And Now For Something Completely Machinima

In this episode of the Completely Machinima Podcast , we dive into Hostiles — a stunning Half-Life-inspired machinima short that pushes the boundaries of virtual production, animation, and storytelling . Originally believed to be created in Source Filmmaker , this cinematic piece was actually made in Garry’s Mod , challenging assumptions about tools, quality, and creativity in the machinima commun...

Can Starfield become the next great machinima platform? In this episode of the Completely Machinima Podcast , the team breaks down a fascinating Starfield mod trailer that mixes machinima, virtual production, gameplay cinematics, sci-fi mystery, and mod storytelling . Damien Valentine brings in “Farseer,” a Starfield mod trailer that feels bigger than a simple showcase — part trailer, part cinemat...

What happens when real-time graphics stop trying to impress technically and start feeling like cinema? In this episode of And Now For Something Completely Machinima , Phil Rice, Ricky Grove, Tracy Harwood and Damien Valentine explore “Nine” (IX) by Moppi Productions - a landmark 2003 demoscene work that bridges machinima , digital art and real-time filmmaking . ⏱ Chapters - 0:00 Intro 1:01 Welcome...

What happens when a Twitch streamer can’t talk about a game because of an NDA… so they recreate the experience inside another MMO instead? In this episode of Now For Something Completely Machinima , Phil Rice, Tracy Harwood, and Damien Valentine unpack a bizarre, brilliant, and surprisingly cinematic machinima created in Final Fantasy XIV that channels the mood of Dune , social media culture, and...

In Episode 217 of And Now for Something Completely Machinima , we explore “Ersatz” a haunting new solo animated film by Saint Greaver created in Blender’s Eevee engine. Set within a surreal World War I–inspired landscape, the film blends virtual production techniques with painterly concept art aesthetics to create a disturbing, dreamlike vision of war, identity, and memory. The discussion unpacks...

In this episode of Completely Machinima , Damien Valentine, Tracy Harwood, and Phil Rice unpack the biggest talking points at the intersection of machinima, AI, and creator rights . We start with a quick birthday nod to id Software’s 35th anniversary —a foundational influence on game culture and the machinima scene—before diving into the headline debate: the Disney + OpenAI partnership . Tracy bre...

In this episode of And Now for Something Completely Machinima , the team dives deep into the chilling Blender short I Made a Self-Aware Robot by the enigmatic creator Lights Are Off . Tracy brings the film to the table, praising its haunting realism, uncanny robot design, and smart use of found-footage aesthetics. What begins as a seemingly grounded “scientist vlog” quickly spirals into a modern F...

In this episode of Now for Something Completely Machinima , the team revisits Ozymandias (1999) — one of the earliest and most controversial works of machinima, created by Hugh Hancock and Strange Company using the experimental LithTech Film Producer toolkit. What begins as a straightforward critique quickly turns into a deeper debate: 👉 Is Ozymandias a “bad film”… or a groundbreaking prototype t...

Starfield is one of the most cinematic games Bethesda’s ever shipped… so why haven’t we seen much machinima from it? Today we’re looking at a mod that might finally crack that open: a fully built settlement with lore, characters, quests, and surprisingly strong voice acting, presented with a “lore trailer” that feels like a slice-of-life tour through a corporate-controlled mining town. We’ll break...

What happens when Tolkien’s world, Enya’s music, and cutting-edge virtual performance collide? In this episode, we explore a breathtaking Second Life film that reimagines “May It Be” as a haunting, hopeful journey through shadow and light. From gothic landscapes and cinematic lighting to an unexpectedly intimate motion-capture reveal, this episode showcases how virtual worlds can deliver not just...

This week, we review a supporter-recommended iClone fantasy machinima that surprised us with its polish: “Quest of a Key - Chapter One” by AuroraTrek . We’re always saying we want more story-driven iClone machinima (and fewer tech-demo vibes)… and this one delivers on craft : strong shot selection, confident editing, excellent music cues, and character animation that’s smoother than you’d expect....

We begin with a heartfelt tribute to the late Frank Fox — filmmaker, musician, and beloved member of the machinima community. From his classic MovieStorm film Morning Run Amok to his live music performances as “Frank Leonatra,” we reflect on his creativity, generosity, and the lasting impact he had on virtual filmmaking and the people who loved him.   Then we dive deep into one of the most visuall...

This week on And Now for Something Completely Machinima , snacks are flowing, pretzels are implied, and Tracy throws us a curveball of a film pick. 🍪🎬 We dive into “Demoram” by Livviathen , a lightning-fast, 90-second burst of animated chaos made in Team Fortress 2 and Garry’s Mod —and somehow packed with more storytelling, personality, and punch than films ten times its length. At first glance,...

