View source for Machinima

{{short description|Film production in graphics engines}}
{{for|the company of the same name|Machinima, Inc.}}
{{good article}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2023}}
[[File:Machinima sample reindeer full size.ogg|thumb|Machinima filmed in ''[[Second Life]]'']]
{{Art and video games}}

'''Machinima''' ({{IPAc-en|m|ə|ˈ|ʃ|iː|n|ɪ|m|ə|,_|-|ˈ|ʃ|ɪ|n|-|audio=LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-machinima.wav}}) is an [[animation|animation technique]] using [[Real-time computing|real-time]] [[Screenshot|screen capturing]] in [[computer graphics]] engines, [[video game]]s and virtual worlds to create a cinematic production. The word "Machinima" is a [[portmanteau]] of the words ''[[machine]]'' and ''[[Film|cinema]]''. According to [[Guinness World Records]], machinima is an art of making animated narrative films from computer graphics, most commonly used by video games.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Records |first=Guinness World |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MNEyDQAAQBAJ&dq=longest+animated+movie+the+seal+of+nehahra&pg=PA190 |title=Guinness World Records 2017 Gamer's Edition |date=2008 |publisher=Guinness World Records |isbn=978-1-910561-41-6 |language=en}}</ref>

Machinima-based artists, sometimes called '''Machinimists''' or '''Machinimators''', are often [[fan labor]]ers, by virtue of their re-use of copyrighted materials (see below). Machinima offers to provide an archive of gaming performance and access to the look and feel of software and hardware that may already have become obsolete or even unavailable. For [[game studies]], "Machinima's gestures grant access to gaming's historical conditions of possibility and how machinima offers links to a comparative horizon that informs, changes, and fully participates in videogame culture."<ref name="Krapp 2010 160">{{harvnb|Krapp|2010|p=160}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Harwood |first1=Tracy G. |last2=Grussi |first2=Ben |title=Pioneers in Machinima: The Grassroots of Virtual Production |date=2021 |publisher=Vernon Press |isbn=978-1-64889-214-1 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-vIhEAAAQBAJ&q=info:_t80mJKkbdMJ:scholar.google.com&pg=PR5 |access-date=23 April 2021}}</ref>

The practice of using graphics engines from [[video games]] arose from the animated software introductions of the 1980s [[demoscene]], [[Disney Interactive Studios]]' [[1992 in video gaming|1992 video game]] ''[[Stunt Island]]'', and 1990s recordings of gameplay in [[first-person shooter]] (FPS) video games, such as [[id Software]]'s ''[[Doom (1993 video game)|Doom]]'' and ''[[Quake (video game)|Quake]]''. Originally, these recordings documented [[speedrun|speed run]]s—attempts to complete a level as quickly as possible—and [[multiplayer video game|multiplayer match]]es. The addition of storylines to these films created "''Quake'' movies". The more general term ''machinima'', a [[Blend word|blend]] of ''machine'' and ''cinema'', arose when the concept spread beyond the [[Quake (series)|''Quake'' series]] to other games and software. After this generalization, machinima appeared in mainstream media, including television series and advertisements.

Machinima has advantages and disadvantages when compared to other styles of [[filmmaking]]. Its relative simplicity over [[traditional animation|traditional frame-based animation]] limits control and range of expression. Its real-time nature favors speed, cost saving, and flexibility over the higher quality of [[Pre-rendering|pre-rendered]] computer animation. Virtual acting is less expensive, dangerous, and physically restricted than [[live action]]. Machinima can be filmed by relying on in-game [[artificial intelligence]] (AI) or by controlling characters and cameras through [[digital puppetry]].  Scenes can be precisely scripted, and can be manipulated during [[post-production]] using [[video editing]] techniques. Editing, custom software, and creative [[cinematography]] may address technical limitations. Game companies have provided software for and have encouraged machinima, but the widespread use of [[digital asset]]s from copyrighted games has resulted in complex, unresolved legal issues.

Machinima productions can remain close to their gaming roots and feature stunts or other portrayals of gameplay. Popular genres include dance videos, comedy, and drama. Alternatively, some filmmakers attempt to stretch the boundaries of the rendering engines or to mask the original 3-D context. The [[Academy of Machinima Arts & Sciences]] (AMAS), a [[non-profit organization]] dedicated to promoting machinima, recognizes exemplary productions through Mackie awards given at its annual Machinima Film Festival. Some general film festivals accept machinima, and game companies, such as [[Epic Games]], [[Valve Corporation|Valve]], [[Blizzard Entertainment]] and [[Jagex]], have sponsored contests involving it.

==History==

===Precedent===
1980s [[software cracking|software crackers]] added custom introductory credits sequences (intros) to programs whose copy protection they had removed.<ref name="Marino 5">{{harvnb|Marino|2004a|p=5}}</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Green|1995|p=1}}</ref> Increasing computing power allowed for more complex intros, and the [[demoscene]] formed when focus shifted to the intros instead of the cracks.<ref name="Marino 5"/> The goal became to create the best 3-D demos in real-time with the least amount of software code.<ref name="Nitsche 2007"/><ref name="Marino 5"/> Disk storage was too slow for this, so graphics had to be calculated on the fly and without a pre-existing [[game engine]].<ref name="Nitsche 2007"/><ref name="Marino 5"/>

In [[Disney Interactive Studios]]' [[1992 in video gaming|1992 computer game]] ''[[Stunt Island]]'', users could stage, record, and play back stunts. As Nitsche stated, the game's goal was "not ... a high score but a spectacle."<ref name="Nitsche 2007"/> Released the following year, [[id Software]]'s ''[[Doom (1993 video game)|Doom]]'' included the ability to record gameplay as sequences of events that the game engine could later replay in real-time.<ref name="Marino 3">{{harvnb|Marino|2004a|p=3}}</ref> Because events and not video frames were saved, the resulting game demo files were small and easily shared among players.<ref name="Marino 3" /> A culture of recording gameplay developed, as Henry Lowood of [[Stanford University]] said, "a context for spectatorship.... The result was nothing less than a metamorphosis of the player into a performer."<ref name="Lowood 2006 30">{{harvnb|Lowood|2006|p=30}}</ref> Another important feature of ''Doom'' was that it allowed players to create their own [[mod (computer gaming)|modifications]], [[Level (computer and video games)|map]]s, and software for the game, thus expanding the concept of game authorship.<ref name="Lowood 2005 11">{{harvnb|Lowood|2005|p=11}}</ref> In machinima, there is a dual register of gestures: the trained motions of the player determine the in-game images of expressive motion.<ref name="Krapp 2011 93f">{{harvnb|Krapp|2011|p=93}}</ref>

In parallel of the video game approach, in the media art field, [[Maurice Benayoun]]'s Virtual Reality artwork ''The Tunnel under the Atlantic'' (1995), often compared to video games, introduced a virtual film director, fully autonomous intelligent agent, to shoot and edit in real time a full video from the digging performance in the Pompidou Center in Paris and the Museum of Contemporary art in Montreal. The full movie, ''Inside the Tunnel under the Atlantic'',<ref name="Benayoun 2011 44-49">{{harvnb|Benayoun|2011|pp=44–49}}</ref> 21h long, was followed in 1997 by ''Inside the Paris New-Delhi Tunnel'' (13h long). Only short excerpts were presented to the public. The complex behavior of the Tunnel's virtual director makes it a significant precursor of later application to video games based machinimas.<ref name="Benayoun 2011 50-54">{{harvnb|Benayoun|2011|pp=50–54}}</ref>

''Doom''{{'}}s 1996 successor, ''[[Quake (video game)|Quake]]'', offered new opportunities for both gameplay and customization,<ref name="Lowood 2005 12">{{harvnb|Lowood|2005|p=12}}</ref> while retaining the ability to record demos.<ref name="Marino 4">{{harvnb|Marino|2004a|p=4}}</ref> [[Multiplayer video game]]s became popular, and demos of matches between teams of players ([[Clan (computer gaming)|clans]]) were recorded and studied.<ref name="Kelland 28">{{harvnb|Kelland|Morris|Lloyd|2005|p=28}}</ref> [[Paul Marino]], executive director of the AMAS, stated that [[deathmatch (gaming)|deathmatch]]es, a type of multiplayer game, became more "cinematic".<ref name="Marino 4" /> At this point, however, they still documented gameplay without a narrative.<ref name="Lowood 2006 33">{{harvnb|Lowood|2006|p=33}}</ref>

===''Quake'' movies===
On October 26, 1996, a well-known gaming clan, the [[United Ranger Films|Rangers]], surprised the ''[[Quake (video game)|Quake]]'' community with ''[[Diary of a Camper]]'', the first widely known machinima film.<ref name="Lowood 2006 32">{{harvnb|Lowood|2006|p=32}}</ref> This short, 100-second demo file contained the action and gore of many others, but in the context of a brief story,<ref name="Lowood 2006 32" /> rather than the usual deathmatch.<ref name="Kelland 28" /> An example of transformative or [[emergent gameplay]], this shift from competition to theater required both expertise in and subversion of the game's mechanics.<ref>{{harvnb|Lowood|2005|pp=13, 16}}</ref> The Ranger demo emphasized this transformation by retaining specific gameplay references in its story.<ref>{{harvnb|Lowood|2005|p=13}}</ref>

''[[Diary of a Camper]]'' inspired many other "''Quake'' movies," as these films were then called.<ref name="Kelland 28" /> A community of game modifiers (modders), artists, expert players, and film fans began to form around them.<ref name="Nitsche 2007" /> The works were distributed and reviewed on websites such as The Cineplex, Psyk's Popcorn Jungle, and the Quake Movie Library (QML).<ref name="Marino, 7" /> Production was supported by dedicated demo-processing software, such as Uwe Girlich's Little Movie Processing Center (LMPC) and David "crt" Wright's [[non-linear editing system|non-linear editor]] Keygrip,<ref>{{harvnb|Kelland|Morris|Lloyd|2005|p=28}}; {{harvnb|Marino|2004a|pp=6–7}}</ref> which later became known as "[[Adobe Premiere Pro|Adobe Premiere]] for Quake demo files".<ref name="Marino, 7">{{harvnb|Marino|2004a|p=7}}</ref> Among the notable films were Clan Phantasm's ''Devil's Covenant'',<ref name="Marino, 7" /> the first [[feature length|feature-length]] ''Quake'' movie; Avatar and Wendigo's ''Blahbalicious'', which the QML awarded seven Quake Movie Oscars;<ref>{{harvnb|Machinima.com staff|2001}}; {{harvnb|Heaslip|1998}}</ref> and Clan Undead's ''[[Operation Bayshield]]'', which introduced simulated [[lip sync]]hronization<ref name="Moss">{{harvnb|Moss|2001}}</ref> and featured customized [[digital asset]]s.<ref>{{harvnb|Lowood|2007|p=179}}</ref>

Released in December 1997, id Software's ''[[Quake II]]'' improved support for user-created 3-D models. However, without compatible editing software, filmmakers continued to create works based on the original ''Quake''. These included the [[ILL Clan]]'s ''[[Apartment Huntin']]'' and the [[Quake done Quick]] group's ''[[Quake done Quick|Scourge Done Slick]]''.<ref name="Marino 8">{{harvnb|Marino|2004a|p=8}}</ref> ''Quake II'' demo editors became available in 1998. In particular, Keygrip 2.0 introduced "recamming", the ability to adjust camera locations after recording.<ref name="Marino 8" /> Paul Marino called the addition of this feature "a defining moment for [m]achinima".<ref name="Marino 8" /> With ''Quake II'' filming now feasible, [[Strange Company]]'s 1999 production ''Eschaton: Nightfall'' was the first work to feature entirely custom-made character models.<ref name="Marino 9">{{harvnb|Marino|2004a|p=9}}</ref><ref name="Marino 11">{{harvnb|Marino|2004a|p=11}}</ref>

