And Now For Something Completely Machinima

In this episode of And Now For Something Completely Machinima, Phil Rice, Tracy Harwood, and Damien Valentine dive into the latest news in machinima, virtual production, AI creative tools, game cinematics, and real-time animation.

They discuss the explosive hype around Kane Parsons’ The Backrooms movie, new Starfield expansions and what they could mean for Starfield machinima, the release of Fortnite Star Wars assets for fan-made experiences, and useful production updates including DaVinci Resolve optimisation, Headshot 3, free mocap tools, and local AI voice cloning.

The conversation also takes a deeper turn with a thoughtful de...

Dive into one of the most unsettling and artistically ambitious machinima films we’ve ever reviewed. In this episode of Now For Something Completely Machinima, we explore “The Murderer” by Yago Muriel — a haunting black-and-white psychological horror created in Garry's Mod that blends surrealism, classic cinema, and existential dread.

With clear influences from David Lynch, The Outer Limits, and Hitchcock-era filmmaking, this film transforms a humble game engine into something deeply disturbing, poetic, and unforgettable. Expect eerie bird motifs, ambiguous storytelling, and a shocking twist that lingers long after the credits.

If you love psychological horror...

In this episode of Completely Machinima Reviews, Damien Valentine, Ricky Grove, Phil Rice, and Tracy Harwood discuss Eater, a character vignette of a larger work (Hate Speech). The film is a provocative experimental short by M (formerly M dot Strange), created using Nightmare Puppeteer. The conversation explores machinima, AI-generated voices, Unreal/indie animation tools, absurd humor, avant-garde filmmaking, and the film’s sharp social commentary on junk food, global warming, and corporate culture.

This is a deep dive into one of the most unusual works in experimental digital cinema—touching on ragdoll physics, AI animation workflows, satire in m...

In this episode of Completely Machinima, Phil, Tracy, and Damien dive into “Wallace Breen’s Day Off” — a chaotic, meme-filled Garry’s Mod machinima that embraces absurdity, cartoon violence, and old-school Source Engine humor.

From immature internet antics to Robot Chicken-style sketch comedy, the team explores how this short transforms one of Half-Life’s most sinister villains into a hilariously pathetic bureaucrat just trying to enjoy his day off.

Along the way, they unpack its Sopranos-inspired ending, hidden easter eggs, and how it reflects both the roots and evolution of machinima as a creative med...

In this episode of the Completely Machinima Podcast, we dive into Hostiles — a stunning Half-Life-inspired machinima short that pushes the boundaries of virtual production, animation, and storytelling.

Originally believed to be created in Source Filmmaker, this cinematic piece was actually made in Garry’s Mod, challenging assumptions about tools, quality, and creativity in the machinima community.

We explore how Hostiles achieves cinematic tension through lighting, sound design, camera work, and animation, while also discussing its deeper impact on perspective, narrative, and audience expectations.

🔥 If you're into machinima, game filmmaking, or virtual cinematography, this ep...

Can Starfield become the next great machinima platform? In this episode of the Completely Machinima Podcast, the team breaks down a fascinating Starfield mod trailer that mixes machinima, virtual production, gameplay cinematics, sci-fi mystery, and mod storytelling.

Damien Valentine brings in “Farseer,” a Starfield mod trailer that feels bigger than a simple showcase — part trailer, part cinematic, part environmental story. Phil Rice, Tracy Harwood, and Ricky Grove unpack what works, what doesn’t, and why Starfield’s modding ecosystem could be a huge opportunity for the future of machinima filmmaking.

The discussion covers Starfield mods, cinematic...

What happens when real-time graphics stop trying to impress technically and start feeling like cinema? In this episode of And Now For Something Completely Machinima, Phil Rice, Ricky Grove, Tracy Harwood and Damien Valentine explore “Nine” (IX) by Moppi Productions - a landmark 2003 demoscene work that bridges machinima, digital art and real-time filmmaking.

⏱ Chapters -
0:00 Intro
1:01 Welcome & episode overview
2:01 What is the demoscene? (Nine introduction)
8:16 Why Nine is so significant
13:15 How it broke demoscene conventions
17:27 Visual style, pacing & minimalist design
22:30 Art vs technical performance debate
26:03 Demoscene vs machinima
28:49 Story...

What happens when a Twitch streamer can’t talk about a game because of an NDA… so they recreate the experience inside another MMO instead?

