Wednesday, April 18, 2012

the machine - a cyberpunk fairytale



Lizsolo is an artist that has done many things for machinima as a genre. She has been a part of the MMIF festival, with a top entry "Machine, I am".
Se also provided many of us with her lovely music, to use in our films.
She is searching for support for her new project.




Experimental Art

the machine - a cyberpunk fairytale
Funny
Beautiful
Adventure


In a post-apocalyptic future a city-based survivalist scans the ravaged metaverse, rebuilding pieces of humanity's dead networks. Interrupted by the appearance of another survivor her carefully constructed defences slowly come down and the two form an unlikely bond. Shot on HD video and incorporating 16mm film and machinima, the real and the virtual converge in a science fiction creation story.

the machine, by Liz Solo, is a thirty minute science fiction story set in St. John's, Newfoundland. The script is the winner of The Newfoundland Joy Award from the Linda Joy Media Arts Society and the Dramatic Script Prize at the Newfoundland and Labrador Arts and Letters Competition.

"'the machine' represents a new generation of media arts production and makes use of extremely current creative techniques like machinima, which have grown out of contemporary virtual art movements" - the Linda Joy Media Arts Society said in a release.

the machine stars Melanie Caines and Liz Solo. A great crew is coming together with a design team including: Camera by Bob Pope; Set Design by Barry Newhook; Props by Andy Pyne and Jenn Brown; Design Consultant Geoff Younghusband. Set Painting by April Norman; Costume Design by Charlotte Reid Hair by Mackenzie Geehan and Makeup by Andrew Squires. Liz is working with UK artist Yael Gilks/Fau Ferdinand to design the virtual sets. Machinima by Liz Solo; the machine shoots in mid-April with an expected completion date of August 2012.

the machine is a technically challenging piece merging different media. Being a science fiction movie, it is an unusual kind of project for St. John's and will be shot in the downtown of the city. The machinima sequences will be created online at the Odyssey Contemporary Art and Performance Simulator in the virtual world of Second Life.

the machine involves a new technique in animation - machinima - (machine generated animation) - a skill Liz Solo has been honing over years of working in online environments. This script is, in a way, the culmination of ten years of work in online spaces. The story reflects experiences of collaborating with others around the world via virtual environments and is a statement on the mindlessness of war.

The machine has recieved the support of the Newfoundland and Labrador Arts Council, The Linda Joy Media Arts Society and the Black Bag Media Collective - over half of this support is in the form of donated professional services and top notch equipment. This is wonderful support that will raise the quality of the piece, but this also means more crew are needed to manage the now larger scope of the production.

All money raised here on Rockethub will go towards fees for the prodcution costs. You may also contribute directly to the production via this paypal account: grumpelina@yahoo.ca

RocketHub is not an investment or charity. It is an exchange: funds from fans for rewards from us.

Please see Liz's websites for more information about her work:

Homepage

Blog


Sunday, April 15, 2012

Award and winners 48Machinima 2012

Here are the awards:

best directing Oblivious Films – Crueler Heads Prevail
best writing Oblivious Films – Crueler Heads Prevail
best voice acting Oblivious Films – Crueler Heads Prevail
best editing tie: Cinemart Cake Team + Oblivious Films
best cinematography Jewell Theatre – Know Evil
best sound design Machinimatrix – Free Your Mind
best use of character tie: Halls of Cort (HoC) + Oblivious Films
best use of prop Halls of Cort (HoC) – Used Cars
best use of line Cinimart Cake Team – A Tale of Fate / Cake
best music Tie: IdeaJuice Studios + Jewell Theater
best special effects Zardoz Carwash – Imperative

Winner Australian Prize of 1,000 dollar: Zardoz Carwash – Imperative

3rd Runner Up 48HFP: Machinimart – Semper Fidelis
2nd Runner Up 48HFP: Shady Character Productions – Finding Casey

Winner 48HFP 2012, Project2012 machinima - and winner of the 3,000 dollar cash prize:

Oblivious Films – Crueler Heads Prevail


Here you can see all the films: http://aviewtv.com/category/48-hr.film-project-2012


I want to thank:
Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre, Liverpool City Councel, JMC Academy, Scissores, Bendigo Bank, Filmmakers.com.au, Web Video Production, Linden Lab, LEA,
Lapiscean Liberty, Phaylen Fairchild, Tom Papas, Roberto Giunta, Project48machinima, the 48HFPmachinima (special word of thank you to Laura Schlecht), Tony Dyson, Chris Howlett, Dan Graf, Paul Nunes, Sean Callinan, Trace Sanderson, Ginette Pinazzo, and all the teams and their crews.
Together, we shook the machinima world!

