Machinima
by leor szleifer
On October 26, 1996, the internet was surprised by the upload of a 100-second video, entitled Diary of a Camper, depicting a short, simple story:
Two soldiers, having sent a scouting party to investigate a crucial position on the battlefield, wonder what fate has befallen their comrades. When they investigate, they discover that their scouts have been decimated by a lone enemy combatant, who is quickly killed by the revenge-seeking soldiers.
The short's reception was overwhelmingly positive, but not for its story, characters or script, but for its artistic medium. Diary of a Camper was made within a video game, shot in the digital world of the multiplayer shooter Quake.
Shortly after Diary of a Camper's release, the term machinima was first used to describe the use of real-time computer graphics engines (especially video games) to create cinematic productions. The word is a combination of the terms “machine” and “cinema”.
Later, in 2001, two friends, Michael "Burnie" Burns and Geoff Ramsey, used the popular shooter Halo: Combat Evolved to create a series of comedic shorts, entitled Red vs. Blue. The series was a smash hit with viewers and critics alike, and the duo formed Rooster Teeth Productions, continuing to produce the series to this day.
In 2004, a student named Garry Newman created a modification for Valve's video game Half-Life 2, aptly titled Garry's Mod (or GMod for short). The modification allowed the player to harness the power of Valve's Source engine, which simulates real-life physics, turning the game into a sandbox. This opened a whole new world of potential for machinima to be made, and computer users accepted it with open arms. Garry's Mod is available for $10 USD on Valve's data distribution program Steam.
Gradually, the developers of these games (now turned into filmmaking tools) began to take notice of the ever-growing "machinimaking" community. Electronic Arts, creator of the Sims video game series, contacted Rooster Teeth Productions to produce a promotional series for the release of The Sims 2. The result was The Strangerhood, yet another universal success.
Soon, the game companies began to release software exclusively for the production of machinima. The first-person shooter games Team Fortress 2 and Halo 3 (both 2007) feature a free “theater mode”, a tool allowing the player to record their last match, then reposition the camera, add effects, and more.
Finally, in 2012, Valve released Source Filmmaker to the public. This program allows the user to create realistic animation with user- or Valve-created characters. Before its release, it was used by Valve’s professional animators to create official trailers for their games.
Today, pretty much anyone can use these and other means to create their own cinematic productions. It’s fast, easy, cheap, and will almost definitely give rise to a new generation of filmmakers. Imagine what the future holds.
Two soldiers, having sent a scouting party to investigate a crucial position on the battlefield, wonder what fate has befallen their comrades. When they investigate, they discover that their scouts have been decimated by a lone enemy combatant, who is quickly killed by the revenge-seeking soldiers.
The short's reception was overwhelmingly positive, but not for its story, characters or script, but for its artistic medium. Diary of a Camper was made within a video game, shot in the digital world of the multiplayer shooter Quake.
Shortly after Diary of a Camper's release, the term machinima was first used to describe the use of real-time computer graphics engines (especially video games) to create cinematic productions. The word is a combination of the terms “machine” and “cinema”.
Later, in 2001, two friends, Michael "Burnie" Burns and Geoff Ramsey, used the popular shooter Halo: Combat Evolved to create a series of comedic shorts, entitled Red vs. Blue. The series was a smash hit with viewers and critics alike, and the duo formed Rooster Teeth Productions, continuing to produce the series to this day.
In 2004, a student named Garry Newman created a modification for Valve's video game Half-Life 2, aptly titled Garry's Mod (or GMod for short). The modification allowed the player to harness the power of Valve's Source engine, which simulates real-life physics, turning the game into a sandbox. This opened a whole new world of potential for machinima to be made, and computer users accepted it with open arms. Garry's Mod is available for $10 USD on Valve's data distribution program Steam.
Gradually, the developers of these games (now turned into filmmaking tools) began to take notice of the ever-growing "machinimaking" community. Electronic Arts, creator of the Sims video game series, contacted Rooster Teeth Productions to produce a promotional series for the release of The Sims 2. The result was The Strangerhood, yet another universal success.
Soon, the game companies began to release software exclusively for the production of machinima. The first-person shooter games Team Fortress 2 and Halo 3 (both 2007) feature a free “theater mode”, a tool allowing the player to record their last match, then reposition the camera, add effects, and more.
Finally, in 2012, Valve released Source Filmmaker to the public. This program allows the user to create realistic animation with user- or Valve-created characters. Before its release, it was used by Valve’s professional animators to create official trailers for their games.
Today, pretty much anyone can use these and other means to create their own cinematic productions. It’s fast, easy, cheap, and will almost definitely give rise to a new generation of filmmakers. Imagine what the future holds.