And Now For Something Completely Machinima

100 Ways to Die in Starfield is wonderful stuff - whether you are 15 or 50! For all those who have distant memories of seeing classic slapstick comedy featuring Charlie #chaplin in B&W, well now you can see a contemporary interpretation in the incredible #starfield universe - and enjoy it with the grandkids!  @mans1ay3r has a rich stream of work to his name - others in the 'ways to die' series...

This week we compare and contrast, in a way extending that ongoing debate about whose IP is the daddy... but the ep is about much more than that too. We discuss  @solofilmmaking4857 's use of #chatgpt to generate a film's story, using the plots of 60 of his portfolio works on Batman, mixing styles and genres along the way. We don't see it as wholly successful and we discuss why. We contrast that w...

This week's review is of a self-contained excerpt from a larger film, called Escape Game by  @CrisUberman . This part of the film is the final chapter of the story, Danser Encore, voiced by  @lionelmazari1990 with a song by  @hksaltimbank . We delve into the inspiration for the themes in the film, which draws on the philosophy of Empedocles and Rosset, although we perhaps lower the tone a little w...

This week, we spend some time talking about new tools, emergent topics, AI and copyright (again), with some interesting links for you on our show notes - 2:45 New tools for machinima makers, including iClone 8 crowd sim, Kenneth MacLean’s MegaHumans WIP and Praydog’s VR mod 8:07 SAG AFTRA update on voice acting using AIs, Replica Studios 15:32 Mickey and friends, steamboating ahead without the Mot...

Made with Sims 4 characters although animated in Blender to great effect, this is a short short at under one minute long by  @tricoufamily . It is also all about the title, and interesting to reflect on how we have all seen similar things in the film but interpreted them differently. We conclude this is masterfully done, but check out how we get to that!  1:05 The painting  4:38 Are they or aren't...

This week we discuss two very different films, both reflecting a bygone era of classic entertainment.  Firstly, an interpretation of the 1954 Japanese classic Godzilla, made in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. Its unusual for a couple of reasons: its been made on a handheld Nintendo Switch in a game not really known for its creative application, and its been released only on X (Twitter). Its timing is...

We take a look at one of the best machinima series we've ever seen this week... from the annals of history. The Fixer series was a crime drama created by Todd Stallkamp (aka Burnt Coffee Productions aka TodNYC28) made in Sims 2 and originally released in 2006. Todd was part of the first brain drain from the world of machinima, and shortly after the release of this series was snapped up by EA Games...

Phil catches up with a long-time machinima creator Ben Tuttle, aka 4413 Media.  Ben admits he cut his teeth on The Movies in the late 2000s, and then discusses Shockbreak, one of his latest productions.  They get into the detail of how the film was created and generally Ben’s creative workflow using iClone, Character Creator, Unreal Engine and a heap of other tools integrated into the production p...

This week, we discuss the critical turn we witnessed in 2023 towards machinima among creative industries professionals. We highlight why it is high time there is a major rethink on the role of indie creatives and fan fiction in general. We also review a beautiful cinematic made in GTA5, and also reflect on some of the challenges with a particular camera technique.  Discussion points -  2:23 Hardly...

Kicking off 2024 with machinima from a slightly different perspective: this week, Ricky introduces us to the #letsplay/#tutorial/#epicguideline/#showNtell genre in his favorite game of all time: Elden Ring.  Its the first time we've heard just how much time he's spent in game and we won't draw attention to it just in case his partner is following us... but from the machinimas he shared with us, he...

Backflip is a docu-style film, made over a period of three years where Nikita Diakur presents his progress using AI to teach a character to backflip.  The character is the 3D scanned artist and the learning process applied is based on a technique he read in an academic paper. To say its chaos is an understatatement, and something anyone in research could probably have told him when attempting to r...

This week, we review a trailer for a movie, although the full movie is now also available: Cyberpunk 2077, by Jack Hunt.  In many ways this is an astonishing and timely feat, not least because the ultimate edition of the game released earlier this month too (5 December).  We start by discussing The Witcher's update, a piece of news that is highly relevant to the release of the film we review. 1:03...

