In this episode, Tracy talks to John MacInnes about game engines as storytelling tools, professional and indie filmmaking, the demand for long form versus short form films, the future of machinima and creativity in filmmaking.

John MacInnes was winner of the OSCARS’ Nicholl Fellowship for Screenwriting in 2011, screenwriter for Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare (released 2014), winner of 2 Epic Unreal Megagrants for his virtual David Bowie project, founder of awarding-winning studio MacInnes Studios, and director of the 2021 Real Time Shorts Challenge.

YouTube Version of this Episode

Links and Show Notes

John’s website https://www.macinnesstudios.com/

John on Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_MacInnes_(writer)

About the Nicholl Fellowships, OSCARS™ – John MacInnes awarded Nicholl in 2011

Official trailer for Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sFu5qXMuaJU

Real Time Filmmakers Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/1228815937315194

Winner of the Real Time Shorts Challenge 2021: Nemosyne by Kevin Stewart & Luc Delamare  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J2bCJ6U367o&t

Time Stamps

13:25 Game engines as storytelling tools

23:36 Making realistic humans in game engines, David Bowie and the Epic Megagrant project and Grace the first digital popstar

31:29 Real Time Filmmakers Facebook group and the Real Time Shorts Challenge, including the winners

42:00 One good movie? The blessing and the curse of original thinking!

50:34 Professional vs indie filmmaking

54:00 Demand for long form vs short form films and the future of machinima