The first of a two part series....musings on machinima
The year has passed by so quickly. Machinima as a form of expression has been
very good to many of us. Some of us have
created machinima communities in which we engaged in dialogue and collaborated
on various projects. I enjoyed revisiting
the 2010 Yuletide production "TheNight Before Christmas..." by Celestial Elf, who rewrote Clement
Moore's classic poem. Voicework by Cisko Vandeverre should be
applauded, as well as Celestial's strong cast of performers and
contributors.
Two
years have passed since then, and Cisko announced his plans to leave behind SL at the
Machinima Expo. We hope that he
reconsiders, for the future has only begun for machinima in virtual
worlds. Marshall McLuhan would see such
spaces as pathways of extension for the media maker and audiences. It is the space within, and that space
emerges from within our imagination, tapping into fears and fantasies, while
elaborating notions of reality. Media
has always been iconic of human life.
It is somewhat representative at best.
For me, the art of virtual life is
expressed through writing and the imagery that complements it, propels and
projects it from one's imagination onto
our computer screens. Last year in
December, I madly wrote and published a storybook photographed in Second Life (a
sort of children's tale with an adult message regarding technology), with Lowe Runo,
Belinda Barnes, and Kara Trapdoor helping to set up the shots with
animations. Live action was
photographed, and the photos richly illustrated the words. Words and images can be wonderful allies,
neither should be dismissed as insignificant.
This year's Machinima Expo showcased the
beauty of imagination in all its forms and platforms. The complete list is available at MachinimaExpo.com. All worthy of review. The
Jury Prize Winners were "The Last Syllable of Recorded Time" and
"MetaSex" by Tutsy Navarathna, "Unfinished Painting (Dreaming in
New Orleans)" by Miron Lockett, "Wulf and Eadwacer" by Hypatia
Pickens, with the grand prize winner being "The Chapelside Deception"
by IceAxe (Iian Friar). The Audience Choice Award was presented to Friar for "Unfinished
Paintings."
In "Wulf and Eadwacer," Hypatia explores the power behind words;
image and motion intensify the audience's experience. Ancient words and worlds can be relived in Second Life, and in the film world in general. Imagination is not bound by time, set, or
any sort of visual platform - or language for that matter.
Machinima at its core goes back to the
idea of using a machine to produce cinema.
Yes, it started with game play, but it could not be contained to that. Machinima's beauty has evolved into an opportunity to freely create what we imagine, and to share it with others or
merely ourselves (projecting our imagination outside of our being into our computer). The "machine" has become a
McLuhan extension to our goals, needs, wants, desires, and budget. Ideas are captured. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Beauty is also disarming, and sometimes we
forget the idea - the substance - the message - must go beneath the surface, to the
depth of one's soul. Can machinima do that? Well, ask yourself, can the cinema do that? That is your choice. Numerous books by film scholars have been
written on the topic, and now machinima finds itself at the heart of such
discussions.
A book worthy of note along this regard is Dr. Jenna Ng's (December 6th, Continuum) Understanding Machinima: Essays on Filmmaking in Virtual Worlds. Her
edited collection begins with Dr. Henry
Lowood's Preface, who had previously edited another collection called The Machinima Reader (with Dr. Michael
Nitsche, MIT Press, 2011). Nitsche contributes to Ng's
book, and at least a couple of essays discuss Second Life in particular (based
on titles). The academic
community furiously unravels machinima
as a critical form of expression(at
least in long form, for trade essays and journal articles preceded these recent
books); its significance to one's viewing experiences, as in how identity,
society, and the very essence of storytelling become portrayed, provokes us
further to elaborate on its role in contemporary media.
Such books are well needed for critical
discussion, especially at this juncture in machinima's evolution. The book Machinima: The Art & Practice of Virtual Filmmaking (with Lowe Runo, my co-author and inspiration) - leans toward
the practical matters of making machinima, with special emphasis on
storyboarding, character development, sound, lighting, post production,
copyright issues, exhibition, and education. Knowing one's craft, understanding practice, is critical to the making of visual fabric. Practice and art inform one another.
For a good summary of our book, read the review by Machinima Expo Co-Founder Ricky Grove's (M.A.
Yale University/Hollywood actor/bookseller) at Renderosity. We also appreciated the kind words of Dr. Sarah
Higley, who reviewed our
book in a forthcoming volume of Journal of Gaming and Virtual Worlds. Moreover, look for her chapter in Ng's edited
collection.
