MELBOURNE – Monday 28 March, 2011 – Entries are now officially open for the 2011 ATOM awards – Australia and New Zealand’s most prestigious awards for achievements in Film, Television, Animation and Educational Content.

Production houses, students, game developers, educational resource developers, independent film makers, documentary makers, animators … anyone who has produced anything for the screen is encouraged to enter the 2011 ATOM Awards.

This year, the ATOM Awards program will recognise and celebrate excellence, featuring thirty four awards across three categories – Student, Educational / Vocational and General.

“We have reviewed the award categories for the 2011 ATOM Awards and have added several new awards – Best Docudrama, Best Factual Television Series, Best Tertiary Instructional/Corporate Documentary, Best Children’s Fiction Television, Best Children’s Factual Television and Best Factual Television Series – so we are really looking forward to seeing some exciting entries this year,” commented Simon Wilmot, ATOM Awards Executive Officer.

“The ATOM Awards program is the leading program for recognising the work of both students and industry professionals and as such the program provides an incredible opportunity for both students and industry professionals to show off their work and be recognised by their peers. In fact, the ATOM Awards is one of the few platforms where the Industry gets together with media educators and students and it is this that makes these awards unique,” Mr Wilmot continued.

“The ATOM Awards program is proudly presented by the Australian Teachers of Media (ATOM) and therefore has a strong focus on education. The judging panel includes educators, industry professionals in the relevant media and a guest panel of child judges to assist in judging the child focused entries.”

“The ATOM Awards program has been acknowledging the work of students and professionals for 29 years and we look forward to yet another year of inspiring contributions from our entrants. This year’s theme ‘put yourself in the picture’ is just we are encouraging Australian and New Zealand film makers to do. Any student or professional who has completed a media production in the past 12 months is encouraged to enter. Don’t be shy and don’t delay – we want to see your work!” he concluded.

Entries for the 2011 ATOM Awards will close at 5pm (AEST) on Monday 13 June, 2011.

Awards will be presented to the most outstanding entrants at the 2011 ATOM Awards Night, held at the Melbourne Recital Centre, Southbank Melbourne on Friday 21 October, 2011.

For more information or to enter the 2011 ATOM Awards please visit www.atomawards.org

Top tips to protect children from violence

Gametraders says that, based on recent research, video games do not cause violence in children and that, ultimately, it is the parent’s responsibility to protect their children from exposure to excessive violence.

The following are Gametraders’ four top tips for protecting children from excessive violence in video games:

1. Always maintain that the game classification is appropriate for the age of the child.
2. Utilise the parental locks on your gaming consoles. Many people don’t realise that this option exists. The locks mean that parents can control the types of games their children are playing and the duration of play.
3. Ensure that your child plays a variety of games in a variety of genres so that their entertainment is well-rounded and to avoid them getting hooked on one particular style that may not be desirable. There are so many options available, including many non-violent games, fitness/sports orientated or sedentary, so that excessive exposure to violence in games can easily be avoided without cutting out your child’s gaming enjoyment.
4. As for many things, moderation is critical. Be aware of what your child is choosing to play and for how long. Play an active role in their entertainment choices as you know what is best for them. Children tend to have a narrow view and choose based on what their peers are playing or without consideration of an option they would enjoy just as much, if not more.

Since the inception of video games, research on whether violent video games cause violence in children have been widely inconclusive and many papers purport that a violent video game on its own does not cause a child to be violent or to carry out a violent act—there are a number of other circumstances present such as an abusive childhood and/or mental health issues. In milder cases, such as common playground aggression, it is simply a part of childhood development and is present whether or not the child has been exposed to violent video games.

“In recent times, a number of studies and essays on the subject have concluded that it is not the video games causing violence or aggression in children, but it is the children themselves. A contributing factor has also been found to be a lack of supervision and control by parents over the type of game and the duration of play,” said Rob Jenkins, Gametraders’ National Marketing Manager.

“By adopting the above four tips and utilising the locks available on gaming consoles, parents can rest easy and maintain the appropriate control and protection to better support our children,” said Jenkins.

In honour of the beginning of Autumn — Konnichiwa, and welcome to the whirling  RTS world of LEGO Ninjago: The Video Game!

Launching April 20^th in Australia for the Nintendo DS, in time for the Autumn holidays, LEGO Ninjago: The Video Game complements the LEGO Ninjago toy line and unleashes gamers into a world where heroic ninjas face-off against evil Skeleton forces to restore harmony to the Earth.

Along the way players will encounter powerful LEGO adversaries and master the art of Spinjitzu – a frenetic tornado-like spinning combat technique used to defeat enemies both new and recognisable to the LEGO universe. Let LEGO Ninjago: The Video Game help you begin-to-spin and start your training as a master of Spinjitzu – LEGO style!

