Machinima for Dummies

We’re just submitted six chapters, making up just over 25% of the manuscript. It’s seems incredible that we’ve written a quarter of the book already, but we really have

So far, we’ve written chapters that feature an all-round introduction to machinima (and to the book), set design and texturing, in-engine character design, directing, editing and distribution. We’ve been using The Sims 2 as an example engine for a lot of this content. Most of ours Sims 2 stuff is done now. I’ve got to say, I’ll be glad to see the back of it. It’s a wonderfully flexible and content-rich engine, but it’s just got too many quirks for me. I found myself spending most of my time trying to find away around seeming dead-ends than actually making a film. I know that’s true of all machinima, but it just seemed more prevalent with Sims 2 somehow.

We interviewed Michelle and Kheri from Brittanica Dreams on Monday (via the miracle of Skype, of course). We’re using The Snow Witch as one of our case studies, and we’re hoping to be able to interview other prominent machinimists later in the book.

By far the hardest part of the writing process has been the editing: going over work you’ve already written (often days or weeks ago), and formatting it correctly, correcting the bad spelling and terrible grammar, and deleting the run-on sentences such as the one that you’re currently reading. Not only is it dull, tedious work, but it brings you down to earth with a nasty splat. The lines of witty prose and elegant discourse of you which you were so proud when you composed them last week are exposed to the harsh light of day. And let me tell you, oftentimes they do not look good.

The more you edit, the more depressed you get. It’s 21:30 over here, and Hugh and I have only just finished work for the day - a day which consisted largely of editing. I’ve almost lost the will to live, - but it’s finished, dammit.

“For Dummies” publisher announces “Machinima For Dummies”, a Do-It-Yourself guide to using the latest computer graphics technology to make the next Hollywood blockbuster – on a zero budget.

Wiley Publishing is pleased to announce “Machinima For Dummies” (ISBN-13: 9780470096918; $29.99; Pub Date: July, 2007), a DIY guide to using “Machinima” technology, based on computer games, to produce 3D animated motion pictures at a fraction of the cost of conventional filmmaking.

Written by Hugh Hancock, one of the founders of the Machinima movement, and Johnnie Ingram, former editor of Machinima.com, “Machinima For Dummies” will explain, step-by-step, how to go from playing computer games on your PC or Playstation to using those very same games to make movies on the scale of “Lord of the Rings” or “Star Wars” – all in your own home on a zero budget.

“Machinima is a very new movement in filmmaking, and a very exciting one,” says Hancock, who coined the term “Machinima” with programmer Anthony Bailey in 1998 to give a name to the new movement. “Thanks to amazing technology coming out of the computer games industry, it’s now possible for anyone – a sixteen-year-old in their bedroom, a housewife working in between looking after the kids – to make films telling stories of a scale that can rival the greatest Hollywood blockbusters.”

“Machinima is such an exciting amalgamation of topics we publish on in the For Dummies series– graphics, gaming, writing and storyboarding, digital movie editing,” says Melody Layne, Acquisitions Editor at Wiley. “ It's really exciting to see players pushing the outer edges of gaming and turning it into a medium for artistic expression. We want to be a part of it.”

“Machinima For Dummies” will provide practical details on how to make films with Machinima in a variety of ways, from “live” puppeted filming in Massively Multiplayer games to program-like “scripting” languages. It will provide an introduction to scriptwriting, storyboarding, cinematography, and all the practical details needed for any filmmaker, in an easy, step-by-step format with practical, real-world examples drawn from popular culture.

Hancock has high hopes for the book. “With ‘Machinima For Dummies’, it is my hope anyone, anywhere will have enough information to finally create the story they’ve always dreamed of. Hollywood be damned.”

“Machinima For Dummies” will be released in Summer 2007 from Wiley Publishing.

About Hugh Hancock

Hugh Hancock was one of the two people who coined the term “Machinima”. Since 1997, he has worked as a producer and director in this new field of animation, working on over 16 films. He is the founder of www.machinima.com and a founding member of the Academy of Machinima Arts and Sciences.

Hugh has lectured on Machinima on three continents and was described by the Hamburg International Film Festival as “the guru of the Machinima movement”. Currently he is nearing completion on the episodic feature film, BloodSpell, available now from www.bloodspell.com

About Johnnie Ingram

Formerly a professional theatre director, Johnnie retrained in computer sciences in 2004, before joining veteran Machinima production company Strange Company. Since then, he has become one of the mainstays of the Machinima community, working as Editor of Machinima.com, 1st Assistant Director on BloodSpell, and commentating on Machinima in magazines and online.

For Dummies®

With near universal name recognition, more than 150 million books in print, and over 900 + topics, For Dummies is the world's bestselling reference series. With loyal customers around the globe, For Dummies enriches people’s lives by making knowledge accessible in a fun and easy way. Described by the N.Y. Times as “more than a publishing phenomenon, but a sign of the times,” For Dummies span every section of the bookstore, covering everything from health to history, music to math, sports to self-help, technology to travel, and more. The Dummies brand has expanded into new products and categories with an extensive licensed product line, including fitness and hobby DVDs, grilling kits, business software, cleaning products, automotive kits, craft kits, and apparel. For more information, visit Dummies.com. For Dummies is a branded imprint of Wiley.

Hello, and welcome to the MfD blog.

If you haven’t heard, we’re writing a book for the lovely, lovely For Dummies guys, all about how to make Machinima. That’ll be over 400 pages of Machinima goodness for you lucky, lucky people.

And we’ll be blogging it here, sharing our experiences, trials, tribbilations, and bits from the book or bits that just wouldn’t fit in.

Enjoy!