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WoW Moviewatch: Fruit of Elune
One of the mainstays at BlizzCon is the machinima contest – talented artists submit their movie ahead of the convention in hopes of winning fame and prizes. This year's BlizzCon is no different, and we're sure to see some great videos during the largest gathering of WoW players outside of Azeroth. Over the next few days let's take a look back at some of the winners and runner ups of last year's movie competition.Fruit of Elune won a Runner-up prize in last year's BlizzCon machinima contests. Maybe I'm just a fanboy, but I really liked the commercial parody. And, perhaps, I was pleased to see some lighthearted mocking of Night Elves. Night Elves tends to be a stoic, far too serious race. We could all use to have a little fun poked at the followers of Elune.Last year, the big talk about this video had to do with a brief "wifebeater" joke. The joke was clearly sourced in a common nickname for a sleeveless men's t-shirt. I think the high quality of this video was overlooked due to the discussion about that bit. This is an important object lesson for many authors and artists; regardless of whether you think the joke is funny, that kind of material often "overwhelms" a video. It tends to become all that people remember about the film. Unless the point of your movie is to address that kind of controversial issue, you're probably better off skipping it. 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: Illegal Danish 3 Prelude
Adroit machinima fans are probably already aware that Myndflame has been diligently working on the third installment Illegal Danish. The premise of this new Illegal Danish is that Van Kraken has created his ultimate brew, the Flask of Ten Thousand Souls. The flask is so powerful that only by combining it with the power of the Illegal Danish can it be consumed without fear of death. The bad news for Van Kraken, though, is that it can only be used by a gnome. So, obviously, Van Kraken needs to find and corrupt a gnome to do this deed. The new movie looks to be the same riotous fun as the previous Illegal Danish films, so it was pretty exciting when we learned Myndflame released the Illegal Danish 3 Prelude.The prelude focuses on the star character, an ambitious gnome named Dirti. In this series of events, he undergoes a dark transformation into "Dirti G", making him incredibly powerful under the supervision of the sinister Van Kraken. If you didn't realize it right away, this prelude is a parody of Blizzard's own preview for StarCraft 2. I'm obviously a pretty big fan of the video, and it actually made me (briefly) considering a new Rogue.Check out the preview yourself by clicking here. It's definitely 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 e-mail at machinima AT wow DOT com.
WoW Moviewatch: Jesse Cox Voice Actor Video Demo
Tipster Kerri clued me in to the Jesse Cox Voice Actor Video Demo on YouTube. This is definitely not the sort of movie we'd regularly feature on Moviewatch, of course, but it points out an interesting facet of machinima that we don't usually talk about. Namely, this video shows off the skills of the voice actors.Many times, a video can be visually impressive, but less-than-stellar voice acting can detract from the overall experience. Jesse Cox has worked with Myndflame in several videos, as well as starring in Divided Soul. By watching this demo reel, you can very clearly see how much character and technique he brings to his roles. I think it can't be understated how important it is to a machinima to have actors who can speak their lines fluidly, believably, and without awkward moments.Like I said, the video demo itself is pretty straight-forward. I hope it brings the results to Jesse that he wants. But, I wanted to feature it to help highlight the often unsung hero of machinima: the voice actor. 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: Adventures of Puff & Lilpuff - Episode 7
Warning: The language in this piece is not safe for work.You can only very tenuously call today's piece a "movie," which might disqualify it for being featured on "Moviewatch." However, Myndflame's "Adventures of Puff & Lilpuff - Episode 7" targets the same audience of WoW players who would recognize them from their epic series, Illegal Danish. I wanted to make sure Moviewatchers didn't miss out on the comedy.Of course, part of the news here is that Myndflame will be releasing the prelude to Illegal Danish 3 on July 3rd, 2009. This particular episode of Puff & Lilpuff features a petition thread on Gameriot, encouraging the Illegal Danish folks to include the nominal characters in the machinima.Overall, this mostly-audio series is pretty funny. It's rooted in the body of work Myndflame has created, and is definitely a creative use of characters. Over the seven episodes we've already scene, the interaction between Puff and Lilpuff has become more complex and involves. I think that the series will continue to build on this intricacy, and will probably become a staple of many a WoW player's weekly game routine.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 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.
