A film made with Bioware’s Mass Effect

Embed + link is just below the (more) so it doesn’t break the format of the blog’s home page. Enjoy!

Rated PG for a wee bit of coarse language.

As a treat to my blog readers, I’m embedding the nicer quality Vimeo version here. If you’re dying to see it on YouTube (technically its primary venue), it’s available here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otHSV6f2-Nc

I’ve realized something else, too. First, a little backstory; I beg your pardon, those of you who’ve heard this before. When Male Restroom Etiquette exploded on the scene, surprising all of us, some really amazing opportunities emerged. Three different North American cable television networks wanted to broadcast the film; MTV wanted to feature a clip (and somehow did); a movie theater management company wanted to include the film in their before-the-feature preview roll; and the crown jewel… The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, for decades a much-craved outlet for launching comedy careers, wanted to feature part of the film and have Jay comment on it.

Other than the MTV clip, which I still don’t know how it materialized, Electronic Arts - publisher of The Sims 2 game used to make the film - refused permission to air the film in these venues. They refused even NBC Television, the host network of The Tonight Show. And I, having chosen to make my film with their game’s intellectual property, was absolutely powerless to do anything about it. After all, if frickin’ NBC couldn’t get a Yes, what would make me think that they’d ever listen to little ol’ me?

Video games broke my heart when that happened. And I reacted like the jilted lover, resolved to never trust them again, released several “protest films” like [COMPANY] Rulez! and the Ad Absurdum series, and began to extol the virtues of IP freedom to everyone I knew.

I regret none of this reaction, and still feel wholly justified. But Mass Effect has made me realize something… I’ve steadfastly refused to fall in love with another video game since that heartbreak, so the decision to avoid them was relatively easy, in spite of the hardships of starting from scratch.

Mass Effect has seduced me. I’m in love with a video game again. And rebound relationship or no, it changes things.

I remember when Hugh Hancock had said using video games - in spite of the IP issues - was a good idea for building audience. The jilted lover in me desperately wanted to hate that idea, even though part of me couldn’t help but admit that it was an inspired notion that made a lot of sense. Now I find myself coming back to it.

That’s because Mass Effect is inspiring me with ideas. You’ll see one of the simpler ones this Friday when “So I Ran Over a Monkey” premieres (trailer here)… but I’ve also hit upon a savory idea for a little comedy series, not mixed media but wholly machinima, which is essentially and unashamedly a “user remix” of Mass Effect. And I find myself grappling with a bit of a “Why not?”

I could create the series idea using IP-free tools; it would take a lot longer to get done, would force me to delay other plans for this year, but it’s achievable. But this is one of those ideas that part of its very magic is in the repurposing of settings and characters that will have familiarity for players of the game, and I think it will be much more effective and entertaining as such, even though the idea is solid enough to stand on its own and do pretty well.

Now naturally, some of my fellow purists are going to remind me of the heartbreak lessons. If I were to use a video game world to tell my story, my options down the road are inherently limited, and that situation does not look like it’s going to change any time soon. So why invest the time and energy into something when I won’t have a chance of reaping any of the perks of ownership?

Here’s my thinking, and you tell me if this is rational or not. I fully buy into the Lessig-borne model where Creative Commons can be a strategic component of a “business” approach. Charles Stross does it; Trent Reznor’s doing it; Rooster Teeth does it too. You give away some product for free, and offer “premium” products and benefits to the fanbase that grows out of that free exposure.

Well I’m not offering ANY premium product (i.e. for a price) at this point, but I’m trying to lay the groundwork for that eventual possibility. That groundwork is the free content, giving as many people as possible the opportunity to freely sample my wares, hoping that some fraction of those samplers will be enthusiastic enough about what I create to one day support me with a purchase of some kind. A purchase that will fund more movies, moving toward this beast being able to feed itself a bit. I feel very good about the slow and steady progress with which that subscriber base is growing.

So to reiterate, central to the model is a base of free (non-commercial) content, available to everyone who is interested in taking a look or listen.

The question I’m wrestling with right now is, if that base of free content is an essential part of my strategy - and I think it IS - and that content is, by definition, non-commericial in nature, not intended to generate revenue in any way other than to get more eyes on what I make… then Why Not Game-Based Machinima for that content?

Certainly, a movie made with a game stands just as great a chance of abject failure as one made with indie tools… but if an idea comes along that I’m comfortable making part of the body of my freely available content, and that idea could potentially benefit greatly in some way from being made in a game world… well, why not?

Some might call this a cop out, I don’t know. I don’t see it that way. I think I’m just coming to an understanding of what Hugh might have been talking about, an understanding of how - in a specific context - original gangsta machinima might actually work very well in a larger strategy of audience-building. In this context, where expectations are realistic and limits are pre-understood, game-based machinima can work. And as long as you stay within those limits that elusive game company explicit seal of approval is no longer a big issue.