All the teams and their films:

Machidreams – Ta 2
Genre: Period Piece
Prop: a STAR
Character: Casey Cooper, Car Dealer
Line: I'll be back

48Avatars – Giant Impact
Genre: Mockumentory
Prop: a STAR
Character: Casey Cooper, Car Dealer
Line: I'll be back
(rl producer 48HFP)

Grey Matter Films – Mind Zone
Genre: Fantasy
Prop: a STAR
Character: Casey Cooper, Car Dealer
Line: I'll be back

Squee – Who’s Your Alien
Genre: Sci-Fi
Prop: a STAR
Character: Casey Cooper, Car Dealer
Line: I'll be back

Cinimart Cake Team – A Tale of Fate / Cake
Genre: Film de Femme
Prop: a STAR
Character: Dana Dandeo, a Dietician
Line: I’ll have what she is having

CrazyChickens – Bessies Summer
Genre: Musical or Western
Prop: a STAR
Character: Morgan Magoo, Magician
Line: Go ahead, make my day
(screening only)

Zardoz Carwash – Imperative
Genre: Film de Femme
Prop: a STAR
Character: Morgan Magoo, Magician
Line: Go ahead, make my day

Lovell Videography – Chance Met
Genre: Romance
Prop: a STAR
Character: Dana Dandeo, a Dietician
Line: I’ll have what she is having
(screen only)

Machinimart – Semper Fidelis
Genre: Romance
Prop: a STAR
Character: Casey Cooper, Car Dealer
Line: I'll be back

IdeaJuice Studios – A Car Is Torn
Genre: Musical or Western
Prop: a STAR
Character: Casey Cooper, Car Dealer
Line: I'll be back

Jewell Theatre – Know Evil
Genre: Film de Femme
Prop: a STAR
Character: Casey Cooper, Car Dealer
Line: I'll be back

Halls of Cort (HoC) – Used Cars
Genre: Horror
Prop: a STAR
Character: Casey Cooper, Car Dealer
Line: I'll be back

Mills Entertainment System – Hot Swap
Genre: Buddy Film
Prop: a STAR
Character: Casey Cooper, Car Dealer
Line: I'll be back

Shady Character Productions – Finding Casey
Genre: Detective/Cop
Prop: a STAR
Character: Casey Cooper, Car Dealer
Line: I'll be back

Machinimatrix – Free Your Mind
Genre: Horror
Prop: a STAR
Character: Casey Cooper, Car Dealer
Line: I'll be back

The Math Magicians – Prosopagnosia
Genre: Romance
Prop: a STAR
Character: Casey Cooper, Car Dealer
Line: I'll be back

T.B.A. (Team Boorer & Associates) – Impractical Magic
Genre: Comedy
Prop: a STAR
Character: Morgan Magoo, Magician
Line: Go ahead, make my day

I+H Productions – Used
Genre: Drama
Prop: a STAR
Character: Casey Cooper, Car Dealer
Line: I'll be back

Oblivious Films – Crueler Heads Prevail
Genre: Dark Comedy
Prop: a STAR
Character: Casey Cooper, Car Dealer
Line: I'll be back

Somos Tres – Slick
Genre: Thriller/Suspence
Prop: a STAR
Character: Casey Cooper, Car Dealer
Line: I'll be back


A special word of support and thanks to:
PSTALENT.COM and Running Gun Productions.

Our jury:
Tony Dyson - motivation speech
Trace Sanderson
Phaylen Fairchild
Chris Howlett
Dan Graf
Paul Nunes
Sean Callinan

May the force be with us!

Thursday, April 12, 2012

Screening and Awards event - 48HFPmachinima 2012

Linden Endowment of the Arts Hosts Project 48 Machinima Premiere Screening in Second Life APR 14.

USA PDT (San Francisco): 11 pm, April 14 === pacific time

Due to timezones, this corresponds with:
Australia (Sydney): 4 pm, April 15
Europe (CET) : 8 am, April 15

The global sensation that is the 48 Hour Film Project comes to the virtual world of Second Life on with an exclusive inworld screening of all entries from the 2012 Machinima 48 Hour Film Project, accompanied by film crew interviews and a presentation by Emmy nominated Film SFX supervisor Tony Dyson.

22 teams have entered the world famous 48 Hour Film Project Machinima, where crews must create a movie within exactly 48 hours: write, shoot, edit and score it. With 3 required elements (prop, character and line of dialogue) and a randomly-assigned genre, filmmakers must work fast to create high-speed cinematic history. In the Project 48 Machinima edition, films are created within games and online platforms.

The Linden Endowment of the Arts (LEA) is a resident-managed agency within the world of Second Life, tasked with nurturing and promoting the arts community within the virtual world. LEA's new Media Arts Center specifically works with awareness, education and development of virtual world-generated video (machinima) and will be hosting this screening within its new LEA Theater, a high-tech facility designed for cutting-edge media events.

The program will also feature the head of jury, noted Emmy-nominated special effects supervisor Tony Dyson (Moonraker, Dragon Slayer, Star Wars, Altered States) delivering his jury keynote speech before the official awards ceremony. This event will be streamed live to the Casula Powerhouse Theater in Sydney, Australia.
Other judges; Sean Callinan, Paul Nunes, Chris Howlett, Dan Graf, Trace Sanderson (aka Lainy Voom) and event host Phaylen Fairchild.
The winning film will represent the 48HFPmachinima at the Filmapalooza Filmfestival 2012, in Los Angeles, and take away a grande first prize of 3,000 australian dollars.

WHEN: APR 14 at 11PM SLT/PDT
WHERE: LEA Theater in Second Life
SITE: http://www.48hourfilm.com/machinima/
and: http://48machinima.project48.com.au/

Producers:
Chantal Harvey and Tom Papas.