An upcoming event: MCM Expo

In October I am attending MCM Expo in London, MCM Expo is an annual 3 day event that showcases the works of comic and manga artists, as well as upcoming releases from mainstream films and games, allowing for fans to ask the developers questions about the upcoming releases.

The Expo also provides panels from media personalities which allows for a Q & A question with Actors, Directors and Developers. This year media guests include voice actors, as well as Matt Smith, the current actor to play the Doctor in Doctor Who.

Another big part of the event is Cosplay. Cosplay is basically the fans of a franchise dressing up as their favorite characters, with massive variations in both the kinds of character, and the quality of the costumes. However the industry is beginning to attempt to integrate cosplay into their works. A notable example being Borderlands 2, which uses a live action actress who started out in cosplay to portray the character Lilith.

I have attended previous MCM expos and have found them to be both enjoyable and informative. It's a great way to discover new releases you may otherwise miss, and a good chance to ask the developers questions.

A Summer Summary

Over the summer I was unable to do the amount of work I would have liked due to a hectic summer with me spending little time at home, as well as my laptop having a hard drive malfunction that resulted in a complete memory wipe.

However, despite these hinderances, I have written some step outlines for film ideas as well as developing further some story ideas I had already begun writing. These include a steampunk alternative history story about Sky Pirates. And a dystopian future partially inspired by the fairy tale of Little Red Riding Hood.

I have also seen many films at the cinema over the summer which I shall look at in more detail in later posts.

These include:

The Dark Knight Rises:

Total Recall (2012 remake):

Prometheus:

Dredd 3D:

Iron Sky:

In addition, I also attended MCM Expo London May 2012, an annual event showcasing upcoming video games and films, as well as being a place for artists and other media personalities to meet with their fans. As well as showing panels for people within the film and gaming industry to discuss upcoming projects and the industry as a whole with fans. The Expo also provides a place for fans to cosplay as characters from their favorite fandoms. I myself cosplayed a human personification of Finland from one of my favorite webcomics. (A great idea at the height of summer! NOT)

Location Concept inspiration pics: Rooftop

In keeping with the Cyberpunk motif, and following on from the theme of Surveillance, I figured a rooftop location would be ideal. A city rooftop is generally unsheltered from the elements, as well as allowing for a mostly unobstructed view of the rest of the surrounding city. Rooftops can also be connected by walkways, as well as contain a variety of additional things such as ventilator, chimneys, air conditioning units, ariels as well as being decorated and adorned with chairs and tables to allow for a comfortable living space for those with roof access.

Rooftop surveillance works for both an antagonist and a protagonist, a protagonist may be using the rooftop to carry out a stakeout operation, while an antagonist would most likely be spying on the protagonist, or be an assassin about to kill their next victim.

Cyberpunk protagonists

In a cyberpunk setting, you would need a character to reside in it. Cyberpunk characters generally follow a set of loose conventions. Protagonists are usually found on the wrong side of the law, and have no strict moral conviction. The occupation of the character is usually varied between cyberpunk works, with characters starting out as thieves, hackers, detectives, special forces police officers or even factory workers amongst other occupations found in an urban environment.

Various cyberpunk works feature a massive variety in characters, both male and female. The unifying theme often being urban style clothing, and often a good understanding of both street life and technology, allowing them to survive on their own in the harsh cities they inhabit. Colour schemes usually match the cities they live in, with cool coloured clothing usually blacks, purples and greens. Although not always the case, some characters will have cybernetic implants or enhancements.

Cyberpunk as a genre borrows many themes from Crime Noir, and as such, at the end of the story, the protagonist is usually left in the same position they were in at the start, their ordeal giving no rewards for being overcome.

Cyberpunk settings

For our group work, we have been tasked with creating a mahinma/in game style cutscene. Early on in our discussions we agreed upon the possibility of a cyberpunk/future noir setting.

To this end I have compiled a collection of images of a cyberpunk setting:

A common theme amongst Cyberpunk settings is mass metropolitan megacities, bright neon lights, and a sense of dark forboding, both at night and in the day. Torrential rain is also common, with rain always being heavy. Colour schemes usually contain blues, greens and purples, with brightly coloured red or yellow lights contrasting the cold backgrounds. Cyberpunk can be summed up with the phrase, "High Tech, Low Life." with the cities reflecting this idea of advanced technology, but poor quality of life and high crime rates.