Published on Tuesday, 22 January 2013

Interactive Media & Games Receive Local and Federal Funding

Acting Premier and Minister for Trade and Investment Andrew Stoner announced almost $500,000 in funding for five new interactive media projects, intended to help develop NSW’s digital media industry.

Mr Stoner said, “Through the Interactive Media Fund, the NSW Government is identifying and actively supporting the most talented people and most innovative companies in this fascinating area. The NSW Government has committed to funding of $3 million over two years for the Interactive Media Fund to support the creation of new digital content that is commercially oriented and designed for distribution on web-enabled platforms or mobile devices and interactive video game consoles.”

The projects to receive funding are an interactive iPad game spin-off from Australian children’s TV series ‘dirtgirlworld’, an interactive educational virtual zoo and Unity game populated with Australian dinosaurs, an iPad app that teaches pre-school children how to create, storyboard, animate and publish their own stories, an interactive installation of a music album by Empire of the Sun, and a suite of applications in which animated caharcters Sam and Millie will engage children with special needs and teach them about the wider, conventional world.

Cate McQuillen, from mememe productions, is the creator of TV series ‘dirtgirlworld’. Cate is further developing the dirtgirlworld universe with a multi-level interactive game for iPads called ‘ken’s Stunt Arena’, which encourages creative play and physical activity.

Junior Storytellers, to be created by Jason Critelli and Rami Fischler from Media Farm and Jennifer Wilson from The Project Factory, is a 360-degree digital media project that allows children to create stories, share them with other kids and then interact with their stories through a series of simple games. The project reaches web, iPad and TV.

The ‘24 Hour Music Track’ is a live interactive installation and transmedia extension of music by electronic musicians Empire of the Sun. The 24 Hour Music Track collates real-time environmental data from six points of latitude around the world into an interactive, ever-changing music track. The user, as well as data, will be able to interact with the music content. The installation is to be produced by transmedia and content specialists The Feds.

Dino App is an interactive, educational, transmedia, immersive, gaming experience to include a full CGI animated app, virtual zoo and Unity game, with a focus on Australian dinosaurs. It is being developed by Eye Candy for their skills in CG animation for mobile devices, in partnership with independent producers Essential Media.

The fund is also supporting the business development of Pic-See, a company that develops creative interactive apps for individuals with special, specific and early learning needs, such as Autism, planned for released across multiple mobile platforms in multiple languages to serve a global special education community.

The Interactive Media Fund is managed by Screen NSW. www.screen.nsw.gov.au

Interactive Games Fund Consultation

In its capacity as the Federal Government’s key agency for providing support to the screen production sector, Screen Australia has been charged with administering the new $20 million Interactive Games Fund to help build a sustainable base for the Australian interactive entertainment industry. The agency will develop funding guidelines in consultation with the games sector.

Australian Interactive Games Fund: Options paper for comment was released in December. The paper is intended to stimulate discussion and includes some questions on which information and suggestions are still needed. It outlines Screen Australia’s aims in providing funds and the principles behind doing this to make a meaningful impact. It also proposes program options for targeting the support.

Screen Australia welcomes feedback until Friday 25 January 2013. They anticipate releasing funding guidelines in April, with a closing date in May for applications to the first funding round. www.screenaustralia.gov.au