Here's an endearing little film called Flapping Feast from Tinkersmith Productions. It brings us that universally heartwarming story of a boy and his... um, chicken. Well, the chicken's a man, actually. And the boy is a middle-aged gnome named Falkireohan Tinkersmith the Second. But nonetheless! As I was saying... This film tells the tale of a gnome whose self-defense spell against a ganker goes horribly wrong and, in his guilt, Falkie tries to set things right as much as he can. The story logic is, assuredly, like a Grimm fairy tale -- the only way a man-who-thinks-he's-a-chicken can live happily ever after is if he has a pullet for a bride? -- and it has a feel to it without much of a character arc, but choosing a child to voice the 50-ish gnome and the folk-taleaccented English somehow works for me. And anyone who doesn't crack up laughing at the music which plays over the credits needs to get their funny bone examined. You may want to also view the sequel called Flapping Feast 2, but I didn't find it as charming as the original.
The Rumpus Machine is the latest offering from Oblivious Films, of The Grind fame. It's the story of what happens when an easily-frightened dwarf and his friends stumble upon a "metal pig" which seems to grant their every wish. It's not a follow-up to The Grind storyline, but rather a new, self-contained story. It's kinda like what O. Henry would have written if he'd only lightened up a bit. The moviemaking here is top notch and the storytelling is quite funny with everything from sexy dancing girls to throwback dungeons. Make sure you stick around throughout the entire credits roll for some final jokes at the end.
Drew "Drewbie" Syring from Oblivious tells Moviewatch that Macheath made this film for the BlizzCon machinima contest and, for you Diablo III fans, "yes, that is really the real Deckard Cain who was kind enough to lend his voice talents to our production." How'd they manage it? Just watch it, you'll see.
Updated: In case it wasn't clear to anyone who watched the film: The filmmakers want you to know that they got the actual voice actor for Deckard Cain to perform in their film.
Today's pick is a trailer for Trollbane 2 by DTB Productions who, of course, brought us Trollbane. The filmmaker is asking for feedback on his Warcraft Movies profile, so if you'd like to have an impact on his film, I'm sure he'd appreciate your thoughts. My first thought is: fix the grammar, dude! The tenses are so tortured in the setup titles that it's hard to tell if this isn't a time-travel movie -- or will it might have been?
My second comment is that the machinima looks incredibly slick. This is going to be a very high quality, well-produced movie when it's finished. However, shiny polish does not necessarily equal a good film. My main concern with this trailer is that I have no idea what this movie is going to be about. From the titles toward the end -- new outfits, places, and powers -- it sounds like this is a trailer for a new video game, not a movie. I can tell that there's going to be action and gore and female Troll behinds (or was that a Blood Elf?) but other than that? No clue. I don't even know who the heroes and villains are. A trailer is supposed to make me want to see a film. (Sometimes with Hollywood films, the trailer is actually better than the full length film. Wanted, I'm looking at you!) However, slick production values by themselves aren't enough to draw me into a movie if I don't know why else I'm watching it.
In case you haven't had your fill of political attack ads this year, check out this ad for Rend Blackhand '08 created by Gape/Horn Productions. This video, produced for an Orc who apparently wishes to overthrow Thrall, is a virtual Threat Down of everything wrong with Azeroth. PvP is terrorist activity. The Venture Company exploits our natural resources for profit. Trolls are illegal immigrants and Goblins benefit from the outsourcing of our jobs. And you won't even believe what he blames Blood Elves for.
Although this video features some epic music (from Psycho, John Philip Sousa, The Right Stuff) and one of the most amusing knock-offs of Rosie the Riveter I've ever seen, the satire is only 50 percent effective. Gape does a good job of winding up but can't seem to throw the pitch over the plate when it comes to the final payoff at the end. I'm not sure if he loses his nerve or if he only had a half-formed idea, but I wish he'd gone for the jugular at the end instead of just quitting.