''Borg War'', a 90-minute animated Star Trek fan film, was produced using Elite Force 2 (a ''Quake III'' variant) and Starfleet Command 3, repurposing the games' voiceover clips to create a new plot.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=122283&highlight=Borg+War |title=DEUX EX MACHIMINA – BORG WAR DOING TREK CON |publisher=Newsarama.com |access-date=2007-07-24 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929133848/http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=122283&highlight=Borg%2BWar |archive-date=2007-09-29 }}</ref>  ''Borg War'' was nominated for two "Mackie" awards by the [[Academy of Machinima Arts & Sciences]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ifmagazine.com/new.asp?article=4750 |title=See an Unauthorized Animated Star Trek Feature Film |work=IF Magazine |access-date=2007-07-19 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927224634/http://www.ifmagazine.com/new.asp?article=4750 |archive-date=2007-09-27 |url-status=dead }}</ref> An August 2007 screening at a ''Star Trek'' convention in Las Vegas was the first time that CBS/Paramount had approved the screening of a non-parody fan film at a licensed convention.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070810/NEWS01/208100371/-1/news01|title='Borg Wars' for next generation of movie makers|newspaper=Nashua Telegraph|access-date=2007-07-19|archive-date=August 19, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070819183754/http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070810/NEWS01/208100371/-1/news01|url-status=dead}}</ref>

===Generalization===
In January 2000, [[Hugh Hancock]], the founder of Strange Company, launched a new website, [[machinima.com]].<ref name="Marino 12">{{harvnb|Marino|2004a|p=12}}</ref> Coined by Anthony Bailey in a May 1998 email to Hancock,{{sfn|Lowood|2007|p=183}} the term is a misspelled portmanteau of ''machine cinema'' (''machinema'') which was intended to dissociate in-game filming from a specific [[game engine|engine]]. The new site featured tutorials, interviews, articles, and the exclusive release of Tritin Films' ''[[Quad God]]''.<ref name="Marino 12" /> The first film made with ''[[Quake III Arena]]'', ''Quad God'' was also the first to be distributed as recorded video frames, not game-specific instructions.<ref name="Marino 12" /> This change was initially controversial among machinima producers who preferred the smaller size of demo files.<ref name="Kelland 30">{{harvnb|Kelland|Morris|Lloyd|2005|p=30}}</ref> However, demo files required a copy of the game to view.<ref name="Nitsche 2007" /> The more accessible traditional video format broadened ''Quad God''{{'}}s viewership, and the work was distributed on CDs bundled with magazines.<ref name="Kelland 30" /> Thus, id's decision to protect ''Quake III''{{'}}s code inadvertently caused machinima creators to use more general solutions and thus widen their audience.<ref name="Lowood 2007, 184">{{harvnb|Lowood|2007|p=184}}</ref> Within a few years, machinima films were almost exclusively distributed in common video file formats.<ref name="Lowood 2007, 184" />

[[File:Hugh Hancock.jpg|thumb|left|upright|[[Hugh Hancock]] founded Strange Company.]]

Machinima began to receive mainstream notice.<ref name="Marino 13">{{harvnb|Marino|2004a|p=13}}</ref> [[Roger Ebert]] discussed it in a June 2000 article and praised Strange Company's machinima setting of [[Percy Bysshe Shelley]]'s sonnet "[[Ozymandias]]".<ref>{{harvnb|Ebert|2000}}; {{harvnb|Marino|2004a|p=13}}</ref> At [[Showtime (TV network)|Showtime Network]]'s 2001 Alternative Media Festival, the [[ILL Clan]]'s 2000 machinima film ''[[Hardly Workin']]'' won the Best Experimental and Best in SHO awards. [[Steven Spielberg]] used ''[[Unreal Tournament]]'' to test special effects while working on his [[2001 in film|2001 film]] ''[[Artificial Intelligence: A.I.]]''<ref name="Marino 14-15">{{harvnb|Marino|2004a|pp=14–15}}</ref> Eventually, interest spread to game developers. In July 2001, [[Epic Games]] announced that its upcoming game ''[[Unreal Tournament 2003]]'' would include Matinee, a machinima production software utility.<ref name="Marino 16">{{harvnb|Marino|2004a|p=16}}</ref> As involvement increased, filmmakers released fewer new productions to focus on quality.<ref name="Marino 16" />

At the March 2002 [[Game Developers Conference]], five machinima makers—Anthony Bailey, Hugh Hancock, [[Katherine Anna Kang]], Paul Marino, and Matthew Ross—founded the AMAS,<ref name="Marino 17">{{harvnb|Marino|2004a|p=17}}</ref> a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting machinima.<ref name="AMAS">{{harvnb|Academy of Machinima Arts & Sciences|2007|Ref=CITEREFAMAS2007}}</ref> At [[QuakeCon]] in August, the new organization held the [[2002 Machinima Film Festival|first Machinima Film Festival]], which received mainstream media coverage. ''[[Anachronox: The Movie]]'', by Jake Hughes and Tom Hall, won three awards, including Best Picture.<ref name="Marino 17" /> The next year, "[[In the Waiting Line]]", produced by [[Ghost Robot]], directed by [[Tommy Pallotta]] and animated by Randy Cole, utilizing Fountainhead Entertainment's Machinimation tools, it became the first machinima music video to air on [[MTV]].<ref name="Marino 18">{{harvnb|Marino|2004a|p=18}}</ref> As graphics technology improved, machinima filmmakers used other video games and consumer-grade [[video editing software]].<ref name="Marino 19">{{harvnb|Marino|2004a|p=19}}</ref> Using [[Bungie]]'s 2001 game ''[[Halo: Combat Evolved]]'', [[Rooster Teeth Productions]] created a popular comedy series ''[[Red vs. Blue|Red vs. Blue: The Blood Gulch Chronicles]]''. The [[Red vs. Blue (season 2)|series' second season]] premiered at the [[Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts]] in 2004.<ref name="Marino 23">{{harvnb|Marino|2004a|p=23}}</ref>

=== Recent history ===
{{main|Machinima, Inc.|Rooster Teeth|Glitch Productions}}
''[[Super Mario Clouds]]'' from 2002 is a multi-channel video installation by [[Cory Arcangel]] in which he modifies the 1985 Nintendo game ''[[Super Mario Bros.|Super Mario Bros]].'', removing all game assets except the blue sky and white pixelated clouds.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Cory Arcangel {{!}} Super Mario Clouds |url=https://whitney.org/collection/works/20588 |access-date=2025-07-30 |website=whitney.org |language=en}}</ref> The work eliminates visual elements such as characters, platforms, and background objects, leaving only the slowly scrolling clouds across a blue background.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Defining an Ethical Framework for Preserving Cory Arcangel's Super Mario Clouds – Electronic Media Review |url=https://resources.culturalheritage.org/emg-review/volume-4-2015-2016/magnin/ |access-date=2025-07-30 |website=resources.culturalheritage.org}}</ref>

In January 2019, Machinima, Inc., which had [[Channel drift|shifted its focus away from]] machinima-based content into general [[Video game culture|video game-related]] fare in its later years, abruptly discontinued their [[YouTube]] channels, with all their videos set to private.<ref name=":0" /> This came shortly after then-parent company [[Warner Bros.]] (via its owner, [[Time Warner]]) was acquired by [[AT&T]]; leading to the subsequent formation of [[WarnerMedia]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://deadline.com/2018/11/warnermedia-owned-machinima-to-become-part-of-atts-otter-media-1202506039/|title=WarnerMedia-Owned Machinima To Become Part Of AT&T's Otter Media|last1=Chmielewski|first1=Dawn C.|date=November 21, 2018|work=Deadline|access-date=November 22, 2018|last2=Hayes|first2=Dade|archive-date=November 22, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181122022518/https://deadline.com/2018/11/warnermedia-owned-machinima-to-become-part-of-atts-otter-media-1202506039/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://variety.com/2018/digital/news/att-buys-out-chernin-groups-stake-in-otter-media-1202898339/|title=AT&T Buys Out Chernin Group's Stake in Otter Media|last=Spangler|first=Todd|date=August 7, 2018|work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|access-date=November 22, 2018|archive-date=October 11, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181011004501/https://variety.com/2018/digital/news/att-buys-out-chernin-groups-stake-in-otter-media-1202898339/|url-status=live}}</ref> On February 1, 2019, Machinima officially announced that it had laid off its 81 employees and ceased remaining operations.<ref name=":1" /> The company stated that certain employees were being retained to work for AT&T's [[Otter Media]] holding company, and that Russell Arons was "assisting with transitional activities as she explores new opportunities".<ref name=":1">{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2019/02/machinima-closing-layoffs-warnermedia-otter-media-1202547949/|title=Machinima Is Shutting Down, With 81 Staffers Laid Off|last1=Hipes|first1=Patrick|date=February 1, 2019|website=Deadline|access-date=June 3, 2019|archive-date=May 30, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190530135849/https://deadline.com/2019/02/machinima-closing-layoffs-warnermedia-otter-media-1202547949/|url-status=live}}</ref> The closure resulted in 81 layoffs from the company.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Roberts |first=Samuel |date=2019-02-04 |title=Machinima is closing, and 81 people have reportedly been laid off |language=en |work=PC Gamer |url=https://www.pcgamer.com/machinima-is-closing-and-81-people-have-reportedly-been-laid-off/ |access-date=2023-04-03}}</ref>

An opinion piece from ''[[Wired (magazine)|Wired]]'' UK blamed the company's collapse on an "obvious misunderstanding of what Machinima actually was, or what traditional media companies were even buying when they purchased a [content network]", with the possibility of future machinima distribution networks of that size emerging being slim.<ref name=":0">{{Cite magazine |last=Onanuga |first=Tola |date=2019-01-27 |title=The collapse of Machinima is a stark warning to YouTube creators |language=en-GB |magazine=Wired UK |url=https://www.wired.co.uk/article/machinima-youtube |access-date=2023-04-03 |issn=1357-0978}}</ref>
[[File:Japanese TV program (entertainment) 2020-04-28.jpg|thumb|Machinima in Japan]]
On March 6, 2024, [[Rooster Teeth]] general manager Jordan Levin notified employees that the company would close over the next several months. In an email, he cited reasons for the shutdown including "fundamental shifts in consumer behavior and monetization across platforms, advertising, and patronage", with it being reported that the number of subscribers to Rooster Teeth's "First" service had dropped to around one-quarter of their peak and that Rooster Teeth as a whole had been unprofitable for a decade. Then-parent [[Warner Bros. Discovery]] (formed from the sale of WarnerMedia from AT&T into a [[Reverse Morris Trust]] merger with [[Discovery, Inc.]] in 2021.<ref>{{cite web|last=Hayes|first=Dade|date=May 17, 2021|title=David Zaslav And John Stankey Outline Plans For Merging Discovery And WarnerMedia, Addressing Future Of Jason Kilar, CNN, Streaming|url=https://deadline.com/2021/05/discovery-warnermedia-att-merger-streaming-david-zaslav-1234758225/|access-date=May 17, 2021|work=Deadline Hollywood}}</ref>) would gauge interest in ''[[Red vs. Blue]]'', and the studio's other [[intellectual property]] (including ''[[RWBY]]'',  and ''[[Gen:Lock]]'').<ref name="Variety Shutting">{{Cite web |last=Spangler |first=Todd |date=2024-03-06 |title=Rooster Teeth Is Shutting Down After 21 Years |url=https://variety.com/2024/digital/news/rooster-teeth-shutting-down-warner-bros-discovery-1235931953/ |access-date=2024-03-06 |website=Variety |language=en-US}}</ref>

Within the timeframe between Machinima Inc., and Rooster Teeth's respective closures, Australian animator Luke Lerdwichagul would gain prominence from his ''[[Super Mario 64]]'' and ''Garry's Mod''-based comedy series, ''SMG4''. He would eventually form the independent [[animation studio]] [[Glitch Productions]] with his brother, Kevin, while continuing to work on the series.<ref name="SMG4">{{cite web |author=Walker |first=Alex |date=July 26, 2019 |title=Inside The Mario House That SMG4 Built |url=https://www.kotaku.com.au/2019/07/smg4-youtube-meta-runner-glitch-productions-australian-anime/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190724082618/https://www.kotaku.com.au/2019/07/smg4-youtube-meta-runner-glitch-productions-australian-anime/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=July 24, 2019 |website=[[Kotaku]]}}</ref><ref name="inverse">{{Cite web |last=Asarch |first=Steven |date=26 January 2022 |title=The trippiest gamer on YouTube reveals the one line he'll never cross |url=https://www.inverse.com/gaming/smg4-luke-lerdwichagul-interview |access-date=31 March 2024 |website=Inverse |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=SMG4 |url=https://www.glitchprod.com/smg4 |access-date=2024-04-21 |website=Glitch Productions |language=en}}</ref>

