So, what is Machinima?

Machinima (muh-sheen-eh-mah) is filmmaking within a real-time, 3D virtual environment, often using 3D video-game technologies.

In an expanded definition, it is the convergence of filmmaking, animation and game development. Machinima is real-world filmmaking techniques applied within an interactive virtual space where characters and events can be either controlled by humans, scripts or artificial intelligence.

By combining the techniques of filmmaking, animation production and the technology of real-time 3D game engines, Machinima makes for a very cost- and time-efficient way to produce films, with a large amount of creative control.


How is Machinima produced?

Machinima can be produced in a couple of ways.

It can be script-driven, whereas the cameras, characters, effects etc. are scripted for playback in real-time. While similar to animation, the scripting is driven by events rather than keyframes.

It can also be recorded in real-time within the virtual environment, much like filmmaking (the majority of game-specific Machinima pieces are produced in this fashion).

While both of these approaches have their pros and cons, they are both Machinima-making techniques.

What are the advantages of Machinima?

Machinima provides:

•  the real-time recording of human/scripted performances and events - akin to shooting film; eliminates the rendering process.

•  the creative flexibility of artistic assets moved over time – akin to animation; allows total control over visual representation of characters, events, etc.

•  an interactive environment – provides a space where characters can interact and real-world physics can be reproduced.

•  Hardware driven playback is resolution independent.

Because Machinima can be shot live or scripted in real-time, it's much faster to produce than traditional CGI animation. A live action director should feel right at home and an animation director will be able to direct without having to rely on key frames. Multiple takes can be made in real-time or just a few takes while the rest is adjusted in post, dependent on the director's style.

Additionally, instead of rendering frames of animation or video streams, some Machinima is recorded at the data level – only capturing positions, orientation and other pertinent pieces of information for the 3D assets to be drawn and animated during playback. Data-recorded Machinima also allows for editing at the data level – where you can add characters, adjust camera angles, create camera moves, fine-tune animation, etc. It's much like doing a reshoot without having to call back the cast and crew –further blurring the lines between production and post-production.

What is so significant about shooting live Machinima?

Shooting live Machinima can produce a considerable time and cost savings - up to 30-40% and is a radical departure from the traditional key frame animation process. Now animation directors can direct puppeteers as they manipulate the character models in real-time. A live action director can also relate as what happens is in real-time .

How does it save time and money?

It saves money by eliminating the time intensive processes of software rendering. In addition, live-produced Machinima can be created similar to a producing a live action film - the camera records performance, action and events as they take place.

Sorry, I'm a laymen, can you explain that a little more?

Two-dimensional (2D) animation, like Disney's Tarzan or a Warner Brothers Looney Tunes cartoon, is drawn, inked & painted by hand and then shot frame-by-frame for the final animation. This is obviously labor and time intensive. A half hour cartoon could take six to nine months to draw and is usually done overseas to minimize labor cost. A feature could take two to four years to complete.

3D Computer Generated Imagery (CGI) animation, was pioneered in the 80's and put on the map by Pixar's Toy Story. Instead of each frame being drawn by hand, a computer "renders" all of the characters and backgrounds.

But a team of computer animators have to animate each character model individually for each scene. Once done, a "compositing" bank of computers, renders all of the characters models and objects into the 3D background, making your complete shot. But because of the large amount of 3D model, lighting and animated information in each frame, it can take a very fast bank of computers hours, if not days, to render each frame. Some frames of Pixar's Monsters Inc took over 90 hours to process using over 400 computers ganged together in parallel. With 24 frames per second of footage, you can image how long this process can get. Subsequently, Monsters, Inc. took four years to produce.

Naturally, because of Machinima's real-time aspect, the production approach takes significantly less time.

What a minute, are you saying you can produce Pixar level animation in almost half the time?

Well, no, not yet. A company like Pixar will always push the boundaries of what's possible in animation. But, with the advances in computer hardware coming in the next few years, it looks pretty good that we can get much closer.

How do you use a computer game to create animation?

A number of ways, actually.

First, if you've ever played a computer game on a network (LAN) at work or seen others play it, each person in the game is using their computer to log into the server computer. Each computer represents one character in the game, usually running around shooting at each other. Everyone playing can see each other's character in real time in the game world, from their characters viewpoint on their monitor. In Machinima, the roles shift: the characters, instead of shooting each other, are actors in the scene, and the server doubles as the camera, recording everything that happens in the virtual world.

Second, people sometimes produce Machinima on their own (not using a LAN) by using tools the game developers publish for a particular game. These tools often allow the end user to create new levels, import new characters and create scripted events. While the game developer produce these tools often to extend the replayability of the game, Machinima developers have used them to create their films. This essentially turns the off-the-shelf game into a small Machinima studio.

Lastly, some teams use a combination of these approaches - recording their custom assets in real-time. These recordings take place at the data level (as opposed to capturing multiple gigabytes of video footage). This recorded data approach yields the most flexibilty as editing at the data level creates a final Machinima that can playback within the game engine itself.

Where can I watch some Machinima?

There are a number of sites that show some Machinima work. However, the most centralized site for Machinima is Machinima.com. While the site isn't the most polished, the level of information it holds is unrivaled.

Additionally, some quality Machinima works can be found at:

•  Red Vs. Blue: The Blood Gulch Chronicles – http://www.redvsblue.com

•  The ILL Clan: http://www.illclan.com

•  GameSpy's hosting of the Machinima Awards 2003 nominees: http://www.fileplanet.com/features/machinima_awards/

•  Nanoflix Films - http://www.nanoflix.net

Where can I find out more about Machinima?

Both the Academy's site, http://www.machinima.org and Machinima.com carry a wealth of information about Machinima.

In addition, the Academy offers membership, which includes a demo version of Fountainhead Entertainment's Machinimation tool, a great tool to get started with Machinima.

How can I get started creating Machinima?

There's two paths to creating Machinima of your own.

The first involves recording the output of your favorite game to video (ala Red Vs. Blue). This approach has you record the output of the game to a video source (camcorder or VCR), and then to capture this footage back into your computer for editing and post-production.

The Academy offers a demo version of Machinimation (by Fountainhead Entertainment) - a great tool for getting started in Machinima - as part of its membership offering (click on Membership to the right for more info).

The other path is bit more ambitious as is involves using an underlying 3D game engine but creating entire new characters and sets (similar to the ILL Clan's and Foutainhead Entertainment's work). Once these assets are created, the production looks very similar to the first path - recording the engine output, capturing the footage into a computer and editing it with editing software.

Naturally, the first is much easier path as it requires less asset development. Machinima.com has a few articles highlighting the recording process:

Capturing Game Video Part 1

Capturing Game Video Part 2

Machinima.com also hots a number of tutorials on the more advanced Machinima development approach. Stay tuned here as well - as we'll be posting our own tutorials in the future.

Additionally, a couple of books have been released about Machinima:

The Art of Machinima (Paul Marino, Paraglyph Press, Aug. 2004)- a hands-on book showing you both the artform and the basics of how to get started in your Machinima production.

Machinima : Making Animated Movies in 3D Virtual Environments (Dave Morris, Matt Kelland and Dave Lloyd, Ilex Press, Aug. 2005) - which gives a great overview of the medium and its filmmakers.

Where do you see Machinima in the future?

We feel Machinima will eventually become yet one more way to produce visually-based stories.

Also, as hardware-rendering becomes more powerful and accessible to the end user (next-gen consoles, PCs, etc.), Machinima films can be rendered via broadband right to the end user's display screen – delivering the Machinima film as data right to your set-top/console.