Dr. of Machinima

Aug 16, 2008 at 8/16/2008 07:25:00 PM | 3 Comments

Well, sods fucking law came into action today and my computer died without any warning only a few days before it's supposed to get packed up to go to Canada. It powers up, but the monitor doesn't turn on, and it doesn't actually boot into Windows. How do I know that? A recurring sound, like the computer is looking for something it can't find. If it was the hard drive I would see a screen that says the primary boot device can't be found and the computer would try and find the alternatives, like the CD drive (thank the lord, cause the hard drive is more valuable to me than all the other hardware three times over). If it was the gfx card it'd boot into windows and eventually stop making noise. I wouldn't be able to see that, but It'd at least stop making the noise! I'm guessing either the CPU is f00ked or something on the motherboard popped it's clogs.
There probably isn't enough time to fix it before it gets picked up and even if there was there'd be no time left to use it so it looks like I'm gonna be hauling a dead computer halfway across the world!
This unfortunately means there'll be no preview pics of Digital Memory before I leave (and once I'm in Canada I think it's gonna take me a while to settle enough to continue) so I'm really pissed off! I'm so angry right now I can't even find the fucking words!!!

Anyway, with luck, it's definitely not the hard drive, and once I get the comp fixed I'll be able to resume work on it. For now I'm lucky Lady Mainframe has a laptop.

Labels: computer, Digital Memory, Machinima

posted by Dr. Nemesis

Progriss Riport

Aug 3, 2008 at 8/03/2008 09:18:00 AM | 5 Comments

Well, it's been a busy time since I found out I got a new job, and although it's going to get a lot busier in the coming weeks as I have to start packing, I might actually have an opportunity to do a fat chunk of work on Digital Memory before I go!

Even if I'm really busy once I start the job I'll hopefully still be able to do it on weekends, and Kane has said he's still willing to do 3d work even though he's gotten pretty involved in a few coding projects.

Right now I'm preparing the main character, Avatar One, (I'll hopefully release some pictures before I go) and I'm stilling pinning down the final technique I'll use for the other characters. One problem I ran into was the fact that even though I can reduce Daz models to a nice smaller polycount, I don't like their faces when the head gets below 4000 polys, and considering what I'm trying to go for, thats a bit too much for a head. This means I'll most likely have to use heads from elsewhere but this becomes a bit of a problem if the character isnt wearing a buttoned up shirt, cause you can then see where their neck was cut. But I'm working on it.

Also I have had a VERY quick tinker with Iclone 3, and am VERY pleased. As with Beast, Digital Memory needs to be made in 2 different environments. Motionbuilder was the first, but for the other I was looking at Iclone, Sims 2, Antics, Or Second Life.
Because of the abundance of assets I really wanted The Sims 2, but having used that briefly before, it's not my favorite Machinima environment. Second Life would have been good for all the readily available outdoor locations, but I'm not very good at working with Second Life and my computer really isn't tough enough to record smoothly in there anyway.

So it's between Antics 4 and Iclone 3. Both tools have made some great improvements lately. Antics has a new lighting system now so it looks way less pre-vissy and more Machinima-ee and I'll be installing that on my computer later this week. Iclone 3 has a mad torrent of new updates, and since it has a bigger range of 3D assets, it really looks like I'll be using that. BOTH tools have Google Sketchup import abilities and that's essential in this project. More details as I get more comfy with both tools.
Right now I'm really impressed with the new things that Iclone 3 has added. Of big use to me will be the improved camera system and more integrated animation system (now with IK, WOOT!)

Before I leave I have to get some voice recording for Digital Memory done. Will be much harder to find Brits over in Canada and I definitely want some home flavor in the film. Unfortunately that means I'll have to finalize some areas of the script slightly earlier than I'm ready, but it's worth it. Just need to multitask.
Cross your fingers for those screenies of Avatar One. He's being reduced (and re-done in places), and then his rigging might be a slightly complex process cause of his wires and hydraulics (yes, he's a robot!). Lets hope I can get it right :-s

Labels: Antics, Bioware, Digital Memory, Iclone, Machinima

posted by Dr. Nemesis

Oh I miss the simple times!

