machinima podcast Archives - Page 42 of 52

S3 E51 Film Review: Paths of Misery by Federica Orlandini (Nov 2022)

Tracy Harwood Podcast Episodes November 2, 2022 Leave a reply

Definitely not for kids, this week’s film is an horrific overview of the ‘true’ Wild West, courtesy of RDR2. The tale is told through the galloping lens of Dutch van der Linde’s character and Morricone’s classic composition, ‘The Ecstacy of Gold’… its The Good, The Bad and The Ugly but not as we know it!

YouTube Version of this Episode

Show Notes & Links

Film released on 4 October 2022

Digitally remastered version of Ennio Moriccone’s ‘The Ecstacy of Gold’

Check out Federica’s other films on her Vimeo channel here.

Credits
Speakers: Ricky Grove, Tracy Harwood, Damien Valentine, Phil Rice
Produer/Editor: Ricky Grove
Music: House Loop by Sakebeats / CC 0 / Freesound.org66

S3 E50 Little White Poney Inn by Olibith (Oct 2022)

Tracy Harwood Podcast Episodes October 26, 2022 Leave a reply

This week Ricky goes all out Halloween for us. His selection is an old-style machinima (think Chaplin or Keaton) by one of the most prolific Warcraft movie makers from back in the day… actually 2008 for this one. The tale by Olibith has been made in World of Warcraft and has shades of Lovecraft, the grimmest of Grimms’ fairy tales and The Flintstones! We also discuss a bonus Lovecraftian film for all you Halloween buffs, It Lives Within the Sea by Orange Squadron (dir. Dominic Edwards) made in RDR2.

YouTube Version of this Episode

Links and Notes

Little White Poney Inn by Olibith, rel 22 September 2008

Olibith’s Warcraft movies page with tutorials on how to make machinima (from 2010)

Have a look at Olibith’s other work (Vimeo channel here), such as Le Terroriste

After we had recorded this show, we went looking for Olibith on social media and were dismayed to find that he passed away earlier this year. We were all very saddened by this news and of course extend our deepest condolences to his family. We dedicate this episode to his memory.

It Lives Within the Sea by Squadron Orange (Dir. Dominic Edwards), rel 28 Aug 2021

S3 E49 Film Review: ‘Most Precious Gift’ by Shangyu Wang (Oct 2022)

Tracy Harwood Podcast Episodes October 19, 2022 Leave a reply

This week, Damien has picked a very interesting Eastern-made alien tale. Its been beautifully shot and rendered using Omniverse, and inspired him to try some of the techniques shown. Ricky is a little more critical of the nostalgic trope. Tracy reflects on the journey of the storytelling, and the nature of what it is to be human that is the heart of the story. Phil brings Solaris into the discussion, as only Phil can. Overall, we reflect on the different styles of animation used and how influential they were. And, finally, how on earth did the producer achieve that tendril effect?!

YouTube Version of this Episode

Link to Film

S3 E48 Film Review: ‘The Eye: Calenthek’ by Aaron Sims (Oct 2022)

Tracy Harwood Podcast Episodes October 12, 2022 Leave a reply

In this episode, we review Tracy’s pick for the month: ‘The Eye: Calanthek’ by Aaron Sims, made in Unreal Engine 5 using Metahuman tech, as an early exemplar of the capabilities of the engine (released 2021).

YouTube Version of this Episode

Show Notes and Links

We discuss the eyes, the monster, the surprise and camera shots.

Time stamps

1:06 Tracy introduces ‘The Eye: Calanthek‘ by Aaron Sims, released 4 November 2021

5:56 What makes it so realistic? The eyes!

11:02 Things that break the storytelling

15:02 Does knowing the craft of filmmaking restrict creative approaches to filmmaking?

Links

Aaron Sims interview with Allan McKay, Ep 364, Filmmaking in Unreal and another with Ian Failes on Befores&Afters

Aaron Sims YouTube channel, with ‘behind the scenes’ reviews where you can leave questions for him to answer

S2 Ep 46: Film Review – Facing the Wolf

Tracy Harwood Podcast Episodes September 15, 2022 Leave a reply

In this episode, we focus our discussion on Facing the Wolf, a series of films by Iain Douglas and Mark Coverdale, submitted to the Milan Machinima Film Festival 2022. The film presents a series of provocative ideas which provoke Ricky, Phil, Tracy and Damien to have a deep discussion on the role of information, ambiguity and audience investment. What are your thoughts on the film series?

YouTube Version of this Episode

Show Notes and Links

Facing the Wolf, by Iain Douglas and Mark Coverdale, released 2021

Poem, Coverdale – https://www.artschoolmodpoet.com/facing-the-wolf-poems

A trilogy of poetic machinima –

Facing the Wolf: i, Douglas and Coverdale, released 16 July 2021

Facing the Wolf: ii, Douglas and Coverdale, released 16 July 2021

Facing the Wolf: iii, Douglas and Coverdale, released 16 July 2021

1:35 Interview with Matteo Bittanti, Milan Machinima Film Festival

5:00 Ricky poses an interesting question: is machinima an animation style or a form of art that ideas can dominate, as opposed to feelings?

27:56 Discussion: for idea films, do you have to have more information than the film provides to appreciate the work? What is the role of ambiguity in filmmaking? How much time should audience invest in understanding a film?

Useful lnks

Luis Bunuel’s An Andalusian Dog (1929)

Bertolt Brecht’s alienation effect