Can't Take Serious Machinima Serious

[AVJO]

I might be crazy but I really really cannot take a machinima that plays it straight serious. Maybe I'm just biased because I used to make crappy machinima videos as a kid with my friends, but there's just something so jarring about seeing a story being told in a game engine that asks me to give a damn.

 

I don't want to minimize the work that people put into their shows either. I've seen some works come out of the machinima community that on purely a technical level are quite impressive. I have a few friends I've made through online message boards that gave me serious voice over roles in their shows back when I was in high school, so mad respect. Am I the only one, who is not an outsider to machinima, that feels this way?

[BTGBullseye]

I have yet to see any machinimas that do this... Mind linking to a few for reference?

[centersolace]

Yeah I actually agree with this. Most "serious" SFM projects are really bad.

 

This video:

 

 

Pretty much sums up my feelings on the matter.

[Kaiosama TLJ]

Well... I never watched any machinima beyond Freeman's Mind, but I think I know how you feel based on my experience with other forms of medium that are not machinima.

 

I think the main problem is that many machinima/SFM creators are mainly animators, not writers. And many amateur writers have a nasty habit of thinking that melodrama is the only kind of drama. (Also being incredibly tone deaf)

 

Fun fact that is kind of related to the topic: Hunt Down the Freeman was going to be just one of those "serious" machinimas. (and I think it should have stayed that way)

Edited December 1, 2020 by Kaiosama TLJ (see edit history)

[Eshanas]

It depends on the graphic of the thing for me. TF2 and nearly anything Garys Mod - it just screams, 'this is a game'. Kudos to Ross for taking the HL engine and working with it, he's the only one in that area I constantly, or really have, watched.

Beyond that...I've only really seen Red Vs Blue, up to Season...13?

[centersolace]

On 12/1/2020 at 12:39 PM, Kaiosama TLJ said:

Fun fact that is kind of related to the topic: Hunt Down the Freeman was going to be just one of those "serious" machinimas. (and I think it should have stayed that way)

 

Wait really? That's amazing. 

[Kaiosama TLJ]

On 12/12/2020 at 4:16 AM, centersolace said:

Wait really? That's amazing. 

Yeah, although I would take off the "amazing" part since its Hunt Down the Freeman we are talking about.

 

As far as I know, It was going to be a mini-series, but the main creator decided to make a game instead, despite not having any expericence to manage a project of that scope. And you can see the result.

[danielsangeo]

Have you watched "The Tunnel"?  That's got some humor, but it's mostly played seriously.  Even a bit of horror.

 

 

[centersolace]

On 12/16/2020 at 3:24 PM, Kaiosama TLJ said:

Yeah, although I would take off the "amazing" part since its Hunt Down the Freeman we are talking about.

 

As far as I know, It was going to be a mini-series, but the main creator decided to make a game instead, despite not having any expericence to manage a project of that scope. And you can see the result.

"amazing" doesn't necessarily mean "good".