Who Is? .....and The Land Down Under

Im toying with the idea for a future production.  Liked the way this came out.

Furthermore...Sewers?  Good stuff to be seen on the interweb.  Nice lighting eh?

All photos from : http://www.undercity.org/_Prints/aqueducts_undergroundrivers_sewers.html

A look at the 2011 MachinExpo Films - Part 2

Continuing through the screening films, here are two more that I enjoyed profusely:





Pixilated Truth by ArbitDelacroix  - "Pop Art Lab music video contest entry for Giana Factory's Pixelated Truth"


This music video is a perfect example of the of the power of SL as a machinima tool.  The character models are wonderful, the motions are effective, the editing is excellent and the end result is something you might see on a bigger medium than Youtube.  Catchy song.


It strikes me that I have seen more effective and memorable music videos made in second life than any other platform.  And not for lack of trying as Iclone is constantly being used in this genre.  Perhaps there's an inherent glossiness in SL that works well for music videos.  Perhaps its a difference in the way the directors film (and I do believe there are basic general differences in the way programs teach/influence the director to shoot things).  Perhaps its just my bias.  Something to ponder. 





Transmission by Ed Lie - "A lone astronaut, miles from home."


The majority of machinima shorts that I watch lack a defining moment.  I reach the end of the movie and pass judgement upon the productions strengths and weaknesses to determine where it stands among other machinima shorts that I have seen.  There are plenty of good shorts that have no moment.  they are cohesive and perhaps even thought provoking.  But the kind of moment I'm talking about is one that is bigger than the movie itself.


Occasionally there is one with an aha moment, or a moment of genuine humor or sadness that tends to pull me out of the screen for a moment and makes me evaluate what I have just seen.  Transmission has such a moment.  Stylish and mysterious this moment changes the environment that Transmission works within but leaves the definition of the new environment blurry.  Lets call it a "wait.....uh...what?"  moment.  While this may sound like a detriment it actually works incredibly well and makes Transmission truly memorable.  


I would not have been suprised to see Transmission as a jury finalist.  Crazy high production values.  My only qualm involves the music which too often feels like a round peg forced into a square hole.




MachinExpo
November 19-20
http://www.machinima-expo.com/

A look at the 2011 MachinExpo Films - Part 1

I started wading through the screening selections last night. Here are three of my favorites so far:

Scent Memory by Patrick Kendrick - "A fighter pilot regains consciousness next to his wrecked plane, only to find it rusted and aged by decades. As he explores unfamiliar surroundings, he encounters a bizarre cast of characters and confronts decades of layered memories."


Skilled SecondLife machinima tale that is engaging, mysterious and beautiful. The story is a bit floaty (with a seemingly healthy dose of 2001 mixed in) feeling a bit like a dream. Well worth a look.

Sintetic FAITH by Nikolay Rusenov - One of my top 5 favorite Iclone movies. Humanity isnt always human. Excellent work.

What Isn’t Underneath? by Hypatia Pickens - "This short film is an homage to Scottius Polke's eerie art environment called "The Docks," on display through June 30, 2011 at Originalia in Second Life. Since it is due to come down after that, I thought I would try to capture some of its subtle ominousness in a machinima narrative. So Sangreal Arnica and I put our heads together and came up with a story that explained something that really can't be explained. Whenever you do that, you disambiguate something that is ambiguous. I tried to capture all the strange details that Scotty filled his build with."


My favorite viewing of the evening. Dark and poetic secondlife tale that looks a bit like a living painting. Short and wonderful. See it!

Happy Halloween!

Heres a short I put together for the Chris62 HalloweenFest on TMU.

Tan Julius tells a tale wrought with woe, in the end he reeps what he sows.

Paper Theater from myclone.wordpress.com/​

Sounds from freesound.org

Intro piano clip from incomptech.com

Happy Halloween!

Fun Fact + MachinExpo Promo

A flock of crows is called a murder of crows. Huh.



November 19th and 20th 2011.

Sushi Ronin

Here is my latest flick all dudded up using crazytalk animator and Iclone 4. Hope you like!

Soap Box Racing - Brooklyn 2011

This aint machinima but I promise a post soon on some machinima stuff Ive seen lately.

