MUV601 – Ass.3 – The Process of Machinima & Requirements

Creating Machinima was an exciting journey right from the beginning where you have select the location and think on the purpose why you really want to shoot that location and other factors. I began searching a proper location and in my two weeks i couldn’t find a perfect location which i was looking for. And after good amount of research on Google and Second Life i found Keys West Resort. It Really got me into because it has really great premium feel graphics and textures on each object creation.

In my Third week, i started to explore the location more and finding out location, then writing my ideas on where i would like to get shots and what i want to reflect on my video, so i ended up creating a storyboard which explains my whole machinma concept and i found that really useful rather creating the machinima without any storyboarding or planning would have ended up into a random unguided video.

In the same week then i have created my video and started researching on how i would shot a video in Second Life as its a fairly new platform for us, getting those shots would be tough. So, i found good resources online and few of the sites has been reffered by Belma which included blog link of Strawberry Singh which was quite helpful. I learnt that how to shoot using various angles and using various hot keys to move the camera, hide all of your elements on the screen, etc.

In the process of recording, i have recorded plenty of videos, through different angles which resulted into Fraps recording 40GB’s of worth videos can you imagine. IT WAS INSANE!

Fortunately, i had good amount of space on my HDD which handled this storage well. Later on i realised that if i don’t organise my videos and clear up the unnecessary shots properly then i would be lost in terms of editing. So, those videos ended up in their right folders:

Then i began to edit my files which took my most of the time, and Sound Designing as well; as music is my passion i wanted to make sure that the sounds goes really well with the final video. So that’s how the process went:

 

Using Adobe After Effects CC to edit the Machinima

While i was Shooting videos, i got really amazing ideas which ideas to adding various shots and adding sound effects onto my final video and user engagement by making the video more interactive with usage of various angles, moving camera at smart and fast pace. Showing them that location why it is great. So, shooted my videos on various angles and inserted special sound effects to my ideas in my final output.

Designing the Audio clip, adding few effects, Amplifying and Mastering few clips in FL Studio

Here are the sound effects you may found in my final video which has been used very creatively and it’s hard to notice because the main important thing is it goes in flow with the video. and that is really important

Track used: Joakim Karud – Vibe with me which suits my voice, and gives positive vibes to video.

 

Met Requirements

In order to check that whether i do meet the machinima requirements basically i went to the course outline and ticked the appropriate:

• Between 3 and 5 minutes of publicly viewable machinima
  • My video is 4:58 which is approximately 5mins
• Evidence of basic storyboarding of the machinima
  • Provided in my previous blog post.
• A copy of the script (for actors if involved or voice over if used)
  • Included in my blog post.
• Your video needs to:
  • ✓ – Have a title
  • ✓ – Have credits
  • ✓ – Have audio added (over and above any recorded voice e.g. title sound track, credits sound track)
  • ✓ – Be copyright appropriate
  • ✓ – Be licensed appropriately
  • ✓ – Have appropriate transitional effects (fade-in/out, zoom in/out)
  • ✓ – Use multiple camera positions (Top to down, B-Roll, Ariel Shots and other angles)
  • ✓ – Use appropriate camera movement
  • ✓ – Be created in a reasonable definition for easy and clear viewing

 

 

MUV601 – Ass.3 – Script, Camera Angles & Exploring more

Getting into Key West Island

As we know from my previous blog post we know that the location which i have chosen is “Key West Island” in which the major part is covered with the Key West Resort & Marina. So, i had a look online about Key West Resort in Second Life and guess what i came across that the location which i have chosen is a group which is known as  “THE KEYS – KEY WEST~ LIVE MUSIC VENUES & MANAGEMENT GROUP” (https://thekeyslivemusic.wordpress.com/)

When i dived more into the website i found great description of their community which i can use in my script and intro. Also, they had social links of the owner and SL location management group,

Then, i contacted Liz over Facebook and asked their permission to record a video for their location and shoot a live event snippet for my video (when i will be ending my video it will be used as a part of my video outro as mentioned in my storyboard) . She responded really well, she’s happy that i record their location and she gave me the timings for the next upcoming performances so i can attend and record.

Camera Angles

I have decided to shot on various angles including Arial, Front Facing, Lower walking shots, B-Roll, Object oriented shooting and i will include other techniques of shooting which i’m learning like showing Teleportation effect which many YouTuber use in there real life but i will see whether i get time to optimize that.

Script

The following written is the script for my machinima/video, it can change over time with few modification:

Hello, everyone I’m Dhruv. Find me on “the3rdlife” on Second Life sounds weird but yes that’s the one. Right, so we are on The Key Island as you can see where we are landed it’s a part of that island which is “The Keys Resort and Marina” .

