Some Changes To My Idea For Recording Mincraft

Several posts ago I talked about recording myself commentating Minecraft gameplay. Well I took some time to think about how long it would take just to record one episode.... a day in Minecraft is 10 minutes, dawn and dusk are 1 and a half minutes each, and night is 4 minutes long. That's 20 minutes from one morning to another. Nobody has the kind of free time to sit around for 20+ minutes watching some dude play a game. So I'm yet again changing my plan: I'm going to be filming short stories called machinimas. These movies are generally made as a person is playing a game and can range from 2-3 minutes. They can be really short - just for kicks - or they can be as long as a feature length move. I promise I will only post only short "just for kicks" videos on this blog. Machinimas have become increasingly popular lately and there is even a company (Machimina) solely dedicated to making these movies.
Here is one of my personal favorites from Machimina. I can explain what he is talking about in the first 30 seconds or so. Earlier in the year the Minecraft 1.3.1 update was released and VASTLY expanded the possibilities of the program. The update also allowed players to trade with the villagers in the game. The video below  shows how the company poked fun at the update.
Sorry about the advertisment trailer for a Halo movie at the end of the clip, but Machinima also made that movie and they're showing off their  creations. Anyway, here's the machinima.

Safety Not Guaranteed

I watched an independent, low budget movie this weekend that I highly recommend. My mom told me about it, so I thought it would be a “chick flick” with a predictable plot, a happy ending and a big sugary helping of romance. Thankfully, this movie is the opposite of predictable. The story follows a reporter and two young interns from Seattle Magazine as they try to find and figure out a man who placed a personal ad in the magazine seeking someone to be his companion for time traveling. Is the time traveler a mental patient or a just a little dim?  The discoveries these 3 magazine workers make on this assignment are profound and at times hilarious. I found myself rooting for the existence of magic and actual time travel long before the astonishing end to this movie. The cast is largely unknown, with the only familiar face that of Aubrey Plaza, who plays the same sort of jaded and deadpan character she portrays in the TV show Parks and Recreation. In this movie she is transformed as she gets to know the reclusive, strangely child-like grocery store clerk with big time travelling plans. This time machine builder who placed the ad is played by Mark Duplass, who along with his brother Jay produced the film. Mark and Jay make a very creative team, having been band mates in the independent rock band “Volcano, I’m Still Excited” in Louisiana. In “Safety”, Mark’s nerdy, boyish character quickly gains our devotion.  These likable characters embark on an adventure where they are the classic underdogs, with little hope of success and yet

The movie ends with a surprising and uplifting bang. I recommend you settle in and watch this movie next weekend. It’s a really nice way to spend a couple of hours.

Here take a look at this trailer...

 

Capture the Fall

Hey, so, this is the Capture the Fall independent video assignment. For my video I decided that I would take some stills of the woods and footage of the Northwest Branch watershed near where I live--- then add some transitions and music. The end result is a sort of video/slide show that highlights the beauty of nature in autumn. I hike here all the time with my family, including my dog.
This production was also a good opportunity for me to experiment with editing video at home. Up until now, I've spent a lot of after school hours editing in the studio. Equipment's in short supply and it means getting home really late. I tried out Windows MovieMaker on my PC and got a good result even though the software is not quite as professional as Final Cut. It would be great if there was a Windows version of Final Cut. I'm going to look into it.

Minecraft idea expanded

So after writing my Minecraft 1.4 update showcase with a picture gallery, I thought that the pictures took up a lot of space and it just didn't seem as natural as just talking to my friends about the new update. So to benefit myself and you (because I'm sure that all that scrolling was killing your finger) I've been looking into some screen recording software, and found a few highly rated programs that I'll do demos of later this week. Hopefully in the somewhat near future this blog will transform into a Minecraft vlog with some explanations, back story or left out information in the text area of the blog. I'm sorry that I couldn't get anything else really up on this blog but with Hurricane Sandy and everything things have gotten pretty rocky around here. Thankfully everyone is okay and I still have power. Now that things are easing up I promise that I will get that vlog up and running in a few weeks after I get recording software and an editing software that I'm comfortable with. Again I apologize that I don't have any big news about the block-y world of Minecraft but if you are reading this post to see something epic I will give you a sneak peak at something BIG coming to my Minecraft server soon.

Know what it is? If the answer to that question was yes, then you're either one of my close friends, a stalker or a mindreader. Well if you didn't know what this is, don't worry I didn't intend for this picture to make sense...by itself. So I'll leave you with that thought this week and I'll see you later everyone.