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Overman's Blog

July 12, 2008

Conferences: Try Something New?

Filed under: Audio, Machinima — Overman @ 8:14 am

Ricky introduced me to Lively tonight, and it was like a final jigsaw piece fell into place in an idea that had begun with an interest in the TalkShoe platform. The result just might be a “best of both worlds” scenario, but I don’t know, you tell me.

I’ve detailed the idea in this thread on the ZS Forum. If you have previous, current, or even just wishful interest in the machinima audio conferences, let me know what you think of this as something to try out.

Part of what got me thinking about this, in addition to some users’ dissatisfaction with the Second Life platform for these events, was the SL-induced chaos we all fell a bit prey to at the most recent conference, whose notes I recently posted here. While the fray was indeed a lot of fun, I confess it was a bit of a let down content-wise, especially after coming off such a strong conference #07. I do want these to be fun, but moreso I want them to feel like genuinely valuable time spent for those who show up.

Anyhow, let me know what you think. As I mentioned in Overcast #033, I’m merely a facilitator in these things… they’re really all about YOU.

Oh, and by the way, about that other thing… yeah, I’m still hopelessly undecided. Stay tuned.

   My Zimbio

June 18, 2008

Charles Stross in SL on Saturday

Filed under: Story — Overman @ 12:46 pm

One of the great “hard sci-fi” writers of our time, Charlie Stross, is making an appearance in Second Life this weekend, courtesy of Delos Books. In addition to being one of the more interesting author/philosophers of today, Stross is also on the leading edge of incorporating Creative Commons into his publishing strategy. He’s a big inspiration to many of us in this “indie” circuit, who are exploring the possibilities of this model.

Does the name sound familiar in a more localized sense? Maybe you remember Hugh Hancock talking about him at various times. In fact, Charlie made a cameo voiceover appearance in BloodSpell, and had very pleasant things to say about the film and the potential of its medium. He’s a very interesting guy; if you can make it out there to hear him speak, you won’t be sorry.

Details available here. Thanks Boing Boing.

   My Zimbio

June 12, 2008

MFF 2008 and Friday the 13th Happenings

Filed under: Machinima — Overman @ 11:51 am

Friedrich announced this week at Free Pixel that the Machinima Film Festival 2008 is set to take place the first weekend in November in New York City. More details to follow. Yay!

And here’s what’s going on tomorrow. Doesn’t sound like bad luck to me!

  • Machinima Party in Bitropolis - Bitfilm launches the grand opening of its virtual world prescence. Called Bitropolis, it takes place in the virtual world of Twinity; they’ll be showcasing Bitfilm nominee films, plus there will be a live DJ, virtual souvenirs, and a good chance to mingle with the international membership of the Bitfilm Club. More info is at: http://www.bitfilm.com/festival/bitropolis.php
  • DiVAS Finale - Postponed from the original May 31 date, this Second Life sitcom’s first season comes to a close tomorrow. Two in-world screenings, followed by worldwide release. Check their blog for details.
  • New Overcast - Ricky and I take on the first in a two-part series on acting in machinima. Check theovercast.com tomorrow, or watch MachiniFeed for the release announcement.
  • The 52-week content marathon continues - This week, a guerilla-style short featuring a video game which, if you haven’t played it yet, as a machinima maker or enthusiast you really need to do so. Watch this blog for the embed, or keep an eye on the ZS YouTube channel.
   My Zimbio

May 29, 2008

The Electric Sheep Company and ILL Clan Agree to Split

Filed under: Animation, Comedy, Machinima — Overman @ 12:19 pm

ILL Clan Launches New Animation Studio – Joint projects with The Electric Sheep Company Continue

New York City, May 29, 2008 — After a highly successful 16-month run, virtual world content creator The Electric Sheep Company (ESC) and its critically acclaimed machinima animation division, previously ILL Clan Inc., have restructured to operate as distinct business entities.

“The Electric Sheep Company has seen an increased demand in Web-based virtual experiences, and our direction as a company has shifted to serve this demand for our clients and our own business initiatives,” says Sibley Verbeck, CEO for The Electric Sheep Company. “This focus has limited the potential for ILL Clan to service the separate growing animation market that utilizes their skills and technology. We are pleased to be in the client roll with ILL Clan moving forward and look forward to the increased business opportunities this split represents for the crew at ILL Clan.”

