Tag Archives: LittleBigPlanet 3

GDC Flash Forward and IASIG Recommended Sessions

Posted by Winifred Phillips on

GDC Flash Forward

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I’m happy to announce that I’ve been invited to participate in this year’s GDC Flash Forward!

This will be the fourth annual GDC Flash Forward event, which this year will kick off the main conference sessions taking place from Wednesday March 4th – Friday March 6th.  Like a big “coming attractions” show, the Flash Forward allows attendees to get a first look at sessions that have been selected as especially interesting or noteworthy by the GDC Advisory Board.  Out of the over 400 lectures, panels, tutorials and roundtables that take place during GDC Week, the GDC Advisory Board selects around 70 sessions to participate in the Flash Forward, so I’m very pleased to have been asked to participate this year!

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During the Flash Forward event at 9:30am on Wednesday March 4th, each speaker will have from 30-45 seconds to present an enticing preview of their presentation, along with a video clip showing some of the sights that will entertain their presentation attendees.  I’ll be presenting a preview of my talk, “LittleBigPlanet 3 and Beyond: Taking Your Score to Vertical Extremes,” which will take place on Friday March 6th at 10am in room 3006 West Hall.

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Here’s a little more about the Flash Forward, from the official press release:

This year the hour-long session will be headlined by industry veterans Brenda Romero (Romero Games, UCSC) and Laura Fryer (Oculus VR), and they’ll be presenting their own informal take on the state of the industry before participating in what always proves to be a fun, fast-paced event that highlights some of the best GDC 2015 talks.

Flash Forward presenters are hand-picked by the GDC Advisory Board, ensuring that the session will feature an eclectic mix of speakers that represents the full breadth of the conference. Those selected will have the chance to grab attendees’ attention by taking the stage for a brief period of time — 30-45 seconds, tops — to present a rapid-fire overview of what their session is and why it’s worth checking out.

This year’s Flash Forward should be very exciting, and I’m honored to be a part of it!  If you’re attending the Game Developers Conference this year, be sure to go to the Flash Forward!  It’s sure to be a lot of fun!

IASIG Recommended Sessions

I’m also very pleased and proud that my session, “LittleBigPlanet 3 and Beyond: Taking Your Score to Vertical Extremes,” was selected by the Interactive Audio Special Interest Group (IASIG) as a Recommended Session for GDC 2015!

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Here’s more about the IASIG, from their official site:

The Interactive Audio Special Interest Group (IASIG) exists to allow developers of audio software, hardware, and content to freely exchange ideas about “interactive audio”. The goal of the group is to improve the performance of interactive applications by influencing hardware and software design, as well as leveraging the combined skills of the audio community to make better tools.  The IASIG has been influential in the development of audio standards, features, and APIs for Microsoft Windows and other platforms, and has helped numerous hardware companies define their directions for the future.

I’m so honored that out of the 46 sessions in the GDC Audio Track, the Interactive Audio Special Interest Group selected my presentation as one of their 7 recommended talks!  Here’s the whole list of IASIG Recommendations:

Session Title Time Location Speakers
Making Full Use of Orchestral Colors in Interactive Music Wednesday 11:00-12:00  West 3002 Jim Fowler (SCE- World Wide Studios)
Creating an Interactive Musical Experience for Fantasia: Music Evolved Wednesday 14:00-15:00  West 3006 Jeff Allen (Harmonix Music Systems), Devon Newsom (Harmonix Music Systems)
BioShock Infinite: Scoring in the Sky, a Postmortem Wednesday 17:00-18:00  West 3002 Garry Schyman (Garry Schyman Productions)
Peggle Blast: Big Concepts, Small Project Thursday 10:00-11:00  West 3006 RJ Mattingly (PopCap), Jaclyn Shumate (PopCap), Guy Whitmore (PopCap)
Inspiring Player Creativity in Disney Fantasia: Music Evolved Thursday 14:00-14:30  West 3020 Jonathan Mintz (Harmonix Music Systems)
LittleBigPlanet 3 and Beyond: Taking Your Score to Vertical Extremes Friday 10:00-11:00  West 3006 Winifred Phillips (Generations Productions LLC)
Where Does the Game End and the Instrument Begin? Friday 13:30-14:30  West 3006 Matt Boch (Harmonix Music Systems), Jon Moldover (Smule Inc.), Nick Bonardi (Ubisoft), David Young (Smule Inc.), Brian Schmidt (Brian Schmidt Studios)

LittleBigPlanet 3 and Beyond: Taking Your Score to Vertical Extremes

Posted by Winifred Phillips on

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Yesterday I shared some info about my upcoming Audio Bootcamp presentation on Tuesday March 3rd at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco — and today I’d like to share some information about the second presentation I’ll be giving during the main conference. On Friday, March 6th at 10am, I’ll be giving an Audio Track presentation at the Game Developers Conference – I’ll have the pleasure of talking about the interactive music system of the LittleBigPlanet franchise.  Here is the official description of my conference session from the GDC 2015 Schedule:

