S3 E89 Half Life 2: Daydream (August 2023)

A performance by a camera ham, shutterbug or just a plain histrionic narcissist? This week's review discusses an older machinima that has highly contemporary themes in it: carry-on-regardless, daydreaming, whatever, so long as the virtual camera is rolling. The film is called Daydream (2009) set to the titular song by Lovin' Spoonful, created by  @Mystfit and made in  @Valve 's Half Life 2. Needless to say, we loved the humor but what makes this machinima interesting is that it was a scripted production created by running a path sequencer inside the game, harking back to the early days of how machinimas were made but so is reminiscent of how contemporary tools such as iClone and Unreal now work. This week we also begin with  @RickyGrove talking about ultra-wide monitors, using it to play Elden Ring (a mod required) and the #SAGAFTRA strike; and,  @zsOverman gives an overview of his remastering project of the Machiniplex collection and his homage to the great Hugh Hancock, founder the #machinima movement, the upcoming showcase of Bloodspell and also his own response to some of the hoopla that Hugh created at the time of its release in 2006! 1:38 Gigabyte and ultra-wide monitors 
4:16 The actor and writer strike, significance and implications 
10:43 Black Mirror, Futurama and the internet - prescient episodes 
15:38 The Machiniplex Collection at https://bit.ly/Machiniplex 
20:32 Hugh Hancock’s Bloodspell, John Lennon and the Overcast - releases and background 
24:48 This week's pick: Daydream, the Lovin’ Spoonful soundtrack and Mystfit Credits -
Speakers: Ricky Grove, Phil Rice, Tracy Harwood, Damien Valentine 
Producer: Tracy Harwood 
Editor: Ricky Grove 
Music: Intro: Doctor Dreamchip & Outro: Arps Solina