🎮 What if the “bad ending” of Half-Life… wasn’t the end at all? In this episode of Completely Machinima , Phil, Tracy, and Damien dive into one of gaming’s most legendary “what ifs.” We explore a fan-made Half-Life mod that does the unthinkable: it turns the game’s infamous impossible ending—the one where you’re meant to die horribly—into a brutal but beatable continuation of the story. Instead o...

🎬 This week on And Now for Something Completely Machinima , we’re shaking (and stirring) things up with a deep dive into Benjamin Tuttle’s long-awaited James Bond machinima, Endgame – Part One 🍸💥 Host Damien Valentine kicks things off by revealing he actually voices Q in the film (recorded years ago!), before the panel digs into why this project is such a standout. Created in iClone and rendere...

🚍 This Week on Now for Something Completely Machinima 🎮 What if the most boring video game ever made was actually a goldmine for creativity? This episode kicks off with Ricky’s unconventional pick: Desert Bus , a notorious 1990s “anti-game” by Penn & Teller where you drive a bus from Tucson to Las Vegas… in real time… for eight hours … and earn one point . That’s it. No explosions. No shortc...

This week on the podcast, we’re diving into a grab-bag of big creator news, starting with YouTube, and yes… the “slop” situation.  Tracy kicks things off with what looks like YouTube’s latest attempt to clean house: platform changes that claim to improve privacy and the viewing experience, but also mess with how videos behave when embedded on third-party sites. If you stream shows inside places li...

A special ep but unfortunately for the main content, most of this you need to hop on to our YouTube channel to watch as its mainly video footage... here is the intro by Tracy, with part of Paul Marino's keynote from his 2007 Introduction to the Machinima Europe Film Festival and the occasional part of a conversation.  Enjoy nonetheless. Credits - Host: Tracy Harwood Editor: Phil Rice Producer: Phi...

On this episode of And Now For Something Completely Machinima, Damien, Tracy and Ricky dive into one of Machinima.com’s most unexpected gems: the documentary series “All Your History Are Belong To Us”, focusing on the Stamper brothers and their legendary studio, Rare.  💬 We talk about how the series charts Rare’s rise from a small UK outfit in Ashby-de-la-Zouch to a powerhouse behind classics lik...

In this episode of Completely Machinima , hosts Phil Rice , Tracy Harwood , and Damien Valentine explore the stunning AI-powered operatic machinima “Arido Taurajo” — a groundbreaking short film created by Chantal Harvey (aka Mamachinima) in collaboration with digital artist James Morgan , AI composer Roboccini and soprano/AI researcher Maya Ackerman , among others. 🎮 About the Film: Set in the Wo...

In this episode of Completely Machinima , hosts Phil Rice , Tracy Harwood , and Damien Valentine review two creative Star Citizen machinima commercials — Dumpers Depot and Big Benny’s Grab Eats — both made for a Star Citizen video contest . They explore how these 45-second in-game ads show off community creativity, storytelling, and production skills. Tracy breaks down what made Dumpers Depot Comm...

We're beginning Season 6 with one of the best machinima-animated shorts we've ever seen (probably)! 🎥 Back to the Future UNHINGED, Machinima Film Made in Blender  In this episode of The Completely Machinima Podcast , hosts Phil Rice , Damien Valentine , and Tracy Harwood review “Back to the Future Unhinged”, a viral machinima short film by Landon’s Animation Wheelhouse , created entirely in Blend...

🎬 Ricky’s Wonderful World of Sound – Footsteps  In episode 5 of our Maker Series, Ricky Grove explores the often-overlooked power of footstep sound design — and how something as simple as a single step can define mood, build tension, and reveal character.  👣 What You’ll Learn:  How footstep sounds convey location, emotion, and suspense in film.  Why footsteps in the Spanish horror series 30 Coin...

🎃 Halloween Special | Ricky’s Wonderful World of Sounds: MONSTERS! 👹 This Halloween, step into the dark side of Ricky’s Wonderful World of Sounds — where we explore the terrifying art of monster sound design ! 🧟‍♂️ What do monsters really sound like? From the primal screeches that haunted early humans to the eerie, unearthly noises that send chills down modern audiences’ spines — this episode r...

🕯️ Maker Series: Phil’s Music Notes – [Horror] Intervals 👻  🎃 A pre-Halloween special exploring the dark side of sound.  At its core, music is a game of intervals — the spaces between notes that define every melody, every emotion. Even without musical training, we instinctively recognize the cheerful sound of a major chord or the melancholy of a minor. But some intervals go far beyond sad or hap...