IMD Forum for 3/4/09: Peter Brinson
Speaker: Peter Brinson, Instructor of Cinematic Practice, Interactive Media Division, USC School of Cinematic Arts
Time: Wednesday, March 4, 6-8pm
Location: USC's Robert Zemeckis Center for Digital Arts (RZC),
Room 201 Zemeckis Media Lab (ZML)
Title: Matching Meaning and Mechanics
Peter will discuss his upcoming, The Cat and the Coup, an experimental documentary game focusing on an aspect of U.S. warfare that has little presence in game history - the covert military interventions carried out by the Central Intelligence Agency. Broken into historical chapters, the game explores the justifications for U.S. interventions, the actual violent coup d’états, the subsequent effects on the country, and the consequences of "blowback" on U.S. foreign affairs. Currently in production, the first level ("justifications") puts the player in the role of the cat of Mohammed Mossadegh, the democratically elected leader of Iran. On the night of August 19, 1953, the Prime Minister undergoes a CIA sponsored coup d’état. You accompany him through significant events of his life including living under house arrest, being convicted for high treason, undergoing the coup, meeting the President of the United States, and being elected Prime Minister. Future levels will document CIA coups in Chile and Cuba.
Peter Brinson is a game developer, filmmaker, and educator living in Los Angeles. His work explores the narrative possibilities found in animal protagonists, documentary play, and collective ownership. His films and games have exhibited in numerous venues, including the Museum of Modern Art, SIGGRAPH, Ars Electronica, Slamdance, Indiecade, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, The Kitchen, and the Telluride Film Festival. Brinson attended the University of North Carolina and the California Institute of the Arts, and currently teaches in the Interactive Media Division of the School of Cinematic Arts at the University of Southern California.