Machinima Branching Out Beyond Game Assets

ILL Clinton writes "Animation World Magazine's website has a nice article about the current state of machinima, which is the process of making movies using real-time game technology. The article features a Quicktime movie from what is probably the most beautiful machinima movie so far, 'Anna' (created using Quake 3) by Fountainhead Entertainment. Also featured are quotes and mentions of other Machinima movie-makers and their latest works, including a new piece to be broadcast on Scottish TV by Strange Company, and the latest live performances by The ILL Clan animator/improvisers. (As my name suggests, I'm one of them.) Interestingly, the article focuses on machinima makers who create their own 3D assets, as opposed to re-using those that come with whatever game is being used to make the movie."

Comments

Re:Red Vs. Blue

[ILL Clinton]

There's different ways of doing it. Red Vs. Blue uses linked XBoxes to to act out and record using all in-game assets. Others, like the movies we do in the ILL Clan are done using open-source Quake 2, which allows us to create all our own assets, and program mods that allow for things like lip synching, and teleporting cameras. In both of the above cases, the characters are controlled like puppets with a keyboard or controller, and the recording is done like on a film set... characters to their places, director calls "action", etc.

Others (Like Anna) are created using a game engine, but the character and camera movement is all plotted in advance using Machinimation software. It's still called Machinima because the rendering is all real-time.

One really interesting thing (if I may say so myself) that the article mentions is that real-time animation allows for live productions. So what we have done is set up our server and laptops at a club or theater and project the video directly from the camera's POV on the server onto a large screen for the audience to see. Then we control the camera and puppets right there in the theater, and "perform" the animation. Our latest show involves two characters running for President and Vice Pres. and we answer questions from the audience. We have a few years experience doing comedy improv on stages in NYC, so we like to interact with the audience.

Annoying thing about alot of Machinima

[Simulant]

Quicktime. (or mpeg, real, or whatever) If you are going to release a film that can't be viewed using the real-time engine it was created with, I'm not all that interested in viewing it.

I assume this is done to protect assets created for the films but I feel it detracts from the viewing pleasure.