In this episode of Now For Something Completely Machinima, Phil Rice, Tracy Harwood, and Damien Valentine unpack a bizarre, brilliant, and surprisingly cinematic machinima created in Final Fantasy XIV that channels the mood of Dune, social media culture, and fan-driven storytelling.

From desert sandworms to a surprise Harkonnen rap battle, this piece blends machinima, AI-assisted music, fan cinema, and musical narrative into something that feels less like gameplay and...

In Episode 217 of And Now for Something Completely Machinima, we explore “Ersatz” a haunting new solo animated film by Saint Greaver created in Blender’s Eevee engine. Set within a surreal World War I–inspired landscape, the film blends virtual production techniques with painterly concept art aesthetics to create a disturbing, dreamlike vision of war, identity, and memory.

The discussion unpacks the film’s themes of replaceability, dehumanization, and institutional machinery, where bodies are interchangeable and suffering becomes routine. Drawing on cultural memory, surrealist art traditions, and early industrial warfare imagery, the episode examines how the film commu...

In this episode of Completely Machinima, Damien Valentine, Tracy Harwood, and Phil Rice unpack the biggest talking points at the intersection of machinima, AI, and creator rights.

We start with a quick birthday nod to id Software’s 35th anniversary—a foundational influence on game culture and the machinima scene—before diving into the headline debate: the Disney + OpenAI partnership. Tracy breaks down why Disney choosing licensing over litigation is a major signal for how entertainment giants may handle AI training and generation going forward—raising questions around copyright, compensation, and control. The team explores the ripple e...

In this episode of And Now for Something Completely Machinima, the team dives deep into the chilling Blender short I Made a Self-Aware Robot by the enigmatic creator Lights Are Off.

Tracy brings the film to the table, praising its haunting realism, uncanny robot design, and smart use of found-footage aesthetics. What begins as a seemingly grounded “scientist vlog” quickly spirals into a modern Frankenstein story—raising powerful questions about consciousness, ethics, and the dangers of unchecked technological ambition.

Damien highlights how the home-built lab setting makes the horror feel disturbingly close to realit...

In this episode of Now for Something Completely Machinima, the team revisits Ozymandias (1999) — one of the earliest and most controversial works of machinima, created by Hugh Hancock and Strange Company using the experimental LithTech Film Producer toolkit.

What begins as a straightforward critique quickly turns into a deeper debate:

👉 Is Ozymandias a “bad film”… or a groundbreaking prototype that helped shape virtual filmmaking?

Ricky challenges the film’s pacing, visuals, and sound, arguing that by today’s standards it feels unfinished and awkward. But Tracy and Phil place the work in its historical cont...

Starfield is one of the most cinematic games Bethesda’s ever shipped… so why haven’t we seen much machinima from it? Today we’re looking at a mod that might finally crack that open: a fully built settlement with lore, characters, quests, and surprisingly strong voice acting, presented with a “lore trailer” that feels like a slice-of-life tour through a corporate-controlled mining town. We’ll break down what it gets right, what it’s missing as machinima, and why projects like this might be the new bridge between fandom and professional virtual production.

Starfield has been sitting the...

What happens when Tolkien’s world, Enya’s music, and cutting-edge virtual performance collide?

In this episode, we explore a breathtaking Second Life film that reimagines “May It Be” as a haunting, hopeful journey through shadow and light. From gothic landscapes and cinematic lighting to an unexpectedly intimate motion-capture reveal, this episode showcases how virtual worlds can deliver not just spectacle, but genuine emotional resonance.

If you love:

·       Lord of the Rings and its timeless theme of hope against darkness

·       Machinima and virtual cinematography at its most poetic

·       Innovati...

This week, we review a supporter-recommended iClone fantasy machinima that surprised us with its polish: “Quest of a Key - Chapter One” by AuroraTrek. We’re always saying we want more story-driven iClone machinima (and fewer tech-demo vibes)… and this one delivers on craft: strong shot selection, confident editing, excellent music cues, and character animation that’s smoother than you’d expect.

But then the conversation gets interesting.

We dig into sound mastering and spatial audio, the difference between “dry” dialogue and believable room tone, how stylized realism can drift into “clay-face” territory, and what happens when a serie...

We begin with a heartfelt tribute to the late Frank Fox — filmmaker, musician, and beloved member of the machinima community. From his classic MovieStorm film Morning Run Amok to his live music performances as “Frank Leonatra,” we reflect on his creativity, generosity, and the lasting impact he had on virtual filmmaking and the people who loved him.

