Filed under: Machinima

MMO documentary "Second Skin" debuts in theaters today

by Shawn Schuster Aug 7th 2009 at 4:30PM

Filed under: Events, real-world, MMO industry, Machinima

It's not often that we talk about movies here on Massively, but the new(ish) documentary entitled Second Skin is definitely right up our alley. Today marks the debut of Second Skin in select theaters across the United States, as well as a free showing of the film at various websites.

Is the movie worth seeing if you're heavily into MMOs? Well, we try not to do reviews here (MMO reviews at least), but I would say it's definitely worth checking out if you enjoy MMOs even a tiny bit. The film showcases the lives of several MMO gamers (mostly WoW and EverQuest) to show how these games have affected their lives. There's a fairly good balance of good and bad, showing everything from the marriage of people who met in these games to a tragic suicide that was blamed on an MMO. Check it out all this week online at Fancast or SnagFilms, or at participating theaters across America.

GWC podcast interviews EVE Online's first lady of piracy and Clear Skies film maker

by James Egan Jul 27th 2009 at 1:00PM

Filed under: Sci-fi, Podcasts, EVE Online, Interviews, PvP, Machinima

We just came across a great podcast the other day that's focused on all things sci-fi: Galactic Watercooler. Although it's not a gaming podcast, their latest episode (#176) is all about EVE Online. The GWC hosts are apparently really into playing EVE and they talk about the game's setting of New Eden in the context of David Weber's Honorverse series of military sci-fi novels, drawing parallels between the two in terms of strategy and technology. They also discuss the things they've seen and done in their time in the game, from their first steps into (and fleeing from) PvP to a run-in with a virtual prostitute. (You're free to do many things in EVE's sandbox... but that is probably not one of them.)

The hosts are given a hand in relating what they've gotten from the game experience in EVE Online by two notable players. Ian Chisholm, the creator of the award-winning Clear Skies machinima and its excellent follow-up, explains how he tells his own stories in the game visually. He also discusses what drives him to invest so much of his time and effort into the projects, and the technical challenges in making Clear Skies a reality. A fantastic interview.

Clear Skies 2 now ready to dock on your computer

by Krystalle Voecks May 10th 2009 at 12:00PM

Filed under: Sci-fi, Video, EVE Online, News items, Machinima

For those of us EVE Online players - or just fans of great machinima - who have been patiently waiting for Clear Skies 2, the wait is over! Ian Chisholm and his crew have managed to crank out Clear Skies 2 in amazing time, offering up yet another exciting adventure in the dangerous space of New Eden. As with everything awesome that we want omg right now - the load on EVE Files is insanely high right now. May want to consider using the torrent for the moment, if you can.

In the meantime, while you're waiting for the download, may we suggest you check out the trailer for Clear Skies 2, or perhaps our exclusive interview and behind-the-scenes look at the making with the creator! If it's still going after you've checked all that out, there's always the bloopers from the first Clear Skies, which are made of extra-special awesome.

[Thanks, CrazyKinux!]

Full trailer released for EVE Online machinima Clear Skies 2

by James Egan Apr 29th 2009 at 1:00PM

Filed under: Sci-fi, Trailers, Video, EVE Online, Machinima

If you're a fan of machinima, films made using video game graphics engines, there's a good chance you've heard about Clear Skies, an imaginative blend of EVE Online's far future setting with Half-Life 2 character models. Massively has taken a good look at Clear Skies in the past and had the opportunity to speak with the film's creator, Ian Chisholm, about what he has in store for us with Clear Skies 2.

However, rather than just reading more about it, why not check out the trailer? We've got an embed of the full Clear Skies 2 trailer for you below the cut. Enjoy!

Global Agenda announces fan video contest

by Shawn Schuster Apr 15th 2009 at 11:00AM

Filed under: Sci-fi, Video, Contests, Events, real-world, New titles, Machinima, Spy, Global Agenda

As Hi-Rez Studios prepares for Global Agenda's launch later this year, they've recently announced a video contest where fans can create their own promotional videos and win valuable prizes. This contest, which runs from now until May 10th, is supplemented by their Fan Video Kit, providing would-be directors with all the assets they'd need to create the best promotional video.

This contest will be done in conjunction with Hi-Rez Studios' YouTube channel, as all video submissions must be on YouTube. Winners will be judged on several different categories, including Most Humorous, Best Representation of the Game, Best 30-second Commercial, Best Produced and Most Viral. The "Overall Best" winner will receive a $200 Amazon gift certificate, and all winners will receive a special mention on the website and an upcoming press release. If you think you've got what it takes to make the best Global Agenda promotional video, head on over to their forums to read the complete rules. Also be sure to watch the team's promotional video -- for this promotional video contest -- just after the cut below.

Fan made EVE video Day of Darkness II blows away players and devs alike

by James Egan Apr 3rd 2009 at 1:00PM

Filed under: Sci-fi, Video, EVE Online, Lore, Machinima

A well-crafted science fiction story can deal with powerful themes. Fans of television shows like Battlestar Galactica know very well that a story of humanity's struggle for survival has a particularly strong emotional pull. The creators of EVE Online recognized this long ago, creating an extensive body of lore about the races of New Eden and their clashes with one another on a galactic scale. Their long history of conflicts creates endless ripples of discord felt by later generations, resulting in the subjugation of entire races countered by the will to be free of such tyranny.