Myndflame publishes a guide to machinima law
Last month, Clint Hackleman over at Myndflame machinima attended and presented at Stanford Play Machinima Law conference. As you might expect, he came out of the conference with a heightened respect and understanding about how machinima law works. Building on the relationships he's formed, as well as lots of leg work, Hackleman has been publishing a machinmator's guide to Blizzard & Machinima Law.So far, there are three parts of the guide available. Part 1 deals with some of the very basics, but probably the most important section is understanding "commercialization" and what Blizzard's rules about it. A super quick summary of commercialization is "using a product to make money," but you should take the time to check out Myndflame's guide. He's obviously a bit more thorough about the explanation.Part 2 of the guide talks about Blizzard's Fair Use policy for machinima. I'd consider this guide a must-read for anyone who wants to create machinima. It deals with how Blizzard supports machinimators, but also warns about where you'll encounter the limits of that support. For example, machinima using Blizzard properties should be "T" rated movies -- they don't want Blizzard icons getting mixed up with unsavory subjects. Part 3 of the guide deals with music, which is a key component of any good movie. A good film has to have a great soundtrack, after all.I think Myndflame's guide is a pretty interesting read for anyone, even if you don't plan to make your own WoW movies. It gives some perspective and analysis to how much Blizzard strives to work with their community, and definitely shows what a vital, thriving society WoW machinimators can be. I appreciate the insight, and the work is a pretty fun read over all.
Myndflame launches the Adventures of Puff and Lilpuff audio series
If you're a follower of the "Illegal Danish" series, you've probably already encountered Puff and Lilpuff. The elf and gnome are two key characters in Myndflame's comedy, and they make for an interesting pair. In order to help reach out to both their fans and the machinima community, Myndflame is launching a new audio-based series based on the character, called The Adventures of Puff and Lilpuff.Myndflame will take emails and answer them daily. The plan is to set up an interactive format between their listeners and the creators themselves. This innovative dialogue will help shape the series, according to the Myndflame site. As the whole project grows and develops, Myndflame says they will reach out to other, well-known machinimists to get them involved in Puff and Lilpuff. The above clip is the pilot episode, though the series already has three episodes completed. At this rate of creation, Puff and Lilpuff could turn into a mainstay of every WoW player's daily routine. I think it's a very interesting format, since a lot of machinima and WoW productions can feel "at an arm's distance." Giving the machinima audience at large a chance to interact and work with the creators could open up a new level in the hobby, and maybe get more people creating the art. It'll be pretty interesting to see how it all turns out.
Myndflame loot being offered for donations
If you're a machinima regular, you're probably familiar with Myndflame. The name can refer to the machinima website, where a wide and varied group of authors gather to share their work, comment on one another's pieces, and generally do the hang-out thing. Or, the name can refer to a specific set of artists, who put together pieces like Illegal Danish. That group's got a lot going on.The Myndflame team is offering a few select pieces of swag over on their official site, as rewarsd for charitable donations. They've got a few limited edition shirts available, as well as a couple discontinued CDs. The purpose of this offering, of course, it to help provide for the ongoing development of the Myndflame community. They've been working with Blizzard to promote a better understanding of machinima and machinima law, as well as working to try and get more people involved in machinima creation.The items have a little history to them. The shirts were produced for the Myndflame team, and one was given away at Blizzcon 2008. The remainder are the only ones left from that print run, and remain crispy clean and unworn. The CDs are only available digitally nowadays, so it seems likely these originals come from someone's personal stash. If you know someone who's a fan of the Illegal Danish series, these might make a nice gift -- Clint's offered to sign and personalize anything you get.
