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WoW Moviewatch: Ya I'm On It
Here's a list of names I bet many of you didn't expect to see any time soon. Ya I'm On It is a rap by Turel, featuring the Druidboyz and Gigi! The astounding video is by that incredible Khayllys, wrapping us all up in a return to that good old WoW rap feel. It's been a while and I'm glad to see the folks revisiting the well for a little while. While I'm not ready to see belf rap return it a full resurgence, I admit I felt a pang of nostalgia at seeing some of those old bold, joyfully-Horde vibes return. There was always a very strong sense of pride -- bot in the game, but also in faction -- that was put to music by these folks. 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: The Story of Eva Sarkhoff
With an all-star cast of voice actors, and some spot-on animation, The Story of Eva Sarkhoff takes you through some of the game's most legendary events. While Scholomance (and its inhabitants) have changed of the years, it's always managed to latch onto our imagine and hearts. Inspired by The Legends of Stalvan, this is the video to watch during this fading Halloween season. Even if you've missed out on most of Hallow's End, The Story of Eva Sarkhoff is well worth your time. 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: Make Hordies Out of You
Check out this list of talent: Letomi, Gigi, Summergale, Aderin, Quixotica, Abandonation, and Ghenki, WoWMartiean, and Temptationz. Make Hordies Out of You takes one of the best songs from Mulan and turns it into one heck of a Horde anthem. With a few killer jokes and smashing animation, this video is more than worth the time. Even better, it's awesome to see some of these folks coming back around. I really, really hope they do more. I'm just saying. Edit: Khayllys made the video. My apologies for not saying that at first. My bad. 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: Level
Gigi's back! Letomi and Gigi teamed up to perform Level, a parody of the song Hello. Khallys created the machinima. While part of me feels wistful that Gigi's return isn't the herald of a new age of belf rap, I enjoyed Level on its own right. Khallys put together an astounding music video for the song. Frenetic and fast-paced, the video adds visual flair to a somewhat repetitive song. I hope this means we'll be seeing more from Gigi and Letomi. The time is ripe for some panda music! 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: If Women Ruled WoW 2
Work Warning: Cursing, mature themes, and more. Be forewarned. There's sexism and racism, intended in a critical way. The first If Women Ruled WoW was mostly played for laughs. And while there are plenty of jokes in this sequel, the overall tone is much different. It feels a little more thoughtful to me. In the end, I couldn't quite decide where I landed on it, which I suppose is part of the point. It certainly has some star power, featuring Gigi, Lil Biz, Quixotica, Ray, and Nyhm. Lots of gender issues line the streets of Azeroth's community. Sometimes we do a good job of things, avoiding a lot of the misogyny and hatred that stocks up other gaming cultures. Other times, we don't do such a bang-up job. This video flips male/female and then trots out virtually every crass stereotype and lame trope we see about women in gaming. I don't know if the video serves as a successful critique or wince-worthy parody. Normally, with the cursing, I wouldn't feature the video (we're a family blog, you see), but I truly feel the video's heart was in the right place. What do you think? 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: Lean Like a Forum Troll
Whoah, y'all. We haven't seen one of these in a long time. Could Lean Like a Forum Troll herald the return of belf rap? (Important note: Few belfs appear in this video, and none of them really rap. It's just what it's called.) I can't evaluate the music, really. I have the faint notion that I probably should recognize the song from ... somewhere ... but I couldn't place it. I get that it's a parody of Lean Like a Cholo, but that's not terribly informative to me. I definitely notice that it's Alliance-biased, instead of the inevitable Horde-flavor you usually get with rap parodies. So that's cool. The video's good stuff and the lyrics feel earnestly written; it was just slapped together because some words have the same number of syllables. All in all, it's nice to see some belf rap get back in the saddle. My hat's off to Xylan and Soulbound, with a solid nod to Khayllys for the machinima work. 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: Jujufied
As the story of this movie goes, Gigi and Letomi wake up in the jungle, having clearly been Jujufied. They spent a short amount of time lamenting their lost races before inevitably breaking into song. (And really, wouldn't we all break into song given those circumstances?) Whether or not you dig this style of music, Jujufied is an incredibly well-created movie. The sound is seamless and the video itself feels professional and flawless. The overall effect is a very pleasant, soothing video that I think does a good job of entertaining its audience. I have to admit, I'm still not into trolls, though. 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: Horde Till I Die
Both Gigi and Summergale are back with their new collaboration, Horde Till I Die. The machinima itself was created by TauriMovies. The song is a Horde-themed anthem, with lots of lyrics and actions about beating up on the Alliance. The video is pretty impressive, and I hope to see TauriMovies pick up some new subscribers on the YouTube channel. Gigi is fun as always, and I continue to be absolutely in love with Summergale's voice. This was a pretty good collaboration, and my hat's off to the trio for some impressive work. 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.
