Book Release - Thanks to So Many!

Building a Virtual Machinima Community

March 10, 2012.    That is one of those days of relief - the release date of Machinima: The Art and Practice of VirtualFilmmaking.  This is my fourth book, and co-authored with Lowe Runo.   It is published under our real names, and I have to tell you we put some real life hard work into it.    What we are most proud of is – its inclusiveness, all the people that were willing to contribute to our public roundtable sessions and the others who granted us time and permission for interviews, and others who contributed chapters and featured discussions after the chapters.   

Birthing a book is a labor of love, and the process typically takes more than a year when dealing with academic presses.    We had the opportunity to go back before the final printing and make some updates.  But you know really, although there are many more people engaged in the process of making machinima, there are some basic tenants that remain timeless.  Machinima, even at its most abstract level, is about communicating to and connecting with audiences.   The people involved in this project are far too many to completely list here, and the book index and acknowledgments pay tribute to them to some extent.

The Contributors

A special section of interviews featured Al Peretz, “Decorgal” Judy Lee, Iono Allen, Kate Fosk, Michael Gray, Rysan Fall and Wiz Nordberg. End of chapter comments were provided by Chantal Harvey, Pooky Amsterdam, Larkworthy Antfarm, 1angelzares Writer, Toxic Menges, Jonathan Pluskota, and Jay Jay Jegathesan.  Two invited chapters were presented by copyright expert Todd Herreman and Dr. Bryan Carter, owner of Virtual Harlem in Second Life.  Phaylen Fairchild gave some closing thoughts. Skylar Smythe’s The White Pigeon was featured as a storyboard example. 

Roundtable participants included Graceful Aeon, Juris Amat, Pooky Amsterdam, Larkworthy Antfarm, Asil Ares, Ataro Asbrink, Baird Barnard, Code-Warrior Carling, Penumbra Carter, Pamala Clift, Evie Fairchild, Clover Fenwitch, Moto Gamba, Kit Guardian, Chantal Harvey, Laurina Hawks, Brenda Jericho, LaPiscean Liberty, Alley McNally, Thinkerer Melville, Moo Money, Joel Savard, Almo Schumann, Kara Trapdoor, Cisko Vandeverre, ke Violet, Tikaf Viper, xox Voyager, Johnathan2007 Whitfield, Gene Williams, 1angelcares Writer, Gwenette Writer, and Suzy Yue, among others. Not all were cited (and some just came to listen) but all comments in voice and text were significant toward formulating themes in this book.

    

As would be expected, other machinima leaders and filmmakers are cited as well, and their accomplishments and advice were noted (i.e., Eric Call, Frank Dellario, Tony Dyson, Peter Greenaway, Ricky Grove, Hugh Hancock, Peter Jackson, Katherine Anna Kang, Kate Lee, Torley Linden, Sherwin Liu, George Lucas, Paul Marino, Phil Rice, Steven Spielberg, Jason Springarn-Koff, ColeMarie Soleil, and David Lewis Yewdall).

About the Contents
This book presents an overview of machinima’s rich and significant role in modern cinematic history, but it leans toward filmmaking in virtual worlds unlike other books.  Admittedly our book has an inherent bias to virtual worlds like World of Warcraft, The Sims and (particularly) Second Life, and touches upon emerging opportunities.   The Machinima Reader (MIT Press, 2011), edited by Henry Lowood and Michael Nitche, offers a significant analytical lens through its curated essay collection from film and media scholars and industry leaders from the gaming world.  I recommend it highly as a critical study into machinima’s evolution, and applaud it as the first of its kind to contribute to scholarly discussions of this maturing genre.    Our book, Machinima: The Art and Practice of Virtual Filmmaking, attempts to situate machinima in the mainstream of cinema, television and animation, and aims to develop the conceptual and technical skills of the amateur and the intermediate machinimatographer.   Topics covered include story and character development, setting and lighting, audio, post-production, and copyright considerations.   Those interviewed are mainly filmmakers, writers, actors, and artists producing and working within interactive immersive platforms. 