Sara Sadik <ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-07-05 |title=Sara Sadik |url=https://www.fact.co.uk/artist/sara-sadik |access-date=2025-07-30 |website=FACT |language=en-GB}}</ref> is a French digital artist known for her use of machinima to explore themes of masculinity, identity, and the experiences of young men in the [[Maghreb]]i diaspora.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Khtobtogone |url=https://www.fifib.com/fr/film/khtobtogone?utm_source=chatgpt.com |access-date=2025-07-30 |website=Festival International du Film Indépendant de Bordeaux |language=fr}}</ref> Utilizing video game engines like ''[[Grand Theft Auto V]]'', her works blend fictional and documentary elements to create narratives that highlight underrepresented voices.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-06-12 |title=Virtually Real: How Sara Sadik Is Rewriting the Code of Digital Art - UNCLE |url=https://manfromuncle.info/features/virtually-real-how-sara-sadik-is-rewriting-the-code-of-digital-art/ |access-date=2025-07-30 |language=en-GB}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Sara Sadik* – Manifesta 13 Marseille |url=https://manifesta13.org/participants/sara-sadik/index.html |access-date=2025-07-30 |language=en-US}}</ref>

In recent years, Minecraft machinima,<ref>{{Cite web |date=2016-04-01 |title=10 Best Fan-Made Minecraft Movies |url=https://www.fandom.com/articles/10-best-fan-made-minecraft-movies |access-date=2025-07-30 |website=Fandom |language=en}}</ref> referring to films created within the virtual environment of the video game [[Minecraft|''Minecraft,'']] has attracted increasing attention in contemporary art and film discourse.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Cork |first=Mitchell |date=2016-02-10 |title=A Contemporary Analysis of Machinima: Now and Then |url=https://www.academia.edu/21770768}}</ref> It is notable for its do-it-yourself ethos and a potential to challenge conventional ideas of authorship, cinematic form, and game-based narrative. Due to its accessibility and creative flexibility, ''Minecraft'' has become a widely adopted platform among young filmmakers, educators, and artists.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Machinima Collection |url=http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLB39589B9EAFC2E9E |access-date=2025-07-30 |website=YouTube |language=en}}</ref>

==Production==

===Comparison to film techniques===
The AMAS defines machinima as "animated filmmaking within a real-time virtual 3-D environment".<ref name="Marino 1">{{harvnb|Marino|2004a|p=1}}</ref> In other 3-D animation methods, creators can control every frame and nuance of their characters but, in turn, must consider issues such as [[key frame]]s and [[inbetweening]]. Machinima creators leave many rendering details to their host environments, but may thus inherit those environments' limitations.<ref name="Kelland 19-20">{{harvnb|Kelland|Morris|Lloyd|2005|pp=19–20}}</ref>  Second Life Machinima film maker Ozymandius King provided a detailed account of the process by which the artists at MAGE Magazine produce their videos. "Organizing for a photo shoot is similar to organizing for a film production. Once you find the actors / models, you have to scout locations, find clothes and props for the models and type up a shooting script. The more organized you are the less time it takes to shoot the scene."<ref>{{Cite web|title = MAGE Magazine|url = http://0zymandius.wix.com/magemagazine#!MAGE-MAGAZINE-Interview-with-0zymandius-by-Ian-Thomson-Part-2/c112t/55f371e70cf20cc524a6a72d |access-date = 2015-09-24}}</ref> Because game animations focus on dramatic rather than casual actions, the range of character emotions is often limited. However, Kelland, Morris, and Lloyd state that a small range of emotions is often sufficient, as in successful Japanese anime television series.<ref name="Kelland, 78-79">{{harvnb|Kelland|Morris|Lloyd|2005|pp=78–79}}</ref>

Another difference is that machinima is created in real time, but other animation is pre-rendered.<ref name="Kelland 24">{{harvnb|Kelland|Morris|Lloyd|2005|p=24}}</ref> Real-time engines need to trade quality for speed and use simpler algorithms and models.<ref name="Kelland 24" /> In the 2001 animated film ''[[Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within]]'', every strand of hair on a character's head was independent; real-time needs would likely force them to be treated as a single unit.<ref name="Kelland 24" /> Kelland, Morris, and Lloyd argue that improvement in consumer-grade graphics technology will allow more realism.<ref name="Kelland 27">{{harvnb|Kelland|Morris|Lloyd|2005|p=27}}</ref> Similarly, [[Paul Marino]] connects machinima to the increasing computing power predicted by [[Moore's law]].<ref name="Marino 11"/> For [[cut scene]]s in video games, issues other than visual fidelity arise. Pre-rendered scenes can require more digital storage space, weaken [[suspension of disbelief]] through contrast with real-time animation of normal gameplay, and limit interaction.<ref name="Kelland 27" />

Like live action, machinima is recorded in real-time, and real people can act and control the camera.<ref name="Kelland 22">{{harvnb|Kelland|Morris|Lloyd|2005|p=22}}</ref> Filmmakers are often encouraged to follow traditional cinematic conventions,<ref>{{harvnb|McMahan|2005|pp=36–37}}; {{harvnb|Marino|2004a|pp=347–348, 362}}</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Kelland|Morris|Lloyd|2005|pp=142–143}}</ref> such as avoiding wide [[field of view|fields of view]], the overuse of [[slow motion]],<ref name="McMahan 2005, 37">{{harvnb|McMahan|2005|p=37}}</ref> and errors in [[continuity (fiction)|visual continuity]].<ref name="Kelland, 142">{{harvnb|Kelland|Morris|Lloyd|2005|p=142}}</ref> Unlike live action, machinima involves less expensive, digital [[special effects]] and [[set construction|set]]s, possibly with a science-fiction or historical theme.<ref name="Kelland 22" /> Explosions and stunts can be tried and repeated without monetary cost and risk of injury, and the host environment may allow unrealistic physical constraints.<ref name="Kelland 22" /> [[University of Cambridge]] experiments in 2002 and 2003 attempted to use machinima to re-create a scene from the 1942 live-action film ''[[Casablanca (film)|Casablanca]]''.<ref name="Nitsche 2009, 114-115">{{harvnb|Nitsche|2009|pp=114–115}}</ref> Machinima filming differed from traditional cinematography in that character expression was limited, but camera movements were more flexible and improvised. Nitsche compared this experiment to an unpredictable [[Dogme 95]] production.<ref name="Nitsche 2009, 114-115" />

[[File:ILL Clan presents Tra5hTa1k at Stanford.jpg|thumb|The [[ILL Clan]] performs its machinima comedy talk show ''[[Tra5hTa1k with ILL Will]]'' in front of a live audience at [[Stanford University]] in 2005. Left to Right: Frank Dellario, Matt Dominianni, Manu Smith, Paul Jannicola.]]

Berkeley sees machinima as "a strangely hybrid form, looking forwards and backwards, cutting edge and conservative at the same time".<ref name="Berkeley 2006, 67">{{harvnb|Berkeley|2006|p=67}}</ref> Machinima is a digital medium based on 3-D computer games, but most works have a linear [[narrative structure]]. Some, such as ''[[Red vs. Blue]]'' and ''[[The Strangerhood]]'', follow narrative conventions of television [[situational comedy]].<ref name="Berkeley 2006, 67" /> Nitsche agrees that pre-recorded ("reel") machinima tends to be linear and offers limited interactive storytelling while machinima has more opportunities performed live and with audience interaction.<ref name="Nitsche 2005, 223-224">{{harvnb|Nitsche|2005|pp=223–224}}</ref> In creating their improvisational comedy series ''[[On the Campaign Trail with Larry & Lenny Lumberjack]]'' and talk show ''Tra5hTa1k with ILL Will'', the [[ILL Clan]] blended real and virtual performance by creating the works on-stage and interacting with a live audience.<ref name="Nitsche 2007" /> In another combination of real and virtual worlds, Chris Burke's talk show ''[[This Spartan Life]]'' takes place in ''[[Halo 2]]''{{'}}s open multiplayer environment.<ref name="Nitsche 2007" /> There, others playing in earnest may attack the host or his interviewee.<ref name="Nitsche 2007" /> Although other virtual theatrical performances have taken place in [[chat room]]s and [[multi-user dungeon]]s, machinima adds "cinematic camera work".<ref name="Nitsche 2005, 214">{{harvnb|Nitsche|2005|p=214}}</ref> Previously, such virtual cinematic performances with live audience interaction were confined to research labs equipped with powerful computers.<ref name="Nitsche 2005, 224-225">{{harvnb|Nitsche|2005|pp=224–225}}</ref>

Machinima can be less expensive than other forms of filmmaking. Strange Company produced its feature-length machinima film ''[[BloodSpell]]'' for less than [[pound sterling|£]]10,000.<ref name="Price">{{harvnb|Price|2007}}</ref> Before using machinima, [[Burnie Burns]] and [[Matt Hullum]] of Rooster Teeth Productions spent [[United States dollar|US$]]9,000 to produce a live-action independent film. In contrast, the four [[Xbox (console)|Xbox]] game consoles used to make ''Red vs. Blue'' in 2005 cost $600.<ref name="Thompson, 2">{{harvnb|Thompson|2005|p=2}}</ref> The low cost caused a product manager for Electronic Arts to compare machinima to the low-budget [[independent film]] ''[[The Blair Witch Project]]'', without the need for cameras and actors.<ref name="Thompson, 2" /> Because these are seen as low [[barriers to entry]], machinima has been called a "democratization of filmmaking".<ref>{{harvnb|Thompson|2005|p=2}}; {{harvnb|Matlack|Grover|2005}}</ref> Berkeley weighs increased participation and a blurred line between producer and consumer against concerns that game copyrights limit commercialization and growth of machinima.<ref name="Berkeley 2006, 68-70">{{harvnb|Berkeley|2006|pp=68–70}}</ref>

Comparatively, machinimists using pre-made virtual platforms like ''[[Second Life]]'' have indicated that their productions can be made quite successfully with no cost at all. Creators like Dutch director Chantal Harvey, producer of the [[48 Hour Film Project]] Machinima sector, have created upwards of 200 films using the platform.{{citation needed|date=December 2016}} Harvey's advocacy of the genre has resulted in the involvement of film director [[Peter Greenaway]] who served as a juror for the Machinima category and gave a keynote speech during the event.{{citation needed|date=December 2016}}

===Character and camera control===
Kelland, Morris, and Lloyd list four main methods of creating machinima.<ref name="Kelland 80">{{harvnb|Kelland|Morris|Lloyd|2005|p=80}}</ref> From simple to advanced, these are: relying on the game's AI to control most actions, [[digital puppetry]], recamming, and precise scripting of actions.<ref name="Kelland 80"/> Although simple to produce, AI-dependent results are unpredictable, thus complicating the realization of a preconceived film script.<ref name="Kelland 82">{{harvnb|Kelland|Morris|Lloyd|2005|p=82}}</ref> For example, when Rooster Teeth produced ''[[The Strangerhood]]'' using ''[[The Sims 2]]'', a game that encourages the use of its AI, the group had to create multiple instances of each character to accommodate different moods.<ref name="Kelland 82" /> Individual instances were selected at different times to produce appropriate actions.<ref name="Kelland 82" />

