Nov2013
Machinima 實時計算機造-動畫影片
Real Time Computer Graphics for Cinematic Animation
Shuen-git Natasha Chow 周 旋 捷
Visiting Associate Professor
Interdisciplinary Artist
國立臺南藝術大學動畫藝術與影像美學研究所
Tainan National University of the Arts
Graduate Institute of Animation and Film Art
email: atashashuengitchow@gmail.com
http://swannbb.blogspot.com
Interdisciplinary Artist
國立臺南藝術大學動畫藝術與影像美學研究所
Tainan National University of the Arts
Graduate Institute of Animation and Film Art
email: atashashuengitchow@gmail.com
http://swannbb.blogspot.com
Machinima is the use of real-time computer graphics engines to create a cinematic production. Most often, video games are used to generate the computer animation. It is approximately 15 years old.
My interest and creations in the virtual world has a main focus of bringing ancient Chinese culture through New Media platforms.
In this paper, I will expose two to three main types of Machinimas, and within each type a range of graphic inventiveness and specific purpose for various audiences.
The First is an online Virtual World Platform, Secondlife - which has no predetermined gaming elements, it has a blank volume for users to create their world. It provides storage and the Graphic Engine itself with building tools and scripts. Therefore, it is not yet a game, but an online tool for sharing real time graphic information - to create playing elements - in real time.
The Second type would be the artistic deployment of Video Game engines to record the graphic display as films. This would include regular game play and also creative, inventive use of the characters in the game platform as "talents" in the film.
"Second Life's true advantage is its ability to provide a plethora of virtual filming
locations or, at the other extreme, a blank canvas upon which one can build an
environment quite inexpensively."
-Machinima: "The Art and Practice of Virtual Filmmaking",
by Phylis Johnson and Donald Pettit
"Second Life's true advantage is its ability to provide a plethora of virtual filming
locations or, at the other extreme, a blank canvas upon which one can build an
environment quite inexpensively."
-Machinima: "The Art and Practice of Virtual Filmmaking",
by Phylis Johnson and Donald Pettit
I begin first with a Machinima documentary film of the functional aspects of a Virtual World. This demonstrates why for certain real life problems, a Virtual World is a breakthrough and proven to be useful in a unique way which is not possible with other forms of solutions.
Then, I will present the various types of artistic Machinimas, for animation film making and esthetic enjoyment purpose.
Lastly, I will show the current state of Machinima in the economic-business world and the applications of computer animation using video games graphics for commercial purpose.
First group:
Secondlife Virtual World Tool
Secondlife, a blank interactive online 3D tool platform, provides a canvas for players to interact with self-created content
Example 1: Close identification of the avatar with the player enhances cures for Parkinson's disease.
Secondlife investigator : what is inside the world of Secondlife? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nyiiWxNguGo
Then, I will present the various types of artistic Machinimas, for animation film making and esthetic enjoyment purpose.
Lastly, I will show the current state of Machinima in the economic-business world and the applications of computer animation using video games graphics for commercial purpose.
First group:
Secondlife Virtual World Tool
Secondlife, a blank interactive online 3D tool platform, provides a canvas for players to interact with self-created content
Example 1: Close identification of the avatar with the player enhances cures for Parkinson's disease.
Secondlife investigator : what is inside the world of Secondlife? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nyiiWxNguGo
Example 2: Architecture 3D design students using the real time online Global online features.
Collaboration of an architecture project between Kansas University Students with Cairo University using the platform of Secondlife in real time. USA+Egypt
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cz0yTqo35d8 (part 2)
There are other functional oriented Machinimas, we could imagine, simulation training for firemen, hospital care, briefing diplomats to ease into a foreign culture via a simulated foreign environment, so on so forth.
Next, we will see some Artistic Machinimas. These are chosen for graphic, aesthetic, and quality of the story. I will skip most "Fan-laborer"s work because they require a huge amount of enthusiasm and experience of the specific games for the delicacies of the films to be understandable.