Apr 14, 2008 at 4/14/2008 06:55:00 PM | 7 Comments

I miss the simple times when everything was easier.

When Machinima first started, things were simpler because the games were simpler. Modding was easier and the audience generally understood that a lot of imagination was required from them for the film to make any kind of sense. If a gun looked more like a baguette, or if a tree looked more like a brown trident with green safety tips, it didn't matter. You got a pass. Granted, the technical side of Machinima was shaky ground and for almost all of us there was a big learning curve in that respect, but creatively we got away with murder.

Custom animations were so rare even after a while, that bobbing characters' bodies backwards and forwards was an acceptable substitute for emoting. If the camera was on a character while you heard a voice, your imagination did the lip sync.

The reason I'm taking you back in time is because of my own feelings of distance from the naive 18 year old boy I was when Machinima began changing me. Back then the sky truly was the limit. There was no such thing as "start small" dammit, if I could imagine the film I could create it - such is Machinima's power - all hail the new king!! To me there was no difference between what we were doing and what the guys at Pixar were doing (yeah, I know). What they did was CGI, and as far as I was concerned we had the same. I didn't take into account any of the many things we ignored as game players. Foot sliding, frame skipping, bad quality sound, cuboid heads, awkward poses (really, removing the gun from the character's hand and leaving him in that weird pose made him look even weirder) were all absorbed by our blind spot, and since only players of the games would watch the stuff, the majority of us were ignorant to this whole galaxy of omissions and short cuts.

Computer games went from 1 man projects to multi million dollar ventures, and since it's birth Machinima too has moved on in great leaps. Not only technically, but creatively. In order for the larger world to accept out creations we had to construct our films using a more universal (often cinematic) language, not just the visual colloquialisms of Quake, Half-life, or Unreal tournament (or any of the many other games engines for that matter).

As a result we now have a much better ability to tell those stories. BEAST, for example, could simply not have been told in Quake 1 or 2 with the original conventions of Machinima (so much so that it just wouldnt be the same film). What really frightens me now is the idea that this increased ability to visually present ideas might be vastly greater than my ability to actually TELL a richer and more complex story. When I wrote short shorts, it was so simple. I would have an aim, come up with a scenario, and present the ideas and thoughts that proceeded, all in one scene. That's the hook. Simple ideas, one (or at least only few) scenes. There were no grand arcs to consider, no deliberations over scene order, much less worry about pace and lasting cohesion, the list goes on.

Last night I finished writing the story for Digital Memory, the Science Fiction film we will hopefully begin producing soon. I looked at the page and thought "Man, this is gonna be one hard film to make". I suddenly felt much like I did all those years ago, just after realising for the first time that simply having an idea and lots of enthusiasm just isn't enough. It was when an old friend and I wanted to make our first Machinima film, which unsurprisingly turned into a feature length story. Young dumb and full of cum, we somehow thought we could magically get through production of all the scenes and still have time in our young lives to get girlfriends. "All hail the new king" right? WRONG!!!

Along with imaginative ideas we need tenacity, self confidence, a work ethic, time (lots of it), money (a better computer can let you have the number of characters you need!), and a nice little bag of skills. I hate how the lovely song this siren sings often makes me forget some of the hard learned lessons from my (simpler) early days. Or is it that I CAN'T forget the short comings I had back then, and they live on strong and vibrant in the form of my current insecurities?

Back in the simpler times these kind of thoughts couldn't slow me down because they didn't exist. And I can't even be angry about it. The ambition to make the next film better than the last is how we improve.

By comparison, formulating new plans for the technical execution of this film has been much easier than creating the story. I could choose to make a different, simpler film, or I can choose to stay with the harder story that constantly swims in my mind and refuses to be left untold. Let's hope it all works out.