A block party in our hood had some soap box racing going on. There was an excellent crash into the stands that proves that kidfun danger isnt as dead as Ive heard. Yea I feel bad for the guy with bloodied shins and the scared little girl but it was good to see noone called off the race in horror. Of course I woulda sued...hehe. Anywho, heres the pics. and theres Kid MIllions soaking up the fun. A fine summer day.

Ethyl Merman Lies Beneath

More work to add to the Kid Millions Resume.  Just some sillyness and fun.

Nathan Bitner and the Mysterious Tunnel

I ever tell you the story of the Nathan Bitner Expose?  Its a memorable story to me because I myself entered the He-Man character contest back in the 80's.  My character was Hear-O (he had excellent vision...or someting) and I was convinced I was going to win with an idea like that.  Then Bitner came along with his superior drawing skills and his character Photog won the contest.  Years later X-Entertainment writes a little blog about whatever happened to Nathan Bitner and the sordid exploits of his youth and otherwise become public knowledge.  Memorable.

Today I happened upon a little pic on Shorpy,com of a mysterious tunnel from 1924.  Reading through the comments (often almost as fun as seeing the hi-res pics) there were plenty of suggestions of speakeasy tunnels but then someone unearthed the newspaper accounts of a rather extensive tunnel system built by a millionaire entomologist as a hobby.  This was followed information of the man being a bigamist and his failed attempt to get a real divorce of a fake marriage (complicated as bigamy must often be) and then dying 5 years later.  The situation reminded me Bitner (who was understandably horrified when he happened upon the X-Entertainment post with 1000+ comments about his personal life)..  Only it happened in 1925 instead of 1990.  And still people were able to use the ol internet to get to the sordid little details.  

The Sport of Kings (and queens and jacks)

I think I mentioned a while back that I was toying with a Faustian baseball project.  Following a 3 month computer issue wash, I seem to be back in business. Been working the last 3 weeks on this particular scene.  No animation yet; just set and lighting and characters.  But then theres no script for this particular episode.  Most likely a music video type of thing.  And I heard that collective gasp of disappointment.  

Of interest to me, I'm using fog to tamp down a bit of the brightness from the HDR effect (and to give things a hint of smokiness).

The Thomas Beale Cipher

Caught this one as a Vimeo favorite. Much fun and creativity. More info here.

Family Sci Fi Fun

My first CTA short and easing out of a funk.

I am slowly coming out of a 3 month funk due to computer issues.  Heres hoping everything is fixed (though it inspires no hope that I do not know why everything seems to be working correctly).  Expect another little family oriented adventure in the next couple of days.  Until then...


GO Falcons!!!

Yea, Im a big falcon fan.  It doesnt help that MrsBiz is a big Green Bay Packer fan.  Lets hope things stay civil when my team wins.

NYC Holiday Train Show

Made a trip to the NYC Holiday Train Show last weekend and managed to splice together some admittedly amateur video into something coherent enough to send to the grand folks.  Its a bit too long.  If I were doing it again, Id lop off at least a minute.  Meh.  100 NYC buildings (and 3 major bridges) made out of sticks and twigs and berries.  Very cool exhibit.  A good excuse for me to get acquainted with Vegas Movie Editor. 

Thoughts on the MachinExpo 2010 Jury Nominees

I heart the Machinexpo.  Its got smarts, variety and edginess but lacks the attitude you might find elsewhere.  Its a great way to see new things or to see old things in a new way.  So when their jury film selections are released I get all excited.  16 films selected this year.  The majority of the selections are under 10 minutes and I managed to watch 3/4 of the selections in 2 hours.   So without further ado, heres my thoughts on the jury nominees...and as always these are just my opinions (which are seemingly often overly critical).  Your thoughts are welcome.

Unheimliche by Pierre Gaudillere - Im completely unaware of the creators intent here.  Based on my experiences this felt like a fan film or perhaps even a teaser for Limbo (the video game).  Little info in the credits as to what was used (perhaps it was limbo or perhaps Little Big Planet) or what it means.  Shadow profile looked cool but felt like a buildup to something more interesting.  The most esoteric of the bunch this year.  

Rod Pulsar - Terra by Rod Pulsar - No less than 10 seperate video games were used in this techno music will save the world flick.  Very well made, lovely to look at, clever premise.  In the end, I dont like techno music and the process of reading the subs kept me a bit distanced.