So, Key West~ is a dual-venue location focused on the promotion and celebration of live SL music and the many talented musicians there. With a coastal atmosphere, ~The Keys SL – Key West~ is a place to relax with friends, with superb entertainment and to just have a great time! It is home to Key West Resort & Marina, the Duval Street Pub & Beach and The Keys Management Group. 

Enough talking lets move on, having said of marina lets walk around marina. Woah, the marina is so beautiful. The graphics and textures looks so real. I imagine whether we can be able to drive it but well let’s see what options you can get. Wow, They have designed the deck, (other parts of boat). Incredible.

Let’s walk down to the street and find out what’s out there, Duval Pub, looks like the Hard Rock Cafe style lights which is great. Guys imagine having drinks and chatting to real people in the virtual world which wasn’t possible years ago and now people are designing it to be in virtual worlds. I wonder in future second life should integrate Gear VR or any VR headset sort of thing to get really the real walk and talk sort of feel. Because still at certain times it will feel like you are part of a game. But that’s the Duval Pub, its a combination of a pub and bar at top let’s find walk up the stairs. It looks really cool. Like a proper sitting area.

Alright, lets go further. Going out and head to the shops and garden. The Keys Island has a variety of clothing and accessories shops where you can get it various clothes, skins and avatar textures. Created by designers and professionals. Want to ride a bike, get it on and explore city with bike. Have a look, It’s looks really spectacular, especially the effects and textures which they have used. The Fountain, the singing arch. Feeling like karaoke just hangout with your friends and sing.

I want to show you another place which is one of the best Holiday home i have every seen. Let’s fly down there. So, that’s the beauty i was talking about. If i would build my house in real it would look like this literally, The creator of this house has put so much work into it i can see literally. want to teleport with your family in Second Life. This is the place where you want to be. Ultimate paradise. Bigger rooms, new modern architectural design. The thing which makes it incomparable is the backyard it has, lets walk down there. Look at that. A waterfall literally inspired from some location in Bali, imagine that having right behind of your house. Having a hard day and want to clear out all of your stress and anxiety just come over here relax in this amazing environment.

I’m feeling hungry, Oh i have seen a cafe where we landed. Let’s go there and get some food. (click sound) Well, we are here. Where we started. A modern cafe, which brews one of the finest coffees and food varieties out there.

I think Liz mentioned that we are having party in evening, we got sometime before then Let’s quickly have a look onto that pool. Wow, dream come true. a pool with sitting chair. Awesome. I recon whether they have a spa or not. Hmm, lets find out. (snap sound) Boom we are at spa. What powers i have, I literally came to Spa Pool.

Dhruv you are special, look it has TV and a mini bar right next to it. We will leave it for when we come back from party to chill-out or i’ll invite my friends for relaxing after-party.

(Sound from outside, people chattering and music sounds ) Oh, it seems like the party is about to start. Well guys, that’s it. I will go to party and enjoy my weekend with my friends. If i missed something and you spotted in the video. Feel free to join us online (https://thekeyslivemusic.wordpress.com) and for teleportation just type “The Keys Island” and you would land where i was before. Until than stay awesome. See ya.

 

MUV601 – Ass.3 – Planning & Design Phase

To begin, I have been doing alot of research on what location i would select and it’s really difficult to select a location which you really want to create Machinima of because i was looking for something unique which had great community, cafes, beach and fun and interactive place. After exploring several clubs, rock bands, parks, etc. I wasn’t able to find the right locations.

• Location

I finally found, my perfect shooting location for Machinima. which is

“The Keys – Key West Island”

Location: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Key%20West%20Island/99/64/23

Also, in order to create machinima i have reffered strawberry Singh’s Blog, watched her configuration and techniques where it describes how to disable as many notifications, IMs, sounds and other interruptions we may get while recording your videos.

But i wanted to know more about how to actually shoot videos on different angles, how can i shoot video while avatar is moving in front of any object through various angles. So, basically as Aron mentioned do Google Search and i did Google search. Came across few form post which redirected me to http://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/Machinima which had series of videos demostrating how to record in SL.

• Machinima Tutorial – 1. Basic things – By Erythro Asimov.
• Machinima Tutorial – 2. Playing with camera – By Erythro Asimov.
• Machinima Tutorial – 3. Playing with scene – By Erythro Asimov.
• Machinima Tutorial – 4. Playing with avatar – By Erythro Asimov.

