I told you it was coiming – it looks fantastic!
Edgar Wright, Tommy Lee Edwards, Julian Barratt and David Holmes create ground-breaking Internet Explorer Production
Is it a film? Is it a game? Is it an animated series?
No it’s Brandon Generator: all the above, none of them, and a lot more besides
Award-winning director of Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz, Edgar Wright and renowned Marvel and Lucasfilmillustrator, Tommy Lee Edwards, are creating an innovative animated story with Internet Explorer called The Random Adventures of Brandon Generator. Narrated by Julian Barratt (The Mighty Boosh) and with music by David Holmes’ new project ‘Unloved’ (a collaboration between David Holmes, Keefus Green and Jade Vincent) this interactive experience puts you centre stage as you help shape this interactive noir-inspired series.
Visit www.brandongenerator.com and influence the unravelling world of the caffeine-fuelled anti-hero – voiced by Julian Barratt – as the would-be writer tries to break the dam in his head and let ideas flood out.
Combining the very best creative talents and pushing the boundaries of what’s possible on the web, this innovative project is a new approach to storytelling. It has been designed to showcase the most stunning, visually rich and immersive experiences possible using IE9 and web standards-based HTML5 technology. It also takes advantage of the unique functionality that Internet Explorer 9 provides. This includes the benefit of hardware accelerated text, video and graphics for smooth performance and the unique pinning and Jump List functionality in IE9 which will provide notifications for new episodes, direct links to social feeds and unlock future exclusive content. As a result, the story will not only be as beautiful as traditional film but also includes interactive elements and multimedia for a richer, more immersive experience.
Brandon Generator offers a more engaging experience than traditional passive viewing by encouraging the audience to shape Brandon’s world. They will be invited to become an extension of Edgar and Tommy’s creative team by suggesting characters, plot, nemeses and even entire scenes. There are also mini challenges that help move the story along and, for the more eagle-eyed, hidden gems and secret ways to interact within each episode.
In Episode One, there are opportunities to leave messages on Brandon’s phone, sketch on his notepad, submit plot and character ideas on his laptop and listen to random messages on his Dictaphone. To experience Brandon Generator in all its glory, it is best viewed using Internet Explorer 9 (IE9) on a PC. By pinning the site to the Windows 7 taskbar, access to exclusive extras, video content and social media connectivity will be unlocked with direct links to the main interactive apps via Jump Lists.
Edgar Wright says, “What interested me about this project was the chance to work with a mystery co-writer. So I created a character who is creatively stuck and continually looks for random interjections to inspire him. Rapidly it becomes clear that the people who can actually help are the people at home visiting the site. I like the idea of the world forming around Brandon and am excited to connect with people at home in a whole new way, creatively. It’s exciting to know that even though there’s an underlying narrative and set pieces in place, much of the plot is up for grabs. Internet Explorer and various other technical elements make the collaboration possible and the fans will make Brandon’s journey even more interesting.”
“This project combines all of my favourite things about working in film, games, animation and comics,” adds Tommy Lee Edwards. “It’s an ambitious idea to get so much input from fans and tell a story this way; I’m thrilled to be involved, especially working alongside Edgar. Bringing Brandon Generator to life with a filmmaker I hold in such high regard is an honour. A crazy challenging one, but an exciting treat for me.”
Gabby Hegerty, Internet Explorer UK says, “We always wanted to create something truly unique which brings together the best of the creative world and pushes the boundaries of IE9 and HTML5 with all the unique features of pinning, JumpLists and hardware acceleration to create an immersive and visually stunning experience to inspire our users. Edgar and Tommy have thrown themselves into the project and explored the limits of what is currently possible. From the start, we knew that one of the toughest things would be bringing together a dream team with the creative and technical skills necessary to pull off such an ambitious project. Edgar has fantastic experience in crossing the boundaries between film, graphics and animation in his films, and Tommy Lee has a history of creating stunning illustrations across film, games and animation. Both are a perfect fit.”
To watch Episode One and get involved, visit www.brandongenerator.com. There will be four episodes in total between April and June. Use Internet Explorer 9 and pin to your taskbar for the best experience and exclusive updates and content.
Find out more about the project by following Internet Explorer on Facebook.com/
