Machinima+Films

Zach Morgan 4/17/09  Bouton Comp G  My Machinima Films Machinima is something few groups of people know about or have heard of. People would always ask me what it was, and I would have to give a long, grueling explanation of it. This subject is born from two very different things to make a lasting bond to society. That is between video games, a machine item, and film, cinema, movies, combing machine with cinema. Most people would say it’s impossible. I say its skill. In order to start the process of making Machinima you first need to base it off the type of game you like, and that have a feature to view clear film. If you’re wondering what I mean by clear film let me explain that. For every game there is a HUD (heads up display_ showing you basic things like ammo, health, shields, items that pop up when playing. Some games have the option to turn these settings off, letting you view the character, landscape, and motions more clearly when filming. Now the process to make a movie Machinima is to first pick out a game to use. You would begin to write a script detailing everything that was to be spoken and acted with scenery and actions. Writing scripts takes time but I mainly focus on making music videos or trailers because they’re much easier when the music inspires me. When the script is set, I begin to set up what each character looks like by writing a list from what they are wearing to what they are holding at all times. Acting alone is hard so I usually get friends to help me move each person so that everything flows in sync. I mainly use Halo because of the camera mode that allows me to move anywhere I want to capture a scene. With my friends and the use of the internet I can establish a game in which several friends can assume the roles of characters. This requires an XBOX 360, internet connection and most importantly each of my friends needs a copy of the game we are using. We then connect online via a group request and we’re all on. Using the chat function, I can chat with my friends and give them the instructions easily. I can also view the recording on XBOX after we do the scene and decide if I want to change the scene or modify it. With these recordings I can feed them into my iMac for editing and the additions of sound effects and voice overs. I do this with the iMovies functions and load all the clips into a new movies folder that I’ve titled with the film’s names. I edit this film and add music to it. To spice it up, I add special effects that allow me to make the movie more dramatic and suspenseful, along with great comparison to what is playing in the music. Machinima to me is a world of film that is open to the public with no profit and free enjoyment. Many of these types of short films can be seen on [|www.youtube.com] and I have some posted there as well. When watching other Machinima films, I admire their techniques and acting that makes me want to provide the same entertainment for the world as they do for me. Action, explosions, and suspense make great movies and learning how they did it makes me want to try and make whay they did even greater than before. Yet, what makes a good Machinima is how the story unfolds. I have yet to perfect a flowing story that is able to be made into a continuous series. I still progress with making of my trailers and idea for the future videos to come. Some of the machinimas that I have made were done last year for a class at my school. It was fun to get my friends involved in my project because their ideas were good and their help was useful in making the short film a success. Some day I would like to make movies and machinimas to have them seen by as many people as possible. In the meantime, I am looking for a new song that I can use to make a video for. My Halo game and my friends were both helpful in creating the ultimate music video. With only graphics from the game and movie magic, it all came together. I like using music more than dialogue because sometimes it is more fun to pick a song than having spoken words. It can only get better and more exciting from here and as time goes on I want to save up enough money to buy an editing machine. That way, I can do fine editing and mixes on just the one machine. Machinimas are a great way to express my feelings and I use it to relieve stress and relax by working on my scenes, scripts, and action shots. It allows me an escape to be creative, and spontaneous. Since I started making these, I have widen my search from any college to schools with film programs. By using games to make music videos or action movies, I have an unlimited amount of resources including actors, settings, and plots. My only limits are the games I chose myself. Machinima making for me is the jumpstart that allows me to have a motion picture studio in my bedroom with only and XBOX and iMac.