In digital puppetry, machinima creators become virtual actors. Each crew member controls a character in real-time, as in a multiplayer game.<ref name="Kelland 87">{{harvnb|Kelland|Morris|Lloyd|2005|p=87}}</ref> The director can use built-in camera controls, if available.<ref name="Kelland 87" /> Otherwise, video is captured from the perspectives of one or more puppeteers who serve as camera operators.<ref name="Kelland 87" /> Puppetry allows for improvisation and offers controls familiar to gamers, but requires more personnel than the other methods and is less precise than scripted recordings.<ref name="Kelland 87" /><ref>{{harvnb|Marino|2004a|p=349}}</ref> However, some games, such as the [[Halo (series)|''Halo'' series]], (except for Halo PC and Custom Edition, which allow AI and custom objects and characters), allow filming only through puppetry.<ref name="Nitsche 2009, 113">{{harvnb|Nitsche|2009|p=113}}</ref> According to Marino, other disadvantages are the possibility of disruption when filming in an open multi-user environment and the temptation for puppeteers to play the game in earnest, littering the set with blood and dead bodies.<ref name="Marino 2004, 351">{{harvnb|Marino|2004a|p=351}}</ref> However, Chris Burke intentionally hosts ''[[This Spartan Life]]'' in these unpredictable conditions, which are fundamental to the show.<ref name="Nitsche 2007" /> Other works filmed using puppetry are the ILL Clan's [[improvisational comedy]] series ''On the Campaign Trail with Larry & Lenny Lumberjack'' and Rooster Teeth Productions' ''Red vs. Blue''.<ref name="Nitsche 2009, 114">{{harvnb|Nitsche|2009|p=114}}</ref> In recamming, which builds on puppetry, actions are first recorded to a game engine's demo file format, not directly as video frames.<ref name="Kelland 90">{{harvnb|Kelland|Morris|Lloyd|2005|p=90}}</ref> Without re-enacting scenes, artists can then manipulate the demo files to add cameras, tweak timing and lighting, and change the surroundings.<ref name="Kelland 90-91">{{harvnb|Kelland|Morris|Lloyd|2005|pp=90–91}}</ref> This technique is limited to the few engines and software tools that support it.<ref name="Kelland 91">{{harvnb|Kelland|Morris|Lloyd|2005|p=91}}</ref>

A technique common in [[cutscene]]s of video games, scripting consists of giving precise directions to the [[game engine]]. A filmmaker can work alone this way,<ref name="Kelland 94">{{harvnb|Kelland|Morris|Lloyd|2005|p=94}}</ref> as J. Thaddeus "Mindcrime" Skubis did in creating the nearly four-hour ''[[The Seal of Nehahra]]'' (2000), the longest work of machinima at the time.<ref>{{harvnb|Law|2000}}; {{harvnb|Skubis|2000}}</ref> However, perfecting scripts can be time-consuming.<ref name="Kelland 94" /> Unless what-you-see-is-what-you-get ([[WYSIWYG]]) editing is available, as in ''[[Vampire: The Masquerade – Redemption]]'', changes may need to be verified in additional runs, and non-linear editing may be difficult.<ref name="Kelland 94" /><ref>{{harvnb|Hancock|2000|p=1}}</ref> In this respect, Kelland, Morris, and Lloyd compare scripting to [[stop motion|stop-motion]] animation.<ref name="Kelland 94" /> Another disadvantage is that, depending on the game, scripting capabilities may be limited or unavailable.<ref name="Kelland, 129">{{harvnb|Kelland|Morris|Lloyd|2005|p=129}}</ref> Matinee, a machinima software tool included with ''[[Unreal Tournament 2004]]'', popularized scripting in machinima.<ref name="Kelland 94" />

===Limitations and solutions===
When ''Diary of a Camper'' was created, no software tools existed to edit demo files into films.<ref name="Lowood 2006 33" /> Rangers clan member Eric "ArchV" Fowler wrote his own programs to reposition the camera and to splice footage from the ''Quake'' demo file.<ref>{{harvnb|Lowood|2006|p=33}}; {{harvnb|Wu|n.d.}}</ref> ''Quake'' movie editing software later appeared, but the use of conventional non-linear video editing software is now common.<ref name="Kelland, 114">{{harvnb|Kelland|Morris|Lloyd|2005|p=114}}</ref> For example, Phil South inserted single, completely white frames into his work ''No Licence'' to enhance the visual impact of explosions.<ref name="Kelland, 114" /> In the [[post-production]] of ''[[Red vs. Blue: The Blood Gulch Chronicles]]'', [[Rooster Teeth Productions]] added [[letterboxing (filming)|letterboxing]] with [[Adobe Premiere Pro]] to hide the camera player's [[HUD (video games)|heads-up display]].<ref name="Moltenbrey">{{harvnb|Moltenbrey|2005}}</ref>

Machinima creators have used different methods to handle limited character expression. The most typical ways that amateur-style machinima gets around limitations of expression include taking advantage of speech bubbles seen above players' heads when speaking, relying on the visual matching between a character's voice and appearance, and finding methods available within the game itself. ''[[Garry's Mod]]'' and [[Source Filmmaker]] include the ability to manipulate characters and objects in real-time, though the former relies on community addons to take advantage of certain engine features, and the latter renders scenes using non-real-time effects. In the ''Halo'' video game series, helmets completely cover the characters' faces. To prevent confusion, Rooster Teeth's characters move slightly when speaking, a convention shared with anime.<ref name="Kelland, 131">{{harvnb|Kelland|Morris|Lloyd|2005|p=131}}</ref> Some machinima creators use custom software.<ref name="Kelland, 78">{{harvnb|Kelland|Morris|Lloyd|2005|p=78}}</ref> For example, Strange Company uses Take Over GL Face Skins to add more facial expressions to their characters filmed in BioWare's 2002 [[role-playing video game]] ''[[Neverwinter Nights (2002 video game)|Neverwinter Nights]]''.<ref name="Kelland, 78" /> Similarly, Atussa Simon used a "library of faces" for characters in ''The Battle of Xerxes''.<ref name="Kelland, 79">{{harvnb|Kelland|Morris|Lloyd|2005|p=79}}</ref> Some software, such as Epic Games' Impersonator for ''Unreal Tournament 2004'' and [[Valve Corporation|Valve]]'s Faceposer for [[Source (game engine)|Source]] games, have been provided by the developer.<ref name="Kelland, 78" /> Another solution is to blend in non-machinima elements, as nGame did by inserting painted characters with more expressive faces into its 1999 film ''Berlin Assassins''.<ref name="Kelland, 130">{{harvnb|Kelland|Morris|Lloyd|2005|p=130}}</ref> It may be possible to point the camera elsewhere or employ other creative cinematography or acting.<ref name="Kelland, 130" /> For example, Tristan Pope combined creative character and camera positioning with video editing to suggest sexual actions in his controversial film ''Not Just Another Love Story''.<ref name="Lowood 2007, 188">{{harvnb|Lowood|2007|p=188}}</ref>

==Legal issues==

New machinima filmmakers often want to use game-provided [[digital asset]]s,<ref name="Kelland 96">{{harvnb|Kelland|Morris|Lloyd|2005|p=96}}</ref> but doing so raises legal issues. As [[derivative work]]s, their films could violate copyright or be controlled by the assets' copyright holder,<ref name="Kelland, 98">{{harvnb|Kelland|Morris|Lloyd|2005|p=98}}</ref><ref name="Varney, 2">{{harvnb|Varney|2007|p=2}}</ref> an arrangement that can be complicated by separate publishing and licensing rights.<ref name="Kelland, 98"/> The [[software license agreement]] for ''[[The Movies (video game)|The Movies]]'' stipulates that [[Activision]], the game's publisher, owns "any and all content within... Game Movies that was either supplied with the Program or otherwise made available... by Activision or its licensors..."<ref name="Quoted in Varney, 2">Quoted in {{harvnb|Varney|2007|p=2}}</ref> Some game companies provide software to modify their own games, and machinima makers often cite [[fair use]] as a defense, but the issue has never been tested in court.<ref name="Kelland, 98-99">{{harvnb|Kelland|Morris|Lloyd|2005|pp=98–99}}</ref> A potential problem with this defense is that many works, such as ''Red vs. Blue'', focus more on [[satire]], which is not as explicitly protected by fair use as [[parody]].<ref name="Sunder 2006, 309">{{harvnb|Sunder|2006|p=309}}</ref> Berkeley adds that, even if machinima artists use their own assets, their works could be ruled derivative if filmed in a [[proprietary software|proprietary]] engine.<ref name="Berkeley 2006, 69">{{harvnb|Berkeley|2006|p=69}}</ref> The risk inherent in a fair-use defense would cause most machinima artists simply to yield to a [[cease and desist|cease-and-desist]] order.<ref name="Hayes 2008, 569">{{harvnb|Hayes|2008|p=569}}</ref> The AMAS has attempted to negotiate solutions with video game companies, arguing that an [[open source software|open-source]] or reasonably priced alternative would emerge from an unfavorable situation.<ref name="Kelland, 98-99" /> Unlike ''The Movies'', some dedicated machinima software programs, such as Reallusion's [[iClone]], have licenses that avoid claiming ownership of users' films featuring bundled assets.<ref name="Varney, 2"/>

Generally, companies want to retain creative control over their [[Intellectual property|intellectual properties]] and are wary of [[fan-made|fan-created]] works, like [[fan fiction]].<ref name="Berkeley 2006, 69" /> However, because machinima provides free marketing, they have avoided a response demanding strict copyright enforcement.<ref>{{harvnb|Hayes|2008|pp=569, 582}}</ref> In 2003, Linden Lab was praised for changing license terms to allow users to retain ownership of works created in its virtual world ''Second Life''.<ref name="Marcus 2008, 80">{{harvnb|Marcus|2008|p=80}}</ref> Rooster Teeth initially tried to release ''[[Red vs. Blue]]'' unnoticed by ''Halo''{{'}}s owners because they feared that any communication would force them to end the project.<ref name="Kelland 99; Konow 2">{{harvnb|Kelland|Morris|Lloyd|2005|p=99}}; {{harvnb|Konow|2005|p=2}}</ref> However, Microsoft, Bungie's parent company at the time, contacted the group shortly after episode 2,<ref name="Kelland 99; Konow 2" /> and allowed them to continue without paying licensing fees.<ref name="Thompson 3">{{harvnb|Thompson|2005|p=3}}</ref>

A case in which developer control was asserted involved Blizzard Entertainment's action against Tristan Pope's ''Not Just Another Love Story''.<ref name="Lowood 2007, 190">{{harvnb|Lowood|2007|p=190}}</ref> Blizzard's community managers encouraged users to post game movies and screenshots, but viewers complained that Pope's suggestion of sexual actions through creative camera and character positioning was pornographic.<ref name="Lowood 2007, 188, 190">{{harvnb|Lowood|2007|pp=188, 190}}</ref> Citing the user license agreement, Blizzard closed discussion threads about the film and prohibited links to it.<ref name="Lowood 2007, 190" /> Although Pope accepted Blizzard's right to some control, he remained concerned about censorship of material that already existed in-game in some form.<ref name="Lowood 2007, 190-191">{{harvnb|Lowood|2007|pp=190–191}}</ref> Discussion ensued about boundaries between MMORPG player and developer control.<ref name="Lowood 2007, 190-191" /> Lowood asserted that this controversy demonstrated that machinima could be a medium of negotiation for players.<ref name="Lowood 2007, 191">{{harvnb|Lowood|2007|p=191}}</ref>

===Microsoft and Blizzard===
In August 2007, Microsoft issued its Game Content Usage Rules, a license intended to address the legal status of machinima based on its games, including the ''Halo'' series.<ref name="Hayes 2008, 569, 571">{{harvnb|Hayes|2008|pp=569, 571}}</ref> Microsoft intended the rules to be "flexible",<ref name="James 2007, 29">{{harvnb|James|2007|p=29}}</ref> and, because it was [[unilateral contract|unilateral]], the license was legally unable to reduce rights.<ref name="Hayes 2008, 570">{{harvnb|Hayes|2008|p=570}}</ref> However, machinima artists, such as [[Edgeworks Entertainment]], protested the prohibitions on extending Microsoft's [[fictional universe]]s (a common component of fan fiction) and on selling anything from sites hosting derivative works.<ref>{{harvnb|James|2007|pp=29–30}}; {{harvnb|Hayes|2008|p=570}}</ref> Compounding the reaction was the license's statement, "If you do any of these things, you can expect to hear from Microsoft's lawyers who will tell you that you have to stop distributing your items right away."<ref name="James 2007, 30">{{harvnb|James|2007|p=30}}</ref>