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“LittleBigPlanet 3 and Beyond: Taking Your Score to Vertical Extremes” presents down-to-earth strategies for the design and utilization of a vertical layering music system. Composer Winifred Phillips’ credits include six LittleBigPlanet games (LittleBigPlanet 3, LittleBigPlanet 2, LittleBigPlanet Vita, LittleBigPlanet Cross Controller, LittleBigPlanet Karting, LittleBigPlanet Toy Story). Phillips will discuss her music from the LittleBigPlanet franchise — a series that features one of the most complex vertical layering systems in the field of game audio. Intense challenges often lead to inventive solutions. By virtue of the extreme example embodied by the LittleBigPlanet system, Phillips will share the simple approaches that solved some of the common problems associated with vertical construction. This discussion will be augmented by musical examples from a dozen interactive compositions that Phillips created for LittleBigPlanet games. Attendees will learn techniques to avoid problems in any vertical layering system, regardless of whether that system is simple or extreme.

Takeaway

Through detailed examples from the LittleBigPlanet franchise, Phillips will provide a step-by-step analysis of the process that resulted in a tightly-constructed, six-layer interactive music system. This discussion will provide attendees with practical knowledge that can be applied to their own projects.

Intended Audience

This session is for anyone interested in game scoring, interactive music systems and game music implementation strategies. Simple approaches to vertical layering will be accessible to attendees at all levels, while more advanced attendees will appreciate the innovative solutions applied to the complex vertical music system of the LittleBigPlanet franchise.

So, if you’ll be attending GDC in San Francisco on March the 6th, I hope you’ll come to my session!

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Game Music Interview on Top Score Podcast

Posted by Winifred Phillips on

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I’m very pleased to report that I was invited to be interviewed on the celebrated Top Score Podcast, and the interview was just released today!  You can listen to the entire interview here:

 

I was interviewed by Emily Reese, a formidable presence in the game music industry.  As a host at Classical Minnesota Public Radio, Reese has produced and hosted this special podcast dedicated to the field of game music since April of 2011.  The podcast specializes in interviews with game music composers, and has produced over 129 episodes so far.  In this capacity, Reese is a champion of game music and the people who make it.  She has predicted that game music will one day join the playlists of classical radio stations, right alongside the music of Vaughan Williams, Bernstein or Mozart. “There are some scores where absolutely that will happen,” Reese says. “Some of these composers should be remembered in 100, 200 or 300 years. They’re that good.”

Emily Reese interviewed me about my music for LittleBigPlanet 3 and Assassin’s Creed Liberation.  She also asked me questions about my book, A Composer’s Guide to Game Music.   All my thanks to Emily Reese, editor Pierce Huxtable and the entire team at the Top Score Podcast.  I’m honored to have been interviewed for this terrific program!

LittleBigPlanet 3 Unboxing – Plush Edition!

Posted by Winifred Phillips on

Today’s the big day!  The release of LittleBigPlanet 3 in the USA. I’m so proud to have composed music for this project and been part of the extraordinary music composition team for LittleBigPlanet 3!  Just got my LittleBigPlanet 3 Plush Edition, and I couldn’t wait to see what was inside.  A new LBP3 sackboy will join my previous LBP2 pal. Here are some pics from the unboxing.

My very own copy of LBP3! Sackboy looks interested back there...

My very own copy of LBP3! Sackboy looks interested back there…

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I think Sackboy is taking over this unboxing.

I think Sackboy is taking over this unboxing.

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Sackboy is wondering what's in there...?

Sackboy is wondering what’s in there…?

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A fantastic new LittleBigPlanet game! And a smaller Sackboy in a plastic bag!

A fantastic new LittleBigPlanet game! And a smaller Sackboy in a plastic bag!

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Sackboy uses his crafty scissor tool to release his new friend from his plastic bondage.

Sackboy uses his crafty scissor tool to release his new friend from his plastic bondage.

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Fresh air for Sackboy's new friend!

Fresh air for Sackboy’s new friend!

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Pals for life! :)

Pals for life!

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It was a thrill to compose music for LittleBigPlanet 3! My two new sackboys will live in my music studio and provide me with daily inspiration. :-D

It was a thrill to compose music for LittleBigPlanet 3! My two new sackboys will live in my music studio and provide me with daily inspiration. 😀

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Can't get these two kids to stop playing with the box that the game came in. ;-)

Can’t get these two kids to stop playing with the box that the game came in. 😉

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LittleBigPlanet 3 – Hollywood Music in Media Awards

Posted by Winifred Phillips on

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Hey, everyone!  After my blog yesterday about winning the Hollywood Music in Media Award, I’ve received a bunch of questions about LittleBigPlanet 3 and the Hollywood Music in Media Awards program – so I thought I’d post some info that explains everything in a bit more detail.  It’s a little easier to do this in third person, so here goes – I hope this helps!

On November 4th, game composer Winifred Phillips received a 2014 Hollywood Music in Media Award (HMMA) in the category of “Best Song in a Video Game” for music she composed for the LittleBigPlanet 3 video game (developed by Sumo Digital Ltd. and published by Sony Computer Entertainment, LLC).

