Comedy and Machinima

“It’s not true unless it makes you laugh,

but you don’t understand it until it makes you weep.”

- The Illuminati Papers (1980)

Comedy is difficult to do.

More precisely, *good* comedy is difficult to do. Shit comedy is perfectly easy to do!

Leaving aside the fact that most comedic events seem to centre around clown-like slapstick laughter at other peoples’ expense, creating good quality (and by that I mean *real* “laughing out loud” belly laughter) is actually very hard to do.

How much more so then in Second Life where avatar facial expressions are, at very best, basic and unconvincing, and most of the resident population do not use voice chat.

In a single stroke, two of the primarily mainstays of comedy – face making and voice intonation (which includes imitationary and onomatopoeic sounds) – are severely hampered when using SL.

Now, that’s not to say that there is not humour and laughter in SL – far, far from it.

I spend a goodly chunk of my time in SL sharing laughter with others. I know numerous people who are adept at using Second Life for “comedy” – a skilful combination of role playing, method acting, quick wit and fast typing; the Puddlegum Family being exemplary examples.

There are also Second Life “comedy clubs” which are almost always conducted in voice and try, as much as possible, to emulate the RL versions of such venues. They are popular and manage to create a fun atmosphere. The comedian could be a professional, semi-pro and there are even amateur “pass the mic” nights. It’s all good.  

But these are not quite what I want to address in this blog-post.

Today I am considering Second Life being used as a platform for the production of a comedy machinima, or perhaps even a sit-com.

And here it gets sticky. If comedy is difficult to do even under the best of conditions then how much more so in…well, let’s just say, “in Second Life”.

It ain’t gonna be easy!

But it can be done! And it *has* been done.

Although I have seen quite a few SL machinima which have made me smile or amused me, a number that have made me giggle or chuckle, I can only think of four off the top of my head which have given me a hearty-healthy belly laugh (happy to be advised of others!):

·        ‘Man Vs Second Life’ by Sean Krueger

·        ‘Man Vs Second Life Part 2’ by Sean Krueger

·        ‘My Online Girlfriend’ by Scooby Mode

The fourth film – 2^nd Place Winner of MachinimUWA IV - is the subject of the remainder of this blog-post.

‘Artwashers’ (embedded blow) by Friday Siamendes is a very funny feel-good film. I am sure you’ll enjoy it.

But, I would be dishonest if I neglected to point out certain things about these four films.

The fact is none of them are particularly special or impressive cinemagraphically. There. I said it.

Sorry.

But the fact is most RL comedy films are not especially impressive cinemagraphically either – and they don’t need to be! What they need, above all else, is a bloody funny script! And these four films provide that aplenty.

I am trying to think of a film specifically billed as a “comedy” that *is* cinemagraphically impressive...’Time Bandits’ maybe? The Bill and Ted franchise perhaps? Woody Allen films are always funny and impressive but not quite what we are talking about here.

I am sure that there must be cinemagraphically impressive comedies. Tutsy is almost certainly going to supply me with a long list of impressive French-speaking comedies to watch to prove the point (but I haven’t even finished watching ‘Blue Angel’ with Marlene Dietrich yet!)

But what I am trying to say is that a good comedy script can easily make up for any perceived weakness in the technical quality of the filmmaking – in bucket loads, in fact!

‘Artwashers’ was awarded 2^nd Place at MachinimUWA IV and I think this surprised quite a number of people, including me. In my MachinimUWA IV Top 10, I had it ranked at #7 (which is still bloody high, in a field of 80 entries!).

But it is a good film. A fun film. With a great script.

And these elements were strong enough to carry it to such a high ranking at a prestigious machinima award ceremony.

I hope to see more SL machinima comedies being created in the future – there is clearly a desire and a market for them – just look at the impressive view figures for the four films I have listed.

Please now enjoy Friday Siamendes’ ‘Artwashers’:

Rabbits Are People Too

“…and the rabbits sang as if every sparkling drop of morning dew were a fountain of inspiration to them...”

- The Pickwick Papers (1836), Charles Dickens

Simon on her Hatch Day, 365 days ago

Today, Simon - my oldest rabbit - has her 365^th Rez Day !

As I have explained before, whereas human avatars have one Rez Day per year, virtual rabbits have one Rez Day per day.

