cinemassively
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Cinemassively: Gametrotting machinima documentary
Jun Falkenstein recently blogged about a machinima documentary that she was in last summer. When I checked it out, I was surprised to see the all-star crew of machinimators that they assembled for it. They were asked to explain machinima as if the audience had never heard, or seen, of it.In the video, Philip Debevoise, the President of Machinima.com, discusses what machinima is all about. Frank Dellario, of the Electric Sheep Company-owned ILL Clan, gives us a peek at how his team works as well. I really enjoyed seeing the variety of platforms that this mini-documentary highlighted, and I hope to see more coverage like this in the future![Via Stone Falcon Productions]
Cinemassively: Tonight Live with Paisley Beebe
I've covered the Second Life Cable Network before, but there's so much programming that I wanted to highlight one specific segment. Every week, residents join Paisley Beebe to watch her talk show, Tonight Live. Her previous guests have included sean Voss, Celebrity Trollop, Cylindrian Rutabaga, Filthy Fluno, TheDiva Rockin, and Torley Linden!Last week, Paisley interviewed Beyers Sellers, otherwise known as Robert Bloomfield, who also has a weekly show on SLCN called Metanomics. They discuss why some have called his program "Pretend TV" and also why he started out in SL as a woman. For more information about Tonight Live or to attend in person, you can check out their blog.
Cinemassively: Cisco Hospital of the Future
If you happen to live in San Diego, California in 2011 and have a medical emergency, your hospital stay will be a lot better thanks to Cisco. As part of their Connected Life series of projects, they are building a Connected Health hospital campus, dubbed Palomar West. If you can't wait three years to see the finished building, they've built a simulation in Second Life.In the virtual prototype, you can walk the grounds as a patient, check out all the cool health gadgets, and learn more about the program. This corporate machinima is top-notch, with high-quality shots, editing, and voiceover. I can't wait to see the build!
Cinemassively: Second Life Lip Sync Viewer
Second Life machinimators know how hard it is to make characters look convincing without their lips moving. There are a number of tricky solutions, but some resident inventors are simplifying the process. mm Alder created a special client that you can use to run SL, and it will loop lip movement. To demonstrate, he included a scene from an upcoming machinima by Berardo Carboni. If you are interested in this client, please note that there is a normal viewer, and a Windlight viewer, available for download. You can find documentation on the official SL wiki.[Thanks, Mescaline Tammas!]
Cinemassively: Pud and Jel
At first glance, Pud and Jel may seem really one-dimensional. However, once you look deeper, you can see that it's so much more. The series centers around two friends, Jel, a confident, daring leader, and Pud, a timid, but loyal companion.Steff Ling, the series creator, has made good use of the many different sims just waiting to be filmed. Pud and Jel start off their adventure by breaking free from Greenies Rezzable, end up at a bar, decide to go surfing, and then they get lost in a haunted house! I hope to see some longer adventures in the future because they really have a strong bond.If I had to complain about anything, it would be the visibility of the mouselook cursor. That's a sure sign of filming with the UI on. That's not enough to stop me from watching the series, though!
Cinemassively: Sonof Marvin says goodbye to the Teen Grid
It always breaks my heart when I hear about teen transfers, or those who turn 18 and switch over to the Main Grid. I've seen too many formerly vibrant Teen Gridders come over to MG and fade away. Sonof Marvin is the latest TGer to leave his video mark on the world.In his compilation, he shows off screenshots of his time on the Teen Grid of Second Life. At the end, he gives a shout out to all of his friends that he'll miss, as well as ways to contact him. However, I thought that I could do him one better and let the SLers know that this guy could use some friends on MG!
