Monthly Archives: May 2024

S4 E131 Forlorn (May 2024)

Tracy Harwood Podcast Episodes May 29, 2024 Leave a reply

This week, we review a pretender for a new Disney show called Forlorn, by @projectforlorn (aka Alex St Pierre). Well, it may well be at some point in the near future! Starting life as a tech demo, this short has an interesting back story and has evolved into something even more interesting. Check out our review and add your own thoughts!



YouTube Version of This Episode

Show Notes & Links

Forlorn | Unreal Engine Short Film by Project Forlorn, released 3 Jan 2024 –

About Project Forlorn, website information here

How to and interview for Kitbash3D with St Pierre on Forlorn –

What is a MacGuffin? Check it out here

Trailer for Something Wicked This Way Comes, Disney –

S4 E130 Music Maestro Please! (May 2024)

Tracy Harwood Podcast Episodes May 22, 2024 1 Comment

This week, we discuss two stunning music videos: Children of Pain by @VincereSylph with video created by  @TomJantol and  @tanyasubaBg; and Firefly by Esterica in Unreal Engine. Children of Pain is a perfect example of Tom’s ‘anymation’ approach whilst Firefly demonstrates just how far Unreal Engine has come as a creative toolset in one year alone!



YouTube Version of This Episode

Show Notes & Links

Children of Pain (Official Single) by Vincere Sylph, released 6 April 2024

Tom Jantol’s video for WiL/William Mimnaugh called Lion’s Feet (in 2022) –

Tanya’s channel here

Firefly by Esoterica, released 21 March 2024

Luis Andrade, showreel here

Luis Andrade’s Mastering Cinematics channel here

There’s a how to video on Tiktok, link here –

@esoband

The music video for Firefly took just under a year to create, here’s a peek behind the scenes to see how it was done with the help of mastermind Luis F Andrade. #esoterica #firefly #unrealengine #moveai #behindthescene #bts #progmetal #metalcore

♬ Firefly – Esoterica

Jackson Wang, Cruel –

Paul Marino’s I’m Still Seeing Breen –

The Creator, trailer –

S4 E129 Cinematics: GTA5 (May 2024)

Tracy Harwood Podcast Episodes May 15, 2024 Leave a reply

Not for the first time do we discuss the gorgeous cinematic qualities of GTA5, and this week we share a beaut by @Salva.Padilla. This one has a distinct vibe to it, but it is its general ambiguity that we especially love about the machinima. We each see something a little different in it! What do you see in it?



YouTube Version of This Episode

Show Notes & Links

Film, Cinematic Experience GTA V Machinima by Salva Padilla, released 15 April 2024

About Walter Ruttmann’s Berlin, Symphony of a Great City, 1927 –

Nina Simone estate interview excerpt, To Be Free, released 16 Feb 2013 –

Feelings by Fuxkyodie, released 20 Sept 2023 –

Official trailer for Asphalt City –

S4 E128 Machinima News Omnibus (May 2024)

Tracy Harwood Podcast Episodes May 8, 2024 Leave a reply

Our May update on machinima and virtual production related news highlights some of the latest generative AI tools, warts and all, and brings to attention several of the latest machinima potential games, including Jaws, Jurassic World Evolution, 1943: Rise of the Hydra and Harold Halibut. We discuss the challenges filmmakers face when developing games from their IP, why Kickstarter isn’t a good strategy for raising funding for smaller studios, the [almost] final instalment of the RoosterTeeth saga and Second Life’s latest film festival, Fantasy Faire. All with our usual discursive aplomb (despite Ricky being mia, reportedly on a skinny dipping retreat) and a few non machinima related asides!



YouTube Version of this Episode

Show Notes & Links

AI Genies

Art of the Problem about the history of development of generative AI – it’s a documentary including interviews with some of the scientists attributed with developing the building blocks for the techs. Link here.

Google Deepmind has created a new AI model Genie that can create playable worlds in the style of 2D platforms, using an image as a prompt, or a sketch or text description.  A twitter thread link here.

Stability AI has introduced its Stable Audio 2.0 model, that enables high quality, full tracks with musical structure up to 3 minutes long from a single text prompt –

According to some, however, its not quite as good as Suno –

Musk has announced that Grok 1.5 Vision which aims to connect the digital and physical worlds with a multi-modal model will be released imminently – here’s link to the website about it https://x.ai/blog/grok-1.5v

Here’s the original style transfer post using Joker –

and here’s a tutorial on how to replace anyone in a video stream –

And here’s a link to the Arnie style example

New games

A new JAWS experience on Roblox called JAWS: Infested Waters.  More about it here –

JT Music’s rap about Palworld –

GTA6 trailer is a nice teaser –

1943: Rise of Hydra storyworld –

Interestingly, this is the one that Kim Libreri showcased at the Game Dev Conference event a few weeks ago –

Harold Halibut, a stop-mo animation game, trailer –

Steam link https://store.steampowered.com/app/924750/Harold_Halibut/

Projects

Blackmilk Studio A 1000 Suns series is definitely worth a watch! Channel link here.

Star Wars 1950s super Panavision 70 style short made with generative AI tools, including the script.  Its been put together by Abandoned Films –

Vikings and Aliens, using Kickstarter (feature image for this post)!  Here’s a link to the teaser –

And here’s a link to the Kickstarter if you’d like to support it.

Final fantasy!

RoosterTeeth going quietly, nah –

Fantasy Faire, Second Life Film Festival hosted by Chantal Harvey and Safia Widdeshins (to follow).

S4 E127 May the Force: A Tribute (May 2024)

Tracy Harwood Podcast Episodes May 2, 2024 Leave a reply

This week we celebrate Star Wars with a fabulous short portraying the infamous AT-AT death walkers as ‘nature-creatures’ in their natural habitat – this is a beautifully observed work, made in Unreal Engine by Jeremy Cummins.  Cummins is an experienced character creator, now working for Tippett Studio, with an impressive list of credits including Ant-Man and the Wasp, Spider-Man and Avengers, among others.  We discuss the transition pros are making in the development of an Unreal pipeline and the impact this has on the creative machinima community.  #maythe4thbewithyou



YouTube Version of this Episode

Show Notes & Links

Star Wars AT-AT Walkers in Unreal Engine by Jeremy Cummins, released 9 April 2024, link here –

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RAlaIjCE1Ek

Video about the Tippett Studios take-over here –

Damien’s Heir to the Empire Star Wars adaptation series ep celebrating 2024 May 4th –

Pie in the Sky, by Jeremy Cummins –