#it's both because he's not a pc and because Matt and I are twinning most of the time

[utilitycaster]

Talking as players outside the game is an incredibly important part of having good PC/PC D&D relationships, and obviously the characters involved in the relationship talking to each other in meaningful ways is crucial, but I think the importance of talking in-game in depth to other people is really underrated, in that it not only tells the other player what your character is feeling without having to reveal it in-game to them, but also serves to engage other characters in the story and deepen those platonic bonds to the point where they might even serve as confidants or wingmen. To give a bunch of examples and what they achieved:

Vax telling Gilmore he didn't want to string him along made it clear out of game that his feelings towards Keyleth were his priority, even though it happened where the other characters were not able to hear.

Similarly, Vex giving her blessing eventually after her initial resistance signaled to Liam that this would not be a major break between the twins.

Vax asking Vex what she intended to do about her feelings for Percy served not only as an opportunity for her to voice them to someone; it also serves as a big green light for Taliesin as Percy to kiss Vex later that episode (which he had already from Vex's resurrection ritual, but it underscores it).

Pike talking about Scanlan with Keyleth and Vex allows her to make it clear that she does ultimately like a lot of things about him despite sometimes being annoyed, and her talking to him through her earring while Scanlan is very much not there but Sam is at the table also serves as this kind of green light.

Jester asking Veth about kissing in relationship to Fjord lets Travis know where Jester is at and invests Veth in-game in the relationship.

Caleb asking Jester if she's "sweet on [Fjord]" lets her openly reassess her feelings after an intense arc and also indicates in-game that Caleb has noticed.

Beau waiting to hear the sound of thunder signals to Ashley (who was not at the table but who was presumably staying updated on events) that Beau has feelings for Yasha; it also allows those playing Yasha (often Matt for pure RP and Travis in combat) to return that flirting, since the baseline was already established.

Possibly the most obvious example, but Beau and Fjord's conversation on Rumblecusp not only clarifies to the whole table where everyone is (opening the door, for example, for the scenes in the beer garden a few episodes later of Caleb having Fjord and Jester dance together and Caduceus encouraging Yasha to pursue Beau) but very much serves as a green light to Ashley and Laura respectively. This is then mirrored by them talking after Beau has asked Yasha on a date and Fjord and Jester have kissed, and everyone involved can "debrief" with their partners not present in-game.

As mentioned, this is mostly about PC/PC relationships because PC/NPC is an inherently different dynamic mechanically though still should be a conversation, but Veth describing Yeza and Jester asking Caleb about his feelings about Essek both give Matt clues for playing these NPCs and how things might be received.

FRIDA mentioning their crush on FCG to Deanna means it's not a complete surprise to Sam, since it is a very sudden relationship, and lets him prepare and decide how FCG would feel in the moment, and also establishes how Deanna will feel about it.

Similarly in the C3 Uthodurn arc, Fearne going to Chetney about Deanna is an incredibly good move from Ashley (to the point that talking about this is what led me to write this whole post). It lets Travis play out where Chetney is. It lets Aabria therefore hear not only where Chetney is, but also know that Fearne is potentially interested. It establishes a ton of the dynamics for a relationship that out of game everyone knows will not have a full campaign to play out since one of the characters involved is a guest. And finally, it signals to Christian as FRIDA what the situation is in case Deanna confides in them.

[buysomecheese]

https://at.tumblr.com/buysomecheese/soldier-poet-king-quiz-but-dndads-kiddads-lark/pkaw84zyfm1u

Pt. 3 here!!

Pt. 2 https://at.tumblr.com/buysomecheese/httpsattumblrcombuysomecheesesoldier-poet-ki/31hsxzm6f3n9

Pt. 1 https://at.tumblr.com/buysomecheese/httpsattumblrcombuysomecheesesoldier-poet-ki/g8g61pubq4kw

Teens:

Link- expected king, got poet. Being the only one of the teens who’s experienced romantic love in a profound and personal way, and the only one who’s felt paternal love in that same degree, he didn’t like the quiz much at all. It made him sad, remembering his lost loves. He misses his Kris, he misses his kids. It’s not fair to him, to have to go through such loss and gain nothing from it. It’s not fair to them, either, to hold such life and beauty that can all be boiled down to a corrupted binary code. He has no home left to go to. Without any sort of closure, he’s left desperately trying to recreate the life he had made, while knowing how horribly impossible it will be.

Scary- soldier. Almost expected king; she teetered between the answers she *really* felt and the answers she thought were ‘coolest’ on more than one question; however, she ended up staying true to herself until the end of the quiz at least. Of course, she angled the phone to make sure none of the others could see her answers. She doesn’t usually like this type of introspection; thinking about herself truthfully for too long hurts too much. She’s created a version of herself made to fight, resist, create disorder. What happens when she knows she’s tired of this? What does she do when she needs to put down the sword, purge herself of the poison, but there’s no one left to catch her?

Normal- king. He wasn’t really sure what he’d expect; he’s too viscerally aware of every part of his being (disappointing, weird, sad, anxious, annoying) so he doesn’t like taking quizzes like this. Much preferring the anonymity and normalcy he can gain from pretending to be something else, he’ll try and try and try to fit himself into molds of what other people need, and he’ll fall short every time. He feels this failure so incredibly deeply in his bones; a pain he was only dully aware of until only a few months ago.

Taylor-soldier. It was a close tie though, almost a king. He keeps hearing the phrase ‘main character syndrome’ thrown around. He reads his result; they don’t sound correct. He reads Normal’s result, Link’s result; none of them fit him. He’s worried for his friends, his side kicks. He knows his place in this world, he knows what he wants to achieve and he knows he can get it- and not just because of his famous mom and Hell connections, but because he’s confident in his abilities. He knows what he’s capable of, and he knows how to bounce back from things he might not succeed at the first time. What he doesn’t know, however, is how to help his friends find the same duty and pace within themselves. How to help them come to terms with losses and wins and fears much greater than anything he’s ever had to know.

[peantbutter-honeycombs]

Being the Youngest Critical Role Member | Critical Role cast x child reader

Summary | You are five years old and newest member of the main Crit cast for Campaign 1

Genre | platonic, fluff

You were invited to join the campaign by Liam, your godfather. He and your parents had been teaching you the game since you started to display a basic grasp of mathematics. Moreover, you’d been sitting in on their home games since you were an infant.

You’d met Matt a couple of times before through your parents’ work with him. You always liked him. He didn't talk down to you as most adults did and seemed to genuinely listen when you made your childish rants.

Under the supervision of one of your parents, you and he created quite the flavorful PC. One that allowed you to come and go as you needed without feeling out of place in the overall narrative.

You were playing a young magic user following the commands of an unseen patron on the quest to avenge your fallen family. Originally you’d wanted a family member as your patron, but Matt’s suggestion allowed room for more improvisation.

Just as your parents had taught you to be, you were as polite as possible during your first session. Which translated into your character. You introduced your character as a child, selling all manners of enchanted weapons they’d retrieved to make ends meet as they traveled Tal’dorei.

