Completely Machinima

S6 E203 genAI: Arido Taurajo (Nov 2025)

Tracy Harwood Podcast Episodes November 27, 2025 Leave a reply

In this episode of Completely Machinima, hosts Phil Rice, Tracy Harwood, and Damien Valentine explore the stunning AI-powered operatic machinima “Arido Taurajo” — a groundbreaking short film created by Chantal Harvey (aka Mamachinima) in collaboration with digital artist James Morgan, AI composer Roboccini and soprano/AI researcher Maya Ackerman, among others.

🎮 About the Film:
Set in the World of Warcraft universe, Arido Taurajo tells the story of Dahlia, a female warrior torn between family life and adventure. The film combines AI-generated music with human performance, blending digital game visuals and classical opera in a visually rich and emotionally resonant experience.

💡 Discussion Highlights:

The role of AI in creative filmmaking and music generation.
How Roboccini, trained on Puccini operas, composed the film’s aria.
Chantal Harvey’s filmmaking process inside World of Warcraft.
Insights into AI ethics, creative authorship, and collaboration.
The film’s connection to the EU COST Action Grassroots of Digital Europe (GRADE) project, celebrating women and minorities in creative technology.

✨ Whether you’re into AI art, machinima, digital filmmaking, or World of Warcraft, this episode dives deep into the fusion of technology, music, and storytelling.



YouTube Version of This Episode

Show Notes & Links

Film, by Chantal Harvey –

ALYSIA http://tryalysia.com/ stands for Automated LYrical SongwrIting Application

An interesting recent Video interview with Maya Ackerman on her predictions for the future of creative AI

An interview with James and Maya about the Arido project, here

You can find the ALYSIA app here https://www.withalysia.com/

Phil’s Making Dr Krispia documentary –

S6 E202 Promoting Star Citizens… (Nov 2025)

Tracy Harwood Podcast Episodes November 20, 2025 Leave a reply

In this episode of Completely Machinima, hosts Phil Rice, Tracy Harwood, and Damien Valentine review two creative Star Citizen machinima commercials — Dumper’s Depot Commercial and Big Benny’s Grab Eat — both made for a Star Citizen video contest.

They explore how these 45-second in-game ads show off community creativity, storytelling, and production skills. Tracy breaks down what made Dumper’s Depot more sophisticated in design and sound, while Big Benny’s… Grab Eat took home the win with its humor and clever use of Star Citizen lore.

💬 In This Episode:

Star Citizen machinima film analysis: Dumper’s Depot vs Big Benny’s… Grab Eat

How short-form machinima builds game lore and community engagement

The potential for fan contests to uncover new creative talent Ideas for a future Completely Machinima short film contest

🎮 Whether you’re a Star Citizen fan, machinima creator, or just love game-based filmmaking, this episode dives into how fan films bring virtual worlds to life.



YouTube Version of This Episode

Show Notes & Links

Films –

Dumper’s Depot Commercial by @Hasgaha⁩ 

Big Benny’s… Grab Eat by ⁨@quantumcafe⁩ 

Arts and Crafts inspiration here

#StarCitizen #Machinima #CompletelyMachinima #FanFilm #GameFilm #DumpersDepot #BigBennys #StarCitizenMachinima #GameContest #ShortFilm #podcast

S6 E201 Back To The Future: Unhinged (Nov 2025)

Tracy Harwood Podcast Episodes November 13, 2025 Leave a reply

🎥 Back to the Future UNHINGED — Machinima Film Made in Blender

In this episode of the Completely Machinima Podcast, hosts Phil Rice, Damian Valentine, and Tracy Harwood review “Back to the Future Unhinged”, a viral machinima short film by Landon’s Animation Wheelhouse created entirely in Blender 3D.

This chaotic, hilarious reimagining of Doc Brown and Marty’s adventures has racked up 700,000+ views and showcases incredible 3D animation, storytelling, and sound design. It’s packed with visual gags, cinematic camera work, and even a Doom scream!

🎬 What You’ll Hear in This Episode:

The brilliance behind Back to the Future Unhinged and why it feels both planned and chaotic

How Landon built the film’s world entirely in Blender (not a video game engine!)

The hosts’ breakdown of the film’s humor, detail, and love for the original trilogy

Landon’s backstory as a young animator with huge potential in film and game design

The film’s connection to the 40th anniversary of Back to the Future

Why even Dr Helen Sharman, the UK’s first astronaut, reacted to the film!



