#machinema

[fancoloredglasses]

Red vs. Blue (so...why ARE we here?)

(Thanks to TheRedBase)

[All images are owned by Rooster Teeth Productions. Please don’t sue me]

Now, those who are fans will complain that Red vs. Blue (or RvB) is still airing new episodes, so I shouldn’t be reviewing it. However, I have two arguments to that:

1. This wouldn’t be the first time I’ve reviewed something still current.

(b) Rooster Teeth is no longer airing new episodes of RvB. They’re airing episodes of spin-off series.

First, a bit of back story...

The company that would eventually be known as Rooster Teeth was founded by Michael “Burnie” Burns and Matt Hullum. Back then, it was known as Drunk Gamers, and they would review video games after having more than a few drinks. Naturally, most video game companies didn’t want to give them games to review with a name like that (not to mention most banks didn’t want to lend money to a company based on the consumption of several adult beverages), so they changed the name to Rooster Teeth (which was a work-safe parallel to “cock bite”)

About this time, Bungie had created a first-person shooter franchise for the X-Box known as Halo (maybe you’ve heard of it?) While the first game was critically acclaimed, it was the second game that ties in to our story. One feature in Halo 2 was a multiplayer arena. While this sort of thing is commonplace now, it was still fairly new at the time. It was possible to link several X-Boxes together and play with each player on their own screen so other players couldn’t “peek” at where their opponents were since they were all sharing a screen (granted having all those X-Boxes and all those TVs was expensive, but STILL...)

Burns and Hullum (and their friends that were hired, including Gustavo “Gus” Sorola, and Geoff Ramsey) took advantage of this and, with Bungie’s blessing, jumped on a new sort of “filmmaking” this new technology made possible: machinema (making films in multiplayer games, usually with one player dedicated as the “cameraman”)

That’s why the first couple of seasons have that circle in the center of the shot; that’s the targeting area for the cameraman’s weapon.

Anyway, RvB told the tale of a civil war between two sides: the Red Army and the Blue Army, or at least one battlefield in the war: a box canyon on an unpopulated world known as Blood Gulch. (well, that’s how it started anyway) Why is a box canyon have such strategic importance? They never say.

[I would like to note that, since this is a video game, all of the characters look exactly the same except for the color of their armor. The only way to tell who’s actually speaking was for the “actor” controlling the character to quickly look up and down so the character bobbed their head.]

Now, let’s meet our total fucking idiots brave warriors, starting with Red Team.

Red team is led by Sarge (full name, Sgt. Sarge. If ever there was anyone born to do his job...) Sarge is totally gung-ho about the military life and is all for taking down “those no good dirty Blues!” Too bad he has no clue how to do his job, often rejecting common sense plans that would likely work in favor of the most recklessly violent plan he can come up with.

Sarge’s second-in-command is Pvt. Dick Simmons. Simmons is the closest thing Blood Gulch has to an IT guy and is a total suck-up to Sarge.

Pvt. Dexter Grif is the low man in the unit and is often the recipient of abuse from Sarge (most of Sarge’s plans involve Grif being horribly wounded, if not killed) Part of that may stem from Grif being the laziest soldier ever and likely at least 50 pounds overweight.

Finally, we have Lopez the Heavy, an android who serves as the mechanic for the Team, and is likely the smartest being in the canyon. Due to a malfunction, he can only speak Spanish.

Now let’s go to Blue Team...

The leader of the Blues (mainly due to being the loudest) is Pvt. Leonard L. Church. He’s about as clueless as the rest, but has the biggest potty mouth of the bunch.

The other member of Blue Team (wait, there are only two blues to Red Team’s four? Why the hell hasn’t Sarge ordered a full frontal assault (with Grif in front, naturally)? I mean...sure Grif might die, but I’m sure that’s a risk Sarge is willing to take!) is Pvt. Lavernius Tucker. Tucker fancies himself a ladies man, never missing an opportunity to lay down some innuendo. (bow chicka bow wow)

Early on, both sides got some new additions...

The Reds got a recruit named Pvt. Franklin Delano Donut. Yes, he has pink (or as he calls it “lightish red”) armor. I’m pretty sure he’s not actually gay, but he’s very effeminate and makes a lot of accidental homoerotic double entendres.

Meanwhile, the Blues got a tank (with an AI named Sheila) as well as a new recruit.