Cinemassively: Inventing Swear Words 4
In the fourth Inventing Swear Words, we find Mort, the undead ubar-l33t, preparing to marry his prize heifer, Lacy. Will he be able to resist temptation when it comes along? Will Hat be able to sing a tune without insulting Mort's bride? You'll just have to tune in to find out!I am pleased to report that my future husband, Hat the singing turtle, has quite a bit of face time in Oxhorn's latest machinima. He manages to sing three songs in Inventing Swear Words 4! I'd have to say that my favorite would be, "You are so beautiful ... to Mort." If you're as obsessed with Hat as I am, and he really should get a restraining order against me, then join his WeGame Official Hat Fan Club! Oxhorn was kind enough to render out all the Hat moments from his movies, so it's all Hat, all the time.
Cinemassively: Sunday Times conference on business in Second Life
Apparently a conference went on, and some very big companies attended. Put on by the PA Consulting Group and the Sunday Times Online, it was about the future of business in Second Life. I can't really tell if it was, in their words, the largest business conference in SL, but it did look well-attended.While these videos are certainly informative, they're also out of order on YouTube. Part One deals with an introduction to the series, an overview of virtual worlds, and talks a bit about Cisco. Part Two goes into detail about the sponsors of the conference. Part Three discusses video conferencing, business partnerships, and communication methods. Part Four wraps it up by talking about recruiting, confidentiality, and focus groups.
Cinemassively: Snacky's Journal, Episode 1
With the Snacky's Journal Episode 4 teaser released yesterday, I guess I'm feeling a bit nostalgic. This award-winning series, by Stone Falcon Productions, is about a gnome rogue, Snacky, and his night elf friend, Angie. They get into all sorts of trouble together, including murloc mishaps, weight training gone wrong, and a fishing fiasco.Episode 1 introduces us to Snacky through his writings in a journal that Angie gives him. As he is finishing up, he is interrupted by his friend, who suggests that they go murloc tipping. You'll just have to watch to see if things go as planned. Apparently Episide 4 could be the very last, so enjoy the series while you can!
Cinemassively: Virtual strike of IBM by employees yields real results
I came across a video today that didn't blow me away technically. The aspect ratio changes throughout, the UI is on, and it might have been edited in Windows Movie Maker. However, I couldn't take my eyes off of this video because it made a difference.In September 2007, Second Life Insider blogged that Italian IBM workers were using Second Life to protest a proposed pay cut. Little was known about the strike at the time, except that those interested should download a strike kit and carry on peacefully on their own time. In a video released yesterday in multiple languages, they explain what went on, why they did it, and what the results were.Read on for more details about the strike ...
Cinemassively: realXtend demo video
Our Open Source Second Life just got a whole lot more complicated, thanks to realXtend. It's too early to call them our heroes, but it probably won't be long. If you're wondering just what on earth I'm talking about, check out their demo video, which shows off version 0.1.While this is obviously just the beginning, they already have mesh avatars, mesh objects, and html on a prim! With the next update on February 29th, they'll be adding avatar attachments, avatar appearance storage, and single sign-on to multiple worlds, among other things. Change is coming. Are you ready?[Via realXtend]
Cinemassively: Here Without You
One of the best machinimas created in World of Warcraft was actually made almost three years ago, and still lives on in machinimators today. With over 20,000 videos uploaded to Warcraftmovies, Here Without You, by Dimoroc, was one of the first 1200. Many filmmakers have since tried to replicate the raw emotion evoked in this video, but few have succeeded.Here Without You centers around the origin of a Forsaken, from how he came to be, to how he's haunted by his past. Using only music and interactions, instead of dialogue, Dimoroc was able to create a moving display of love. After posting this video, he disappeared, which is a real shame, because he helped pave the way for so many talented machinimators after him.[Via Warcraftmovies.com]
The Daily Grind: Would you ever play a noncombatant?
Watching a recent Cinemassively, it occurred to me that in MMOs, everyone is a warrior. By that, I mean that everyone fights -- some with weapons, some with magic, etc. There are probably games out there that don't require combat as a method of advancing the game, but I'm not privy to any of them. No matter what you look like, or roleplay, you will do battle at some point.But what if there was a game that let you progress through other means? What if you were a diplomat or politician, with different goals and abilities? What if you had to be protected by other players as you made your way through the game world, dependent on them for your survival? Would that be fun? Would you ever choose to play a noncombatant and watch other players hog all the glory?
