Onteca wins place on first ever Meld Lab

We are delighted to report that we have recently won a place on the MELD Lab programme, which starts on the 10th December 2007 and will be held at Uclan, Preston.
Max, Dan and Sarah will be attending on behalf of the Onteca team in order to develop our exciting proposal for Haymarket Media.

Onteca are now an official Nintendo Wii developer

Onteca are please to announce that we are now an approved Nintendo Wii developer. We are really excited to be involved with the most exciting new console in years. We will be making downloadable games for the WiiWare service. Watch this space!

Bluebox Project Commences

Onteca has sourced substantial Arts Council funding to create a unique, ground-breaking project involving the use of Bluetooth, GPS and Mobile phones as a way of initiating conversations in public space. That data is then re-interpreted using bleeding edge applications, then projected as public art as large-scale images.

We've been talking to the Arts Council's Sarah Fisher for some time about this project, and were pleased when we received the go ahead earlier in the year. On schedule the main element of the project commences as we bring in leading New Media Arts Practioner, Maria Stuckoff, as lead creative collaborator.

Today's meeting went well. Initial project concepts that have been developed over the last few months were presented to the group, and were improved, refined and placed in a context appropriate for further development.

Onteca attends B.Tween

Max and Dan from Onteca went down to the B.Tween conference in Bradford. It rained a lot, Dan got slightly tipsy at the after party and we met a lot of very interesting people with exciting things to say.

Onteca's delegates came back genuinely enthused about what is happening in our industry at the moment, if a little confused as to what our industry is.

Hi to everyone we talked to there, and can we recommend next year's event ahead of time. Oh, and thanks to NWV for the tickets.

This website will change soon

Aware of the fact this site needs a little attention, we've been working on a revamp. But we have to fit this around our other projects, so don't hold your breath. Initial concept art looks fab, though.

The Community Animation Project

Onteca with the support of the Capital of Culture have run a number of animation workshops in collaboration with the National Museums and Galleries on Merseyside (NMGM). NMGM currently have an exhibition called 'Animated Adventures', this exhibition gives visitors the opportunity to see original models and sets from feature animations including 'Wallace and Gromit, The Curse of the Were-rabbit'

Onteca have run 12 day long workshops with visitors to this exhibition. Children and their parents have been able to produce their own short animations by working with experienced professional animators. The response of participants has been enthusiastic with every participant spending at least an hour producing their own piece of animation.

All the films made by participants in the workshops and further information are available on the website The Community Animation Project

Short Film Production

Max Zadow from Onteca will be filming in Toxteth TV studios next week. A side project of his - he calls it a 'sci-fi romp with a serious social message'. Onteca is providing some additional special effects to support our employee's project.

Onteca Team Back From 2007 BBC Innovation Lab

Onteca's team, Jon, Jen and Dan, are back from pitching to the BBC. They did rather well. More details will follow when permissable.

Blowing Our Minds is on YouTube

For those who haven't seen it on any of its big screen outings.
Blowing Our Minds

Landlines website is live

The website Landlines is now live explaining the projects and the creative process

Landlines is a multi-user drawing tool for mobile phone and bluetooth GPS, that allows users to draw by moving in real space. As you walk through the city with Landlines your latitude and longitude is periodically sent via mobile phone to a database. A website then displays your live tracks.

Onteca wins place at 2007 BBC Innovation Labs. Second year running!

A team from Onteca will now join the most innovative companies from the whole North of England in pitching our idea direct to BBC commissioners, representing Merseyside's Digital Media sector at this highly prestigious event.

To quote the BBC Press Release: 'Innovation Labs are a series of events bringing together BBC Commissioners and regional digital media companies to develop and commission innovative new products and services for the BBC.' What it doesn't mention is that getting a place at the labs is highly competitive. In the entire North of England only 10 New Media companies can be selected to attend. As the process of applying is so simple, and potential rewards so great, a good proportion of the Digital Media sector gave it a go. Onteca is the only Merseyside based company to gain a place, and is one of only two from the NW region.
Last year, Onteca went to the Innovation Lab held in Cumbria. In 2006, the eight companies invited to Cumbria were all from the North West Region. This year we were competing with the best companies from across the entire North of England to win one of the coveted invites to a hotel in North Yorkshire. Last year, we only wrote one blog entry during the whole five days of the labs. This year we promise that we we will update daily on the BBC Innovation Labs Blog for anyone interested in our progress.

Launch of Cult Cargo

Cult Cargo is an online magazine that brings underground music to the surface.

Named after Melanesian cults who worship abandoned cargo, the site is a centre for underexposed acts and will expose you to music you never knew you'd like.

Onteca is excited to be running a web community for the first time. We are loving the idea of running a service, supporting a community and generally having a regular readership.

Fall overboard at Cult Cargo

Creative Crossroads in the Wirral

We are pleased to announce the next round of Creative Crossroads training. We will be running a major training course supported by Wirral Pathways. This training course will start on the 30th January. Training will take place at the Discovery CLC in Noctorum.

