The point here is that Machinima isn't just about using Classic Quake to create a movie or two. Machinima is about the converging of 3D game tech with animation and filmmaking.
3D animation is clearly striving for always-faster render times and 3D game engines are coming closer to software renderers. Once you get to the point of real-time animation and interaction, the creative approach becomes more akin to filmmaking than animation (although some of the animation aspects will still be there).
And yes, the hardware render of today does not compete with a software renderer. But Machinima isn't just about what's being done today - it's also about what's going to be created as the technology advances and converges.
...I just find it funny that the PSX PDF on IGN includes recon photos of the PSX plant in Japan. MS and Nintendo will surely take advantage of this one slip-up.;)
No doubt, this sounds like a great product - I will definitely be getting one, once they ship (provided the factory stays intact!)
As it's been stated, the convergence of real-time & off-line rendering is not too far off. As someone who's been working with off-line renderers for a number of years (cut my 3D teeth on an Intelligent Light system years ago), it's inevitable to see software features make their way onto on hardware. If you look back 10 years & recall what real-time rendering looked like & look it it today (John's DOOM III engine is a nice example), it looks obvious that the quality will reach similar levels to today's "film-quality" visuals soon enough.
That said, this is where machinima shows up. Machinima is defined as "filmmaking within in a real-time 3D virtual environment". To the extent that most of this discussion is hardware render-bashing, machinima is not just about real-time animation (although that is a component), but also about how it allows for more flexibility in the production & post-production process.
To break it down:
Scenes are "shot" in real-time, much like an actual film, recording in a data-file format (rather than lofty bitmaps). Good & bad takes are logged for editing in post.
In the post-production process, editing is also done using the real-time engine, using the data files to edit. In here, everything can be changed, tweaked, added or deleted - camera placement, models, animations, event triggers, backgrounds, attributes, etc. - editing only the data file for the real-time engine to read.
Scenes are edited with music/sfx for output to screen or recording device - again, because of its resolution-independance a number of formats can be supported with the same source (low-res video streams to high-end video).
So, machinima is not only about real-time animation, but about filmmaking within a real-time virtual environment (which includes animated elements).
And why is that it's not more popular? I think the responses on this board are indictive of that. No one seems to know enough of it & what it offers.
To that point, we are doing our best to give & get more visibility. My former group, The ILL Clan, is one of the few award-winning teams to use machinima for production. Our last machinima film, Hardly Workin', was produced using id Software's Quake II. It went on to take both Best Experimental & Best of SHO in Showtime Network's Alternative Media Festival in 2001. It also won a number of other awards in various festivals It was also the focus of a number of broadcast & periodical pieces (CNN, NPR, Entertainment Weekly, Time Out NY, etc.).
So the word is starting to get around. In a few weeks, the first annual Machinima festival will be held as well as certain other events to help forward machinima as a new medium.
Now, onto improvised animation. Our machinima films use dialogue that is entirely improvised. Now, we didnt film while improvising the dialogue (not in the last two films at least), but we did record the prior to filming & filmed the action to the improvised dialogue (similar to animation - but filming in real-time). We have, however, recorded improvised pieces (which use improvised animation to a degree) while filming and see it's promise as a production method - allowing a certain amount of human performance into the piece.
So, as I step off the soapbox, I realize I'm not about to shift the thoughts of the naysayers. but at least allow a few to ponder machinima's capabilities & approach.
He keeps toiling because he foresees a "golden age of graphics programming." He expects that game technology will be used to animate films in the near future.
As an avid gamer with a reasonable & somewhat steady income, I have purchased almost every console worth its weight in silicon. Not that I have money to throw around, but with these systems costing anyhere between $150-$300, having your many cakes & eating them too, is not entirely out of the question.
I purchased my DC last year @ launch, and have been extremely happy with the purchase. My PS2 just arrived this past Thursday & I'm very happy with it as well (I'm also glad I pre-ordered in February). I'm also looking forward to the Tribes2 release later this year as the original one of my favorite PC games.
Bottom line, there's plenty of room in the toy chest for all of these systems. And if your funds are limited, buy the one that has most enticing set of games/features for yourself. Either way, your purchase will be a good one.
ILL Robinson The ILL Clan
Makers of Machinima shorts,
Apartment Huntin' & Hardly Workin'
My take on Machinima is that its not about "Wow, look what we can do with a game engine", but more about the where & how entertainment will be created in the future.
Currently, most 3D animations are pre-rendered. Its only a matter of time before pre-rendering is a thing of the past & we will be controling the elements in a 3D animation via human operators (like puppeteering) & scripts. With this, its easy to see how it will intrude on traditional filmmaking. Sets will be digitally created as well as they more easily modified & less costly to make. And as 3D technologies advance, those sets & characters will become more realistic as the blurring line between real world filmmaking & the digital recreation/representation becomes moreso.
Is this going to put Arriflex out of business yet? No way. But in the evolution of passive entertainment, the technology will pave the road
to make it wider & smoother.
-ILL Robinson
P.S.
|>ro$$er - Yes, all the dialogue in HW was improvised. Which may explain why some people liked it & others not. I created all the visuals for Hardly Workin' solely on my own, which to me, is another example of the benefits of Machinima. You could argue that anyone with a 3D proggie can do the same and that would be correct, but it was easier for me to build placeholder models first, direct the "actors" through the diner environment using those models, record those actions & then swap back in the finalized characters @ the editing stage so that the production could happen in parallel form rather than with a serial approach. For future productions, those finalized characters can now be re-utilized.
Slashdot Mirror
...was wrapped gift wrap.
Worse part was, I didn't know when the hell to stop unwrapping.