Premiering tonight: AFK film offers laughs, epic gaming scenes
Tonight is the premiere of /afk, a short film that tells the story of a single WoW player with a dream to solo Onxyia before he quits the game for good. Earlier this week, WoW Insider spoke with Benjamin Dressler, the director of /afk, and got the scoop on some of the origins of the film. Today, I'll be following up that interview with a review of the film and a few more words from Dressler on the more detailed aspects of the production. /afk is a short comedy that combines live-action footage with in-game animation and machinima. The story follows Piet (Martin Schnuerch), a student whose parents want him to take control of his life and break his gaming habit. He is unwittingly submitted to counseling, where he meets with the brutally honest psychiatrist (Eva Spott.) Piet is cooperative to an extent, telling his in-game friend Nippi (Bill Dean) early on that he intends to quit the game, but as the story progresses, it's apparent that he's very torn on the matter. He questions whether he is addicted and what he wants to do with his life. To make the decision harder on him, Piet has always wanted to solo Onxyia in the game and liken himself to a mythical dragonslayer, like Beowulf or Siegfried, a task he has not yet fulfilled. The film takes place during Piet's final days in the game, when he spends his time with friends and preparing for his face-off with the dragon. Update: /afk is now available for viewing.
15 Minutes of Fame: Film follows fantasy of fighting Onyxia
Work Warning: Brief profanity in the video. From Hollywood celebrities to the guy next door, millions of people have made World of Warcraft a part of their lives. How do you play WoW? We're giving each approach its own 15 Minutes of Fame. Just as Azeroth prepares to explode in all its cataclysmic glory, films on gaming seem to be exploding onto the scene. There's the documentary from LFG Productions (many of you may have seen them filming at BlizzCon and our reader meetup last month) that will be following leading raiding guild <Blood Legion> in a full-court press into Cataclysm. There's The Raid, another take on raiding life that we also saw at BlizzCon, and the "zanier" take on gaming culture of Gamers. In contrast to all those documentaries comes the short narrative film /afk. This live-action film, featuring extensive in-game footage produced by a whole host of well known machinimators -- Gigi, Teagen the Rogue, Baron Soosdon, the list goes on -- tells the tale of a WoW gamer whose psychiatrist informs him that he is gaming-addicted and should delete his character. Game over? Not quite. "The problem is that he always had this dream to solo Onyxia," explains creator Benjamin Dressler, "and he doesn't intend to leave without reaching that goal." /afk debuts on YouTube later this week with a unique, in-game event that literally "unlocks" the premiere. On Nov. 19, Aventhor, the night elf character from the movie, will appear on Alleria (EU-A) at 7 p.m. GMT and Drenden (US-A) at 5 p.m. CST. Find him and unlock "/afk"! Players must find Aventhor on each server and perform his quests to unlock the movie on YouTube. For more details on the premiere event, see the video at the end of the article -- and join us after the break for a peek behind the scenes with creator Benjamin Dressler.
WoW Moviewatch: Nub Tales ep. 6.2: How 2 BE Raps
Nub Tales ep. 6.2: How 2 BE Raps is going to be a favorite of mine for a long, long time. Not only does it have the same kind of tongue-in-cheek humor to which we are accustomed, but it also features Yumfries' own skill with mixing and making music. And just to make this even more epic, it features Gigi. No, really, Gigi did a guest spot in a parody of belf rap. I continue to love Yumfries and his work with Nub Tales. The series is focused on both the game of WoW and the community that surrounds it. This combination makes the series a little more interesting than if it were just slamming Blizzard all that time; you get a good sense of involvement and interaction. Gigi often gets a bad rap (get it?), so I think it's a huge gesture of class that she appeared in this video. Hopefully it might a few critics of her work a little less vitriolic to see that she's willing to laugh at herself. 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: Cool Story Breh
This new piece by Asiko, Gigi, and Nation is a response to the bajillion ... anti-fans of their work. (What's the word for someone diametrically opposed to a fan? I don't want to say detractor or troll or such, since those words have much different connotations. Anti-fan it is, I guess.) A lot of this video boils down to the message that "you might hate us, but we're successful anyway." Unto the anti-fans they say, Cool Story Breh. One of the interesting things about belf rap, though, is that it is successful. While there's something about the genre that drives many people insane, traffic and subscriptions to those folks' YouTube channels, videos, and webpages tend to be pretty high. For all that commenters and reviewers often dislike belf rap, they get pagehits and a very large audience. And I know from observation and personal experience that very few people bust their hump as hard as Gigi to work with new folks, bring new artists into the light, and try and get traffic to struggling machinimators. And while rap (or belf rap) certainly isn't my bag of tea, I definitely respect her attributes in that regard. Edit: Due to oversight on my part, I wanted to make sure I pointed out that WoPairs is the machinimator behind this piece. 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.