Great for travel, it’s the perfect handheld game for young masters to learn this ancient art without asking mum and dad to buy a new game system.

28 March 2011, Australia & New Zealand – The roar of the engine, the rumble of the exhaust, the screech of the tires – these sounds help draw players into the world of SHIFT 2 UNLEASHED™ to deliver this year’s most authentic racing game. Audio is as important an aspect of the entertainment experience as gameplay and visuals but it’s the game’s incredible score that transforms it from a racing game to an epic experience.

To accomplish this, EA has enlisted some of the world’s top composers and alternative music’s top bands to expand, enhance and re-imagine ten tracks to create the SHIFT 2 UNLEASHED soundtrack. The composers tapped into chart topping songs from Rise Against, Hollywood Undead, Escape The Fate, The Bravery, Anberlin, 30 Seconds To Mars, Stone Temple Pilots, Switchfoot, Biffy Clyro and Jimmy Eat World to create the soundtrack.

SHIFT 2 UNLEASHED features a completely new style of soundtrack that uses sonic themes to engage the player and represent the driver’s battle. Each composer was tasked with using the emotional themes of the game to create a cinema-level score.

“This is a totally unique approach to videogame scores,” said Steve Schnur, Worldwide Executive of Music and Marketing for EA. “We’ve brought together some of the most cutting-edge composers from various film, TV, trailer and gaming backgrounds in entertainment to re-imagine the music of ten absolutely distinctive bands and sonically encapsulate the driver’s emotional journey.”

Composers:

Ramin Djawadi, best known for his Grammy-nominated score for IRON MAN, his Emmy-nominated score for PRISON BREAK, and score for EA’s 2010 Medal Of Honor

Troels Folmann, a British Academy Award winning film, trailer and game composer, known for scoring hundreds of film trailers and TV promos

Heavy Melody Music, whose team has created original music for Need for Speed Hot Pursuit, Super Bowl TV commercials and many other games

Stephen Baysted, has scored numerous racing games including Need for Speed SHIFT

Mick Gordon, the AudioGang award-winning composer behind Need for Speed World and Need for Speed SHIFT.

Artist – Song
30 Seconds To Mars – Night Of The Hunter
Anberlin – We Owe This To Ourselves
Biffy Clyro – Mountains
The Bravery – Ours
Escape The Fate – Issues
Hollywood Undead – Levitate
Jimmy Eat World – Action Needs An Audience
Rise Against – Help Is On The Way
Stone Temple Pilots – Take A Load Off
Switchfoot – The Sound (John M. Perkins Blues)

Developed by the award-winning Slightly Mad Studios, SHIFT 2 UNLEASHED will be available in Australia on March 31 and April 1 in New Zealand for the Xbox 360® videogame and entertainment system from Microsoft, PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system and PC.

EMBARK ON A MAGICAL JOURNEY… Your Gateway to the Magical Lands and High-Seas Adventures Sets Sail on Blu-ray & DVD March 30

Return to the magic and wonder of C.S. Lewis’ beloved world – via the magnificent ship, The Dawn Treader – in THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: THE VOYAGE OF THE DAWN TREADER on March 30, 2011, when this fantasy-adventure sails onto high-definition Blu-ray and DVD from Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment.

Clip One – Duffelpuds from OnlineMediaRelease on Vimeo.

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader marks the return to Narnia for courageous voyagers Edmund (Skander Keynes) and Lucy Pevensie (Georgie Henley). Joined, against his will, by their cousin Eustace (Will Poulter) this latest expedition follows the three adventurers as they are swallowed into a painting and transported to the magical world. On their journey they connect with King Caspian (Ben Barnes) and a noble mouse named Reepicheep for a mission that will determine the fate of Narnia itself.

Film Clip Two – Green Mist from OnlineMediaRelease on Vimeo.

Through an extensive selection of special features led by King Caspian, kids and families will extend the journey and discover more of Narnia at home. Among the highlights to be explored on the Blu-ray voyage are: an interactive map showcasing more about this magical land and the seven secret islands; an all-new story extension – The Secret Islands: The Untold Adventures of the Dawn Treader; character discoveries; secret scenes; games and much more. The Explorers 2-Pack DVD includes the feature film plus an animated short tour of The Dawn Treader, secret scenes, sword game, digital copy and more.

Featurette – Good VS Evil from OnlineMediaRelease on Vimeo.

PC gamers everywhere can now join the epic battle with the Steam version of  RISK: Factions, the digital reinvention of Hasbro’s globally popular strategy game.  Not content to let console gamers have all of the war-waging fun, platoons of PC gamers can now deploy armies of humans, cats, robots, zombies and yetis in the battle for world domination. 

