Machinima

Machinima defines the genre of films made by video game systems that have been developed since the 90s. Movie-makers adapt the game to make tweaked characters play out a script in tweaked surrounds. Early versions left much to be desired but now, Wired reports, machinima has begun to explore more sophisticated, nuanced storytelling.

A new batch of films vie for this weekend’s Machinima Film Festival held at the Museum of the Moving Image in Queens, New York. Films to watch include Bot (created on the Unreal Tournament platform), The Journey (Unreal), the Red Vs Blue series (Halo). Wired says:

At this point, the process of making machinima is more interesting than
the films themselves. A machinima production is generally a collective
enterprise, and most films unfold within existing fictional universes
– usually a game combat zone. In many cases, the filmmakers expand the worlds and comment on them in ways the game designers never anticipated.

Machinima.com
Wired Magazine

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