Virtual Worlds Best Practices in Education Conference

The book was released in time for us to take a break, and attend the Virtual Worlds Best Practices in Education conference (held March 15-17).  Lowe Runo co-presented with me for a session on machinima storyboarding in the Machinima Auditorium, near the close of the conference.  It was really a practical way to consider conceptualizing your machinima in an interactive environment like Second Life.  The idea is to develop your characters and plot in storybook form, so it becomes a creative means to pre-visualize the lighting and setting of the filmmaking environment and to allow for experimentation with animations and shot sequences; it also serves as an added-value to any machinima project.  A Steampunk Christmas: Adventures of Bel and Soni became a keepsake for us, and a roadmap to some creative projects in the future.  On stage with us was Best of SL Magazine's Society Columnist Kara Trapdoor and LRP filmmaker Belinda Barnes, a talented actress as well.

A significant amount of time was dedicated to the educational and creative practices of machinima through this conference, and kudos to all the MAG members that presented this year and those who entered their films in the competition.  (Special acknowledgement of media sponsors, Treet TV and Pooky Media, for being out front in promoting machinima to its fullest).

In Closing
I would to love to say that Machinima: The Art and Practice of VirtualFilmmaking (March 2012, McFarland) is the definitive voice on the history and practice of machinima.  We did attempt to do so, but really it is the latest so far - and such chronicling of past and present contributions are a community effort amidst a variety scholars and practitioners over time;  as I write this, there are so many uncovering links to its evolution  - most recently one being machinimist SpyvsSpyAeon on his site, Your Machinima.  Also there you will find information to the upcoming 48 Hour Film Project  - Project48Machinima, a wonderful but grueling event that ignites healthy competition and showcases machinima in all its fun and fury.  Legendary Hollywood special effects guru Tony Dyson (notably Star Wars) is one of the judges, by the way.

I would like to suggest, in closing, that our book offers a very practical guide to the making of machinima, and contextualizes it within the larger framework of media making.  We hope to engage many newcomers and media students into its potential as an art form and commercial applications.  We look forward to the continual growth and maturity of the machinima community.  

We will post announcements on a BOOK PARTY and some related events coming up in the month ahead, tentatively April 20-21^st, taking into consideration the various time zones across the globe.  More to come…

The Professional Machinima Artist Guild graciously sponsors Sonicity’s blog Magnum: The Machinima Review.  

What’s in a Song? Hearing Imagery

The soundtrack of a film, beyond its soundscape, brings to mind a whole host of favorite tunes that we occasionally hum, particularly when triggered by the title of a movie.    Grease!   Just one example I offer you on Australian Day today.   Olivia Newton-John – both teen sensation in the 1980s (although much older in the film) and song seductress with her sweet vocal cords – captured the hearts, eyes, and ears of a generation.   The use of silence, as well, is no doubt powerful in a film, but often more so when juxtaposed to a well-planned soundtrack. 

Beyond those well-timed explosions or perfectly sonically cued scenes where a rumble foreshadows trouble ahead, the music of a film makes the imagery and dialogue memorable.   The music of Apocalypse Now is one I return to from time to time – notably the music of the Doors, the sound of a military helicopter and shot of its propellers transitioning into a fan rotating above Martin Sheen as he lay on his bed.  These elements work together to create stunning imagery, which for many of us remains imprinted in our mind and triggered to recall when we hear Jim Morrison’s voice singing this song on a classic rock radio station.  

Do you remember that song?  The music and lyrics are haunting. 


Enter Leonard Cohen    


A timeless lyricist.   

“In dreams the truth is learned that all good works are done in the absence of a caress.”

His words are the substance of life.  I recently attended a Second Life exhibition (conceptualized and curated by Morgana Nagorski, January 21-22) that paid homage to the very much alive songwriter/singer Leonard Cohen, and I was reminded of how much his music has impacted our viewing experiences.    His words are often raw, passionate and lingering.   For a man who sings of loneliness, he certainly has been a wonderful lover to the image.   

The exhibition I speak of was Unified Heart, with the ultimate results of bringing together 20 artists to create photographic art to reflect the meaning behind Cohen’s work – primarily relying on a line or two of the lyrics or merely the song title.    

The imagery was stunning, and if a photograph can truly represent 1,000 words, I must muse at how each frame in a movie accompanied by his music impacts our cinematic interpretation.  Cohen spends sometimes as long as one year on a song, and its impact spans cinematic generations.

I invite you to review one site particularly – a simple listing of Leonard Cohen’s songs (more than 50 songs) that were included in film soundtracks that have spanned decades.  

Let’s not forget that the image can be strengthened or weakened by the sound – be it a song or effect. 
  