WoW Moviewatch: Van Helsing Trailer
Wello posted his Van Helsing Trailer over on Myndflame, with some commentary that I found pretty interesting. First, it's his fourth video, and the one he feels best about. More importantly, Wello said that he'd searched far and wide for anyone else who'd already created a Van Helsing trailer. He found none, so immediately made one himself. He considered it his "time to shine."It's easy to forget that the creation of machinima is usually sourced in an author's passion for the subject. Okay, so while Hugh Jackman rocking a crossbow and funny hat might not be humanity's key pathos, it's something for which Wello has a lot of love. (Hell, maybe Hugh Jackman is a strong enough collective obsession, anyway, given what opened this weekend.) Machinimators don't make a bunch of money off their work, it's entirely a labor or love.The video itself is pretty keen. It's just a stylized recreation of the video, using stand-ins from WoW for the various actors. I was a little surprised to see Kate Beckinsale turned into a Blood Elf, but I guess that makes sense in context. I think Wello did a good job of choosing models and scenery, but the characters themselves could use a little more motion. Ultimately, it was a fun video that I enjoyed watching. I look forward to seeing Wello's skills grow.[Via Myndflame]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: FI5VE - Deleted Opening
X-Cross has been building a new machinima series, titled FI5VE. As an author works on this kind of thing, there are myriads of outtakes. These aren't always mistakes. Some of the scenes they build, film, make all pretty, and then simply decide that the final product doesn't work our for them. This deleted opening is exactly such an out take. X-Cross ultimately decided that it was too long to open each episode.But it's still an awesome piece of video. FI5VE is about five gnomes with unique, special powers. Well, unique and special to gnomes. The five superheroes have managed to become the five classes gnomes cannot be in game. (Those five classes are Priest, Paladin, Druid, Shaman, and Hunter.) This sounds like a really cool project, so I was excited about this deleted opening. The animation and character work looks really great. X-Cross has managed to squeeze a lot of personality into these few seconds. And, of course, getting to see a gnome turn into a druid cat has long been a wish of mine. Click here to check out FI5VE's deleted opening!
WoW Moviewatch: Theory of a Death Knight
Warning: Not safe for work! While it's all in a good fun, there's definitely cursing and loud, riotous music.This is the new short video from Myndflame, titled Theory of a Death Knight. Rumor has it that the creator went to herculean effort to get the video published. While I hate to see someone go to that kind of pain, I do have to say that it was worth it. "Theory" is one of those rare unique pieces that show why Clint is a stand-apart machinimator.The premise of the video is pretty simple. The scene opens to a Death Knight rocking out in a music studio. A Belf stops the performance, demanding to know why they always have to sing such harsh stuff. In the ensuing conflict, the Death Knight shortly finds himself fired. He then has to go out and make his own way in the big wide world.The first thing that struck me about this video was, ironically, the colors. While I've been exposed to vibrant imagery before, this whole thing felt like someone made it out of a paint bucket. They're bright, gorgeous, and vivid. The strong colors emphasized the frenetic pace of the Death Knight's music. The final gag in the movie had me laughing out loud. I wasn't expecting it, and it seemed like a perfect finale to the video.If you have trouble seeing the player above, you can catch the movie here.
