Happy Fourth from Sonicity

The old adage is a picture is worth a 1000 words.   So I suppose a video falls within that category to some extent, as a moving image.  This is my third annual Fourth of July CHEESECAKE Virtual Tribute Video.  You might argue whether or not you consider this worthy of viewing, and I would not debate you on that.  But I would add, always be sure to have fun with your tools.

Media making should be fun, and sometimes you just have to play.  If you love media, you will breathe life into all you do.   My biz partner, Lowe Runo, and I recently completed the book, Machinima (due out later this year) – and you know what – I needed a break!!!   I didn’t go anywhere this holiday, no exotic travels not even in SL, but I had a good time filming my friends and editing, and I feel all the better for it.

This machinima is merely intended as a fun video of celebration of good times with friends.  Pushing aside politics for a weekend, and economc woes, and definitions on the art and practice of machinima , I am merely focusing on the fact that it is the USA’s birthday weekend.   This is how I choose to celebrate the Fourth of July.  I hope you smile a bit, and maybe think “What if – what if – I did a silly video with my machinima skills.  Do I dare?”    My lesson in this column – never forget how to have fun with media, no matter if it is machinima, radio, photography, etc.

Catch my TRIBUTE MACHINIMA on YouTube.  And Happy Fourth of July to Americans whereever you are.  And to the rest of the world, may you find something special in your life every day.

Sonicity

Forthcoming, Machinima: The Art & Practice of Virtual Filmmaking (McFarland, Fall 2011) by Sonicity Fitzroy and Lowe Runo (Forward by Persia Bravin). The Professional Machinima Artist Guild graciously provides syndication of Sonicity’s blog Magnum: The Machinima Review to Aview.TV/Sonicity/

A tribute to Lowe Runo, founder of the Professional Machinima Artist Guild and the Second Life Machinima Artist Guild.

You say it’s your rez day.  Whoot!  Whoot!
Saying Happy 5th Rez Day to Lowe Runo, of Lowe Runo Productions LLC.  As you most likely know, Mr. Runo is my book co-author and biz associate in the machinima and media world.

We just learned today from our publisher that our book cover has been completed! That’s a nice surprise for Lowe on his special day!

http://www.mcfarlandpub.com/book-2.php?id=978-0-7864-6171-4

  Soni

BTW, here’s Lowe’s thank you video to all his friends, a reflection of his five years in SL.

Forthcoming, Machinima: The Art & Practice of Virtual Filmmaking (McFarland, Fall 2011) by Sonicity Fitzroy and Lowe Runo (Forward by Persia Bravin).  The Professional Machinima Artist Guild graciously provides syndication of Sonicity’s blog Magnum: The Machinima Review to Aview.TV/Sonicity/

Once again, producers, performers, and supporters gathered together for a world-wide screening of machinima in all its forms.  The MaMachinima Festival ran Saturday, June 18 to Sunday, June 19 (Friday/Saturday, RL) in Second Life at The Linden Endowment of the Arts Theatre.   This screening is extremely critical in that it celebrates the depth and breadth of machinima, in all its styles and production platforms.   Chantal Harvey (above), founder and CEO of the MaMachinima International Festival (MMIF), is instrumental to the coordination of this real life, real time event in Amsterdam as well as in Second Life.   Amsterdam, as a RL mecca for machinima, has become pivotal as a location for the annual screenings, with Chantal having worked as a filmmaker there during her career.

But also this festival speaks to the artistic potential of the film form, machinima in and of itself, given that Northern Europe has had a long tradition of forwarding art through new technologies.  Overall, more than 50 short films were featured.  The producers came to center stage to discuss their motivations behind their machinima stories and their technology practices to their fellow filmmakers and viewers internationally.

It was good to see machinimists Phaylen Fairchild, Pooky Amsterdam (and her associates), Toxic Menges, Al Peretz, AnimaTechnica Ataro Asbrink, Cecil Hirvi, jjcc coronet, Flimsey Freenote, Hypatia Pickens, Kate Fosk, Larkworthy Antfarm, spyVspy Aeon, and others on stage and/or among the filmmakers in the audience.

