Difference between revisions of "Machinima"

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'''Machinima''' is a technique where a recording is made using the games built in recording tools, characters and maps to produce a video which has a film like experience rather than a standard frag movie.  
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{{hatnote|For the similarly-named weapon used by the Sniper, see [[Machina]].}}
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{{Update}}
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[[File:The Saxxys Are Coming.jpg|thumb|right|350px| Lights. Camera. Action!]]
  
The [[Meet the Team]] videos produced by Valve are good but non-typical examples of machinima. They are animated using the game engine but have specially written animation sequences and super high quality settings which cannot be accessed in-game, along with the original [[voice actors]].
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'''Machinima''' (a portmanteau of ''machine/cinema'') is a filmmaking genre in which a game's assets are used in order to produce a video that has a film-like experience above and beyond standard in-game footage. While the exact history of machinima is unknown, its origins trace back as far as 1996, with the Quake film [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mq4Ks4Z_NGY Diary of a Camper] being regarded as the earliest viral machinima film. Its peak, however, came with the early years of YouTube, often cited as a current-day nostalgia factor for those who were active during the time. Typically written as comedies, machinimas can ultimately be used to create any genre of film. The techniques vary depending on the game's resources and the machnima's creators; some films will use animation techniques, whereas others may rely on capturing in-game footage and overdubbing audio to match. The latter method usually does not resemble typical gameplay, as rather than competing, players act out a scripted scene. VALVe games are popular choices for machinima creators, owing to a combination of the vibrant characters, strong art design, and easily-manipulated game assets.
  
== Creating TF2 machinima ==
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== Examples of Machinima ==
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The [[Meet the Team]] videos produced by VALVe are good (albeit atypical) examples of machinima. They are animated using the game engine, but feature specially-written animation sequences and [[Ultra high settings|high quality settings]] which cannot be accessed in-game (without the use of [[vdc:Console_Command_List|console commands]]), along with the original [[voice actors]]. More standard, fan-made films can vary in quality. Arguably the most popular video, [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qBef5IcJ0zU Counter Strike for Kids], acts as a mean for video quality, blending standard gameplay footage with greenscreen effects, basic text overlays, and post-processed dialogue.
  
Machinima videos are normally created using the standard demo recording techniques and commands. A list of commands and instructions can be found in the [[Help:Recording demos|recording demos]] article.
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== Traits of Machinima ==
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Due to their non-canonical nature, machinima videos are often at liberty to change plot elements, character traits, location details, and more. Details about the game world are often overriden by the machinima creator; despite using the same character model, for example, a character could be given a different name and behave in different manners than presented in the official game media. Apart from machinima referring to the act of using a game's assets, the technique in which a movie is produced is just as wide and as varied as standard filmmaking. As an example, a popular technique for machinima is [[Wikipedia:Stop motion|stop motion]]. A technique not normally associated with simulated 3D character's and objects. Common tools for making Team Fortress 2 machinima include (but are not limited to) [[Garry's Mod]], [[Source Filmmaker]], and Source Demo Recording.
  
== Fan made Machinima ==
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== Machinima Youtube Network ==
  
*[[Law Abiding Engineer]] by [http://www.youtube.com/user/TrueOneMoreUser TrueOneMoreUser]
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Machinima may also refer to the [[w:Machinima, Inc.|YouTube network of the same name]], which centered around these films. The company was founded in January 2000 by Hugh Hancock, and acted as a primary source for a variety of different machinima series. The channel abruptly stopped functioning in January 2019, setting a vast majority of their videos to private. Ultimately, the resulting loss measured in thousands of iconic early-YouTube videos and over five billion views. This includes the aforementioned Counter-Strike for Kids, the most-viewed fan-made film on the channel at over 17 million views at the time of its privatization. A month later, the channel would officially go defunct, merging into [[w:WarnerMedia|WarnerMedia]] subsidiary [[w:Fullscreen (company)|Fullscreen]].
  
*[[A Team Fortress 2 Western]] by [http://jsclan.com/ Janus Syndicate Productions]
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== Videos ==
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{{FairUse|nocategory=yes}}
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{| style="margin: 1em auto 1em auto;"
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|-
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! width="150" | Counter-Strike for Kids.
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! width="150" | Diary of a Camper.
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! width="150" | Meet the Medic.
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! width="150" | Red vs. Blue.
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|- align="center"
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| {{youtube|qBef5IcJ0zU|width=230}}
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| {{youtube|mq4Ks4Z_NGY|width=230}}
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| {{youtube|36lSzUMBJnc|width=230}}
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| {{youtube|9N8IpxO6rKs|width=230}}
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|-
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|}
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{{clr}}
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== Update history ==
  
*[[Don't meet the Spy]] by [http://tetris-inside.com/ Team Tetris-Inside]
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'''{{Patch name|1|14|2008}}'''
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* Gave machinima creators access to "tf_testvcd" and "tf_testrr" commands for playing scenes on characters.
  