Everyone at the table, the first time you spoke, in that instant made up their mind you were a cinnamon roll to be protected.

However, their characters had mixed views; Percival was suspicious as Talisin had rolled high to perceive how you’d attained your magical merchandise; Scanlan was intrigued, amused by your character’s puerile tales of adventure; Grog was interested in a tusky club; the twins were both charmed, you’ve got pluck; Pike, well intentioned, was concerned about your lack of supervision; and Keyleth trusting as ever took an interest in the tales of how you’d retrieved such goods.

Suffice to say, the chat thought you and your half-elven PC were the cutest things. Even your PC’s klepto means of restocking only added to their charm.

You really brought the energy your first time playing with the cast. At first they’d walked on eggshells, taking it easy on you. However, they realized quickly that you were completely capable of holding your own. Liam couldn’t be more proud.

Initially, you’d only join the campaign every once in a while, when the stream and the night staying with godfather correlated. You did have kindy work and a bedtime schedule to consider.

You were a genuine delight both in game and out. The party missed you when you were unable to accompany. Though, Liam did FaceTime you before streams so everyone could check in.

Matt kind of just falls into a pseudo big brother role. (Which is dangerous considering his task as the DM.)

If you mention off handed that they’re something you’d wish to retrieve or witness in the game, there’s a good chance, if possible and plausible, he’ll make it so. You once told Marisha you wanted a pet, only because you’d seen cute images of familiars online. Three sessions later, you had a toad, whom you named ‘Crab’

You always look forward to the ren fair when you know Matt will be there. He makes a big show of you “slaying” him with your toy sword. Moreover, he’s a champion at the craft table and lets you sit on his shoulders to watch tournaments.

His heart breaks when he’s forced to combat your PC. The little pout you make when you’re knocked unconscious. It takes everything in him to stop himself from giving you all your hit points back without rolling.

The Critters miss you when you’re gone. However, because Matt begins to say “Goodnight little critter, sleep well” before break, they’ll blow up the chat with goodnight messages for you as well as others tapping out of the chat at that time.

You develop a fake rivalry with Sam. For the stream. Ever since Liam told you you’re his favorite and Sam remarked, “I thought I was your favorite.” There’s been a contest, all in good harmless fun, of course.

Off camera Sam’s your self proclaimed godmother. Doting but not spoiling.

Your two families, along with Liam’s, made a habit of having Saturday brunches together every second Saturday of the month. You thoroughly enjoyed seeing Riegel's children.

Sam, both in game and out, would attempt to involve you in his tame shenanigans. Knowing how easily the other cast members were charmed by you made you the perfect accomplice.

He does tease you, but picks up quickly when you’re not in the mood. If you allow him, he’ll offer a comforting hug and let you sit on his lap during the stream, though he does understand sometimes you just want space.

Ashley throws off the vibes of an older sibling's best friend who makes an effort to chill with their friend's younger sibling. While she can be a bit of a mama bear, she’s still your friend.

She suggested you go out for a part in “Blindspot” auditioning for the role of Oakley “Oakes” Wagner. Succeeding on your own talents, you managed to obtain the spot. Thus, on occasion, as your role was only reoccurring, you had the opportunity to work alongside Ashley in New York.

While in the city she often indulges your Lego wants, treating you to a new set, the two of you can work on constructing together while on break between filming.

When roleplaying, your two PCs get along well enough. When you’re patron is discovered to have been lying, tricking you into murdering your own family. Pike does their best to heal one of them. While it fails, you are allowed some final words with the person. For that, you are grateful.

Every now and again, when she was recruited to babysit, Ashley offered to take you out for ice cream after streams. You’d get to snuggle with Sully and Henry while watching the classics, such as Iron Giant, E.T., Back to the Future, etc.

Tears spilled from your eyes when Matt told of the illusion fading and revealed the people you’d fought off, believing them your enemies, were actually your family. Everyone was a total mess, caught speechless as you roleplayed. After the cameras stopped running, you were bombarded with questions about your emotional state; are you okay? Matt is so apologetic for making you cry.

Liam couldn’t be more proud as you wiped your eyes and beamed, proclaiming that was the coolest session ever. You couldn’t wait to tell your kindy friends about it during circle time.

Everyone does their best to make sure when you’re on set you feel comfortable and safe in the busy production environment. There is always someone with you to keep you company, though there are times you have to accompany them to some boring meeting or other.

Of the cast, Travis is your best friend, usually up for keeping you entertained with board games, tea parties, or imaginative play. Your favorite is playing superhero because he’ll spin you around to give you the impression of flight.

You follow him around, attempting to sneak up and scare him. Initially, your little jumps work, but soon he comes to expect them. Still, he feigned fear.

Outside of Liam, Travis is always the first person you want to tell about your day. Whether it’s about a cute dog you saw or a fact you learned by chance, no matter, he gives you his full attention.

Travis is determined to turn your character against Vax, in his and Grog’s prank war, knowing it would effectively and amusingly drive Liam crazy.

Still, Travis is perhaps the best at saying no to you. If and when you break the rules, he doesn't bend against you, losing the ability to play that week.

By Arc 4, you are a regular member of the crew and were treated as such. Still, there were more restrictions for you; set by your parents and the other cast members.

Naps/ settle time were required on recording day; You couldn't repeat the fowl language off set without permission; There was a code word for when you became too stressed; Your socials were private; And you weren't to do individual and greets without a trusted adult present.

Laura, you knew through both Liam and her work with one of your parents. In fact, you yourself had shared some voice acting projects with her. A bit of a mother hen, but still, she's basically your aunt.

By the critters, you're dubbed Bailey-B or "B-B" because you're essentially Laura's mini. Mid campaign 2, it somehow became a running gag to say, "Hello B!" when you made an appearance or arrived on stage.

Treat fields. When you're packed sweets as a recording snack, you most always share with Laura. Funnily you don't save any for Liam, much to the amusement of others.

Initially, Vex was trusting of your character. Deciding to give them the benefit of the doubt. However, after your first kill, her opinion changed. You'd played the encounter mercilessly, following the instructions of your patron. Now Vex was weary of you and suspicious of the voice in your head.

You don't help Laura's dice habit. You'll see pretty dice and often treat yourself to them. You're not a hoarder like her, though. If she shows interest in the dice, you'll let her borrow them with the understanding there's a slim chance you'll see them again. What's yours is hers when it comes to dice and food and vice versa.

Marisha sits on your left during the recording. She’s the only one directly next to you for campaign 1. Hence, you two are whisper buddies. Furthermore, she usually takes notes for you, considering your penmanship is obviously that of someone still learning to write.

It becomes somewhat traditional for you to whisper something to Marisha in an attempt to get her to laugh. Drives the critters and others crazy; they don’t know what you’re whispering about. Eventually, Marisha begins posting your childish comments after the stream, so everyone gets in on the joke.

Marisha, much like Travis, is fairly good at wrangling you. Generally, very chill if she switches to a sterner tone you know to listen up. She has a talent for getting you to focus and calm yourself before each game.

