This is crazy talk

It’s time for updates on the Best Of CGE ’03 DVD set and…well…something else.

Editing is actually going along frighteningly well on the Best Of CGE ’03 2-DVD set. Though it’s scheduled for its “live” debut at OVGE in Tulsa this October, it may actually be available for online ordering before then. (A good place to watch for more news would be here.) The editing is going along much faster simply by virtue of there only being one camera; there’s no syncing up two different audio sources, or cutting back and forth between camera angles. There are cutaways to game footage when a game is mentioned, but that’s about all. (There are a few instances in a couple of the panels where I also cut away to relevant stuff to cover for the camera getting bumped – such is the hazard of planting your tripod with in the front row’s high-traffic area.)

As I edit each segment, I’m also building up a little bonus segment that will be included: it’s a scaled-down edition of the Phosphor Dot Fossils DVD, covering just the games mentioned in the various keynotes. This may mean some overlap with games already covered in the PDF DVDs, but it’ll also mean some “exclusives” – such as the first time that the 1962 DEC PDP-1 mainframe game Spacewar! has appeared in the PDF DVD format. So for those wondering if there are any more PDF DVDs in the offing with all of this CGE retrospective material, the answer is: you can have both at the same time.

But enough of that – you want screen shots, right?

John Harris – programmer of Jawbreaker & Atari 8-bit Frogger: I had forgotten until watching the tape of his brief (and sadly, very sparsely attended) keynote, he has a very interesting and somewhat sad industry story.

Nolan Bushnell – do I even need to introduce him? All of these shots are from the first 15 minutes.

If you think you’ve noticed that there’s perhaps a little something Tron-inspired in the on-screen and packaging graphics…I wouldn’t disagree with you.

But, as they say, wait, there’s more!

With the CGE ’03 DVD project way ahead of schedule, the thought occurs…what next? I’m still planning on having a 2-DVD set of CGE ’05 highlights ready by Christmas, but there’s plenty of time to work on that. In the meantime, I’m moving a project of mine that’s been on a long, slow boil to the front-burner. For some time I’ve been working on writing, rewriting and laying out a non-fiction “unauthorized guide” to Doctor Who, based somewhat on the material from the site but not simply a direct cut-and-paste. The reason this project’s been so long in coming is, quite simply, there’s been far more writing and rewriting involved than I had really prepared myself for. It’s a massive amount of work, and there’ll be a surprisingly large amount of material that’s exclusive to the book. Torchwood, Sarah Jane Adventures and Big Finish will be covered in addition to the new series and classic series, though the slant of the book, for the most part, will be to help introduce relatively new fans to the wealth of stories that await them in the classic series, the audios, and so forth. There’s a huge amount of stuff.

I’m hoping, though I’m not sure I’m comfortable enough to throw a release date out there, that maybe this will be ready in time for OVGE as well. OVGE’s no sci-fi convention, but it is a geekfest (and I say that proudly!) – so it’s as good a premiere as any. If the book isn’t ready in time for OVGE, then no harm, no foul – the project that’s more squarely aimed at the OVGE audience will be finished anyway.

I’ve got a list of projects drawn up for next year as well – more DVD projects and at least one more book. This stuff gets worked on while Evan is in day care, or after everyone else in the house is asleep, and frankly, it’s looking like gainful employment is proving to be extremely evasive for me at the moment. So I might as well have a game plan, and a timetable, in place so I can use what talent (if any) I have at my disposal to get by. I’m sure there are far more important documentaries and books waiting to be made about far more important subjects, sure…

…but as long as there are enough folks who dig my attempts to put my pop culture knowledge to good use (and put a buck or two on the table for the results), then someone else can make the important stuff. I’d rather make the fun, popular escapist stuff any day of the week.