YouTube Version of This Episode

Show Notes & Links

Back to the Future: Unhinged by Landon’s Animation Wheelhouse, released 2 Jul 2025 –

Landon Fernald’s website https://www.landonfernald.com/

Landon’s Jammin channel https://www.youtube.com/@LandonsJammin

A perspective on how he may make his videos and how AI may help: https://philwalkable.substack.com/p/how-i-think-landons-animation-wheelhouse

Article including information about Landon’s early creative work here

And to learn a bit more about BTTF, check this out

Maker Series E5: Ricky’s Wonderful World of Sound – Footsteps

Tracy Harwood Podcast Episodes November 6, 2025 Leave a reply

🎬 Ricky’s Wonderful World of Sound – Footsteps

In episode 5 of our Maker Series, Ricky Grove explores the often-overlooked power of footstep sound design — and how something as simple as a single step can define mood, build tension, and reveal character.

👣 What You’ll Learn:
How footstep sounds convey location, emotion, and suspense in film.
Why footsteps in the Spanish horror series 30 Coins masterfully foreshadow violence.
The challenges of using video game sound libraries for cinematic sound design.
Practical tips on recording and manipulating ambient sounds for realism.
How to find free, high-quality sounds using Creative Commons resources like freesound.org

🎧 Ricky breaks down how to use sound not just as background, but as storytelling — helping filmmakers, sound designers, and creators elevate their craft through the language of footsteps.

YouTube Version of This Episode

Show Notes & Links

Free sound effects from www.freesound.org, and many other places now!

Maker Series E4: Ricky’s Wonderful World of Sound – Monsters

Tracy Harwood Podcast Episodes October 30, 2025 Leave a reply

🎃 Halloween Special | Ricky’s Wonderful World of Sounds: MONSTERS! 👹

This Halloween, step into the dark side of Ricky’s Wonderful World of Sounds — where we explore the terrifying art of monster sound design! 🧟‍♂️

What do monsters really sound like? From the primal screeches that haunted early humans to the eerie, unearthly noises that send chills down modern audiences’ spines — this episode reveals how sound designers craft the perfect scare.

Discover:
 🔊 Why you should hear the monster before you see it
🦴 How altered animal and environmental sounds create fear
🧬 The science of sound that taps into our instinctive fight-or-flight response
🎥 Classic monster sound examples from “Them!”, Godzilla, Predator, The Exorcist, and more

Whether you’re a filmmaker, sound designer, or just a Halloween horror fan, this episode will make you listen to fear in a whole new way.

Ricky Grove shares his expert insights on using ambient sound to bring machinima to life, offering practical tips and creative ideas you can apply to your own projects. Whether you’re crafting your first indie animation or refining your cinematic game scenes, you’ll be inspired and better equipped to design unforgettable soundscapes.

About Ricky Grove
Ricky Grove is an award-winning actor, director, voice artist, and sound designer with decades of experience in stage, film, and virtual production. After earning his BFA in Directing from Arizona State University and a Master’s in Acting from the Yale School of Drama, Ricky built a rich career in theatre and television, appearing in works such as Army of Darkness and ER.

In the late 1990s, he became a pioneer in the machinima community, collaborating with trailblazers like Hugh Hancock, Phil Rice, and Jason Choi. His contributions as a voice director, actor, and sound designer have shaped many award-winning early machinima films. He’s hosted festivals, championed the art form, and continues to share his passion as co-host of the Completely Machinima Podcast.

The first episodes of Ricky’s Wonderful World of Sound were originally created for the early-2000s machinima podcast The Overcast. This updated series expands his original teachings, offering timeless advice for creating powerful sound in machinima.

🎧 Tip: For the best experience, close your eyes and immerse yourself in Ricky’s words.

Credits

  • Speaker / Producer / Sound Editor: Ricky Grove
  • Visuals, Monsters & Music: Phil Rice

#Machinima #SoundDesign #Filmmaking #3DAnimation #GameEngines #MonsterSounds #HorrorMovies #IndieFilm #VoiceActing 

Links here –

Audio only



Youtube version

Notes

darkstreets_loop_120bpm_by_OnlyTheGhosts.wav by OnlyTheGhosts — https://freesound.org/s/251802/ — License: Attribution 4.0