A Rhetorical Analysis of User-Generated Machinima" (2009)
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Clemson University TigerPrints All Theses Theses 5-2009 Deus Ex Machinima: A Rhetorical Analysis of User- Generated Machinima Sean Callot Clemson University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://tigerprints.clemson.edu/all_theses Part of the Rhetoric and Composition Commons Recommended Citation Callot, Sean, "Deus Ex Machinima: A Rhetorical Analysis of User-Generated Machinima" (2009). All Theses. 562. https://tigerprints.clemson.edu/all_theses/562 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Theses at TigerPrints. It has been accepted for inclusion in All Theses by an authorized administrator of TigerPrints. For more information, please contact [email protected]. DEUS EX MACHINIMA: A RHETORICAL ANALYSIS OF USER-GENERATED MACHINIMA A Thesis Presented to the Graduate School of Clemson University In Partial Fulfi llment Of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Arts Professional Communication by Sean Jacques Cecil Callot May 2009 Accepted by: Dr. Jan Holmevik, Committee Chair Dr. Cynthia Haynes Dr. Tharon Howard ABSTRACT Beginning with corporate demonstrations and continuously evolving into today, machinima has become a major expressive art form for the gamer generation. Machinima is the user-centered production of video presentations using pre-rendered animated content, as generated from video games. The term “machinima” is a combination of “machine” (from which the video content is derived) and “cinema” (the ultimate end product). According to Paul Marino and other members of the machinima community, Hugh Hancock, the creator of Machinima.com, fi rst coined the term in 2000. Video productions of this kind have been used in various capacities for the past several years, including instruction or marketing, as well as rapid prototyping of large-scale cinema projects (Marino). In this thesis, I will briefl y outline the current research on machinima. I will then build a methodology for my own rhetorical analysis of machinima as they formulate the promotion of their arguments. This methodology will include examples from major rhetorical theorists, including Lloyd Bitzer, Kenneth Burke, and Gunther Kress and Theo VanLeeuwan, among others. I will then apply my analytical tools to modern user- generated machinima from a variety of sources as a series of case studies. These cases include non-profi t and for-profi t examples, as well as educational and entertainment examples. Finally, I will explain how this framework may be used as a guideline for rhetorically sound and effective machinima. ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This thesis would not be possible without the help of the many professors, teachers, and instructors who have guided me along this path. I want to convey special gratitude to Dr. Elisa K. Sparks and all those who urged me to follow graduate study, as well as all those who challenged me to grow as a scholar. I also want to thank my committee members, Dr. Cynthia Haynes and Dr. Tharon Howard, without whose encouragement, support, and desire for excellence this thesis would not have been possible. Dr. Jan Rune Holmevik, my advisor, deserves special recognition. Not only did he encourage me to develop my writing style and grow as a writer, but he was merciless in his commentary. His ruthlessness was exactly the impetus I needed to push past my limits and make the adjustments and revisions I needed to make. Dr. Holmevik’s guidance and desire for excellence set the standard to which I aspired. I also want to thank my family, who have always encouraged me to follow my dreams, even when those dreams involved playing video games for hours and hours on end. I’m sure they had no idea that the years I spent fi ddling around with video games would eventually lead to a course of graduate study. All the same, I would not be here if not for their love, support, and desire to see me succeed. My friends, who have essentially become included in my family, are also deserving of my gratitude. Finally, this thesis would not be possible without my Alix. She was the one who kept me going, telling me that I was smart enough and good enough to fi nish this. She was the one who stayed up with me, reading my revisions and helping me polish this thesis into its fi nal form. In fact, she was the one who inspired this title. If not for her, I would have given up long ago. It is to her that I dedicate this thesis. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS Title Page ..........................................................................................................................i Abstract .............................................................................................................................ii Acknowledgements ...........................................................................................................iii Table of Figures ................................................................................................................vi Chapter 1: Introduction .....................................................................................................1 Literature Review ..................................................................................................2 Cutscenes and Machinima as Narrative Devices ......................................................................................3 High Performance Play: The Making of Machinima .......................................................................6 9/11 Survivor: Failed Rhetoric ..................................................................8 Toward a Rhetoric of Machinima .........................................................................12 Chapter 2: Methodology ...................................................................................................14 Key Rhetorical Theories .......................................................................................14 Kenneth Burke- Drama and Language .....................................................14 Lloyd Bitzer- The Rhetorical Situation .....................................................17 Gunther Kress and Theo VanLeeuwen- Visual Rhetoric ..........................................................................................18 Technological Methodologies and Procedural Rhetoric ..............................................................................................19 Rhetoric and Technology in Action: A Day in the Life in World of Warcraft .................................................................22 A Composite Research Methodology ...................................................................26 Selection of Analytical Examples and Classifi catory Criteria ...........................................................................................28 Chapter 3: I’m Still Seeing Breen ......................................................................................31 iv The Game: Half-Life 2 ..........................................................................................32 The Song: “So Cold” ............................................................................................35 The Video ..............................................................................................................37 Analysis.................................................................................................................42 Exigence ....................................................................................................43 Audience ...................................................................................................44 Constraints ................................................................................................44 Language and Visual Components ............................................................45 Conclusion ............................................................................................................48 Chapter 4: How to Make a Flag that Waves in Wind ........................................................49 Second Life: A Virtual World ................................................................................50 The Producer: Torley Wong (Linden) ...................................................................53 The Video ..............................................................................................................54 Analysis.................................................................................................................62 Exigence ....................................................................................................62 Audience ...................................................................................................63 Constraints ................................................................................................64 Language ...................................................................................................64 Visual Components ...................................................................................65 Conclusion ............................................................................................................66 Chapter 5: Red vs. Blue, Season 1 .....................................................................................67 The Game: Halo ....................................................................................................69 The Series: Red vs. Blue (Season One) .................................................................71 Procedural Rhetoric, Visual Techniques and the Halo Engine ..............................................................................................72