WoW Moviewatch: In For A Penny: Part Two "The Thorne of Rose Street"
Selserene actually released In For A Penny: Part Two "The Thorne of Rose Streeet" this past Friday. Since Moviewatch runs only during the week, we were faced with a dilemma. Do we feature this work immediately, to get the good news out to everyone as soon as possible? Or, wait until Monday, when the most readers would be available to see Selserene's movie? After enjoying the twenty minute installment, your intrepid Moviewatch team had their answer. We wanted to get it in front of as many people as possible. Everyone -- and I mean everyone -- should have the opportunity to see this series.If you haven't seen In For A Penny's prologue or first chapter, you might want to take the time to do so. I'm not sure it's necessary, since there's enough thematic information in this episode that you get the gist of what's happening. The beauty of Selserene's noir piece is that the genre really informs the story. Selserene displays a love of the film noir genre, but not because of the black-and-white composition. A significant factor of the noir genre is the lack of "good guys." Relatively few of the protagonists are completely noble in their motivation, and Selserene's characters seem similarly complex.And the mysterious Draenei woman? Totally for the win. I enjoy a lot of Selserene's imagery in this, even if I'm not a big blood elf fan. I think the luxury and decadence inherent in the scenery helps underscore some of IFAP's themes. (Corruption, evil, desperation -- yanno, noir stuff.) [Via Myndflame.com]
WoW Moviewatch: Das Strafgericht in Naxxramas
Warning: Subtitles are in German. My amateur attempts at Google translation revealed no naughty words, but I could be wrong. The soundtrack is music only, but there are words that flash on the screen. If a coworker happens by your screen, and happens to read German, and the words happen to be innuendo, then this might not be completely work safe.Das Strafgericht in Naxxramas was posted on Myndflame by Petunia. It is, in essence, a quick romp through Naxxramas, involving a bunch of cool scenes and kill shots. In that sense, this video isn't groundbreaking. However, it's a got a couple stylistic things going for it that I wanted to point out.First, the opening scene is pretty neat. Members of a guild are hanging out on the beach and having fun. Their day in the sun is interrupted by visitors. The guild jog into a nearby shack for a Superman moment, dressing up in their finest tier gear and weaponry to do battle. I found this opening lighthearted and amusing. It's also notable in that it provides in-character motivation for the guild to go do battle in Naxxramas. Many of these highlight videos lack that kind of thing, and I think the inclusion makes Petunia's work stand out.More importantly, the video itself is clean and concise. There aren't five minute stretches of people mashing their DPS buttons, or of a tank standing in front of the boss analyzing the boss's hygiene. It's just a few quick shots from each fight, before moving on to the next. It's fast, precise, and the video itself is pretty. What else could you want?If you have trouble with the video player, you can check out the video here.[Via Myndflame]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: Defias Mightiest
It might help if you know a bit about the Defias Brotherhood. (Lapdogs! All of you!) Defias Mightiest by Myndflame was originally featured (in part) at the opening of the epic Illegal Danish: Escape for Orgrimmar. This is a pretty neat stand alone music video in its own right, however. I wanted to draw attention to it, especially, because I'm excited about the upcoming release of Death Knights Ride Bikes. It's created by the same folks, and I like their WoW-inspired music. The pacing and music are both pretty awesome, in my humble opinion. I will admit to being a little disturbed by how long I spent looking at Van Cleef's tushie, but that's kind of part and parcel of the joke. I want to note, however, that the final shot of the video's protagonist overlooking the spires of Stormwind is a strong image for anyone who knows the lore. It's funny that the moment captures the essence of the Defias story so strongly even while taking place in a comedy music video. That says something about the strength of both WoW's lore, but also the power of the machinimist responsible. 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 Lamp
Today's Moviewatch is The Lamp, by Innovatif. Here's a tip that will help you from the beginning. The two characters are credited as "Blue Idiot" and "Red Idiot." They're not stand-ins for kids or anything, they're just a pair of idiots. That being said, I'm shocked and aghast that Alliance was used for token idiots! The Lamp is pretty amusing. I'm not sure I laughed out loud, but I was definitely grinning at watching the clods go through their Christmas morning. It doesn't hurt that their excitement over a found lamp reminds me of my favorite phrase - I love lamp! (Or, for me, I love Tank!) And is often the case when a pair of idiots find a shiny object, the story progresses and hijinks ensue. "The Lamp" is decent to watch, but I think it struggles a little bit against the recent rash of astounding films. I hope to see more from Innovatif, as I think this shows a lot of promise. 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: Northrend Wonderland
