ninja-raiders
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WoW Moviewatch: Ninja Raiders
Once upon a time, we played a video so often that even BLIND felt rare in comparison. Now, though, it's been nearly a year since we last revisited Ninja Raiders. And while the song's inspiration -- Single Ladies -- has faded from popularity, Ninja Raiders is still primed for glory. As a fun bit of trivia... Ninja Raiders was one of the very few songs people dance to at the BlizzCon WoW Insider party. That's a feat that deserves a shout out every time I run the 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 email at moviewatch@wowinsider.com.
World of WarCrafts: Ninja Raiders creators Roninhobbit and Ember Isolte
World of WarCrafts spotlights art and creativity by WoW players, including fan art, cooking, comics, cosplay, music and fan fiction. Show us how you express yourself by emailing lisa (at) wow (dot) com with your not-for-profit, WoW-inspired creations. I'm afraid that all we've got for you here at World of WarCrafts this week is QQ -- and lots of it. Talk about an earworm ... "Ninja Raiders," a WoW-flavored take on Beyonce's smash hit "Single Ladies," has inched its way into the brains of WoW fans as one of the catchiest little remakes on the scene. Us? We're simply smitten with the collaborative creative spirit among this group of collaborators. We talked to lyricist Roninhobbit (aka Ryan Myers) and vocalist Ember Isolte for a peek behind the scenes of the hit machinima from Raven Sylphe Productions. World of WarCrafts: Roninhobbit, how did "Ninja Raiders" come about? Did Ember Isolte approach you to remix it, or was her production a surprise? Roninhobbit: She asked me if she could cover it -- and to be honest, I was surprised anyone would want to. I just thought it was goofy. When she sent me her version, I was amazed at how good it sounded. Now mine just sounds embarrassing. But I've been forbidden by my guildies to take mine down. Ember Isolte: For me, it started with my random craving to write a parody based on Beyoncé's "Single Ladies," just because I love that song. I wanted to write my own lyrics, but I figured "Single Ladies" was so popular, it had to have "been done already," so I searched YouTube for something like "Single Ladies WoW." I watched more than a few "Single Ladies" WoW parodies and got a little discouraged about writing my own lyrics, since so many already existed! But then I came across Ryan's "Ninja Raiders," and I loved the lyrics so much that I just went ahead and messaged him via YouTube, asking if I could possibly cover his cover. ^_^ He simply said yes, and the rest is history. I sent him the audio when I was all finished and he put it up on his website. =)
WoW Moviewatch: On the Horde
This movie was created by RavenSylphG, who you might recall was the machinima creator of the incredibly popular Ninja Raiders. Raven has put together a new video for the song On the Horde. It's pretty nice to be able to feature more of her work, since I'm really finding myself enamored of her graphic style. On the Horde is performed by Kirstieanne, Cryssy, and Sharm. (You're probably pretty familiar with Sharm from videos like I Kissed An Orc). This is the first time I've been exposed to Kirstieanne and Cryssy. I liked both of their performances, and think they did a good job singing with Sharm. I will admit that On the Horde didn't hit me as the best song ever, but I still respect the amount of work and effort that must have gone into creating it. Ultimately, I'm really excited about seeing all four of these folks break out more music and videos into the WoW culture. I think theyr'e doing great things, and I'm eager to see what comes next. 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: Altaholic
EmberIsolte's last movie, Ninja Raiders, was certainly a hit. She's now following up with Altaholic, which is a parody of Katy Perry's Hot 'n Cold. The video and lyrics were created by Gack and Eidni, while EmberIsolte performed the vocals. The video for this song is pretty fun, with a heavy mix of machinima techniques and gameplay footage. The lyrics for this piece do a great job fitting the music, without any of the "forced" feeling which many parodies suffer. The vocals sounded a little funny to me, but that sometimes happen when checking out a movie through YouTube. However, EmberIsolte does a pretty good job of nailing Perry's voice technique from the original song. It's nice to see Draenei surfacing as strong machinima characters. While that's not a direct commentary on movies like this, I think the choice of main character helps separate Altaholic from many of the other WoW parody pieces. Getting some variety in machinima is always a bonus. 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: Ninja Raiders [Update]
Like the Craft of War: BLIND back in its own day, Ninja Raiders has been recommended to Moviewatch every few days. Since it's one of the rare music videos that genuinely make me laugh, I figured I'd give it a second spotlight. The video's innate charm and clever lyrics continue to please audiences, and I want to make sure everyone gets a chance to see it. One of the fresh, fun things about this video is the obvious skill displayed by Ember Isolte in her vocal performance. She sounds very much like Beyonce Knowles, but still gives the song an interesting "Draenei sound." Both the graphics and the lyrics gently poke fun at its subject without feeling mean spirited or cruel. That's a pretty rare balance, and Ember Isolte and Raven Sylphe should both be proud of their work. Update: Ember has contacted us to let us know that the mastermind behind the project is Ryan Myers. Ryan wrote the lyrics and even did a machnima of it quite a while ago. You can check out the original video of it; it certainly has all the makings of the current incantation that has sparked a lot of interest in the WoW community. It's great to see talented artists like Ryan, Ember, and Raven work together to create what ends up to be an amazing product. Kudos to them all! 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.
