caruu
Latest
WoW Moviewatch: Wish upon a Gnome, Episode 1
Creating a great machinima involves a delicate balancing act. You must use equal parts voice acting or visual expression of emotion, plot devices such as humor or fight scenes, engaging story lines, and proper editing and sound design, wrapped together in a neat little package. Too much of one single element can destroy an entire production. Today's featured movie makes a valiant effort at being complete.Wish upon a Gnome, Episode 1, is the first of three episodes centering around a wee gnome that stumbles upon a Genie that grants him three wishes. His first wish finds him craving the power he feels is long overdue. However, as he soon discovers, not everything goes as planned. Given how disastrous his newfound fame and glory turns out, I can't wait to see what he asks for in the next two episodes! Mushanga may just be the dark horse of the WeGame machinima contest. With only two unremarkable contest submissions prior to this entry, this is the first time he's involved voice actors, including Caruu and Jesse Cox, in his work. I found myself drawn into the story and rooting for the little guy, despite his flaws. If you get the chance, check out the higher quality versions of WuaG and give him some constructive feedback!If you have any suggestions for WoW Moviewatch, you can mail them to us at machinima AT wowinsider DOT com.Previously on Moviewatch ...
WoW Moviewatch: The Way of Life
Nathan Allen Pinard is known mainly as the composer for projects by Oxhorn, but you may not know that he agreed to let entrants for the WeGame machinima contest use some of his work for their submissions. However, Firebolt Productions, the award winning creators of Acolyte 1.5 and Ugly Goblin's Christmas, went above and beyond that by getting a custom soundtrack by Nathan. The composer was so proud of his score that he sent in the link if you want to listen to it by itself!The Way of Life is another top contender for the contest. The story revolves around a man, Thord, sent to Northrend at a young age at the same time as Arthas Menethil. Instead of emerging a hero, he is resigned to a life of misery at a post in Menethil Harbour. However, one day he'll meet a young man, Caldor, that will change his outlook on life. Clearly in this contest to win, Firebolt pulled out all the stops with sound design by Caruu and a voiceover by Drewbie! He also used CrazyTalk, by Reallusion, for lip-synching. As a longtime fan of the program, it's about time that the World of Warcraft machinimators embraced it![Thanks, Nathan!]If you have any suggestions for WoW Moviewatch, you can mail them to us at machinima AT wowinsider DOT com.Previously on Moviewatch ...
WoW Moviewatch: Argent Crusade Salvation
Gnomechewer consistently dazzles the crowd with what he can put out in such a short period of time. He has such a gift for rewriting lore and putting a totally new spin on it. Argent Crusade: Salvation is no exception. Is it me or is he getting really good with his special effects?His latest story centers around Tirion Fordring overhauling the Silver Hand. He uses a voiceover by Caruu, as Fordring, to act almost as a transmission. Tirion voices his doubts about winning the war as the battle is waged on screen.[Thanks, Gnomechewer!]If you have any suggestions for WoW Moviewatch, you can mail them to us at machinima AT wowinsider DOT com.Previously on Moviewatch ...
WoW Moviewatch: Little Teapot
The other day, I came across a project so epic that I recorded my part on the spot. When you think of all the past projects that were huge successes, such as Tales of the Past 3 and I'm So Sick, none can compare to Little Teapot. It stars newcomer, Marri, as the lead character, with voiceover work by Caruu, as well as a duet by Drewbie and myself.When asked to comment about his blockbuster machinima, Eagleshadow, clad in a red velvet smoking jacket, stroked his chin and revealed, "Marri was a vision meant to be captured on screen for all to see. #Machinima is where I find my Eagleshadow superstars. You really would not get this from any other guy ..." [Via Warcraftmovies.com & #machinima on Quakenet IRC]If you have any suggestions for WoW Moviewatch, you can mail them to us at machinima AT wowinsider DOT com.Previously on Moviewatch ...
WoW Moviewatch: Baron Soosdon and Pinkhair win Synergy contest by a landslide
When I wrote about the Warcraftmovies Synergy contest for machinima three days ago, I had no idea just how close of a fight it would be. The results are in and it was literally a battle to the death. Baron Soosdon and Pinkhair beat Martin Falch by a whopping three votes, with final scores of 299 to 296. Over the next few days, we'll be looking at the winners and giving requested feedback to some of the ones that didn't place.Baron Soosdon and Pinkhair's machinima followed along with the Busted script, but there were multiple little touches that really made the film. In addition to weaving his 3d magic throughout, Pinkhair also used a third party program, Crazytalk, to animate the lips of one of the characters. Caruu mastered the sound, while he, Drewbie, Olibith, and Selserene voice acted. There are also tributes to the great Shepiwot, Drewbie's character from The Grind, the Robber Baron of Warsong Gulch, and the cast of Snacky's Journal. Even I played a part in it by ruining their PR campaign -- or so they say! Try to keep in mind that neither script was good, so the contenders didn't have a lot to work with in the way of variation. Now that it's over, I hope that Warcraftmovies will use a different method for their contest next time![Via Warcraftmovies.com]If you have any suggestions for WoW Moviewatch, you can mail them to us at machinima AT wowinsider DOT com.Previously on Moviewatch ...
Warcraftmovies opens voting on Synergy contest entries
Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls! What you are about to see will amaze you. In what is shaping up to be the most intense Player vs. Player battle that WoW machinima has ever seen, two contestants are facing off for your vote. The Warcraftmovies Synergy contest entrants were given the choice of two (absolutely horrible) scripts, which they had to follow to the letter, but were allowed to add their own special touches to. The result is an epic fight to the death.Though there are indeed six entries, most votes are going to our main two contenders. In one corner, we have Martin Falch, responsible for the incredible feature-length film, Tales of the Past 3, which just crossed one million downloads in seven months! He chose to work with the script, The Best Kept Secret of the Horde. In the other corner we have the dream team of Baron Soosdon and Pinkhair, with help from Selserene, Olibith, Caruu, and Drewbie. Their chosen script was Busted. Only one contestant will go home with the $1500 USD Warcraftmovies contract.Voting ends on Thursday, July 31st and the winners will be announced the following day. Check out the videos and help decide on who will win in this tight race!
WoW Moviewatch: Final Warcraft VI
Baron Soosdon asked me to hold off on showing the last of his Worldwide Invitational machinima contest entries, Final Warcraft VI, until he "remastered" it. Apparently he fine tuned some things that he previously rushed on to meet the deadline. Of course, he had a little help from his friends -- Pinkhair, Caruu, and Mister "Don't forget me!" Drewbie. For all the Final Fantasy VI fans, this machinima closely follows the cinematic ending for the Playstation version.WARNING: Certain browsers are having crashing issues with this movie, so we moved it after the jump.[Via Warcraftmovies.com]If you have any suggestions for WoW Moviewatch, you can mail them to us at machinima AT wowinsider DOT com.Previously on Moviewatch ...
Cinemassively: A new appreciation for sound design
Next time that you watch a machinima, or even a real movie, think about all of the different elements that go into making the film. Most of the time, we see the video and hear the music, but there are also sound effects that enhance the production. Caruu, the sound designer for Acolyte 1.5, has posted a version of the video without music or dialogue, so that the sound effects stand out. The result is a surprising amount of work that you probably didn't even realize went into the machinima. When you're done viewing and listening, watch Acolyte 1.5 again, and you'll gain a whole new appreciation!If you have machinima or movie suggestions from any MMO, please send them to machinima AT massively DOT com, along with any information you might have about them.
