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WoW Moviewatch: The Story
Legs and Cranius go great together. It's hard to put it much simpler than that. The Story hit the streets back in 2009 and, like many things, has stood the test of time. If ever there were a finer pair of collaborators, then I don't know them. Sit back today and enjoy a song from yesteryear. They managed to make it even better than the original, and that's saying something. Interested in the wide world of machinima? We have new movies every weekday here on WoW Moviewatch! Have suggestions for machinima we ought to feature? Toss us an email at moviewatch@wowinsider.com.
WoW Moviewatch: Lament of Captain Placeholder
Once upon a time, in the days of vanilla WoW, there was a really horrific bug with the boats that sailed the seas between continents -- one that would summarily dump players in the middle of nowhere, sometimes high above the scenery. Players were then treated to a very quick introduction with the ground that resulted in ... well, certain death. Enter Captain Placeholder, an NPC placed thoughtfully in Menethil for those seeking to hit up Kalimdor. Needless to say, the good Captain's praises were lauded up and down Azeroth. Eventually, the bug was fixed and Captain Placeholder was removed, to the sadness of all. We've seen him here and there ever since, in various beta content -- and he's even gotten a few promotions along the way. But the video above, recorded and created by the ever-talented Cranius, remains a testament to the days when the game was ... slightly less stable, and one NPC held the fate of traveling players carefully in his hands. Interested in the wide world of machinima? We have new movies every weekday here on WoW Moviewatch! Have suggestions for machinima we ought to feature? Toss us an email at moviewatch@wowinsider.com.
WoW Moviewatch: Fix You
While Fix You is usually known as that get-in-shape inspirational song, that intrepid song was incredibly special to Cranius at a time when he needed it. So about a year ago, he and Legs collaborated on a WoW machinima about it. I'm not sure why I thought of this video today in particular, but Cranius and Legs really created something special in this machinima. Take a few moments to enjoy it, and here's to the future. Interested in the wide world of machinima? We have new movies every weekday here on WoW Moviewatch! Have suggestions for machinima we ought to feature? Toss us an email at moviewatch@wowinsider.com.
WoW Moviewatch: Highwayman
Cranius is best known for his original songs, but he did some WoW themed music videos for other songs as well. Highwayman was a video he felt always needed to be made for Azeroth, and when he finally got around to it... he knocked it out of the park. Highwayman is one of those songs that sticks with you for years. And while this version is 5 years old at this point, the video does justice to the doleful, introspective lyrics. Take the time to check it out, especially if you've not heard the song before. Interested in the wide world of machinima? We have new movies every weekday here on WoW Moviewatch! Have suggestions for machinima we ought to feature? Toss us an email at moviewatch@wowinsider.com.
WoW Moviewatch: Darrowshire
Welcome to another edition of WoW Moviewatch Staff Picks. Today, Anne Stickney has chosen Darrowshire by Cranius, for some very poignant reasons. This is what Anne had to say: Still one of my favorite pieces of machinima ever. Partially because I really loved the original iteration of the Pamela storyline in Eastern Plaguelands (the Cataclysm version is okay, but holds nowhere near the same emotion and depth as the original), mostly because the song he wrote for the piece is such a lovely, haunting tune. It's a perfect accompaniment to one of the creepiest, saddest, yet oddly touching quest chains in WoW. The video may be a bit outdated by today's standards of machinima creation, but honestly, this piece, to me, is the one where Cranius pretty much proved hands down that anything he puts his voice to immediately turns to gold. I think Anne did an excellent job describing the video, though I think I disagree about it being outdated. All of the game's graphics show their age, even the ones run through advanced filters. I think, ultimately, a machinima is about the story and content, not the graphics. Darrowshire is stronger for the in-game graphics. Interested in the wide world of machinima? We have new movies every weekday here on WoW Moviewatch! Have suggestions for machinima we ought to feature? Toss us an email at moviewatch@wowinsider.com.
WoW Moviewatch: GreatFather Winter
We waited until after Thanksgiving to start celebrating the winter holidays. But now that the turkeys have been nommed, it's time to slip on our pointed ears and white beards to celebrate Winter's Veil! Let's get this party started with GreatFather Winter by Cranius. I wonder if the neighbors will notice when the Gray family uses this song for caroling. I guess we'll find out who in the neigborhood is a WoW player. Interested in the wide world of machinima? We have new movies every weekday here on WoW Moviewatch! Have suggestions for machinima we ought to feature? Toss us an email at moviewatch@wowinsider.com.
