And Now For Something Completely Machinima

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...

This week we discuss one of the best HL2 films from the 2009 era - Shelf Life by Pixel Eyes Productions. The film, which is in two episodes, won a heap of creator awards back in the day and has definitely stood the test of time for us. There are some fun sci-fi and weird tropes integrated into the story, which we discuss, as well as the very well done sound design and original music. We'd love to...

An homage and 'unofficial tribute' to the classic 90s TV series, this week's review discusses a film of a game demo created by Blue Rose Team for the PS1. The demo covers the intro and events surrounding Special Agent Cooper's arrival at Twin Peaks and his encounter with Laura Palmer and the Black Lodge. Steeped in the mythos of the virtual world that has been created, well, at least that applies...

A truly terrifying short for some, Horror is more like an absurd dream for others. The film is made by Yang Hyunjun, released 4 June 2023. Its creator showcases some incredible scene detail, especially at the beginning of the film, but thereafter, loses a little of the pathos and credibility in the storytelling. Key points - 6:00 Tracy picks a horror film.  11:52 Situating yourself with the charac...

This week's review is of a No Man's Sky machinima called Origins, produced by Evil Dr. Porkchop. Its a beautiful cinematic travelogue showcasing the vast expansiveness that is No Man's Sky - a game in which you will almost never have the same experience twice.  Of course, Ricky wanted more drama and story but Phil nails it, reflecting on what might be possible if you could use No Man Sky's environ...

This week we feature two films by Chinese artist collective studio, @Motzify Mohua. These two shorts, The Crown and Hunt, are made in Unreal Engine and show extraordinary qualities in very different ways: The Crown is a fairytale made originally for World Children's Day and illustrates traditional cultural references with gorgeous imagery; Hunt is a cyberpunk anti-hero teaser. Our main 'complaint'...

A performance by a camera ham, shutterbug or just a plain histrionic narcissist? This week's review discusses an older machinima that has highly contemporary themes in it: carry-on-regardless, daydreaming, whatever, so long as the virtual camera is rolling. The film is called Daydream (2009) set to the titular song by Lovin' Spoonful, created by  @Mystfit and made in  @Valve 's Half Life 2. Needle...

This week's film review focusses on a story made with building blocks and without voice acting... and yet, what a spectacular story! The game world is Minecraft of course, and the story is based on Telltale Games' episodic release called Story Mode. Made by @SquaredMediaAnimations , we discuss the production values emcompassed within the film, why we think adding voice acting would have enhanced t...

In this ep, Phil introduces the Machiniplex [Remastered] Collection, a curated selection of machinimas from the early years. Machiniplex was a site created to host classic machinimas at the point that Machinima [dot] com began to assert its energies over the community as a corporate entity.  The site was a community endeavour, with both Ricky and Phil playing a pivitol role in managing the project...

A love letter to Cyberpunk 2077?  In this week's episode, the CM crew discuss a cinematic music video that perfectly captures a uniquely human feeling of people watching... and reflects on the phenomenal creativity of procedurally generated character content in the Cyberpunk world. The film is called Don't Fall Down by Puttefnask and the song it accompanies is Pray by Haelos - it is perhaps a more...

This week's review is of 12 minutes of the wackiest of Wacky Wests we could ever imagine! BedBananas has used a a whole host of mods, created by Weds_Garbageday, to devise this truly surrealist Red Dead American Dream machinima.  Seeing is believing - and its probably one of the best machinimas of all time! 8:16 Surrealist machinima at its very best.  11:30 Buster Keaton and the Wild Wild West 14:...

Nope, its not 'just a game', its one of the most visually stunning Gothic story open worlds ever created (according to Ricky)!  In this ep, we discuss GraysonFlows' tribute to the world of Elden Ring, set to Max Richter's November composition, which highlights the beauty of the game from the exhausting open sequence to the final prize, creatures, battles and voice acting.   0:12 Intro.  2:00 Hacki...

This week, we discuss some of the best flight sim machinima we’ve ever seen, thanks to Damien’s picks.  We couldn’t decide which was better, so we discuss two films: The Ghost and The Right Stuff by J P Ferre, made in DCS.  The first is a horror story and the other a story of one of the most influential pioneers of modern space flight today: Chuck Yeager. It is an outstanding retelling of one part...

This week, Phil has selected a short that will make all those H&S and Half Lifers smile equally... HEV Suit by  @Zapper770 ... because we all need more head crabs in our lives. The film is an example of great comedy timing. Credits - Speakers:  @RickyGrove @zsOverman @tgharwood @DarthAngelus Producer: Ricky Grove  Editor: Damien Valentine  Music: Arp Solina