In Closing

Happy Australian Day, Olivia!  Leonard is from Canada, but I wish him well too.   On a side note, in 2006, a documentary was released on the work of Leonard Cohen: I’m Your Man.   The premise was to pay tribute to his work, with the narrative woven around interviews with Cohen and footage from a staged concert of his work in Australia by some major singing artists who shared their lyrical interpretations.   The film features Leonard Cohen, Nick Cave, Bono, Jarvis Cocker of Pulp, Rufus Wainwright, Beth Orton, Kate Mcgarrigle, and Anna Mcgarrigle.   The documentary was produced by Mel Gibson, Lian Lunson, and Bruce Davey.    

There you see the connections here – Leonard has a special place in the heart of Australians.   Sometimes I have no idea how might this column evolve, but I am pleased at how things come together when I seek to explore an idea or theme.    Perhaps that was the intention behind the Cohen exhibition  - Unified Heart.    

The imagery in this blog was captured at the Second Life exhibition.  Special thanks to Morgana for inspiring us to look back at one of the great songwriters of life and cinema.  To be released January 31st, Cohen brings forth his 12th studio album, Old Ideas.  It was streamed online at NPR and The Guardian on the 22nd and 23rd.   He is 78 years old, and his ideas are very much relevant to today. 

Sites of Interest - 

http://www.snagfilms.com/films/title/leonard_cohen_im_your_man

http://www.leonardcohenfiles.com/filmo.html

http://www.flickr.com/photos/morgana_nagorski/6714345371

*Photo credits:  Various artists, curated by Morgana Nagorski.  Photographed by Sonicity Fitzroy at Unified Heart exhibition, January 21, 2012. Public exhibition.

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New publication release date, Machinima: The Art & Practice of Virtual Filmmaking (McFarland, March 2012) by Sonicity Fitzroy and Lowe Runo (Forward by Persia Bravin). The Professional Machinima Artist Guild graciously provides syndication of Sonicity’s blog Magnum: The Machinima Review to AviewTV.com

It’s A Wonderful Machinima Life

Let’s take a step back and look at the year in machinima, by reflecting on the plethora of talented contestants that participated in the UWA MachinimUWA IV:  Art of the Artists Challenge.  Such participation shows the growth of the machinima community and the maturity of the art form in and of itself.  

I would venture to conclude that it was a wonderful year for virtual filmmaking in Second Life.   The UWA machinima screening in December is merely one indication of machinima’s acceptance in-world, and of course a growing appreciation of it as an art form, particularly as real-time animation, from those looking inward from the outside media world.  2011 was an excellent month for the art and creative world of Second Life, and machinima is no exception here.   Such success can be attributed to the hard work behind the scenes of premiere curator FreeWee Ling and UWA SL Founder JayJay Zifanwe.   The MachinimUWA IV: Art of the Artists rose the stakes for prize money and talent inside Second Life, and demonstrated the role of virtual creativity to those watching from the outside.  

The MachinimUWA IV: Art of the Artists rose the stakes for prize money and talent inside Second Life, and demonstrated the role of virtual creativity to those watching from the outside.   In the machinima awards, top honors went to Tutsy Navarathna’s Welcome to the Other Side (a tribute to Marshall McLuhan).   Other winners included:  Artwashers by Friday Siamendes (USA), Art of the Artists by Fuschia Nightfire (England), Qubit: Cognitive Distortion by spyVspy (Portugal) and Virtual Love by Iono Allen (France).

Other winners of various machinima categories included Hypatia Pickens (Yeah), L1aura Loire (Transformation  Virtual Art on the Brink), Veruca Vandyke (Dual),  and Cecil Hirvil (Citizen of the Universe), among others.  The awards ceremony and special machinima screening was held at the BOSL-UWA Amphitheater last Sunday, December 11^th.  

Machinima, as an art form, is a powerful filmmaking and storytelling medium, and that is acknowledged through UWA’s special awards of various categories:   Emotion (Hypatia Pickens’ Yeah), Breaking the Barriers (L1aura Lorire’s Transformation Virtual Art on the Brink), The Soul (Veruca Vandyke’s Dual), The Human Heart (Hypatia Picken’s Love Prayer), and a series of excellence awards for film direction, narration, investigation, description, and so forth.  Such honors of excellence included Fuschia Nightfire, Hypatia Pickens, Oono Eiren & Sayzee Ishtari, Urban Steampunk, Iono Allen, SpyvSpy Aeon, Tutsy Navarethna,  Braclo Eber, Glasz DeCuir, Cecil Hirvi, Miso Susanowa, Blue Oleader, Friday Siamendes, L1aura Loire, Nicolex Moonwall, Ormand Lionheart, Penumbra Carter, Spiral Silverstar, Haveit Neox, Ginger Alsop, JJCCC Coronet, Moana Littleboots, Sophia Yates, and others (in no specific order).   