This week's film picks are of epic battle scenes: one made in Warhammer and the other Unreal Engine. There are similarities and contrasts between these two works, respectively created by a gamer, Game Thumb, and a CG production team, Glow Productions - and that also includes the opinions of the CM crew reviewing the works! What's your view, please do add you comments on our YT review or ep blog po...

We start this week's episode with a discussion about Reallusion's new facial mocap system, Accuface (which Phil and Damien have already invested in), move on to a brief contest update (being run by Pink Floyd no less), and then follow this up with our film review.  If you liked the Saw series of films, then this is for you - its a particularly sadistic let's play style machinima made in The Sims 4...

What's it like to be an in-game stuntman? This week's review is of a fun take, with a more serious undertone, on the NPC's perspective of life in the background of a game for a very average player.  The concept is hilarious, the execution needs a little work, but overall we loved this one by For Science and filmed in Star Citizen.   Credits - Speakers: Ricky Grove, Phil Rice, Damien Valentine, Tra...

Damien's picks this week take a look at two of the first Starfield machinimas by @TheKShow and @Mod81Gameworld respectively. The first is a 'tell and show' with a neat cinematic demo invoking Starship Troopers, and the second is a slightly more original lore-based teaser for an upcoming series called The Mantis. We begin this episode with an update on Star Citizen’s new spin off game, Squadron 42,...

This week we present a critique of two very contrasting machinima productions - one took literally months to make and the other just a few days.  In our first pick, the creator has asked: just how big are the maps in games these days?  Well, vast actually - and quite frankly it blows our minds to think that so much effort has gone into answering the question.  The film is called Longest Walkable D...

Not strictly machinima, but something we've named mAIchinima! This week, we discuss two films using generative AI to create narrative works.  In both cases, the techniques employed emphasize the sound - music or voice acting - but whilst one is intentional, the other is not.  We share our thoughts on these works and discuss some of the current limitations and benefits observed, which leads us into...

In this episode, we review one of the first avant garde machinima pieces created by the community.  The film is called 9, by German machinimator Claus-Dieter Schulz, has been restored by Phil and is re-presented on his Machiniplex Remastered channel. It is a notable example of modernist cinema which moves towards abstraction and it is clear to see that Claus-Dieter was inspired by the likes of Osk...

Celebrating our 100th episode on the CM podcast/YouTube show, we reflect how far machinima has come and some of the recent trends we've observed in our film reviews - a medium we all love. Please do add your thoughts and reflections in the comments below too.  3:25 The impact of isolation during COVID-19 led to Damien’s participation in the show.  5:17 Phil reflects on the decline of the Machinima...

This week our film selection is an Elite Dangerous Odyssey 'Captain's Log' style machinima, heavily influenced by Douglas Adams and John Carpenter with shades of Gerry Anderson.  The film is The Personal Odyssey 1 by Cmdr Fortytwo .  We discuss the use of AI generated voices in this (its a 2021 film) and in particular how well its use can convey emotion - our debate is a deliberation on the choice...

WOW! Our collective adjective for this World of Warcraft / Cyberpunk 2077 mashup. This is a stunningly edited urban observational film, set in a strange new world the like of which we have never seen before - a cacophany in a good way. Shades of Blade Runner, Robocop and Mad Max run through the film, with a soundscape and accompanying music that are a perfect fit. We also loved that  @DurenMachini...

Kicking off Season 4 of the podcast, we review a Monty Python inspired film, integrating one of their greatest films with Elden Ring – Holy Grail.  The film has been made by The Escapist in collaboration with eli_handle_b.wav and is a brilliantly edited and composited mashup.  It is also a very appropriate pick for this episode since Monty Python were the inspiration for this podcast in the first...

In this week's episode, we discuss the phenomenal Backrooms meme that has emerged ever since  @kanepixels original film (and the much awaited Netflix version was announced). We review three examples of the works being created, variously using levels of the rapidly evolving game: Chaos in the Hub by  @BackroomsMerchant is probably the most close to the original horror vibe; Endless Escalators by  @...

This week Damien has picked two space exploration shorts for us to review: one is made in UE called Terra by  @j.thomaswilson3543 and the other is an ED film called Into Black by  @indigointoblack . The film sequencing of the craft in flight in Into Black shows the competence of the creator whereas the human element encapsulated by the robot in Terra is particularly engaging and adds a different d...