Surprised by the negative feedback,<ref name="James 2007, 30" /> Microsoft revised and reissued the license after discussion with Hugh Hancock and an attorney for the [[Electronic Frontier Foundation]].<ref name="Hayes 2008, 570" /> The rules allow noncommercial use and distribution of works derived from Microsoft-owned game content, except audio effects and soundtracks.<ref name="Hayes 2008, 571">{{harvnb|Hayes|2008|p=571}}</ref> The license prohibits [[reverse engineering]] and material that is pornographic or otherwise "objectionable".<ref name="Hayes 2008, 571" /> On distribution, derivative works that elaborate on a game's [[fictional universe]] or story are automatically licensed to Microsoft and its business partners.<ref name="Hayes 2008, 571-572">{{harvnb|Hayes|2008|pp=571–572}}</ref> This prevents legal problems if a fan and Microsoft independently conceive similar plots.<ref name="Hayes 2008, 571-572" />

A few weeks later, Blizzard Entertainment posted on WorldofWarcraft.com their "Letter to the Machinimators of the World", a license for noncommercial use of game content.<ref name="Hayes, 572">{{harvnb|Hayes|2008|p=572}}</ref> It differs from Microsoft's declaration in that it addresses machinima specifically instead of general game-derived content, allows use of game audio if Blizzard can legally license it, requires derivative material to meet the [[Entertainment Software Rating Board]]'s Teen content rating guideline, defines noncommercial use differently, and does not address extensions of fictional universes.<ref name="Hayes, 573-576">{{harvnb|Hayes|2008|pp=573–576}}</ref>

Hayes states that, although licensees' benefits are limited, the licenses reduce reliance on fair use regarding machinima.<ref name="Hayes, 576">{{harvnb|Hayes|2008|p=576}}</ref> In turn, this recognition may reduce film festivals' concerns about copyright clearance. In an earlier analogous situation, festivals were concerned about [[documentary film]]s until best practices for them were developed.<ref name="Hayes, 576-577">{{harvnb|Hayes|2008|pp=576–577}}</ref> According to Hayes, Microsoft and Blizzard helped themselves through their licenses because fan creations provide free publicity and are unlikely to harm sales.<ref name="Hayes, 577-579">{{harvnb|Hayes|2008|pp=577–579}}</ref> If the companies had instead sued for copyright infringement, defendants could have claimed [[estoppel]] or [[implied license]] because machinima had been unaddressed for a long time.<ref name="Hayes 2008, 580">{{harvnb|Hayes|2008|p=580}}</ref> Thus, these licenses secured their issuers' legal rights.<ref name="Hayes 2008, 580" /> Even though other companies, such as [[Electronic Arts]], have encouraged machinima, they have avoided licensing it.<ref name="Hayes 2008, 583">{{harvnb|Hayes|2008|p=583}}</ref> Because of the involved legal complexity, they may prefer to under-enforce copyrights.<ref name="Hayes 2008, 583" /> Hayes believes that this legal uncertainty is a suboptimal solution and that, though limited and "idiosyncratic", the Microsoft and Blizzard licenses move towards an ideal video gaming industry standard for handling derivative works.<ref name="Hayes 2008, 585, 587">{{harvnb|Hayes|2008|pp=585, 587}}</ref>

==Semiotic mode==
Just as machinima can be the cause of legal dispute in copyright ownership and illegal use, it makes heavy use of [[intertextuality]] and raises the question of [[authorship]]. Machinima takes copyrighted property (such as characters in a game engine) and repurposes it to tell a story, but another common practice in machinima-making is to retell an existing story from a different medium in that engine.

This re-appropriation of established texts, resources, and artistic properties to tell a story or make a statement is an example of a semiotic phenomenon known as [[intertextuality]] or resemiosis.<ref name="Nitsche 2007"/> A more common term for this phenomenon is "[[parody]]", but not all of these intertextual productions are intended for humor or satire, as demonstrated by the ''Few Good G-Men'' video. Furthermore, the argument of how well-protected machinima is under the guise of parody or satire is still highly debated. A piece of machinima may be reliant upon a protected property, but may not necessarily be making a statement about that property.{{sfn|Dogan|2012}} Therefore, it is more accurate to refer to it simply as resemiosis, because it takes an artistic work and presents it in a new way, form, or medium. This resemiosis can be manifested in a number of ways. The machinima-maker can be considered an author who restructures the story and/or the world that the chosen game engine is built around.{{sfn|Frølunde|2012}} In the popular web series ''[[Red vs. Blue]]'', most of the storyline takes place within the game engine of ''[[Halo: Combat Evolved]]'' and its subsequent sequels. ''Halo: Combat Evolved'' has an extensive storyline already, but ''Red vs. Blue'' only ever makes mention of this storyline once in the first episode.<ref name="RvB Script">{{cite web|last=Burns|first=Burnie|title=Red vs. Blue Episode 1 Script |url=http://www.roostertooths.com/transcripts.php?eid=1|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101127083354/http://roostertooths.com/transcripts.php?eid=1|url-status=dead|archive-date=November 27, 2010|access-date=6 May 2013}}</ref>  Even after over 200 episodes of the show being broadcast onto the Internet since 2003, the only real similarities that can be drawn between ''Red vs. Blue'' and the game-world it takes place in are the character models, props, vehicles, and settings. Yet [[Burnie Burns]] and the machinima team at [[Rooster Teeth]] created an extensive storyline of their own using these game resources.

The ability to re-appropriate a game engine to film a video demonstrates intertextuality because it is an obvious example of art being a product of creation-through-manipulation rather than creation per se. The art historian [[Ernst Gombrich]] likened art to the "manipulation of a vocabulary"{{sfn|Hawthorn|1993|p=125}} and this can be demonstrated in the creation of machinima. When using a game world to create a story, the author is influenced by the engine. For example, since so many video games are built around the concept of war, a significant portion of machinima films also take place in war-like environments.{{sfn|Frølunde|2012}}

Intertextuality is further demonstrated in machinima not only in the re-appropriation of content but in artistic and communicatory techniques. Machinima by definition is a form of [[puppetry]],{{sfn|Jacobs|2011}} and thus this new form of [[digital puppetry]] employs age-old techniques from the traditional artform.{{sfn|Frølunde|2010}} It is also, however, a form of [[filmmaking]], and must employ filmmaking techniques such as [[camera angles]] and proper lighting. Some machinima takes place in online environments with participants, actors, and "[[puppeteers]]" working together from thousands of miles apart. This means other techniques born from long-distance communication must also be employed. Thus, techniques and practices that would normally never be used in conjunction with one another in the creation of an artistic work end up being used intertextually in the creation of machinima.

Another way that machinima demonstrates intertextuality is in its tendency to make frequent references to texts, works, and other media just like TV ads or humorous cartoons such as ''[[The Simpsons]]'' might do.<ref name="Chandler 2007">{{cite book|last=Chandler|first=Daniel|title=Semiotics: The Basics|year=2007 |publisher=Routledge|location=London, England|isbn=978-0415363754|page=200 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=T3yKcMnQzE0C&q=semiotics+the+basics}}</ref> For example, the machinima series ''[[Freeman's Mind]]'', created by Ross Scott, is filmed by taking a recording of Scott playing through the game ''[[Half-Life (video game)|Half Life]]'' as a player normally would and combining it with a [[voiceover]] (also recorded by Scott) to emulate an [[inner monologue]] of the normally voiceless protagonist [[Gordon Freeman]].<ref>''[http://www.accursedfarms.com/videos/freemans-mind/ Freeman's Mind - Accursed Farms]''</ref> Scott portrays Freeman as a snarky, [[Antisocial personality disorder|sociopathic]] character who makes frequent references to works and texts including [[science fiction]], [[horror films]], [[action movies]], [[American history]], and renowned [[novels]] such as [[Moby Dick]]. These references to works outside the game, often triggered by events within the game, are prime examples of the densely intertextual nature of machinima.

==Common genres==
{{see also|List of machinima works}}
Nitsche and Lowood describe two methods of approaching machinima: starting from a video game and seeking a medium for expression or for documenting gameplay ("inside-out"), and starting outside a game and using it merely as animation tool ("outside-in").<ref name="Nitsche 2007"/><ref>{{harvnb|Lowood|2008}}</ref> Kelland, Morris, and Lloyd similarly distinguish between works that retain noticeable connections to games, and those closer to traditional animation.<ref name="Kelland 40">{{harvnb|Kelland|Morris|Lloyd|2005|p=40}}</ref> Belonging to the former category, gameplay and stunt machinima began in 1997 with ''Quake done Quick''.<ref name="Kelland 40" /> Although not the first [[speedrun]]ners, its creators used external software to manipulate camera positions after recording, which, according to Lowood, elevated speedrunning "from cyberathleticism to making movies".<ref name="Lowood 2006 34">{{harvnb|Lowood|2006|p=34}}</ref> Stunt machinima remains popular. Kelland, Morris, and Lloyd state that ''[[Halo: Combat Evolved]]'' stunt videos offer a new way to look at the game, and compare ''[[Battlefield 1942]]'' machinima creators to the [[Harlem Globetrotters]].<ref name="Kelland 40 43">{{harvnb|Kelland|Morris|Lloyd|2005|pp=40, 43}}</ref> Built-in features for video editing and post-recording camera positioning in ''[[Halo 3]]'' were expected to facilitate gameplay-based machinima.<ref name="Tuttle">{{harvnb|Tuttle|2007}}</ref> MMORPGs and other virtual worlds have been captured in [[documentary film]]s, such as ''Miss Galaxies 2004'', a beauty pageant that took place in the virtual world of ''[[Star Wars Galaxies]]''.<ref name="Kelland 43">{{harvnb|Kelland|Morris|Lloyd|2005|p=43}}</ref> Footage was distributed in the cover disc of the August 2004 issue of ''[[PC Gamer]]''.<ref name="Kelland 43" /> [[Douglas Gayeton]]'s ''[[Molotov Alva and His Search for the Creator]]'' documents the title character's interactions in ''Second Life''.<ref name="Andrews, 1" />

Gaming-related comedy offers another possible entry point for new machinima producers.<ref name="Kelland 40" /> Presented as five-minute sketches, many machinima comedies are analogous to Internet [[Flash animation]]s.<ref name="Kelland 40" /> After Clan Undead's 1997 work ''[[Operation Bayshield]]'' built on the earliest ''Quake'' movies by introducing narrative conventions of linear media<ref name="Lowood 2006, 37">{{harvnb|Lowood|2006|p=37}}</ref> and [[sketch comedy]] reminiscent of the television show ''[[Saturday Night Live]]'',<ref name="Wilonsky, 1">{{harvnb|Wilonsky|2002|p=1}}</ref> the New-York-based [[ILL Clan]] further developed the genre in machinima through works including ''[[Apartment Huntin']]'' and ''[[Hardly Workin']]''.<ref name="Kelland 46">{{harvnb|Kelland|Morris|Lloyd|2005|p=46}}</ref> ''Red vs. Blue: The Blood Gulch Chronicles'' chronicles a futile civil war over five seasons and 100 episodes.<ref name="Kelland 46"/><ref>{{harvnb|Lankshear|Knobel|2007|p=226}}</ref> Marino wrote that although the series' humor was rooted in video games, strong writing and characters caused the series to "transcend the typical gamer".<ref name="Marino 19"/> An example of a comedy film that targets a more general audience is Strange Company's ''Tum Raider'', produced for the [[BBC]] in 2004.<ref name="Kelland 46-47">{{harvnb|Kelland|Morris|Lloyd|2005|pp=46–47}}</ref>