Now available for download on Steam for $9.99, RISK: Factions features both objective-based and world conquest (Classic) modes, new maps with dynamic terrain, online multiplayer options and five playable factions to chose from

STUDIO EXPANDING TEST TO INCLUDE “HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER’S STONE,” “HARRY POTTER AND THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS,” “INCEPTION,” “LIFE AS WE KNOW IT” AND “YOGI BEAR” MILLIONS OF WARNER BROS. FACEBOOK FANS CAN NOW RENT MOVIES USING FACEBOOK CREDITS AND STREAM WITHIN STUDIO’S MOVIE FAN PAGES

BURBANK, CALIF., March 27, 2011 – Warner Bros. Digital Distribution (WBDD), a market leader in video-on-demand and electronic sell-through, announced it will expand its test offering of movies for rental through Warner Bros. Entertainment’s Facebook Movie Pages. Starting today at 10:00 pm Pacific Time / 1:00 am Eastern Time, consumers will be able to rent five additional titles directly through each film’s official Facebook Page using Facebook Credits. The films include “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone,” “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets,” “Inception,” “Life as We Know It” and “Yogi Bear.”

To rent a film, USA based consumers simply click on the “watch now” icon to apply their Facebook Credits, and within seconds they will begin enjoying the film. This offering is presently available only to consumers in the United States.

“We’re pleased to expand our test with a variety of titles that will appeal to a broad audience,” said Thomas Gewecke, President of Warner Bros. Digital Distribution. “These titles have substantial followings on Facebook. The Fan Pages for ‘Harry Potter’ and ‘Inception’ alone are two of the most popular and active communities on the site.”

Fans will have full control over the film while watching it through their Facebook account for up to 48 hours from purchase. They can choose to watch it in full screen, pause the movie, and resume playing it when they log back into Facebook. Consumers will also have full Facebook functionality including the ability to post comments on the movie, interact with friends and update their status.

Facebook® is a registered trademark of Facebook Inc.

HARRY POTTER characters, names and related indicia are trademarks of and © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. Harry Potter Publishing Rights © JKR. (s11)

About Warner Bros. Digital Distribution Warner Bros. Digital Distribution (WBDD) oversees the electronic distribution of Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group’s content through Video-On-Demand, Pay-Per-View, Electronic Sell-Through and Subscription Video-On-Demand via cable, satellite, online and mobile channels. WBDD also distributes content through third party digital retailers and licensees. A worldwide industry leader since its inception, WBDD also manages the Studio’s E-commerce sites that include WBShop.com and WarnerArchive.com.

Fox have released a number of clips from their upcoming animated feature RIO which stars Anne Hathaway and Jesse Eisenberg as two Macaws on the loose in Rio de Janeiro. See below for the embedded clip of “Nigel’s Rap,” a song sung by a rather cantankerous bird voiced by Flight of the Conchord’s Jemaine Clement. Fans of that band’s music and accompanying TV series should immediately recognize Clement’s style – it seems so much his I wouldn’t be suprised if he – unofficially or otherwise – contributed to the lyrics.

The film was produced by Blue Sky Studios, the Fox-owned studio behind Robots, Horton Hears a Who and the Ice Age movies. It’ directed by Carlos Saldanha and is releasing nationally on April 7th.

RIO

Director: Carlos Saldanha
Producer: Chris Jenkins
Cast: Anne Hathaway, Jesse Eisenberg, Jamie Foxx, Leslie Mann, Tracy Morgan, George Lopez, Will.i.Am and Rodrigo Santoro

RIO is a 3-D animation feature from the makers of the “Ice Age” films. Set in the magnificent city of Rio de Janeiro and the lush rainforest of Brazil, the comedy-adventure centers on Blu, a rare macaw who thinks he is the last of his kind. When Blu discovers there’s another – and that she’s a she – he leaves the comforts of his cage in small town Minnesota and heads to Rio. But it’s far from love at first sight between the domesticated and flight-challenged Blu and the fiercely independent, high-flying female, Jewel. Unexpectedly thrown together, they embark on an adventure of a lifetime, where they learn about friendship, love, courage, and being open to life’s many wonders. RIO brings together a menagerie of vivid characters, a heart-warming story, colorful backdrops, energizing Latin and contemporary music, and family-friendly song and dance.

Watch the original theatrical trailer:

Impulse Gamer were given a sneak preview of the next point and click adventure game entitled The Next Big Thing that boasts a very engaging story, graphics to die for and more importantly characters that are relatable and quite amusing to watch. Developed by Crimson Cow, The Next Big Thing is set during the 1950’s and revolves around Liz Allaire and Dan Murr, two reporters who become embroiled in a true classic mystery.