She does cast off those cool older sibling vibes. Marisha will bail you out, but knows where to draw the line. Just don't do something too shitty.

Keyleth dotes on your PC. She remembers the wonderment of the world when she was first out on her own. Her time with Vox has somewhat hardened her. The world isn't as gentle as she thought it to be. Your PC is so young she doesn't want your innocence taken from you.

Mama Kiki. She's always making sure your PC is hydrated, has enough to eat, and doesn't get to beat up in battle.

After much pleading, Marisha and Travis green-light a series allowing you to co-host called "Camp Critter." It stars you and Laura teaching the workings of DnD; its target demographic, children.

Talisin is your teddy bear. They’ve become used to you running up to them, with very little warning, to give them a tight hug whenever you see them. You’re such a cuddle bug when it comes to them. It’s not uncommon to see Taliesen holding you as you talk their ear off about your day.

It happened once Marisha accidentally elbowed you in the forehead. You’d think in your pain you’d run to Liam, yet you went pouting over to Talisin. The critter community exploded over the cuteness, even drawing art of the moment with you and Talisin as your respective pcs.

You call them Tally. Initially it was difficult for you to pronounce their name so they allowed you and you alone to call them ‘Tally’. It’s sort of just stuck around. Talisin affectionately calls you ‘Gremlin’.

Percy was distrustful from the start. Most of your interactions are kept at arm's length. You were too naïve, too bubbly for him to place faith in. There is the saying “you catch more flies with honey.” How could he trust someone, even a child, so sickeningly sweet?

However, after your PC came to murder their parents, he saw his mirror looking at you. You were in a dark, vengeful place. Too easily could fall down the path he’d trodden. So he was understanding and present. Ever the watchful eye, he kept you from losing yourself. He’d engage all manner of childish activities to prevent you from turning down a dark path.

During quarantine, it becomes a highlight of their zoom calls to see what you’ve been up to. You excitedly show them your first handstand; lost tooth; learning to ride a bike with no training wheels; and more.

While you’d gotten your start as a recurring character in the campaign, the cast couldn’t imagine the next seven years without their kind B-B. It’s an honor to watch you grow and develop not only as a player but as a person.

[adaru32]

My Devil May Cry V Review

Felt that I’d like to share my thoughts on a sequel of my most favourite video game series. Would’ve done so much sooner but of course, distractions and other obstacles getting in the way. I apologize for the long read, and have tried to sum it up as much as possible. I can't decide whether this game or DMC3 is my most favourite. (My most to least favourite would be DMC3 and DMCV tied, then DMC1, DMC4, and DMC2. Gameplay-wise, DMC4 would be the least favourite despite DMC2 being easy. Not counting the reboot since it's not a part of the Devil May Cry universe, and I didn't really care much for that game). I had a lot of fun with this game. Even V was a nice, fresh character to play as (Felt more could've been done with him gameplay-wise, though). I even had a fangasm with the tracks playing on mission 18.

Other things I liked about this game:

1. The main 3 Sparda bois finally getting some badass-looking ultimate forms. 2. The concepts and visuals of everything, despite how minimal some of them are. 3. Nice to see my 2nd favourite character back (Vergil). 4. The variety of things to do. 5. The references/easter eggs used from the past games, and others. 6. The story, despite some plot holes from the previous games still not filled yet and how rushed the pacing went in some parts. 7. The fluidity of everything. 8. The characterization and impact with some scenes (Hard to explain but it has to do with the whole 'actions speak louder than words' kind of thing). 9. Photo mode...Must I say more about that.

The things that I didn't really like and can criticize about:

1. The music style I feel suits a JRPG game or a dance club more than a Devil May Cry game. Didn't really stick with me that much and felt I had to mute it completely in my 2nd playthrough (Plan to keep it muted in my future playthroughs). Not as memorable as the previous games' tracks in my opinion. I know I can use some of the previous tracks' music as battle themes, and I stated above that mission 18's music gave me a fangasm, but I don't really wanna listen to the music in the rest of the game since I don't really care much for it. I admit Cavalier Angelo's theme was all right and sounded pretty Castlevania-ish. 2. The ending boss battle was cheap (I hear it does get more challenging in the much harder modes, though). I understand it's for story progression purposes but there could've been more done, and even more of a challenge. Even when Dante battles Urizen Vergil on mission 17, I expected some type of crazy transformation and other stuff to happen after he eats the fruit. Would've been a cool idea if he did like a 2nd transformation half-way through the battle because the fruit's power would be too much for him, and then have Nero show up with V around that time, and Nero ends up fighting alongside you after setting V aside to safety. 3. Like what's stated in point 6 above, there are still plot holes and contradictions from the previous games in the story that don't fully explain what really happens, and why things are the way they are now. One example, how Vergil was able to hook up with someone and get it on with her. Hopefully they save that info for another title, or something. 4. It would've been nice to have more unlockable costumes for the characters. But I can see why they wouldn't really allow that. It has to do with not wanting to make the same mistake like they did with another one of their games where it was basically a costume unlocking simulator. And  that would also mean more development time which would push the game's release date (And you know how some people can get heated over delays). Plus there's the mod community so those that have DMCV on PC can have fun with custom stuff. At the same time, CapCom needs a bit of a breather from working on this game, and they want to progress on getting other things out of the way before coming back to Devil May Cry. Like what DMC3 and DMC4 went through, there most likely will be a Special Edition with most of the features added that the fans have asked for. They probably want to keep that hush-hush till the time comes, though (And most likely some time after the next gen consoles come out). 5. I understand that part of Devil May Cry is about cheesy dialogue and some silliness. But I felt the dialogue got a little too cheesy, and some parts got a little too silly (Not as bad as the reboot and DMC2, though). 6. Like what's stated in the other point 6 above, some parts of the game felt rushed. With what they have in this game already I feel deserves to have a couple more missions added, or so, to add more to its story and gameplay. This may come off as selfish but this is just how I feel. Even for the ending (Which was a nice ending by the way), it felt like something was missing...I can't describe it but I felt that something else could've been done or added in the ending and the secret ending. That alternate ending is hilarious, though. It's like the game gets mad at you for finishing it too early, which explains its bluntness 😆 7. Even though the animations and everything else in the game were nice and smooth, I felt that some of the characters' facial movements didn't sync well with some of the dialogue in the cutscenes, and some of their expressions became stone faced or puppet-like at times. A couple examples are when Dante says, "Guess I get to see with my own eyes". And Trish saying, "It's the other way around, Dante". I shouldn't complain about that kind of stuff because I know video games aren't all about graphics and visuals, but just thought I'd express a little thing I can nitpick at. 8. CapCom did an amazing job on the characters but (Y'all are probably gonna hate me for this) there are some facial features I can nitpick at with everyone. Nico, Morrison, V, and the civilians I have no problems with since they have their own concepts. The rest, there are some things that kinda bug me. I understand that they're supposed to be based off of real life models (Which are all good-looking) with some tweaks made to make them look like the characters, and are meant to look as realistic as possible. But they could've at least fixed some of those features a bit more to make them look exactly like their previous selves, only a bit older. I'm aware that humans' looks can keep changing over time, and look completely different than they did before without the use of surgery. Even Matt Walker gave a brief explanation on why Vergil's not Dante's identical twin anymore, which can make sense. But...I dunno how else to explain it. 9. Trish, Lady, Patty, Morrison, and Kyrie were wasted potential. I understand they brought these characters back for fanservice purposes, a little bit of story progression, and CapCom was on a budget and timer for how many figures they can add. But more could've been done with these characters to bring more characterization and impact. I expected Kyrie and Patty to make physical appearances in this game as well. Let alone Lucia, but I can understand from the DMCV prequel novel on why they couldn't/wouldn't make Lucia appear again. It also would've been nice to see more flashbacks of the Sparda bois from their childhood, and even add Sparda in a scene. In conclusion, I loved this game and I consider it as one of my top favourite Devil May Cry games (And overall video games) of all time (Like what I stated above). It was definitely worth the 10+ years of waiting. I feel that there are some other points (Both positive and negative) missing in my review, but I think this is pretty much all I can think of what I liked and didn't like about this game.  Can't wait to see what else CapCom comes up with for this series.

