Finished!

Here is my machinima animation on YouTube.

http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=qo5_GCBeGJQ

I edited it in class using iMovie rather than MAGIX because the Mac to PC conversion proved a nuisance. Microsoft and Apple really need to get together and allow easy transfers between platforms because it's corrupting my memory sticks.

Working on movie

It is week 12 (which is actually week 9 for this particular subject, as it began three weeks late) and I have begun editing my Machinima movie. I did all the Second Life capturing - or 'filming' - last week so that I would have plenty of time for editing and my plan has so far worked sufficiently.

In class I am using iMovie for the editing, but the software has been updated so it's unfamiliar too me. If I don't end up using it, I'll be using my own editing software at home which is called MAGIX Movie Edit Pro.

Voice chat video

Blogger seems to have sped it up. It's not really this fast.

Comic version of story

Story improved.

The same story, but it makes a little more sense now. Sort of. Even if it's bad, the characters' names make up for it, because they're so awesome.

The series is called “Abraxas and Apology” and follows the expeditions of Abraxas and his sister Apology as he tries to get-rich-quick and she tries to live her life normally around him.

In the first episode, the story used for this brief, Apology is in her living room attempting to write a poem after watching a documentary about the soothing effects of poetry-writing. Abraxas, her rowdy brother, interrupts when he arrives on her doorstep and begs her to let him live with her. She initially refuses, as she knows Abraxas is generally hopeless and untrustworthy; years ago he caused her to get fired by a long and complicated expedition involving raw cow mince (she doesn’t like to think about it and thus, the story is never fully revealed in the first episode).

Abraxas begs her forgiveness, rounding on her name ‘Apology’ to use as blackmail against her. Exasperated, she agrees but demands he work hard to get back on his feet. He consents, claiming he’s ‘got a plan’. She decides to leave him be, attempting to go about her own life without his interruptions – she works from home as a multimedia designer – and continue to write poetry.

As she sits in her living room, Abraxas comes in and out of the apartment carrying televisions into the spare room she has given him. Apology tries to ignore her brother, but eventually gets too frustrated by her poetry-writing attempts and asks him what he is up to. Abraxas pulls out a brochure he swiped from somewhere about the Guinness World Records. He explains that he’s going to break a simple, but interesting world record and the publicity from it will undoubtedly make them all rich. She asks him what the TVs are for and he explains the record he is breaking is the largest number of TVs on in one room and is filling his room with televisions, much like the game Tetris, to break it.

Apology is wary and asks Abraxas where is getting the TVs from. He claims to have a ‘friend down at the electric store’. She is sceptical, but decides to give him another chance. Abraxas then asks her what she’s been doing all day and she admits she’s been trying to write a poem. He laughs at her, then starts to make up his own, mostly limericks. She gets annoyed and leaves him to continue stacking the TVs and calling out limericks.

When night-time comes, Abraxas calls out to Apology and says he is finished and is about to switch them all on to test it. She comes to watch at the doorway of the spare room. He plugs in the cord attached to the many powerboards to the wall and immediately causes a black-out. Apology rolls her eyes and walks away in the dark. Abraxas, however, is not at all deterred from his mission and calls out to his sister, asking if she thinks there’s a world record for ‘the worst poem ever’.

First story idea

I've come up with one story idea so far, taking inspiration from Dinosaur Comics (qwantz.com) and Haruki Murakami's short story The TV People, which I've mentioned a couple of times on this blog already. I don't know if I'll use this story as I think it's fairly uneventful and there is no clear connection between the poetry-writing and the television record. It's a little too random, but if I can't think of anything else I suppose it will have to do.

Apology Baxton is in her living room trying to write poetry. She’s talking to herself about her poems, reciting them out loud. She’s tried limericks, haikus, rhyming couplets, sonnets and free-verse but she doesn’t like any of her attempts.

Meanwhile, her roommate Leonard, keeps coming in and out of the room carrying televisions. On one of his trips out, he stops by the couch and asks what Apology is doing and she tells him she’s trying to express herself through poetry. Leonard laughs at her and she turns around to hit him, but notices he’s carrying a TV. She asks why and he explains he’s trying to set a world record by filling a room with working TVs. Apology asks which room he’s using and he tells her not to worry because he’s using the empty spare room.

Apology continues to attempt poetry-writing, but gets fed up and throws her notepad away. She turns around and sees Leonard bringing more TVs in. She asks where he’s getting them from and Leonard explains he’s borrowing them from a local electrical shop. Apology, annoyed at her lack of poetry-writing skill and quite bored by now, helps Leonard fill the room with TVs. He tries making up poems while they do it and Apology eventually becomes annoyed with him.

When the room is completely full, Leonard holds up the plug to switch them all on, but when he does, all the power goes off. Apology tells him he should find a new record to break. Leonard asks if there’s a record for bad poetry-writing.

I've always found it difficult to come up with a story with specifications. As much as I love writing, I prefer to do it at my own leisure. Also, having never lived in an apartment situation before and watching limited sitcoms, I'm at a bit of a loss of what to do. But we shall see where this goes.

Comics

Second Life Objects - TV Unit

The TV People are at it again. Looks like new company branches have been formed: the DVD Player People and the Xbox People!

Objects

I have built a crate and a television set, which I put together to create a makeshift lounge room! Now that I think about it, it's very reminiscent of Haruki Murakami's short story The TV People, about three people who creep into rooms and set up TVs in them, without speaking or acknowledging whether or not anyone can see them.

Week 2 T-Shirt & Earth

My first object: Earth.

Apology Baxton's new t-shirt with a Björk stencil on the front and odd ducks on the sleeves.

Second Life Intro & Locations

On Second Life, my name is Apology Baxton. Apart from Victoria University, I visited three locations and took snapshots.


LOCATION 1:

Location Name?
Club Neptune.

Region?
Angel Shark Shallows.

People Online?
Nobody, as I didn’t check the time of the gig and thus the club is currently empty.

What is done there?
Live music performances, dancing, clubbing etc.

What is your opinion of it, and why?
It is nicely designed with a large dancing space, a nice stage and is underwater thus the view outside is quite marvellous.

Would you visit again?
Yes, though I would come at the right time for a gig.


LOCATION 2:

Location Name?
China Forbidden City.

Region?
Versu Richelieu.

People Online?
There are three other people online.

What is done there?
Sight-seeing and taking snapshots.

What is your opinion of it, and why?
It is nicely designed, very large and a nice visual representation of the real Forbidden City in China.

Would you visit again?
Possibly to explore further.


LOCATION 3:

Location Name?
Sala Island.

Region?
Sala.

People Online?
Eleven all in one area, sitting in a circle.

What is done there?
Its description says Sala Island is for new comers with information for them. It also seems to be a holiday location with riding trails and wedding locations, etc.

What is your opinion of it, and why?
It’s extremely large and has a lot of work put into it.

Would you visit again?
Perhaps to explore further as it goes up into the sky for miles.