Sunday, November 29, 2009

Metropolis in Second Life (^_^)

I got a group chat mention from a friend earlier today:

[01:25 PM] ** **: I found an interesting event - Metropolis - 1927 silent German expressionism science fiction film directed by Fritz Lang is showing in SL at 2pm
[01:25 PM] ** **: if you are interested in this - IM for a LM


At first, I expected a streaming video in a traditional theater, like setting. But, I was still interested. It ~is~ Metropolis, after all. (^_^)

What I landed in was something very different. (o.o)



The Metropolis scenes were all built upon a giant active stage, with scripted seating around. Instructions said to basically sit in a seat and let the camera scripts take over for the show. This was a very novel approach. Something I've never seen before. (^_^)



From the start, on... My screen was filled with each scene. The stage construction was all around. Events and animations were all being played in front of my constantly manipulated camera. Each angle, timed to the scene, along with music to match coming through the audio stream. It was machinima, but not captured to be played back later. Everything was done in real time, right there on the spot. (^_^)



Scenes and stages were dynamic. Changing form throughout the show. There were a handful of avatar actors used, each playing a character or two using props, animations, and even just walking around to make each scene. (^_^)



There were many times when even the audience was visible in the performance. While our cameras were being manipulated, our chairs were as well. Some of the larger crowd scenes seemed to even include the audience as sit-in extras to fill the scene with faces. Really, over all they put together a great use of resources.

I was left speechless with tears welling up in my eyes. Aghast at the virtual performance art I had just witnessed. The show lasted an hour. Not once was I drawn away from my screen. Speechless and breathless, I was just utterly amazed at what was being presented. (^_^)



After "The End" the music changed and we all got up for an after-the-show dance. Everyone was thankful for the show. The cast, crew, and builders were present to thank everyone for watching. Overall it was a great experience. (^_^)

METROPOLIS INFORMATION

http://slurl.com/secondlife/Benvolio/64/77/22

After an idea of Debbie Trilling to do a re-make of "METROPOLIS" the fist science fiction movie made in 1927 by Fritz Lang. Velazquez Bonetto and Josina Burgess started with working out this Idea to bring it to Second Life.

Velazquez Bonetto: rebuild the Whole Metropolis, wrote programms and scripts, situated every scenery at its place and brought new technology into SL .
Josina Burgess: created all the caracters, avatars, costumes and together they used Muybridge simulations for mass groups where needed.
Nnoiz Papp: wrote and composed the music specially for Metropolis.
Windyy Lane: build the upperclass scenery and made all the animations
Sca shilova: build the robot and the animations for it.

the actors are:
Debbie Trilling
MillaMilla Noel
Efrantirse Morane
Josina Burgess
Velazquez Bonetto

A Camera system is build in the seats where the audience will sit , also the seats, with audience in it, will fly around in Metropolis form scene to scene to be a "part" of the whole.

Its so far the biggest project ever done on SL, it took months of working, building,creating, rehearsing and animating.
The actors/avatars playing the key figures teleport from stage to stage and perform in between camera close-ups.

The whole Metropolis is a 1 hour breathtaking experience on SL, but not only on SL even in RL people will be able to watch this via You Tube as a new way of making a artistique event going beyond borders.

To give you an idea of the work that was put in to make this project work: some ïnside information..

=============================================
ON YOU TUBE:
1 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dYMbX8eVFpA
2 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3lbatbjBzQM
3 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MxdskP4lARM
4 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FbluzMOJcC4
5 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWNTOa2fJuE
6 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bFLTPJE1DEs
7 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ndnHnqvDh2k
8 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f7trCt49bJ8
9 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_P01cxeL5M
10 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P8LUKwGB-ME
11 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wHNfj1okik
12 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8s2ShZHX64Q
13 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GpD47LyfpVw

http://secondarts.wordpress.com/2009/04/19/carp-presents-metropolis-in-second-life/

CARP presents “Metropolis” in Second Life

Posted on April 19, 2009 by Morris Vig SECOND ARTS

I’ve been hearing that the CARP/Diabolous team responsible for the inworld tour de force of Pink Floyd’s The Wall was at it again, this time making an inworld version of Fritz Lang’s classic 1927 science fiction silent motion picture, Metropolis. Today, I finally got around to attending a performance.