I attended, along with Machinima Artist Guild Founder Lowe Runo, to see the works of so many good and talented people who have helped to mature the art and practice of machinima, and in doing so we hoped to pay tribute to those who contributed to our forthcoming book on machinima this fall.

The MMIF was a virtual feast of all genres of machinima, showcasing hours of films made through Second Life, but a significant portion of the festival was dedicated to those machinima made through Moviestorm and iClone.    The audience loved it all – no matter the platform!

MMIF is a reference point for those interested in machinima filmmaking.  The selections capture the range of machinima’s potential as a technology and storytelling agent. So many stories came to life during the festival, projected on the big screens within the beautiful LEA dome theater as the viewers immersed themselves into the visual treats before them.

Breathtaking and credible, to hilarious and engaging, so much talent in one room – thanks Chantal and your crew for making this possible.  I have no reservations saying, “no Buts about it, a wonderful event” – once again!!!

And special thanks to Aview.TV founder for being supportive of machinima.

For more information about the annual event and other machinima activities sponsored  by Chantal Harvey, refer to the organizational site at http://MMIF.org.

Kudos to all involved!   Look for more pics in the July issue of Best of SL Magazine.     Soni

Forthcoming, Machinima: The Art & Practice (working title, McFarland, 2011) by Sonicity Fitzroy and Lowe Runo. The Professional Machinima Artist Guild graciously provides syndication of Sonicity’s blog Magnum: The Machinima Review to Aview.TV/Sonicity/
Posted by Soni! at 11:32 AM Labels: Amsterdam, Aview.TV, Chantal Harvey, LaPiscean Liberty, Lowe Runo Productions, Machinima Artist Guild, MaMachinima

Jennifer Tipton is one of the First Ladies of Lighting.  I am not talking about the invention of electricity or any gadget.  Tipton, as one of the first women light designers, found a way to fuse fog and light in a brilliant manner to set the stage ablaze.   I am honoring a woman who is internationally renowned in her field of expertise – lighting for the stage, studio and dance.  Although she has no affiliation with Second Life, to me, she is one of the original windlighters.  Let me explain...

We rarely think what’s behind the magic of cinema.  Magic – in all its broadness and derivatives – is the idea behind this year’s Second Life 8^th Anniversary beginning June 21^st.  Second Lifers, in particular, are so accustomed to technology and special effects that we take magic for granted. 

Women in the Spotlight

The history of lighting is a fascinating study, and it is amazing to hear the stories of those early women pioneers in lighting such as Loie Fuller (1852-1928) and Jean Rosenthal (1912-1969).  It is both AMUSING and AMAZING to see the magic behind what was accomplished so long ago for what we can do now much more easily with computer technology.   Yet, I venture to say some of their tricks are relevant today, and it is always good to learn from the masters of the trade.  For now, however, I must press forward with a bit about another talented woman of light, Jennifer Tipton.   For more about Fuller and Rosenthal, go to The Light Fantastic.

Why Ms. Tipton?

I was invited to write several entries for The Multimedia Encyclopedia of Women in Today’s World.   I am a professor, so that is what I do sometimes.  Occasionally I come across a fascinating individual, and the project takes on new meaning.  I begin to see parallels in their career with other media makers and innovators of technology.    Tony Award winner Jennifer Tipton was my assignment, among other leading ladies of media.   Tipton’s talent in lighting is well known in the worlds of dance, opera and theater.

Think The Nutcraker for stage and television, then think The Paul Taylor Dance Company, The Metropolitan Opera, the American Ballet Theatre, and so forth, and you will begin to understand how accomplished she is as a lighting designer.  She is known for her use of color and ability to make lighting breathe and dance on stage and film.   She has more than once stated that light is visual music.   It is no surprise then – that now 73 – she is also renowned for her lighting expertise in multimedia interactive performances.  She recently worked with Indonesia artist/dancer Sardono W. Kusmono.

