Pigs in cyberspace
Henson interactive director brings Muppets to next level
By Rodney Tanaka
A walk down the halls of the Jim Henson Productions Hollywood
office reveals a who’s who in Muppet characters, as framed
photographs of Kermit, Miss Piggy and their friends line the walls.
The photographs that hang in the office of Edward Dombrower,
director of Jim Henson Interactive, speak of the man that works
there.
Two photographs depict ballet dancer Rudolf Nureyev dancing with
porcine Muppets on "The Muppet Show." Another photograph shows
Kermit the Frog and Fozzie Bear fiddling with the insides of a
computer.
"When I came here (to Jim Henson Productions) they pretty much
said I could select a couple of images from the archives and have
them on the wall," Dombrower says. "I remember when Nureyev
performed on "The Muppet Show." It was an instantaneous response. I
wanted to have ‘Swine Lake’ on my wall."
The Nureyev photographs attest to Dombrower’s interest in
ballet, an interest that detoured his math education at Pomona
College for one year while he toured with the Los Angeles Ballet.
His success in ballet may not rival Nureyev’s "Swine Lake"
performance. His success with computers, however, easily outmatches
Kermit and Fozzie’s unsuccessful tinkering.
Dombrower worked for Mattel Electronics and Atari and developed
popular games such as "Return to Zork." As director of Jim Henson
Interactive he oversaw the production of "The Muppet Calendar." He
shares his knowledge and expertise in the computer field as
instructor of UCLA Extension’s "Game Design for Writers."
"What it’s meant to do is teach them enough about game design so
that they can do a couple of things," Dombrower says. "One is so
they can write for a game designer. Another thing we’re trying to
do is to get them to go to an interactive publisher and pitch an
idea that they think could be interactive."
Students will test their ideas at the end of the course by
acting out a scene from their product proposals. "This way they can
really get a notion of how to write a scene that can be
interactive," Dombrower says. "Some of us will be the computer and
will perform the function of saying this is what would happen next.
Some will be on-screen performers and the third group will be
users."
This mix of technology and theatrics reflects his view of
interactive media. "I work with theater and technology people and
in many respects it’s a new form of entertainment," Dombrower says.
"I’m in a position to push on the edge of where that is and where
it might be going."
Dombrower’s career holds roots in the worlds of theater and
technology. He returned to Pomona after a year with the Los Angeles
Ballet and graduated with a math degree. He studied computer
programming in Europe and designed a notation system for
choreographers. When he returned to L.A., Dombrower found work at
Mattel Electronics and Atari. He formed his own company in 1985 and
worked with Electronic Arts to create titles such as "Earl Weaver
Baseball." Dombrower joined Jim Henson Interactive last year.
The Interactive division of Jim Henson Productions may be
relatively new, but the push towards new technology was always
present. "The company, from when Jim was alive in the early days,
always had a strong technological bent," Dombrower says. "Brian
(Henson, President and Chief Executive Officer) and Charles Rivkin
(President and Chief Operating Officer) are absolutely committed to
doing innovative and high quality things with what this company can
provide in the interactive world."
"There’s this tremendous set of characters and creatures that we
can take advantage of," Dombrower says. "There’s the classic
Muppets like Kermit and Fozzie that have a tremendous appeal across
every age group."
The use of these characters is enhanced by the further resources
available. "When I need creative resources and technical resources
I go to the same people that solve those problems for all of our
other productions," Dombrower says. "When we need writers we go to
the real writers, when we need puppetry, we go to the real
puppeteers."
An example is the recently released Muppet Calendar on CD-ROM,
which features clip art from Muppet movies and television shows.
Users can create their own calendars or chose from several pre-made
versions. "In Miss Piggy’s calendar there are notes she writes
herself," Dombrower says. "This was written by one of the guys who
actually writes Miss Piggy’s dialogue."
The Muppet Calendar can be used as a day runner or a monthly
planner, among other possibilities. "If it’s your bowling night you
can pick an image of one of the Muppets bowling and stick it on
your calendar," Dombrower says.
And for a night at the ballet, look for a pig in a tutu.
EVENT: For more information on Extension classes call(310)
206-1542.