Machinima and Screenplays

Machinima cinematography is really phenomenal. It’s amazing to see what one can do with a few computer programs and enough time to produce a high-quality film. After watching clips of several Machinima videos, I found that several elements and techniques that really appealed to me to make a well-done film. With Machinima, one has the opportunity to use a variety of sets that can be fantastical or realistic. You can also change the lighting of the actual scene to depict dreams or past instances; one film was even in black and white. Camera angles are also an important element to add a dramatic effect. Different views included zooming in on scenes, circling around people, making close ups on people’s faces, and viewing a scene from a bird’s eye view. I think it is also important to have different shots on one scene; stationary scenes are boring and ineffective. Music and sound effects are also essential to a decent film, and they have to work correctly with the scene. One part of Machinima that really amazed me was how realistic you can make the avatars, especially with their movements and facial expressions. The characters even move very smoothly, which adds another realistic element. I also noticed that the films frequently have a main character that narrates, which seems to be a positive feature. As long as you have the time and a good program, you can do practically anything with Machinima.

After reviewing a few movie scripts, I found that they are much more elaborate and detailed than I originally thought. Besides dialogue, scripts also include set and character details to fully depict the whole scene. Some scripts, like The Apartment and Singin’ in the Rain, are particularly detailed. They include details like the view and motion of the camera (i.e. pan in and out) and full descriptions of the set and props (i.e. night of big movie premiere on Hollywood Blvd). In addition, they even include descriptions of the voice, behavior, and attire of the characters. With such vivid and specific details, one can truly picture the whole scene. Effective dialogue is very important in a script. As David Lemon points out, good word choice is essential and scripts seem to be most effective with spare dialogue; it should adequately represent a realistic conversation. Lemon also mentions how a script accurately presents and describes the characters immediately so that the reader can understand them from the beginning.

For potential Machinima ideas, I am considering writing a story from Marcus’s parents’ view. As older and more conservative individuals--especially his dad--I think it would be interesting to show part of the story from their point of view. Another potential idea is to present the story from Trudy Doo’s point of view. Even though she is older, she is still very liberal and radical, and it would be interesting to show her perspective.