[quarantineroulette]

Minor Disappointments’ Least Disappointing Releases of 2018

Preamble: I had a bit of a low (not Low, although that would’ve been preferable) period in 2018 that went on for several months. I didn’t really listen to music during that time, and so I missed out on a lot of things. I’m kind of too scatterbrained from holiday hysteria to really take in anything new. So these lists probably don’t designate “the best”, but they’re decent documents of what I wasn’t too distracted or down to take serious notice of.

Secondly, my own band released an album this year, and that occupied a large amount of time normally reserved for listening to other bands. I won’t rank it because I don’t want to be that conceited...but if you want to check it out for yourself, the highlights for me are “For the Rest to Rest”; “Open Up the Ways”; “Screen Test”; and “Suspend Disbelief”. One of my favorite reviews of it described our sound as being a “unique blend of post-punk, brit-pop, indie, and a little post-rock too.” and said we’re “one of the smartest bands to come out of Brooklyn in a very long time.” This is both why people should listen to it and also why they might not.

Thirdly, one of the things I listened to the most this year was Protomartyr’s Consolation EP, but I’m refraining from listing it as it’s not a full-length. That said, I think it’s as good as nearly anything I’ve heard this year, Protomartyr are the best and both of their live sets I caught were my favorite gigs of 2018. TLDR: Protomartyr = good. Most other things on this list = equally good but not Protomartyr. Let’s get started shall we?

10 Songs That Were Good: 

10) Neko Case & Mark Lanegan - Cures of the I-5 Corridor. How has a Neko Case / Mark Lanegan duet not existed until 2018?? No matter the year, something this gorgeous and heartbreaking is always worthy of making the cut.

9) Lana Del Rey - Mariners Apartment Complex . I remember Spencer Krug tweeting something kind of snarky about “Venice Bitch” a few months back, then deleting it, and damn well he should’ve because both that and “Mariners Apartment Complex” are blinders. “Venice” may be the most low-key epic ever, but the way “Mariners” takes hints of Leonard Cohen and Lee Hazlewood / Nancy Sinatra and places them in a pop context is perhaps even more admirable. It’s truly inspiring to hear mainstream music this nuanced.

8) Parquet Courts - Tenderness . I love the jaunty piano, and how Andrew Savage’s vocal take is simultaneously forceful and lax. But most of all I love how all its elements converge to create a sense of hard-won optimism.

7) Iceage - Thieves Like Us . Iceage do a swamp cabaret song and I just can’t love it enough.  

6) MGMT - Me and Michael . Yes, it’s ridiculously ‘80s, but you would have to be a very dour person to not smile whenever that opening synth riff kicks in.

5) Shame - One Rizla . Riff of the year. Hands down.

4) Bodega - Jack in Titanic . One of the great things about 2018 was witnessing Bodega’s success. To me, they’ve always been one of the few up-and-coming indie bands with the  charisma to be actual stars, and it’s been a joy seeing the rest of the world take note of this. From the moment I heard “Jack in Titanic”, I just knew it was destined to show up on a BBC Radio 6 A-or-B list at some point in the near future (and it did!). And yeah, they’re my good friends, but even if they were strangers I’d appreciate the smartness, melodic hooks, and sexiness all the same:

3) Preoccupations - Disarray . Click on that link because the song is really good, but be warned -- the vocal melody is never, ever going to leave you.

2) Protomartyr - Wheel of Fortune . This song has everything: a nerve-wracking stop and start guitar part, an at-once badass and terrifying refrain, Kelly Deal, and the exact sense of urgency that’s needed right now. Powerful, timely, and a rare example of a song that puts its guest star to highly effective use.

1) Janelle Monae - Make Me Feel . This song combines about five different Prince songs but Janelle Monae’s personality is so strong that the end result is something wholly her own. And if the song weren’t a blast on its own, the technicolor video is almost lethally fun: 

10 Albums That I Loved A Lot: 

10) Arctic Monkeys - Tranquility Base Hotel and Casino . I really loved this album but I’m ranking it as 10 just because it’s the Arctic Monkeys and I can’t believe I enjoyed anything they’ve produced *this* much -- especially a lounge album about a casino on the moon. I find Alex Turner overrated as a lyricist and cosplaying a Bad Seed isn’t endearing to me, but he obviously loves Scott Walker a lot so I guess he gets some sort of pass.

9) Moonface - This One’s of the Dancer and This One’s for the Dancer’s Bouquet . The only reason this isn’t ranked higher is because I haven’t been able to give it the attention it deserves. This is a concept album where some songs are sung from the pov of the Minotaur and others from Spencer Krug, and both these creatures are enigmatic are too enigmatic to be given mere surface reads. This all said, I’ve listened enough to glean that, as always, Spencer’s lyrics are awe-inspiring, the marimba is implemented well, the alternate version of “Heartbreaking Bravery” is excellent, and comparing and contrasting its themes with those found on Wolf Parade’s 2017 release Cry Cry Cry is a fun past time if you’re me or seven other people. Looking forward to delving deeper in 2019.

8) Janelle Monae - Dirty Computer . To be honest, I *was* a little disappointed in this. It’s not as cinematic or stylistically adventurous as Monae’s previous full-lengths, but I think Monae herself is extremely talented and I wish she was a much bigger star. Furthermore, when considered against the drek of the general pop landscape, this is still a bold, unpredictable, and intelligent pop record from a true enigma.

7) Luke Haines - I Sometimes Dream of Glue . Like “Kubla Khan” if it had been written after huffing a river full of glue, but instead of Xanadu it’s an English village full of miniature people having a orgy:

6) Parquet Courts - Wide Awake! . No other song better captures the frustrations and anxieties of living in NY in 2018 than “Almost Had to Start a Fight / In and Out of Patience”, and for that alone this album would make the year-end cut. But it also happens to be brilliant start to finish, with the two closing statements, in the form of “Death Will Bring Change” and “Tenderness” respectively, being among PC’s best.