Some of those names are seasoned pros, but so many new filmmakers have found their way into Second Life.    Much credit must be given to UWA, MaMachinima, Second Life Machinima Artist Guild, Pop Art Lab and other machinima friendly communities for fostering growth and allowing for exhibition.    Hats off to all!   It’s been a wonderful Second Life for the machinima world!

The UWA blog has links to the winning machinima (along with links and additional information about other categories, winners, and honorable mentions - http://uwainsl.blogspot.com.

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Forthcoming, Machinima: The Art & Practice of Virtual Filmmaking (McFarland, Fall/Winter 2011/2012) by Sonicity Fitzroy and Lowe Runo (Forward by Persia Bravin). The Professional Machinima Artist Guild graciously provides syndication of Sonicity’s blog Magnum: The Machinima Review to AviewTV.com

Looking Outward from Inside Second Life

The  Outside, Inside, Wonderful (Sometimes Wacky) World of Machinima

To understand the impact of machinima we have to look outward from the inside, but on occasion we also must look inward from the outside.   It's a matter of perspective.   Your audience might be producers for a moment, but the larger audience is always those who might become captivated by its charm.   It's about building an audience, from the inside outward and then inviting the outside inward to take a peek at how it is all done.  Think of all those times that you have purchased the special edition of a blockbuster DVD because you get a glimpse into how some of the special effects were created; merely out of curiosity you want to know how that explosion was made or that elf appeared to fly to the moon.  Movie magic intrigues even the best among us.  Then there's the case that some of your audience might get hooked on the craft and want to produce machinima.  Nonetheless, we must always think as viewers not as producers.  The machinima community is comprised not only of its producers, but its growing audience. 

This month I am going to take you from some of the heavy hitters of machinima, as well as those up and coming, to the commercial debut of a wonderful dragon tale featured online as part of a national Doritos competition.   In this blog, I celebrate the creative genius of machinima makers as well as those supporting and applauding their accomplishments.  It is always the goal of this column to explore the potential of machinima as an art and practice.

Machinima Expo 2011

Last weekend wrapped up the Machinima Expo 2011 in Second Life.  It is an event that run deeps into the larger machinima community and expands through the film world.   It is an impressive undertaking by all those involved, and I have to commend Kate Fosk for her social media skills.   She definitely understands it is not enough to make machinima, a huge undertaking if done well, but you must find ways to showcase such creativity.     Then you must find ways to grow your community, teach and train and involve those inspired by the works screened.   The  Machinima Expo helps to link machinima platforms and solidify these various approaches by different machinima groups into what is seen publically as the “machinima community” to the film world.  

So kudos especially to Kate for her major role in the organization of this event, and her appreciation of SL as a meeting and production platform.   It was a major undertaking that required a knowledgeable and dedicated staff, even with Kate and Ricky Groves at the helm as co-producers.  The list of those involved in the production of this event, go to the Machinima Expo blog -  http://blog.machinima-expo.com/expostaff

The screening and meeting place in-world was held at the  UWA-BOSL (University of Western Australia/Best of SL Magazine) amphitheatre.   Jayjay Zifanwe, is a major supporter of machinima – you might detour to check out UWA’s 3D Design and Machinima Challenges, ongoing at http://uwainsl.blogspot.com/

Then head to the Machinima Expo 2011 site for the screening of more than 60 machinima this week, November 20 to November 27^th -  

http://www.machinima-expo.com/

Some of the guest speakers, producers, and trainers of this event included:   Kate Fosk, Pooky Amsterdam, Chantal Harvey, Tikaf Viper,  Henry Lowood, Fake Jewell,  Tom Jantol,  Ricky Grove, Kate Lee,  Sherwin Liu, Damien Valentine,  Ian Chisholm,  Matt Kelland, AnimaTechnica, Anim8tor Cathy, CodeWarrior Carling, Ingrid Moon, Frank Dellario,  Bernard Drax, Russell Boyd, Michael Nitsche, Anna Akbari, Susan Johnston (New Media Festival*) & Tony Dyson, among others.