Pvt. Michael J. Caboose (played by Joel Hayman) is...well, he’s a complete fucking idiot (even compared to the rest; there is no way to sugar-coat it) who is convinced Church is his Bestest Friend In The Whole Wide Universe. What’s more, he’s a danger to anyone on his side (especially Church)

(Thanks to ChaosAsakura)

As a result of Caboose’s little “accident”...

...Church came back as a ghost and...

...Blue Command sent a mercenary named Tex (AKA Agent Texas AKA Allison (no last name given)), who is Church’s ex. She also has an evil AI in her armor that eventually gets loose.

...and all of that is just season one!

Now, around Season 3, Halo 3 was released, so...

The gang got an upgrade (and continue to get them with every new game)!

Now, there are 4 “eras” of RvB

Season 1-5 are known as The Blood Gulch Chronicles, and center almost exclusively in Blood Gulch (with a quick stop in a different map to explain the upgrades)

Seasons 6-10 are known as Project Freelancer, which gives a bit of backstory on the Reds and Blues, as well as Tex’s origin, and introduces members of an elite (and defunct) unit known as Project Freelancer: Carolina and Washington (or “Wash” to his friends). This also marks when Rooster Teeth started using motion capture technology to enhance the action sequences for the series instead of using machinema exclusively.

Seasons 11-13 are known as The Chorus Trilogy, which sees the Reds and Blues drawn into another civil war.

Seasons 15-17 are known as The Shisno Trilogy, which involves the Reds and Blues traveling to their past.

Season 18 was its own storyline, while season 14 was a series of “alternate reality” shorts (including an episode where the Red and Blues end in the Rooster Teeth offices). Following Season 18, Burnie Burns left Rooster Teeth to pursue other projects and Joel Hayman was fired due to making some inappropriate tweets (which violated company policy) in 2020.

So, with the actor playing Tucker the only Blue still with the company, I guess the Reds won...?

But this isn’t the end of Red vs. Blue, as there was a spin-off series with an all-new crew, as well as occasional “PSAs” from the remains of the original cast.

(Thanks to Rooster Teeth)

In addition, Rooster Teeth recently announced the final season (with Burnie Burns returning) this fall.

I should note that every episode is under 10 minutes long and, once a “season” is finished, Rooster Teeth splices them together into a continuous film and releases it on DVD. The DVD’s extras (starting with season 2) give a highlight reel of the story thus far.

The one on Season 5′s DVD sums up the Blood Gulch Chronicles rather well...

(Thanks to SystemFreaKk13)

If you would like to watch the series, it’s available on Rooster Teeth’s website, as well as YouTube.

At this point, I normally would be fishing for requests for episode reviews, but given how the series is laid out, that’s not exactly possible.

[featheredcritter]

Everytime i tap into hlvrai territory it's like stepping into a different scary dimension. You guys did not change at all

[red-vs-red]

quick everyone rush to fill the void i want 10+ new halo machinemas of varying poor quality made by nerds on my desk by next month

[b00mrang]

Hello! Pleasure to meet you. Me and a couple of other guys are working on a halo machinema as well! We have only developed a script but we have voice actors and have somewhat of a plan

My question to you is how do we gain traction and popularity?

Honestly, I don't have a great answer.

We got incredibly lucky for CRASH and the algorithm picked it up.

I think one of the most important things you can do is, from the start, do NOT focus on getting popular. If it happens, great! But operate under the assumption that very few will watch it. Instead, let the measure of success be "Did I make the show I wanted to make?" If you make that your aim, you'll be all the better for it. It's better to make something you can be proud of than something that everyone watches.

Beyond that, for me, the single most important component for making a machinima work is the writing. Invest a large portion of your energy to make sure your story is well realized and well thought out. Audiences will forgive a lot if the writing is solid.

Also, you will run into unforeseen technical difficulties. We run into new ones with every episode. Don't get discouraged. Keep pushing.

Good luck, I wish you all the best and much success.

[turoce]

NEW EIDA MACHINEMA VIDEOOOOOOOOO

[sims-therapy]

The first episode of my machinema series is out now🥹

[kipsfellandtaiga-railway]

the only minecraft movie that matters to me is machinemas from 2012 about villages being attacked by zombies and Steve experiencing cosmic horror

[jovial-gender-jester]

machinema using diff suit-sets to denote diff time-periods /flashbacks / seasons i LOVE YOU

[potential-fate]

Get to know you- Sims Style

I was tagged by @simbury

What’s your favorite Sims death? -- I find it incredibly entertaining that sims can spontaneously combust if they get too warm.