Then we dive deep into one of the most visually unique and emotionally powerful machinima ever made:

🎥 “Among Fables and Men” (2007) by Tobias “Dopefish” Lundmark.

Created in World of Warcraft using an experimental motion-comic style...

This week on And Now for Something Completely Machinima, snacks are flowing, pretzels are implied, and Tracy throws us a curveball of a film pick. 🍪🎬

We dive into “Demoram” by Livviathen, a lightning-fast, 90-second burst of animated chaos made in Team Fortress 2 and Garry’s Mod—and somehow packed with more storytelling, personality, and punch than films ten times its length.

At first glance, it looks like old-school machinima. But look again, and you’ll spot razor-sharp animation choices, perfectly timed sound design, and a wild, Warner Bros.–style cartoon energy that feels both nostalgic and fres...

🎮 What if the “bad ending” of Half-Life… wasn’t the end at all?

In this episode of Completely Machinima, Phil, Tracy, and Damien dive into one of gaming’s most legendary “what ifs.” We explore a fan-made Half-Life mod that does the unthinkable: it turns the game’s infamous impossible ending—the one where you’re meant to die horribly—into a brutal but beatable continuation of the story.

Instead of accepting your fate at the hands of the mysterious G-Man, this mod asks: what if you survived? The result is a fascinating piece of fan fiction-meet...

🎬 This week on And Now for Something Completely Machinima, we’re shaking (and stirring) things up with a deep dive into Benjamin Tuttle’s long-awaited James Bond machinima, Endgame – Part One 🍸💥

Host Damien Valentine kicks things off by revealing he actually voices Q in the film (recorded years ago!), before the panel digs into why this project is such a standout. Created in iClone and rendered in Unreal Engine, Endgame delivers a Bond look and feel that’s grounded, stylish, and refreshingly not sci-fi flashy—London actually looks like London, and the tone leans classic rather than futuristic.

🚍 This Week on Now for Something Completely Machinima 🎮

What if the most boring video game ever made was actually a goldmine for creativity?

This episode kicks off with Ricky’s unconventional pick: Desert Bus, a notorious 1990s “anti-game” by Penn & Teller where you drive a bus from Tucson to Las Vegas… in real time… for eight hours… and earn one point. That’s it. No explosions. No shortcuts. No pause button. Just desert, drift, and existential dread.

But instead of dismissing it as pointless, we flip the script. What if boredom is the point...

This week on the podcast, we’re diving into a grab-bag of big creator news, starting with YouTube, and yes… the “slop” situation. 

Tracy kicks things off with what looks like YouTube’s latest attempt to clean house: platform changes that claim to improve privacy and the viewing experience, but also mess with how videos behave when embedded on third-party sites. If you stream shows inside places like Second Life, that’s a real headache, because some embeds and API-based workarounds are suddenly unreliable or broken. 

But the bigger story? YouTube appears to be cracking down...

A special ep but unfortunately for the main content, most of this you need to hop on to our YouTube channel to watch as its mainly video footage... here is the intro by Tracy, with part of Paul Marino's keynote from his 2007 Introduction to the Machinima Europe Film Festival and the occasional part of a conversation.  Enjoy nonetheless.

Credits -
Host: Tracy Harwood
Editor: Phil Rice
Producer: Phil Rice (introduction); Lit Fuse Productions (content)
Music: Phil Rice & Suno AI (introduction); Lit Fuse Productions (content)

On this episode of And Now For Something Completely Machinima, Damien, Tracy and Ricky dive into one of Machinima.com’s most unexpected gems: the documentary series “All Your History Are Belong To Us”, focusing on the Stamper brothers and their legendary studio, Rare. 

💬 We talk about how the series charts Rare’s rise from a small UK outfit in Ashby-de-la-Zouch to a powerhouse behind classics like Donkey Kong Country, GoldenEye 007, and later Sea of Thieves – highlighting their pioneering use of pre-rendered 3D graphics and their influence on console FPS games. Ricky explains why, despite his misgivings about machinim...

In this episode of Completely Machinima, hosts Phil Rice, Tracy Harwood, and Damien Valentine explore the stunning AI-powered operatic machinima “Arido Taurajo” — a groundbreaking short film created by Chantal Harvey (aka Mamachinima) in collaboration with digital artist James Morgan, AI composer Roboccini and soprano/AI researcher Maya Ackerman, among others.

🎮 About the Film:
Set in the World of Warcraft universe, Arido Taurajo tells the story of Dahlia, a female warrior torn between family life and adventure. The film combines AI-generated music with human performance, blending digital game visuals and classical opera in a visually rich and emotional...

