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WoW Moviewatch: An Unusual Night
You have good nights, bad nights, and then you have dang weird nights. In An Unusual Night, FireboltPro documents a dang weird night for his gnomish protagonist. He wakes up, the mood is dark and gloomy. And then, he begins suffering a rapid succession of Halloween cliches, most seemingly bent on squishing the little fella. This was an entry into the Halloween contest at WarcraftMovies.com. Some of the encounters worked for me, others didn't. The giant monster made me laugh, though I'm not sure how that particular critter has become the token Halloween comedic appearance. As a commenter on the Myndflame site mentions, the movie was a little dark (probably due to compression), and that took away from some of the details that help get the short's tension across. The ending was slightly predictable, entirely due to an ironic piece of dialogue. Still, if you're a gnome-hater, you'll find that ending satisfying. Overall, I enjoyed "An Unusual Night", and look forward to more from FireboltPro. [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 Orchard
We lead off this week with an offering from Lafawnduh, otherwise known as Dan Ross. The video is The Orchard, and it won first prize in the Warcraft Movies Shrieking Shorties Contest. Lafawnduh was previously featured on Moviewatch for the Ultimate Snowdown back in December 2007. This time, Lafawnduh's looking at the strange story of Old Margaret, whose mysterious apple pies have won the Brewfest's Southshore Apple Pie contest for years. A frustrated farmer is at his wit's end and tired of losing to Old Margaret. He chooses to sneak into her barn one night to discover the secret. The Orchard is categorized as "Horror," but you don't need to be told that. Within a few second of the video, the mood, music, and first-person perspective tells you what kind of story you're about to witness. The perspective carries the horror theme very well, with a disjointed sense of what the character's witnessing. The story itself has a great ending. The morality of Margaret isn't called into question, except by what you might draw on from horror tropes. In fact, the cruel coincidence of what the narrator happens across probably makes for the most horrific part of the story. If he hadn't chosen this night, if he hadn't happened to be around, things might have turned out differently for him. I particularly enjoyed this graying of events, since it makes everything plausible without particularly maligning anyone, or relying on tired cliches of motivation. [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: Hallow's End Special
The Myndflame team is back with a just-in-time release for this year's Hallow's End. The Myndflame community collaborated on this machinima, and I think you can see the results of a team effort. Those folks are already known for their humor, and the Hallow's End Special isn't a let down. The basic setup is that it's Hallow's End, and everyone should have a good, scary costume. Thrall is having a bit of a challenge, and finds a book to help him on his way. (One minion tells us that his mom used to make him pretend to be scared of Thrall's costume.) I have to admit, my first thought was "Aww, poor Thrall." But, it turns out all right in the end. Like I said, Myndflame's already known pretty well for bringing the funny, and they didn't disappoint this time, either. I'm always amazed with how much emotion they get into the relatively static faces of WoW, and how their angles set up the humor of their work. Go and see it for yourself on Myndflame! Lastly, I'm fairly certain no actual kittens were harmed in the production of this movie. %Gallery-35793% Previously on Moviewatch...
Cinemassively: Slim Jim
For some videographers, machinima can be a lucrative business. Myndflame, the creators of the Illegal Danish series, have made a full time living for over a year now producing machinima for clients. Using World of Warcraft, they've recently released a commercial for Slim Jim, the beef jerky stick. In the ad, they focus on a knight that has problems rescuing a fair maiden until the product is introduced.While WoW is a popular machinima platform, Blizzard has imposed a Fair Use Guide that restricts how machinimators can profit from their work. In the case of this specific video, Slim Jim most likely received a content use license from Blizzard.[Via Warcraftmovies.com]If you have machinima or movie suggestions from any MMO, please send them to machinima AT massively DOT com, along with any information you might have about them.