Alpha CC or Maxis Match? -- mix, but ig it leans towards realism nowadays.

Do you cheat your sims weight? -- not that I can think of. sometimes if I am shooting a specific scene and they weren't that shape at the time. but not during gameplay.

Do you move objects? -- absolutely. I'm incapable of decorating without moveobjects on honestly.

Favorite Mod? -- uhm... I guess the 3t2 traits project or ACR/Romantic Standards.

First Expansion/Game Pack/Stuff Pack? -- I have been playing ts2 since it literally came out, so my first ep was whichever one came out first. I think that was Uni? but in spirit of the question, for sims 4 I only bothered downloading the game when they came out with cottage living lol.

Do you pronounce live mode like aLIVE or LIVing? -- aLIVE. my brain always said essentially like a movie set "and we're live!" so.

Who’s your favorite sim that you’ve made? -- Evren Thorne (who you're more likely to see in @luverofralts or @nappe-plays-the-sims game than mine) because he's not story relevant yet, or (much to everyone's chagrin) Callum

Have you made a simself? -- at some point far in the past, yes. I do not have that sim anymore, and I probably wouldn't do it again, but yk. I was also 11 when I started playing this game, so of course I made a digital barbie of myself. (not to say it's childish to do in and of itself, but that it's definitely something that every child tends to do)

Which is your favorite EA hair color? -- since ts2 only has 4, I'm going to assume this was more ts4 centric. in which case I like the neutral blonde/light blonde colors (the two that are less yellow)

Favorite EA hair? -- eh. for ts2 I wouldn't use any of them. for ts4... the mullet thing from werewolves? ig.

Favorite life stage? -- teens or young adults. (I think I may be the only person I know how actively likes Uni for ts2 the most lmao)

Are you a builder or are you in it for the gameplay? -- oh. both. depends on my mood.

Are you a CC creator? -- yeeeup. recreationally though. (read: with no real consistency.)

Do you have any Simblr friends or a Sim Squad? -- I feel like I do lmao. I at least hope they feel the same LOL.

Do you have any sims merch? -- I now have a gameplay guide for the original Sims game lol. but I think that's all I own.

Do you have a YouTube for sims? -- nope. I uh... don't like watching gameplay videos, and sims machinema is way too time consuming to make so I do not.

How has your “Sims style” changed throughout your years of playing? -- oh gosh. I was one of those edgy emo kids so it was a lot of grunge and dyed hair and bright makeup. I've honestly been leaning a bit more towards that style again though so....

Who’s your favorite CC creator? -- depends on what I'm looking for. tbh a LOT of the CC I have now is older stuff that I just still like. but anyone who isn't exclusively making 4t2 stuff is probably someone I've downloaded from.

How long have you had Simblr? -- technically this blog since January 1st 2020. that being said, I moved from LJ to simblr in like.... idk, 2012? whenever that great migration happened.

How do you edit your pictures? -- a lot of photoshop. color correction, a slight film grain at the very least. most times I also do aesthetic edits to hide clipping, and add painted hair strands nowadays. if I can't get an emotion right for a screenshot, I edit those too.

What expansion/ gamepack is your favorite? -- for ts2 I really don't think I could pick one. the problem is I use like 90% of them for SOMETHING gameplay wise, even if I don't use the main function. ie: I love the chemistry/attraction from nightlife, even though the whole downtown thing is frankly annoying sometimes (do YOU WANT TO GO DOWNTOWN? no, random townie I do not. ) But, seeing as I listed it earlier, I guess university.

Tagging uhm.... @rebouks, @pralinesims, @luverofralts, and @nappe-plays-the-sims

[tparadox]

Back in the early days of Netflix when they were starving for content to put on the "Netflix Instant" streaming bonus you got for free with your DVD rentals, they had a bunch of web series. I saw some of HISHE (through their deal with Starz somehow?), The Guild, and maybe all of Spaceballs: The Web Series there.

