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WoW Moviewatch: Illegal Danish Super Snacks
We're continuing the Staff Picks series of WoW Moviewatch with a special selection by Kristin. Not only is Illegal Danish Super Snacks by Myndflame one of the earliest legends of machinima, it remains to this day one of our favorite videos. The Danish video, as nobody calls it, is unique in a few ways. First, it's blend of comedy and story make it interesting to follow and a laugh to watch. Second, it spawned a whole series of jokes and references that flourished through the years of WoW. While some of the jokes might not make sense to newer players, those of us in the nostalgia circuit will thrill to hear those dreadful words... "Arcanite Reaper, hooooo!" 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.
Breakfast Topic: Have you ever wanted to make your own machinima?
Most people know that I play a discipline priest in World of Warcraft. I play holy and shadow a lot too, but nothing really beats hopping around, casting bubbles on people, and preventing near death experiences. In League of Legends, I pretty much do the same exact thing, minus the hopping. In League I play a support champion named Janna, and most of what she does is float around, cast bubbles on people, and prevent near death experiences. I guess I just like bubbling things. I've always suspected it had something to do with the fact that the first game I ever owned as a kid was Bubble Bobble on the NES. Want to know what you do in that game? You hop around blowing bubbles at things. Anyway, ever since Wrath, I've wanted to make a video where my disc priest starts out shielding the raid on the heroic Lich King encounter, before accidentally falling through the platform and into a 2-D platform game (similar to Bubble Bobble). There she would have to use her bubbles to navigate levels and fight monsters. The problem is I don't really think I have what it takes to make machinima. Sure, I can hit the record button and film my character running around on a live server, but I don't think I have the patience or artistic talent to do stuff like Percula or the Hackleman Brothers. What they do is closer to animation, and animation is pretty intimidating to a second-rate artist like myself. Still, it doesn't stop me from dreaming. Maybe one day ... What about you? Have you ever wanted to make your own machinima? If so, what would it be? A short spoof, a feature length movie, or an ongoing series? Furthermore, what would it be about? Would it be the love story of your blood elf mage, or an epic war drama starring your human paladin?
WoW Moviewatch: The Day After the Cataclysm Ended
With more people killing Deathwing every single day, an inevitable and troubling question keeps coming up: "What will happen to the dragons now?" They gave up their immortality so that we can begin the Time of Man, and we didn't see any white-sailed ships floating to the horizon to explain their scaly fate. So what happened? Ineffable genius Myndflame tackled that question, grabbing vocal talent Ember Isolte to take the part of the Lifebinder. You can't miss Myndflame's knack for comedic timing and genius reversal of expectations. Finally, we know what happened The Day After The Cataclysm Ended. 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.
Jokes and songs decorate the WoW community
We get a lot of musical submissions and comedy bits sent to WoW Moviewatch. For better or for worse, we can't always run them. Moviewatch usually needs an animated movie or live-action narration to really work. It's a rough guideline, but it's been a consistent one for years. Of course, we see some awesome stuff that deserves its own spotlight. These are songs, comedy routines, and moments of sheer awesome that you shouldn't miss. It's up to you to decide whether they're good, of course, but that's what makes it a community effort.