Machinima has been used in music videos, of which the first documented example is Ken Thain's 2002 "Rebel vs. Thug", made in collaboration with [[Chuck D]].<ref name="Kelland, 66"/> For this, Thain used Quake2Max, a [[mod (computer gaming)|modification]] of ''[[Quake II]]'' that provided [[cel-shaded animation]].<ref name="Hanson 2004, 62">{{harvnb|Hanson|2004|p=62}}</ref> The following year, [[Tommy Pallotta]] directed "In the Waiting Line" for the British group [[Zero 7]].<ref name="Kelland, 66-67">{{harvnb|Kelland|Morris|Lloyd|2005|pp=66–67}}</ref> He told ''Computer Graphics World'', "It probably would have been quicker to do the film in a 3D animated program. But now, we can reuse the assets in an improvisational way."<ref name="Robertson 2003, 11">{{harvnb|Robertson|2003|p=11}}</ref> Scenes of the game ''[[Postal 2]]'' can be seen in the music video of [[the Black Eyed Peas]] single "[[Where Is the Love?]]".<ref>{{cite web |title=Postal 2 Features In Music Video |date=2003-07-17 |publisher=Gameworld Industries |url=http://pcgames.gwn.com/news/story.php/id/2010/Postal_2_Features_In_Music_Video.html |access-date=2011-06-16 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110930062040/http://pcgames.gwn.com/news/story.php/id/2010/Postal_2_Features_In_Music_Video.html |archive-date=2011-09-30 }}</ref> In television, MTV features video game characters on its show ''[[Video Mods]]''.<ref name="Kelland, 66" /> Among ''[[World of Warcraft]]'' players, dance and music videos became popular after dancing animations were discovered in the game.<ref name="Lowood 2007, 187-188">{{harvnb|Lowood|2007|pp=187–188}}</ref>

Others use machinima in drama. These works may or may not retain signs of their video game provenance.<ref name="Kelland 50-52">{{harvnb|Kelland|Morris|Lloyd|2005|pp=50–52}}</ref> ''[[Unreal Tournament]]'' is often used for science fiction and ''Battlefield 1942'' for war, but some artists subvert their chosen game's setting or completely detach their work from it.<ref name="Kelland 50-51">{{harvnb|Kelland|Morris|Lloyd|2005|pp=50–51}}</ref> In 1999, [[Strange Company]] used ''[[Quake II]]'' in ''Eschaton: Nightfall'', a horror film based on the work of [[H. P. Lovecraft]] (although Quake I was also based on the Lovecraft lore).<ref name="Kelland 52">{{harvnb|Kelland|Morris|Lloyd|2005|p=52}}</ref>  A later example is Damien Valentine's series ''[[Consanguinity (Buffyverse)|Consanguinity]]'', made using [[BioWare]]'s 2002 computer game ''[[Neverwinter Nights (2002 video game)|Neverwinter Nights]]'' and based on the television series ''[[Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV series)|Buffy the Vampire Slayer]]''.<ref name="Kelland 52" /> Another genre consists of experimental works that attempt to push the boundaries of game engines.<ref name="Kelland 54">{{harvnb|Kelland|Morris|Lloyd|2005|p=54}}</ref> One example, Fountainhead's ''[[Anna (2003 film)|Anna]]'', is a short film that focuses on the cycle of life and is reminiscent of ''[[Fantasia (1940 film)|Fantasia]]''.<ref name="Kelland 54" /> Other productions go farther and completely eschew a 3-D appearance.<ref name="Kelland 54" /> Friedrich Kirschner's ''The Tournament'' and ''The Journey'' deliberately appear hand-drawn, and Dead on Que's ''Fake Science'' resembles two-dimensional Eastern European modernist animation from the 1970s.<ref name="Kelland 54" />

Another derivative genre termed ''machinima verite'', from [[cinéma vérité]], seeks to add a documentary and additional realism to the machinima piece. L.M. Sabo's ''CATACLYSM'' achieves a machinima verite style through displaying and recapturing the machinima video with a low resolution black and white hand-held video camera to produce a [[shaky camera]] effect. Other element of cinéma vérité, such as longer takes, sweeping camera transitions, and [[jump cuts]] may be included to complete the effect.

Some have used machinima to make political statements, often from [[left-wing politics|left-wing perspectives]].<ref name="Horwatt 2008, 12">{{harvnb|Horwatt|2008|p=12}}</ref> Alex Chan's take on the [[2005 civil unrest in France]], ''[[The French Democracy]]'', attained mainstream attention and inspired other machinima commentaries on American and British society.<ref name="Lowood 2007, 167">{{harvnb|Lowood|2007|p=167}}</ref><ref name="Diderich 2005">{{harvnb|Diderich|2005}}</ref> Horwatt deemed Thuyen Nguyen's 2006 ''An Unfair War'', a criticism of the [[Iraq War]], similar in its attempt "to speak for those who cannot".<ref name="Horwatt 2008, 13">{{harvnb|Horwatt|2008|p=13}}</ref> Joshua Garrison mimicked Chan's "political pseudo-documentary style" in his ''Virginia Tech Massacre'', a controversial ''[[Halo 3]]''–based re-enactment and explanation of [[Virginia Tech shooting|the eponymous real-life events]].<ref>{{harvnb|Horwatt|2008|p=13}}; {{harvnb|Gish|2008}}</ref> More recently, ''[[War of Internet Addiction]]'' addressed [[internet censorship in China]] using ''[[World of Warcraft]]''.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2010/02/12/war-of-internet-addiction-wins-hearts-and-minds-in-china/ |work=The Wall Street Journal |title='War of Internet Addiction' Wins Hearts and Minds in China |first=Loretta |last=Chao |date=2010-02-12}}</ref>

==Competitions==
{{further|List of machinima festivals}}After the QML's Quake Movie Oscars, dedicated machinima awards did not reappear until the AMAS created the Mackies for its first Machinima Film Festival in 2002.<ref name="Marino 2002">{{harvnb|Marino|2002}}</ref> The annual festival has become an important one for machinima creators.<ref name="Kelland, 69">{{harvnb|Kelland|Morris|Lloyd|2005|p=69}}</ref> Ho Chee Yue, a founder of the marketing company [[AKQA]], helped to organize the first festival for the Asia chapter of the AMAS in 2006.<ref name="Machinimasia Festival in Singapore">{{harvnb|Association of Machinima Arts & Sciences|n.d.|Ref=CITEREFMachinimasia}}</ref> In 2007, the AMAS supported the first machinima festival held in Europe.<ref name="Harwood">{{harvnb|Harwood|2007}}</ref> In addition to these smaller ceremonies, Hugh Hancock of [[Strange Company]] worked to add an award for machinima to the more general [[Bitfilm Festival]] in 2003.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Bitfilm Competitions|date=July 2008|publisher=[[Bitfilm Festival]]|page=3|url-status=dead |url=http://www.bitfilm.com/network/upload/background_pdfs/d378a870431f5ac7524e65e0d7e261eb.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090320200259/http://www.bitfilm.com/network/upload/background_pdfs/d378a870431f5ac7524e65e0d7e261eb.pdf|archive-date=2009-03-20|access-date=2009-02-27}}</ref> Other general festivals that allow machinima include the [[Sundance Film Festival]], the [[Florida Film Festival]], and the [[New Media Film Festival]].<ref name="Kelland, 69" /> The [[Ottawa International Animation Festival]] opened a machinima category in 2004, but, citing the need for "a certain level of excellence", declined to award anything to the category's four entries that year.<ref name="Osborne">{{harvnb|Osborne|2004}}</ref>

The Milan Machinima Festival (MMF)<ref>{{Cite web |title=Milan Machinima Festival (2023) |url=https://www.imdb.com/event/ev0010291/2023/1/ |access-date=2025-07-30 |website=IMDb |language=en-US}}</ref> is an annual event in Italy focused on machinima, spotlighting filmmakers who use video games and real-time technologies to create moving image works. Dedicated to exploring the intersections of video art, cinema, animation, and gaming, the festival presents a curated selection of machinima works chosen by an international jury for their cultural significance, artistic innovation, and experimental approach, alongside an open call for emerging creators and a program of lectures, seminars, workshops, and publications.<ref>{{Cite web |title=About |url=https://milanmachinimafestival.org/about |access-date=2025-07-30 |website=MILAN MACHINIMA FESTIVAL |language=en-US}}</ref>

The 69th Internationale Kurzfilmtage Oberhausen<ref>{{Cite web |title=Oberhausen International Short Film Festival (2025) |url=https://www.imdb.com/de/event/ev0000508/2025/1/ |access-date=2025-07-30 |website=IMDb |language=de-DE}}</ref> that was held from April 26 to May 1, 2023 presented [https://www.kurzfilmtage.de/en/press/detail/theme-2023-against-gravity/ “Against Gravity. The Art of Machinima”] as its [https://www.moderntimes.review/machinima-oberhausen/ central thematic programme], the first major film festival to dedicate extensive programming to machinima.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The machine doesn't always love you back {{!}} Spike Art Magazine |url=https://spikeartmagazine.com/ |access-date=2025-07-30 |website=Spike}}</ref>

Machinima has been showcased in contests sponsored by game companies. [[Epic Games]]' popular [[Make Something Unreal (contest)|Make Something Unreal]] contest included machinima that impressed event organizer Jeff Morris because of "the quality of entries that really push the technology, that accomplish things that Epic never envisioned".<ref name="Kelland, 69" /> In December 2005, [[Blizzard Entertainment]] and [[Xfire]], a gaming-focused [[instant messaging]] service, jointly sponsored a ''[[World of Warcraft]]'' machinima contest.<ref name="Maragos">{{harvnb|Maragos|2005}}</ref>

== Mainstream appearances ==
[[File:South Park machinima.jpg|thumb|A scene from a machinima portion of "[[Make Love, Not Warcraft]]"]]

Machinima has appeared on television, starting with [[G4 (U.S. TV channel)|G4]]'s series ''[[Portal (TV series)|Portal]]''.<ref name="PC Zone 2004, 12">{{harvnb|''PC Zone'' staff|2004|pp=12|Ref=CITEREFPCZone2004}}</ref> [[MTV2]]'s ''[[Video Mods]]'' re-creates music videos using characters from video games such as ''[[The Sims 2]]'', ''[[BloodRayne]]'', and ''[[Tribes (video game series)|Tribes]]''.<ref name="Kelland, 66">{{harvnb|Kelland|Morris|Lloyd|2005|p=66}}</ref> [[Blizzard Entertainment]] helped to set part of "[[Make Love, Not Warcraft]]", an [[Emmy Award]]–winning 2006 episode of the comedy series ''[[South Park]]'', in its [[massively multiplayer online role-playing game]] (MMORPG) ''[[World of Warcraft]]''.<ref name="Make Love, Not Warcraft">{{harvnb|Machinima.com staff|2006}}</ref> By purchasing broadcast rights to [[Douglas Gayeton]]'s machinima documentary ''[[Molotov Alva and His Search for the Creator]]'' in September 2007, [[HBO]] became the first television network to buy a work created completely in a [[virtual world]].<ref name="Andrews, 1">{{harvnb|Andrews|2007|p=1}}</ref> In December 2008, machinima.com signed fifteen experienced television comedy writers—including [[Patric Verrone]], [[Bill Oakley]], and [[Mike Rowe]]—to produce episodes for the site.<ref name="Wallenstein 2008">{{harvnb|Wallenstein|2008}}</ref>

Commercial use of machinima has increased.<ref name="Kelland, 58-59">{{harvnb|Kelland|Morris|Lloyd|2005|pp=58–59}}</ref><ref>Rooster Teeth{{full citation needed|date=December 2021}}</ref> [[Rooster Teeth]] sells [[DVD]]s of their [[Red vs. Blue]] series and, under sponsorship from [[Electronic Arts]], helped to promote ''[[The Sims 2]]'' by using the game to make a machinima series, ''[[The Strangerhood]]''.<ref name="Kelland, 58-59" /> [[Volvo Cars]] sponsored the creation of a 2004 advertisement, ''[[Game: On]]'', the first film to combine machinima and [[live action]].<ref name="Marino 2004b">{{harvnb|Marino|2004b}}</ref> Later, Electronic Arts commissioned Rooster Teeth to promote their ''[[Madden NFL 07]]'' video game.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.forbes.com/2006/12/10/red-vs-blue-tech-cx_de_games06_1212cash.html |title=Red Vs. Blue: The Cash Is Always Greener|date=December 10, 2006|work=[[Forbes]]|access-date=2007-09-24}}</ref> Blockhouse TV uses  [[Moviestorm]]'s machinima software to produce its pre-school educational DVD series ''[[Jack and Holly]]''

Game developers have continued to increase support for machinima.<ref name="McGraw-Hill 2007, 2">{{cite web|title=The Future of Machinima|date=August 20, 2007|page=2|work=[[BusinessWeek]]|publisher=[[McGraw–Hill]]|url=https://www.businessweek.com/innovate/content/aug2007/id20070820_438960.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090813204018/http://www.businessweek.com/innovate/content/aug2007/id20070820_438960.htm|archive-date=2009-08-13|url-status=dead|access-date=2009-03-01}}</ref> Products such as [[Lionhead Studios]]' 2005 [[business simulation game]] ''[[The Movies (video game)|The Movies]]'', [[Linden Research]]'s virtual world ''[[Second Life]]'', and Bungie's 2007 first-person shooter ''[[Halo 3]]'' encourage the creation of user content by including machinima software tools.<ref name="McGraw-Hill 2007, 2" /> Using ''The Movies'', Alex Chan, a French resident with no previous filmmaking experience,<ref name="Lowood 2007, 166">{{harvnb|Lowood|2007|p=166}}</ref> took four days to create ''[[The French Democracy]]'', a short political film about the [[2005 civil unrest in France]].<ref name="Musgrove">{{harvnb|Musgrove|2005}}</ref> Third-party mods like ''[[Garry's Mod]]'' usually offer the ability to manipulate characters and take advantage of custom or migrated content, allowing for the creation of works like ''Counter-Strike For Kids'' that can be filmed using assets from multiple games.

