WoW Moviewatch: Yesterday's News
Yesterday's News by Slashdance was an entry into the Rise to Power contest. On the off chance you're reading this blurb before watching the movie, please take a moment now and check it out. It is the simple story of a man who's spent a lifetime honing his craft to an art, only to find himself replaced by the rise of a new technology. In the face of someone else's rise to power, his own living is destroyed.
Did you check out the movie? For some reason, it didn't place in the Rise to Power contest. I don't really have any feedback about why, since those decisions aren't really publicized. I won't guess at why the video didn't manage to score a winning spot, but I can say some things about this video.
There's obviously a lot of machinima out there. Some of the stories are beautiful and compelling. Some of the artwork is technically and visually amazing. Almost all of it is artwork derived from the effort and vision of its creators. One of my favorite things about being the Moviewatch guy is that I regularly get exposure to an entire host of artists who create so many amazing things.
Yet, among all that artwork I get to see, Yesterday's News stands out as one of machinima's masterpieces. I could talk about the film's technique or composition details, but I'd rather focus on the emotion of the piece. There's no one I've talked to from the machinima community or mainstream WoW community who hasn't been moved by this piece.
Yesterday's News has absolutely floored person after person. This is because the video is about a universal human experience, and touches on that experience in a beautifully orchestrated manuscript. The music, the images, and the story are all strung together with subtle, wonderful poetry. It speaks to our fears, our hopes, and the inexorable forward motion of society and technology.
My hat's off to Slashdance. I don't know why you weren't chosen as a winner for the contest, but I do know that you've created something amazing. In the least, I hope you're (rightfulyl) proud of your 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 e-mail at gray AT wow DOT com.