Cranius and Sharm team up for duo album
Folks who enjoy the World of Warcraft musical scene probably already recognize the names Cranius and Sharm. Individually, these two people have each created huge swaths of music that've inspired WoW players for year. That's why it's so exciting that the two of them are teaming up to release a duo album. The album will consist of entirely original work -- no parodies, riffs, or mere covers of other people's songs. The pair had tried to make the collaboration work while Sharm was in the U.K., but things weren't working out so well. What to do? Sharm jumped on a plane and flew out to Seattle, where Sharm and Cranius will spend the next few months recording the album. Here's hoping everything goes smoothly and quickly. We can't wait to hear the results! And while it's exciting that the album is entirely original, we wouldn't hate a fresh cover of Darrowshire with some duet action.
WoW Moviewatch: The Story 2
Do you remember The Story? It was one of Cranius and Legs' more somber pieces. The video was a testament to both Cranius's vocal guns and Legs's peerless eye for visual story. Isn't it a shame we don't hear from them more often? That's what we thought. And then this weekend, something huge happened. The Story 2. Without getting into the inevitable Coldplay argument, Fix You is a favorite song for inspirational and sad videos since the dawn of exercise transformations. I'm super happy to see Cranius and Legs give it a makeover, but I'm even more happy to see Cranius and Legs. I am excitement. [Thanks to the dozen people who sent me this tip!] Interested in the wide world of machinima? We have new movies every weekday here on WoW Moviewatch! Have suggestions for machinima we ought to feature? Toss us an email at moviewatch@wowinsider.com.
WoW Moviewatch: Ulduar
Ulduar came up in the comments last week. Since Ulduar is a classic machinima and a strong staff favorite, it's completely worth another visit. Ulduar is performed by Summergale and Cranius, while the video was created by the infinitely amazing Legs. Ulduar is the story of star-crossed lovers. Cranius portrays the role of a PvP player who feels out of place in raids. Summergale, by comparison, is an experienced raider who is bored with contemporary content. There's just not much to be done until Ulduar is released. Like many star-crossed lovers, the two characters have nothing to do but sing to one another about the predicament. Like many of the best machinima, Ulduar has stood the test of time, even though the World of Warcraft itself has moved on. The vocal performances and animation quality are so well done that the final work feels just as relevant now as it ever did. Interested in the wide world of machinima? We have new movies every weekday here on WoW Moviewatch! Have suggestions for machinima we ought to feature? Toss us an email at moviewatch@wowinsider.com.
WoW Moviewatch: BSTV Episode 1
BSTV is Baron Soosdon's offering regarding his time in the Cataclysm beta. While there, he took copious amounts of footage from both the goblin and worgen starting areas and then coalesced it into this guided tour. With a little assistance from machinima friends like Legs, Cranius, Olibith, and Paus, Baroon Soosdon has created a fun, amusing romp through some of Cataclysm's best features. Interested in the wide world of machinima? We have new movies every weekday here on WoW Moviewatch! Have suggestions for machinima we ought to feature? Toss us an email at machinima@wow.com.
WoW Moviewatch: Happy Place
Happy Place was the entry into the BlizzCon 2010 machinima contest from Cranius and Legs. It tells the story of a rogue herbalist who usually wants nothing more than to chill out in his happy place picking flowers. As an undead rogue, everyone expects him to simply be a vicious, violent jerk. He eschews these traits, preferring the more peaceful life alongside his loved ones. Of course, given enough provocation, even this kind rogue gets a little rowdy. This video just goes to show how stiff the competition was this year in the machinima contest. Cranius and Legs definitely represent some of the top tier of talent in the WoW machinima world. Happy Place is a great song with a brilliant machinima. Of course, that's kind of what you get from these two, but their videos have become a treat for the WoW audience. Here's hoping we get to see more before next year's contest. Interested in the wide world of machinima? We have new movies every weekday here on WoW Moviewatch! Have suggestions for machinima we ought to feature? Toss us an email at machinima@wow.com.