5) Low - Double Negative .  Mimi Parker’s voice emerging from a sonic cocoon on “Fly” is one of the most gripping moments of Low’s fantastic career. This album challenged me the most in 2018, but it’s also one I frequently returned to, determined to crack its code.

4) Preoccupations - New Material . I suppose some would dismiss this as too trad. post-punk, but holy hell - these trad. post-punk songs have got some hooks! And there isn’t quite another singer like Matt Flegel, who somehow manages to channel Bowie and Mark Lanegan at the same time. I’ve listened to this so much that New Material already feels like a well-loved classic.

3) Gazelle Twin - Pastoral . I would argue that Pastoral is the closest anyone’s come to making something comparable to PJ Harvey’s Let England Shake. An electro-pagan examination of Britain’s heritage and history (and the whole Brexit thing) that manages to feel thorough despite only being 37 minutes long, Pastoral moves beyond being just “a record” and becomes something closer to contemporary art. Elizabeth Bernholz’s vocals, whether warped or unconstrained by processing, are remarkable throughout. A mash-up of folk traditions and modern beats that somehow works shockingly well:

2) Idles - Joy as an Act of Resistance . Boyfriend / bandmate James and I have discussed this album more than any other this year, and it’s been a pleasure hearing his love for it and forming my own appreciation of it in the process. What sealed it for me was James’ description of “Idles” as pagan, and how the band’s use of repetition and simple melodies (as well as their bacchanalian stage presence) created an air of ritualism. In their primalness, they even remind me of The Birthday Party - a “woke” Birthday Party, but a Birthday Party all the same. My favorite musical moment of the year may very well be Joe Talbot’s first shout of “UNITY!” in “Danny Nedelko”, primordial, raw, unpretentious, and completely punk. We *need* these guys right now:

1) Suede - The Blue Hour . There is a joke in the TV show 30 Rock in which Jack Donaghy -- Alec Baldwin’s network head character -- says he attended Harvard Business School, where he was voted “Most”. The Blue Hour could be considered “Most” -- it’s meant to be taken as one piece, it’s insanely grandiose and, like its predecessor Night Thoughts, listening to it makes everything in my life seem 18 times more dramatic and tragic. I don’t know how, but this bizarre mashup of Kate Bush, Jacques Brel, Pink Floyd, Scott Walk, Gregorian chanting, classic Suede, spell books and (of course) David Bowie somehow seems bizarrely in step with 2018. Seeing as this top three consists of albums that are arguably “pagan”, and folk horror’s representation in popular 2018 films like Hereditary, The Blue Hour feels accidentally on trend. It’s crazy to think that a band whose first release happened 25 years ago could still be relevant in 2018, but Suede somehow are so please give these dads a hand and then listen to The Blue Hour’s glorious closing trio of songs a lot, because boy are they “Most”.  

[st33d]

Sandman

I’ve tried a lot of sandbox games over the past year. Mostly driven by acquiring a PC and leaving my Mac to its scheduled obsolescence. Playing games on a Mac is like playing Doom on a calculator. You celebrate that it works, it actually works, but it usually fails to be more than a proof of concept. When I switched back to a PC I discovered an entirely new realm of stubborn design. At least it wasn’t getting slower with each update and it deigned to play all manner of toys. Being quite turgid for roleplaying games I set about catching up with every RPG the Mac had denied me and checked out some more for good measure.

A common feature I discovered in many of these games is what I call the Back Breaker. You lift the game up high, then crash it down over your knee, broken. You are now free to explore the game how you choose - all of its secrets are laid bare. A lot of people get very upset at the inclusion of Back Breakers in what they hope will be a game with an ever ascending skill requirement. The notion that the audience is primarily there to explore is an insult - where, they ask, is the game? Personally I like this feature, I like that the end game is to become a god. This is why a lot of you will disagree with my assessments.

Skyrim

The sticking point for many people with this one is the combat. It’s dour grey-brown landscape invites a comparison to Dark Souls (I’ll get to that one in a bit) so people like Matt Lees will remark that Skyrim is an inferior counterpart. If you’re looking for tight combat in Skyrim, then like a 1st edition iPhone 5, you’re holding it wrong.

It insists you take it seriously over an unskippable introduction to the most tired hook that any roleplaying game can throw - the prison break. After shaking your screen as hard as it can with an assault by a dragon you are thrown into a scant and confusing interface in a land of ugly robotic people who are super fussy about what time they’re willing to sell things. On my 1st playthrough it got dark, so dark I couldn’t loot the mages I was killing for their expensive robes. I quit and rerolled a khajiit, purely because the wiki told me they had nightvision. It wasn’t until much later I discovered that there were many means of creating light, some of them causing fantastic AI behaviour (I nicknamed the spell Magelight; aggro-ball). Some short way into the terrible main quest line I thought, “sod this”, and went in search of the mage college to learn how to blow things up like some of the monsters were doing. This haphazard adventure was some of the best gameplay I’d ever encountered. A scared lowly girl-cat, picking her way through a hostile landscape in hope of learning real magic. Typical that when I finally arrived at the college I encountered the first blatant design wall in the shape of an unclimbable pillar that the college sat on. I barely had the mana to cast the spell that would prove me worthy to train there. A few hours later I was the archmage of the college. It would take many more hours before I mastered glitch-riding: taking the cereal box collision space of my horse and rubbing it against the prettiest parts of the scenery until it yielded to let me ride vertical. Out of the many hours of play the only real low point was getting turned into a vampire, I had to look up a wiki on how to cure it and reload many times because the quest to stop vampirism is broken.

There are many Back Breakers in Skyrim - I chose twin dremora lords that I chain-summoned to lock up the AI. But truly it is Skyrim’s pretty mountains and their unresolvable collision meshes that are the best. Only after hours of play does one develop an art for sniffing out details that defy edge-case-programming. Skyrim is a perfect mess. I know why they keep re-releasing it, they got lucky. One need only play the Dragonborn DLC to see Skyrim at its worst. It is a hard game to recommend, for it is not really a game, it is a thing both ugly and beautiful.

% out of 10

The Witcher 3

“Stick with it”, they say. Few games deserve such an epithet as this one. The controls are fiddly. One’s inventory is so dense with options that I didn’t realise that my potions refilled themselves until I’d nearly finished the game. After which my character sported full-body-priapism as I quaffed every decoction available. The turning point from hating this game to loving it was a side quest where a character caught Geralt off guard when being subject to the witcher’s advice - the townsfolk declared him a freak not because he was like Geralt, but because they were intolerant of homosexuals. I then got drawn further into the man’s drama. Every single story this game presents is trying to be Not So Simple. It’s a manifesto that leaks into the game’s bestiary that tells you not only what a monster likes for dinner, but your best tactics for killing it. But then, it’s Not So Simple as killing a monster, there is always another layer to each story.