[Side thought: It's like Josina Burgess, Debbie Trilling and their partners in the SL theatric arts at CARP know exactly what trips my artistic trigger. I love Pink Floyd and Roger Waters' work, hence my enjoyment of The Wall. In the Viggy collection of classic movie DVD's, Metropolis (even my crappy version of it) sits right alongside Citizen Kane and Casablanca. The history of the Metropolis movie is really something interesting, too...click here for more info on that. But I digress...]

My verdict (like mine is important…a debatable point)? CARP’s Metropolis is at least the peer of their version of The Wall, if not its superior. The subject matter for both stories is equally grand, and CARP uses Metropolis as an allegory for the state of the world much like they did with The Wall:

So we see Lang’s vision of the future…the everlasting difference of the rich and poor, the elite and the worker, the greedy people on the top and the suffering masses…very much alive today as now we see what greediness of the elite did to the world- economics and us, the people.

Today we are living a crisis that is maybe worse then the one just after the War.

The main message of Metropolis was that it gave a solution to Post-War Germany to attempt a Social Market.

This in fact is what Metropolis as a movie created at that time. And this was exactly 60 years ago!

Are we powerless and resigned ?

Or do we change this future?

Do we change our own Metropolis?

With that as foreshadowing….there’s MUCH more after the fold, including a 100-plus piece slideshow to document this visual treat…

Technically, you have to start with the theatrical set. This is a dense build that minimizes the use of prims (perhaps CARP needs to be in a double-prim sim like those in Bay City and Nautilus!) and maximizes the use of textures to achieve the dramatic effect. As you will see below, the textures are both rich and grand. They also use textures as a means to demonstrate masses of characters – the chorus, if you will – and accomplishes this with impressive effect. How to ensure that the many, many textures load in a reasonable amount of time in a full sim? Easy – they took the first six minutes of the show to display credits and literally pre-load the entire pack of textures used in the show. Genius.

This compact build also allows for attendees to sit in custom-scripted seating and be “physically” (this is a virtual world, so it can’t be physical,but hopefully you get my meaning) moved from scene to scene. The seating also is a marvel – three sets of seats, flying around the set like a choreographed guided tour of the property. Viewers also place themselves at the mercy of the flying seats – no need to use flycams or mouseview…just sit back and enjoy the ride.

Lastly, the one thing you can’t see in the slideshow below: Music. The score for this show is really strong. It’s electronic in nature and complements the show quite well…just like the textures, the animations, the costumes…

So here’s the slideshow. It’s quite a show, all 60 minutes of it. And, like The Wall, the Metropolis company invites the attendees down to the floor to celebrate the show once it’s done. Can’t beat that!

==========================================
http://www.flickr.com/photos/22475787@N04/sets/72157615929909533/

Helfe Ihnen (leader of the odyssey art)
posted in flickr 28 mar. 2009
Metropolis is a 'must see' in SL!
What the team has made is absolutely stunning and at the top level of what is possible in SL. On the other hand you see sometimes what is missing in SL in technical and esthetical possibilities. Acting seems to stay very difficuilt.

Information by the team:

After an idea of Debbie Trillling to do a re-make of METROPOLIS the fist science fiction movie made in 1927 by Fritz Lang, Velazquez Bonetto and Josina Burgess started with working out this Idea to bring it to Second Life.

Velazquez Bonetto rebuild the Whole Metropolis, wrote programms and scripts, situated every scenery at its place and brought new technology into SL .
Josina Burgess created all the caracters, avatars, costumes and together they used Muybridge simulations for mass groups where needed.
Nnoiz Papp wrote and composed the music specially for Metropolis.
Windyy Lane build the upperclass scenery and made all the animations
Sca shilova build the robot and the animations for it.

the actors are:
Debbie Trilling
MillaMilla Noel
Efrantirse Morane
Josina Burgess
Velazquez Bonetto


A Camera system is build in the seats where the audience will sit , also the seats, with audience in it, will fly around in Metropolis form scene to scene to be a "part" of the whole.

Its so far the biggest project ever done on SL, it took months of working, building,creating, rehearsing and animating.
The actors/avatars playing the key figures teleport from stage to stage and perform in between camera close-ups.

The whole Metropolis is a 1 hour breathtaking experience on SL, but not only on SL even in RL people will be able to watch this via You Tube as a new way of making a artistique event going beyond borders.


I strongly recommend searching for it in events and going to watch it for yourself. (^_^)y

1 comment:

Unknown said...

Thank you for this generous write-up of our work