I am happy to announce the availability of “special editions” of two of my films: Male Restroom Etiquette and Only. As part of preparation for the DivX Film Festival, versions of each of these works have been prepared using DivX Author, housing the highest quality renders I’ve yet made public in some interactive DVD-like menus and special features. The quality and extra features do come at a premium as far as file size, but are well worth it, particularly if you’d like a taste of what DivX Author can do, in two very different custom-styled scenarios.

Both films can be found at my Stage6 profile. NOTE: You must be logged in to Stage6, and be recognized by them as over 18, in order to even see “Only” as a choice (because of the adult language in the uncensored version of the lyric). Also, in order to enjoy the menus and special features, you must download the films rather than just view them in the web player.

Male Restroom Etiquette (Special Edition) features an alternate audio track of director commentary, stills and notes from production (including the full musical soundtrack for the film, in three parts), and outtakes. The menus are fun and built upon themes from the film.

Only (Special Edition) includes a newly remastered version of the remix, an option to hear the uncensored or “radio edit” versions, and English subtitles to match. I’m particularly happy with the menus in this one. NIN have a long history of unique, and oft times creepy, music videos, and I did my best to embody the spirit of a Reznor-ish approach, including some audio and visual subtleties which will be enjoyed by those both attentive and patient.

DivX Author is fairly easy to work with once you understand and accept its limitations. It’s still in a very early version, I’d sure love to see a bit more power extended to the user in future versions, particularly regarding menu structure. With even just a little more freedom, I can totally see Author as being a way to create an immersive and interactive machinima experience.