NEWS: Abso-facking-lutely HUGE Machinima film released

GEEK: Abso-facking-lutely HUGE Machinima film released

Heard of Machinima? It's the approach to filmmaking that uses computer game engines as sets and characters that gave us Red vs Blue.

Well, now Strange Company, the guys who invented the term "Machinima", have released the first episode of their latest film. They've been working on it for three years, it's the first feature-length film they've done and the largest Machinima project ever.

It's called BloodSpell. They describe it as a "post-goth punk fantasy adventure". It's set in a world where some people, the "Blooded", are infected with magic in their blood. When it is spilled, the magic comes out, whether to heal or kill.

When it's all out, BloodSpell will be approximately the same scale as the first Star Wars movie, but will have been made on the budget of 'Clerks'!

The first episode's available from the official site for free download under Creative Commons.

sweet. thanks for the info. downloading now.

Wewt! I shall honor their committment to this project and download at once.

Interesting. Reading further it looks like BloodSpell was made using Neverwinter Nights. They say that not only will it be available for download under Creative Commons, but people will have the ability to modify their "films."

So, it's like stealing someone's creation, changing it, and then allowing other people to change it even further.

I suppose as long as there's no money involved...

I long for a world where all TV programs were made using screens from Jet Set Willy on the ZX Spectrum with crappy voice overs.

Seriously tho, this will be the future of film in the... future. With better technology, people will be making their own films of Hollywood standard at home and posting them on the net.
Just as bands are doing already with MP3s.
Which can only be good!!!

This is very cool. Mainstream movies are moving towards the same point from the oposite direction with Andy Serkis being "scanned" into his roles.

Don't waste 90 mins of your life (if you haven't already) with BloodRayne (the movie, and unrelated to BloodSpell of this topic), but the few moments of well crafted filmmaking are when the film abruptly switches to cutscenes from the game.

Surely we could also replace reality tv with the SIMS?

I guess "post-goth" is what you come up with when you put a bunch of genres in a bag and shake-em up. It has a little of everything!

[Edited on Apr 27, 2006 by Jeff_Fries]

right, because a feature-length advertisement about how good neverwinter nights graphics are is gonna be bad for business.

No, when you see the word "post" appended to anything it means "we took all the fun out of ______".

/me jumps for joy, hits ceiling.

Neverwinter Nights and "good graphics" are really not words that are meant to be in each others' company. Unless, of course, you are talking about NWN 2. (Which is not the technology used in this film, seeing as the game isn't out.)

Sooooooo... Which game/engine does this use?

All the download links lead to the same download of the teaser trailer for me.

edit: nm, found it through another site.

[Edited on Apr 28, 2006 by Heathen_Dave]