WoW Moviewatch: Dungeon Dan Makes Dungeons Fun Again
Are you getting bored with the Dungeon Finder? Feeling frustrated and annoyed with your slow progress through the item levels? Myndflame has just the trick to help you out: Dungeon Dan Makes Dungeons Fun Again. Perhaps channeling the ghost of Crabby, Myndflame's video proposes a new kind of instance helper. Dungeon Dan helps you avoid fire, pick out the right gear, and (most importantly) keep your spirits up. While we probably won't see Dungeon Dan in the game any time soon, we certainly could hope. Having Dungeon Dan ride shotgun through rougher Raid Finder groups would be nice. 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: It's Not Quite Illegal Danish #1
Myndflame is back with a new series titled It's Not Quite Illegal Danish. This is the first episode, so Myndflame invited Wowcrendor to join him, reprising the Gnomish role of Sproodle. Dirti G and Sproodle set out in the Eastern Kingdoms to reach that elusive level 4. This is what Myndflame said about the conception of It's Not Quite Illegal Danish: This series is not meant to replace Illegal Danish, but to provide a faster alternative to long, complex Machinima movies by focusing on short stories and character development featuring everyone's favorite Illegal Danish personalities that can be captured entirely in-game. That's not all Myndflame has been doing lately, though. Check out his latest Battle of the Blues, part of his Epic Blue Time series. Myndflame's hit an amazing stride with these videos, producing some incredibly funny videos. Epic Blue Time is definitely worth the time to watch. 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: Battle of the Blues
Myndflame has created a fun, unique idea for getting official Blizzard posts out to the community. In Myndflame's new series, the "insane voice actor" reads blue posts out loud. It's a pretty great idea, in my opinion, since it brings a level of entertainment to what can sometimes be rather dry information. The idea has really caught on, and even the community managers have gotten in on the fun. The result is that Myndflame took the recent Battle of the Blues and turned the banter into its own video. This performance blew me away. It was hilarious. I've not laughed so hard at forum interaction since the last ret paladin nerf. The video isn't long; take the time to check it out and enjoy the fun. For the record, that is exactly the way I've always imagined Neth and Zarhym speaking. Make sure to keep checking out Myndflame for future installments. 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 email at moviewatch@wowinsider.com.
WoW Moviewatch: Arthas Presents: Max your Cooking in 1 hour
Arthas Presents: Max your Cooking in 1 hour is a short comedy skit presented by Myndflame. After the end of Wrath of the Lich King, Arthas has been a little short of work. As part of his ongoing efforts to purge the world for Lordaeron, he attempted a cooking show. It didn't turn out great for the Crown Prince. Myndflame has been creating these "IRL" videos for a little while. Make sure to check out Deathwing In Real Life and Arthas Purges a Watermelon. You can also see Arthas play fetch with his dog, which is probably my favorite. 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.
15 Minutes of Fame: The music of Nathan Allen Pinard
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. You may not recognize the name Nathan Allen Pinard -- but if you're a fan of the machinima scene, you're bound to have heard his stirring musical take on life in Azeroth via the ever-popular Oxhorn machinima. I mean, come on ... If the irresistible compilation of Oxhorn favorites above doesn't get your foot tapping, then you may just have left your heart frozen solid back in Northrend! As much as we love what he's done with Oxhorn and others, Pinard's known for much more than his music for machinima. Specializing in composing for video games, movies, TV and films as well, Pinard has been hard at work on the score for the sci-fi game Gemini Rue -- oh, and tearing through Cataclysm like a bat out of hell, as well. What's the composer up to lately? There's another Oxhorn machinima in the works, yes, and much more. Join us after the break for the scoop!
WoW Moviewatch: ROFLBear, the Bear Cows
There have been 50 episodes of Myndflame's daily adventures with ROFLBear. And while it looks like the 50th episode, titled Bear Cows, might be the series last video for a while, this has been one heck of an experience. The musical highlights are clearly my favorite, but the whole thing has been pretty fun. Take some time to cruise by Myndflame.com and let them know what you thought. There's a little irony that the last episode of ROFLBear comes on the same day BlizzCon 2010 gets started. I'm not sure what to read into that, but it does seem a little momentous. 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.
ROFLBear ends its first week with hopes for the future
We featured the beginning of ROFLBear on Monday's Moviewatch. The ROFLBear show is a daily series of machinima videos created by the folks behind Myndflame. You can think of it as a daily WoW cartoon. They're finishing up this week's first run with the Anthem of the Crusader, a musical piece. The reviews of ROFLBear have been somewhat mixed but mostly positive. I think as the series has been expanding its mythos, more folks are finding accessible comedy in the videos. There is an obvious variety of humor in the series, so I think most people will find something to their tastes over time. One of the most interesting things about ROFLBear, though, is the sheer persistence and dedication devoted to the series by its creators. A daily machinima is not something that anyone should consider easy or simple. Myndflame has been working on these videos throughout 2010 to make sure they have enough material to maintain the schedule going forward. This kind of daily content is a huge undertaking, as your intrepid WoW.com staff will tell you. I tip my hat to Myndflame and congratulate it on its first week. ROFLBear has been fun so far, and I look forward to what it is going in the future.
