PIONEERS IN MACHINIMA The Grassroots of Virtual Production by Tracy G. Harwood and Ben Grussi Series in Critical Media Studies Copyright © 2021 Vernon Press, an imprint of Vernon Art and Science Inc, on behalf of the author. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the copyright holder and Vernon Art and Science Inc. www.vernonpress.com In the Americas: In the rest of the world: Vernon Press Vernon Press 1000 N West Street, Suite 1200, C/Sancti Espiritu 17, Wilmington, Delaware 19801 Malaga, 29006 United States Spain Series in Critical Media Studies Library of Congress Control Number: 2021930170 ISBN: 978-1-64889-214-1 Also available: 978-1-62273-273-9 [Hardback]; 978-1-64889-206-6 [Paperback] Product and company names mentioned in this work are the trademarks of their respective owners. While every care has been taken in preparing this work, neither the authors nor Vernon Art and Science Inc. may be held responsible for any loss or damage caused or alleged to be caused directly or indirectly by the information contained in it. Every effort has been made to trace all copyright holders, but if any have been inadvertently overlooked the publisher will be pleased to include any necessary credits in any subsequent reprint or edition. Cover image: Machinima Europe 2007. Cover design by Vernon Press. Table of Contents Key Terms v List of Figures and Tables vii Prologue: An interview with Kim Libreri, Chief Technology Officer at Epic Games ix Chapter 1 Introduction 1 Chapter 2 In the beginning: Diary of a Camper 9 Chapter 3 Machinima! [.com] 27 Chapter 4 Rooster Teeth Bites 79 Chapter 5 The French Democracy in Action 121 Chapter 6 Stolen Life Lives On 143 Chapter 7 Begin Again? 169 Chapter 8 Conclusion 195 References 207 Index 229 Key Terms .dem Type of file, demonstration file AAA (Triple A) Top tier games developer, best funded for game development and marketing AMAS Academy of Machinima Arts & Sciences AR Augmented reality BBSs Electronic bulletin boards EULA End user license agreement Indie (Independent) Independent game developer or film studio LAN Local area network LED Light emitting diode (screens) Machinima 3D real-time animated filmmaking (machine- animation-cinema) Machinimator Machinima creator MMO Massively multi-user online [game/environment] Mods/modding Modification, process of modifying NCP Network channel partner/ship P2P Peer to peer (sharing) SFX Special effects VFX Video effects (a variation of special effects, SFX) VJ Video jockey VR Virtual reality List of Figures and Tables Figures Kim Libreri (centre) holding the first Technology and Engineering Emmy for Unreal Engine in the category '3D Engine Software for the Production of Animation' at the 2019 70th Annual Science & Technology Emmy Awards hosted by the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. ix Figure 1.1: Ben Grussi with Ricky Grove, image captured at Machinima Film Festival 2008. 3 Figure 1.2: Author Tracy Harwood at Machinima Europe Festival Awards 2007. 4 Figure 2.1: Screencaps Diary of a Camper. 13 Figure 2.2: Screencap Ranger Gone Bad II: Assault on Gloom Keep. 17 Figure 2.3: Screencap Devil’s Covenant. 17 Figure 2.4: Wolfenstein3D. 22 Figure 2.5: Doom. 23 Figure 2.6: Quake. 24 Figure 2.7: Quake II. 25 Figure 3.1: Screencap Eschaton: Nightfall. 30 Figure 3.2: Screencap Quad God. 32 Figure 3.3: Screencap Apartment Huntin’. 33 Figure 3.4: Screencap Anna. 34 Figure 3.5: Hugh Hancock. 36 Figure 3.6: Screencap In the Waiting Line. 40 Figure 3.7: Screencap MTV Video Mods. 41 Figure 3.8: Screencap [COMPANY]Rulez! 55 Figure 3.9: Unreal Tournament (Epic Games). 73 Figure 3.10: Unreal Tournament 2003 , released 30 September 2002. 73 viii List of Figures and Tables Figure 3.11: Unreal Tournament 2004 , released 16 March 2004. 74 Figure 3.12: Half Life , released 18 November 1998. 75 Figure 3.13: Sims 2 , released 14 September 2004. 76 Figure 3.14: Screencap Beast demonstrates CrazyTalk. 76 Figure 3.15: Screencap Clockwork, used Moviestorm (and iClone ). 77 Figure 4.1: Rooster Teeth Achievement Hunter let’s play Minecraft team. 99 Figure 4.2 : Rooster Teeth ’s journey. 102 Figure 4.3: This Spartan Life (Halo ). 120 Figure 5.1: Screencap The French Democracy. 124 Figure 5.2: Screencap Son-in-Law. 135 Figure 5.3: Screencap An Unfair War . 139 Figure 6.1: Peter Rasmussen. 144 Figure 6.2: Screencap Rendevous . 146 Figure 6.3: Screencap Killer Robot. 146 Figure 6.4: Screencaps Red Igloo (2000) | Joy (2000). 147 Figure 6.5: Screencap Stolen Life. 151 Figure 7.1: Peter Greenaway at 48 Hour Film Project . 176 Figure 7.2: Screencap Cyberswine. 178 Figure 7.3 : iPi Soft markerless tracking presented at the Machinima Expo 2012. 187 Figure 7.4 : Screencap Clear Skies 3 (2011). 