Second group:
Artistic Machinimas
Collaboration of an architecture project between Kansas University Students with Cairo University using the platform of Secondlife in real time. USA+Egypt
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cz0yTqo35d8 (part 2)
There are other functional oriented Machinimas, we could imagine, simulation training for firemen, hospital care, briefing diplomats to ease into a foreign culture via a simulated foreign environment, so on so forth.
Next, we will see some Artistic Machinimas. These are chosen for graphic, aesthetic, and quality of the story. I will skip most "Fan-laborer"s work because they require a huge amount of enthusiasm and experience of the specific games for the delicacies of the films to be understandable.
Second group:
Artistic Machinimas
Example 3: Machinima using Online game play with stylish graphics. Habbo Hotel
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PDJh0hHAkuY
Habbo Hotel : fiction using game engine, live collaborative playing, many players behaving with or without a script
Example 4: Minecraft. Mixed reality
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m5sW8jxqQ5g
Minecraft : mixed reality
real life footage + online footage, post production work; with script
Example 5 : Vola Vola, Fly Me. Director : Berardo Carboni
A full feature Machinima made as a maquette for a real life film
Vola Vola : film maquette shot in Secondlife as preparation for the real life feature film
Scripted, with real life actors manipulating the e-puppets (avatars), actors are from around the world, Japan, USA, Italy, Amsterdam. 90mn
Notice the graphics inside the computer of the sl avatar. What we see is Secondlife roaming around by Secondlife avatar. Its a Secondlife for Secondlife avatar.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gbroeNoRfRk&list=PLCC11C8482D665F29
Example 6 : Testing of tools in Secondlife.
Swannjie in Tainan: Incrustation of video display with Chroma screen for a short film.
Chroma Green screen with giant tv viewing, live footage from Secondlife.
There are many filming tools created by third parties for the Secondlife platform. And many cinema sets created for film making.
http://youtu.be/3d8qm3iKlM8
Example 7 : Testing of a short Machinima+real life (Tainan), screening in Secondlife.
This is a live screening at the Digital Guqin Museum Garden Lot.
Example 8 : Testing of tools in Secondlife.
Mock up of a real sculpture : Virtual World platform used as a testing ground, a studio for sculpture modelling. It has the advantage of allowing visitors to see the work and walk around it in 3d.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n5F1IG0BiAI
Example 9 : Interview of Motion Capture creator in sl+rl, Drax Files
Motion Capture Animation creator :
Drax Files: interview of a motion capture artist in sl from Scotland.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nSJpzzN4Ug
Example 10 : Re building a movie set for the pleasure of visitors. Playing.
Spirited away in Secondlife : The movie set Spirited Away was re-created in Secondlife by a Fan-artist. Visitors could walk around the scenes and be the talent, interact with others and have their own personal stories for memories.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUXPta2koTQ
Example 11 : The Third Cat : MosMax+Chris Marker's Machinima in Secondlife
THE THIRD CAT : by gorrr aka. Mosmax, with Chris Marker's using Marker's cat who visits various locations around the world in the Virtual World, just like he did in real life movies.
http://vimeo.com/16533965
Example 12 : Music video for Danish group "Pixelated Truth"
Giana Factory - Pixelated Truth - Pop Art Lab Music Video Entry
Film produced by FuzOnAcid & Fuschia Nightfire
Filmed in Second Life at Mata Hari, Idle Rogue, Pop Art Lab, Art Maze on Zindra, Mysterious Wave & Saiwa
Particles by PoofmaniaLove Guitar: Designed by Tinkle Pudless
As we could see by this example, for a short music video, it takes a lot of team work.
The talents in the virtual world is just like in the real world, each role is taken by a real person and is manipulated in a co-ordinated script. Lighting, scenario, location scouting, script. It is a total miniaturised film making at a fraction of the cost of a physical music video production.
Loui Foo of Giana Factory said:
"The winning video is amazingly abstract! It pictures an absurdity and a parallel universe,
we could not even imagine existed. We find the colors and the playfulness and creativity
in the universe very attractive. It's unpredictable and avant garde and still pure eye
candy, and has an almost burlesque feel to it. Besides that, we think it goes well with the
tune and keeps the story untold, and it's up to the viewer to create their own."