The struggle to survive in the face of a great threat is central to the EVE Online machinima "Day of Darkness II", which is nothing short of exceptional. It's a short film created in-game by EVE player Dire Lauthris and a retelling of a key bit of EVE's lore. In fact, Lauthris drew upon one of the actual Chronicles called "The Breakout". Day of Darkness II focuses on the strife between the Caldari and Gallente races of New Eden, turning back the clock to a historic battle 200 years ago between the Caldari State and the Gallente Federation.

Dancing around the EverQuest world

by Krystalle Voecks Mar 17th 2009 at 4:00PM

Filed under: Fantasy, Video, EverQuest, Machinima

Ah, the memories. With 10 years under its belt, EverQuest has introduced us to strange and wonderful lands. Anyone who has played the game can tell you about some of the many zones they've visited; tramping across the wide expanse of Butcherblock; spending tons of time in Paludal, Lake of Ill Omen, Highkeep, or so many other areas; getting chased out of Oasis by Spectres or Sand Giants (hell, getting chased out of just about any zone with giants in it unless you were adept at kiting); running from guards if you happened to stumble into a town that wasn't friendly to you. From one moment to the next, one group to the next, you never really knew what the day would hold.

This video, created by the team at SOE, is not only a nod to those fun "Where the hell is Matt" videos, but also a really nice trip down memory lane for those of us who have played - or still play - EverQuest. Added to the mix of various areas are tidbits of EverQuest trivia. One such little morsel is that Qeynos is actually Sony EQ spelled backwards, if you hadn't caught that. So, if you've ever spent time in Norrath, be sure to check out their 10-year tribute video - and the related trivia - after the break!

EVE Evolved: The top ten EVE videos of all time

by Brendan Drain Feb 2nd 2009 at 5:30PM

Filed under: At a glance, Sci-fi, Trailers, Video, EVE Online, Culture, Forums, MMO industry, PvP, Opinion, Machinima, Roleplaying, Virtual worlds, EVE Evolved

Whether you like EVE Online or hate it, I think everyone can agree that it's a visually stunning game. Combined with the enthralling PvP experiences to be had in the game, it's not surprising that the game lends itself well to making some excellent videos. Films of EVE gameplay have been around since EVE began and large fleets now routinely bring a camera specialist pilot in a cloaked covert ops frigate to film their action. With the release of the premium client and the proliferation of good video editing software, the quality of EVE videos has improved significantly over the past few years.

In this article, I run down my list of the top ten EVE videos of all time.

Stunning EVE machinima depicts struggle between New Eden's factions

by James Egan Jan 28th 2009 at 10:00AM

Filed under: Sci-fi, Video, EVE Online, PvP, Machinima, Races

The sci-fi setting of EVE Online provides a great amount of material for players interested in creating machinima. But it's not everyday that a short film as good as Clear Skies or Havoc comes along. Then again, it's also not every day that something created by a player draws accolades from the game's creators -- but that's exactly the case with the work of EVE player Kyoko Sakoda, in "War Has Come" -- which beautifully captures the game, set to a cover of Bob Dylan's "All Along the Watchtower."

Sakoda writes, "This is one of my first thematic works. I know the Bear McCreary version of the song may sound like it is out of place for a few hardcore sci-fi fans, but I could not justify using any other cover. Enjoy, and write feedback if you wish. I'm always looking to improve my storytelling, direction, and editing and compositing skills."

We've got "War Has Come" embedded for you below the cut, and it's well worth a look. We just wish Dylan's "All Along the Watchtower" was a longer song...

NC NorCal brings on another Hero vs Villain video

by Krystalle Voecks Jan 13th 2009 at 12:00PM

Filed under: Super-hero, Video, City of Heroes, City of Villains, Machinima, Humor

To celebrate the Mac client going gold, NC NorCal has produced a trio of videos showing off City of Heroes in the style of the Mac commercials. Last week we got to meet their hero and their villain, who gave us a few giggles as they introduced themselves. This week, NC NorCal has expanded it just a bit to tell us about our hero's secret identity; his Day Job. Of course, the villain thinks this is pretty funny - and we do too!

See if you can guess what our hero's Day Job is from the above image, then check behind the break for the video to find out if you're right. For those curious about the new Mac client, be sure to check out our hands-on, and if you missed the prior video, you can check it out in all it's silliness right here.

The anatomy of a cut scene

by Shawn Schuster Nov 15th 2008 at 8:00PM

Filed under: Fantasy, Video, Guild Wars, Lord of the Rings Online, Game mechanics, Machinima, Humor

When you watch a cut scene (assuming you didn't skip it, when possible), do you ever think about what goes into making that cinematic? Why did they choose this angle, and this part of the storyline? In games like Guild Wars, the cut scenes are game-engine-based, so your characters are standing there engaged in deep, dramatic story-driven dialogue with an important NPC, all the while a Jagged Horror decides he wants to stand directly on top of the camera.