WoW Moviewatch: Not All Roleplay is Serious - Episode 3: 1N 3D
Nixxiom and Erunno have a series of hilarious shorts called Not All Roleplay is Serious. They're pretty awesome, and you can usually find them over at Myndflame. One of my favorites, though, is Not All Roleplay is Serious - Episode 3: 1N 3D. It's a very short video, clocking in at a minute and ten seconds. I've missed out on most of the 3D craze hitting mainstream movies. The glasses just give me a horrible headache. So while all of you folks are out rocking to Avatar in eye-popping 3D, I wait for it come out in DVD. So I was totally cheering for Nixxiom and Erunno when the deer paused, looked to the screen, and told us to pop on our glasses now. (This does mean I don't know if that 3D method worked.) Keep an eye out for further NARIS episodes. It's great stuff, and Nixxiom and Erunno are two of the best machinimators out there. You can't go wrong. 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: Best of Kiljoy. "Arcanite Reaper Hooooo!"
My first machinima experience was in 2006. I was travelling to train a vendor company's evening shift on how to do a new job. Note that I said evening shift; during the days, I sat around in a hotel room staring at the walls. I tried to play WoW, but the internet connection was spottier than a dalmation. So, instead, I cruised the internet for WoW related stuff, and encountered my first machinima movie: Illegal Danish. It was clearly a memorable experience for me, and it introduced me to the wonderful, creative world of machinima. My favorite scene of it, though, was when Kiljoy leapt from the ground, and screamed "Arcanite Reaper Hooooo!" That's why Myndflame's new short, Best of Kiljoy. Arcanite Reaper Hoooo!, is so darn funny to me. For months, every time my little warrior would use his crafted reaper, I'd shout out that eponymous phrase. It was awesome. Myndflame has also released Illegal Danish: Super Snacks on their YouTube channel. It's been four years since Illegal Danish hit the scene, so it's an awesome to revisit those favorite memories. 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: Theory of a Death Knight is President of Blizzard
Do you remember Theory of a Death Knight? In the original movie, a death knight is totally rocking out to some hardcore metal when a blood elf stops the performance and demands to know why they must always perform such morbid music. The death knight takes this feedback exactly how you'd expect a hardcore awesome death knight to take it, and eventually finds himself a job. Now, it seems like Myndflame is telling the next step in Theory's journey with Theory of a Death Knight is President of Blizzard. This new installment is pretty short, and continues the tradition of Theory being a high intensity, high volume character with some strange ideas. It's a quick gag short, so don't try to read too much into it. I do find Theory becoming one of my favorite characters, though, so I hope he keeps popping up. 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: ROFLBear Promo
The ROFLBear Promo is a short, promotional video for Myndflame's upcoming ROFLBear series. It's a brief advertisement for their new daily machinima show, to help get the word out that ROFLBear will be starting soon in the spring. In case you've been living under a rock, Myndflame is the mad-scientist machinima house behind the Illegal Danish series. Their work is always funny, creative, and interesting. ROFLBear is going to be a daily series, with five new episodes each week. This is an incredibly aggressive and ambitious schedule, of course. If each new episode of ROFLBear is as fun as this promo, though, we should probably expect ROFLBear to become a huge, new force in the World of Warcraft community. No one else is offering this kind of daily video content, which would mean Myndflame is once again forging new territory. I'm very excited for the group, and wish them great success in this new effort. It looks great so far. Take some time and check out the Myndflame site for more information. 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: Hero
