Looking Towards the Future

It is early in December as I write this but will publish it as the year adds another number to itself -- which by chance is my rez day (early in the morning I was birthed; not bored at midnight *wink*).

There have been plenty of changes in Second Life this year, some of them affecting machinima production and photography. Mesh bodies have become the norm among many groups, heads are making their way there. We look "better" some folks would say or "spookily real" as others comment.

I have always put an emphasis on production values -- in real life or virtual. One can certainly make a very good machinima without Windlight, mesh and all the newer additions to Second Life, but adding them ups the Preeetty Factor and I like pretty.

We are losing the University of Western Australia yearly contests. We have lost Month of Machinima. There are a few other contests on the horizon (Mad Pea, Firestorm) to give us themes and shake us outside our boxes a little. Or of course we can simply do our own thing.

The New Year is my personal favorite holiday; a turning of a giant page in the book of our lives. What might the next year bring?

I have a couple of ideas for MOSP. They will either turn out or not. I don't worry about that; there is always another path with its own twists and turns. Perhaps a better path than what we had planned.

Sansar should open this next year. Originally touted as a better Second Life, it seems like plans have changed there too. So my concentration, for now, will be here. What would make OUR world better for machinima?  Facial animations come to mind.

With the new animated heads capable of what might turn out to be to be planned facial animations running by scripts with a few clicks, it seems clear that the next big step forward will include -- well let's call them "talking heads" LOL.  And with the new facial bones we will be able to tell our stories with a look.

Imagine within the next year stores that sell scripted animations for various animated heads. Now wouldn't that be something? 

Our props keep getting better and better. Be sure and hit The Arcade yards sales to pick up wonderfulness at rock bottom prices. A RL friend asked me the other day where I got that great military uniform for my last film. I told him I bought it at a yard sale some time back. It was great and I was pretty sure I would find a use for it. And of course it was transfer *wink*.  This month I got REALLY lucky and found two sets of matching surreal telephone poles at LESS than the cost of playing the machine.

Well, damn -- now I have told you my secrets!

That's OK. It's a new year and who knows what it will bring.

News of the Top UWA winners

This sounds like a wonderful opportunity. Congrats to all.



Issued: December 18 2015
PRESS RELEASE
IMMEDIATE RELEASE     
MEDIA CONTACT
Rahimah Rasith, LIt Up Festival Online.
rahimah23@gmail.com

UWA Challenge Machinima Stars Commissioned for Lit Up Festival in Singapore

As a virtual door closes a real life one has opened for the top three winners of the final University of Western Australia Machinima Challenge VIII. The diversely talented machinima makers have each been offered a commission to create something for a cutting edge live literature digital arts festival in Singapore.

Kobuk Farshore, Tutsy Navarathna and the third-placed team of Lilia Artis and Haveit Aeon will collaborate with the Writers Centre, Singapore and its seven year old flagship festival .

The lucky artists may also get to travel to the tech hub of South-East Asia in November 2016 for the launch of their new films.

“This will depend on funding, but we hope they can come and give talks, workshops and participate in panel discussions on the relationship between virtual art and the real word.”

She went on to say that the machinima makers will hopefully get to meet up in person with their Singapore collaborator Chris Mooney-Singh who is providing original material for the three projects. In SL he is better known as Singh Albatros, back in world after a long spell having completed a doctorate in Creative Writing from Monash University in Australia.

Ms Rasith also went on to say that the Writers Centre, Singapore, a non profit organisation was glad to support SL artists in world and out world.

“In a sense we feel we have been passed the torch by Art Challenge director Jay Jay Zifanwe and the University of Western Australia."

“Its a creative alliance. Following UWA's lead we hope to execute other in world events and stream them live to Facebook,” she added.

More infomation can be found at:

http://www.litup.sg

UWA Awards Ceremony

There were plenty of attendees at the last awards ceremony for the University of Western Australia -- or at least for the yearly reign of challenges.

While I really wanted to make it into the top five, sixth ain't bad at all.

From the UWA blog:

Sixth Place (L$5,000): FOLDING TIME, by Chic Aeon of Corvallis, Oregon, USA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLHaq63E2fI

"Since "Shades of Gray" UWA has played a large part in my artier Second Life  endeavors. I am sorry to see the contests end but happy that the University's presence will continue. There is a season for all things, and MachinimUWA has had an impressive one." Chic Aeon

Get Your Camera Out

The Firestorm folks are looking for photos to promote Second Life.

Read all about it here:  http://www.firestormviewer.org/share-your-photos-to-promote-second-life/

You need to hurry!

UWA News

I had been wondering,  but had no inside intel.

From a post just now on the UWA blog:

WHY IS THIS THE FINAL ONE? WHAT DOES THAT MEAN FOR UWA?

• The UWA sims will continue
• FreeWee Ling will take full control of art at UWA, and will continue to run art events as she has been over the years
• NOT the end of UWA in Second Life
• IS THE END for the major international art and film challenges that have run annually since 2009
• There may be special art or film events if funding is secured to run those specific events (or is a large amount of funding is suddenly available to UWA for work in virtual worlds)