WoW Moviewatch: Snap into a Slim Jim
It's been a while since we've heard a peep out of Myndflame. After releasing Illegal Danish: Escape from Orgrimmar, they went silent. However, in May, they made a post on their forums about some upcoming commercial projects that they'll be using to fund personal projects at their own pace.Now they've released what appears to be the first of the commercial projects, Slim Jim. If you've ever seen ads for the beef jerky company, you'd recognize the video style immediately. That is, if the big beef sticks in their hands didn't tip you off ...[Via Warcraftmovies.com]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: Acolyte 1.5
What is it about Darrowshire and stunning machinima? This is the second video in about a month to come of the Eastern Plaguelands quest line. Last month, we featured the work of Cranius and his musical talents. Now we're pleased to feature a star-studded film by Firebolt Productions, Acolyte 1.5. You may recognize them from their second place win in the Warcraftmovies Christmas Spirit Contest, Ugly Goblin's Christmas.Acolyte 1.5 is not without faults, as it feels like half of the video has ads for websites. However, what we are finally presented with is an engaging storyline full of action and excitement. Don't miss the voice acting by Clint Hackleman, Drewbie, and Olibith, as well as the musical composition by Nathan Allen Pinard![Via Warcraftmovies.com]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: Teh nOOb song
If you read a post yesterday about noobs who like to pretend that other people are teh noobs, then you may already have clicked on the link for this song. It truly deserves its own spotlight, however. So on behalf of all the noobs out there who noobishly hope to one day not be so nooby anymore, let's give a shout out to Olibith and PurePwnage for another music video masterpiece: "teh n00b song" -- winner of the Warcraft Movies Fabled Few contest in the music category![Via Myndflame.com]Previously, on WoW Moviewatch...
Cinemassively: Illegal Danish - Escape from Orgrimmar
Illegal Danish: Escape from Orgrimmar is finally out. I've read the comments and I felt like I was in the middle of a war zone. You're either going to love this film, or hate it with a passion, depending on how long you've been waiting for the release and whether you play World of Warcraft or not. All I ask is that you keep an open mind. For further thoughts on the release, I've written a full review on our sister site, WoW Insider.Illegal Danish 2 picks up where the first, Illegal Danish: Super Snacks, left off. The "Illegal Danish" guild is under attack by Van Kraken, Basutei discovers his feminine side, and Dirti realizes that he's not cut out to be a hero. Along the way, there's a pirate adventure, a video game duel, and several epic battles.Myndflame may have missed their tentative release date by a year, but I believe it was worth it in the end. The soundtrack fits, the post-production work is amazing, and the voice actors are right on the money. Just about the only thing I didn't like was the credits. Either way, IDEFO is one of the best Machinimas I've seen come out of WoW.
WoW Moviewatch: Illegal Danish - Escape from Orgrimmar
var digg_url = 'http://www.digg.com/pc_games/WoW_Insider_reviews_Illegal_Danish_Escape_from_Orgrimmar'; (Given how anticipated the release of Illegal Danish: Escape from Orgrimmar was, we decided to bump up the notification and review. WoW Moviewatch will resume it's normal posting schedule tomorrow.)One of the longest running jokes in Machinima history finally came to a close today with the release of the long-awaited sequel to Illegal Danish: Super Snacks. Illegal Danish: Escape from Orgrimmar was originally announced right after the premiere of IDSS, with a scheduled release date about 6 months later. However, it had been pushed back for over a year, leading many to compare it to Duke Nukem Forever, which, coincidentally, debuted a brand new trailer several weeks ago.Around the same time that 3D Realms was releasing their DNF trailer, Myndflame made an announcement that IDEFO had a scheduled release date of December 31st, at 6pm EST. It would coincide with a real life wrap party to ring in the New Year. However, fans flooded the site, literally and figuratively. Not only were 75,000 people trying to access the site, but someone was also attacking it at the same time. Given the holiday, it would take some time to fix, thus not appearing until 2008.Previously on Moviewatch...Read on after the jump to see the full assessment ..
WoW Moviewatch: Chronicle of the Annoying Quest - Episode 19
(Today's Moviewatch was previously intended to be the premiere of Illegal Danish 2: Escape from Orgrimmar. Unfortunately, Myndflame.com was hacked yesterday and the screening was delayed. As soon as it is up, it will be featured here.)Myndflame is hard at work on a server fix, so you're going to have some extra time on your hands. Chronicle of the Annoying Quest, created by Bakasavant Productions, has 19 episodes for you to peruse! While they're not perfect, lacking in proper voice casting and stunning visuals, the storyline is pretty decent.CotAQ tells the tale of a paladin that joins a Holy Order to get chicks. As he quests to become accepted by his peers, Ellers, and his sidekick, Guy, encounter obstacles along the way. For those of you that are new to the series, there is a recap at the beginning to catch you up.[Via Warcraftmovies.com]Previously on Moviewatch...
