What’s it like to be an in-game stuntman? This week’s review is of a fun take, with a more serious undertone, on the NPC’s perspective of life in the background of a game for a very average player. The concept is hilarious, the execution needs a little work, but overall we loved this one by For Science and filmed in Star Citizen.
YouTube Version of this Episode
Show Notes & Links
Film, released 27 September 2023 –
Damien’s picks this week take a look at two of the first Stafield machinimas by @TheKShow and @Mod81Gameworld respectively. The first is a ‘tell and show’ with a neat cinematic demo invoking Starship Troopers, and the second is a slightly more original lore-based teaser for an upcoming series called The Mantis. We begin this episode with an update on Star Citizen’s new spin off game, Squadron 42, which is now ‘feature complete’ and their launch of a new contest which can be entered on TikTok, leading Tracy to speculate on their strategic response to the release of Starfield! Ricky highlight’s a recent important update to Second Life’s render system which has important implications for machinima creators.
YouTube Version of This Episode
Show Notes & Links
Our film picks this week –
Starfield: The feature nobody talks about, by The K Show, released 15 Sept 2023
and the second film,
The Mantis Teaser, by Mod81 Gameworld, released 25 Sept 2023
Inside Star Citizen: Inside CitizenCon, overview released 9 Nov 2023 –
and Squadron 42 now ‘feature complete’, with a video update here –
and here’s a link to the machinima contest for TikTok entrants
Examples of Second Life’s PBR (physical based render) system –
Made in the still developing game Star Citizen, this week’s film is a large-scale production showing 97 players creating a complex battle scene. The film is called Sandstorm by Wailander. In this episode of the podcast, Ricky, Phil and Damien discuss the extent to which machinima is about showing off the game vs telling a story, what the role of the director is in game-based machinima productions and, of course, take a deep dive into the history of machinima in the process. They also reflect on just how wealthy (with in-game currency) the creators of this work actually have to be!
YouTube Version of this Episode
Show Notes & Links
Film by Wailander, released 13 May 2022 –
The Wilhelm Scream – link includes a sound sample.
Follow the development of Star Citizen on Roberts Space Industries’ (developer) website here.
In this episode, Tracy, Damien and Phil discuss another great selection of recently released films from creators using a diverse range of engines. Firstly, two films inspired by the recent release of Top Gun Maverick: a British take on the story followed by a trailer of the movie remade in a serious flight sim – to which Tracy asks ‘why?’ and Phil responds with his best Rocky impression. Then films made in Mech, Star Citizen and Unreal Engine 5 – meantime, the team are expecting good news in the near future (Ricky’s escape from Elden Ring).
YouTube Version of this Episode
Show Notes and Links
1:21 If Top Gun Was a British Film Part 2, by Squire (released 31 March 2022)
6:49 DCS World Movie | Top Gun: Maverick Intro by Phenom (released 16 June 2022)
13:05 Discussion: Why recreate scenes from big budget films, such as Top Gun Maverick?
20:00 Hired Steel: A Mech Machinima – Episode Two, by TMC (released 25 February 2022) and the review of Episode One in Completely Machinima S1 Ep 16 Films (August 2021)
27:40 Star Citizen – News – RED LINE Episode 2 (Elite Expeditionary), by EE Studios (released 13 April 2022)
35:57 Unreal Engine 5 Concept Short Film by JSFilmz (released 17 June 2022)
The hosts have fun with the Christmas theme in this episode – Tracy starts with a suicide machinima, Ricky gets all Russian, Damien takes us on a very long journey to galaxies far too far away and then trolls us with caroling Jawas and Phil drops an orange into the sock. Happy Christmas everyone.
Show Notes & Links
The Loneliest Road Short Machinima by King Kaden (Halo), rel 15 October 2021
Novikov 2: Repercussion by GoodGames (Star Citizen), rel 27 February 2021
Star Wars Jedi Academy Re-Edited BEYOND-Christmas Special by EagleStriker (SWJA), rel some time around 2003 – available on Lopop55901’s YouTube channel, posted 26 August 2010
Part Two | Greater Terran Union | Stellaris Invicta by The Templin Institute (Stellaris), rel 25 August 2018
GTA History by Mors Mutual Insurance (mixed media, GTA), rel 31 October 2021
Playing an RPG for the First Time by Joel Haver (live action, rotoscope), rel 20 November 2020
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