“Our tenure at the Electric Sheep was an incredible experience,” says Frank Dellario, ESC’s former vice president of machinima and current president of the newly re-formed ILL Clan Animation Studios. “Their support enabled us to expand our expertise to a new level and add some of the world’s biggest entertainment and marketing companies to our portfolio.”

ESC recruited the ILL Clan, then an independent company with nearly a decade of experience, as its exclusive machinima division in January 2007. Under the “Sheep” banner, the department flourished, producing landmark works for virtual-worlds clients, such as CBS, NBC, MTV, and IBM, as well as for television, including key animation sequences in two episodes of the primetime drama “CSI: NY” and a pre–Super Bowl commercial for “Two and a Half Men.”

“It was a privilege to be part of that visionary organization,” Dellario says. “Now, as we embark on this new phase, we are excited and honored at the opportunity to continue serving their machinima needs, as well as those of new clients.”

About ILL Clan Animation Studios

As the multiple award-winning ILL Clan Inc., the company has been creating machinima since 1998 for world-class clients such as CBS, IBM, MTV, Microsoft, NBC, SpikeTV, Warner Brothers, and more. Named “Machinima Masters” by Wired Magazine, the team renowned for pioneering the field will resume its longstanding tradition of excellence in providing innovative machinima content under the new ILL Clan Animation Studios moniker. To learn more, visit www.illclan.com or contract Frank Dellario at frank@illclan.com.

About Electric Sheep Company

The Electric Sheep Company (ESC) is the leading creator of 3D virtual world content and solutions specializing in providing software, interactive design, and integration and production solutions. Founded in April 2005 and headquartered in New York City, ESC is dedicated to the complementary tasks of bringing relevant social and information products to consumers, and helping major organizations find ways to use virtual worlds to realize operational, marketing and educational goals. Clients include AOL, MTV, NBC, Nissan, Sony, Reuters and many others. To learn more, visit www.electricsheepcompany.com.

Frank Dellario
Director of Machinima Production
ILL Clan Animation Studios
www.illclan.com

P: 718-599-2591
C: 347-277-1920

SL: illbixby cerveau
Skype: illbixby

   My Zimbio

April 25, 2008

The Next Couple Days

Filed under: Audio, Machinima — Overman @ 9:03 am

Next Machinima Audio Conference
– Date/Time: Saturday, April 26, 2008 @ 2:00 p.m. Second Life Time (Pacific - PST)
– Verify for your time zone: World Time Server
– Location: Fleef Fimicoloud’s place in Second Life
– More info: Audio Conference Main Page


Next Machiniplex Premiere - Tom Jantol’s “The Fish Incident”
– Date/Time: Sunday, April 27, 2008 @ 12:00 p.m. Second Life Time (Pacific - PST)
– Verify for your time zone: World Time Server
– Location: HatHead’s Lounge in Second Life
– More Info: Machiniplex3 Blog Entry


Submission Deadline for The Overcast Machinima Contest
– Date/Time: Sunday, April 27, 2008 @ 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time
– Verify for your time zone: World Time Server
– More info: Overcast Contest Info Page

   My Zimbio

April 16, 2008

Next Audio Conference, and Thoughts

Filed under: Audio, Machinima — Overman @ 2:16 am

The next Machinima Audio Conference will take place on Saturday, April 26, 2008 at 2:00pm PST (that’s 5:00pm EST and 10:00pm GMT). While this is a bit early for the California people, I’m hoping this ends up being a time where we can get a good representation of participants on both sides of the pond. We’ll continue to keep the time fluid for future meetings until we find just the right pocket.

Speaking of the right pocket, there’s been some lively discussion of the choice of Second Life as a venue for Conference #05 which we’re trying again for this next one. At both this forum thread and at this comment thread (feel free to join in at either), those most vocal about the subject appear to be those unenthusiastic about SL. The jump in actual conference turnout, however, seems to suggest that at least some are okay with the decision.

I’d set out to respond to the most recent comment on the Conference #05 notes, and it turned out a bit longer than I’d anticipated, so I’m going to lay out that defense / explanation of the decision for you here:
(more…)

   My Zimbio
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