As the year closes, it is appropriate to
appreciate "Machinima" in its various conceptions - as a
metaphysical concept that bonds us on one level philosophically and at another
level separates us technically. To me, a partaker of Second Life, it is a means toward opening one's senses to virtual
expression in all its diversity. This avenue would seem to hint toward the need for balance
between method and message, with the greater goal being the latter. Most machinima films (and derivatives)
appear online; the Internet has fostered an emerging community of independent
producers. "A new story is beginning to emerge," stated Dr. Howard Rheingold in 2008 on Ted.com. He spoke then, and continues to lecture, about the changing model of media making and communication, in which collaboration and participation are central. Rheingold has long inspired me, and is one of the first to explore the collective undercurrent that drives the Web.
Media Arts in the Virtual Life
I know machinima making and
viewing has helped me appreciate the virtual world in which I work and reside -
Second Life. I have
written two books related to virtual worlds; the first one being solely dedicated
to media's role in Second Life, and the second springing from Second Life's machinima community
and extending to other virtual worlds and platforms that allow for innovative
and interactive film experiences among in-world actors and filmmakers - and on
the horizon audiences more participatory than thought possible.
As 2012
departs, let us not forgot how education can help define and critique our
craft, as we learn from one another in a distinct community of virtual
filmmakers, where the novice and the professional showcase their work together.
Jay Jay Jegathesan is at the helm of the University of Western
Australia's collaborative spirit in bringing together (and building) a large
community of machinima (and virtual arts) enthusiasts. As Manager of the School
of Physics, his art-science-technology triangulated perspective is actually
indicative of Australia's pronounced move to become a leader in digital culture
globally. The University of Western Australia has its virtual base of operation
in Second Life. That might change in the future as new worlds emerge, but
it has accepted the challenge of being on the forefront of the media arts - and
thus UWA participates toward virtual development along this line and has done
so since 2009.
Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit
451 tells of cinematic and theatrical living room experiences where an
individual engages with the screen, role playing within the film or TV show
with other characters. To me, that possibility exists within Second Life, as
well as other virtual worlds in the near and distant future. If nothing else,
science fiction authors have taught us - first we must imagine. Move beneath
the surface, below the epidermis that protects us, to the depth of the message.
Technology should follow, not lead. The story crafted in-world should not be
bound by what some see as technological limitations - whereas others perceive
them as challenges. The future of storytelling should hold promise for those
daring to experiment. Failure leads to success. Success sometimes leads to the
mundane and trite. Every good character actor knows that it is important to
live the part, and in Second Life that is achievable. Cyber-cinema may
influence and shape our messages to a certain extent. As we become more immersed
in virtual experiences, the cinematic machine (think Jim Carrey in The Truman Show, 1988) - always
present - will be seemingly invisible, be that good or bad. I hope there
will always be a strong community of independent media makers in the virtual
realm.
To be continued....Part II, next week.
References
Elf, Celestial. (2010, November 28). The
Night Before Christmas. Accessed, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LJLiLa7G5Ig&list=PL35566945865FF7C0&index=2&feature=plpp_video
Grove, Ricky. (2012, July 30). Book Review.
Renderosity. Accessed, http://www.renderosity.com/book-review-i-machinima-the-art-and-practice-of-virtual-filmmaking-i--cms-16274
[also, http://www.rgrove.com/Renderosity/Machinimabook_Review_FinalDraft.pdf]
Machinima Expo Programming. Available at
Livestream.com. Accessed, http://www.livestream.com/themachinimaexpo/video?clipId=flv_802b522e-fb47-46d3-9c59-8360cc1e4fbb&utm_source=lslibrary&utm_medium=ui-thumb
Machinima Expo. Web.
Accessed November 20, 2012, http://www.MachinimaExpo.com
Machinima Expo Winners, http://www.machinima-expo.com/
***
The Professional Machinima Artist Guild
and Lowe Runo Productions graciously host Magnum: The Machinima Review. Sonicity Fitzroy (SL), author of Second Life, Machinima and the Other
Society (Peter Lang, 2010), and Machinima: The Art and Practice of Virtual
Filmmaking (with SL's Lowe Runo, McFarland, 2012).
Amazon.com. See, author's page:
http://www.amazon.com/Phylis-Johnson/e/B001HOW4U2/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1354606175&sr=1-2-ent
Sometimes you come across a machinima that is not necessarily perfect, but even its flaws contribute to its charm. That is true of Kawanishi Yana's short piece "Never Ending's Christmas @ Papillon" (Second Life). The sim both contrasts and complements the character/filmmaker who leads our way.
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