Everyday is a Good Day

Everyday is a good day for machinima. But January 2nd was an exceptional day. It began the day after the New Year in Second Life. The 25 days of machinima. Now as we move toward the end of the month, it is a good time to reflect on how the machinima community likes to celebrate its own in Second Life. So many came out to support MaMachinima Queen Chantal Harvey's screening of Good Day Today, which launched the 25 days. And it was a good day to bring out the troops to view one of her latest projects. Not so long ago, I reviewed Chantal's A Woman's Trial in this column, if you are looking for some background on this amazing woman. Before her screening, Chantal was introduced by her good friend, the very talented machinimatographer Phaylen Fairchild (also recently blogged by yours truly).

So a bit about the film; it features music by the renowned American filmmaker/composer David Lynch and stars Penumbra Carter as Lil Robot. Surreal was one of the adjectives used by viewers to describe the film besides the numerous other accolades, acknowledging an overall superb performance and production.

The machinima was shown in the media house in Mango, followed by a celebratory party with Slim Warrior at the DJ helm.

My complete story will be published in the March 2011 edition of Best of SL Magazine in the Events and Society Pages. I will name names! - those who attended!

I could go and on about machinima, but for now Lowe and I have a book deadline to meet. I am going to have to be sparse until we turn in the manuscript in March to our publisher.

:) Soni

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Chantal's website is http://mamachinima.eu.

The Complete BOSL Flickr set

Good Day Today, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZsfNLZsyLQg

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Forthcoming, Machinima: The Art & Practice (working title, McFarland, 2011) by Sonicity Fitzroy and Lowe Runo. The Professional Machinima Artist Guild graciously provides syndication of Sonicity’s blog Magnum: The Machinima Review to Aview.TV/Sonicity/

Phaylen Fairchild: The Still and The Machinima

Wonderfully Phaylen. Make Me Laugh, beautifully! Ah, we meet again, for the continuation of my series on art in machinima, as I feature the art of machinimist Phaylen Fairchild this round. Her machinima work is beautifully captured and created, but her stories are typically comedic. Her humor is well conceived and executed, and her visuals are striking. I had a moment to chat with her about connections between visualization in art and machinima. I will be interviewing her at length for an upcoming book dealing with machinima, and I look forward to our extended talk. For now, I have a couple of emerging theories about this still art and machinima bond. First let me make it clear, that not every still artist is or becomes a machinimist. Second, not every machinimist is or will become a still artist. Yet, machinima, solely and collectively as a film genre, are composed (yes, I have used the appropriate word in this case) of a series of still frames. Motion moves us forward through the frames.

But there are times in a film, where the producer wants the audience to stop - and absorb the moment. It is as if the film stops, the screen appears frozen, and of course in a film that never happens technically. But for the viewer it does - time stands still. Stillness requires mastery in a motion picture. A still photo invites us to experience the artist's reality often in the same way. So as you contemplate on all this, I would like you to look through the eyes of Phaylen, and tell me not if you cannot see the richness of this frozen space (but never frozen image). It is a space filled with an imprint from her mind of a story revealed on virtual canvas, let's say a composite of her imagination, memories and vision. Each still work has a setting, character, and a story to tell.

This is the mind of Phaylen Fairchild, machinima diva of Second Life, WOW, and virtual kingdoms yet to conquer. She understands what makes us laugh (as in her World of Warcraft Divas series, to name only one). But when you look at and through her still photography, you begin to know there is so much to her understanding of the human soul, what makes it tick, and the self-knowhow of understanding makes herself inspired. Get a glimpse of her soul, and you will begin to appreciate the importance of every frame of your machinima. Just remember Phaylen does know how to have fun, but beautifully, in her art and machinima! She is playful and contemplative, and image matters in still and motion works. So when you smile at her ironic artistic interpretations of virtual life, or gut roll onto the floor while watching her beautifully composed machinima, you have entered Playlen's (lol, Phaylen's) world of artcraft. - Soni :)

Her work is on display in the outside court of the
Radiant Cathedral and Museum
Phaylen's Sample Machinima:
DiVAS - Phaylen and The World of Warcraft
DiVAS Season 2, Episode 2
Phaylen and The World Of Warcraft Blood Elves
DiVAS: Season 2 Episode 3
Moxie Polano: Haute Couture - Commercial
Harbinger Movie Trailer