The Big Event by Jorge - I have voiced my positive opinion on this one elsewhere.  Razor sharp dialog and a tight focused story.  Perhaps lacks the visual bells and whistles of some of the other nominees but is more than competently put together. Excellent.  

That Girl Stole My Nick at the Voom Hotel by Luca Lisci - Snow Crash meets Lydia Lunch in easily the most bizzare Expo offering Ive seen.  An interesting portrayal of what I wildly imagine a 2nd life sex show to be like (though I realize its probably not).  At the beginning I was bewildered and by the end I had it figured as mostly genius.  I really liked the carnival vibe music that ends in an eerie, somber er...release.

W.B. Yeats - An Irish Airman forsees his death by Russell Boyd - A short Flight-Sim based, reading of a Yeats poem.   Nothing jumped out at me as particularly noteworthy though the ending is very nice.  I wonder if I'm missing something that hooks others either through knowledge of the  poem or the methods used in flight sim machinima.

A Woman's Trial by Chantal Harvey - One for the ladies.  Theres some nice inventive camera work focusing on the Eiffel tower.  However, once the sisters of the audience were formally addressed I felt a bit um..alienated.  But thats just me.

Major League Azeroth by John Hsu - Frenetic and crazy like a Japanese game show but still had me thinking about fast forwarding at times (perhaps it's a bit too long).  Would be interesting to see a "making of", as theres so much going on in this one but outside of the pacing, the effects and the howdtheydothat?? factor it failed to grab me.

Order of Madness by Eugene Tan - A modern war movie with a compelling description.  Some of the scenes were wonderful depicting war machines at their most sleek and destructive but I thought that the effect of jumping around between the shooter P.O.V. (with that rigid gun arm)  and the 3rd person perspective was at times rather jarring.  About half way through, OoM presents a compelling scenario where the protagonist uses all means necessary to stay alive.  It is a unique moment (at least for me) for this type of film.  I simultaneously hated and loved the way it made me feel and think.  Unfortunately, I felt that the last third of the movie was very confusing and failed to build upon that moment.   

Moonlighter by Igor Tkachenko - Exceptional animations (best Ive seen in Iclone).  Technically wonderful.  A cute scenario but feels a bit thin on content.

Dagon - HP  Lovecraft by Lainy Voom - Excellent and creepy.  Voom's distinctive style cuts out or alters much of the more goofy looking 2nd life animations and instead relies upon sets of slightly animated stills (if that makes any sense).  The style reminds me of an old TMU flick from Trewill7 about a serial killer and a tree (it featured AND I believe).  Anywho, great visuals, creepy stuff.  On par with her own The Dumb Man (one of my personal machinima faves).  A frontrunner I would bet.

gEISHA by Krish Spyker - Another distinctive 2nd life style.  Dirty, gritty, adult themed.  Very good.  Interesting both in its style and its point (and I have little doubt that there is indeed a point).

Clockwise Part 1 by Amorphous Blob Productions - Half Life noir.  Not quite as fun for me as Shelf Life (2009 Expos excellent Half Life Jury selection) but very smooth and very enjoyable.  Great VO performance from Ricky Grove.

Breathe 2 "Its a wonderful 2nd Life" by samlowry - A tour of great second life locations.  Well made, inspiring and a call for more creativity and less capitalism.    I'm a little torn on what this has created; it is after all just a tour of locations and perhaps a bit of promotion. Not so much a story or an idea but a nicely executed location tour.  

Out in the Cold by Legs I - A fine Xmasy WoW flick but I felt like I was missing some back-story that perhaps exists in the framework of the game (which I don't play) or barring that, in fairy and goblin xmas lore.

Success Begets Success by Freeta Kayo - A documentary about a man with a brain injury who finds inspiration and more in 2nd Life.  Its an inspiring story told (IMO) in a somewhat bland and unfocused manner.  Is more interested in the social environment of machinima than in the movie making aspects which is fine but hard to compare to the other nominees.  And I feel like a jerk for not liking it.