White Magic

Next time you see white light and machine fog envelope a stage or a scene in a movie, think of Ms. Tipton.  In her case, she sought a way to cloak the entrance and exit of the dancers on stage.   Believe it or not, it was a revolutionary application of an existing technology, and it was used In The Upper Room (1986), performed by The American Ballet Theatre at New York City’s Center:

“The dancers are invisible until they are picked out by Tipton’s precise, razor-sharp lighting. It’s a simple effect, familiar to anyone who has driven a car on a foggy night,” explains art columnist Michael Bierut.  He continues, “[I]n the hands of this brilliant designer the results are as mesmerizing…dancers seem to materialize out of nowhere before your eyes every few seconds. Tipton’s lighting is the kind of magic that delights you even when you know how exactly the trick works.”

It is not a matter of unleashing smoke across a space; it is the talent to be able to craft it within the lighting design.  I am not crediting her for creating the smoke machine but merely illustrating here how she thought out of the box – and how lighting can be crafted within an environment.  By the way, the first fog machine was introduced in 1979, with little history to be found on the inventor.  Lighting has always been a bit of trickery among the best lighting designers.

Mood Lighting

To Tipton, light is an emotional experience, and she is able to sense it like one would hear music.   That is her analogy, not mine. She has trained many of the prominent lighting designers, and won the MacArthur Foundation’s Genius Award and the Dorothy and Lillian Gish Prize for her exceptional skills and passion in her field.   She became intrigued by lighting during college, and it was a path few take, and perhaps it seemed less glamorous to many who would prefer center stage. Yet she caught the attention of the world, and made a career out of a road less traveled.

Future Lighting Designers

It is something to think about as machinima filmmakers.  What might you contribute to the field of machinima?  Sometimes we get caught up wanting to be the producer or the talent, but in reality there might greater talents within us – if we consider what we really like about the process of making a film or bringing a theatrical event to life.    What is it that we enjoy most about watching and producing a film or live production: is it the sound, lighting, costumes, writing, animations, etc.?

Tipton has prepared countless students on the magic of lighting at the Yale University School of Drama, but remains active in her profession.   Simply put, you might say that Jennifer Tipton still lights up the stage, the studio and the world.

Further Readings

Acclaimed Theater Lighting Designer Jennifer Tipton to be honored with the 2001 Dorothy and Lillian Gish Price, http://gishprize.com/pdf/2001_tipton.pdf

Bierut, Michael. Designing Twyla Tharp’s Upper Room. The New Design Observer, November 6, 2005, http://observatory.designobserver.com/entry.html?entry=3797

Jennifer Tipton. MacArthur Fellows. Mac Arthur Foundation, September 2008, http://www.macfound.org/site/c.lkLXJ8MQKrH/b.4537293/

Stoudt, Charlotte.  Jennifer Tipton lights up REDCAT, and many other stages.  Los Angeles Times, Entertainment, September 11, 2010, http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/culturemonster/2010/09/jennifer-tipton-at-redcat.html

The light fantastic – Fuller, Rosenthal & Tipton: beginning with Loie Fuller in the nineteenth century, dance has pioneered the development of twentieth-century stage lighting, http://www.thefreelibrary.com

http://wn.com/Jennifer_Tipton (Jennifer Tipton interview video)

Photography by Sonicity, and thanks to model Bel Barnes for helping out with the shoot.

Until next time…. Soni

Forthcoming, Machinima: The Art & Practice (working title, McFarland, 2011) by Sonicity Fitzroy and Lowe Runo. The Professional Machinima Artist Guild graciously provides syndication of Sonicity’s blog Magnum: The Machinima Review to Aview.TV/Sonicity.

Off-to-grandma’s-house as we go for another round of machinima chit-chat. Not that I am grandma, haha, rather I must give credit where it is due. I rely on the collective wisdom of those who have influenced me through the years, and of late as Lowe Runo and I have spoken to so many on the subject in the writing of our book. As I promised last round, in this blog I focus on the work of wordsmith and cinematographer Toxic Menges, an artist and storyteller of filmmaker John Alton’s standards, who experiments with the virtual potential inside Second Life to achieve quality machinima with minimal post production. First let me set the stage for her work, by offering some context.

