Machinima-making: techniques and platforms

Even though machinima scholars do not provide a straightforward definition of the concept, it is safe to say that machinima is about making animated films in a new and different way, and it’s about using a virtual 3D environment such as computer games to do more than just play games. Machinima is becoming increasingly popular as it frees the film-maker from many of the constraints of the real world. For example, low-budget film producers can create far more convincing sets digitally than they can in reality (Kelland et al. 2005, p. 22). Special effects are also inexpensive and relatively easy by comparison. In a virtual world, the same building or car can be blown up over and over again. There’s no pressure to get the shot exactly right the first time—everything can always be reset and reshot, and no damage is done (ibid). In other words, machinima brings films that would require prohibitive budgets to shoot to the grasp of the movie- maker thanks to this reduced need for physical resources (Bardzell et al. 2006, p. 433). Furthermore, the greatest attraction of machinima is in fact that starting is so easy. It is not necessary to invest in expensive tools or equipment to create high- quality film. Compared with the cost of buying cameras, lights, microphones, and all the other equipment required to make real films, it’s ideal for a beginner ‘to learn the craft of film-making without breaking the bank’ (Kelland et al 2005, p. 74).

Machinima is an art form as diverse as animation or film-making, not just in the creative sense, but also in the technical sense. Just as there are many ways to

86

create animation, ranging from simple hand-drawn pencil sketches to full computer-generated images, so there are many different ways to create machinima. Each requires its own skills, tools and engines, and each yields different results (Kelland et al. 2005, p. 72). According to Kelland et al., the four most common machinima production techniques, from simple to advanced, are: relying on the game’s artificial intelligence (AI) to control most actions, digital puppetry, recamming, and precise scripting of actions (2005, p. 80) – all four techniques are explained below.

The simplest form of machinima is more similar to reality television than drama. When relying on the game to record most actions, the game’s characters are left to their own devices and the machinimator simply records their activities (Carr 2007; Kelland et al. 2005, p. 80). In other words, the machinimator does not create a story or script in advance but acts as a documentary cameraman recording the events as they unfold. The Sims 2 is an example of a game that encourages the use of its AI, containing virtual personas, avatars, which cannot be directly controlled by the machinimator. Additionally, video-capturing technology is integrated in the computer game making the creation of machinima using this technique as simple as pressing the V button on the keyboard or clicking on the video camera icon (Schneider 2008, p. 30). However, it is important to note that the results are often unpredictable (Carr 2007; Kelland et al. 2005, p. 80).

For the second approach, puppeteering, machinima creators become virtual actors, namely each crew member controls a character in real-time, as in a multiplayer game. In other words, machinimators use their avatar as a puppet. Video is captured, using software such as oCam or Screencast-o-Matic which record the video directly to the computer’s hard drive, from the perspectives of one or more

87

puppeteers who serve as camera operators. Once the footage is recorded, using an offline non-linear editing system such as Windows Movie Maker, YouTube Movie Maker or iMovie ‘allows machinimators to use exactly the same techniques and tools as film and television directors would, such as transitions and colour shifting’ (Kelland et al 2005, p. 87). Puppeteering is very attractive to many due to its immediacy and possibilities for improvisation. This technique is frequently used in live performances when the video from the engine is presented directly to an audience without being edited (Nitsche 2005, p. 224). The downside is that digital puppetry does not constitute a viable option for the solo machinimator. Most stories require more than one character to be on set at once and working with a crew brings its own problems as ‘too much different creative input can lead to ruffled feathers and crews splitting up over artistic differences’ (Kelland et al 2005, p. 87). Another drawback is the possibility of disruption when filming in an open multi-user environment (Carr 2007; Kelland et al. 2005, p. 87). Digital puppetry draws most heavily on game-playing roots, since the puppeteers are using exactly the same interface to act as they would to play a game (Kelland et al. 2005, p. 87).

Recamming, the third technique, builds on puppetry and combines it with re- recording. It allows for additional characters to be added, lighting to be adjusted, or cameras moved (Carr 2007). Instead of capturing the footage as a video file, actions are first recorded to a game engine's demo file format. While video, once recorded, is forever fixed, demos are continually open to manipulation. In the words of Kelland et al., recamming ‘is the equivalent of being able to change the script of a play, and knowing that at the next perfomance, the actors will deliver the revised version, complete with new lines, new stage directions, and even the

88

scenes in a different order’ (2005, p. 90). The greatest drawback to using these hybrid techniques is that they are limited to the very few engines and software tools that support them (ibid).

The fourth technique, scripting, consists of programming the game’s characters to perform in particular and specific ways. Every gesture, every head movement, and every change of posture or expression is scripted allowing for extreme precision in the control of the characters. More similar to traditional animation than other forms of machinima, it works just like the recamming techniques discussed above, except that the initial puppeteering of the characters is replaced completely with scripts. However, using scripts to control characters is slow and laborious. The performance of each character has to be created one at a time, since it is not possible to use a cast of actors performing simultaneously. As a result, fully scripted machinima are mostly solitary pursuits (Carr 2007; Kelland et al. 2005, p. 94). While many renowned machinimators agree that the most powerful technique is in some respects the fully scripted technique in which the entire film is created programmatically, Hancock points out that most people use puppeteering when they first start, then go to scripting because of its flexibility, then return to puppeteering because of its immediacy (cited in Kelland et al. 2005, p. 81).