In a 2010 interview with [[PC Magazine]], [[Valve Corporation|Valve]] CEO and co-founder [[Gabe Newell]] said that they wanted to make a ''[[Half-Life (series)|Half-Life]]'' feature film themselves, rather than hand it off to a big-name director like [[Sam Raimi]], and that their recent ''[[Team Fortress 2]]'' "Meet The Team" machinima shorts were experiments in doing just that.<ref name="Newell Interview">{{cite magazine |url=http://www.pcgamer.com/2010/08/26/valve-want-to-make-the-half-life-movie-themselves/|title=Valve want to make the Half-Life movie themselves|magazine=PC Magazine|date=2010-08-26|first=Jaz|last=McDougall}}</ref> Two years later, Valve released their proprietary [[non-linear editing system|non-linear]] machinima software, [[Source Filmmaker]].

Machinima has also been used for music video clips. The first machinima music video to air on [[MTV]] is that of [[Zero 7]]'s "[[Simple Things (Zero 7 album)|In the Waiting Line]]" in 2003, animated in the [[id Tech 3]] engine by Tommy Pallotta.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/423068-first-machinima-music-video-to-air-on-mtv |title=Guinness World Records: First machinima music video to air on MTV |publisher=guinnessworldrecords.com |access-date=2022-08-21 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220822114701/https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/423068-first-machinima-music-video-to-air-on-mtv |archive-date=2022-08-22 }}</ref> ''[[Second Life]]'' virtual artist [[Bryn Oh]] created a work for Australian performer Megan Bernard's song "Clean Up Your Life",<ref>{{cite AV media|title=Megan Bernard - Clean Up Your Life (HD)|date=December 31, 2015 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s07PgUhBr5M| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211117/s07PgUhBr5M| archive-date=2021-11-17 |url-status=live |via=YouTube}}{{cbignore}}</ref> released in 2016.<ref>{{cite web |last=Oh |first=Bryn |date=January 8, 2016 |title=Clean up your life by Megan Bernard |url=http://brynoh.blogspot.com/2016/01/clean-up-your-life-by-megan-bernard.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160224151315/http://brynoh.blogspot.com/2016/01/clean-up-your-life-by-megan-bernard.html |archive-date=2016-02-24}}</ref> The first music video for 2018's "[[Old Town Road]]", by [[Lil Nas X]], was composed entirely of footage from the 2018 [[Western (genre)|Western]] [[action-adventure game]] ''[[Red Dead Redemption 2]]''.{{sfn|Thier|2019}}<!--https://kultivatemagazine.com/2016/01/12/bryn-oh-clean-up-your-life-by-megan-bernard/ http://echtvirtuell.blogspot.com/2016/01/bryn-oh-megan-bernard-clean-up-your-life.html-->

{{clear}}

==See also==
{{Portal|Animation}}
* [[3D Movie Maker]]
* [[Computer animation]]
* [[Computer-generated imagery]]
* ''[[The Flying Luna Clipper]]''
* [[1996 in machinima]]
* 2003 in machinima
* [[2004 in machinima]]
* [[2005 in machinima]]
* [[2006 in machinima]]
* [[2007 in machinima]]
* [[Overwatch and pornography|''Overwatch'' and pornography]]

==Notes==
<references>
<ref name="Nitsche 2007">{{cite web|last=Nitsche|first=Michael|year=2007|title=Claiming Its Space: Machinima |website=dichtung-digital.de|url=http://www.dichtung-digital.de/2007/Nitsche/nitsche.htm|access-date=6 May 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140814185256/http://www.dichtung-digital.de/2007/Nitsche/nitsche.htm|archive-date=14 August 2014}}</ref> 
</references>