In a way, it’s using game-based machinima to the same kind of benefit that we’ve always argued it provides to the game companies: free advertising for a product they hope you’ll be motivated to buy. I don’t mean actual direct advertising, of course. If I make a G-Mod film advertising the sale of my Moviestorm film, that’s commercial use. I’m talking about indirect advertising, the same that virtually all machinima provides for the game without ever hawking the game.

Yes, there’s always the possibility that a game company could step in and stamp out even a wholly non-commercial piece of user machinima… but I think increased restrictions are as unlikely to occur right now as are decreased restrictions. And even if that did happen, it’s not quite the rug-pulled-out-from-under-you kind of event that it would be if you were building your magnum opus in a game and hoping against hope that the game company will be so charmed by your work as to come around. You’re saving your magnum opus work for the liberated tools, so the worst case scenario is that they could step in and squash a minor work you invested a bit of time in. Irritating and inconvenient? Yes. Devastating and heartbreaking? No.

So what do you think? Is this a sound way of looking at it, or not?

Also, new overcast coming tonight. Stay tuned!

I’m going to skip embedding the video, because going to the full page on YouTube allows you to experience both the video annotations as well as watch the video in higher quality.

I’ve been a fan of Xanatos’ work for quite a while now; I think this is his best work. Some fantastic action scenes and camerawork, and one of the most satisfying endings to a short I’ve seen in some time.

See it here: http://youtube.com/watch?v=v5AMS_bMcQA

And you can catch the sequel, Half-Life 2 Nightmare, right here: http://youtube.com/watch?v=ZWLzucirWs4

http://slurl.com/secondlife/Dorado/139/129/26

The topics of discussion will be of your choosing, no preset theme this month. Hope to see you there!

More information is available on the Conference Page.

The whole thing runs about 45 minutes; weighing in at 2GB (DivX), it’s not download or video-share friendly. But this is a six minutes or so clip of my favorite section of the experiment.

Throughout the larger piece, there were some really amazing (and accidental) moments of musical serendipity as far as timing goes, a la Dark Side of the Rainbow. Those “lucky” alignments are strikingly common, even when throwing together random pieces of music and video. What I ended up taking away from the experiment was a reminder to sometimes not be so structured and deliberate in my approach to score, to leave room for these wonderful moments of accidental timing.

Does the name sound familiar in a more localized sense? Maybe you remember Hugh Hancock talking about him at various times. In fact, Charlie made a cameo voiceover appearance in BloodSpell, and had very pleasant things to say about the film and the potential of its medium. He’s a very interesting guy; if you can make it out there to hear him speak, you won’t be sorry.

Details available here. Thanks Boing Boing.

And here’s what’s going on tomorrow. Doesn’t sound like bad luck to me!

• Machinima Party in Bitropolis - Bitfilm launches the grand opening of its virtual world prescence. Called Bitropolis, it takes place in the virtual world of Twinity; they’ll be showcasing Bitfilm nominee films, plus there will be a live DJ, virtual souvenirs, and a good chance to mingle with the international membership of the Bitfilm Club. More info is at: http://www.bitfilm.com/festival/bitropolis.php
• DiVAS Finale - Postponed from the original May 31 date, this Second Life sitcom’s first season comes to a close tomorrow. Two in-world screenings, followed by worldwide release. Check their blog for details.
• New Overcast - Ricky and I take on the first in a two-part series on acting in machinima. Check theovercast.com tomorrow, or watch MachiniFeed for the release announcement.
• The 52-week content marathon continues - This week, a guerilla-style short featuring a video game which, if you haven’t played it yet, as a machinima maker or enthusiast you really need to do so. Watch this blog for the embed, or keep an eye on the ZS YouTube channel.

Click here for archive of OverByte posts.

Content Advisory: Rated R for Language and Adult Themes

This short film is the first chapter of a collection called UMBRA, a set of thematically connected short films exploring that darkest part of shadow.

Versions:

• Hi Def (1280×720): http://www.vimeo.com/1126623
• Standard (720×405): http://z-studios.com/films/apology/
• Lo Fi (480×360): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=51JSTucnM-g

High Quality Downloads at 1280×720, 800×450, and for iPod are available at:
http://z-studios.com/films/apology/

I welcome your comments at whatever location you view the film, or right here. Thank you!

It’s such a short film, under 4 minutes, but I’m more excited to show you this one than anything in recent memory. I’ll be Twittering away while I render and upload tomorrow, if you want to obsess right along with me. And as a reward to those just nutty and bored enough to do so, you’ll see the first viewing URL there before I put it anywhere else.

A funny thing happened while recording some foley last night. I won’t get into it now because I don’t want to give even a hint of a spoiler. But I’ll tell you about it next week either here or on a YouTube video blog… a practice I thought I’d hate but am starting to enjoy.

Reminders:

• the overcast #030 has been released (link)
• May’s Machinima Audio Conference is tomorrow. Check the conference page for late breaking details regarding location.