Actors:
MommaLuv Skytower, Diawa Bellic, Serena Lekvoda, Slappy Doobie, Chryblnd Scribe,
Madison Pinelli, Fuschia Nightfire, Jewellah Magic, Dogman Sparta, Midnight Zepp,
Curti5 Rexen, Ellie Criss, Boo Eberhardt, Mozy Pera, 13ANGELSMINE Bluebird, Zoe
Babineaux, TeuffelHunde Mandelkorn, Anje Aichi, Eifachfilm Vacirca, NicoleX Moonwall,
and Spiral Silverstar.
Example 13 : A simple poetic Machinima/animation film based on a flash game.
But that was yesterday: This is a simple online flash game, after filming the various sequences together, you get different endings of an animation film. There is no group participation here. Only a record of the "film", game play that you have seen/experienced.
Video recording of a game play
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wMZrGipRQBU
Original Playable game online here:
http://jayisgames.com/games/but-that-was-yesterday/
Lastly::
In China
Example 14 : Massive Virtual World simulation trainings for sales-personnels.
Sales training simulations:
http://www.ctitv.com.tw/news_video_c15v147120.html
Secondlife expert from Taiwan Nomilly Valeska :
A professor from Taiwan, specialist in Secondlife comments on FB that, 3D virtual world's specific functions are right here, for commercial training purpose.
Why do we Taiwanese not see this future?
3D虛擬世界的功用就在此,為何台灣這麼多人看不到這前景?
Elsewhere
Functional + Entertainment + Cultural Heritage
Example 15 : Canadian Hospitals investments in Simulation trainings for Health Care. Canadian Hospitals: Simulation for practical purpose ie hospitals. Canadian hospitals (private internal sim)
http://toronto.ctvnews.ca/video?clipId=919306&playlistId=1.1266296&binId=1.815897&playlistPageNum=1
Example 16 : Digital Guqin Museum Stone Castle building found which was used as a club in a Western Style setting.
Digital Guqin Museum Building: Came across this castle and I purchased the same and did interior settings to make it the Digital Guqin Museum Home (no machinima footage, only stills for memory)
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_e-OWu9iW-Nw/S2FvsZOlV1I/AAAAAAAACIU/UKnfVoMZ5sQ/s1600/same+castle+for+bdsm+club%21+closeup2.JPG
Example 17 : Digital Guqin Museum Stone Castle used as a Guqin Playing Venue
Digital Guqin Museum Building: Borrowed another persons Stone Castle for guqin playing venue to test the setting and vegetal nature themed ambiance.
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_e-OWu9iW-Nw/SjJiKA0YIcI/AAAAAAAABgs/Kq_hHiRIYSc/s1600/tea+nice+guqin+playing+place.JPG
Example 18 : Digital Guqin Museum Stone Castle used as a Guqin Playing Venue
Final Digital Guqin Museum setting: interactive realtime online White Board Graffitti wall - courtesy of Mississippi University (scripting); Mahjong Table - Japanese creation - a real game for playing with other avatars or by yourself; Library, guqin playing costumes created by Swannjie, all free.
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_e-OWu9iW-Nw/S3eytRjmMPI/AAAAAAAACOM/m9kT3iBGuAc/s1600/dgm+stone+castle+terrace+library+shelf+tv+screen+tree.jpg
Example 19 : Digital Guqin Museum : Guqin Playing Venue and Library Books
Book Publishing: Prize winning Guqin Book (Swedish and English) in real life by Professor Cecilia Linqvist, here displayed introduction to the guqin for non-Chinese speakers. There are also many books published in the Virtual World - just like eBooks in real life.
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_e-OWu9iW-Nw/Sz-rjLbAF2I/AAAAAAAACA0/jKKOjBNF4rM/s1600/DGM+tree+stone+castle+w+book+painting.JPG
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_e-OWu9iW-Nw/Sz-rjLbAF2I/AAAAAAAACA0/jKKOjBNF4rM/s1600/DGM+tree+stone+castle+w+book+painting.JPG
Fashion Design and Sale: Real life Universities used Secondlife for training fashion. ie London College of Fashion. Some Secondlife garments are purchasable through pre-order as made to order item from Virtual World to the Real World.