Cinemassively: Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman?
The next stop on our MMO love tour brings us to Everquest II. YouTube machinimator monkeydarren made this video for his wife. It was the first dance at their wedding!I haven't seen many EQ2 videos, so I was pleasantly surprised to see the range of animations that they have, as well as the camera control. He was even able to give her a wedding ring and propose to her. When Bryan Adams wrote this song, I'll bet he never pictured it being used for a virtual wedding, but it fits!
Cinemassively: Olibith romances us with "Something Stupid"
I came across this machinima while on my quest for the perfect video Valentine. Olibith weaved a cute World of Warcraft tale of love to the sweet sounds of Frank and Nancy Sinatra. The best part was that he appears to have dedicated it to his wife and child. Say it with me now -- "Awww!"While most of Olibith's material is pretty racy, this video isn't so bad. I must warn the viewers that there is some innuendo, though. Overall, I thought it was adorable to see the two gnomes experiencing the joys of courtship.
Cinemassively: Come Away With Me
Valentine's Day is just around the corner, and like my idol, Smoove B, I want to woo you! I'll be posting MMO machinima that is Valentine's or love-themed all week, so pull out your tissues. It might get weepy in here.Mistressofdesign created a beautiful work of art, with Norah Jones as her muse and Second Life as her canvas. She is clearly versed in cinematography. My only complaint is that it's a bit repetitive. Now if only I knew her SL name!
Cinemassively: Blue to Pink
Second Life has always had a large art community, but lately I'm noticing that it's transcending into something much deeper. They are now blending prims, lights, and sounds to create wild displays. In this video, Osprey Therian shows off one such creation.I remember when I was younger and had the chance to visit the circus, where I purchased one of those fiberoptic wands that would change colors. This piece reminds me of those wands, changing from blue to pink, and back again. I'm hoping that Osprey will put it for display for the public to check out!
Cinemassively: CSI:NY Virtual Experience Mystery Game #4
It looks like Anthony Zuiker and the Electric Sheep Company have made good on their promise to deliver fresh mysteries in the CSI sims of Second Life. Last month's episode revolved around an unidentified man that was murdered by one of three potential suspects. SL's most famous contract killer, Venus, may have been the culprit.This month could get interesting, as Chris Carella, of ESC, blogged that the Venus storyline that aired in October will air again on February 27th. They will be temporarily increasing the amount of CSI sims in anticipation of new signups. In addition, they have a new Valentine's mystery for you to check out, as well as two new mysteries on the 27th.However, I'm really curious as to when the conclusion will air. Was it affected by the Writers Guild strike? Don't leave us hanging, CBS!
Cinemassively: Inside Eye4You island on Teen Grid
As an adult with access to the Second Life Teen Grid, I can only go to two estates there, Global Kids and Eye4You Alliance. However, I'm sure that many educators and Main Gridders would like to see what parts of TG look like. HVX Silverstar posted some brief machinima clips leftover from 2007, covering such topics as teen drivers, meetings, and machinima.The clips are meant to show off the island and their projects. I'd have to say that my favorite part of the footage is where they watch Red vs. Blue in their theater. Machinima being viewed inside a machinima is so meta! Some other things I'd like to point out are that Storm Basiat manages the island for the teens, Brooke Barmy built the theater, and at least one of the residents in the video, Mercury Metropolitan, is already on the Main Grid!
Cinemassively: Bobble and friends
In today's Cinemassively, Stamp answers the age old question of what would happen if your World of Warcraft characters jumped out of your computer. By the end of this video, you won't care who stole the beer, or why the door was left open a crack when you swore that you shut it. You'll be too busy oohing and aahing at how adorable the WoW avatars looked in every scene.Stamp used quite a lot of programs to achieve this effect, including WoW model viewer, Sony Vegas, Windows Movie Maker, Virtual Dub, and Particle Illusion. However, in this Machinima, they blend really well together. My only complaint is that those little jailbirds didn't invite me to the party![Via Warcraftmovies.com]
