In this first part of our 200th episode of Completely Machinima Podcast, Ricky highlights ⁨@NeuralViz⁩ AI-driven films as a significant advancement, while Phil praised the fast-paced, subtle social commentary. We discuss legal developments affecting AI use, such as Warner Brothers suing Midjourney. The success of Blender's "Flow" at the Oscars is noted, emphasizing the growing capabilities of open-source tools. The conversation also touches on the breadth of aesthetic approaches to machinima projects, the rise of big-budget projects like "Predator: Killer of Killers," and the evolving role of generative AI in storytelling. Tune into next week's part B to hear about our predictions for next year!

Credits -
Speakers: Phil Rice, Ricky Grove, Tracy Harwood, Damien Valentine
Producer: Tracy Harwood
Editor: Phil Rice
Music: Phil Rice and SunoAI

This is our final film pick for Season 5, and it stimulates quite a discussion. The film is a concept test of tools and techniques, but the story and aesthetic is less inspiring. Check out our thoughts and do add your own comments below.

1:47 Introduction to Reflekt by @derunique
4:00 Anachronistically broken
10:25 Gelling the story?
11:54 The aesthetic of Unreal
13:19 Who is the apocalyptic soldier Unreal tutor?
14:00 The attraction of Unreal – its all about the technology, and little about the story
15:02 Comparison to Project Zomboid movie (S5 ep 193)
15:40 Camera work in Unreal is uninspiring!
18:12 Prazinburke Ridge remains the outstanding Unreal film we’ve seen
18:22 Lighting is a standout, ambiguity and some suggestions
25:31 Speaking vs talking to self, and quality and use of the sound library
33:11 Surrealism and uncanny are some of the most creative ideas
37:35 Why is the Unreal creator community just not hit the high notes just yet
39:29 Final words

Credits -
Speakers: Ricky Grove, Phil Rice, Tracy Harwood, Damien Valentine
Producer: Phil Rice
Editor: Phil Rice
Music: Phil Rice & SunoAI

This week's film selectiion is a technical masterpiece, made in RDR2. It is both an homage to the game and the film. John Wick's Red Dead Redemption is made by eli_handle_b.wav, and is worth every second of your time watching it!

1:49 Introduction to film, editing quality, compositing and matching RDR2 to John Wick – technically outstanding!

4:11 How?!!! Skill level is well above average

7:00 This is not just cut scenes

9:13 A tribute to both the game and the film

9:47 There are no scripted behaviour mods for RDR2 – the camera in the game all has to be positioned through play for this kind of machinima to be achieved – an editor is a missed opportunity for the game

13:00 Discussing the tools used

Credits -
Speakers: Ricky Grove, Damien Valentine, Phil Rice
Producer: Ricky Grove
Editor: Phil Rice
Music: Phil Rice & SunoAI