You remember the buzz around the major motion picture Red Riding Hood (2011), starring Amanda Seyfried, and based on the screenplay by David Leslie Johnson. The movie takes the classic tale for a cinematic spin on the big screen. I have to give credit to my “author” dad for passing along some conceptual wisdom: the best story ideas are those that take a “classic plot” and make a twist to it – the setting, the characters, the events all become variables in designing the audience’s cinematic ride. It is fairly much common sense advice (dog bites man vs. man bites dog), but it is worth some thought. Begin this way: we take one element and think what if we did this instead, what then?

If you are into the ZOMBIE movie mania, maybe just play around with the concept of the undead. What about Little Red Riding as a Zombie?

Or, then what about werewolf zombies in the ‘hood. Maybe, Little Red goes to the Big Apple (just think Wil Ferrel in Elf). Okay-Okay-you get the idea. Sometimes it works, sometimes not (and it might be well received by some viewers and not others, as in the case of the Twilight series (vampires, werewolves, etc. as romantic icons, say what?). I, personally, lean toward Lost Boys and Dust to Dawn and would warn my children against romantic encounters with any of the living dead. Oh btw, on that note, watch Aaah Zombie – love the make-out scene between zombies (below is the shot from the couple’s perspective, but the next scene shows them as lover zombies at a crowded bowling alley).

The plot is from the zombie’s perspective, and if nothing else, the movie has been applauded by reviewers for giving zombies a voice on screen. The movie gets trite after 30 minutes, but the concept is different.

In the case of the 2011 Red Riding Hood, it tried too much, and overall flopped. Director Catherine Hardwicke had a difficult task at hand of taking an old formula and making it fresh in a relatable way. Film critic Robert Ebert came down hard on the film and it didn’t fare well among audiences. But alas, this is the risk when you take a familiar concept and mess with it. The reason that I bring all this up is to draw parallels to machinima, especially those films that arise from within immersive virtual environments.

In the case of Toxic Menges’ machinima version (September 2010 release) of the storybook classic, Little Red Riding Hood, her tale offers a unique perspective, not only in the storyline and dialogue (a tongue-in-cheek romp through the virtual woods, like heard in the open: “Hey sexy woodsman, I am kind of in the market for some wood. You want to meet me at our normal place, baby,” says Red), but its visual magic, presented in glorious color and vivid texture, is seen in her ability to deliver an amazing set design and animate the action creatively (you gotta love that rotating ball during the chase scene). In a recent interview, Menges told me that she uses minimal post production, and achieves nearly all her titling and effects within Second Life. She is definitely on the cutting edge of realizing the potential of virtual filmmaking in SL’s cinematic friendly interactive, immersive 3-D environment.

So-maybe-the-morale of this column is machinima continues to be a wonderful cinematic avenue for experimentation, and respected increasingly among audiences, filmmakers and reviewers for its encouragement of artistry. It is not just a twist of the plot, but that is critical; it is the willingness to twist and turn systematically and not so systematically all or some or maybe just one of the elements involved in filmmaking, and that includes considering how a story idea might take on a new reality/perspective when created in a virtually constructed environment.

From fairies to zombies, the retelling of classic tales through machinima can offer audiences that often needed/desired “twist” to catch their interest and keep them engaged. The cinematic perspective should cater to our human emotion as well as our twisted and wonderful imaginations. On that note, I make brief mention of an upcoming motion picture Dylan Dog: Dead of Night, debuting Friday, April 29^th. It was released in Italy on March 16, 2011. Dylan Dog is based on the dark Italian comics series (1986) set in London, and its cinematic interpretation maintains the idea that the main character is a detective who solves paranormal cases. His assistant is a zombie. Some tales never go away, but it is how they are reinvented on paper and screen that gives them new life. Machinima is as much an art form as the storybook, comic book, and the graphic novel, and as much as we want to create cinematic realism through this medium, we lest not forget to embrace its imaginative potential to takes us beyond mere capture into the world of ultimate creation.

Machinima as a choice in filmmaking brings its own challenges and rewards to storytelling – it offer us sometimes innovative ways to express and experience those timeless tales. As I close out, note in the references, a link to PsychoFlounder’s machinima trailer, The Beginning of the End, created through Garry’s Mod. Filmmaking choices even between machinima platforms do make a difference to your final look, conceptually and technically.

