Paul Marino's random insights into Machinima and its related subjects.
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Blizzard gives Machinima proper rex
Amidst all the Halo 3 hub-bub today (you did get your copy, didn't you?), Blizzard posted a neat little section on their site titled simply, Machinima - in their sidebar menu.
The section describes WoW's backround in the Machinima timeline and gives it recognition as a legitimate creative outlet for WoW players (or anyone else who would choose WoW as their Machinima platform of choice). It also links to the recently announced Machinima guidelines by Blizzard as well.
The timing might seem a tad coincidental with MS's announcing of similar terms, as well as the added Machinima features in Halo 3 - but I think there's a very deliberate strategy to it. Naturally MMOs and FPSs grab different audiences, but Machinima is one key element in grabbing new folks. Word of mouth is what makes a game, and what better way to say it, than with a short that shows it?
Regardless, I say "Good on ya, Blizzard." Let's hope others follow suit.
For those of you who have been hiding under an extremely large rock, and even then, that rock would need to be within a really deep cave that had collapsed a number of years ago, Halo 3 will be released next week to the salivating masses (count me as one).
Not only with the Legendary Edition featuring Machinima stars such as Rooster Teeth and Chris Burke, but Halo 3 itself will be a Machinimator's playpen - specifically with the new Save Films feature that records all the action within a game of Halo 3. But rather than I blather on and on about how cool it is (and I could!), Bungie does us a solid by preparing yet another great vidoc (oh, these made-up film terms) that showcases Save Films proper. Additionally, the short shows us Forge, Bungie's game-editing mode that rips a page from the Garry's Mod playbook and makes it a playable feature on top. Talk about cool! Talk about innovative! Talk about excitement and the overuse of punctuation!!!
Ok, enough smarmy chatter. Over to you, Bungie...
If you still haven't had your fill of Halo-based Machinima yet, then sit back after Sept. 25th and let it wash over you like the humidity on a NYC summer day.
There is a lot of talk about gaming and education, but it's hard to find examples that are truly compelling. That being said, after reading Hugh's post, I was blown away by was the presence at the European Machinima Festival of a Global Kids project. They have been doing an amazing job in Second Life for almost 2 years now and they have the machinima and blogs to prove it! You can watch the machinima submission for yourself on youtube. Keep in mind this is a student production before you judge too harshly. The video was, above all, a neat exercise in storytelling.
I am sure I am not the only one seeing the implications of training young people to create movies inside games/online platforms. It's a good teaching tool for teaching writing, design/art, and becoming tech savvy. However, it also means that this initiative (and others like it) create a generation much more aware of machinima as a serious technique for self-expression and sharing ideas.
Along those lines, another interesting story emerges from Asia. Kids Movie Creator is a 3D content creation platform targeted at helping students of ages 7 through 12 design sets and produce movies in them. From what I see, the work posted on the site so far is limited to still photos, but I am looking forward to seeing their progress over time.
Machinima for Dummies – A comprehensive manual for newbies and pros alike
Hugh Hancock and Johnnie Ingram have set out to write the ultimate manual for developing and creating machinima. The material is incredibly well-organized and presented with a mix of humor and transparent passion for the subject matter. The authors' insight and vast experience is reflected throughout the book as they manage to successfully seed enthusiasm and a "can-do" attitude in those reading it. After all, machinima is "maverick film-making", "a philosophy, a fervent belief, a technique, and, last of all, a technology". By the time you finish the last chapter, you too will be a convert to the idea that "everyone, everywhere, should be able to make movies".
After the journey through film-making concepts, storytelling, 3D modeling, learning the insides of a game engine, editing, and perhaps custom scripting, it is very obvious that machinima is anything but for dummies. In fact, if you plan on heading into this adventure alone, you will need a myriad of creative and technical skills and a hacker-like mindset. As such, the key selling point for Machinima for Dummies is its accessibility – the amazing ability to offer a wide range of readers a solid foundation upon which they can develop their own knowledge and skills. Expect a book that empowers and urges the audience to action.
Some quick previews:
Filmmaking 101 – Unless you're a film major, you'll likely need some help in thinking through the movie-like aspects of animation. This chapter covers concepts of framing, style, transition effects, etc., which all help the audience better understand your characters and follow the storyline. Some of it is common sense, others are useful tricks the movie industry uses on a regular basis. You cannot make a great piece of machinima without being aware and mastering the implementation of these concepts.
Storytelling + scripting – A lot of attention is given to this part, and rightly so. Your machinima's goal is to tell a story. The better organized you become at putting thoughts down and detailing your vision, the easier it will be to work out filming details later on (way after you've said "Action!"). Ideas here are illustrated with great dialog from Hugh and Johnnie and with Lord of the Rings samples.
Natural progression – The book isn't meant to be read in one sitting. Chapters follow a natural progression. Earlier parts are directed at readers who are new to machinima and later ones to those who have dabbed in it and want to make a run for professional creations. Final chapters advise the audience on best 3D modeling software to use for customizing your character and sets, and resources for scripting your own camera/neat character making hacks.