Ravious over at Kill Ten Rats discusses the issue we sometimes can have with the different types of cut scenes out there. For example, in Lord of the Rings Online, there are the ones where you can't do anything, and you're forced to sit and listen to the big bad boss talk about how he could have gotten away with it, if it weren't for you meddling kids. Then there's the type where you can, as Ravious puts it, "hop over Samwell(wise) Gamgee's hobbit head to your heart's content while Elrond bids the Fellowship farewell."

So what's your favorite kind of cut scene? Do you feel they need to be giant cinematic productions, or do the brief game-engine scenes do well enough?

Massively interviews Clear Skies creator Ian Chisholm

by James Egan Nov 8th 2008 at 4:00PM

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Culture, Machinima, Massively Interviews

One of the most significant works of machinima created in recent years is Clear Skies, an unconventional amalgam of the gritty, far future setting of EVE Online tempered with a more human touch, imbued with life through clever writing and exacting manipulation of Half-Life 2 character models. Fans and critics alike have praised Clear Skies since its release. Indeed, the film recently took top honors at Machinima Filmfest 2008, garnering a Mackie award for Best Long Format Film.

This success at the festival was met with astonishment from Clear Skies creator Ian Chisholm as well as from his collaborators, John Guthrie and Richie Powles. But it was decidedly less of a surprise to the many fans of the film, a seemingly ever-growing number judging by the number of times Clear Skies has been downloaded from EVE-Files.

Massively recently caught up with Clear Skies creator Ian Chisholm, who was gracious enough to provide us with a sequence of production stills from Clear Skies 2, explaining how he brings a scene to life in stages from voice recording, to choreography, to the culmination of this work in the final footage. While we had his attention, Ian also discussed what drives a man to dedicate years of his life to a project of this caliber, and what he has in store for us with Clear Skies 2.

Gallery: Behind the scenes of Clear Skies 2

Massively interviews Clear Skies creator Ian Chisholm Page 2

by James Egan Nov 8th 2008 at 4:00PM

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Machinima, Massively Interviews

Can you tell me a bit about how you make the Clear Skies films? My understanding is the overriding vision for Clear Skies is yours, that you write the scripts and do much of the work involved with turning them into proper films, but how do you collaborate with others in creating Clear Skies?

Pretty much I did everything bar the voice acting in the first film, and even then a lot of that. I didn't bring anyone else into it as I didn't want to use up a lot of someone else's time and then have the project fail for some reason. Also I'm a bit of a control freak, relying on other people is difficult for me! I've found this time around that there isn't much I can farm out anyway, it's a bunch of esoteric skills that I've now got refined to the point that it's faster for me to do things than it is to teach others -- I attempted to teach lipsyncing to someone else but I may have well tried teaching them Martian. What I have got is a good friend working on reskinning some models, and a chap I spoke to ingame that has been working on level designs for various games for years. He's doing me some new sets for Gallente and Amarr ships, ensuring they will have a different visual style to my Caldari and Minmatar ones. He's really good, enthusiastic, and importantly has got a good history in sticking with a project to the end.

Machinima.com gets $3.85 million in funding for business expansion

by Shawn Schuster Nov 8th 2008 at 11:00AM

Filed under: Business models, Culture, Events, real-world, Machinima, Roleplaying

Machinima and MMOs just seem to go hand-in-hand so well. What's more fun than letting your guildmate friends be dancers in your latest music video spoof, or thespians in the latest episode of your dramatic series based on their World of Warcraft characters. It's for this reason that machinima has gained so much popularity in recent years. It's a way for everyday people to expand upon their fantasy lifestyle in an MMO and bring it out in the form of artistic expression.

So it should be no surprise that a website like Machinima.com would be so popular and successful. Recently they've upped the ante a bit in the form of $3.85 million in funding from MK Capital and other private investors. This money will be used to expand Machinima.com's business plans, allowing them to appoint five entertainment industry leaders to its Board of Directors.

EVE Online film 'Clear Skies' wins at Machinima Filmfest 2008

by James Egan Nov 3rd 2008 at 7:00PM

Filed under: Sci-fi, Trailers, Video, EVE Online, Machinima

It seems like it wasn't so long ago when Massively reviewed the EVE Online machinima "Clear Skies", an imaginative blend of EVE's backstory with Half-Life 2 character models and sets. We recently mentioned that Clear Skies had been nominated for consideration at the Machinima Filmfest 2008, but have gotten word that it won a Mackie award for Best Long Format film this past weekend.

Massively got a hold of Clear Skies creator Ian Chisholm today, who shared with us his reaction to having won the Mackie award. He quipped, "I was sort of wondering if they had made a mistake -- it's really nice to get that sort of recognition when all I set out to do was have some fun with my friends and have a creative outlet." But more than anything, Chisholm is pleased with the overwhelmingly positive response he's gotten from the EVE community itself. "I never set out to do any of this, so it's completely organic... it's just a fantastic thing to be able to do, to reach out and make all these thousands of people's day go with a bit of a smile when they watch the film" he said.