Also, i found Torley’s Guide to Making Movies! which is really helpful to produce machinima

• 

  I am working on my script but its on its way, I’ll include that in my next post with more in depth. Also, I had a look on YouTube Audio Library and a SoundCloud Playlist which has royalty free music where you can find Creative Commons/Non-Copyright Music which can be used in videos but i haven’t selected one because i want to record my voice over first and depending on my voice key, i will get the appropriate music which matches my audio key.

MUV601 – Ass.3 – Task/Action Plan

The option you have chosen: I have chosen  Machinima  for my final assessment

The stated purpose of the project:

The purpose of my project is to record a location of my choice and provide a informative and interesting video. Through this i will get to know different people, communities, and locations which will help me to learn more about second life as a platform. What can be done in that region, what people do there and who’s the creator and much more.

What I want to Achieve?

I have a clear vision from which i want to achieve which is create a breif video about my desired location which actually represents Second Life, what are the capabilities of a virtual environment where you can experience, explore new places and meet new people from all over the world. My video will be unique and attractive through which even if someone who haven’t heard of Second Life World and when they watches that video. It should give them that excitement and motivation to find more about the place.

I will create that video using my video shooting and location optimization skill. I will achieve this by creating various iterations in the form of storyboard, outlining my plan on making this video, stating what are the locations i have chosen in that region, how i will be shooting them in various angles and positions. Also, i would be using various sound effects and my own voice over in that video. I will record the locations in various parts and edit it and put it back in one final video for our machinima.

Which resources i will be selecting?

These are the following Resources which i will be using for creating my machinima:

• Second Life Viewer: Firestorm
• Video Recording Tool: Fraps
• Voice Recording Tool: Sound Recorder / FL Studio 
• Video Editing Tool: Adobe Light Room / Sony Vegas Pro / Windows Movie Maker
• Audio Editing Tool: FL Studio / Adobe Audtion (to enhance and modify)
• Artwork Creation: Canva / Adobe Photoshop  
• Storyboard Creation: MS Powerpoint / draw.io / Visio
• Sound Source: YouTube / Online royalty free music
• Voice over script: MS Word

$(‘select’).change(function(){
var sum = 0;
$(‘select :selected’).each(function() {
sum += Number($(this).val());
});
$(“#sum”).html(sum);
});
 

 
Diameter:
Select option
20
40
60

Crimp Range:
Select option
Straight
Poor
Average
Excellent

Yield:
Select option
20
40
60

Color:
Select option
Black
White
Custom

The Wool Price (in NZD)

MUV601 – Ass2 – Intellectual Property Protection

As we already know from our previous blog that what does Intellectual Property means; in this post we will look into the reasons why and its protection.

• How the Permissions system helps to protect IP.
  If we combine those two posts: Permissions in SL and Intellectual Property then we will surely find out why with the help of both how we can protect IP/how permissions in system helps protecting IP. If we basically set the permissions to the certain standards in the system then there will less chances of using the same object again but some random person. The permission system will enable that the content which the owners are sharing is appropriate to the right audience.

 

• A brief description of what CopyBot is and how it can/should be used

  “A CopyBot is any Second Life client which has the ability to export items without any permissions checks. Such software is easy to get hold of, and is undetectable by Linden Lab.” (Wikipedia, https://wiki.casperdns.com/index.php/CopyBot )

  In other words, its a threat which can copy your objects without any checking any permissions which is an actual nightmare but you basically can’t do anything about it.

Now, i’m totally unsure how to get to the third question but here’s a reference which i want to put which explains much clear.

“Copy Bot allows the owner to instruct it to do many things that you usually cant and should not be doing in second life, such as copy protected prims, complex linked structures, residents avatar profiles or all the outfits of nearby residents and much more which is an infringement of Intellectual Property by theft and sadly Linden Labs cant do anything to stop it.” (Alphavillage, http://alphavilleherald.com/2008/03/more-copybot-dr.html)

MUV601 – Ass.2 – Intellectual Property

As we know every thing has it own terms and conditions or in other words they have there standards which we need to follow/obey if we have to be in that environment peacefully respecting the laws. In Second Life we have few community standards which we need to follow or it often known as “Intellectual Property” what it means is basically that you should not use copyrighted, trademarked, or celebrity material in Second Life, unless of course you are the property owner or have permission from the  property owner.

Following are the six standards with a brief description and a link to where they can be read: https://www.lindenlab.com/legal/community-standards

• Intolerance

  Combating intolerance is a cornerstone of Second Life’s Community Standards. The use of derogatory or demeaning language or images in reference to another Resident’s race, ethnicity, gender, religion, or sexual orientation is never allowed in Second Life. If we find them happening around we can report that to SL team.