WoW Moviewatch: Don't Make Me Get My Main
Mathew here, checking in on Moviewatch once again. Gray sent me a text ... something about a ransom and some Russian mobsters and maybe even a bank heist. Look, who do you think I am, Gray? The Monopoly Man? Scrooge McDuck? What am I, made of money? I am notoriously picky about WoW machinima -- ask anyone here at WoW Insider. The War Room is usually abuzz with machinima that I enjoy but never tout. Cranius' songs coupled with Legs' videos, however, are high points in WoW machinima for me, as they are excellently produced, they're visually fun, and the songs are engaging. Darrowshire is still my favorite Cranius song, but Don't Make Me Get My Main and ranks right up there. The song hurts my very soul, mostly because I started WoW as Horde on a server that was Alliance-dominated. Stranglethorn Vale was nothing more than an Alliance gank-fest, as dedicated Horde players would skulk in the shadows, waiting for just enough Alliance players to leave Hemet Nesingwary's camp so that they could turn in quests successfully. Dark days. Dark, dark days, that are happily behind me. Interested in the wide world of machinima? We have new movies every weekday here on WoW Moviewatch! Have suggestions for machinima we ought to feature? Toss us an email at machinima@wow.com.
WoW Moviewatch: Wrought
It's occasionally a good thing to go back and look at selections from past Moviewatches. I try and avoid doing that too much, since there are always so many movies (good, bad, improving, all) to check out. But when a movie is frequently discussed in comments, such as Wrought, it's important to take a day and remind the population at large of what all the fuss is about. The machinima was by Legs and Cranius, while the movie itself is by the band Peratus. Not only is the music compelling and interesting, but it complements the amazing skill that went into the machinima. Both the music and the video could stand alone on its own merits, and there really is a synergy created when the two elements are brought together. Interested in the wide world of machinima? We have new movies every weekday here on WoW Moviewatch! Have suggestions for machinima we ought to feature? Toss us an email at machinima@wow.com.
All the World's a Stage: Your character soundtrack
The 80s are over, and the fine art of making a mixed tape isn't quite the same as it used to be. Oh, sure, the roleplaying kids nowadays tell me they have their fancy-schmancy character playlists. They scratch down the name "Dudeguy McDudicus" across the top of their iTunes, and call that their mixed tape. It seems to my aged, patrician soul that the character playlist lacks the same validity as a hand-recorded tape or Compact Disc. That could just be me channeling High Fidelity, though. Regardless of the media you use to keep track of the actual songs, I'm pretty sure that the idea of a character soundtrack has been around since Gygax first rolled some D&D dice. I've heard them also referred to as a character tape, playlist, CD, and even "character sketch." Ultimately, the point is that the character soundtrack puts aspects of your player character into music. It's another way of communicating some descriptive themes, genres, and tunes. Hey, if it's not you cup o' tea, no big deal at all. But for the people who do get into creating a soundtrack, the proper selection and organization can be an incredibly custom art. Let's take a jump behind the cut and talk about how to put together your character's own soundtrack.
WoW Moviewatch: I'm a Hunter
I'm a Hunter was created by Fruity Loops, Frostheim, and Mike Hallenbeck. The video was also made by Frostheim. When Frostheim dropped me a note about the video, he definitely seemed to think the overwhelming demand for a Hunter theme goes as far back as Big Blue Dress by Cranius. Whether or not I'm a Hunter stands up to being compared to that mage-themed masterpiece is up to each viewer. In my opinion, though, the song is still pretty catchy and amusing. The video does a great job of illustrating the facets of hunter life, as well as getting in some chuckles along the way. There's a lot of little loving touches that clearly shows the creators' love of the class, and I think it's suitable homage to the gun and bow toting crowd. Thanks to Frostheim for the heads up, and congratulations on a fun song. Interested in the wide world of machinima? We have new movies every weekday here on WoW Moviewatch! Have suggestions for machinima we ought to feature? Toss us an e-mail at machinima AT wow DOT com.