187 Figure 7.5: The future of storytelling: convergence of creative industries. 190 Figure 8.1: Four Themes: Pioneers in Machinima. 195 Tables Table 3.1: Machinima Inc. summary of key investments (2004-2019). 52 Table 6.1: Peter Rasmussen Innovation Award board of trustees (2008). 150 PAGES MISSING FROM THIS FREE SAMPLE Chapter 1 Introduction It's funny, recently the term and practices around ‘virtual production’ are making waves across film, VFX and animation studios… one only needs to review the history of Machinima.com to see virtual production's roots are directly linked to it. That, to me, is how impactful the site was. It provided practices and language to a creative process before that process had fully formed. History should honor the site’s foundation and how its grassroots filmmakers had nurtured this innovative approach that’s causing fundamental shifts in how stories are now being told. Paul Marino, Lead Cinematic, Aspyr Media and Founder, Academy of Machinima Arts & Sciences (AMAS ) (interview, 2020) 1.1 Introduction This text explores the emergence of machinima through the lens of the original pioneers of the form. Much has now been written about machinima from theoretical and critical perspectives, from the roles of technological advancements to reviews of the machinima films that creators have produced since it was first recognized in 1996. We have not set out to provide a critical review the work of other authors on the subject or indeed a comprehensive review of the vast body of creative works that have been produced over the years, rather we have sought through this text to provide a different perspective which is complementary to others albeit one which they have not reported, or only fleetingly commented on. We begin the text with a Prologue, an interview with Kim Libreri who is now the chief technology officer for Epic Games but whose previous roles and experiences have made him one of the world’s leading figures in virtual production today. Whilst Libreri is perhaps best known for his work on the Bullet Time shots in The Matrix , his use of machinima tools and techniques over the years, and his passion for enabling emerging filmmakers to connect with increasingly professional tools for virtual production through his recent work at Epic on Unreal Engine , provide a unique insight into the convergence of film and game for real-time experiences. His words will resonate with many machinima filmmakers, and the stories he refers to give additional context to 2 Chapter 1 the battles faced by machinima creators and their emergent creative technologies practices. There are numerous touchpoints throughout the book that link back to Libreri’s comments through the voices of others we have attempted to capture. Through the chapters, our aim has been to tell the pioneering stories of creative practice which led to the now global recognition of the machinima phenomenon and its impact beyond into other creative forms, social contexts and creative industries. We do this by providing a detailed overview of the most influential key events from our perspective. We explore the producers and works that shaped how the community evolved from its earliest days to most recent times, reflecting the voices of members of the community by telling the stories through their memories and insights. Some of the key events we report will be familiar to some, but it is clear from our extensive research (which between us has been collected over 25 years since its earliest days) that the reach of machinima has far exceeded the roles of the original community of creators. Thus, we have attempted to bring the story of its evolution up to date: its boom and bust and re-emergence, reflecting the state of the art in 2020. Specifically, our discussion leads us to conclude with four key themes emerging from our analysis of the earliest pioneers’ works. These are the multifarious roles of community in shaping the trajectory of machinima’s development; how the tentacles of commercialization impacted that trajectory; the influence of demand for converged media; and the potential of real-time creative practice. We acknowledge that others may select different production lenses to review the world of machinima as it has evolved and, indeed, there are many perspectives that can be added to our text. This is our story and our selection but we are certainly open to discussion and welcome additions to this effort by others in the future. 1.2 Our roles in the Machinima story As authors, we are connected with the machinima community in different ways. Ben was part of the original core community whose earliest engagement with machinima began long before the term was coined.