Today's video comes from long time machinima fan, first time machinima maker Bridin. His first story uses the most classic of action tropes. The main character is just your average guy, the bad guys show up, things get bad, and your average guy is driven to become not-so-average. It's simple, but it works. Come on, who doesn't like Die Hard? Overall, Hero is very good as a first outing. The soundtrack is appropriate, as is the foley. The animation is as close to natural as WoW gets, though the moving characters set on a stationary backdrop is always a little jarring. That just comes with the territory though and will just get better with time. If I were to give one piece of advice, I would suggest practicing with a less epic tale for the next go around. It's understandably hard to include intense action sequences and things of that sort when it's your very first go at machinima, but some of the events seem to happen a bit randomly because of it. Any resistance the Alliance put up was off screen, except for our hero being punted off of a seemingly abandoned ship. Deus ex Diabolus keeps our hero from eating dirt. Making these sequences a bit more smooth and sensical would add a lot to these stories. I look forward to Bridin's future work, and considering Hero comes with the prefix Warcraft Stories, I'm hoping that there's a whole lot more coming our way. 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: Erunno's Christmas Story
Erunno's Christmas Story won the WoW Model Viewer Christmas contest. It's a comedy video about one elf's brave struggle to find gifts for a Christmas story. His adventure takes him across the world of Azeroth, and features a dozen or so cameos of other, well-known machinimators. Accord to Erunno over on his Myndflame post, he was experimenting with different techniques and styles from the anime industry. He wanted to take a look at how well those techniques would work out in machinima. I think Erunno nailed it pretty well, and I found the movie to be pretty fun and entertaining. Still, opinions will probably vary. I'm really curious to see how Erunno might use the styles in future videos, consider how well Erunno's Christmas Story seems to have succeeded. 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: Trev and Eroth: Episode 1 - Desperate Measures
I posted last month about the trailer for this movie, so I'm especially happy to present the final release of Trev and Eroth: Episode 1 - Desperate Measures. Created by Giordano, this movie is set sometime between Wrath of the Lich King and Cataclysm. Troubled times force the peoples of Azeroth to take a hard look at their leadership, and Trev and Eroth are in a place to do something about it. There's a lot to recommend this movie. Not only is the plot and scripting interesting, the visual effects are wonderful. Giordano has done a lot to raise the bar in this movie, and I'm very curious to see what he might do next. Giordano has really used new software to improve his movies, and my hat is totally off to him for expanding into new territory. If you have trouble viewing the embed, you can also check it out over on Myndflame. 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: Trev and Eroth: Desperate Measures
Giordano posted about Trev and Eroth: Desperate Measures over at Myndflame. This is just the trailer for the movie, but it has the benefit of mostly being made up from actual footage. The reason that's a big deal, if you don't already know, is that many machinima trailers use slices and snippets from in-game footage or other movies that are never actually repeated in the machinima itself. This technique is usually use to give the author a springboard into inspiration, and help them get their thoughts together. I'm not quite sure what to make of Trev and Eroth. It's supposed to end up a four-piece story, which is pretty exciting when you consider the scope and intricacy of such a plot. Gnomes as antagonists are also a huge plus for the film. However, I just think it's way too early to lay any judgement on Giordano's work, since we've yet to see the final movie. Trailers can only go so far. The plot definitely seems viable, though, so I'm curious to see how it ends up. 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.
15 Minutes of Fame: Clint Hackleman of Myndflame machinima
15 Minutes of Fame is WoW.com's look at World of Warcraft players of all shapes and sizes -- from the renowned to the relatively anonymous, the remarkable to the player next door. Tip us off to players you'd like to hear more about.The subject of this week's 15 Minutes of Fame has actually carved out many, many more than a mere 15 minutes on his own. Clint Hackleman is known to WoW fans as the force behind Myndflame, the team responsible for such wildly popular machinima as Illegal Danish: Super Snacks, Learn 2 Play and Epic Flight Form. So who's a Myndflame fan? Blizzard, for starters. "How can something so familiar feel so foreign?" Blizzard asks rhetorically in a news update on its main site about the Illegal Danish III Prelude. "... If you're a World of Warcraft player who feels something is missing from the StarCraft universe, the creators of the Illegal Danish series have sensed your internal disturbance, bringing you a hilariously off-kilter redux of the StarCraft II cinematic trailer, now with 100% more Gnome action. It's about time!"We thought it was about time, too, to go behind the scenes with Hackleman and get the story behind Myndflame's blazing success.