It's October 1st, and Brewfest will be over at the end of this week. But fortunately we have Hallow's End starting on October 18 to look forward to. In the spirit of the upcoming holiday, filmmaker Konack1 made a trailer to prepare us all for the visit of the Headless Horseman. This is his sixth machinima attempt and he's making wonderful progress. This trailer features a spooky kid whispering warnings (The Sixth Sense, anyone?) and a professional-quality narrator whose deep voice sounds remarkably like the late Don LaFontaine. Konack1 even uses the dip-to-black technique so popular with movie trailers these days. The visuals of the Horseman rising from his grave and stalking his way to the city combined with the child's creepy voiceover are very effective in creating a Hallow's End mood.
Konack1 is still posting his work on YouTube, so we don't have a higher quality version of this video to show you. However, I would urge you to check out some of his previous work. Especially My Immortal - Tribute to Cody, an ode to a lost pet, that left me in tears.
If you have any suggestions for WoW Moviewatch, you can mail them to us at machinima AT wowinsider DOT com.
It's been so long since Moviewatch took a look at the Chronicle of the Annoying Quest that two more episodes have come out since then. I've decided to feature Episode 28 instead of Episode 27 because I feel it's the much better of the two. The humor is better and the pacing is quicker. It's interesting, though, that Bakasavant starts off both episodes very slowly, taking a bit too long to get to the point. In Episode 27, there's some messing about with flying mounts that, although somewhat humorous, doesn't add much to the story. And with Episode 28, there is a long intro as a tribute to the late Richard Wright which probably should've gone at the end of the episode.
I disagree with the previous Moviewatch post on Episode 26 in that, if you've never watched an episode of Chronicle of the Annoying Quest, I don't think you need to watch the entire series to enjoy these last two episodes. (I haven't watched more than 8 of these episodes total.) The comedic timing alone in Episode 28 stands by itself. I think, also, that the series doesn't necessarily need an ending point. In that way it reminds me not only of an American soap opera, but also of WoW content in general. In fact, the title of the series itself suggests that its part of the reason the quest is annoying is due to its unending nature.
Bakasavant Productions says that Episode 31 will be the season finale. What the filmmakers mean by a "season," however, is beyond me. How long is a machinima "season"? How long will they be gone? Will they merely be taking time away from CotAQ to do other films or will they drop off the radar entirely? I hope it's not the latter.
Drop of Blood: The Collection Pt. 1 is a twin set of parodies and it's the first machinima by a 15-year-old kid named Morten from Denmark. He's remade the openings of the old Spider-Man and Scooby-Doo cartoons set in Azeroth, including setting them to music of The Simpsons take-off for the former and the original music for the latter. (Apparently he's a student of ancient television history?) It's quite silly and fun; it will make anyone who used to watch those old shows smile.
Let's help out Morten by giving him a few pointers. (Constructive criticism for a new guy on the block, please? I know you guys can do it!) Some of the action is tied to the music very well. The Spider-Pig pops in to "scare" us right on cue with the music. On the other hand, when he leaps through the trees, there was an opportunity to hit the last "Look out!" with the pig zooming off screen, but instead he flies away too slowly. Also, even on the high quality version on Youtube the title fonts look a bit blurry. It could be poor font choice multiplied by Internet sizing, but it's something to watch out for when you make movies to be viewed online. On the last tilt up to the top of the mountain with Spider-Pig looking over the valley takes too long. Instead, I'd consider using a faster tilt with push into the pig at the very end of the scene. The main issue I have with the Scooby-Dooparody is that we never see a WoW version of Scooby! Rut-ro! I think Scooby would be a Shaman in Ghost Wolf form, but maybe that's not goofy enough. Any other ideas?
Today's feature is a humorous tale of QQ channeled into roleplaying entitled Pepitoz: The World of Warcraft Story. Although Rurikar, the same filmmaker who brought us the hilarious Jimmy: A World of Warcraft Story, seems lately to have moved away from machinima to creating his own animated shorts, Pepitoz is a character that stands the test of time. It is a tragic love story, with a twist. Perhaps a dash of music would've added even more humor, but that's my only critique. Anyone who is wincing at possible changes to their class upcoming in Wrath, you'll be able to relate to the source of the melodrama here.
If you have any suggestions for WoW Moviewatch, you can mail them to us at machinima AT wowinsider DOT com.
