Machinima

Throughout watching various machinima videos, several aspects of each film stand out to me. I think that just like a normal movie, the camera angles and music are incredibly effective. Scene cuts and video effects make the animation more like a real film and less of an awkward computer generated video. The effect of zooming in or out on a character or object creates interest as does a camera view coming in from the side or starting at the feet and moving up. All of these ways of viewing the scene make the video more interesting and will catch the attention of the viewer better. Music is probably difficult to add because of copyright laws, but when it is in videos it is extremely effective. Whether or not we realize it, there is usually some music playing at almost all times in movies that subconsciously sets the mood and changes emotions for the scene.

Furthermore, it is very clear when hand gestures and other body motions were chosen with thought and when they were just thrown into the video. The more successful videos have avatars that seem to move casually and naturally, as if the creators thought carefully about normal human motions, rather than just what they “should” be doing in a given circumstance.

Another aspect of well done machinima videos is the use of settings and props. There is a big difference between the videos that just use a stock setting and those that add more interesting people and objects in the background. All of these aspects show a lot of effort that was put into the video and will overall create a lot of interest that will pull the viewer in and make the video more enjoyable and realistic.

The screenplays that stand out are written in incredible detail. The characters and settings are described in ways that can be understood when read and create a particular vision or give off a certain feel, but cannot necessarily be portrayed literally. In the beginning of each scene in particular, the setting is vividly described and this helps the producers of films, whether with real or virtual settings, be able to set the scene as it was intended to be.

In addition to in depth descriptions of the settings, the dialogue must be written in a way that not only conveys the message that the author is trying to portray, but must also reveal something about the character. The style of writing/speaking is just as important as what the character actually says in developing their personality and position in the movie. The dialogue and “stage directions” must clearly portray what the viewer needs to learn from each scene and the script must therefore be written with great detail and thought. Little details that the author may include in descriptions will show in the film as how the characters act towards one another and the ways in which they interact. Overall, screenplays must be written in careful detail in order to correctly portray the message that the author wants to convey, including the way in which settings are described.

For potential topics for machinima, I am considering:

Developing a story with a false positive
Creating a background or more developed story for Ange