WoW Moviewatch: Emerald Dream
Emerald Dream is a big collaboration move created about a half dozen machinima personalities. The lyrics were written by Gigi, who obviously also did a large number of the vocals. But you can also hear Sharm and Princess Superstar performing in this piece. Other collaborators include Bloodvein Movies, WoPairs, Teagen and Kam. The video is in part intended to bring some attention to snowleopard.org, so take a moment and go check out that site after you've seen the video. Emerald Dream is a pretty interesting music video, and I think it definitely grows the "belf rap" genre by leaps and bounds. The music is refreshingly original, although I'm sure as soon as I say that someone will point out that I don't recognize the original version. Even if that's the case, the lyrics and beat were both intriguing. I felt like the overall narrative was much stronger than most music videos, and it definitely raises the bar for these performers. The video was obviously beautiful. I think if we were to ever see the Emerald Dream archetypified in the game, this must be how it will look. My hat's off to the machinimators who created this video. 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.
WoW Moviewatch: Enchants Are A Girl's Best Friend
Gigi and BloodveinMovies recently released a new collaborative video, Enchants Are A Girl's Best Friend. Gigi had actually recorded and released this song many months ago, and Bloodvein later created a machinima-style music video to go along with it. I enjoyed Gigi's departure from rap videos. While I know she might return to those soon enough, I was glad to see her expanding her repertoire, and putting some proof out there that she can perform in other styles. The lyrics themselves were okay, and I think she did a decent job of getting enchanting-related language to fit the poetry of the well-known song from Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. Since Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend is most well-known for its performance by Marilyn Monroe, I think Bloodvein did a solid job of recreating a Monroe-like feel for this video. There's something to be said for the shout out to a stage performer, and Bloodvein handled the material well. I'm not sure about the advertisements and plugs before the video started, though. While nothing about them intrinsically bothered me, they took up nearly fifty seconds of a six minute video. That's a pretty steep entry barrier for an audience who isn't highly motivated to watch the movie, and I wonder if it kept some people from checking out the entirety.
WoW Moviewatch: Achievement Wh0re
Achievement Wh0re is a new song by Gigi and Nation. (Nation was once Abandonation, but I'm not sure if the label change is purposeful, or just a hip contraction.) The video was created by WoPairs, who shows an excellent eye for character portraiture in this piece. The song is dedicated to those who seek out achievements to the cost of all else. I'm not much of an achievement guy, so I found the send-up of it to be pretty amusing. I guess I see how some folks are really into them, but achievements feel like one really long grind to me. Notably, this piece is an entirely original song. And while I always feel out of my depth evaluating rap, I definitely salute Gigi and Nation for expanding in that direction. It's fantastic to see the pair growing as artists, and creating new art in the musical belf-o-sphere. I'm interested in seeing what they might do next, if this video's success encourages them to keep creating new stuff. 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.
WoW Moviewatch: Ravenholdt Labyrinth (Interactive WoW Adventure)
A small crew of machinima creators and artists have stepped up their gamed and delivered something truly new to the World of Warcraft fan video scene. Check out the Ravenholdt Labyrinth (Interactive WoW Adventure). This isn't a single video. Instead, using the interactive linking annotation feature in YouTube, the creators have made a sort of "Choose your own adventure" adventure using WoW machinima. Depending on your choices, you can navigate Gigi further into Ravenholdt to discover the mystery . . . or get her killed. You make the choices as you proceed. This is the first machinima of this kind that I've seen, and my hat's off to Gigi, RedEye, Dan, WoPairs, and Abandonation for opening the doors to a new style of machinima. It would be awesome to see them do more like this, since I think it really broadens the scope of experience offered by machinima. The overall style of this video is suited to Halloween. It's moody and spooky. The creep factor gets higher as you take Gigi further into the labyrinth. This is a really great job by everyone involved. My hat is off to the creators. 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.
WoW Moviewatch: Honor Killz by A6
I'll admit that I got to preview some of this new video, courtesy of Gigi. Long story short, the Hall of Fame of Belf Rap have come together to form a machinima rap supergroup called A6. (That's for Azerothian 6, you see.) Backed up by the awesome machinimator Red Eye Lobine, A6 has now released their first video -- Honor Killz.The video itself is amazing. Red Eye has really put together a gorgeous video here. His attention to detail, his sense of setting and framing, and his detailed character work have created an incredible music video. I've never seen the blood elf models look so dynamic and interesting. His animation of the video's skit-within-a-movie was astounding, with a great sense of space and flow. (He also wisely executed an editorial bikini during the shower scene.)The music itself was pretty good. I'm not a rap guru, so I can't evaluate it in terms of skill. However, I find the conglomerate of six people working the lyrics and tune to be very interesting. The way the song "talks" to itself made it something more than just a parody song.As I mentioned, there was a skit within the video. I think the skit has a lot of personality, and was pretty amusing. It was definitely a good call to add some narrative content in the video, which helps provide its audience a sense of A6's relationship. They're not just a one time team-up, but people who know one another in some capacity.Ultimately, "Honor Killz" is a worthy opening for the group. Let's see what they do next.Check out Honor Killz by A6 for yourself on Myndflame.
