Machinima

Last week I mentioned the production company RoosterTeeth, a company responsible for a number of popular web series over the last several years. One of their most popular and well known series, Red vs. Blue, makes use of a technique known as machinima. Machinima refers to the use of real-time graphic engines to create cinematic productions. Most often, the engines used come from video games, effectively connecting machinima to video gaming culture. Many people consider this kind of production as animation because the creators are essentially using computer graphics. What makes machinima different from more traditional animation is that the animators are controlling each character and acting out the necessary movements in real-time. To get an idea of what that might look like, check this episode of Red vs. Blue that RoosterTeeth made using the game Halo: Reach.  

The Halo series is very popular among machinima makers, given their numerous multiplayer maps and the Forge Mode, a game mode that allows players to create their own structures within maps. Other popular video games for machinima include World of Warcraft, The Sims, as well as Half Life 2 with its numerous third party generated mods. Machinma is a cool way for video game fans to make exciting ideas and bring their fan fiction to life.

First Post and Interesting Teaser

Hi there everyone,

My name is Greg Wolf and I’m really looking forward to this semester of MG&A. I enjoy video editing a lot, and everyone I have ever talked to has said that a working knowledge of after effects is essential in the job market, so I’m very excited to be able to put that on my resume. I want to be a utility player wherever I end up past college, and so I feel like this class is essential. That being said, I’m also excited to learn more about 3D stuff like Maya, and see if that suits me as well. 

On that note, the video I have today is a trailer for “Red Vs Blue” a fairly popular web series  on youtube and elsewhere. The thing that makes this video interesting is that the camera slides along the outside of the logo for the show itself, done in 3D. As the camera goes along, scenes from the past 10 seasons of the show play on the logo itself with plenty of light bloom/lens flare effects, although you don’t know that the object that the camera is moving along is the logo for the show. Then at the end the camera comes out and shows the logo for the show. This was a couple of years ago, and when I saw this it made me really think about how this sort of thing is done, in particular, how to make this type of consistent 3D space for use in a title. I feel like this effect of the title being used as the trailer itself is pretty effective, and an interesting variation on the usual teaser style trailer.

Red Vs. Blue

So since we are in an animation class I would like to talk about one of my favorite web shows: Red Vs. Blue.  For those who don't know Red Vs. Blue is a show where they record a whole scenario in Halo and have a anonymous viewer act as the camera man.  This type of film is called Machinima.


Red Vs. Blu is hilarious and really creative.  I can only imagine that the production cost is really low.  Instead of a camera alls you need is an xbox.  You don't need props or fake guns because they are all in the game.
Of course just like the video game, Red vs Blue gets better and better graphics and in the case of this scene actually used graphics and stuff like that.  It's amazing how far Rooster Teeth has developed Red vs. Blue.

Machinima

     There is form of film making in which the entire film is made using game engines, and the characters within a game to create movies.  These films are called Machinima, a blend of machine and cinema.  People use all kinds of games to create the movies.  The first was the original Doom game, people would use the multiplayer characters to act within the game and record their stories.  Second Life is one of the most prevelent games engines to be used as a movie platform.  Within the game people create sets, organize actors, make costumes and film stories.  One of the first narrative stories created was Silver Bells and Golden Spurs, a short story based on a poem set in the Wild West.



Another well known Machinima production is the red vs. blue series that uses Halo characters as actors.
This is a unique and growing field, there is even an annual Machinima film festival held in New York.  Perhaps more and more production will be created this way as your crew and talent can be anywhere in the world but still meet on the digital set.