It's just another one of those Marvellous Mysteries of the Metaverse.

Celebration Carrot Cakes

In this transient, changeable and fickle world that is Second Life, not many rabbits actually make it to their 365^th Rez Day – geez, very few human avatars even make it to their 1^st Rez Day if retention figures are anything to go by!

So it really is quite a feat that Simon has survived so long! A good reason indeed to celebrate - especially after her difficult early life.

You see, Simon has certain gender issues that she would rather we didn’t discuss publicly.  She is a very sensitive rabbit; a buck trapped in the body of a doe.

Suffice it to say that she would rather we didn't address her by her real birth name, 'Simone'.

"Call me Simon"

Vellhi hatched two days after Simon.

Vellhi is always happy! Doesn't matter what happens, he is *always* happy!

How cool is that?

Well, actually, not very cool at all.

I am sad to report that a leading pet psychologist recently diagnosed Vellhi as suffering from Chronic Obsessive Happiness Disorder.

Watching him is like watching a clown perform at your grandma's wake - you know it is *intended* to cheer you up - but it is such singularly inappropriate behaviour that is just doesn't!

Vellhi - Catastrophically Happy

My youngest rabbit is Orwell - named after George Orwell and Orson Welles.

He is a nasty piece of work, a real evil buggar. He likes to call himself 'Napoleon'.

He taunts my other rabbits mercilessly: "If you're a buck, then why dontcha got a willy? Huh?", he will say. And things like, "Keep taking your pills, Happy Boy!"

Today he even threatened to bite off Tutsy's face!

Orwell - No one ever has a good word to say about him

In April 2011, Orwell got himself in trouble with The Authorities for faking his own death to try and claim the insurance money.

Because it was his first offence (that they were aware of), the police let him off with a caution. One of their friendly councillors gave him a donut and told him to stick more closely to church related social activities.

Orwell - Notorious Death Faker (April 2011)

Each of my rabbits has its own foibles and quirks, its own weaknesses and strengths, its own vulnerabilities.

And I love each one of them for who they are.

Because each of them is an individual.

In that respect at least, rabbits are people too.

Pixie xx

A Healthy Dose of Mikati Slade

 I logged in to see a group notice from Art Gallery Diabolus (home of the Cybernetic Art Research Project) announcing that the latest installation by Mikati Slade would be opening in a few hours.

I knew I would definitely be pulling out all the stops to be there!

Mikati is a Japanese digital artist who studied classical sculpture and drawing at university. I first met her at Burn2 2011 and said at the time: “Now, if I had to isolate just one exhibit for you to go see…just one, then, without doubt it would be Mikati Slade’s simply stunning ‘Popscape’. It is a gigantic, no-apologies, no-compromise celebration of Japanese popular culture”.

(click images to enlarge)

Her new installation, Kuru Kuru World maintains the Japanese Pop Art style of Popscape but, believe it or not, is actually even bigger than Popscape, is even less apologetic than Popscape and makes even fewer compromises than Popscape!

This is a tremendously good thing!

Such is the respect for and interest in Mikati’s work that at the opening I saw Bryn Oh, Scottius Polke, Marcus Inkpen, Fuschia Nightfire, Claudia222 Jewell – all of whom I admire and have previously blogged – prolific art photo-journalist Tim Deschanel, noted art blogger Quan Lavender and many others also attended.

However, I was the only person with the depth of fashion sense to proudly don Mikati’s “Popscape” hat!

There is something decidedly uplifting and healthy about Mikati Slade’s work. It is brain candy; indeed, it is チキンスープ for the soul!

Mikati’s work cheers the heart on a frosty day! It provides colour, comfort and warmth in an increasingly gray, disturbed and cold world.

Is there a deep meaning to this work, Kuru Kuru World? Probably, yes. Almost certainly Mikati will be able to share with you some philosophy or idea behind her installation. And this is all good.

But, you know what? The work is - in and of itself, as a visual structure in its own right - enjoyable enough that there is no *need* to overlay a secondary layer of significance.

I love it just how it is.

I mean, you don’t play Pacman and expect to discover supernatural life, right? Or amuse yourself with Super Mario Brothers and expect each coin to turn into the Higgs Boson.  Or even while away a few hours on Street Fighter II Turbo and expect to fight Titian as the End-Level Boss! Of course not.

