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be a movie mogul
People who don’t make movies think it’s easy. Throw cash at the project, make some random, arbitrary decisions to show the cast and crew who’s boss, and, once it’s in the can, wait for the glowing reviews. It’s so simple, anyone could do it.
So a new computer game called The Movies – being devel- oped by Lionhead Studios – gives players an entire studio to run. Budding Cecil B DeMilles can build a complete movie studio and start filming in the 1920s, rewriting history as they pioneer the great cinematic advances and remake the classics or cre- ate fresh masterpieces.
As the years roll by, The Movies gives players the chance to intro- duce talkies, colour, animation or computer-generated special effects. There is also the option to get involved in all the artistic details of filmmaking, from picking the scripts to shoot to designing and constructing the sets, to hiring the director, the crew and the stars.
Of course, The Movies isn’t supposed to be a dry, hugely
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accurate simulation. It’s designed to be highly entertaining, and owes more to the idea most peo- ple have about the Hollywood film industry than the reality.
So as you try and keep cre- ative control, your stars will be falling in love, falling from grace and falling out with you over billing and trailer sizes. Add to this the egos of your directors, the mounting costs of your locations and the constant rewrites of your scripts, and perhaps entertaining doesn’t quite cover all the emo- tions you’ll be feeling.
Naturally, all the sweat and the tears are forgotten when the shooting is done and the pre- miere beckons. Are you after box-office millions or cult status? Have you remade a classic? Or have you plucked a script from slush-pile obscurity and made a masterpiece?
Not only will you get to see a brief version of the movie you’ve laboured to create, but you’ll be able to log onto the internet and download films others have made.
And your film could even pick up the ultimate accolade. Red carpets, statuettes, speeches and prestigious mantelpiece orna- ments, anyone? James Leach
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