Machinima: The Art and Practice of Virtual Filmmaking

Book Preface

How does one explain machinima to someone not familiar with the art and practice? Maybe we should begin with a description of the imagery of the amazing set of possibilities within virtual environments such as Second Life. It is a virtual world unlike Blue Mars, The Sims and World of Warcraft because Second Life allows the members to create their own landscapes and soundscapes from scratch, to create spaces to be inhabited by the Mad Hatter in a mock Wonderland to virtual playlands that encompass the ideas behind ILL Clan Animation Studios’ Tiny Nation. The series Tiny Nation was set in an environment where Pixar- like bunnies, squirrels and other little creatures existed outside of the imagination in a fantasyland created for them —created for machinima, you might say. Once home of Tiny Nation, Locos Pocos Island became a well- visited tourist site in Second Life. The series and the island are gone now, but the machinima series remains a testament to the creativity possible through machinima. The authors and the contributors of this project have seen such virtual lands rich with inspiration for story settings.

Imagine walking into a storybook of a children’s classic. But then again you can also experience with dark fascination an environment based on H.P. Lovecraft’s novel —twisted trees, dilapidated buildings and homes, empty playgrounds— all waiting for one of his stories to come alive on the computer screen. Such dramatic settings are perfect for engaging students in the classroom, or anyone who enjoys seeing their favorite books pop off the pages. These environments, and many others, exist in Second Life. Some are created by machinima makers, while others are created for specific plots or purposes, maybe a music video. Imagine creating your own set for a video featuring an independent music artist at a fraction of the cost of Hollywood- style productions. With minor adjustments, you can achieve the feeling of romance through a watercolored skyline. Now add two people dancing on top of a skyscraper in New York City. Avatars are becoming extremely lifelike through improvements in virtual skin textures and advancements in sophisticated motion graphics and animations. Postproduction software can add a near-human appearance. All this can be done through machinima. This Introduction will look at what it is and where it is going.