In this episode of Completely Machinima, hosts Phil Rice, Tracy Harwood, and Damien Valentine review two creative Star Citizen machinima commercials — Dumpers Depot and Big Benny’s Grab Eats — both made for a Star Citizen video contest.

They explore how these 45-second in-game ads show off community creativity, storytelling, and production skills. Tracy breaks down what made Dumpers Depot Commercial more sophisticated in design and sound, while Big Benny’s... Grab Eat took home the win with its humor and clever use of Star Citizen lore.

💬 In This Episode:

We're beginning Season 6 with one of the best machinima-animated shorts we've ever seen (probably)!

🎥 Back to the Future UNHINGED, Machinima Film Made in Blender 

In this episode of The Completely Machinima Podcast, hosts Phil Rice, Damien Valentine, and Tracy Harwood review “Back to the Future Unhinged”, a viral machinima short film by Landon’s Animation Wheelhouse, created entirely in Blender 3D.

This chaotic, hilarious reimagining of Doc Brown and Marty’s adventures has racked up 700,000+ views and showcases incredible 3D animation, storytelling, and sound design. It’s packed with visual gags, cinematic camera work, a...

🎬 Ricky’s Wonderful World of Sound – Footsteps 

In episode 5 of our Maker Series, Ricky Grove explores the often-overlooked power of footstep sound design — and how something as simple as a single step can define mood, build tension, and reveal character. 

👣 What You’ll Learn: 
How footstep sounds convey location, emotion, and suspense in film. 
Why footsteps in the Spanish horror series 30 Coins masterfully foreshadow violence. 
The challenges of using video game sound libraries for cinematic sound design. 
Practical tips on recording and manipulating ambient sounds for realism. 
How to find free, high-quality so...

🎃 Halloween Special | Ricky’s Wonderful World of Sounds: MONSTERS! 👹

This Halloween, step into the dark side of Ricky’s Wonderful World of Sounds — where we explore the terrifying art of monster sound design! 🧟‍♂️

What do monsters really sound like? From the primal screeches that haunted early humans to the eerie, unearthly noises that send chills down modern audiences’ spines — this episode reveals how sound designers craft the perfect scare.

Discover:
 🔊 Why you should hear the monster before you see it
🦴 How altered animal and environmental sounds create fear
🧬 The science of sound that taps into...

🕯️ Maker Series: Phil’s Music Notes – [Horror] Intervals 👻 

🎃 A pre-Halloween special exploring the dark side of sound. 

At its core, music is a game of intervals — the spaces between notes that define every melody, every emotion. Even without musical training, we instinctively recognize the cheerful sound of a major chord or the melancholy of a minor. But some intervals go far beyond sad or happy… some are unnerving, unsettling, even evil. 

In this pre-Halloween edition of Phil’s Music Notes, we dive into the tritone, the infamous “Devil’s Interval.” Once banned by tradition and feared for its d...

How do you make virtual worlds sound real? 🎧

In this episode of Ricky’s Wonderful World of Sound, Ricky Grove reveals the secrets of sound frequency—the subtle audio magic that transforms machinima and 3D game-engine films into unforgettable experiences. Perfect for filmmakers, animators, and sound lovers alike.

🎬 Ricky’s Wonderful World of Sound –  Ambient Sound in Machinima

Discover how sound transforms storytelling in filmmaking, with a deep dive into frequency—the subtle audio that sets mood, builds atmosphere, and immerses your audience. This episode focuses on machinima—films created using 3D ga...

How do you make virtual worlds sound real? 🎧

In this episode of Ricky’s Wonderful World of Sound, Ricky Grove reveals the secrets of ambient sound—the subtle audio magic that transforms machinima and 3D game-engine films into unforgettable experiences. Perfect for filmmakers, animators, and sound lovers alike.

🎬 Ricky’s Wonderful World of Sound – Episode: Ambient Sound in Machinima

Discover how sound transforms storytelling in filmmaking, with a deep dive into ambient sound—the subtle audio that sets mood, builds atmosphere, and immerses your audience. This episode focuses on machinima—films...

This week, we continue our discussion, reflecting on Season 5 and our predictions for 2026.... yep, sure is a lot going on in the world of #machinima! Do add your own thoughts into the comments (on our show notes).

