Hugh Hancock steps down from AMAS board

Though most posts here are about Machinima in general, Thinking Machinima is also the official AMAS blog and requires me to make official AMAS postings from time-to-time. Today's posting is one - confirming Hugh Hancock's decision to step down as an AMAS board member.

The AMAS board has released a statement in regards to this event:

"As Hugh Hancock announced on the Strange Company blog, he has stepped down from the AMAS board. Since helping to co-found the Academy of Machinima Arts and Sciences in 2002, Hugh was an invaluable board member of the Academy. His contributions put the word "Machinima" into the cultural lexicon and helped shape the AMAS Machinima Festival to what it is today. We respect Hugh's decision to focus on his filmmaking and other areas of interest and wish him all the best in his future endeavours."

CSI: NY - The Joy and Perils of Machinima on Primetime TV

Even though it's been a few days since the premier of the CSI: NY machinima blend piece, Down the Rabbit Hole, I still don't have a very clear reaction to it.

On one hand, the quality of the commercial machinima is incredible and I'm happy to acknowledge that this is a big step forward in mixing the technique with traditional movies/entertainment. Seeing machinima of Second Life on my TV screen was like seeing an old friend!

However, the joint efforts of CSI, Cisco, and The Electric Sheep, are part of a larger marketing campaign. As such, I am left with two large puzzles:

1. A technical issue: The Second Life seen in the CSI episode is the enhanced, Windlight edition, that is not yet available to the general public. Hugh Hancock alluded to it in the Machinima for Dummies book as an improvement on the graphics. Unarguably, it does a lot for the appeal of the platform, but I wonder how many people logged on to discover that the world isn't as pretty or doesn't work quite as seamlessly as it did on TV. Then again, I suppose this wouldn't be the first time television has lied. :)

2. A consistency point: Somehow, the goal of the CSI show seems at odds with the invitation to have people join a virtual world.
I don't typically watch CSI, but these kinds of police shows have an underlying theme -- that some kind of mind perversion is what creates criminals. The machinima section here basically depicts the technology that may enable those outlaws. Although there was a reference to the empowering characteristic of virtual worlds for people with disabilities, the sheer force of the imagery presented is making viewers think "hey, this looks so sexy, I have to try it!" The real murder under investigation starts to feel unreal, if you don't lose sight of it altogether.

Somehow, I'm more excited to see the TV series made by NBC in collaboration with Pierce P. The story line sounds more promising and internally consistent.


I hope Paul will chime in with his views on this moment in history. I'd also love to hear from other machinimists, with their thoughts on the episode and of Second Life as an up-and-coming machinima platform.

Entranced by Bloodspell, The Movie

Bloodspell, the feature movie production from Strange Company is an epic culmination for one of the most fascinating and groundbreaking machinima series. The main accomplishment? Pure, unfettered entertainment that reaches the audience through powerful storytelling and compelling cinematography.

Hugh Hancock, writer and director, was present in Second Life this Sunday (event produced by machiniplex.com ), to receive feedback and be overwhelmed by excited fans. Countless secrets of the trade were shared with humor, including setting up cinematic dolly shots ("we were using calculus, it was scary!"), the incredible play of color & contrast achieved in post processing("thau shalt not shoot people wearing brown on a brown set"), and badger-based lighting technique ("the best thing we learnt about lighting is 'hey, let's have some!'").

As a deeper statement for things yet to come, the message of Bloodspell is clear. Simply take a look at the Creative Commons tag and the introductory cracks at the traditional, pre-movie legalese we're used to seeing, my favorite:

"Piracy is a crime....so don't steal any boats."

Beyond the technical talk and jokes, the most remarkable feat of the movie was its ability to make me forget that I was looking at a game environment. The only thing that broke my immersion were the character skins, but that can be attributed to being spoiled by the advances I have seen in Second Life. To give you a feel, you can check out a few samples on the Uncanny Valley page, any work by artist Darkdharma Daguerre, or Robbie Dingo's machinima blog.

I highly encourage you to see Bloodspell, make up your own mind about it, and let us know. Download it, watch the streaming video, and give it lots of Digg love!

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:

1. 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.

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. 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.

5. Machinima distribution – everything from understanding codecs, formats, to delivery practices online and offline.

6. 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).

7. 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.

8. 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

9. 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!)

Feel free to add your own impressions here. :)