Not For Broadcast Key Art

Making Live TV for Not For Broadcast

Not For Broadcast is an FMV game about making a TV show. As the National Nightly News airs live on screen, you will make the edits, censor the swear words (and later, politically controversial phrases, if you choose), and even pick what plays in the ad breaks.

As tensions rise, a burgeoning resistance movement demands you transmit their anti-government propaganda instead of the regularly scheduled news, to dramatically change the message going out to the masses of avid viewers.

Not For Broadcast Screenshot

The feeling of making a TV show, of being in control of what the audience at home sees, and impacting the stories of the characters and the world was the experience we want for you, our player. 

In a world dominated by the consumption of visual media, it’s time to take a closer look at the power it has over us. And what better way to raise the stakes and give you a keen sense of urgency and power than to make it all live? After all, the news is reported as it happens. There’s no pausing in real life, no rewinding an interview to ask a different question, and certainly no avoiding the barrage of advertising. That experience, the stress, fun and creativity of making choices on the fly to tell your story, to see the narrative developing from the consequences of these decisions; that’s the fun of Not For Broadcast

Of course, this presented a different problem altogether.

Not For Broadcast Screenshot

Our biggest challenge was shooting footage as single, continuous takes. Evoking that “Live TV Feeling” meant no cuts at any point… That’s right: not one. You are the editor here, not us. So, while a movie is composed of only the best shots cut from all the takes you got on the day, we don’t have that luxury. We had to nail each scene in one go — some of them approached 20 minutes!

Our incredibly talented cast had to learn relatively long scripts and perform them in one take without a single mistake in front of moving cameras whose operators had their own world of complications to handle. We were fortunate that most of our scenes were shot in ten takes or less, but it wasn’t uncommon for a longer or more complicated scene to run into the teens. 

Not For Broadcast Screenshot

We pulled it off with a powerful combination of planning, exceptional actors and crewmembers, and a very deliberate decision: We ran the shoot more like a theatre show than a film set. Rehearsing an ensemble of actors who were prepared to roll with the punches of live performance and react accordingly until we had a scene that worked.

This meant seriously high pressure for everyone. Fluff your line in minute 12? Drop your camera out of focus? We’re all going back to the top. Though the upside is when you nail that one take, you’re done and you can hit the pub. 

Not For Broadcast Screenshot

There were further wrinkles to this format, too, in the shape of long, complex tracks for our friends doing the Russian and Chinese dubbing of Not For Broadcast, but if you’ve heard our fully produced rap single “Paint It Red” in Russian, I think you’ll agree it was time and money well spent. As it turns out, it made for a record-breaking amount of footage in our game by the end, at over a whopping 41 hours.

So, the next time you’re playing Not For Broadcast, and you get to a sequence that’s over 15 minutes long, take a moment to think about the actors, crew, dubbing teams, and the team at NotGames who’ve taken that piece of flawless, one-take action from script to set to game. We certainly will when we’re planning the next one!

Not For Broadcast

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Take control of the National Nightly News. With the nation's eyes fixed on your choices, it’s up to you to decide what gets broadcast. Choose the shots, censor any “troublesome” content, and steer the narrative as your country tumbles into totalitarianism. No pressure, right? Hand-pick the Headlines Not For Broadcast drops you into the heart of a darkly-comedic tale of televised chaos, where your every decision helps shape the fate of a nation. From ego-fueled celebrities to deceptive politicians and enigmatic advertisers – you control the public’s perception. As long as you can hold the audience’s fickle attention, it’ll be your choice whether to toe the party line or hype up the scandal. Will you make that sportsman seem like a national treasure, or an alcoholic disgrace? What about those scientists trapped in Dante’s Taint? Or that new boss at multinational giant Rymmington-Svist who seems to live a double life? Most importantly, will you help the brand-new government look benevolent, or is there something untoward about them that the public need to see? The power is in your hands to change everything, but you’ll have to decide quickly – the news goes out live! Craft the Narrative (and the Nation's Fate) You are in the driving seat of a multi-level tale about both an entire country and a single family. Being the architect of the nation’s future is a challenge, to be sure, but so is trying to hold your household together through the dark times. With multiple branching narratives, every choice you make resonates into the future. Will you help your spouse’s sibling flee the country… even if it involves breaking the law? Who are ‘Disrupt’ – concerned citizens or something more revolutionary? And how do you feel about your son spending more and more time with them? And then there’s Grandma… Can you afford her life-saving treatment, or should you and your spouse be taking advantage of one of the Government’s brand-new Transition Centres? After all, granny, there’s nothing more noble than unburdening your children! And then there’s your broadcast room – when it’s not overheating, it seems to be trying to electrocute you. Keep the plates spinning as best you can, but remember, whether it’s a newsreader who just won’t take it any more, naked streakers at the Sportsboard Final, or the ever growing threat of nuclear war… this show MUST go on. Cue the Ads Select your ads carefully to mould the public’s opinion. Why not choose to show only adverts for the companies you have shares in? Maybe that extra cash will help with the difficult decisions at home. Or maybe you’ll be selling dangerous toys to the nation’s children…With more than 50 hilarious ads to choose from there’s never a dull moment – even during the breaks. Endure the Unthinkable and Laugh in the Face of Adversity There will be smiles, there will be tears, even as the world falls apart around your ears. So grit your teeth, close your eyes and keep those cameras rolling – the people are counting on you. Long live the National Nightly News.