Labels: Beast, Digital Memory, Machinima, Quake

posted by Dr. Nemesis

		Dr. of Machinima A blog By Dr. Nemesis following the progress of Binary Picture Show's work, as well as other Machinima.
		Dead Computer Aug 16, 2008 at 8/16/2008 07:25:00 PM \| 3 Comments Well, sods fucking law came into action today and my computer died without any warning only a few days before it's supposed to get packed up to go to Canada. It powers up, but the monitor doesn't turn on, and it doesn't actually boot into Windows. How do I know that? A recurring sound, like the computer is looking for something it can't find. If it was the hard drive I would see a screen that says the primary boot device can't be found and the computer would try and find the alternatives, like the CD drive (thank the lord, cause the hard drive is more valuable to me than all the other hardware three times over). If it was the gfx card it'd boot into windows and eventually stop making noise. I wouldn't be able to see that, but It'd at least stop making the noise! I'm guessing either the CPU is f00ked or something on the motherboard popped it's clogs. There probably isn't enough time to fix it before it gets picked up and even if there was there'd be no time left to use it so it looks like I'm gonna be hauling a dead computer halfway across the world! This unfortunately means there'll be no preview pics of Digital Memory before I leave (and once I'm in Canada I think it's gonna take me a while to settle enough to continue) so I'm really pissed off! I'm so angry right now I can't even find the fucking words!!! Anyway, with luck, it's definitely not the hard drive, and once I get the comp fixed I'll be able to resume work on it. For now I'm lucky Lady Mainframe has a laptop. Labels: computer, Digital Memory, Machinima posted by Dr. Nemesis Progriss Riport Aug 3, 2008 at 8/03/2008 09:18:00 AM \| 5 Comments Well, it's been a busy time since I found out I got a new job, and although it's going to get a lot busier in the coming weeks as I have to start packing, I might actually have an opportunity to do a fat chunk of work on Digital Memory before I go! Even if I'm really busy once I start the job I'll hopefully still be able to do it on weekends, and Kane has said he's still willing to do 3d work even though he's gotten pretty involved in a few coding projects. Right now I'm preparing the main character, Avatar One, (I'll hopefully release some pictures before I go) and I'm stilling pinning down the final technique I'll use for the other characters. One problem I ran into was the fact that even though I can reduce Daz models to a nice smaller polycount, I don't like their faces when the head gets below 4000 polys, and considering what I'm trying to go for, thats a bit too much for a head. This means I'll most likely have to use heads from elsewhere but this becomes a bit of a problem if the character isnt wearing a buttoned up shirt, cause you can then see where their neck was cut. But I'm working on it. Also I have had a VERY quick tinker with Iclone 3, and am VERY pleased. As with Beast, Digital Memory needs to be made in 2 different environments. Motionbuilder was the first, but for the other I was looking at Iclone, Sims 2, Antics, Or Second Life. Because of the abundance of assets I really wanted The Sims 2, but having used that briefly before, it's not my favorite Machinima environment. Second Life would have been good for all the readily available outdoor locations, but I'm not very good at working with Second Life and my computer really isn't tough enough to record smoothly in there anyway. So it's between Antics 4 and Iclone 3. Both tools have made some great improvements lately. Antics has a new lighting system now so it looks way less pre-vissy and more Machinima-ee and I'll be installing that on my computer later this week. Iclone 3 has a mad torrent of new updates, and since it has a bigger range of 3D assets, it really looks like I'll be using that. BOTH tools have Google Sketchup import abilities and that's essential in this project. More details as I get more comfy with both tools. Right now I'm really impressed with the new things that Iclone 3 has added. Of big use to me will be the improved camera system and more integrated animation system (now with IK, WOOT!) Before I leave I have to get some voice recording for Digital Memory done. Will be much harder to find Brits over in Canada and I definitely want some home flavor in the film. Unfortunately that means I'll have to finalize some areas of the script slightly earlier than I'm ready, but it's worth it. Just need to multitask. Cross your fingers for those screenies of Avatar One. He's being reduced (and re-done in places), and then his rigging might be a slightly complex process cause of his wires and hydraulics (yes, he's a robot!). Lets hope I can get it right :-s Labels: Antics, Bioware, Digital Memory, Iclone, Machinima posted by Dr. Nemesis Oh I miss the simple times! Apr 14, 2008 at 4/14/2008 06:55:00 PM \| 7 Comments I miss the simple times when everything was easier. When Machinima first started, things were simpler because the games were simpler. Modding was easier and the audience generally understood that a lot of imagination was required from them for the film to