These two characters are like chalk and cheese who generally rub each other the wrong way and thankfully more often than not. The problem with these two characters is that Dan was sacked as a sports reporter and is forced to become a common reporter again with the serious and quite attractive Liz.

There first case revolves around movie mogul Fitz Randolph, a creator of classic monster movies but in this universe, monsters actually exist and something very strange is going on. It’s up to the player to control these characters as they go on a roller coaster journey to find the clues, explore the world and maybe… just maybe even find a little romance along the way.

The highlight of the preview code for me was the disfunctional relationship between the two main protagonists which was a joy to watch and quite amusing to play out as their worlds collide. Although a classic point and click adventure game, the graphics of this game are amazing, thanks to its own unique stylisation that looks superb in FULL HD, especially the animated cutscenes that would put a few Hollywood movies to shame.

As we collected items and attempted to solve some of the clues, talk to NPC’s, the game even contains a hint system which assists as a reminder to what you need to be doing and what has happened. This is a great feature if you have not played the game for a few days or just need a friendly poke in the right direction. The game has a similar feel to the Runaway series which is definitely a step in the right direction and from the pre-release code, we’re very eager to see the final version hit our shores.

Quirky!

Inspired by Upcoming Green Lantern Film – Also set for 3D Release For the Xbox 360 and PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system Beginning June 15

Sydney, Australia – March 25, 2011 – Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and DC Entertainment today announced their debut title for the Nintendo 3DS™ handheld system: Green Lantern: Rise of the Manhunters. The action-adventure game will also be released in 3D, as well as 2D, for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system.

Green Lantern: Rise of the Manhunters is set to invade the third dimension in Australia beginning June 15 in conjunction with Warner Bros. Pictures’ epic superhero feature film Green Lantern scheduled for release June 16. The upcoming game title will also be available in standard 2D only for the Wii™ system and Nintendo DS™ handheld system, delivering an immersive experience across all platforms for Green Lantern fans that the entire family will enjoy.

The Nintendo 3DS version of the game is designed specifically to take advantage of the system’s stereoscopic 3D capabilities and deliver multi-plane graphics that delve players further into the Green Lantern universe.

Players on Xbox 360 and PS3™ will be given the option to play in anaglyphic 3D with technology that is compatible with all standard and high definition TV sets and visible to players wearing the 3D glasses that will be available for the video game. Fans can also
Green Lantern: Rise of the Manhunters 3D Announcement enjoy the game in stereoscopic 3D when playing on any 3D HDTV while wearing active shutter glasses that are compatible with the television.

Green Lantern: Rise of the Manhunters is inspired by Warner Bros Pictures’ upcoming “Green Lantern” film, which brings the enduringly popular DC Comics Super Hero to the big screen for the first time and stars Ryan Reynolds in the title role as Hal Jordan, the newest member of the Green Lantern Corps. In the videogame, gamers can utilise an arsenal of amazing constructs and take flight across the deepest parts of the universe to restore intergalactic order by wielding the ultimate weapon: the Green Lantern Power Ring. Gamers playing the Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3 versions will also have the option to join forces with a friend to play as Hal Jordan or Sinestro to battle the Manhunters.
Green Lantern: Rise of the Manhunters is in development for Wii, Nintendo 3DS and Nintendo DS by Griptonite Games and for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 by Double Helix Games. For more information and updates, become a fan at http://www.facebook.com/GreenLanternVideogame.

About the Green Lantern Feature Film
“Green Lantern” stars Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively, Peter Sarsgaard, Mark Strong, Angela Bassett and Tim Robbins. Also starring are Jay O. Sanders, Temuera Morrison, Taika Waititi and Jon Tenney,. Martin Campbell directs the film from a screenplay by Greg Berlanti & Michael Green & Marc Guggenheim and Michael Goldenberg, story by Greg Berlanti & Michael Green & Marc Guggenheim, based upon characters appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. The film is being produced by Donald De Line and Greg Berlanti. Herbert W. Gains and Andrew Haas serve as executive producers. The film will open in 3D and 2D on June 17, 2011. “Green Lantern” will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company. www.greenlantern.com.
About DC Entertainment DC Entertainment, home to such iconic DC Comics properties as Superman, Batman, Green Lantern, Wonder Woman, Flash, MAD Magazine, and Fables, is the creative division charged with strategically integrating across Warner Bros. and Time Warner. DC Entertainment works in concert with many key Warner Bros. divisions to unleash its superheroic characters across all media, including but not limited to film, television, consumer products, home entertainment, and interactive games. Publishing over 1,000 comic books, graphic novels and magazines each year, DC Comics is the largest English-language publisher of comics in the world.