And Now For Something Completely Machinima

This episode explores how independent horror filmmaking is reshaping the future of machinima and virtual production. Ricky reflects on his experience at StokerCon, discussing the remarkable quality and originality of contemporary short horror films, the growing influence of YouTube creators such as the makers of Backrooms and Obsession , and why horror remains one of the most effective genres for...

In this episode of And Now For Something Completely Machinima , Tracy Harwood, Phil Rice and Damien Valentine examine Stolen , a 30-minute GTA V machinima by Dark Frame Films (Kevin Fernandez, aka Shepherd41). Set in a near-future world where consciousness can be transferred between bodies through the mysterious "Rebirth Project," the film follows former soldier John Bell on a relentless quest to...

In this news-focused episode of And Now For Something Completely Machinima , Phil Rice, Tracy Harwood and Damien Valentine dive into the latest developments in gaming, machinima, AI, and virtual production. The discussion ranges from the ethics of digitally resurrecting iconic figures like Stan Lee, through major announcements from Summer Game Fest, to upcoming machinima competitions and the evolv...

This week on And Now For Something Completely Machinima , Phil Rice, Tracy Harwood and Damien Valentine dive into Michael Is Very Vintage’s hilarious Garry’s Mod space comedy An Astounding Tale from Outer Space . What begins as a simple spaceship emergency quickly spirals into absurdity when an incompetent captain decides that cloning himself is a better solution than actually fixing the problem....

What happens when machinima stops telling a story… and instead pulls you inside a fractured mind ? In this episode of And Now For Something Completely Machinima , hosts Phil Rice , Tracy Harwood , and Damien Valentine dive deep into “Dysfunction” by Iono Allen —a powerful, unsettling machinima film created in Second Life . This isn’t your typical machinima. There’s no clear beginning, middle, or e...

In this episode of And Now For Something Completely Machinima , hosts Phil Rice, Damien Valentine, and Tracy Harwood dive deep into “Wracu” , a stunning student film by Chase McGill. Created in Blender as a final project at University of Southern California, this cinematic short blends epic fantasy, motion capture, and orchestral scoring into a powerful (and divisive!) storytelling experience. But...

In this episode of And Now For Something Completely Machinima , hosts Phil Rice, Damien Valentine, and Tracy Harwood dive into a stunning fan-made cinematic created inside Star Wars Battlefront II (2017 video game). We explore how machinima creators are pushing the limits of game engines, modding tools, and cinematic language to produce high-quality storytelling—despite technical limitations like...

In this episode, we dive into Automation Situation 2: Too Little, Too Late by Guillaume H @thegiom — a haunting, AI-driven short film presented as a 1930s educational reel.  Is this clever satire… or a chilling glimpse of our future with AI?  We explore how this unsettling film blends retro aesthetics, machinima-style workflows, and AI-generated imagery to question human agency, automation, and th...

In this episode of Now For Something Completely Machinima , we dive into a fascinating review of The Egg — a thought-provoking short story by Andy Weir, brought to life through machinima animation by Anima Technica. With Project Hail Mary dominating conversations, we explore how this earlier work connects to Weir’s storytelling style — blending philosophy, theology, and surprising humour. 🎙️ Featu...

In this episode of And Now For Something Completely Machinima , Phil Rice, Tracy Harwood, and Damien Valentine dive into the latest news in machinima, virtual production, AI creative tools, game cinematics, and real-time animation . They discuss the explosive hype around Kane Parsons’ The Backrooms movie , new Starfield expansions and what they could mean for Starfield machinima , the release of F...

Dive into one of the most unsettling and artistically ambitious machinima films we’ve ever reviewed. In this episode of Now For Something Completely Machinima , we explore “The Murderer” by Yago Muriel — a haunting black-and-white psychological horror created in Garry's Mod that blends surrealism, classic cinema, and existential dread . With clear influences from David Lynch , The Outer Limits , a...

In this episode of Completely Machinima Reviews , Damien Valentine, Ricky Grove, Phil Rice, and Tracy Harwood discuss Eater , a character vignette of a larger work (Hate Speech). The film is a provocative experimental short by M (formerly M dot Strange) , created using Nightmare Puppeteer . The conversation explores machinima , AI-generated voices , Unreal/indie animation tools , absurd humor , av...

In this episode of Completely Machinima , Phil, Tracy, and Damien dive into “Wallace Breen’s Day Off” — a chaotic, meme-filled Garry’s Mod machinima that embraces absurdity, cartoon violence, and old-school Source Engine humor. From immature internet antics to Robot Chicken-style sketch comedy , the team explores how this short transforms one of Half-Life’s most sinister villains into a hilariousl...

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...