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Machinima roundup: interview with Matt Kelland of Moviestorm

Alterati posted a short podcast discussing machinima with Matt Kelland, creator of Moviestorm, a free application that allows one to make their own machinima.

I agree with Matt’s assessment regarding the accessibility and empowerment machinima affords low-budget users – this is the glaring point that fuels many new art forms, especially ones rooted heavily in novel technologies. However, it would be shortsighted to pigeonhole machinima as solely a down-market phenomenon, ascribed only to fanboys and hardcore hacker types.

Part of the problem simply lies in its difficulty to categorize. First off many succumb to the almost uncontrollable inclination of comparing machinima with animation. I don’t fault people for this; it is almost precognitive. It is also true that even the freshest machinima productions still bear some ethereal resemblance to video games. These two facts bring preconceived expectations and associations to many people, therefore disrupting their ability to witness something as a purely separate phenomenon.

Converse problems arise when machinima is compared to film. While you are also dealing with actors and the production process is eerily similar, one can’t ignore the glaring differences in both cost and ease of complex content creation. This still remains the principle driving force behind machinima and what makes it an extremely practical tool for small and large enterprises alike. It is undeniable that this trend will continue; many machinima projects will be driven by companies looking to save on production costs, or by companies creating advanced video content that would otherwise forego the often-expensive alternatives such as animation.

However, in order to fully appreciate this emerging art form, one must view machinima as a separate thing unto itself. This shift in perception allows both artists and businesses to more easily explore and exploit machinima’s unique characteristics. I propose the question: in what cases is machinima actually a better alternative to animation or video production, costs notwithstanding?

Primarily it is superior for projects that are already heavily tied-in with virtual world experiences – whether you are providing a virtual extension of a real-world service, or simply engaging with your brand’s customers virtually. Additionally, hybrid real world / virtual world projects, where real world characters play the same role as their avatars and appear consistently in both worlds, lend themselves as perfect machinima candidates.

For example, a professor wants to archive his lectures and make them available to the public. Machinima is superior to traditional film in this case because 1) it is easier to be creative in explaining complex intellectual problems virtually than with a blackboard, PowerPoint, Flash, etc. and 2) the professor now has the unbelievable option of entering the virtual world and engaging in real-time. Appearing as the same avatar that was filmed, the recognizable professor can socialize with his subscribers, including many who would otherwise never have the chance of attending his office hours at Stanford. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, the critical aspect of learning within a social framework is not merely made possible – it is encouraged.

As always I look forward to others’ thoughts.