Cinemassively: Illegal Danish - Escape from Orgrimmar Trailer II
If you thought that Armageddon would come before IDEFO, then fear not. There are just 5 1/2 short hours until the premiere of Illegal Danish: Escape from Orgrimmar. Yesterday, we showed you the first trailer, released in July 2006. We previously showed you the latest trailer, HMS Theramore, in early December. As you can see, this trailer was released a full year after the first one. The intended debut was for Blizzcon 2007.Myndflame is inviting their fans to ring in the New Year Machinima-style. They'll be having a cast party in real life, but they're opening up live chat so that you can celebrate with them, starting tonight at 6pm EST. If you are unable to attend the event, don't worry! I'll be featuring it here tomorrow for your viewing pleasure.Happy New Years, my fellow Machinima lovers! Here's to many more exciting videos in 2008![Via Myndflame.com]
Cinemassively: Illegal Danish - Escape from Orgrimmar Trailer I
The World of Warcraft Machinima event of 2008 is coming in less than two days! Myndflame will be premiering the sequel to their wildly successful Illegal Danish: Super Snacks, entitled Illegal Danish: Escape from Orgrimmar, on December 31st, at 6pm EST. We previously covered their latest trailer, HMS Theramore, in early December, but I thought we'd take a look back on the earlier trailers.To give you an idea of how long people have waited for IDEFO, they released their first trailer in July 2006, calling for it to premiere in the fall of 2006! We'll be covering their second trailer tomorrow, with the movie coming on New Years Day. To see it on New Years Eve, visit the Myndflame website and join the live chat. [Via Myndflame.com]
Cinemassively: HMS Theramore
Myndflame is committed to releasing the sequel to their smash hit Machinima, Illegal Danish: Super Snacks. Illegal Danish: Escape from Orgrimmar has been a year in the making and they're still working on it. I hear that the full movie will be "coming before Armageddon," but you don't have to wait to get your IDEFO fix!To tide us over, they've released another scene from their film. This short clip is a musical adventure filled with wonder and excitement. HMS Theramore is a parody of the broadway musical, HMS Pinafore. Created in World of Warcraft, it's about a ship captain, Puff, that sets sail with his guild. Are you looking forward to the full release?
WoW Moviewatch: HMS Theramore
If you're a fan of World of Warcraft machinima, chances are you're waiting for the next episode in Myndflame's Illegal Danish series, Escape from Orgrimmar (and if you aren't familiar with Illegal Danish, there's no time like the present to catch up by watching the original episode, Illegal Danish: Super Snacks). And while Escape from Orgrimmar isn't ready quite yet, Myndflame is placating us with this clip from the finished product, which also works as a stand-alone parody of the musical HMS Pinafore. (And for better-than-YouTube quality, check the DivX version.)Previously on Moviewatch...
