LA concept art)
I am a frequent reader of a column by writer Fred Reed. His views on many things having to do with life, politics, and the world in general are usually spot-on, humorous, and very much in line with my own views. One of his recent posts echoed the tag line for Bad Day LA (“Are you prepared?!”), so I feel compelled to share it:
August 14, 2005
Washington, DC—It’s getting stranger, I tell you. Riding the subway from Vienna Station to Franconia-Springfield, at every stop the woman driving the train said in an over-elocuted voice, “A-ten-tion, customers. This is a Metro Safety Tip. Pay attention to your surroundings. Look up from your newspapers and blackbirds [it sounded like, though nobody seemed to be carrying any sort of bird at all] every now and then. Report suspicious activity to Metro employees immediately.â€
Then—I can’t stand it: “Let’s be pre-pared, not scared.â€
Seriously. Is this the world we live in now? I get the distinct feeling that no one in the Whitehouse has ever seen the film Brazil. It really is getting stranger.
Read the full article here.
You can check out Fred’s full site here.
Ken Wong – Bad Day L.A. Interview
Team Xbox has a nice interview with Bad Day LA art director Ken Wong. Many of you are familiar with Ken Wong because of his work on many of my twisted tales properties including Oz and Grimm. From the interview:
What were the most difficult challenges you had to face in order to create the game art?
Ken Wong: Rather than technical problems, the biggest challenge has been the cultural divide. American and I are English-speaking westerners in Hong Kong, while most of the BDLA artists are in our Guangzhou studio in mainland China, where they don’t speak English or receive much US culture. So it’s been very challenging firstly just communicating with them, and secondly trying to explain to them some of the more esoteric jokes in the game. To overcome this, I’ve focused as much as possible on using images for communication rather than words. I think they still don’t get the jokes, though.
You can read more about Ken’s adventures in art directing in the full article.
Return to Normal
Just back from a nice bit of R&R in Bali. It had been a while since my last “real” vacation… over 2 years if my memories are correct. Sometimes I forget what it feels like to be away from email, internet, and work for an extending period of time. Since starting TMIEC my business partner and I have maintained strict work hours and days. We’re at the computer and working at 6am, have a brief lunch, and then back at work until at least 6pm. Many nights I find myself continuing work after dinner and up until bedtime around 11pm. Saturdays are “half-days”, meaning I usually try not to work after late afternoon. Sundays we take off. Or at least try to take off…
Suddenly disconnecting from this schedule is harsh. I found myself waking at 6am, wanting to consult some form of “todo list”, and trying to schedule events throughout the day to precise :30 minute increments. So sad. Fortunately, Bali comes equipped with lots of stress melting drinks, mind numbing sunshine, and other forms of distraction. Unfortunately, I think I left my brain in Bali. Oh well…
Some pictures from the trip starting with the rainy Hong Kong that I left behind.
Cellar Door Publishing
A partnership between myself and Cellar Door Publishing was announced today. The deal will put in place an outlet for graphic novels based on properties like Bad Day LA, Oz, and other twisted tales. I’m really excited about this, my first foray into the world of print. From the press release…
Cellar Door Publishing
GAMING ICON AMERICAN MCGEE INKS DEAL WITH CELLAR DOOR PUBLISHING
Portland, OR %u2013 August 11, 2005 %u2013 Cellar Door Publishing and The Mauretania Import Export Company (TMIEC), a Los Angeles based videogame, film, and television production company, have signed an agreement to publish graphic novels based on the American McGee properties Bad Day LA, American McGee’s Oz, and American McGee’s Grimm.
Below is an image of the Big Bad Wolf (rough concept artwork by Ken Wong) that shows the kind of characters you can expect to see in the upcoming works.
Next Generation – Apocalypse McGee-Style
Next generation is running a Bad Day LA interview. Check it out…
Next Generation – Apocalypse McGee-Style
Tuesday, 09 August 2005
Bad Day L.A. is designer American McGee’s vision of “the apocalypse minus Jesus and pals.” Part third-person shooter, part comedy, part political commentary, McGee’s game, may be the title doomsayer gamers have been waiting for.The player takes on the role of a homeless man in a City of Angels beset by meteors, set on fire, infested with zombies, infiltrated by terrorists, overridden by mobs and rocked by earthquakes. “What helps Anthony to survive while everyone else is making fudge pants is his complete lack of fear,” McGee (pictured) told Next Generation. “Being homeless and having already given up on society allows him a disconnected, ‘above it all’ sort of super-power.”