WoW Moviewatch: 5 Cap by Abandonation
If you've been following the emergence of the "Belf Rap" genre, then you're already somewhat familiar with Abandonation. He's done collaborations already with Nyhm, Gigi, and other similarly-inclined artists. While working on other upcoming projects, Abandonation hooked up with a new machinimist who goes by Red Eye Lobine. Red Eye, of course, is the chap who put out the awesome preview for his own work, Frontline. (That song is actually performed by the rock band Pillar, but the gorgeous animation is all done by Red Eye.)This is another preview video, so be warned that it cuts off a little abruptly. That being said, I think the preview provides a very strong feel for what the final video will be like. Abandonation is responsible for the music, and Red Eye for the video itself.The music basically works for me. The soundtrack itself seems to get louder and softer without warning, and can be distracting from the lyrics. I chalk that up to being a preview, and not a finished production. I like the fast paced lyrics and clear skill Abandonation shows in mastering them.I think Red Eye is creating a very clear, distinctive style for his videos. The attention to each character's models, flattering shots, and sort of gritty, inner city backgrounds give the otherwise "fabulous" Blood Elves a more down-to-earth feel. The video's exciting, and I can't wait to see the finished project. As I've said before, I think this collaborative group is doing a lot to bring a new genre to machinima. I'd really like to see them succeed.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: Ninja Looter
Ninja Looter has actually been floating around "out there" since the beginning of the month. It's one of the music video kind-of-parodies from Gigi, Abandonation, and Decision. Zharkan16 is the animator for this one. It's pretty true-to-form for the "Blood Elf Rap Music Video" genre. (Is that a genre? What should I call this kind of thing? I'm not sure "WoW Rap" video really gets the point across. But since this crew of performers seem to be advancing this genre pretty vigorously, I need to be able to call it something.) A few things about "Ninja Looter" struck me. First, as far as I can tell, there's nothing in the lyrics or video vaguely related to Ninja Looting. That's okay, though. I'm "down" with the art of unrelated names. I can be hip like that. Second, there's a few lyrics about how Holy Paladins have it pretty easy in raids and PvP. I'm not sure if that's the point Decision was really trying to get across, but I think the Colosseum commenters would agree that Holy Paladins have it pretty good right now.What really stood out to me as I researched "Ninja Looter," however, is that the trio of performers are definitely building a fan base. This song already has nearly 500 ratings on YouTube, the majority of which are very, very positive. The comment threads are stringing out toward infinity, with the same flavor discussion you might see from mainstream bands' commenters. So, whether or not you're a fan of Gigi, Abandonation, and Decision, they certainly seem to be creating a very solid following. If they continue to be consistently prolific and communicative, they could have a very real effect on the WoW community over the next several months.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: Guildy Conscience
The language in this video isn't entirely safe for work. They curse a bit.You probably remember last month when Nyhm teamed up with a trio of creative types as a final farewell to WoW videos. Their video, Pwnage Like Us, showcased three talents who I wouldn't exactly call new to the scene, but who are probably still relatively fresh to casual machinima viewers. Well, Gigi, Decision, Quixotica, and Abandonation are already back with a new music parody piece -- Guildy Conscience.This music video is a take-off from Eminem and Dr. Dre's "Guilty Conscience." I admit, I'm not incredibly familiar with the original song, and I prefer it that way. It lets me enjoy the work on its own, though I will say that vocal styles are definitely spawned from Eminem's distinctive sound. The song is a quick series of three parables about decisions everyone faces in World of Warcraft. Well, maybe not everyone, but they're common themes on Mr. Schramm's Guildwatch. First, an undead rogue encounters a gnome and has to decide whether to gank him. Second, a troll's got to resist the temptation to ninja gear from Malygos. And, lastly, a tauren wrestles with complexities of buying gold.It's meant as comedy, but I actually greatly enjoy their commentary about these ethical issues in WoW. That being said, I'm really wearing out on the "I'm a bad ass Belf!" gig, and hope that Abandonation and Gigi explore other personality facets. Quixotica's work on the video is remarkable, and I really do believe these three could create some astounding work in the coming months.If you have any suggestions for WoW Moviewatch, you can mail them to us at machinima AT wowinsider DOT com.Previously on Moviewatch ..