Hungry for Machinima

The Scissores Group – Tony Dyson and Chantal Harvey – posted an amusingly sweet commercial for a competition sponsored by Doritos.    It was filmed entirely on location in Second Life.   

Described by Tony, the plot revolves around a heroic dad who “takes his 12 year old daughter for a surprise visit to the city's newly opened Multi-Media Film Museum, only to find that he needs all his wits about him.  A mean-looking Dragon, who seemed happy to attack a poor old wizard who had to lock himself in his castle, suddenly changes his attention to break free of the confines of his dimension to seek his favourite snacks Doritos, but our cool thinking Dad saves the day, with his fast thinking.”

Have fun viewing the commercial at the Doritos site ...or the Scissores site:

The commercial was a team effort, noting the credits:

Director and Concept Designer: Tony Dyson
Producer and Machinimatographer: Chantal Harvey
Voice Actor Girl: Liat Reina
Voice Actor Dad: Brian Albury
Dragon Handlers: Tony Dyson and Judi Newall
Breaking Glass: Marcus Parker-Rhodes
Dragon Avatar: RaptonX Zorger
Castle: Luna Mcmillan
Museum: Macs Martinek & Hellena Kidd (AEther Life)
Production Film Company: Scissores tm - scissores.com

It might be worthy to mention that Tony writes children’s books and really has been a major player in Hollywood.  See his personal/professional web site for some portfolio materials:

http://tonydyson.com/all-projects/

Congrats to all involved in this project, with much success in the future anticipated. 

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Great news from the Machinima Expo folks about The New Media Festival.

For now, that's it for Soni!    

Happy Machinima making and viewing! 

photos taken at http://slurl.com/secondlife/Dragonia%20Land/232/38/26

and UWA-BOSL Amphitheatre, http://slurl.com/secondlife/UWA/175/193/500

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Remember Santa is watching too!!! so you better be good machinimatographers!

Forthcoming, Machinima: The Art & Practice of Virtual Filmmaking (McFarland, Fall/Winter 2011/2012) by Sonicity Fitzroy and Lowe Runo (Forward by Persia Bravin). The Professional Machinima Artist Guild graciously provides syndication of Sonicity’s blog Magnum: The Machinima Review to AviewTV.com

Happy Halloween, Machinimists!!!!

Boo!  Why are so many of us fascinated with what goes bump in the night?  For one day - but really a few days or more - we attend costume parties virtually and in real life, and treat our eyes to scary movies (and trick them with special effects), even the cheesiest movies have a sense of appeal.  The holiday has grown commercially, but it still manages to carry with it a festive spirit that brings people together.  The historical origins of Halloween have been traced to the Celtic festival of Samhain, the Roman feast of Pomona, and other myths and legends.   It is a time for gathering and harvest.   Spring brings renewal, while October 31st marks the end of summer.

In America, Hollywood has a major role in defining Halloween.  It is the season when Freddy Krueger and Jason Voorhees are resurrected for a night, and sometimes a month.   It is when everyone potentially becomes an actor for a day, and adorns their body with a costume.   Machinimists, photographers and other artists capture these images in their own unique ways, from the macabre to the comedic, from clowns to fairy tale characters.

It is when people let loose and for a moment they are someone else.  It's all about suspending belief and playing a role.    That is the foundation of good machinima and storytelling, is it not?    So maybe a good scare might be the perfect prescription for the machinima writer's or producer's block.

The photos are from a couple of Halloween parties - one at a temporary Haunted House on the Island of Fame (near the corporate and production offices of Lowe Runo Productions LCC)...

...and the other one at Asil's NeoLondon, a steampunk sim complete with role play, shopping, and machinima areas.

http://slurl.com/secondlife/NeoVictoria/18/129/700

Here's a Halloween link from Draxtor Despres you might want to check out for fun!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=No7dlKsxGXc

 Happy Halloween!
  
Forthcoming, Machinima: The Art & Practice of Virtual Filmmaking (McFarland, December 2011) by Sonicity Fitzroy and Lowe Runo (Forward by Persia Bravin). The Professional Machinima Artist Guild graciously provides syndication of Sonicity’s blog Magnum: The Machinima Review to AviewTV.com