*[[Dynamic Action Team]] by [http://www.wegame.com WeGame.com]
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== See also ==
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* [[Replay]]
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* [[Help:Recording demos]]
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* [[First Annual Saxxy Awards]]
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* [[Source Film Maker]]
  
*[[Gogol Rush]] by [http://uk.youtube.com/user/TFou02 TFou02]
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[[Category:Videos]]
 
 
*[[Ignis Solus]] - (Latin: ''to burn alone'') by [http://www.youtube.com/user/LitFuseFilms LitFuseFilms]
 
 
 
*[[Meet the Mute Button]] by [http://www.youtube.com/user/undeadwilldestroyall D347H Productions]
 
 
 
*[[Meet the Red Team]] by [http://uk.youtube.com/user/atomicsparkmachinima Atomic Spark]
 
 
 
*[[Meet the Sentry]] by [http://youtube.com/user/machinima DMGaina]
 
 
 
*[[Meet the Train]] by [http://www.melee-it.ru Daymon]
 
 
 
*[[Team Fortress 2 - Super Smash Brothers 64 Intro]] by [http://www.youtube.com/user/AyesDyef AyesDyef]
 
 
 
*[[Temp Fortress 2]] by [http://www.wegame.com/user/lagspike/ Lagspike]
 
 
 
*[[TF2 Engineers: Very Useful Scientific Facts]] by [http://tetris-inside.com/ Team Tetris-Inside]
 
 
 
*[[TF2 - Guns Orchestra]] by [http://uk.youtube.com/user/KevinYOKI KevinYOKI]
 
 
 
*[[The Dark Fortress]] by [http://www.wegame.com/user/lagspike/ Lagspike]
 
 
 
 
 
{{Languages}}
 
[[Category:Machinima]]
 

Latest revision as of 23:02, 20 February 2024

For the similarly-named weapon used by the Sniper, see Machina.
Lights. Camera. Action!

Machinima (a portmanteau of machine/cinema) is a filmmaking genre in which a game's assets are used in order to produce a video that has a film-like experience above and beyond standard in-game footage. While the exact history of machinima is unknown, its origins trace back as far as 1996, with the Quake film Diary of a Camper being regarded as the earliest viral machinima film. Its peak, however, came with the early years of YouTube, often cited as a current-day nostalgia factor for those who were active during the time. Typically written as comedies, machinimas can ultimately be used to create any genre of film. The techniques vary depending on the game's resources and the machnima's creators; some films will use animation techniques, whereas others may rely on capturing in-game footage and overdubbing audio to match. The latter method usually does not resemble typical gameplay, as rather than competing, players act out a scripted scene. VALVe games are popular choices for machinima creators, owing to a combination of the vibrant characters, strong art design, and easily-manipulated game assets.

Examples of Machinima

The Meet the Team videos produced by VALVe are good (albeit atypical) examples of machinima. They are animated using the game engine, but feature specially-written animation sequences and high quality settings which cannot be accessed in-game (without the use of console commands), along with the original voice actors. More standard, fan-made films can vary in quality. Arguably the most popular video, Counter Strike for Kids, acts as a mean for video quality, blending standard gameplay footage with greenscreen effects, basic text overlays, and post-processed dialogue.

Traits of Machinima

Due to their non-canonical nature, machinima videos are often at liberty to change plot elements, character traits, location details, and more. Details about the game world are often overriden by the machinima creator; despite using the same character model, for example, a character could be given a different name and behave in different manners than presented in the official game media. Apart from machinima referring to the act of using a game's assets, the technique in which a movie is produced is just as wide and as varied as standard filmmaking. As an example, a popular technique for machinima is stop motion. A technique not normally associated with simulated 3D character's and objects. Common tools for making Team Fortress 2 machinima include (but are not limited to) Garry's Mod, Source Filmmaker, and Source Demo Recording.

Machinima Youtube Network

Machinima may also refer to the YouTube network of the same name, which centered around these films. The company was founded in January 2000 by Hugh Hancock, and acted as a primary source for a variety of different machinima series. The channel abruptly stopped functioning in January 2019, setting a vast majority of their videos to private. Ultimately, the resulting loss measured in thousands of iconic early-YouTube videos and over five billion views. This includes the aforementioned Counter-Strike for Kids, the most-viewed fan-made film on the channel at over 17 million views at the time of its privatization. A month later, the channel would officially go defunct, merging into WarnerMedia subsidiary Fullscreen.

Videos

Counter-Strike for Kids. Diary of a Camper. Meet the Medic. Red vs. Blue.

Update history

January 14, 2008 Patch

  • Gave machinima creators access to "tf_testvcd" and "tf_testrr" commands for playing scenes on characters.

See also