For the past several months I have been working on an idea that if all “my stuff” could be downsized into a backpack and a computer bag, can life become a little less complicated. With the advances of technology, I can say for myself, that I have nearly reached a Nirvana state of Life. With the exception of digitizing all my books and periodicals (still working on that), I have been able to reduce my wardrobe into a backpack. My computer backup (a couple of 1.5 terabyte external hard drives) contain all my files, cd’s, dvd’s and pictures. Family furniture and collected art pieces are in our home, but considering the ever present potential for earthquakes and brush fires at home, these items would be missed, but not the end of the world if “loss to a disaster”.
Having been able to get my “stuff” under control, I have begun to look again film making and the potential of making visual stories anywhere in the world. Feeling very cocky that I can basically function with my computer, internet and battery power sources, I figured that Machinima would be an easy fit to someone like myself (a reluctant disabled gimp).
I am not a gamer. I have even less aptitude at programming anything. What I want to do is just get the images down. My style of modding is just changing textures and sizes of things. The Opensim and Second Life allow me to do just that. Of course you can mod all sorts of things in those programs, but then doing Machinima becomes a brain twisting challenge for me. Too many Rube Goldberg methods to film a scene.
My preferred Machinima software is Moviestorm. iClone is great, but again to techy for my simple brain. What I like about Moviestorm is the simple point and click interface for making my “actors” and cameras go through their paces. What I don’t enjoy in Moviestorm (for that matter iClone, Second Life and the Opensim) is that when I want an item for the film, like a prop or piece of clothing and I can not just buy it, I have to try to decipher how to use some other piece of software like Blender, Milkshape or Daz to make it. All I’m sure is very easy to use for Natalie Portman or Hedy Lamarr, but not for me.
NY Times article – “Natalie Portman, Oscar Winner, Was Also a Precocious Scientist”
It is my hope that in the near future, my Machinima software will be not only be easy to use to film a scene, but also allow my imagination a manageable method to mod my sets, props, costumes and avatars instead of feeling I’m reinventing the wheel.
In a final note:
Many thanks to all of you who have brought Machinima to this point. Visual storytelling is truly nearly within the grasp of all.
- Mike
Having been able to get my “stuff” under control, I have begun to look again film making and the potential of making visual stories anywhere in the world. Feeling very cocky that I can basically function with my computer, internet and battery power sources, I figured that Machinima would be an easy fit to someone like myself (a reluctant disabled gimp).
I am not a gamer. I have even less aptitude at programming anything. What I want to do is just get the images down. My style of modding is just changing textures and sizes of things. The Opensim and Second Life allow me to do just that. Of course you can mod all sorts of things in those programs, but then doing Machinima becomes a brain twisting challenge for me. Too many Rube Goldberg methods to film a scene.
My preferred Machinima software is Moviestorm. iClone is great, but again to techy for my simple brain. What I like about Moviestorm is the simple point and click interface for making my “actors” and cameras go through their paces. What I don’t enjoy in Moviestorm (for that matter iClone, Second Life and the Opensim) is that when I want an item for the film, like a prop or piece of clothing and I can not just buy it, I have to try to decipher how to use some other piece of software like Blender, Milkshape or Daz to make it. All I’m sure is very easy to use for Natalie Portman or Hedy Lamarr, but not for me.
NY Times article – “Natalie Portman, Oscar Winner, Was Also a Precocious Scientist”
It is my hope that in the near future, my Machinima software will be not only be easy to use to film a scene, but also allow my imagination a manageable method to mod my sets, props, costumes and avatars instead of feeling I’m reinventing the wheel.
In a final note:
Many thanks to all of you who have brought Machinima to this point. Visual storytelling is truly nearly within the grasp of all.
- Mike