Reference Links:

Aaah Zombies (2007), review, http://www.bloodygoodhorror.com/bgh/reviews/09/20/2010/aaah-zombies-wasting-away

Ebert, Roger (2011), http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20110310/REVIEWS/110319996

Menges, Toxic (2010). Little Red Riding Hood, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5zZ6_RPYIg

PsychoFlounder (2011), The Beginning of the End, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XBXS2shdRQ4&feature=player_embedded

Garry’s Mod, info site, http://store.steampowered.com/app/4000/

Forthcoming, Machinima: The Art & Practice (working title, McFarland, 2011) by Sonicity Fitzroy and Lowe Runo. The Professional Machinima Artist Guild graciously provides syndication of Sonicity’s blog Magnum: The Machinima Review to Aview.TV/Sonicity/

Note:  Photos of Sonicity taken at Club Nine’s first anniversary, April 26, 2011, courtesy of owner Umberto Giano.

the$10,000Linden Question-of-the-day is: What does it take to complete a book on the aesthetics and practice of machinima? Hmmm, let’s see, at least a year of solid research, and many more years of professional experience in media making – not just from authors Lowe Runo and Sonicity Fitzroy, but the larger machinima community.

Machinima is unique, but its makers do draw from other media practices. Then of course there are various perspectives from the machinima community, and it becomes difficult to include them all as well as all platforms.

So many talented people were not included in our book, and partly it had to do with their commitments at the time when we made a general call for machinimatographers and their supporting community. Yet many did contribute to the making of Modern Machinima: Aesthetics and Practice in Game and Virtual Filmmaking. The manuscript now awaits the first round of review by the publishers and the process continues through the summer months, with a Fall 2011 release scheduled.

After many draft rounds, and with the authors realizing the diversity of platforms and methods in making machinima, we decided it was best to focus on the transformation of an idea to machinima – the story or vision that drives the work, by (1) contextualizing machinima within the schools of thought and practice within cinema, television and animation (all with rich histories), (2) underscoring the essence of storytelling that runs through virtually every machinima project, and (3) inviting producers, actors, educators, artists, broadcasters and so forth to share their expertise and experiences.

A series of roundtables were administered through Lowe Runo Productions, LLC, to provide an open forum to guide the authors, and those views often found their way into the text of the book. It was certainly an inclusive process, and as a result the book is stronger for it. It tends to lean toward those interactive, immersive, massive multi-player gaming platforms, like Second Life, War of Warcraft, and The Sims, while acknowledging the larger historical practices of other game engines.

The book brings together my perspective as a media maker, particularly one who dwells within sound, and my co-author’s expertise in the crafting of still and motion images. He also loves to blow up things and I do think the chapters on sound and post-production exemplify our respective interests. On the other hand, every machinima needs a theme of some sort that entices the viewer to watch, and to continue watching. That is the heart of machinima. The pulse may vary among producers, with some works more reflective at times, and others that sweep you off your feet and barely let you catch your breath.

And some machinimatographers would likely make John Alton proud, ascribing to his classic Painting with Light (1949), one of the first books written on cinematography. Alton was a renowned cameraman who could tell a story through lighting. Alton is known for his film noir lighting in American in Paris, among other films. He broke all the rules and challenged directors to look beyond available technologies and techniques to light the story by first visualizing it. Alton painted first with his imagination, and then he sought ways to arrange the set and characters to tell the story. He challenged the conventions of other technical directors. Alton approached lighting as an artist, painting a scene through color, shadows, and innovation. He was not flustered by the limitations of technology, neither should the machinimist.

Next time, I will focus on the work of Toxic Menges, an artist and storyteller of Alton’s standards, who experiments with the virtual potential within Second Life to achieve quality machinima with minimal post production.

For now, I put the main thrust of the book to rest, for further discussion when its publication draws near. I will continue to highlight the works of its contributors, as well as others – and other issues and themes that seem appropriate to achieving and exhibiting magnum machinima.

References
Alton, John. (1995/1949 orig). Painting with Light. 4th edition. Los Angeles: The University
of California.