I bring this up because I saw Red Vs. Blue there and decided to watch this thing that I'd heard people enthusing about and others talking semi-academically about early Machinema. It seemed like each season was there bundled into episodes so it was like three or four hour-plus "episodes". And I liked a little bit how it started out making fun of Halo capture the flag games, but the characters were just so dumb in a way that was already either a little out of fashion by then or just would've been better received by a middle schooler or high schooler when I was already in college. I think I finished the second season and decided it wasn't for me, but that also seemed like when it was about to become more plot focused and less just screwing around in a video game.

Some years later I was doing unpaid labor for a production company that partnered with Rooster Teeth for a while and I got to meet Burnie Burns a few times, but unlike other interns who were freaking out about meeting a childhood celebrity I was just like, "that's kinda neat". I think I've technically gotten paid by RT for at least one job in the heyday of my post production services freelancing. I was and am based in their area so I entertained the idea of trying to work for them, but as time went on it seemed less likely and then I started to hear stories from the inside about how badly they were organized thanks to being run by a bunch of high school buddies who accidentally had a TV studio built under them. I was always expecting that to be their undoing, not being sacrificed on the altar of tax write-offs by Hollywood's final boss.

But all I've actually seen of Rooster Teeth's stuff is that portion of RvB, some live action shorts our company produced for them that had disappointing releases, Day Five season 2 (see post-production services), and I think I got to see all of Crunch Time. I believe Slow Mo Guys started there but I've mainly seen them after they appear to have left.

People seem to really love RvB and RWBY. How would RT fans recommend RT stuff to me?

[petrenocka]

As much as I am married to a headcanon of the Style Meter being a feature of V1s design, after P-2 I gotta face the facts.

Considering the P-2 terminal lore, our ability to change difficulty, including turning Major Assists on and off, as well as to switch and replay levels at any point, The Player POV of Ultrakill is probably a lucky terminal, having the mother of all robot orgasms viewing machinemas of V1 doing its thing.

This also explains Cybergrind, Sandbox, graphic and volume settings, and the above mentioned Style Meter, although a good argument can be made for why V1 would have those features as well.

The only thing that doesn't line up then is that for some reason WE are the ones getting P and we get to spend it as V1 in the ""videos"".

[iceeericeee]

more music

im going to go back there some day by gonzo

dinner is not over by jack stauber

angel by jack stauber

join us for a bite by jt machinema

boring by the brobecks

working in a coal mine from muppets most wanted

im number one from muppets most wanted

youre fucked by ylvis

coffee by jack stauber

five nights at freddys by the living tombstone

the nerve by the brobecks

Added to the playlist :)

And also:

DHSKHFEJD I LITERALLY HAVE COFFEE STUCK IN MY HEAD RN HOW FHSJBDJD

[fizzigigsimmer]

Have this very tiny (rough AF) peek at one of the Harringrove Sims machinemas I have been working on. Seriously please pardon how unfinished this is, but I am so excited for it.

It is based on my Witch!Steve sims save where Steve is a witch in training at a magical school and his boyfriend Billy is a Werewolf. Their friend Eddie is a vampire trying to escape an oppressive coven and gain acceptance at the school of white magic. Also he's in love with Billy & Steve but hasn't admitted it yet.

I haven't had time to work on this as I am focused on writing at the moment, but I am hoping to finish by Halloween. If not, it'll still make a nice fall themed debut.

Also my Witch!Steve sim was directly inspired by @Neonponders amazing fic Howl for Me, Baby

[cherrysnak]

Would you like to hear the tale of the panda??

UM YES? why is there a machinema watermark what is this...

[your-sweetsilence]

Been working on a machinema or 2 and I only have the dialogue to add. But now I want to start a new story for here since I refuse to lose the Schwabs after the last update and with the other stories I planned, is one of the machinemas I'll be putting on YT and the other I'm slowly working on so that there's at least 50/75 posts for season 1. I swear I have way too many ideas and not enough time to execute them.

[tarttsweetshriek]

[FFAF]: What are Tartt’s proudest successes?

Breaking free of the Lich King after the battle of Light’s Hope.

Performing at a Wings and Metal concert for the first time. (She has yet to perform someplace big like the TOA). 🧟‍♀️

Getting Necromedes at a Blight Boar concert. 🎸

Getting autographs of famous singers, bands, (and a few machinema people as well).

Helping the Ebon Blade in the Broken Isles and in a far away realm. (Shadowlands).