It took at least three score hours of gameplay before I started skipping some of the many cutscenes. One of them was the infamous sex-on-a-stuffed-unicorn. It was a fault of the main storyline being so lackluster. I never really cared for Ciri, I found her even more fiddly to control than her tutor. But the extra layers that surround it: the Bloody Baron, stupidly shagging Keira Metz, the numerous detective scenes - they all carry this game. It is a shame it takes a few hours for it to reveal itself.

I must commend the map design for being sensible enough to be broken into several parts. You first explore a tutorial village before moving into war torn Velen and its haunting soundtrack. Here you work until you can gain passage to the north, the islands, and your home. Many sandboxes simply give you one map to conquer and contort it to stop you wandering into the final challenge. It’s refreshing to move on to a clean map, full of new challenges and surprises.

I couldn’t be arsed to play Gwent.

Trophy out of Archgriffin

Zelda: Breath of the Wild

This game has three stages: Delight, Depression, and Exploration.

Delight

Oh wow, there’s so many things to do. And so many things interact with one another. The sense of discovery comes not only from reaching new locations, but also finding new ways for elements to interact. Of course wood burns. Of course burning creates an updraft. Of course metal conducts electricity. Even after many hours of play there are still new things to find. So strange that the game is as dense as it is... empty.

Depression

Ugh, I don’t have a horse and I’m in yet another blank area. Ugh, I lack just enough stamina to climb this mountain, I’ll have to start all over again. Ugh, I can’t stay in this area because I take damage and the food I eat to stop it only lasts ten minutes. Ugh, I complained about all of this online and everyone keeps saying, “I don’t have a problem, the game works fine for me, Git Gud.” As often as I meet people who have played this game in excess of 100 hours, I also meet people who have played it for less than 10. If you are unlucky, if you don’t make the right connections, if you don’t stumble upon the right thing, this game is truly depressing. Made more so by the amount of people who cannot fathom why anyone would have trouble with the game. And yet there are many that do. It is not really that they need to be better at games, it is merely because they have not found the Back Breakers. Or worse, they do not appreciate them.

Exploration

After needless hours of collecting (grinding) you find yourself in possession of armour. You upgrade the armour again and again and suddenly the cloud of depression is lifted (if it was ever there). You are free to explore any edge of the island, you simply need to wear the right threads. At this stage of the game you have found many secrets but still keep finding more. Korok seeds, the OCD baiting puzzles, become a delight to find. It’s hard to remember the game ever being frustrating, but it remains in the back of my mind. Zelda BotW has a hump, a hump that some people will feel very aggrieved to surmount. Do not be surprised when you hear of someone bouncing off this game - it really is torture for people with precious little play time or patience.

Perhaps I should say something about the shrine dungeons or the 4 beast dungeons. They exist. There, I said it.

96 out of 120

Path of Exile

I tried this many years ago on my Mac using some sort of Windows executable wrapper. It did not work. I tried again when I got my new PC, I was underwhelmed. I tried yet again two weeks ago - holy shit this is the best action RPG I’ve ever played. The fact that it’s also free is sort of a weird blessing. You can only buy cosmetics and extra slots, so it even has a total lack of pay-to-win going for it. At least they get to keep expanding and updating it, which is probably why my recent play through was so smooth.

Diablo 2 is one of my all time favourites. It’s a concise loop of murder, loot, sell. But not without flaws. It has cruft, tedium, and imbalance in spades.

Path of Exile shuffles the formula and bets the whole thing on loot. Skills are loot. Money is loot (you pay with scrolls and item modifying tools, no gold). Equipment is loot. Yet playing it like Diablo is quite a silly thing to do - you get almost nothing from items you try to sell to vendors, so you no longer make trips back and forth with junk items. Leveling up is spent on a massive passive skill tree shared by all the classes, so the game sees no need to forestall leveling because it’s not the gatekeeper of mechanics. The items are. This occurs by way of gems that you socket into items, a bit like Diablo 2 and 3, but instead of boring damage bonuses you get entirely new mechanics. If you play with several characters in the same league they can share these items as well (providing they are strong enough to wield them). A mere ten levels into the game I had a full on rave of undead surrounding my witch character like she was the hottest new DJ at a halloween party.

I refrained from playing on hardcore because the game is online only and my internet sucks, but the game does boast a challenge that is mandatory hardcore. A multi-part dungeon that rewards you with a new section for your skill tree. Complete it without dying and you get to specialise. This is further complicated by deadly treasure rooms you must salvage keys from in order to unlock the many chests at the end. This was quite an exciting challenge with real stakes and real swearing when I let my greed get the better of me.

So what of its flaws? It takes a few goes to shake off the Diablo conditioning, so it’s not until you hit act 2 and try again from scratch that you figure out a strategy for building a character. The passive skill tree has a handy search feature and after I typed “minion” into it I was determined to carve a path through the best parts. If you don’t plan your route, you miss out on your mana rocketing back to full, your health restoring, or in my case: zombie disco. It’s online only and if you insist on playing over the weekend it can be a very choppy experience. The chat is a sewage pipe, a stream of edgelord douchebaggery. Go into the options and turn it off. I’ve yet to meet anyone that wants to form a party and every time I look at it I’m certain I don’t want to. There’s little to say of the story, it’s not bad though. I appreciate that it doesn’t try to get in the way like Diablo 3′s did. Perhaps if they had taken their loot thesis a step further they could have buried it in the game’s items. Then all this hoarding would have expanded into something like an archaeology dig. A missed opportunity.

O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O out of Shiny Armour

Shadow of Mordor

It’s quite cool and exciting to begin with. We’re in Mordor with lots of grim orcs and cool cutscenes, and... is that a bush? Oh okay, it just popped into existence. Nevermind. Well at least sneaking around is fun... my finger hurts a lot though because they want me to hold down the trigger button for ages. Yeah, ganking orcs is cool, it’s real fun shooting them in the head... oh, I have to do these crappy sword fights where I only press two buttons throughout the whole thing.

This game is like someone who seems fascinating and pretty from afar, but soon as you talk to them at length you begin to realise that they’re quite boring. They just say the same thing over and over. It’s a sausage party that gets slowly more off putting as I play. The developers don’t even seem to know that women exist outside of being trophies or reasons to be angry about stuff. The main draw in this game is apparently the battles with the orc leaders, which I found to be the most boring part of the game. I hated the sword combat and it kept dragging me back to it. After doing every arrow and dagger challenge I could find on the map I left the game and never played it again.

Gollum out of Mordor

Dark Souls

in my game Ending I structured the second level so that the player would step forward and get a slap to the face in the shape of an unfair death. This was my opening salvo, death is your education. So after persisting with Dark Souls I’m somewhat nonplussed. I get it. By repeatedly killing the player they form a mental map of the area. By repeatedly killing the player they encourage experimentation.

Except that this doesn’t always work. There has to be some investment on the behalf of the player or this magic completely fails. If the player feels like they can walk away, they will. And they do. It’s why I believe Dark Souls is such a hit with game reviewers, they are beholden to persist, and in doing so the game makes a believer of them.

