Entertainment - media and things to do in Second Life

Interview with film maker (machinima maker) Twisted Surface on 17th May, Australian time

'Machinima, making movies inside a simulated world is the next big thing & the name of the game in SecondLife art

"Fragments' - the first episode of a series of interactive machinima films was be released on May 17th Second Life premiere at the Infused Canvas site. If you are inworld now, click the link to TP there. Fragments will be a story told in a number of episodes streamed online on YouTube and in Second Life. Read our story about Fragments and the machinima work of Twisted Surface and Nathalia Parisi here

Interview

Twisted Surface (TS): hello there :)
GaiaGirl (GG): interactive machinima - so you show a segment, the viewer chooses response a,b,c or d - and you show corresponding clip next?
TS: well its episodic. So what the viewers decide. everyone comes together and sticks it on script and happens in next part of the story. They see it being made, sets being built, things being created - not behind the scenes like a lot of the machinima
GG: ah - so the viewer makes a choice, and then his choice is then filmed live? sounds very labour intensive?
TS: well yeah, it's a collaborative process. We get amateur writers, roleplayers etc. What it does it keep the story alive and in the hands on the viewer. If you want the fate of the character to change, you come along. Very experimental. We're not sure exactly how it'll turn out.. but we think it could be something that could work.
GG: and the fate - is this decided democratically amongst the audience - how does the script selection process work?
It's experimental - but exciting
TS: we hope so :P The process of episode one was basically I wrote up a makeshift script, a very bad one at that and I got to working with Nathalia Parisi, who is also with me in the project, so we'll be leading the actual implementation of the script to the story as we'll have to see the logistics of the movie but we'll hold writing workshops, machinima workshops..
GG: how many crew do you have working live to produce this - and what size audience do you expect to be driving it?
TS: in all honesty, we have no idea. We're going to broadcast this onto our youtube channel as soon as it airs. Our working machinima crew is quite small, actually just the two of us :D We can both build fairly well and have a dynamic between us. We will outsource help from places should we need it
GG: the two are the core of the film unit , with the audience participating in the whole process as well
TS: pretty much
GG: so how do you make the decisions - throw around ideas and the best one is decided upon?
TS: bingo. I can write scripts and I know about the industry in rl.. I've dabbled there. However I find it's usually best to throw things on the canvas and see how it turns out. Call it modern art or something!
GG: its like a video game but made to order - live?
TS: well Midian City at the moment IS an actual role-playing city, so the movies we do.. can potentially drive the story there. That's the idea. to spark off fragments (kerching) of creativity
GaiaGirl Pearl: the stills images on webpage http://1001virtualnights.wordpress.com/2008/05/12/finally-the-film-has-been-finished/ are they from your first production?
TS: oh.. those are taken by someone else. we have fans from other places. Our last project was a 1001 Nights based one, fantasy arabia
GG: Is 1001 Nights on YouTube - where can people see it?
TS: www.youtube.com/3vilmuffin thats my portfolio
GG: you're influenced by movie Blade Runner?
TS: for this particular project yes :) a mixture between the worlds of Blade Runner and possibly the Matrix - we're going to cover some complex themes
GG: post-apocalyptic?
TS: yes, but the idea is to study 'how' that happened
GG: how the future happened?
Twisted Surface nods
TS: Midian City was a surveillance society, it'll be touching on areas that a lot of people want to write about but using fiction as a platform. The series is an active participation of the viewer with Aiden. We discover things with him. There will be some background research involved because I love viral marketing.. and want people to go places.. ask questions :D
GG: how do you relate viral marketing to movie making?
TS: its not really movie making.. more story writing. Because this place actually exists in SL, don't you want to go over to Midian City and see things for yourself? :) We did that with 1001 Nights
GG: its already the 17th where I am - so tomorrow is now for me
TS: yeow down under eh. Better head to sleep, was very nice to meet you :)
GG: yes - and check out my 1st Life - influenced by Blade Runner here too :)
TS: wow :) we're due for some chattering over a little virtual coffee sometime then. you'll like the movie ;)
GG: I wrote thesis on Blade Runner when I was at Australian Film & TV School - even after 20 years that movie still holds up, 25 years!
TS: I wrote one too :D which inspired me to do this. The sleepless nights in the library ...
Twisted Surface shudders
GG: :) TY
TS: you're most welcome

See you in Second Life ~ Peace, Love & Light,
GaiaGirl Pearl