As one of the composers on the LittleBigPlanet™3 music composer team, Phillips was recognized for her song, “LittleBigPlanet 3 Ziggurat Theme.”  

Info about LittleBigPlanet 3:

Sony Computer Entertainment Europe announced the news about this award on November 6th via their official LittleBigPlanet twitter feed.  

The critically acclaimed and best-selling PlayStation® franchise  LittleBigPlanet™ makes its debut on PlayStation®4  with  LittleBigPlanet™3. Sackboy™ is back, this time with playable new friends – Toggle, OddSock and Swoop – each with their own unique abilities and personalities.  This handcrafted adventure is set to revolutionize the way gamers Play, Create and Share in the world of LittleBigPlanet.

Sumo Digital Ltd, the developer of LittleBigPlanet 3, has forged a reputation as a World Class multiple award-winning independent game development studio. The company has grown exponentially over 11-years from 15, to 270 people spread across the Head Office in Sheffield, UK and a dedicated Art Studio in Pune, India.  Sumo Digital is one of the UK’s leading game development studios.

Info about the Hollywood Music in Media Awards:

The Hollywood Music in Media Award ceremony was held on November 4th 2014 at 7pm at the Fonda Theater (6126 Hollywood Boulevard, Hollywood).  The Hollywood Music in Media Awards recognizes and honors the creation of music for film, TV, and videogames, the talented individuals responsible for licensing it and musicians both mainstream and independent, from around the globe. The HMMAs is co-branded with Billboard/Hollywood Reporter Film & TV Music Conference. HMMA advisory board, selections committee and voters include National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, Oscar, Emmy, Society of Composers and Lyricists and Guild of Music Supervisors members.

Additional info about Winifred Phillips (the LittleBigPlanet franchise and the HMMAs):

Phillips’ award-winning track, “LittleBigPlanet 3 Ziggurat Theme,” from LittleBigPlanet™3, is a highly interactive musical work, written as a complex classical fugue, and incorporating an organic, world-music influenced instrumental arrangement in support of a women’s choir.  Phillips has received two previous Hollywood Music in Media Awards – in 2012 for Assassin’s Creed Liberation (Ubisoft®) and in 2010 for the Legend of the Guardians (Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment).  Phillips is one of the composers on the LittleBigPlanet music composer team, and has created tracks for six games in the series, including LittleBigPlanet 2, LittleBigPlanet 2 Toy Story, LittleBigPlanet Cross Controller, LittleBigPlanet PS Vita, LittleBigPlanet Karting, and now LittleBigPlanet 3.  

Phillips’ work as a composer for the LittleBigPlanet game series has earned her previous awards nominations from the Game Audio Network Guild Awards, the Hollywood Music in Media Awards, the NAViGaTR Awards and the D.I.C.E. Interactive Achievement Awards.  Phillips works with award-winning music producer Winnie Waldron for all her projects, including those in the LittleBigPlanet franchise.  Phillips is also the author of the book A COMPOSER’S GUIDE TO GAME MUSIC, published in 2014 by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Press.  

Nov. 4, 2014: My Music for the LittleBigPlanet 3 Game Won a Hollywood Music in Media Award!

Posted by Winifred Phillips on

2014HMMA_Billboard2This has been an exciting week!  I have a bunch of news to announce all at once, so here goes…

My latest project is music for the game LittleBigPlanet 3.  I was a member of the composer team for that project, and I composed many tracks for the game.  One of those tracks is entitled “LittleBigPlanet 3 Ziggurat Theme.”  It’s a classically-inspired vocal fugue written for a women’s choir, and I’m thrilled to say that on November 4th, my track won a Hollywood Music in Media Award in the category of Best Song for a Video Game!

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Here I am, holding the Hollywood Music in Media Award I won for

In this photo, I’m holding the Hollywood Music in Media Award I won for LittleBigPlanet 3 Ziggurat Theme.

Since Sony Computer Entertainment Europe announced the award today, I can now share it with all of you.  I’ve been bursting with excitement over my involvement in LittleBigPlanet 3 — it’s going to be the best LittleBigPlanet game ever, and I’m so honored to have been a part of it!  I’ve been keeping the secret for a while.

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Here I am at the Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles this past June, looking at the wonderful booth for LittleBigPlanet 3.

2-LBP3-E3LittleBigPlanet 3 features all new companions for Sackboy — you can see OddSock and Toggle pictured here.  Look at how huge Toggle is!

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Of course, my favorite will always be Sackboy.  Just look at that face!  What’s not to love?

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Doesn’t OddSock look like he’s whispering a secret in my ear?  I suppose we really were keeping a big secret then, and I’m so glad I can share it now with you all.

Well, that’s my big announcement.  I’ve been keeping this secret for almost two years.  Working with the wonderful creative team at Sumo Digital and Sony Computer Entertainment Europe on music for LittleBigPlanet 3 has been a wonderful adventure, and I’m so excited that the game will be released on November 18th!