Machinima

Your group should create a page including: - All the names of your group members! - A definition of the type of fan production you are examining - Links to several (3-5) archives or major hubs of creation for your type of work - A discussion of any parallels between this form and other types of digital creation we've examined this semester - A 2 paragraph argument on the value and legal positioning of this type of creation from a legal perspective

David Noonan Matt Burroughs Aula Soroush Zach Fritz Will Gallagher
 * Group Members:**

and Mike Larrabee...kind of not really. (He's with us in spirit)

Machinima is defined by wikipedia as "the use of real-time three-dimensional (3-D) graphics rendering engines to generate computer animation ." Often, Machinima is made by using video games since they are easily accessible to the public and such engines are designed to render and animate graphics in real time.
 * Definition:**

http://www.machinima.com/ http://redvsblue.com/home.php http://www.koinup.com/on-videos/ http://www.warcraftmovies.com http://www.litfusefilms.com
 * Large hubs of Machinima:**

[|Law Abiding Engineer] [|What Happens When Louis Gets His Pills] [|Haloid]
 * Specific Quintessential Examples:**

As with other popular forms of digital creation, Machinima is very easily accessible by anyone who has any kind of a 3D real-time rendering engine such as those in video games. Instead of needing the talent to model or animate, creators can use the in-game models and animations to fit their needs and thus can be made by non-professionals, aka the "layman". Fanfiction and Machinema have the same advantages. Content already exists. It is readily available for expansion and reworking. The medium is also already accessable. Just as no one has to program their own fanfiction website if they do not want to so does the Machinema animator get to avoid making his or her own game engine. We also see a very similar spread in quality.
 * Parallels:**

Machinima is in a unique place for the creation of user content. In order to generate the content you have to buy the game in the first place so anyone who sees Machinima and wants to do it themselves has to purchase the game. Unlike fanfiction where someone can create content without actually reading the source material in machinima order to contribute you need the product. This form of fan-based content generation is unique because it behaves as a form of free advertising for the games that are used. This sometimes results in mutual benefit and profit.
 * Legal Arguments:**

Case and point: Red Vs Blue. This team of people made Halo machinima and sold DVDs and made money. Bungie did not own the characters they created but they did own the world the story took place in and the tool they used for animation. Bungie probably would not have been able to stop them from making the content, though it may not be out of the reach of a good legal team, but instead they encouraged it because of its popularity and benefit to Bungie. This holds two benefits. One, they have a team of people who have their own fanbase and can add to the Bungie fanbase. Two, if Bungie shut them down they would earn the scorn of the Red Vs Blue fans. That is bad for business. So while it may be legal for Bungie to shut them down it is not necessarily wise.