make any kind of sense. If a gun looked more like a baguette, or if a tree looked more like a brown trident with green safety tips, it didn't matter. You got a pass. Granted, the technical side of Machinima was shaky ground and for almost all of us there was a big learning curve in that respect, but creatively we got away with murder. Custom animations were so rare even after a while, that bobbing characters' bodies backwards and forwards was an acceptable substitute for emoting. If the camera was on a character while you heard a voice, your imagination did the lip sync. The reason I'm taking you back in time is because of my own feelings of distance from the naive 18 year old boy I was when Machinima began changing me. Back then the sky truly was the limit. There was no such thing as "start small" dammit, if I could imagine the film I could create it - such is Machinima's power - all hail the new king!! To me there was no difference between what we were doing and what the guys at Pixar were doing (yeah, I know). What they did was CGI, and as far as I was concerned we had the same. I didn't take into account any of the many things we ignored as game players. Foot sliding, frame skipping, bad quality sound, cuboid heads, awkward poses (really, removing the gun from the character's hand and leaving him in that weird pose made him look even weirder) were all absorbed by our blind spot, and since only players of the games would watch the stuff, the majority of us were ignorant to this whole galaxy of omissions and short cuts. Computer games went from 1 man projects to multi million dollar ventures, and since it's birth Machinima too has moved on in great leaps. Not only technically, but creatively. In order for the larger world to accept out creations we had to construct our films using a more universal (often cinematic) language, not just the visual colloquialisms of Quake, Half-life, or Unreal tournament (or any of the many other games engines for that matter). As a result we now have a much better ability to tell those stories. BEAST, for example, could simply not have been told in Quake 1 or 2 with the original conventions of Machinima (so much so that it just wouldnt be the same film). What really frightens me now is the idea that this increased ability to visually present ideas might be vastly greater than my ability to actually TELL a richer and more complex story. When I wrote short shorts, it was so simple. I would have an aim, come up with a scenario, and present the ideas and thoughts that proceeded, all in one scene. That's the hook. Simple ideas, one (or at least only few) scenes. There were no grand arcs to consider, no deliberations over scene order, much less worry about pace and lasting cohesion, the list goes on. Last night I finished writing the story for Digital Memory, the Science Fiction film we will hopefully begin producing soon. I looked at the page and thought "Man, this is gonna be one hard film to make". I suddenly felt much like I did all those years ago, just after realising for the first time that simply having an idea and lots of enthusiasm just isn't enough. It was when an old friend and I wanted to make our first Machinima film, which unsurprisingly turned into a feature length story. Young dumb and full of cum, we somehow thought we could magically get through production of all the scenes and still have time in our young lives to get girlfriends. "All hail the new king" right? WRONG!!! Along with imaginative ideas we need tenacity, self confidence, a work ethic, time (lots of it), money (a better computer can let you have the number of characters you need!), and a nice little bag of skills. I hate how the lovely song this siren sings often makes me forget some of the hard learned lessons from my (simpler) early days. Or is it that I CAN'T forget the short comings I had back then, and they live on strong and vibrant in the form of my current insecurities? Back in the simpler times these kind of thoughts couldn't slow me down because they didn't exist. And I can't even be angry about it. The ambition to make the next film better than the last is how we improve. By comparison, formulating new plans for the technical execution of this film has been much easier than creating the story. I could choose to make a different, simpler film, or I can choose to stay with the harder story that constantly swims in my mind and refuses to be left untold. Let's hope it all works out. Labels: Beast, Digital Memory, Machinima, Quake posted by Dr. Nemesis	About Me Name: Dr. Nemesis View my complete profile Links Machinima Premiere Overman Machiniplex Subscribe to Posts [Atom] Previous Posts Dead Computer Cinema Inspiration in Machinima Technique Progriss Riport Add one more to Bioware Machinima vs Anymation: What's in a name? A great result at the OMFF and elsewhere Oh I miss the simple times! Frankenstein Machinima (part 2) In tribute to a fellow artist Frankenstein Machinima (part 1) Archives June 2007 August 2007 September 2007 November 2007 January 2008 February 2008 March 2008 April 2008 May 2008 June 2008 July 2008 August 2008 Template originally based on the Spider-Man3 template by Sony Pictures Digital Inc.

Dr. of Machinima

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