Combine Nation episode 1 reeks of style. Solid writing. Really strong virtual camera work, going after that handheld feel. Exceptionally strong Faceposer work (though if I was going to be nitpicky, I’d say the lipsync could be even tighter). Way above average VO quality. And - if you’ve seen other Lit Fuse / Mighty Crane films, this will be no surprise - outstanding editing / post production. Only slightly weak spot is the audio mix in places, which is too bad because the sound design is great. I expect this will improve in future installments; who doesn’t get better at mixing with each successive mix?
One particular standout is the 2D artwork by Filipe Dobreira. This often-overlooked aspect of post production can really have a major impact on the perceived professionalism of the piece. Combine Nation is a great example of 2D artwork playing a major role in elevating the film. Aside: Another team very strong in this area is The Sir. Community, by the way. XaliaS is one of the best in the “biz” at post in general. (Example)
While it is focused on real-world lighting techniques, there are principles in this article from the Eejit’s Guide to Film-Making which translate well into virtual world filming. He covers some typical light placement techniques (including an illustration of typical 3-point lighting), and talks about reflectors, colored light, and special effects. It’s a good introduction to the topic, in down-to-earth terms.
The overall Eejit’s Guide has several other articles on filmmaking topics, worth bookmarking if you’re new to this thing.
Saturday, September 1st, 2007. EDIT: Revised to Saturday, September 8, 2007. That’s the deadline for submitting your films to the first ever European Machinima Film Festival.
The portion of the entry process required by the deadline is remarkably easy compared to other festivals I’ve seen: no upload required, just send in your completed application via e-mail, and include a URL to an online version of your film so it can be reviewed for acceptance into the festival. Any machinima works can be entered in this first festival, regardless of when they were created or what festivals they’ve already appeared in (just like the first U.S. AMAS festival did it, if I remember right).
Stage 2 of the submission process involves sending a hard copy of the admission form, a high quality version of the film, and some other items. All the details are available here.
Don’t let this excellent opportunity pass you by! Get your film in there while there’s still time!
Quantic Dream’s virtual actor real-time “tech demo” for the PS3, shown at E3 this year. It’s also a Bitfilm Festival nominee in the machinima category.
They’re using an optical motion capture system from Vicon, a version of which has appeared at SIGGRAPH in the past. The actress, Aurelie Brancilhon, apparently has the distinction of being the “first woman crying in real time 3D.” (Thanks, Worth Playing.) The demo is a veritable smorgasbord of next-gen tech, bringing together full body and facial motion capture, real time tears and face wrinkles, pupil dilation, hair with physics, depth of field… the list goes on.
It’s an astounding achievement for real time animation. (WARNING: Video is NSFW; contains adult language.)
Match Moving is the procedure (or set of procedures, rather) related to integrating 3d footage into existing video. Unlike compositing, Match Moving takes into account the perspective of the camera… often a moving camera.
It’s one of the more complicated editing techniques I’ve encountered, but our friend Elf has been kind enough to construct an astoundingly thorough introduction to the process, complete with illustrations, deconstructive analysis, and an easy-to-understand writing style. This is advanced stuff, even in this introductory format, so put on your thinking cap and dig in:
Probably the single biggest event at a particular website in… Oh, I don’t know… two years?
After pressing play, did you notice from whence this is streamed?
Huge.
This film is great too, I recall mentioning it on the overcast in a short list of really creepy films. The irony of OneJovialSim’s nickname cannot be understated, at least with regard to her films.