New York City, May 29, 2008 — After a highly successful 16-month run, virtual world content creator The Electric Sheep Company (ESC) and its critically acclaimed machinima animation division, previously ILL Clan Inc., have restructured to operate as distinct business entities.

“The Electric Sheep Company has seen an increased demand in Web-based virtual experiences, and our direction as a company has shifted to serve this demand for our clients and our own business initiatives,” says Sibley Verbeck, CEO for The Electric Sheep Company. “This focus has limited the potential for ILL Clan to service the separate growing animation market that utilizes their skills and technology. We are pleased to be in the client roll with ILL Clan moving forward and look forward to the increased business opportunities this split represents for the crew at ILL Clan.”

“Our tenure at the Electric Sheep was an incredible experience,” says Frank Dellario, ESC’s former vice president of machinima and current president of the newly re-formed ILL Clan Animation Studios. “Their support enabled us to expand our expertise to a new level and add some of the world’s biggest entertainment and marketing companies to our portfolio.”

ESC recruited the ILL Clan, then an independent company with nearly a decade of experience, as its exclusive machinima division in January 2007. Under the “Sheep” banner, the department flourished, producing landmark works for virtual-worlds clients, such as CBS, NBC, MTV, and IBM, as well as for television, including key animation sequences in two episodes of the primetime drama “CSI: NY” and a pre–Super Bowl commercial for “Two and a Half Men.”

“It was a privilege to be part of that visionary organization,” Dellario says. “Now, as we embark on this new phase, we are excited and honored at the opportunity to continue serving their machinima needs, as well as those of new clients.”
–

About ILL Clan Animation Studios

As the multiple award-winning ILL Clan Inc., the company has been creating machinima since 1998 for world-class clients such as CBS, IBM, MTV, Microsoft, NBC, SpikeTV, Warner Brothers, and more. Named “Machinima Masters” by Wired Magazine, the team renowned for pioneering the field will resume its longstanding tradition of excellence in providing innovative machinima content under the new ILL Clan Animation Studios moniker. To learn more, visit www.illclan.com or contract Frank Dellario at frank@illclan.com.

About Electric Sheep Company

The Electric Sheep Company (ESC) is the leading creator of 3D virtual world content and solutions specializing in providing software, interactive design, and integration and production solutions. Founded in April 2005 and headquartered in New York City, ESC is dedicated to the complementary tasks of bringing relevant social and information products to consumers, and helping major organizations find ways to use virtual worlds to realize operational, marketing and educational goals. Clients include AOL, MTV, NBC, Nissan, Sony, Reuters and many others. To learn more, visit www.electricsheepcompany.com.

Frank Dellario
Director of Machinima Production
ILL Clan Animation Studios
www.illclan.com

P: 718-599-2591
C: 347-277-1920

SL: illbixby cerveau
Skype: illbixby

Watch it in HD at Vimeo - http://www.vimeo.com/1054468
(blow it up to full screen if you like)

Constructed for the AniBoom Radiohead Music Video Contest. Like what you see?
PLEASE VOTE for it there at:
http://www.aniboom.com/Player.aspx?v=225612

For more info and downloads in Hi Def, DivX or QuickTime, for your iPod, and so on, go to:
http://z-studios.com/films/bodysnatchers/

• Gigabytes of source footage: 55.2
• Video tracks in Vegas: 72. Average shot depth: 16 compositing layers.
• Rendering to 720p uncompressed takes 3.0 hours per minute of final film.
• Approximate production time: 250 hours
• More pieces of personally designed custom content than all my previous films combined.

If everything goes smoothly tonight, I’m hoping for a release tomorrow! You can follow the step-by-step tonight on Twitter, if you like.

From full fledged 3D artists to specialists with specific apps (Maya, Illustrator, …) to specialists in specific parts of the production chain (post production, rotoscoping, …)… there sure is a lot of work out there.

If attaining employment is one of your hopes related to your animation work, don’t overlook this fantastic resource. You can even subscribe to their RSS feed and have the job listings come right to your reader.

As for updating it, currently those who have that ability are Johnnie, Ricky Grove, and myself. I’d be very open to bringing an additional person into that editing role, if someone would be interested in populating the calendar with film festival-related info with some regularity. It would be a great service to your fellow machinima “peeps.” If that interests you, get in touch with me for more info.

Thanks, Johnnie, for thinking to set this up!

I want to congratulate not only Zach and Robert, for a well-earned gig, but Bioware as well, for continuing to show that they know how to pick from the very best.

I’m sad about the likely impact on Lit Fuse output; Robert doth protest that they are “hardcore,” but if there’s anything the past year has taught us about “going pro” it’s that indie film output really dries up big time when you do. Lamentable (because I love their films) but also understandable. I hope Rob is right, maybe it’ll be different if these guys are just insane zealous.

In any case, it’s magnificently good news, and hearty congratulations again to Zach, Rob, and Bioware. Well done!

See the announcements here:

• Zach: This shit just got real. at the Lit Fuse blog.
• Robert: Rob and Zach go to Bioware! at the Lit Fuse news page.