Blizzard outlines 'acceptable use' for machinima
One of the things that I learned last weekend at Dragon*Con was a great deal more about machinima than I'd ever really known before. Sure, I've got FRAPS, and I've tried to make cool music videos too. Then I realized that I'd need something more interesting than my Tauren Druid running around to my favorite Rush song. So my dreams of making machinima went by the wayside, best left to the machinimators with that little thing called "talent." One of the things that I always wondered about was just precisely what you could and couldn't get away with in regards to making films using World of Warcraft. After all, the characters on my account are Blizzard's IP. I could argue about not being paid for it, but I've always been curious about the larger legal issues involved. Blizzard has finally put out what they consider to be their acceptable use policies in regards to machinima created using Blizzard's IP. After listening to the talk that Matt Kelland and Clint Hackleman gave during the Machinima 101 panel at Dragon*Con, I'm pretty happy to see that Blizzard has taken such a step to reach out to the community. This open letter lets artists know they have the potential ability to get licenses to show their work, and just how much commercial "sponsorship" is acceptable. It also defines where many of the boundaries are (for example their edict that movie/video content remain consistent with World of Warcraft's "T" rating) that I feel will hopefully help to clear some things up on where the artists stand in all of this legally.For those of you who are budding machinimators, check out Blizzard's open letter. It's fairly straightforward reading, and they've gone so far as to put a contact email address in for specific concerns not outlined in their letter. With these guidelines in hand, hopefully artists will feel free to go in even more creative directions in the future.[via Hugh "Nomad" Hancock, author of Machinima for Dummies]
Machinima 101: The basics
You've seen a crazy good PvP video that shows a top ranked player's latest moves or maybe a short clip of the latest epic mount and now you want to make a Warcraft film of your own. With two simple programs you can make a video in an hour or less. It's not going to be an epic story of love and war across the ages, but it can be anything in game you want to show your friends, guildmates or the world whether it's a guild event, a boss fight or an Arena battle. In this article, I'm going to cover the very basics of Machinima (making movies using game footage.) By the end of this feature, you'll be able to record, edit and post a short video of your exploits in Azeroth. You can see a demonstration of how to make a Warcraft film by clicking on the short video tutorial above. Otherwise, read on for step-by-step instructions complete with screenshots and recommendations for advanced techniques.
Interview with Myndflame: Where's Illegal Danish 2?
While wandering the BlizzCon floor on Saturday I ran into the Myndflame team. Clint Hackleman was kind enough to spend a couple of minutes to speak with me about "Escape from Orgrimmar," the much-anticipated sequel to Illegal Danish. I was very eager to speak with him considering that those of us who attended the first BlizzCon were promised Illegal Danish 2 would be released the first day of BlizzCon 2007. Here's what he had to say.When asked about the delay in releasing the film, Clint said that they considered the film not ready yet, and much like Blizzard don't want to release an inferior product. Myndflame was showing an updated trailer of the machinima on the show floor, and when I asked if I could get a copy to show the readers, Clint let me know they were only showing it at BlizzCon. So I asked the ugly question: Why was the film not ready yet? What happened? The answer is the World Series of Video Games happened. Myndflame was invited to set up a booth at the WSVG, and with that a potential partnership looking towards good things to come. Good news for both sides, but bad news for the fans waiting for another Illegal Danish piece. But take heart, Clint says that the film will only be two weeks behind, and then we will finally be able to see the next chapter in the story.I also was interested in how they make films. Clint mentioned that Myndflame has been a professionally sponsored machinima studio for a year now, so he and his brother D.W. focus only on turning out movies for us to enjoy. A piece normally takes about 9 months to make, 6 months of writing and composing and 3 months of actual production. This seems like a long time, but their goal is to create a piece that is about 24 minutes in length, so there is a lot that goes into such a long movie. All in all, I was very pleased with the info I received talking to Clint. I know if I got an invitation to visit the WSVG I would probably be a bit behind on my projects as well. Good luck guys in finishing up the film, and we'll keep an eye out for it when it hits the presses.
WoW Moviewatch: Zinwrath
I don't know about you, but one of my favorite pieces of WoW machinima is Myndflame's Illegal Danish. It was one of the first piece of WoW machinima I saw, and it left me fascinated by the way you could tell stories in what I'd thought was just an ordinary video game. And if, like me, you've been waiting on the sequel to Illegal Danish for a while now, I offer this as a substitution. It's not the latest episode of Illegal Danish, but it is an older work by Myndflame that has similar sensibilities and some of the same characters. I present: Zinwrath!Previously on Moviewatch...
WoW Moviewatch: The Murloc Dance
I'm not sure how I missed out on this Myndflame video, now nearly a year old. As with all of their music videos, it's expertly edited with some catchy tunes in the background -- and, best of all, this video features everyone's favorite Azerothian character, the Murloc! Dance on my Murloc brothers, dance on!Previously on Moviewatch...
WoW Moviewatch: Learn 2 Play
Today we bring you another great video from Myndflame. It's a music video, and I'll let the words speak for themselves. But if you enjoy it, you may also like some of Myndflame's other great machinima pieces, like Druid Epic Flight Form and this WoW 2008 expansion leak.Previously on Moviewatch...