I on the other hand couldn’t care less. A tedious march through the same janky fights to get to the same boss I still don’t understand is nothing more than that. I tried a variety of combat techniques, from trying to interrupt attacks, to blocking, to evading, all of it very unsatisfying. What little progress I made illuminated the premise, to internalise the map and hone my skills, but I was not impressed. I enjoyed not one second of it, I only endured. I experimented and I explored, but never was I delighted.

The very worst thing that Dark Souls has given us is complacency towards killing the player. I have heard designers remark that it didn’t matter that the player died in that spot in their game because Dark Souls kills the player all the time. It makes me want to shake them. Dark Souls does not kill you all the time, it kills you for a specific reason. See, I get it, I get Dark Souls, I just don’t enjoy the combat.

Soul out of Estus

Divinity Original Sin 2

I had the worst time with Divinity Original Sin. My two characters insisted on bickering and ruining every conversation - no matter how many times I reloaded a scene they would find a way to trash it. I eventually found myself locked out of every quest in the game and unable to fight my way past monsters higher than my level. I was playing the game to forget about a failed relationship where my ex would find excuses to start arguments. It was about as bad an experience playing a game I could ever hope for.

To say the sequel is an improvement is true. To a point. Somehow I’ve done it again and gotten trapped in an area with no quests to advance and monsters too powerful to fight past. I’ve muddled my way past some really irritating quests with obtuse requirements that I’m told can be solved in many ways. Except that when you fail to chase a particular lead it’s really frustrating to have to try a dozen different tactics to shake out a solution. It feels like I’ve picked up my PC and I’m rattling it over my head until the game agrees to let me move on. People keep telling me I can solve situations in dozens of ways, but all of them seem very specific and very intent on being a dick about it.

The combat is as amazing as it is chaotic. Environmental effects are at the fore, making it feel very D&D-like as you slow people down with oil and then ignite the oil and so on. The story I felt was okay, but the tone is all over the place, making it impossible to give a shit. Some nice touches with elves gaining visions from eating flesh and anyone can choose perks for talking to animals - but I found it more infuriating than cute after searching an entire island to solve a riddle, only to have a rat explain to me that I had to talk to some NPC again in order to shake, shake, shake out the solution. For every ounce of fun I got two ounces of frustration and misery.

1 out of 2

Dungeon World

Out of all the table top roleplaying games I’ve tried, this one was the most robust for casual play. Especially seeing as roleplayers are the most unreliable people on the planet. The resolution system it employs forces a plot twist every time you use it, so it’s impossible to plan anything. It’s not for everyone, you end up with a very gonzo story without the fiddly depth that other roleplaying games manage. On the other hand it’s a dream to be the Games Master and watch a story unfold instead of meticulously planning it and seeing a conclusion land that tears apart your ideas instead of adding to them. I wrote a full guide of how I run this game over here. The campaign is effectively a sandbox, I let people explore and fill in the map as we go - which is why I mention it. I’d like a computer game that approached it this way, not like Dwarf Fortress where a randomly generated overworld is dumped on you. Instead I’d like a piecemeal discovery of the world, one that reacts to the tensions you’ve created. Perhaps I’ll have to do it myself.

Story out of Players

[lorrainecparker]

Matt MacDonald: How I created a film using a video game

Since its launch, the video game Grand Theft Auto V has been the base for cinematographers exploring its potential to create narratives. The 12 minutes of Not Normal are the most recent example of the game’s potential.

If there is one thing that video games have in common with movies is that both tell stories. For a long time now, especially since graphic engines reached a point allowing them to recreate reality, multiple games have offered users the option to use the graphic engine to capture animated sequences, viewing them afterwards from multiple angles, in a pure cinematic experience.

Grand Theft Auto V, a very popular action-adventure video game developed by Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games in 2013 for PS3 and Xbox 360 and early 2014 for PC (Windows), took things a bit further, offering on a re-released PC version, from April 2015 a unique tool for budding cinematographers: the Rockstar Editor, which lets players capture and edit gameplay videos. What’s more, the PC version runs at 60FPS in 1080p, with the ability to display visuals in 4K resolution. The Rockstar Editor was introduced in versions of GTA V for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One later that year.

Rockstar editor, a cinematographer’s dream

The game, considered by specialist magazine Edge a “remarkable achievement” in open world design and storytelling, while Tom Hoggins, from The Daily Telegraph, declared it a “colossal feat of technical engineering”, was both a tremendous success to Rockstar, and the bit of a headache, exactly because of the possibilities the Rockstar Editor opened.

What is the Rockstar Editor? Well, according to Rockstar, it is a program which provides a robust suite of recording and editing tools allowing users to build a library of captured footage. Users can record gameplay footage while on or off mission. Use Manual Recording mode for start and stop recording with the push of a button, or save your most recently played footage with the Action Replay feature. Rockstar invites users to edit their projects and share the final footage online.

The Rockstar Editor went further than that, though. Its Director Mode allows users to stage scenes and create custom moments. Users can select from hundreds of GTAV Story Mode characters and citizens across Los Santos (a condensed version of Los Angeles) and Blaine County (an amalgamation of several Southern Californian counties) to play as in the game world, including animals.  Users can set locations, time of day, weather and much more. The dream of any cinematographer…

Rockstar versus community

The success of the Rockstar Editor led to something else; the creation, by the community, of multiple mods that allow to fine tune aspects of the movie creation inside the video game. Soon users were creating their first shorts, even recreating segments of popular movies, from Godfather to Terminator or TV series like Twin Peaks. And the exploration of mods continued, with more and more sophisticated tools appearing. One example? Scene Director, released by author elsewhat, a mod for GTA V specifically aimed at recording Machinima. In many ways it’s an extension to Director Mode and Rockstar Editor. The 3.4 release included a major functionality: stage lights, allowing users to light scene as in a real movie. Version 3.4.1 took things a little further: you can add complex move, rotate and flicker effects to stage lights.

The extended changes introduced by the community through mods, not only for cinematography, but also for single player options, led to some friction, in recent months, between the community and Rockstar, and Take-Two, the company distributing the title. Apparently, the problems are sorted out, and an official note published on Rockstar’s website indicates that “Rockstar Games believes in reasonable fan creativity, and, in particular, wants creators to showcase their passion for our games. After discussions with Take-Two, Take-Two has agreed that it generally will not take legal action against third-party projects involving Rockstar’s PC games that are single-player, non-commercial, and respect the intellectual property (IP) rights of third parties.”

Not Normal, the film

It’s within the context of this “battle” that a new film created inside GTA V saw the light of day: Not Normal. Created by Matt MacDonald, the short movie – which at almost 12 minutes is longer than many other shorts created with GTA V – is the most recent in a series of shorts created by the author. An accomplished voice-over actor and nationally published author, Matt received his MFA in Film & Television Production from the prestigious USC School of Cinematic Arts. As a writer, director, and editor, Matt has worked with Microsoft, Playboy, Activision/Blizzard, Electronic Arts, Warner Bros. Digital, and many others. His most recent directing credits include a 60-second spot for Nestlé’s DiGiorno pizza and a pair of animated short films for Ubisoft’s blockbuster game franchise Assassin’s Creed.