==References==
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* {{cite journal|last=Hayes|first=Christina|year=2008|title=Changing the Rules of the Game: How Video Game Publishers are Embracing User-Generated Derivative Works|journal=[[Harvard Journal of Law & Technology]] |volume=21|issue=2 |pages=567–587|issn=0897-3393|url=http://jolt.law.harvard.edu/articles/pdf/v21/21HarvJLTech567.pdf|access-date=2009-04-20}}
* {{cite web|date=May 9, 1998|last=Heaslip|first=Stephen|url=http://www.bluesnews.com/archives/may98-2.html|title=Blue's News - May 9–15, 1998|work=Blue's News|access-date=2009-03-18}}
* {{cite journal |last=Horwatt |first=Elijah |year=2008 |title=New Media Resistance: Machinima and the Avant-Garde |url=http://cineaction.ca/issue73sample.htm |journal=[[CineAction]] |issn=0826-9866 |issue=73–74 |pages=8–15 |access-date=2009-04-13 |url-status=dead |archive-date=2008-09-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080920033530/http://cineaction.ca/issue73sample.htm }}
* {{cite journal|last=Jacobs|first=Tristan|title=The virtual puppet in the Machinima movement: discovering virtual puppetry in the 3D performance space of videogames|journal=South African Theatre Journal|date=11 November 2011 |volume=25 |issue=1|pages=35–44|doi=10.1080/10137548.2011.619719|s2cid=190835795 }}
* {{cite journal |last=James|first=Geoffrey|date=November 2007|title=Machinima, Microsoft, and Money|journal=[[Games for Windows: The Official Magazine]]|issn=1933-6160|issue=12|pages=28–30}}
* {{cite book |last1=Kelland|first1=Matt|last2=Morris|first2=Dave|last3=Lloyd|first3=Dave|title=Machinima: Making Movies in 3D Virtual Environments|year=2005|publisher=The Ilex Press|location=[[Cambridge]]|isbn=978-1-59200-650-2}}
* {{cite book|last=Krapp|first=Peter|year=2010|chapter=Machinima: of Games and Gestures|title=The Machinima Reader|url=https://archive.org/details/machinimareader00nits |url-access=limited|editor1-last=Nitsche|editor1-first=Michael |editor2-last=Lowood|editor2-first=Henry|publisher=[[MIT Press]]|pages=[https://archive.org/details/machinimareader00nits/page/n169 159]–174|isbn=978-0262-01533-2|doi=10.7551/mitpress/9780262015332.003.0011}}
* {{cite book |last=Krapp|first=Peter|title=Noise Channels: Glitch and Error in Digital Culture|year=2011 |publisher=University of Minnesota Press|location=[[Minneapolis]]|isbn=978-0-8166-7625-5|doi=10.5749/minnesota/9780816676248.001.0001}}
* {{cite web|last=Konow|first=David|date=September 24, 2005|title=The Cult of Red vs. Blue |url=http://www.twitchguru.com/2005/09/24/the_cult_of_red_vs/|work=[[Tom's Hardware Guide|TwitchGuru]] |publisher=Tom's Guide Publishing |access-date=2009-03-04|archive-date=December 31, 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061231031027/http://www.twitchguru.com/2005/09/24/the_cult_of_red_vs/}}
* {{cite journal|last1=Lankshear|first1=Colin|last2=Knobel|first2=Michele|year=2007|title=Researching New Literacies: Web 2.0 Practices and Insider Perspectives|journal=E-Learning|volume=4|issue=3|pages=224–240 |doi=10.2304/elea.2007.4.3.224|s2cid=145696689 |doi-access=free}}
* {{cite web|last=Law|first=Caryn|date=September 2000|title=The Nehahra Project|work=GameSpy Spotlights |url=http://archive.gamespy.com/spotlights/september00/nehahra/|publisher=[[GameSpy]]|access-date=2009-05-04|url-status=dead |archive-date=2008-10-11|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081011094247/http://archive.gamespy.com/spotlights/september00/nehahra/}}
* {{cite journal|last=Lowood|first=Henry|year=2005|title=Real-Time Performance: Machinima and Game Studies |journal=The International Digital Media & Arts Association Journal|volume=2|issue=1|pages=10–17 |url=http://www.idmaa.org/journal/pdf/iDMAa_Journal_Vol_2_No_1_screen.pdf|access-date=2013-03-22|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060101161233/http://www.idmaa.org/journal/pdf/iDMAa_Journal_Vol_2_No_1_screen.pdf|archive-date=January 1, 2006|issn=1554-0405}}
* {{cite journal|last=Lowood|first=Henry|year=2006|title=High-performance play: The making of machinima |journal=Journal of Media Practice|volume=7|issue=1|pages=25–42|doi=10.1386/jmpr.7.1.25/1|s2cid=191359937 }}<br />—Also as:
** {{cite book|last=Lowood|first=Henry|year=2007a|chapter=High-Performance Play: The Making of Machinima |title=Videogames and Art|editor1-last=Clarke|editor1-first=Andy|editor2-last=Mitchell|editor2-first=Grethe |publisher=[[University of Chicago Press]]|pages=[https://archive.org/details/videogamesart0000unse/page/59 59–79]|isbn=978-1-84150-142-0|chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/videogamesart0000unse/page/59}}
* {{cite book|last=Lowood|first=Henry|editor-last=McPherson|editor-first=Tara|title=Digital Youth, Innovation, and the Unexpected|access-date=2009-01-27|series=The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Series on Digital Media and Learning|year=2007|publisher=[[MIT Press]]|location=[[Cambridge, Massachusetts]]|pages=165–196|chapter=Found Technology: Players as Innovators in the Making of Machinima |chapter-url=https://mbf.blogs.com/files/lowoodfoundtechnology-1-1.pdf |url=https://library.oapen.org/bitstream/handle/20.500.12657/26087/1003999.pdf|isbn=978-0-262-63359-8 }}
* {{cite journal|last=Lowood|first=Henry|year=2008|title=Game Capture: The Machinima Archive and the History of Digital Games|url=http://www.tft.ucla.edu/mediascape/Spring08_GameCapture.html |journal=Mediascape|issn=1558-478X |issue=Spring 2008|access-date=2009-04-12|url-status=dead|archive-date=2009-04-08|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090408070822/http://www.tft.ucla.edu/mediascape/Spring08_GameCapture.html}}
* {{cite web |author=Machinima.com staff |title=Showcase: Blahbalicious |url=http://www.machinima.com/article/view&id=94 |date=January 20, 2001 |work=[[Machinima.com]] |publisher=Machinima, Inc |access-date=2007-08-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081208015817/http://www.machinima.com/article/view&id=94 |archive-date=2008-12-08 |url-status=dead}}
* {{cite web |author=Machinima.com staff |title=Make Love, Not Warcraft: Q&A with Frank Agnone, J.J. Franzen, and Eric Stough |date=November 15, 2006 |work=[[machinima.com]] |publisher=Machinima, Inc |url=http://www.machinima.com/article/view&id=459 |access-date=2007-09-25 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070819205348/http://www.machinima.com/article/view%26id%3D459 |archive-date=August 19, 2007}}
* {{cite web|last=Maragos|first=Nick|date=December 15, 2005|title=Blizzard, Xfire Announce Machinima Contest|work=[[Gamasutra]]|publisher=[[United Business Media]] |url=https://www.gamedeveloper.com/game-platforms/blizzard-xfire-announce-machinima-contest |access-date=2009-03-18}}
* {{cite journal|last=Marcus|first=Todd Davis|year=2008|title=Fostering Creativity in Virtual Worlds: Easing the Restrictiveness of Copyright for User-Created Content|url=http://www.nylslawreview.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/16/2013/11/52-1.Marcus-Note.pdf|journal=New York Law School Law Review|volume=52|pages=67–92|issn=0145-448X|access-date=2009-05-03|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924022014/http://www.nylslawreview.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/16/2013/11/52-1.Marcus-Note.pdf|archive-date=2015-09-24|url-status=dead}}
* {{cite web |last=Marino |first=Paul |author-link=Paul Marino |title=The Machinima Film Festival 2002 |date=2002-07-12 |url=http://www.machinima.com/article/view&id=28 |work=[[Machinima.com]] |publisher=Machinima, Inc |access-date=2009-02-27 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20070617113605/http://www.machinima.com/article/view&id=28 |archive-date=2007-06-17 |url-status=dead}}
* {{cite book|last=Marino|first=Paul|author-link=Paul Marino|title=3D Game-Based Filmmaking: The Art of Machinima|year=2004a|publisher=Paraglyph Press|location=[[Scottsdale, Arizona]]|isbn=978-1-932111-85-9|url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/3dgamebasedfilmm0000mari}}
* {{cite web|last=Marino|first=Paul|author-link=Paul Marino|date=October 6, 2004b|title=The Wonderful World of Machinima|url=http://g4tv.com/screensavers/features/49874/The-Wonderful-World-of-Machinima.html|work=[[The Screen Savers]]|publisher=[[G4 (U.S. TV channel)|G4]]|access-date=2009-03-26|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120503094749/http://www.g4tv.com/screensavers/features/49874/The-Wonderful-World-of-Machinima.html|archive-date=May 3, 2012|url-status=dead}}
* {{cite web|last1=Matlack|first1=Carol|last2=Grover|first2=Ron|title=France: Thousands of Young Spielbergs|url=http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/05_51/b3964049.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051211063920/http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/05_51/b3964049.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=December 11, 2005|work=[[BusinessWeek]] |publisher=[[McGraw–Hill]] |date=December 19, 2005|access-date=2009-02-19}}
* {{cite book|last=McMahan|first=Alison|year=2005|title=The films of Tim Burton: animating live action in contemporary Hollywood|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2J5-MMVW1pYC|publisher=[[Continuum International Publishing Group]]|isbn=978-0-8264-1566-0|access-date=2009-04-30}}
* {{cite journal |last=Moltenbrey |first=Karen |date=November 2005 |title=Out of Character |journal=Computer Graphics World |issn=0271-4159 |volume=28 |issue=11 |pages=24–28}}
* {{cite web |last=Moss |first=Ben |date=March 28, 2001 |title=Showcase: Operation Bayshield |url=http://www.machinima.com/article/view&id=63 |work=[[Machinima.com]] |publisher=Machinima, Inc |access-date=2009-03-23 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20070617113605/http://www.machinima.com/article/view&id=63 |url-status=dead |archive-date=June 17, 2007 }}
* {{cite news|last=Musgrove|first=Mike|title=Game Turns Players Into Indie Moviemakers|date=December 1, 2005|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/11/30/AR2005113002117.html|at=D01 |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|issn=0190-8286}}
* {{cite journal |last=Osborne |first=Toby |date=December 1, 2004 |title=Ottawa International Animation Festival (9/22-26/04) |url=https://www.thefreelibrary.com/Ottawa+International+Animation+Festival+(9%2F22-26%2F04).-a0126683516 |journal=[[Take One (Canadian magazine)|Take #1]] |publisher=Canadian Independent Film & Television Publishing Association |issn=1192-5507 |volume=13 |issue=48 |page=42}}
* {{cite book |last=Nitsche|first=Michael|year=2005|editor-first=Brunhild|editor-last=Brushoff |title=Developing Interactive Narrative Content|publisher=High Text Verlag|location=[[Munich]]|isbn=978-3-933269-92-8|pages=210–233 |chapter=Film Live: An Excursion into Machinima}}
* {{cite book|last=Nitsche|first=Michael|year=2009|title=Video Game Spaces: Image, Play, and Structure in 3D Worlds|publisher=[[MIT Press]]|location=[[Cambridge, Massachusetts]]|isbn=978-0-262-14101-7|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2Adk9hp8nh8C|access-date=2009-02-01}}
* {{cite journal |author=''PC Zone'' staff|date=April 2004|title=Reinventing the Reel|journal=[[PC Zone]]|issue=140|pages=12–13|issn=0967-8220|ref=CITEREFPCZone2004}}
* {{cite news|last=Price|first=Peter|date=October 16, 2007|title=Machinima waits to go mainstream |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7045018.stm|work=BBC News|publisher=BBC|access-date=2009-02-17}}
* {{cite journal |last=Robertson |first=Barbara |date=April 2003 |title=Films of the Future |journal=Computer Graphics World |issn=0271-4159 |volume=26 |issue=4 |pages=10–11}}
* {{cite web|last=Skubis|first=J. Thaddeus|title=Directors Notes: The Seal of Nehahra|date=20 October 2000 |work=Machinima.com|publisher=Machinima, Inc |url=http://www.machinima.com/article/view%26id%3D160|access-date=2006-08-25 |url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091023065227/http://www.machinima.com/article/view%26id%3D160|archive-date=23 October 2009}}<!--Note:Actual publish date determined from establishment of article comments thread. Publish date in article incorrect as many article dates were reset in a Machinima.com redesign.-->
* {{cite journal |last=Sunder|first=Madhavi|date=November 2006|title=IP<sup>3</sup>|journal=[[Stanford Law Review]]|volume=59|issue=2|pages=257–332|issn=0038-9765}}
* {{cite web|last=Thier|first=David |date=April 9, 2019|title=Apparently, 'Old Town Road (I Got The Horses In the Back)' Is A 'Red Dead Redemption 2' Music Video|work=[[Forbes]] |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidthier/2019/04/09/apparently-old-town-road-i-got-the-horses-in-the-back-is-a-red-dead-redemption-2-music-video/?sh=4c10c33157df|access-date=2021-12-30}}
* {{cite news|last=Thompson|first=Clive|date=August 7, 2005|title=The Xbox Auteurs|work=[[The New York Times]]|issn=0362-4331|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/07/magazine/07MACHINI.html?ex=1281067200&en=a0b469a4346f3cbb&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss|access-date=2009-02-17}}
* {{cite web|last=Tuttle|first=Will|title=E3 2007: Halo 3 Saved Films Preview (Xbox 360)|url=http://previews.teamxbox.com/xbox-360/1676/Halo-3/p1/|date=July 12, 2007|work=Team Xbox|publisher=[[IGN|IGN Entertainment]]|access-date=2007-09-25|url-status=dead|archive-date=September 14, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070914134937/http://previews.teamxbox.com/xbox-360/1676/Halo-3/p1/}}
* {{cite web|last=Varney|first=Allen|author-link=Allen Varney|date=March 13, 2007|title=The French Democracy: A machinima smash raises questions about art - and copyright |work=[[The Escapist (magazine)|The Escapist]] |publisher=Themis Group|url=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/issues/issue_88/496-The-French-Democracy|access-date=2009-03-18|archive-date=2009-04-12|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090412050111/http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/issues/issue_88/496-The-French-Democracy|url-status=dead}}
* {{cite journal|last=Wallenstein|first=Andrew|date=December 18, 2008|title=TV vets, Machinima laugh it up |journal=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]|issn=0018-3660|volume=407|issue=49|page=7 |url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/tv-vets-machinima-laugh-up-124648|access-date=2012-02-01}}
* {{cite web|last=Wilonsky|first=Robert|date=August 15, 2002|title=Joystick Cinema|work=[[Houston Press]] |publisher=[[Village Voice Media]]|url=http://www.houstonpress.com/2002-08-15/culture/joystick-cinema/ |oclc=29800759|access-date=2009-03-25|archive-date=2008-07-18|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080718151622/http://www.houstonpress.com/2002-08-15/culture/joystick-cinema/|url-status=dead}}
* {{cite web |last=Wu |first=Andrew |title=Who's Who in Quake |work=[[Planet Quake]] |publisher=[[GameSpy]] |url=http://qe.planetquake.gamespy.com/who/whoall.htm |access-date=2008-08-23 |ref=CITEREFWun.d. |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080626115828/http://qe.planetquake.gamespy.com/who/whoall.htm |archive-date=2008-06-26 }}
{{refend}}

==Further reading==
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite web |last=Greenaway|first=Peter|title=Peter Greenaway & Expert Panel Select 48 Hour Machinima Contest Winners|url=http://nwn.blogs.com/nwn/2010/09/peter-greenaway-machinima-contest.html|work=Hamlet Au|publisher=New World Notes|access-date=2010-09-30|ref=CITEREFAu2010}}
* {{cite book |last1=Mazalek|first1=Ali|last2=Nitsche|first2=Michael|date=June 13, 2007|chapter=Tangible interfaces for real-time 3D virtual environments|series=ACM International Conference Proceeding Series|title=Proceedings of the international conference on Advances in computer entertainment technology|volume=203|at=155–162|location=[[New York City]]|publisher=[[Association for Computing Machinery]]|doi=10.1145/1255047.1255080|isbn=978-1-59593-640-0|citeseerx=10.1.1.70.3690|s2cid=2559639}}
* {{cite journal|last=Picard|first=Martin|year=2007|title=Machinima: Video Game As An Art Form?|url=http://journals.sfu.ca/loading/index.php/loading/article/viewArticle/17|journal=Loading...|publisher=Canadian Game Studies Association|volume=1|issue=1|access-date=2009-05-08|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120215235814/http://journals.sfu.ca/loading/index.php/loading/article/viewArticle/17|archive-date=2012-02-15}}
* {{cite journal|last=Reid|first=Christopher|year=2009|title=Fair Game: The Application of Fair Use Doctrine to Machinima|url=http://ir.lawnet.fordham.edu/iplj/vol19/iss3/5/|journal=[[Fordham Intellectual Property, Media & Entertainment Law Journal]]|volume=19|issue=3|at=831–876|issn=1079-9699|access-date=2009-05-10}}<!--https://web.archive.org/web/20180120153919/http://ir.lawnet.fordham.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1482&context=iplj-->
* {{cite book |last1=Salen|first1=Katie|author-link=Katie Salen|last2=Zimmerman|first2=Eric|author-link2=Eric Zimmerman|year=2003|title=Rules of Play|publisher=MIT Press|location=[[Cambridge, Massachusetts]]|isbn=978-0-262-24045-1|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UM-xyczrZuQC|access-date=2009-03-01}}
* {{cite book|last=Veigl|first=Thomas|title=Imagery in the 21st Century|year=2011|chapter=Machinima: On the Invention and Innovation of a New Visual Media Technology|url=https://www.academia.edu/8329333|pages=81–94|publisher=MIT Press|location=[[Cambridge, Massachusetts]]|doi=10.7551/mitpress/9780262015721.003.0005|isbn=9780262015721}}
{{refend}}

==External links==
{{commons category|Machinima}}
<!-- Please do not add links without discussing them on the talk page first. These are for information links, not your pet project. If your site is in the Open Directory Project, it doesn't need to and shouldn't be duplicated here. -->
* {{Internet Archive|machinima|Machinima}}

{{Animation}}
{{Independent production}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Machinima| ]]
[[Category:Animation technology]]
[[Category:Articles containing video clips]]
[[Category:Film styles]]
[[Category:Works based on video games]]