1:01 Our predictions for 2026
1:10 Tracy’s thoughts!
4:26 A quick interjection on the Minecraft short we reviewed
6:47 Damien’s views and perspective on tools being used
7:38 Ricky’s prediction on genAI and it’s layering out and ethical approaches
10:27 Who is the world’s smartest dumb person?! Phil tees up some fab analogies – who is going to keep golfing...

In this first part of our 200th episode of Completely Machinima Podcast, Ricky highlights ⁨@NeuralViz⁩ AI-driven films as a significant advancement, while Phil praised the fast-paced, subtle social commentary. We discuss legal developments affecting AI use, such as Warner Brothers suing Midjourney. The success of Blender's "Flow" at the Oscars is noted, emphasizing the growing capabilities of open-source tools. The conversation also touches on the breadth of aesthetic approaches to machinima projects, the rise of big-budget projects like "Predator: Killer of Killers," and the evolving role of generative AI in storytelling. Tune into next week's part B to hear abou...

This is our final film pick for Season 5, and it stimulates quite a discussion. The film is a concept test of tools and techniques, but the story and aesthetic is less inspiring. Check out our thoughts and do add your own comments below.

1:47 Introduction to Reflekt by @derunique
4:00 Anachronistically broken 
10:25 Gelling the story? 
11:54 The aesthetic of Unreal 
13:19 Who is the apocalyptic soldier Unreal tutor? 
14:00 The attraction of Unreal – its all about the technology, and little about the story 
15:02 Comparison to Project Zomboid movie (S5 ep 193) 
15:40 Camera work in Unreal is uninspir...

This week's film selectiion is a technical masterpiece, made in RDR2. It is both an homage to the game and the film. John Wick's Red Dead Redemption is made by eli_handle_b.wav, and is worth every second of your time watching it! 

1:49 Introduction to film, editing quality, compositing and matching RDR2 to John Wick – technically outstanding!

4:11 How?!!! Skill level is well above average

7:00 This is not just cut scenes

9:13 A tribute to both the game and the film

9:47 There are no scripted behaviour mods for RDR2 – the camer...

A DC inspired short made with love and artful skill, this week's pick is also an homage to the creative talent of a young creator now sadly passed. Despite us not necessarily being the target audience - due to certain demographic features - we really enjoyed reviewing this. Check out our comments and do add your own. 

1:32 Introduction to the film: form and creative technique – Smallville comedy vibe X superhero, and a shout out for collaborations everywhere 
6:00 The challenge of being a Minecraft modder and making machinima possible – the Blockbuster mod and BBS mod 
9:20 Player control...

This week, we discuss a 2013 episode of @Draxtor's interviews series with artists filmed in Second Life series, this episode with Australian artist  @lynettewallworth270. 

1:43 Get involved in the latest Star Citizen contest, links in Show Notes 
3:26 Introduction to the pick 
9:12 Phil describes early traditions of interview shows filmed in virtual worlds, such as Late Night with Toxie (filmed in Quake) and This Spartan Life (Halo) 
12:44 Could this episode now be updated using AI? 
13:33 Quality of audio is the most valuable part 15:49 GenZ viewing patterns are changing – how well does SL as an interview format reflect...

This is not genSLOP... or is it?! This week's discussion focusses on a recent genAI meme, vlogging from the Fall of the Empire as a Stormtrooper tourist.  The series we take a look at is by Galactic Archives, which has garnered a phenomenal number of views in just a couple of weeks.  Its quite different to The Glurons we discussed a couple of months back by NeuralViz, which remains a standout for us.  There are some excellent learning points from the way this short / series has been created as a narrative arc though, despite the creative process and generative too...

We love AFK! This week's ep covers another of AFK's ambitious world building attempts to round out the Star Wars universe... and of course it works. What do you imagine the worst jobs to be for the most hapless Stormtroopers? These totally make sense to us! Check out our comments, our overview of AFK's background and other projects, and what we really think of this short.
 

1:39 Intro to film

3:14 Humor and world building

6:12 The most clever way to integrate sponsorship?

10:26 Memories of advertising…. Err maybe

12:47 Background to the ser...

This week's pick is the complete contrast to the Happy Wheels gag-fest, Ep 191: the film is called They Were Once Here by Werlias and it has everything you would expect from a Project Zomboid machinima, plus some things you wouldn't. Its a dark and sad tale, beautifully told, and delivers a real emotional punch. It makes excellent use of Zach Beever's classic composition for the game, and harnesses a bunch of mods to achieve the outcome. Catch our review and reflections on this one. For those of you into zombie fests, we're sure you'll enjoy it.

1:00 Intro...