Engine review – Throughout the book, the authors have compiled helpful and up-to-date engine reviews based on a variety of features that relate to machinima. They are an invaluable resource because they also survey the sea of game engines and offer a big picture view of the possibilities ahead. Choose the engine/game that works best for the story you'd like to tell. The book follow machinima creation in three engines: Sims 2, World of Warcraft, and the newly-created Moviestorm.
Machinima distribution – everything from understanding codecs, formats, to delivery practices online and offline.
Audio – I was very excited to read this part. It was breaming with information on Creative Commons resources, software & hardware resources to capture audio from your actors/characters, and great hack tips to turning your bedroom into a state-of-the-art sound studio (ok, not quite, but very close).
Pro Machinima – The authors call it the final frontier, and it may very well be. Making professional machinima is a work of passion, that also comes with the added stress of putting up with game engine limitations in order to produce your masterpiece. When that is done, you may or may not be in trouble with the law. This chapter provides valuable information on which platforms are friendly to the machinima community, what to look for in EULAs, and how copyright legislation can affect you, the filmmaker. There is even a contact list for legal advice, should you actually get in trouble.
Up-to-date – This feature is perhaps the coolest, especially in the world of machinima, where things change pretty quickly and resources may spring over night. The authors have made a commitment to keep some of the information updated on machinimafordummies.com
The DVD – The book comes with a DVD! This contains a generous compilation of software, pieces of machinima to get you started, resources, and a free & fully legal new machinima bundle called Moviestorm. There are also goodies, such as the fun-to-watch top ten best machinima. Another top ten list to take note of is that of the sites promoting or talking about machinima (including this one!)
As I mentioned in my last blog post, Thinking Machinima is getting an overhaul, but even more importantly, some help on the blogging end. Starting this week, Rodica Buzescu will be contributing to the site giving TM readers a bit more intelluctual fodder to chew on.
Rodica's background in Machinima spans a wide range of clients and projects. She's helped developed Machinima (and live action) shorts for Harvard's first open access course as well as collaborating with Machinima impresario, Pierce Portocarrero on several pieces for Coke (where I first was introduced to Rodica - checkthemouthere). Additionally, she worked with Michael Verdi on a Machinima piece for Intel. She's also a keen follower of the art form as both a medium and as a production approach.
Please join me in welcoming her into the fold. Her first posting here will be a review of Hugh Hancock and Johnnie Ingram's Machinima for Dummies (just got mine in mail!) Stay tuned in the upcoming weeks for her thoughts on the various Machinima subject matters that have been surfacing. Rodica's take on Machinima is extremely well-rounded, looking at it from practitioner, democratizing medium and educational viewpoints. I'm really looking forward to reading her insights and think TM readers will welcome the additional vision around Machinima. Welcome, Rodica!
In other news, I'm still banging on the site redesign...slowly but surely....
Some breaking news: The WoW-based, machinima-laced South Park episode, Make Love, Not Warcraft, won the Emmy award for Outstanding Animated Program (for Programming Less Than One Hour). More details over at the News 4 Gamers site.
As someone who has judged the Emmys in years past, I know the competition they were up against was most likely extremely tough, but its a testament to the great writing and top caliber talent. Congrats to both South Park Studios and Blizzard (with a wink and a nod to both Tristan and Terran) on an amazing win!
Aside notes: There's been some real movement in the Machinima community in recent weeks -- HBO purchasing rights to Douglas Gayeton's My Second Life, both Microsoft and Blizzard announcing their Machinima policies, etc. These haven't gone unnoticed - however, I've been working on the blog's redesign in the background, along with getting some help for the blog. So hang tight, and expect the relaunch within the next few days.
Hot off the presses is the latest in Wiley's "For Dummies" series - something true and dear to all our gear-laden hearts - Hugh Hancock and Johnnie Ingram's Machinima For Dummies. For those of you living under rocks, stones and other various unmovable minerals (or perhaps, you're just arriving onto what Machinima is about - then my apologies), Hugh and Johnnie are not just any ol' folk writing about "cool" but people that both pioneers and practitioners. Hugh's history in Machinima is well known and Johnnie's passion for Machinima nearly matches Hugh's legacy. With both author's solid knowledge of the medium, the book also contains a free to use/abuse copy of MovieStorm, the new Machinima tool.
I've already ordered two copies of my own, so if you have a hankerin' for Machinima (as a creator or follower), then go get yer copy now! Or if you're in the UK, get your copy now! In Canada? Get your copy now!
Update: Hugh had requested a copy of the Still Seeing Breen video prior to the book's publish, but alas, we were unable to acquire the rights from the music label in time (though for the record, they were open to it!). More links on the Machinima for Dummies site for Hugh and Johnnie's recommended Machinima list.
