FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
For further information contact: press@tale-of-tales.com


Exploring Salome in FATALE
Tale of Tales releases new indie title FATALE


Gent, Belgium, 5 October 2009


Right on schedule, indie developer Tale of Tales' newest project FATALE is released as a digital download for PC and Mac. FATALE is an interactive vignette in realtime 3D inspired by the story of Salome, the biblical princess and protagonist in Oscar Wilde's stage play, first performed in England 78 years ago today. FATALE can be purchased for 7 US Dollars from Tale of Tales' website.

http://Tale-of-Tales.com/..Fatale

"We are not traditional game developers," confess designers Auriea Harvey & Michael Samyn, "We are more interested in exploring the potential of the interactive medium than refining any premature conventions. This applies to both form and content. The story of Salome is fascinating to us. Not in the least because it allows for so many interpretations. All of these are present in FATALE and we hope the players come up with many more."

Salome was a princess in first century Judea referred to in the Christian Bible by Matthew and by Mark. But it is Oscar Wilde's 19th century stage play "Salome" that really inspired FATALE. In the Bible, Salome is a child who dances for King Herod and asks the head of John the Baptist as a reward. In Wilde's version, Salome falls in love with the prophet. He rejects her and she has him executed. The play ends with her kissing the lips of his decapitated head. Most of FATALE takes place in the aftermath of this event, when all has turned quiet and the moon brings comfort to troubled hearts.

Despite of its disturbing theme, FATALE features a very relaxed play experience. Much like in Tale of Tales' previous works -The Path, The Graveyard and The Endless Forest- most of the interaction is voluntary. There's no ticking clocks or challenging puzzles in FATALE. The player has all the time in the world to soak up the atmosphere and allow their mind to wander.

Tale of Tales is an independent studio based in Belgium, founded by new media artists Auriea Harvey and Michael Samyn in 2003. FATALE was produced in collaboration with Laura Raines Smith (animation), Takayoshi Sato (character design & modeling), Jarboe (voice acting & ambient music), Kris Force (sound effects & ambient music), Gerry De Mol (dance music) and Eleonore Valere Lachky (choreography). Production of FATALE was supported by Flanders Audiovisual Fund.

Is it my imagination or is Myspace looking more and more like Facebook every day?

I can read the first comment and when I click accept or reject or decide later it turns my entire browser window a dark brownish gray and all I can do is back out. My Myspace has been doing this for a while, so if I haven't accepted your comment it doesn't mean that I don't love you. Is that a triple negative? If you are trying to sell something through my comment section then I probably don't love you anyway. 

This was my available space for my gmail account today.

Seems like I get more Macy's hack than real emails on Myspace these days. It's an epidemic. Can something be done?

Video is Frozen in Amber 3, from the Disquiet Festival September 2005 shot and edited by Mtruuco who is quite busy shooting pictures and videos of live performers.. Here is some more of his work -

http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=mtrucco
M's page includes Frozen in Amber 1-5 from this performance.

The piece is Schubert - Nacht und Traume... I am accompanied by the lovely Sigrid Sheie.


Thanks M!

Be there anyone whom love has wounded? And the hurt has brought him near his death Be there anyone whom grief confounded? And still he sighs a sigh to catch his breath What is thing called love? Oh oh, I pray thee do tell Is it a prickle? Is it a sting? Or is it a pretty pretty little thing? Be there one whos love ship has wrecked upon the rocks? Cold and breathless numb and drowned to be Be there one as drift wood in the waves of love be tossed? Blinded that they can no longer see Be that one forlorn Come sit with me and mourne Whos ship wreck spoils and lover scorn Heart and eyes put out Wracked and scorched with love Sharing grief and gripe Together we mourne What is thing called love? Oh oh, I pray thee do tell Is it a phantom? Is it a drug? Or is it the fire of hell? music by John Cobbet Lyrics Kris Force

Things that accord in tone vibrate together. Things that have affinity in their inmost nature seek one another. When, at the beginning of summer, thunder - electrical energy - comes rushing forth from the earth again, and the first thunderstorm refreshes nature, a prolonged state of tension is resolved. Joy and relief make themselves felt. So too, music has power to ease tension within the heart and to loosen the grip of obscure emotions. The enthusiasm of the heart expresses itself involuntarily in a burst of song, in dance and rhythmic movement of the body. From immemorial times the inspiring effect of the invisible sound that moves all hearts, and draws them together, has mystified mankind. Rulers have made use of this natural taste for music; they elevated and regulated it. Music was looked on as something serious and holy, designed to purify the feelings of men. It fell to music to glorify the virtues of heroes and thus to construct a bridge to the world of the unseen. In the temple men drew near to God with music and pantomimes. "He who could wholly comprehend this sacrifice could rule the world as though it were spinning on his hand." from The Book of Changes