A number of machinimatographers and members of the supporting community contributed to our book as interviewees, contributing writers, and/or participants in roundtable discussions:

Contributors included: Iono Allen, Pooky Amsterdam, Larkyworthy Antfarm, Asil Ares, CodeWarrior Carling, Dr. Bryan Carter, Penumbra Carter, Decorgal, Draxtor Despres, Gene Williams, Evie Fairchild, Michael Gray, Kit Guardian, Chantal Harvey, Laurina Hawks, Phaylen Fairchild, Rysan Fall, Kate Fosk, Yani Jowisz, Alley McNally, Thinkerer Melville, moo Money, Wiz Nordberg, Toxic Menges, al Peretz, Dr. Jonathan Pluskota, Kara Trapdoor, Cisko Vandeverre, Tikaf Viper, 1angelcares Writer, Suzy Yue, and Jayjay Zifanwe – among others.

[Photos: Authors Soni & Lowe demonstrating green screening which ended up as a tribute video for the late Robert Palmer; Phaylen Fairchild (as a teapot, and in the midst of a production) being interviewed by Sonicity; Toxic Menges (as a horse, in the midst of production) being interviewed by Sonicity. All photos taken at Lowe Runo Productions, LLC.]

Forthcoming, Machinima: The Art & Practice (working title, McFarland, 2011) by Sonicity Fitzroy and Lowe Runo. The Professional Machinima Artist Guild graciously provides syndication of Sonicity’s blog Magnum: The Machinima Review to Aview.TV/Sonicity/

Everyday is a good day for machinima. But January 2nd was an exceptional day. It began the day after the New Year in Second Life. The 25 days of machinima. Now as we move toward the end of the month, it is a good time to reflect on how the machinima community likes to celebrate its own in Second Life. So many came out to support MaMachinima Queen Chantal Harvey’s screening of Good Day Today, which launched the 25 days. And it was a good day to bring out the troops to view one of her latest projects. Not so long ago, I reviewed Chantal’s A Woman’s Trial in this column, if you are looking for some background on this amazing woman. Before her screening, Chantal was introduced by her good friend, the very talented machinimatographer Phaylen Fairchild (also recently blogged by yours truly).

So a bit about the film; it features music by the renowned American filmmaker/composer David Lynch and stars Penumbra Carter as Lil Robot. Surreal was one of the adjectives used by viewers to describe the film, besides the numerous other accolades, acknowledging an overall superb performance and production.

The machinima was shown in the media house in Mango, followed by a celebratory party with Slim Warrior at the DJ helm.

My complete story will be published in the March 2011 edition of Best of SL Magazine in the Events and Society Pages. I will name names! – those who attended!

I could go and on about machinima, but for now Lowe and I have a book deadline to meet. I am going to have to be sparse until we turn in the manuscript in March to our publisher.

Soni

——

Chantal’s website is http://mamachinima.eu.

The Complete BOSL Flickr set

Good Day Today, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZsfNLZsyLQg

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Forthcoming, Machinima: The Art & Practice (working title, McFarland, 2011) by Sonicity Fitzroy and Lowe Runo. The Professional Machinima Artist Guild graciously provides syndication of Sonicity’s blog Magnum: The Machinima Review to Aview.TV/Sonicity/

Wonderfully Phaylen. Make Me Laugh, beautifully! Ah, we meet again, for the continuation of my series on art in machinima, as I feature the art of machinimist Phaylen Fairchild this round. Her machinima work is beautifully captured and created, but her stories are typically comedic. Her humor is well conceived and executed, and her visuals are striking. I had a moment to chat with her about connections between visualization in art and machinima. I will be interviewing her at length for an upcoming book dealing with machinima, and I look forward to our extended talk. For now, I have a couple of emerging theories about this still art and machinima bond. First let me make it clear, that not every still artist is or becomes a machinimist. Second, not every machinimist is or will become a still artist. Yet, machinima, solely and collectively as a film genre, are composed (yes, I have used the appropriate word in this case) of a series of still frames. Motion moves us forward through the frames.

