While reading the Eve-Online forums recently, I ran across a link to a wonderful video called Clear Skies, which was “filmed” entirely within Eve-Online and Halflife 2. While it bended the backstory of Eve-Online a little, it was nonetheless a very impressive and very humorous example of machinima, a.k.a. films produced using realtime 3D engines such as those found in video games. I encourage anyone to download the film and check it out. I’m not just saying that because I’m an Eve-Online fanatic, I’m saying it because it’s just plain GOOD. For those who are still unconvinced, here is the trailer:
I started playing Eve-Online because of an unfulfilled Firefly fetish (since it was canned after season 1), and those of you familiar with that show will likely see some similarities in Clear Skies. They both have the feel of a western in space, and both center around the underdog crew of a spaceship trying to make a living in a hyper-capitalist environment. I can only hope the creator, Ian Chisholm, can find the time to make more episodes for everyone’s amusement. As this 32-page thread on the Eve forums attests, his creation is very popular.
There are a few popular examples of machinima out there (Red vs. Blue, Star Trek: Borg War, etc.), and even an example of machinima on television (Portal, the TV series). The thing that really makes these shows stand out is that films like this can be produced with a PC, a video game, and a little creativity. As gaming engines become more sophisticated, I am sure machinima will become more popular and more prevalent. Does anyone have any favorites they care to share?
July 26th, 2008 at 10:24 am
Clear Skies rocked!