Cranius music available on Amazon
Cranius has built one heck of a reputation as a World of Warcraft fan songwriter. His music and video credits include Big Blue Dress and the incredibly moving Darrowshire. This year, he (and machinimator partner Legs) achieved the first place prize at the BlizzCon 2009 machinima contest for their every-man video, Don't Make Me Get My Main.All this background makes it awesome to point out that Cranius has released his music through Amazon, all collected on an album titled Big Blue Dress. The album is pretty cheap, coming in under $5.00. It includes downloads of Big Blue Dress, Darrowshire, and The Lament of Captain Placeholder, as well as his new pieces, Happy Place and Don't Make Me Get My Main. The only piece I felt was missing was Ulduar, but I can think of a few reasons it didn't appear.At the cheap price, it's nice to be able to throw a little support at an artist who's brought so much music to the community. He's not been alone in this, of course, as both Oxhorn and Myndflame have released their music in one form or another. I think it's a wonderful opportunity, and something I support wholeheartedly. I obviously have purchased it, and am playing it on my computer even now.
WoW Moviewatch special: 7 movies you should know
Machinima's a pretty big topic. Depending on who you talk to, "machinima" could include story-based movies, PvP footage, boss kills, music videos, and even videography of altered in-game landscapes. There are uncounted thousands of videos about World of Warcraft roaming the internet, so it can be very difficult to know where to start.In honor of the ticket queue for BlizzCon 2009, Moviewatch presents seven machinima movies and machinimators you should know. Certainly, these aren't the only 7 movies or authors you should know, but they do include some of the most popular staples of the art. If you find yourself chatting it up with a machinima enthusiast around the BlizzCon water cooler, you can probably be certain they've seen these shows.We went for variety in this selection, choosing videos with different styles and subjects. They certainly aren't listed in "countdown to the best" format, since trying to rate these videos like that would be dang near impossible. Instead, they are simply listed alphabetically, according to the creator of the movie.Check out the selection behind the cut.
WoW Moviewatch: The Lament of Captain Placeholder
Depending on how long you've been playing World of Warcraft, and which faction you play, the subject of The Lament of Captain Placeholder will require either no explanation, or a lot of explanation. I'll sum up. Back in the days of yore, the boats of Menethil Harbor were tricksy things. As you rode them into the distance, the boats could suddenly disappear out from under you. Stranded in murky waters, you were unable to swim to safety before Fatigue overwhelmed you, and you drowned. This was, obviously, a pretty rough state of affairs. The solution was Captain Placeholder, a man of such fame and skill that people still miss him. While Blizzard repaired the boats, Captain Placeholder simply teleported you across the ocean for free.Eledainn of Graystar long ago penned the words to "The Lament of Captain Placeholder." Now, Cranius has taken it a step further and created a music and video to commemorate the good Captain. I was floored by this piece. The music is absolutely fantastic. I was impressed by not only the music's composition, but the talent and skill of the singer. The tone and singing style do a lot to bring about a proper WoW feel. The video itself is perfect for the song and soundtrack. The footage is there to provide visual counterpoints and compliments to the music, and that's exactly what it does. With a piece like this, you really want your audience focused on the sound, anyway. I think the transitioning credits did a great job complimenting the style of the song, giving the entire piece an effective classic feel.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: Acolyte 1.5
What is it about Darrowshire and stunning machinima? This is the second video in about a month to come of the Eastern Plaguelands quest line. Last month, we featured the work of Cranius and his musical talents. Now we're pleased to feature a star-studded film by Firebolt Productions, Acolyte 1.5. You may recognize them from their second place win in the Warcraftmovies Christmas Spirit Contest, Ugly Goblin's Christmas.Acolyte 1.5 is not without faults, as it feels like half of the video has ads for websites. However, what we are finally presented with is an engaging storyline full of action and excitement. Don't miss the voice acting by Clint Hackleman, Drewbie, and Olibith, as well as the musical composition by Nathan Allen Pinard![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 ...
WoW Moviewatch: Big Blue Dress
The reception to Darrowshire has been so great that I wanted to highlight Big Blue Dress, the Warcraftmovies recommended film with over three million views on YouTube. Cranius didn't need a fancy Model or Map Viewer program. He was able to capture footage in-game that conveyed what he needed to for the scenes over two years ago, yet the movie is still popular to this day.If you liked this video, you can download it on Filefront or get the song from the Collective Order website. An interesting tidbit to note is that Olibith responded to this video with his first ever machinima, Olibith the Urban Spaceman![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 ...