But nevertheless each of these activities is thoroughly enjoyable and worthwhile in their own right, without any need for further explanation or justification.

And so it is, I believe, with Kuru Kuru World.

There is nothing “shallow” about this installation. On the contrary, Mikati Slade proves herself to be a digital sculptor of formidable knowledge and talent, with a deep understand of colour and shape. It is just, simply, that Kuru Kuru World is so enjoyable an experience that it doesn’t *need* any vindication other than to be what it is.

Kuru Kuru isn’t, in my opinion, a cerebral installation.  Nor is it a sensual installation. It is a visceral gut-level injection of innocent joy.

And for that reason alone, I sincerely hope you visit it.

Pixie xx

Synchronicity, Serendipity & Coincidence in Virtual Worlds

In the Name of Annah,

the Allmaziful, the Everliving, the Bringer of Plurabilities!

Haloed Be Her Eve!

Her Singtime Sung!

Her Rill be Run!

Unhemmed as it is Uneven!

from ‘Finnegan’s Wake’

James Joyce

(orig. pub. 1939)

This blog-post discusses the intuition that instances of synchronicity, serendipity and coincidence occur more frequently in Virtual Worlds than in the Atomic physical world.

I was intending to use as examples recent occurrences I have had in Second Life with Squonk Levenque and Phillip Sidek, and our respective connections to Treptower Park - both in RL and, photographed on this blog, the SL version.

However, all too rapidly the events became too intense, too entangled and too personal to try and unravel and make sense of on a public blog.

(Click images to enlarge)

In at least one respect, coincidences are very much like dreams – to the person experiencing them they can be interesting, absorbing and intensely meaningful - but, the sad fact is, that it is often awful to have to sit and listen to others’ tell of their dreams and coincidences!
And I wouldn't want to inflict that upon you, dear reader.

So with this in mind I decided to make this blog-post somewhat more general and impersonal - discussing how events in time in Virtual Worlds often seem to “flow” at an accelerated rate in comparison with their atomic equivalent.

I am not thinking here of the rather commonplace “time flies when you are enjoying yourself” experience but rather a sense that ones personal learning curve, ones personal “life experience quotient” if you will, is somehow accelerated by having a virtual presence.

It seems sometimes as if virtual living allows us to pack more life-experiences into a given unit of time than would be possible in the atomic world. I think it is therefore possible to conjecture that virtual worlds could – by design or otherwise – facilitate a kind of “emotional incubator”.

Just as we already use computerised simulators to learn skills like flying an aircraft, surgery and other mechanical procedures, it might be possible to develop virtuality to help individuals emotionally and psychologically mature at an enhanced rate.

In fact, even with the shortest time immersed in some of the many various sub-cultures in Second Life you’ll hear people say how their affinity for different types of music has expanded; tell how their understanding of, for example, the GLBT community has been improved; describe a new-found ability to communicate and empathise with people quite unlike themselves – an ability which they never previously even suspected they had.

There are many more examples beside, but the point I am trying to stress is that without any co-ordinated effort or central planning, many people are already experiencing in Virtual Worlds a rudimentary form of the “emotional incubator” I am trying to describe.

In my mind’s eye I am visualising Virtual Worlds being employed in a manner analogous to, say, the so-called “astral journeys” used to experience the Sephiroth of the Qabalistic Tree of Life or maybe some of the techniques employed in Jung’s analytical psychology - perhaps even to Timothy Leary’s and others’ claims for the therapeutic uses of psychoactive drugs like LSD.

Understand that I am not stating that “virtual worlds are like astral journeys”. Nor am I advocating the use of psychoactive drugs or expressing a preference for the psychological philosophy of Carl Jung.

Not at all. What I am attempting to do is make a comparison between their *claims* (whether real or imagined) for the “accelerated evolution of human consciousness” with what I am envisaging could be a possible similar use for Virtual Worlds.

And I do feel that there are valid grounds to compare the internal image-making consciousness-exploring techniques of the Qabalah, Jung’s psychology and psychoactive drugs with an immersive presence in Virtual Worlds.

In my First Life I have noticed that instances of synchronicity, serendipity and coincidence seem to occur more frequently when I am “in the zone”, or “riding the wave”, “on the crest of a wave”, “on a high” etc.