Some of the (many) great things about the holidays are the wonderful movies created by machinimists. Some are serious, some are heart-tugging, some are just plain hilarious. Northrend Wonderland by Firebolt Productions falls into that last category. It's such a strong holiday comedy piece (for WoW players) that I'm sure I'm going to be playing it repeatedly tomorrow. The premise is simple. It's Winter's Veil in Northrend, and Arthas has the blues. One of his loyal minions offers the Lich King a stroll through the torture chamber to help perk up. Song and comedy ensue. The production values are good. I enjoyed the scenes, models, and camera work. But the soundtrack is really where Northrend Wonderland takes the cake. The music is awesome and hilarious. I guess the only criticism would be that the Darth-sounding voices of Arthas and minions can be tough to understand without subtitles, but that's why the subtitles are there. Click here to see it for yourself! 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: Kael'Thas and the Santa Claus
Wow, Christmas is only 8 days away. I feel like it snuck up on me this year. But Kael'Thas is plenty aware, and he goes to pay a visit to Santa in Kael'Thas and the Santa Claus by Ian Beckman. While the Bad Boy of the Sindorei is eager to plop in Santa's lap, Santa's having none of it. The Christmas Dwarf remembers all too well the stink Kael'Thas made last year. This is definitely an antic driven comedy, and is a wonderful bite-sized bit of Christmas humor. The graphics are pretty simple, but that really just helps the audience focus on the dialogue. Ian Beckman's the auteur behind Azerothian Super Villains, and I think his emphasis on word play and surreal speech comes across well. Check it out yourself, here! [Via Myndflame]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 Bells of Northrend
I have to agree with Kamuraki who said, when speaking about the song used in the Bells of Northrend, "Trans-Siberian Orchestra did the most AWESOME version of Carol of the Bells that will ever be done in the history of mankind. Maybe some alien race will do a better cover some day, but I doubt it.""The Bells of Northrend" is Baka Savant's submission to A Very Northrend Christmas contest. It's a music video set to the sights of Northrend, obviously. The music playing is "Christmas Eve/Sarajevo" by the Trans-Siberian Orchestra. (I've had the good fortune to see them in concert twice, and they do in fact rock.) I think the Northrend imagery lines up incredibly well, which is probably a no-brainer given the winter weather. But the landscape of white-forests, vast stone architecture, and crystal landscapes works well with screaming guitars shredding their power chords. I mean, it is all very metal when you get down to it, and isn't that the point?[Via Myndflame]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: Wrath of a Couch Potato
AFK Pl@yers over at Myndflame have created Wrath of a Couch Potato, inspired by Seth Green's acclaimed "Robot Chicken" series. The movie runs a little over 8 minutes in its entirety, and the experience is kind of intense. I suggest watching it somewhere you can really pay attention. I hate to gush, but I really loved this movie. It's packed with laugh-out-loud moments, and each segment lasts only long enough to deliver a solid joke. The production values are through the roof. Each scene is well framed, and put together with an eye for detail. There's more than a few quotes in here that you can expect to permeat the Trade channel's zeitgeist for the next few months. So, to be fair, if you get annoyed by people endlessly quoting good machinima films, you might get annoyed from what comes out of "Wrath of a Couch Potato." Click here now to check out Wrath of a Couch Potato. [via Myndflame] 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 Lonely Monster
As a good friend of mine says, "Oh my god, the cute! It burns!" That might not be the most professional opening to my blurb on today's WoW Moviewatch, but it certainly was what I was thinking the entire time I was watching The Lonely Monster by Ollgabopi. The animation is smooth and simple; there's no doubt about what each character is feeling. The music is absolutely appropriate, though I don't know if the creator meant for it to be quite that melancholy. The story and presentation is a little bit of a trope, but the overall effect is that much stronger since it draws on what we already know and feel about this situation. A lonely, friendly monster just wants to be accepted. It's not rocket science, and Ollgabopi lets the music and animation support the emotions of the sequence. I was a little bit disappointed not to have more catharsis at the end, but I think as a piece of stand-alone art "The Lonely Monster" is very strong. [Via Myndflame] If you have any suggestions for WoW Moviewatch, you can mail them to us at machinima AT wowinsider DOT com.Previously on Moviewatch ...