Trainees will recieve industry standard training, support and market exposure in a range of skills including Web Design, Computer Game Development, Innovative applications of Mobile Phones and Digital Animation.

This project is supported by the European Social Fund which is helping develop employment by promoting employability, the business spirit, equal opportunities and investing in human resource.

Onteca Special Effects Make Low Budget Mayhem

Onteca created some special effects for the short film - Fear Riders (directed by Max Zadow, produced by Pidgin).

In 2007 this micro-budget horror, featuring 20 young people who also worked as crew, has been chosen for the Halloween Festival at the Institute of Contemporary Arts in London, as part of the Low Budget Mayhem event.

Either seven or eight pounds, depending on status, on Friday the 12th of January at 10.30pm. Tickets from ICA box-office.

Mersey Broadband Partners with Onteca

Toxteth-based Onteca have created a new online gaming platform. Merseyside already has a well-established video and computer game industry. This development will help that sector achieve even greater success.

Jonathan Wetherall from Onteca explained how he developed the concept: “During the last few years Onteca has worked with a variety of community organisations training adults and children in the skills necessary to produce content for the computer game industry. We have recognised the ability of people outside of the ‘formal’ games industry to create content which can be used within commercial games.”

MerseyBroadband funding will help Onteca create an online platform for the collaborative creation of computer game and entertainment content. This can be sold directly to the consumer via the internet. Individual users will be able to submit work. They will receive a payment for their content supplied by independent freelancers from Merseyside.

Jonathan believes the platform will complement how the industry already works: “Remote collaboration will become increasingly important in the creation of online entertainment. Within the industry teams of over 100 people need to work together on many different elements to produce a final piece. We will allow groups to collaborate who are physically remote, helping facilitate this new trend in content development.”

Jon continued: “We are addressing an important issue within the next generation of online content – how can freelancers and micro SMEs collaborate to create content which surpasses that of large internal teams within corporations. Broadband access enables these diverse developers to collaborate as flexible teams and share information. It will also allow disabled and other excluded groups access to the means of production within the industry. Developers will be able to work from virtually anywhere and bypass traditional barriers to access.”
Toxteth-based Onteca have created a new online gaming platform. Merseyside already has a well-established video and computer game industry. This development will help that sector achieve even greater success.

Jonathan Wetherall from Onteca explained how he developed the concept: “During the last few years Onteca has worked with a variety of community organisations training adults and children in the skills necessary to produce content for the computer game industry. We have recognised the ability of people outside of the ‘formal’ games industry to create content which can be used within commercial games.”

MerseyBroadband funding will help Onteca create an online platform for the collaborative creation of computer game and entertainment content. This can be sold directly to the consumer via the internet. Individual users will be able to submit work. They will receive a payment for their content supplied by independent freelancers from Merseyside.

Jonathan believes the platform will complement how the industry already works: “Remote collaboration will become increasingly important in the creation of online entertainment. Within the industry teams of over 100 people need to work together on many different elements to produce a final piece. We will allow groups to collaborate who are physically remote, helping facilitate this new trend in content development.”

Jon continued: “We are addressing an important issue within the next generation of online content – how can freelancers and micro SMEs collaborate to create content which surpasses that of large internal teams within corporations. Broadband access enables these diverse developers to collaborate as flexible teams and share information. It will also allow disabled and other excluded groups access to the means of production within the industry. Developers will be able to work from virtually anywhere and bypass traditional barriers to access.”

Creative Crossroads

Do you want to be part of the next generation of games creators?

Involved in up-and-coming technological advancements for game design?

Onteca, a leading independent games company run by experienced and professional staff, is offering free part time places for a unique, quality training program that aims to seek out new, diverse talent to be involved in the creation of next generation computer games.

Suitable for recent graduates. To start January 2006, supported by ESF Equal for people in the North West. Delivered in association with Media Training NW and Game Alliance.

Based in Liverpool the course aims to showcase; advance and train the successful applicants whilst opening avenues for them to pursue their aspirations and enable progression to employment within the games industry.

The course will run from January to June for 16 weeks; 3 days a week part time, followed by a further 8 weeks portfolio work.

Creative Crossroads finishing school will focus on next generation games design, 3D modeling and programming, preparing trainees for the games industry whilst giving them the technical and competitive edge needed to succeed. Learning techniques for upcoming technologies such as PS3, X-Box 360, mobile phones etc.

The principle aim of the course is to enhance employability skills whilst actively seeking employment possibilities for the trainees through the relationship Onteca have developed with Game Alliance.

We particularly encourage games/programming graduates and those with transferable skills from other media sectors, cinematographic skills for example, and those who are under represented in the creative industries such as women, BME and disabled people to apply.

Our own research in the North West demonstrates disproportionate talent in terms of race, gender and disability, particularly within the games industry, which is something we wish to redress.