• Harassment

  From the word itself, harassment can take many forms, it can be Communicating or behaving in a manner which is offensively coarse, intimidating or threatening, constitutes unwelcome sexual advances or requests for sexual favors, or is otherwise likely to cause annoyance or alarm is Harassment which is not acceptable in Second Life.

• Assault

  Assault in Second Life means: shooting, pushing, or shoving another Resident in a Safe Area; creating or using scripted objects which singularly or persistently target another Resident in a manner which prevents their enjoyment of Second Life.

• Disclosure

  We as residents of second life are entitled to a reasonable level of privacy. Sharing personal information about your fellow Residents without their consent — including gender, religion, age, marital status, race, sexual preference, alternate account names, and real-world location beyond what is provided by them in their Resident profile — is not allowed.

• Adult Regions, Groups, and Listings

  Second Life is an adult community, but “Adult” content, activity and communication are not permitted on the Second Life “mainland.” Such material is permitted on private regions or at adult continent. The adult content can’t be represented everywhere.  It falls under their Adult maturity standard: https://community.secondlife.com/t5/English-Knowledge-Base/Maturity-ratings/ta-p/700119#Adult

• Disturbing the Peace

  Every Resident has a right to live their Second Life. Disrupting scheduled events, repeated transmission of undesired advertising content, the use of repetitive sounds, following or self-spawning items, or other objects that intentionally slow server performance or inhibit another Resident’s ability to enjoy Second Life are examples of Disturbing the Peace.

   

We are currently building and modifying objects in Second Life (virtual world) being creative with our imagination and trying new things out. It can expand really quickly with the awareness, so basically it would need an actual law such as our government which we have; so from my knowledge the goal of the Community Standards are simple: treat each other with respect and without harassment, adhere to local standards as indicated by simulator ratings, and refrain from any hate activity which slurs a real-world individual or real-world community.

The main aspect to look around that how we do not violate the standards of Intellectual property would be to just make sure that we follow the rules. Do not break them because eventually it is created for the suspension or limitation, with repeated violations, expulsion from the Second Life Community. Also, in order to follow the standards some of the communities has their own standards/terms which we have to follow in order to be part of their land/community and most of the time the creator do include this standards and few more to facilitate in there actual environment which is great.

At the end, If you face any of these issue which might have occured to you or someone you might know. Just file an abuse report, everyone present at the scene should file an abuse report. If there are multiple incidents, file multiple reports.

This is how you can file an abuse report, do any of the following:

• Choose Help > Report Abuse from the menus at the top of your Viewer window.
• To directly report another Resident, right-click their avatar and choose Report
• To directly report an object, right-click the object and select Manage > Report Abuse.

 

References:
http://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/Linden_Lab_Official:Intellectual_Property;
https://community.secondlife.com/knowledgebase/english/filing-an-abuse-report-r25/
https://community.secondlife.com/knowledgebase/english/filing-an-abuse-report-r25/

MUV601 – Ass.2 – Participating in a Community

While i was looking onto the list of places where i should go depending onto my interest, found several places to get into including Racing World where i got my friend Jorgen to race with me in a Tokyo Drift racing track. Here’s a small snap which we had before race.

But that wasn’t my favorite destination, because it lacked in community and there were less people around so i wanted to find out another place and fortunately my search ended when i got this location: “Blackhearts Rock Club” it was sort of a pub and club where you can dance and enjoy time with your friends and meet new people.

That’s how it looks from front part. I have have actually chosen this place because first i love music, meeting new people and dancing. So, i found that its the perfect place for me. When i walked inside the club there were around 10-20 people dancing on floor. and few of them as you can see in following image,, they were dancing on the bar table top. And at the bar you can get a free drink as you.

The interesting thing which i liked about that place is everyone was alive and talkative. They already few topics going on and some of them was just random conversations which were happening. and i got acknowledged into the conversations, they were just nice and friendly person to spend some time with. I found that the group was a mixture of Kiwi and Aussie people who were in second life which was really surprising for me that a community from our country and neighboring countries are present in second life. One of the person who talked to me; i suppose to found out that they have created this place and they own two other islands in second world which they have invited to visit. Its only for private group invite which feels great to know more about them.

In between those conversations i had my first drink (in virtual world) and then had a look around the place to see what are the elements and things i can do. I found that there was great band with dancers on stage performing some great dance moves. and on actual floor the people were just doing random moves. But the whole environment felt like it was a real club having music, drinks, people and few gaming machine around for leisure time.

