UNCHARTED 3 presents ‘The Hero's Journey’

UNCHARTED 3 presents ‘The Hero's Journey’ A documentary short directed by Ed Zwick inspired by Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception, exploring the Action Adventure genre

 To celebrate the launch of the action adventure blockbuster UNCHARTED 3: Drakes Deception, PlayStation®3 has commissioned celebrated filmmaker Ed Zwick to explore one of entertainment’s biggest genres: Action Adventure and pose the question ‘What does it mean to be a hero?’

UNCHARTED 3: Drakes Deception released on November 2nd is the latest in the UNCHARTED multi-million selling adventure. The franchise is known for blurring the entertainment boundaries, and delivering on a cinematic scale. The new instalment follows hero Nathan Drake’s search for the fabled ‘Atlantis of the Sands.’ Announcing the new content, Sony PlayStation Marketing Director, Alan Duncan, commented ‘The Hero's Journey’, continues PlayStation 3’s documentary exploration of the convergence of entertainment genres, which we started with last years short themed around emotion in entertainment.

PlayStation is about rich entertainment experiences and we are excited that a filmmaker of Ed Zwick’s calibre has joined us to explore such an important genre as Action Adventure. UNCHARTED 3 is the perfect title with which to explore the subject of heroism’. Commenting on the creation of ‘The Hero's Journey’, Ed Zwick states ‘I’d been unaware of the extraordinary advancement of games such as UNCHARTED 3.

The notion that one can have a more complex hero while still providing the obligatory action, opens a whole new range of possibilities.’ Uncharted Creative Director Amy Hennig comments ‘The Uncharted Franchise is an exploration of what heroism means in the Action Adventure genre and it was interesting for us to explore these themes that we share across entertainment genres - as entertainers we are all posed with similar questions as to how to bring heroism to the fore in such a blockbuster category.’ The documentary short was filmed in LA and features responses from a range of film and gaming respondents who were posed the following questions to explore ‘What does the idea of the Hero in Action Adventure evoke?’:

Questions posed:

 · What defines a true hero?
 · Do you think heroes are born and not made? If so, what makes them?
· As an actor is it easier to play a hero/heroine than a villain?
OR- As a director, is it important to make your hero sympathetic?
· Heroism consists of 'hanging on one minute longer'. Do you agree?
· Action movies used to mean adventure in the face of physical danger. Has that changed in today's CGI reliant Hollywood?
· What's changed in Hollywood's portrayal of what it means to be a hero?
· How do you feel about the evolution of the female action hero?
· Is the multi-layered, flawed anti-hero a more modern hero?
· Are the darker, more fallible heroes of today more realistic and psychologically rounded?
· How do you draw on strength, when the odds are against you?
· Does fantasy inform your reality
· Who are some of your personal heroes?

Respondents:
 · Ed Zwick – Director/Producer & Writer (Glory, Legends of the Fall, The Last Samurai, Traffic & Blood Diamond)
· Diane Kruger – Actress (Troy, Inglorious Basterds, National Treasure & Unknown)
· Amy Hennig – Video Game Director & Writer (Uncharted 3, Jak & Daxter & Legacy of Kain) · Djimon Hounsou – Actor (Gladiator, Lara Croft Tomb Raider, Eragon & Blood Diamond)
· Sam Rockwell – Actor (Cowboys & Aliens, Iron Man 2, Moon & Matchstick Men)
· Nolan North – Video Game Actor& Voice (Uncharted 3: Drakes Deception, Batman: Arkham City, Transformers: Dark of the Moon & SOCOM 4: YUS Navy Seals)
· Michelle Rodriguez – Actress (Avatar, The Fast and the Furious, Resident Evil & Lost)

 The documentary is available to download free from http://www.youtube.com/playstation3