Bardzell et al. (2006) evaluated the existing machinima plaforms, which they subsequently classified into four types: pure machinima platforms, hybrid games, pure games and modded games. The authors identified a major limitation common to all four platforms, namely their inability to deal properly with facial expressions or human emotion. Consequently, certain interactions that rely heavily on gestures and expressions are hard to present effectively (p. 436).

89

Pure machinima platforms, platforms that exist only as machinima producing tools, have recently become available. Examples of these include Machinimation and Virtual Stage. In the area of camera controls, the two applications named above are relatively strong, offering flexibility in how shots are taken. Also, asset libraries are available albeit limited. In Bardzell et al.’s view, libraries make set and character design considerably faster and easier. They point out that even though in theory these applications are flexible enough to accommodate a variety of different kinds of videos, in reality, unless what a developer needs is already in the library, both applications are less practical than existing alternatives (Bardzell et al. 2006, p. 434).

According to Bardzell et al. (2006), hybrid games that are also used as machinima platforms include mechanisms that are built into the interface to make the production of machinima easier. Examples of such environments are The Sims 2 and Second Life. Some game companies have recently begun actively courting machinima creators by providing them with the necessary software. Nevertheless, the widespread use of digital assets from copyrighted games is still debated in complex, unresolved legal issues. Second Life which is a user-constructed 3D social space features a number of tools that have been appropriated for machinima, including an in-game 3D modelling toolset, a scripting language, and the ability to import character animations. Second Life’s library is by far the largest, because users have access to much of the millions of user-created artefacts that have been introduced into the world over the years (Bardzell et al. 2006, p. 435). Before discussing the other two platforms, it is important to note here that what Bardzell et al. term as hybrid games, i.e. The Sims and Second Life are not in fact actual games. If in The Sims characters are simulated, in Second Life only the

90

environment is simulated, the characters being controlled by humans. There is no specific goal or competition and users do not follow a game plot in either of the two environments. In Second Life, residents interact with the world and with other inhabitants by building, selling or buying items or simply socialising (Pereira 2009, p. 22). In short, Second Life is a user-created virtual environment which allows for the development of and participation in collaborative experiences (Au 2008). However, even if Second Life is a simulated environment and not a game, it may also be considered a game engine in that it is possible to construct games within it (Salt et al. 2008, p. 13). Moreover, both Second Life and The Sims have many of the attributes of games, such as the sophisticated graphics, the ability to be represented by an avatar, the interaction with other online residents and the freedom to explore the environment without being in physical danger and at risk (Pereira 2009, p. 23).

Pure games such as Halo 2 and World of Warcraft have no explicitly built-in mechanisms for the making of machinima, but can be used for producing it nonetheless (Bradzell et al. 2006, p. 434). The major benefit that they offer is that controlling actors in sophisticated animations is as simple as using a keyboard and mouse in real-time. Walking, turning, jumping, interacting with the environment are built-in and easy for anyone competent with a game controller. The downside is that similarly to pure machinima platforms, pure games lack libraries altogether or provide only highly limited ones (ibid).

Bardzell et al. conclude their evaluation with the observation that to date, hybrid games in general and Second Life in particular, offer a range of functionality that makes them better suited than either pure games or pure machinima platforms for machinima development. They also point out that other hybrid games such as The

91

Sims and The Movies do not offer the same degree of freedom to customise sets, props and camera angles that can be found in Second Life (Middleton & Maher 2008, p. 209). The flexibility of environments such as Second Life constitutes one of the main reasons for which this study uses the virtual world of Second Life for the production of the machinima videos.

Sadler (2012) discusses certain characteristics that all virtual worlds share. More specifically, they are online 3D environments where users are represented by avatars. Virtual worlds such as Second Life are persistent, they continue to exist even after the user logs out, accessible 24 hours a day and, importantly, they are social spaces being used for functions ranging from virtual dancing, socialising, virtual building, buying and selling, holding business or club meetings and, last but not least, gathering for educational purposes (pp. 24 - 25). Second Life, for example, provides its residents with an environment which they themselves can design, using modelling tools to construct virtual islands, buildings, gardens, and objects like cars, motorbikes, clothes and accessories for their avatars and so on. This kind of creativity is not limited in the same way that it is in the real world and, as a result, players can experience a range of virtual recreations and simulated environments, which might be difficult or impossible to access in real life. Second Life also allows residents to adopt new identities, new ways of being in the world (Jones & Hafner 2012, p. 137).

Even though 3D virtual worlds share similarities with Massively Multiplayer Online Games (MMOGs), the former are in fact rather different from the latter in the sense that there are no clearly defined goals or problems to be solved, and players do not level up, so talk of ‘winning’ or ‘losing’ doesn’t make much sense (Jones & Hafner 2012, p. 137).

92