Yesterday I wanted to impress you all on my first Moviewatch post, so I showed you a very classy, serious movie. Today? Not so much! Instead, today I offer you a good laugh. MTGScreenie brings us his musical and comedy stylings in the form of Stuck in the World of Warcraft. This music video, set to Billy Joel's "We Didn't Start the Fire," but with WoW-specific lyrics, is a comic ode to the game he loves. MTGScreenie's singing isn't going to win any awards, but I think that makes the song even more endearing and funny, especially when he strains to hit the high notes or runs out of breath because the song outpaces him. The visuals won't blow you away, but you'll see lots of amusing reminders of things you love and hate about playing WoW. Seriously, people, who doesn't love lag and ganking!
Hey there, I'm the new WoW Moviewatch blogger since Moo unfortunately had to leave our hallowed halls. My first pick is a new film by Count Vrenna called Lingering Memory. The story follows a young Paladin's conflict with The Scourge at Caer Darrow. It's told without dialog or voiceover, with just a few titles by way of setup and some emotional music to carry the mood.
Count Vrenna asserts that this is his first time filming large battle scenes, but I wouldn't have guessed if he hadn't told me. The last scene showing rows of Death Knights -- including one of the Naaru, just like we find in Ebon Hold -- is chilling in its inevitability. Another scene I liked is where the hero confronts her fate and memories of her life flash before her eyes. It reminds me somewhat of Here Without You but without the love story. I've never quite gotten the hang of role playing but all these RP guilds making such cool recruitment videos sure make the idea tempting to try.
This is a hard post to make. I've grown so fond of the commentary and insults that it's difficult for me to tell you that today is my last day at WoW Insider. I've received an opportunity to work in machinima that will allow me to help machinimators in a whole new way. However, my replacement, Natalie Mootz, is an excellent blogger and I'm sure she'll make you proud! I'll miss you guys.
Instead of being overly sappy, I thought I'd do a top five list of my favorite machinimas and scandals:
Here Without You - This love story is three and a half years old, but has stood the test of time.
First of May - This extremely not-safe-for-work video caused a riot on Valentine's Day!
Well, I can't say that I understand the point of this video. I've heard that Dragonball Z was popular, but I always thought it was like Pokemon. At some point, you grow up out of that phase and are embarrassed to admit that you ever participated in it. However, Tryton appears to still be in it, so I'll humor the fans that are still letting go ...
He attempted to make a feature movie out of Dragonball Z, but tired of it. Instead, he took some of his favorite scenes from his effort and turned it into a trailer. In it, you can expect shiny colors, balls, and ... more balls ...
Inspired by Noah Kalina, the Brooklyn photographer that took his picture every day for six and a half years, DerangedTaco captured a photo of his Warlock every time he changed gear. The resulting timelapse is a journey from roughly level 20, all the way up to level 70. He worked his way from level 70 blues, and then progressed into S1 and S2 items. Due to the upcoming release of Wrath of the Lich King, he doesn't plan to get anymore upgrades, but the video is still pretty interesting!
If you have any suggestions for WoW Moviewatch, you can mail them to us at machinima AT wowinsider DOT com. Previously on Moviewatch ...
It's been an exciting couple of weeks in World of Warcraft. First there was the Harvest Festival, then Talk Like a Pirate Day, and now, Brewfest. Players are invited to kick back and relax with their friends while they participate in fun activities related to the alcoholic beverage we know and love -- beer.
Some of the festivities include the Dark Iron Dwarves, racing rams, and beer goggles. While the special mounts are rare drops now, it doesn't hurt to get out your stein and have a good time trying to get it. If you fail, well, you're still drinking, so that's a plus!
If you have any suggestions for WoW Moviewatch, you can mail them to us at machinima AT wowinsider DOT com.
(Warning: This machinima contains insinuations that will probably offend you. While nothing outright is dirty, we'd like you to approach caution when viewing this video. Also, it's Talk Like a Pirate Day!)
Spiffworld be no stranger to controversy, havin' been a key player in the V-Day Riot o' '08 (Very NSFW). However, comparatively, this music video looks like a Disney film. If you enjoy Seamen everywhere, though, then you'll definitely get a kick out of it. Arrrrrr!
[Thanks, Joshua!]
If you have any suggestions for WoW Moviewatch, you can mail them to us at machinima AT wowinsider DOT com.
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