With a track record like this, why is Matt MacDonald exploring a video game to create movies? I asked the question to myself and thought readers would also like to know the answer, especially because the short movie No Normal, “shot in Anamorphic 21:9 and edited in Adobe Premiere Pro CC 2017” is the result of a collaboration including all the fields of which real movies are made: written and directed by Matt MacDonald, it has original music by Simon Stevens, sound mix by Eric Marks, editing, VFX and sound design by Mat MacDonald and a voice cast with the names of Jon Bailey, Anthony Falleroni, Matt MacDonald, Tamar Meyouhas and Paige Williams. All this makes Not Normal, a story of a time of anarchy and forgotten morals and the one man who obsesses over the way to fix it, a short to watch.

Matt MacDonald didn’t just create and publish the movie, he took the time to create a complete Behind The Scenes video, 13 minutes long, which is a lesson in both modding GTA V and cinematography. And a unique voyage of discovery if you think that video games and cinema are worlds apart: they are not! But I was eager to know more, so I decided to get in touch with Matt MacDonald and ask him a few questions. His answers are here for you to read. It’s difficult not to get touched by Matt’s enthusiasm.  It might well explain why he mentions, in his website, that his dad frequently tells him to “keep up the good work.”

The Interview

ProVideo Coalition  – You’ve done multiple projects in the area of video games, but this is a first. Why did you decide to go ahead with the project?

Matt MacDonald –  The amazing thing about video games (and Grand Theft Auto in particular) is how realistic they’re becoming. Every once in awhile, you look at one and — for just a brief moment — aren’t really sure if it’s real life or a game. So, I thought I’d try and capitalize on that by making a really slick, expensive-looking film using the most life-like medium I could. And since I’m already pretty familiar with video games, I knew I would be able to pull off way more this way than I ever could for no budget on a real shoot. Like, the car chase? Zero chance most indy filmmakers could afford to do something like that on their own. Why not use something like a video game to show off your directing abilities for no money and hopefully convince someone to let you do it for real one day?

PVC – Why did you choose GTA V? Do you play games?

MM – I don’t play as many games as I’d like because adulthood sucks, but I’ve been a huge fan of the GTA series since I was a kid and diligently played through GTAV when it was first released. The great thing about these games is that they’re so massive, they really allow a lot of flexibility in what the player can do. Want to rob a bank? Go for it. Want to get a lap dance? You bet. Want to chase down and murder people in a spat of vigilante justice? Of course you can! Because of that flexibility, it really allows us filmmakers to tell a wide range of stories and I think that’s the most you could ever hope for from a machinima.

PVC – Is it harder to create a movie like this, using machinima, than with real actors and scenes? Why?

MM – I think every kind of filmmaking is going to have its challenges, so it’s just a matter of figuring out the best ways to get around them. The tricky part about making a machinima, like you said, is you aren’t working with real actors in front of a camera, so you have to completely re-think your writing and how you shoot a scene. You can’t rely on witty dialogue to get you through because the lip sync will never match. You can’t rely on a lot of close ups because the characters in the game aren’t acting and will just stare blankly. Scenes you would maybe shoot one way in a live action shoot have to be rethought because the textures fall apart if you get too close or the game doesn’t have a proper animation for the scene you’re thinking up. It’s quite challenging. On the flip side, it can be quite liberating. You can move your camera virtually anywhere, without limitation. You can get endless coverage for the same take without having to reshoot. I don’t think machinima filmmaking is going to replace anything any time soon, but it certainly teaches a lot you can bring to your live action projects.

PVC – This was a completely new experience for you. When it comes to filming, what do you usually work on? What interests you most?

MM – This was definitely a new experience for me, but my approach was no different than when I’m directing a live action film. I genuinely love intelligent, large-scale stories, both independent and from the studio, and this kind of dark thriller / action piece is very appealing to me. I was also surprised to discover the facets I enjoyed the most making a film this way are the same ones you’d encounter on a traditional set. I really enjoyed blocking out the scenes — looking around the location I had selected, working out with the action the characters would perform. I really enjoyed lighting the scenes just like a cinematographer, finding ways to make these iconic GTA settings look unique and more cinematic. I enjoyed doing the camerawork, emulating big crane moves and moving picture cars. The aspects I found the most frustrating were the nitty gritty tedious tasks — finding the right animation for the character model to perform, troubleshooting technical glitches and crashes, finding different ways to “cheat” simple actions no one would think twice about on a live action shoot.

PVC – The short was shot in Anamorphic 21:9. Why did you go that way? To completely emulate the idea of a real film using a different perspective?

MM – I really love the anamorphic look. Seriously, I’ll go on Vimeo and just watch anamorphic lens tests because I get such nerd joy from it. I think it’s a really unique and visually interesting format. So, because I wanted to try and make this as cinematic as possible, I knew pretty early on I wanted to replicate that look as best I could. I was able to capture all my footage in a way that gave it a slight squeeze and then in post I added a vignette and some slight lens artifacting. Plus, having the 21:9 monitor on my PC gave a lot more flexibility for framing shots.

PVC – You mention potential future problems with Take 2 and Rockstar because of the way people have used their IP? Which problems? Does this not promote the interest for the game?

MM – There’s been some controversy lately because GTA parent company Take-Two came down hard on a handful of fan-made game mods, which are essential to creating these kinds of machinima films. They sent some cease-and-desist orders and the GTA community reacted very strongly, arguing the corporate overlords were going too far. In recent days, there’s been some resolution, as Take-Two and Rockstar have backtracked a little and it seems they will allow some of these mods to continue, but it’s a touchy topic. If you’re the companies, you’re trying to protect this very valuable IP that generates a lot of profit for you, so the idea of people modding and changing the game and potentially ruining the experience of what you intended is very alarming. On the other hand, most players using these mods just want to do so harmlessly, allowing them to tell stories like this one and spread their creative wings. It’s an interesting topic to think about as games and technology move forward — once a game releases, does it belong to the fans or is it the responsibility of the developer / publisher to protect their original vision? I’m not sure of the answer.

PVC – Notwithstanding the outcome of this experience, do you plan on creating more shorts using video game engines?

MM – I don’t know that I’ll ever make a film using GTAV again. I feel like I challenged myself to create something I’ve never done before, making a statement on the world using this particular tool and I accomplished that, so there’s not much left for me to do. I’m certainly open to trying other engines though. Things like the Unreal Engine, Unity, CryEngine are all turning out incredible visuals and there’s a lot to be explored there. That said, my first love will always be traditional live action. Computer graphics and animation and photorealism will continue to improve, but there’s just no replacement to seeing a real person on screen and my personal goal is to move into making features. That said, one interesting idea filmmakers should consider is using a game engine like GTA to help with their pre-visualizations. I could definitely see myself firing up GTAV to work out the logistics of a car chase or create an animatic for the crew on how we plan to shoot a scene. There’s no need to turn to some expensive post-house to do a pre-viz for you when anyone with a passing knowledge of video games and a computer can make something equally good, if not better. In that sense, it’s pretty amazing times we live in.

To find more about the work of Matt MacDonald visit his website.

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