The Ills of Silence by Walvince - A complex espionage/thriller made in MovieStorm (French I believe w/ English subs).  Complex and a bit confusing at times but hugely original and stylish.  I found myself confused at times due to not understanding if there were cultural customs at work or a changed/imagined future society at work.  The animations at times were called upon to get something across that didnt always come (all the time spent staring at the "deaf" man didn't always convey the isolation I think it was supposed to).  A bit of a downer but worth the watch.

This is a pretty good collection of varied machinima flicks. I have gripes and personal opinions about many of them but an argument could certainly be made about any one of these being the big winner.  My favorites are The Big Event, That Girl Stole my Nick, Dagon and gIESHA with Dagon being my most probable to win and Big Event being the Underdog (ala ClockWork from last year).  I am surprised to see three 2nd Life flicks as my faves.  Perhaps some further thoughts on this in the future.

Today I looked back at my thoughts on last years Expo.  Interesting to compare to this years if your into that type of thing.

Provacative diorama seeks not to solve world's problems.

 I'm beginning to really enjoy bldgblog which always seems to have new interesting posts.  Like this one about a guy who marries architecture to story.  The Emperor's Castle is like a little diorama of craziness full of meaning that i just don't quite fully understand as yet.  Check out the Migration of Mel and Judith as well.  I don't really know what it is but I know I'm intrigued and a bit inspired.  And I rarely ask for more than that.

baseball tonight

This is what we pray for in a baseball team.  A bunch of guys of who hear they dont have a chance and say fuck off  Yea, the Giants beat my locals (ATL) but we all felt good about it as it was a close knit and respect filled affair (christ, the braves had nobody left at the end..give us a break) and the giants are doing exactly what you want in a feel good season.  Show your strengths (starting pitching) and stick around.   The Phillies may yet win this series but the Giants are memorable this season for thier Blackbeards and their Pandas...  What would David Justice have been compared to in 95 wonder.   Alas Posey is up and it way past my bedtime.  And baseball can still be potent.

3 animations I've enjoyed immensely

3 excellent animated shorts I watched in the last month that left a lasting impression.


Stand Up - Creepy rotoscoped creepiness.  Nothing says "cant tear your eyes away" like a bad standup comedian flailing away into the blackest parts of their being (Michael Richards anyone?).  Thanks for the headup CartoonBrew.


Salesman Pete - Fun action, memorable visual setups and editing.  A Vimeo spotlight feature.


How Wings are Attached to the Backs of Angels - Another creepsy short.  Rube Goldberg Machines meet otherworldly (even other to the otherworld of this story) Ghost story.  Highlighted in the Myclone Blog.

Graphic: A Risky Business by D.L. Watson

Im really digging the live action actors on the MovieStorm sets as well as the twotone color.  Yea, the lipsync decision is distracting at first but kudos for the varying route.  Color me impressed.

"Graphic: A Risky Business" from D.L. Watson on Vimeo.

YOU ARE THERE!!! - Archive.org

Been poking around archive.org a good bit lately, specifically in the 78 cylinder archive.  Some pretty excellent stuff there if you like your blues/country/jazz authentic and alive. Some of my faves include Big Bill Broonzy's Good Liquor Gonna Carry Me Home (what should be sad is in fact pretty fun),  Geeshie Wiley's Last Kind Words (haunting), LeadBelly's Where did you Sleep Last Night (haunting again), Charlie Poole's Don't Let Your Deal Go Down, Dock Boggs' Country Blues (feels like your sitting around a campfire at a sqatters camp), Trio Matamoros' Yo 'Ta Cansa (check out that shift there at the end) and Im So Glad from Skip James.


Anywho, I stumbled upon this CBS radio re-enactment of the third day of The Battle of Gettysburg complete with multiple radio correspondents.  Bizarre interviews with soldiers in the field (especially the creepy confederate who sounds like a jailhouse rapist around 9:40), field reports from the middle of the battle and the excellent booming, echoey, dissafected voice  shouting YOU ARE THERE like the horsemen of the Apocalypse are upon us.  Surreal.  I have openly mocked war re-enactments in the past but this one is worth a listen just for the strangeness of it all.  Also kind of weird how they never really talk about all the dead (50,000 lives lost).  


As an added plus you can follow along on Wikipedia.  Strange fact about the only civilian death being a stray bullet striking a woman making bread in her kitchen.  A bad time and place to make bread I suppose.