But there are times in a film, where the producer wants the audience to stop – and absorb the moment. It is as if the film stops, the screen appears frozen, and of course in a film that never happens technically. But for the viewer it does – time stands still. Stillness requires mastery in a motion picture. A still photo invites us to experience the artist’s reality often in the same way. So as you contemplate on all this, I would like you to look through the eyes of Phaylen, and tell me not if you cannot see the richness of this frozen space (but never frozen image). It is a space filled with an imprint from her mind of a story revealed on virtual canvas, let’s say a composite of her imagination, memories and vision. Each still work has a setting, character, and a story to tell.

This is the mind of Phaylen Fairchild, machinima diva of Second Life, WOW, and virtual kingdoms yet to conquer. She understands what makes us laugh (as in her World of Warcraft Divas series, to name only one). But when you look at and through her still photography, you begin to know there is so much to her understanding of the human soul, what makes it tick, and the self-knowhow of understanding makes herself inspired. Get a glimpse of her soul, and you will begin to appreciate the importance of every frame of your machinima. Just remember Phaylen does know how to have fun, but beautifully, in her art and machinima! She is playful and contemplative, and image matters in still and motion works. So when you smile at her ironic artistic interpretations of virtual life, or gut roll onto the floor while watching her beautifully composed machinima, you have entered Playlen’s (lol, Phaylen’s) world of artcraft. – Soni

Her work is on display in the outside court of the
Radiant Cathedral and Museum
Phaylen’s Sample Machinima:
DiVAS – Phaylen and The World of Warcraft
DiVAS Season 2, Episode 2
Phaylen and The World Of Warcraft Blood Elves
DiVAS: Season 2 Episode 3
Moxie Polano: Haute Couture – Commercial
Harbinger Movie Trailer

Forthcoming, Machinima: The Art & Practice (working title, McFarland, 2011) by Sonicity Fitzroy and Lowe Runo. The Professional Machinima Artist Guild graciously provides syndication of Sonicity’s blog Magnum: The Machinima Review to Aview.TV/Sonicity/
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Just Published. “Media, Machinima and the Virtual Runway: The Rise of Fashionista in Second Life” (November 2010) in SCAN Journal, by yours truly under my RL name.

Photos taken at the Opium Time Machine Fashion Event, Summer 2010). (Soni, BEST OF SL Magazine reporter/photographer, in white)

Iono Allen’s untitled art gallery rests in the midst of an artistic wonderland, surreal and serene. A visit to his gallery and surroundings (especially his underwater exhibit space) underscores how machinima reflects his love for art in life, be it SL or RL.

Iono’s Gallery:  http://slurl.com/secondlife/Vanguard/64/224/2

Miss Hong Kong

Miss UK

Miss Australia

Miss Canada

Miss Bahamas

Each of the press members were asked to prepare two questions.  The questions were as diverse as the answers.  My two questions were “If you showed me around Second Life, where would you take me to show the beauty and intelligence of SL and why?”  and “If you could create your own virtual world, what would it be like?”   All the questions delivered were more difficult to answer than one would think, given the presence of the press and so many influential people in the audience nearby. Not to mention language differences among the international contestants added a bit of complexity to the competition, with interpreters on hand  to assist in translations.

Miss German on the runway

BOSL Magazine Editor-in-Chief Umberto Giano took his turn at a question: “I’ll ask this fast before I crash a 4th time.  Should you not win the title of MVW 2011, would you support the organization in the future and how would you do so?”   Miss Germany Leandra Breen answered, “The organization of MVW is such a great and well working institution. It’s not only the contest, it is a fabulous crew of amazing people. I will and would always support each one of them as best as i can. I am very proud to be here and if another stunning Miss wins, she will have me in first row for cheer.

Miss Germany

The questions were only one part of the official press event. Contestants were also judged on ability to add their own special twist to the Tres Beau original that was provided to them.  The featured dress, Katina, was styled in a 1920’s fashion with “lots and lots of glam!,” said the lovely hostess and event organizer Giela Delpaso at the show’s opening.

BOSL CEO Frolic Mills

Giela Delpaso

Miss MVW 2010 Miaa Rebane

For more information, see the BOSL blog.

Here’s a video of all the contestants  (HD Version).  Stay tuned for the beauty saga of 2011 Miss Virtual World.

And check out my Flickr site made for the event.

 Soni