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_e-OWu9iW-Nw/TGqJ11SmDPI/AAAAAAAADMM/93X0uS1thbw/s1600/QiQ+at+DGM.bmp
Example 21 : Digital Guqin Museum presentation live with Transmusicale Event with Rennes, France.
Mixed Reality - eRobots/avatars : an electronic music+digital art and technology event. This was filmed from both in Virtual World and Real World. There is a documentary Machinima archived by the Transmusicale Organiser. On screen, you see the real world live streaming - it is a two way transfer. The viewers see the Virtual World and could talk to the avatar and the avatar could see the action in the Real World. Somewhat like Skype - but from RW to VW and back. i.e. Ars Electronica in 2009 did a simultaneous broadcast of the mayors opening speech at the opening ceremony with the real mayor on stage at the same time. In 2013, at ars electronica, a Japanese professor presented a robot - replica of himself - to speak to the audience at the same time. His robot is a physical robot - whereas the Virtual World avatar is an eRobot.
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_e-OWu9iW-Nw/STaqbhG10BI/AAAAAAAAAbk/vCDdvtjg4L0/s1600/sl+night+clap+clip+watching+scene.JPG
Mixed Reality Real Life newspaper coverage: the event was covered by local media newspaper, and the mixed reality system was expanded to stream a real life opera from Lyon Opera House into Secondlife the following year.
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_e-OWu9iW-Nw/STwEtFtWF2I/AAAAAAAAAdE/kr0DVDCu4G0/s1600/rn10_2100973_1_px_470_.jpg
Example 23 : 3D narrative driven Videogame as Art // Art Games ::
Video-game art as art in a museum : Die Veterraanen 1995 : prize winning interactive cd-rom thats designed as an art piece not a game. Spiritual, aesthetic, or simply fun without other functional purpose games.
http://www.liberation.fr/medias/1995/01/12/le-multimedia-a-rendez-vous-a-cannes_120161
Example 24 : Goal Oriented games with artistic renderings and traditional story telling
Myst : started work in 1991- released 1993
creators:: Brothers Rand and Robyn Miller, with help from sound designer Chris Brandkamp, 3D artist and animator, Chuck Carter, Richard Watson, Bonnie McDowall, and Ryan Miller, who together made up Cyan, Inc.
"Myst" 1993- 2012 (24a)released on various devices. Collected by Musuem of Modern Art, New York.
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5j7Sad2Wo1w/UnrG45uk-LI/AAAAAAAAAww/6i7llnArl5c/s640/myst+6+cov+pic.tiff
http://www.moma.org/explore/inside_out/inside_out/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Myst-Island-5.sm_.jpg
"Myst 5" 2005 (24b)
http://beust.com/pics/myst5.jpg
Example 25 : Non-narrative Secondlife creative artistic experiences sims
Clock Island 2007 : no longer exists, no specific goal - similar to Myst but no mystery to solve. Franck Mullers clocks, time machines, fashion, mystery treasure hunt game + time space ambiance immersive experience. The clock tower with ever falling numbers in a scenario of white.
The island setting (25a) : clock tower
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_e-OWu9iW-Nw/TGp0AdhBamI/AAAAAAAADL0/DtL6Oi8tMFk/s640/54+Clock+Island+from+NWN.JPG
Inside the clock tower (25b) :
The clock tower with ever falling numbers in a scenario of white.
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_e-OWu9iW-Nw/TGp1ptcEHnI/AAAAAAAADL8/ebI3lPVgztE/s640/54+Clock+Island+from+Ana+Lutetia.JPG
Franck Muller dress gift (25c) : Fashion with the time theme
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_e-OWu9iW-Nw/Sw92-RvqY6I/AAAAAAAAB3s/VyIvPtUNKWI/s640/franck+muller+dress+from+clock+island3.JPG
Example 26 : Non-narrative environment in Secondlife for creative play and commercial real life+virtual world experiences
Greenies Sim : up to 2009, no longer exists
Spaceship theme with tiny green spacemen in a 50s kitchen setting - the sim offers merchandise - ie tiny green avatars, accessories, playthings. Served as a virtual world advertising backdrop for real life L'Oreal products etc.
