Making Meaningful Machinima
by Lowe Runo
here are some "best practice" examples on how to accomplish the
following BIG 5 in "storytelling" machinima (follow links to YT)
1. Story/Character Development (avatars, clothes & props)
HP Lovecraft's Dagon (by Lainy Voom)
2. Animations and movement (Machinima is an Expressive Medium)
Playtime with Kara (by Lowe Runo)
3. Sets & Locations
Action Flick (by Lowe Runo)
4. Lighting, Shadows, Post Production
Addicted to Love (by Lowe Runo)5. Sound* (dialogue, foley, music)
*Lowe Runo's "silent" machinima (immediately below) is an exercise for you to experiment with to achieve a "soundscape" in which dialogue, foley and music complement each other. There is no sound on this machinima. You have to supply even the dialogue. We asked students to create the sound design for the silent machinima. We will post the top two machinima (with SOUND) a few days prior to our SL presentation. In the meantime, have fun and identify those critical markers that cry out for certain sounds. Match the dialogue to the lips. Consider various music and foley choices to achieve continuity. This exercise should prove to you the importance of right sound choices in your machinima, and how sound adds authenticity and forward motion.
The following videos include annotations to direct you through various machinima concepts relevant to crafting your story and engaging your audience. Your moderator is Machinimatographer Lowe Runo.