After that i got onto dance floor to try some moves, began alone aside but then few people came and hang around and got me into their group which is nice to be.  It’s not like i haven’t tried talking to people. I have messaged them would you like to dance but got rejected stating ohh i already got a partner which was funny enough to hear even in virtual world. that wasoff topic but coming back. the snippet above is the aloner dance and after half and hour of alone dance finally got approached by a group and got into some coolest moves with them in snippet below.

Overall, i really enjoyed my time being there, would definely go back. (In the meantime of creating this blog i did went again after few hours and this is what i got as reply)

 

Here’s the location link for the place in Second Life: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Blackhearts%20Cafe/50/185/14

MUV601 – Ass.2 – Permissions

In most of the classes until now, we learned a lot in groups and as a individual with Aron (Isa) that how to create objects, modify them and delete them. But the main question revolves around the permissions which you have for an object. If a individual doesn’t have a appropriate permission on their object then any user can have a copy of your creation and use it and then they can even sell it considering their creation with few tweaks.

Here, in Second Life we have various permissions which you can apply to your objects and creations but mainly, they are Modify, Copy, Move, Transfer and Export. we will talk about them in depth to understand them better.

1. Modify

   The Modify function plays an important role, if “Modify” feature has been enable then eventually you can edit the properties like the items name, description, size, shape or object scale. Let’s assume that in a case if you share a particular object in a group then any person in that group will have the permission to modify the item or delete the objects at worst. That’s why it’s super important. It usually implies to the Next owner of the object but still configuring it would be great idea.

2. Move

   The move function itself clarifies that if its enabled the user to Move the objects from one place to another. It’s better For example. Moving a square object or any other creation to other location.

3. Copy

   Copying permission allows users to copy a certain objects if its enabled, if you have a look in SecondLife itself the copying feature will fall under Adjust content Permission to either “Anyone” or the “next owner” what it means is basically if you have it ticked in “Anyone” then it would mean that anyone can copy your object and make additional copies, where they can sell it aswell. If its applied in “Next owner” then the next owner will posses the permission to copy the file and make copies it can be handy if working in group or selling an object where the buyer would be next owner and then they can copy that object.

4. Transfer 

   You can transfer the object from one person to another person with the exact same permissions you have on the object.

Here how it looks in second life when you create a new object in second life with all permission shown below. Make sure you change the permission to just copy with no modify or transfer if you want to have your own object privacy and safety of not being used without your permission or else you can make it available as free copyright object to use for everyone or even have a price for your creation and sell it for linden dollars.

Blog Reference: http://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/Permission

 

MUV601 – Location 1 – Board game Island

I have chosen Board Game Island after too many Teleport to various worlds find out what would interest me in the virtual world as i have plenty of interests but surprisingly from one location somehow i teleport to this “Board game Island” and it seems to get my interest because i want to relax even in virtual world and play games with my friends and peers.

Basically from the name itself you can find out what you can do, this island is created to provide people fun-time by playing board games and chill on the other side. Players can go their and play games such as Snakes and ladder, Ludo and much more.

In terms of the looks and built of this island, it looks really good but it’s not built properly from my point of view when i was having a look on the island and the objects around i found that they were not solid, i can easily pass through chair’s, tables and info. boards. Also it has two different environments as it look, one side it would be sunny other side it would be blue sky which seems strange but the creator has created it like that but overall it’s a great place to be. Have a look below.

My impression on this island would be just like this if you want to have good time after long week just come over hear have your Virtual glasses and relax like him. A must visit small paradise to relax and enjoy.

MUV601 – Viewer 2 – Second Life Viewer

Second Life Viewer is my second viewer of the night 😀 which is eventually developed by Linden Labs again which by default is installed when you install Second Life software in your computer. To know more about Linden Labs go here: FindOutLab or checkout my previous post where you can read more.

In terms of functionality, it has quite similar interface as compared to Firestorm because the user interface to access the features will be changed which you will find it easier as well. That’s how it looks in terms of operating it from your side.

As you can see Firestorm had just new location icon on Left Middle side whereas Second Life viewer has multiple options which reduces the amount clicks and going through the sub-menu was a pain. At the top if we have a look we can find that Second Life Viewer is more streamlined again to give user minimal options and if they need more then deep down. It now only has “Me”, Communicate and other options to go into which associates with your personal account in “Me”, “Communicate” would be relate to social connections, chat box, social media and other things and Build menu for creating and building stuff.

My impressions for this viewer: It’s great effective viewer but i still prefer firestorm because that’s what we are taught on, and it takes a courage to try and test other platform once you get the grip. Maybe i’ll do it in future.