Exploratory sets for events to happen. Players create the events, and the sim owner host commercial events as well. Successful match of commercial with ludic activities. Parallel to real life Disney Land, where the commercial is the target driven by the playful.
Swannjie plays the guqin (26a) to two avatars - promotion of the art of guqin
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_e-OWu9iW-Nw/R9epJcXmVQI/AAAAAAAAAHk/27ss8j3RBHk/s640/2+listener+at+greenies+guqin+concert.jpg
Guitar sits on the kitchen table (26b) : aerial view of the sim setting
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_e-OWu9iW-Nw/R-CpFsXmVVI/AAAAAAAAAIM/Ui0WyrmSznI/s640/greenie+aerial+view.jpg
L'Oreal makeup promotions in real life (26c) : l'Oreal ad in Greenie sim cost 100k, 2007
http://www.kzero.co.uk/blog/a-strikingly-fresh-approach-to-real-world-advertising-in-second-life/
http://www.kzero.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/02/oreal-kitchen_001.jpg
Example 27 : Non-narrative environment in Secondlife for creative play and education of graphic tools.
"Second China" : artistic sim from Hangzhou Academy of the Arts
We could walk around in an ink painting literally. This is a privately funded sim which is very popular as an artistic hangout. The teacher teaches Virtual World as a tool. It is not supported by the school.
Swannjie visits China sim, installs house in a Chinese landscape by Aston Leison
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_e-OWu9iW-Nw/S117peyMNcI/AAAAAAAACGc/n9gxnHhHmfo/s1600/china+sim+ink+painting1.JPG
Example 28 : Online interactive artistic games: "Hotel", on Arte-Creative TV.
"Hotel" began as a machinima animation, the story is further transposed to an online platform, funded by French Arte-Creative tv
http://www.gamescenes.org/2010/04/event-atopic-machinima-film-festival-paris-2009.htm
"HOTEL" trailer from Benjamin Nuel on Vimeo.
Terrorists from two camps in a retirement home.
http://vimeo.com/38380296
http://creative.arte.tv/en/search/gss/Nuel
Example 29 : Machinima as artistic animation, graphics with music
"Standby": melancholic atmosphere video by Bryn Oh
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q8RgAuhcBOw
Example 30 : Machinima as artistic animation, graphics with music.
"Push": Playful graphics w character by Lainy Voom
http://vimeo.com/5543976
Example 31 : Real Time Animation :: Machinima ::for passive viewers as a video in the style of Disney
"Source film maker" : software. Mar27 2013
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zri1c_If6Ic
Example 32 :
The Walking Dead : Images of the Graphic Novel
http://collider.com/comic-con-the-walking-dead-robert-kirkman/
The Walking Dead : machinima
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YGhhf5wDBN8
The Walking Dead : machinima
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YGhhf5wDBN8
It is painted on, like the characters in the movie "A Waking Life" - in fact, this is a way of making "A Waking Life" type of graphics but in animation without having to paint every frame!
If I dressed up my sl avatar in "line drawing" skin, then, the character would be "line drawing" person walking, talking, moving in a simulated realistic landscape.
And my character could be in any type of skin. Its just the background would still be the realistic graphics of existing sl.
In any painting, the foreground and background should be in the same graphic conditions - otherwise the mixing of "genre of painting" would give the viewer of the painting additional meanings that might not be intended. For example to have a real person walking around in a cartoon styled country side - mixing of two different genres - would be sending additional message and not the same as a real person walking around in a real country side.
Example 33 : "A Waking Life"
A Waking Life : Filmed in real life, with post production frame by frame painting :: rotoscoping - It is not machinima - but the artistic hand painting style had influenced the hand painted post production styles in machinima.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=veqkUUOlLLE
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