Forthcoming, Machinima: The Art & Practice (working title, McFarland, 2011) by Sonicity Fitzroy and Lowe Runo. The Professional Machinima Artist Guild graciously provides syndication of Sonicity’s blog Magnum: The Machinima Review to Aview.TV/Sonicity/

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Just Published: "Media, Machinima and the Virtual Runway: The Rise of Fashionista in Second Life" (November 2010) in SCAN Journal, by yours truly under my RL name.
Photos taken at the Opium Time Machine Fashion Event, Summer 2010). (Soni, BEST OF SL Magazine reporter/photographer, in white)

Women's Machinima - More Than Virtual Vision

Putting the Spotlight on women again! But this is a detour away from my series, although still it relates to women machinimists. Just that I will take some time to acknowledge some very timely women's efforts, pertaining to a couple of big machinima competitions.

Behind every great man, there's a woman - and not any woman. Chantal Harvey, 48 Hour Film Project founder in Second Life, is caught behind the legendary RL film director Peter Greenaway. But in no way is she in anyone's shadow.

Over the last few weeks, some major machinima events have take place in Second Life. I would like to take note of the strong force behind these events by the strong women who contribute to them, and shape these events. At the 48 Hour Film Project/Machinima screening held in UWA/BOSL Amphitheatre in late September, I really got a kick out of the machinima The Titty Tour (by the Jewell Theatre Team), especially the in-your-face title exclaiming "I AM WOMAN - Hear me roar" to those women who totally get it - what it means to step forward and acknowledge that women bring a unique perspective to the screen and life.

My media career was built off the hard work of the women before me, and the women machinimists today are paving a path for a new generation. Don't kid yourself: those budding women machinimists are watching the women producers and the characters they bring to the screen. You don't have to claim you are feminist to understand that there is something extraordinarily brilliant about being female. That perspective needs to come to the screen - strong women who kick machinima ass by being real (real characters, credible, authentic; btw, I love the little girl in the movie Kick Ass. She is real in her own right on the screen.)

Ah, I digress again! I want to say a few words also about the last major media event that was sponsored by the University of Western Australia at the UWA-BOSL Amphitheatre. It was its final in a series of year round competitions: UWA's 3D Art & Design Challenge and MachinimUWA II: Art of the Artists. See my Best of Second Life Magazine blog for more on that.


What I did note from that event was as Taralyn Gravois (above, top), the director of the UWA-BOSL Ampitheatre, steps down from her role this year for machinima events like this, FreeWee Ling and Chantal Harvey step up to the plate: FreeWee as curator and Chantal as manager of the amphitheatre. Where do we know Chantal from, but the powerhouse that brought us MaMachinima the group, the 48 Hour Film Project (Machinima), and MaMachinima International Festival. Of course many other women have contributed to her efforts, as well as others, like Toxic Menges, Phaylen Fairchild, and Pooky Amsterdam. And what about that extraordinarily talented Flimsey Freenote, one of the winners at the 48HFP.


Another rising star, who has paid her dues by working hard on her skills, is Laurina Hawks, one of the top winners of UWA's lastest and final machinima competition (noted above) of this year. First place was tied by both Laurina (No Tomb for the Arts) & Bradley Dorchester (Art of the Artists).

I would also like to shine the spotlight on those men that have helped to make these events possible as well, such as Jayjay Zifanwe (CEO, UWA), Frolic Mills (CEO, BOSL), and LaPiscean Liberty (Aview.TV) - and many others I am leaving out.

It is extremely important to acknowledge the women of machinima, given they will help to define the film and television industries in years to come, let alone the field of machinima. I would like to acknowledge Moo Money for her work on my book project, for she has brought much experience and talent from her days with Machinima.com, Second Life, and beyond.

It is always time to celebrate the advancements of women in machinima. Keeping it short and simple this week. My blog series, Women Machinimists, will be back on track next time.

:) Soni

Machinima: 48 Hour Film Project (September 17-19)
UWA MachinimUWA II: Art of the Artists (October 10)

References:
Bravin, Persia. BOSL Blog, September 26, 2010. (48HFP)
Fitzroy, Sonity. BOLS Blog, October 12, 2010. (UWA Challenge w/links)

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Forthcoming, Machinima: The Art & Practice (working title, McFarland, 2011) by Sonicity Fitzroy and Lowe Runo. The Professional Machinima Artist Guild graciously provides syndication of Sonicity’s blog Magnum: The Machinima Review to Aview.TV/Sonicity/