The point here is that Machinima isn't just about using Classic Quake to create a movie or two. Machinima is about the converging of 3D game tech with animation and filmmaking.
3D animation is clearly striving for always-faster render times and 3D game engines are coming closer to software renderers. Once you get to the point of real-time animation and interaction, the creative approach becomes more akin to filmmaking than animation (although some of the animation aspects will still be there).
And yes, the hardware render of today does not compete with a software renderer. But Machinima isn't just about what's being done today - it's also about what's going to be created as the technology advances and converges.
...I just find it funny that the PSX PDF on IGN includes recon photos of the PSX plant in Japan. MS and Nintendo will surely take advantage of this one slip-up. ;)
No doubt, this sounds like a great product - I will definitely be getting one, once they ship (provided the factory stays intact!)
...he would have learned one of these damn apps already.
As it's been stated, the convergence of real-time & off-line rendering is not too far off. As someone who's been working with off-line renderers for a number of years (cut my 3D teeth on an Intelligent Light system years ago), it's inevitable to see software features make their way onto on hardware. If you look back 10 years & recall what real-time rendering looked like & look it it today (John's DOOM III engine is a nice example), it looks obvious that the quality will reach similar levels to today's "film-quality" visuals soon enough.
That said, this is where machinima shows up. Machinima is defined as " filmmaking within in a real-time 3D virtual environment ". To the extent that most of this discussion is hardware render-bashing, machinima is not just about real-time animation (although that is a component), but also about how it allows for more flexibility in the production & post-production process.
To break it down:Scenes are "shot" in real-time, much like an actual film, recording in a data-file format (rather than lofty bitmaps). Good & bad takes are logged for editing in post.
In the post-production process, editing is also done using the real-time engine, using the data files to edit. In here, everything can be changed, tweaked, added or deleted - camera placement, models, animations, event triggers, backgrounds, attributes, etc. - editing only the data file for the real-time engine to read.
Scenes are edited with music/sfx for output to screen or recording device - again, because of its resolution-independance a number of formats can be supported with the same source (low-res video streams to high-end video).
So, machinima is not only about real-time animation, but about filmmaking within a real-time virtual environment (which includes animated elements).
And why is that it's not more popular? I think the responses on this board are indictive of that. No one seems to know enough of it & what it offers.
To that point, we are doing our best to give & get more visibility. My former group, The ILL Clan, is one of the few award-winning teams to use machinima for production. Our last machinima film, Hardly Workin', was produced using id Software's Quake II. It went on to take both Best Experimental & Best of SHO in Showtime Network's Alternative Media Festival in 2001. It also won a number of other awards in various festivals It was also the focus of a number of broadcast & periodical pieces (CNN, NPR, Entertainment Weekly, Time Out NY, etc.).
So the word is starting to get around. In a few weeks, the first annual Machinima festival will be held as well as certain other events to help forward machinima as a new medium.
Now, onto improvised animation. Our machinima films use dialogue that is entirely improvised. Now, we didnt film while improvising the dialogue (not in the last two films at least), but we did record the prior to filming & filmed the action to the improvised dialogue (similar to animation - but filming in real-time). We have, however, recorded improvised pieces (which use improvised animation to a degree) while filming and see it's promise as a production method - allowing a certain amount of human performance into the piece.
So, as I step off the soapbox, I realize I'm not about to shift the thoughts of the naysayers. but at least allow a few to ponder machinima's capabilities & approach.
Thanks,
Paul "ILL Robinson" Marino
Very coool....
To quote the article:
He keeps toiling because he foresees a "golden age of graphics programming." He expects that game technology will be used to animate films in the near future.
Sounds like machinima to me! (c:
Hear, Hear! My feelings exactly!
As an avid gamer with a reasonable & somewhat steady income, I have purchased almost every console worth its weight in silicon. Not that I have money to throw around, but with these systems costing anyhere between $150-$300, having your many cakes & eating them too, is not entirely out of the question.
I purchased my DC last year @ launch, and have been extremely happy with the purchase. My PS2 just arrived this past Thursday & I'm very happy with it as well (I'm also glad I pre-ordered in February). I'm also looking forward to the Tribes2 release later this year as the original one of my favorite PC games.
Bottom line, there's plenty of room in the toy chest for all of these systems. And if your funds are limited, buy the one that has most enticing set of games/features for yourself. Either way, your purchase will be a good one.
ILL Robinson
The ILL Clan
Makers of Machinima shorts,
Apartment Huntin' & Hardly Workin'
For some reason, I find humor in seeing "© Copyright 2000 The Walt Disney Company." at the end of this article. (c:
Currently, most 3D animations are pre-rendered. Its only a matter of time before pre-rendering is a thing of the past & we will be controling the elements in a 3D animation via human operators (like puppeteering) & scripts. With this, its easy to see how it will intrude on traditional filmmaking. Sets will be digitally created as well as they more easily modified & less costly to make. And as 3D technologies advance, those sets & characters will become more realistic as the blurring line between real world filmmaking & the digital recreation/representation becomes moreso.
Is this going to put Arriflex out of business yet? No way. But in the evolution of passive entertainment, the technology will pave the road to make it wider & smoother.
-ILL RobinsonP.S. |>ro$$er - Yes, all the dialogue in HW was improvised. Which may explain why some people liked it & others not. I created all the visuals for Hardly Workin' solely on my own, which to me, is another example of the benefits of Machinima. You could argue that anyone with a 3D proggie can do the same and that would be correct, but it was easier for me to build placeholder models first, direct the "actors" through the diner environment using those models, record those actions & then swap back in the finalized characters @ the editing stage so that the production could happen in parallel form rather than with a serial approach. For future productions, those finalized characters can now be re-utilized.