Things just seem to fall into place at such times – the right people call; someone passes me just the right link; the right DVD is returned to the library the day I go looking for it; I get introduced to a friend of a friend who happens to have an expertise I need. I am sure you have similar experiences.

I believe I have noticed a direct correlation between the frequency of these things and my own internal sense of well-being.

That is, the better I feel about myself the more frequent are the occurrences of synchronicities, serendipities and coincidences.

In and of themselves, it is not the synchronicities, serendipities and coincidences which are making me feel good about myself – they appear to be a side effect of some sort.

No, I think that other things are contributing to me feeling good about myself and the synchronicities, serendipities and coincidences follow on from that.

Sure, there is likely a feedback loop from there – the synchronicities, serendipities and coincidences sometimes result in changes in conditions or circumstances which then reinforce the feeling of good about myself which then in turn results in further synchronicities, serendipities and coincidences… and so on.

But there is a more fundamental cause in this chain of events, I believe.

Something, or more likely some things (plural), is/are occurring to make me feel good about myself in the first place – and this initiates the chain which we have just described.

My sense of well-being seems to be directly proportional to my sense that I am “being me”. That is, that I am behaving in a manner that is natural for me – as an individual human being – to behave; that I am creating in a way that is natural for me – again, as an individual – to create; that I am dressing, working, playing and resting as naturally befits who I am as a unique individual.

When these elements of my life are smoothly functioning like a well engineered machine, my sense of well-being sky rockets and, seemingly magically, synchronicities, serendipities and coincidences follow in abundance.

In Virtual Worlds, we find that many conditions are easier to control and influence than their Atomic World equivalents.

Objects can be moved and positioned with pin point accuracy without many of the frustrations experienced with physical objects. The avatar body can be adjusted in so many ways that it is possible to have the perfect body – no matter how one might define that. One can dress in any way or have tattoos or piercings, hairstyles, jewellery and all the rest which just may not be possible in Atomic Life, for whatever reasons. One can conduct oneself in practically any way, if on the right region or parcel, without being questioned or harshly judged.

In short, for those motivated enough, it is possible to build a simulation of the environment and personal conditions that that particular individual needs to express themselves in a more natural way than their atomic life might permit.

This, I believe, leads to an increase in ones sense of well being and, as such, has genuine therapeutic possibilities.

In this blog-post, I’m suggesting that the ability in Virtual Worlds to effortlessly manipulate objects, easily change looks and the ability to reside in a community of likeminded individuals who will allow you to behave in most any manner you wish without repercussions, sets up the exact same set of conditions which simulate the “being me” that leads to an increase in well-being.

And that, I submit, is why instances of synchronicity, serendipity and coincidence apparently occur more frequently in Virtual Worlds than in the Atomic physical world – because we are more easily able to create environments that are natural to who we are as unique human beings.

Pixie xx

Credits:

All pictures taken on 'Treptower Park' region owned by Squonk Levenque and Miuccia Klaar (co-owners of Kamikaze fashions).

Special thanks to Phillip Sidek for providing the inspiration for these thoughts and ideas.

MachinimUWA IV - Winners Announced!

For the second time, Tutsy Navarathna wins first prize ($L60,0000) at the MachinimUWA film awards, this time with his "Welcome to the Other Side" (which I am proud to have appeared in).

I won 2^nd Prize ($L6,000) in the Audience Participation Top 10, correctly forecasting eight of the Top Ten winners from a starting pool of 80+ entrants.

The full list of winners are listed after the main feature but here is a reload of Tutsy’s prize winning machinima (his third major machinima win in the last few months)…

Full List of MachinimUWA IV Winners



MachinimUWA IV: 1st Prize (L$60,000) - 63 Points
WELCOME TO THE OTHER SIDE by Tutsy Navarathna
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dm4XY49gdzc&feature=player_embedded


MachinimUWA IV: 2nd Prize (L$40,000) - 47 Points 
ARTWASHERS by FRIDAY SIAMENDES of California
http://vimeo.com/28513091


MachinimUWA IV: 3rd Prize (L$30,000) - 42 Points
ART OF THE ARTISTS by Fuschia Nightfire of Dorset, England
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p2Nj5ivMTX8


MACHINIMUWA IV:  JOINT 4th Prize (@L$22,500) - 35 Points
QUBIT: COGNITIVE DISTORTION by spyVspy of Lisbon, Portugal
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p9V46Qy5IyE&feature=player_embedded
VIRTUAL LOVE by Iono Allen from the land of Amore, France
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYIL0FZoUCo


MachinimUWA IV Special Award for  EMOTION (L$19,000) 
YEAH by Hypatia Pickens of the Unites States
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KiC2sYwDuJw&feature=player_embedded


MachinimUWA IV Special Award for BREAKING THE BARRIERS (L$19,000)
TRANSFORMATION VIRTUAL ART ON THE BRINK by L1aura Loire / Dr Lori Landay, from the College of Music, Berkeley, USA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6mCrjkzzDJk&feature=player_embedded


MachinimUWA IV Special Award for THE SOUL (L$19,000)
DUAL by Veruca Vandyke of Arkansas, USA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJdeYql_hNk&feature=youtu.be


MachinimUWA IV ANTON MESMER Special Award (L$19,000)
A PLACID OCEAN OF UNCERTAIN LIBERTIES by Cecil Hirvi, Citizen of the Universe.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mGjkeiX_6tg&feature=youtu.be


MachinimUWA IV Special Award for THE HUMAN HEART (L$19,000)
LOVE PRAYER by Hypatia Pickens
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHuXudCPtp8


MachinimUWA IV - Audience Participation
1st Prize (L$10,000): LALA LARIX - 66 points
2nd Prize (L$6,000): PIXIE RAIN - 58 points
3rd Prize (L$4,000): LALIE SORBET - 54 points


THANK YOU TO UWA FOR A FABULOUS CONTEST & CEREMONY!

MachinimUWA IV - Award Ceremony

Sunday 6am SLT is the MachinimaUWA IV Grand Finale Awards Ceremony.

It is a RSVP event and I will be attending as Tutsy Navarathna’s guest.

Tutsy’s “A Journey into the Metaverse” was joint-winner of MachinimaUWA III before then going on the take second place at MachinExpo 2011.

As Chair of the Judging Panel for THE SEXIEST^® adult machinima contest, I must be demonstratively impartial and unbiased in that particular competition. This is obvious, stands to reason and is only right and proper.

However, as an audience member for MachinimaUWA, I can be as biased, prejudiced, unfair, partisan and opinionated as I blooming well want!

So, even though the competition for IV is very very tough this round, I’ll be getting right behind Tutsy’s entry - “Welcome to the Other Side” -  which I am delighted to have appeared in.

Come Sunday night, I will be dressed in my favourite Cheerleader outfit, waving my pom-poms in JayJay’s face and charging the audience to:

“Give me a ‘T’! Give me a ‘U’! Give me a ‘T’….” ad nauseum.

Well, perhaps not.

But I am gonna have a great time, regardless of who wins!

I am really, really looking forward to it and will embed the winner here after Sunday's ceremony!

In the picture above, the comic-book speech bubbles are gifts from BobE Schism. They were props from his extremely popular and fabulous first-ever machinima - “Hanging Out To Dry”.

Hanging Out is not in MachinimaUWA but, I love it so much, I just wanted an excuse to embed it!

THE SEXIEST® Film Awards 2011 - Judging Panel

THE SEXIEST^® Film Awards 2011 officially kicked-off yesterday.

This is Second Life’s most respected machinima contest for adult, sexual and/or erotic content.

Last year four of my films were nominated for awards and ‘Sex With Strangers’ ended up taking the ‘Best Special Effects’ award.

This year however, I have been asked to Chair the Judging Panel – see the public announcement here.

As Chair of the Judging Panel my duties include forming a suitable panel of judges, organising a scoring regime, acting as a communication point for the organisers of the competition and ensuring fair play.

It is important to realise that under the normal course of things I do not  vote  - except in the highly unlikely event that there is a tie for first place in a particular category, in which case I have the casting vote.

The names of the actual judges will be kept under wraps until the award ceremony – 28 January 2012. Until that time, only I know who is judging the competition – even the organisers will not be told. Furthermore, even the judges do not know who else is on the panel.

It goes without saying that none of my films will be entered into the competition.

I give my word that I will do my very utmost to ensure a fair competition and that all entries get a fair and equal hearing.

Only remains for me to wish everyone the best of luck!

Pixie xx