EVENT: ADONIS ARCHONTIDES (APRIL 26 - MAY 9 2024, ONLINE)

The Death Trilogy

performance documentation, digital video and audio recorded in The Sims 4, 33’ 05”, 2024, Cyprus

Created by Adonis Archontides

Za woka genava (I think you are hot), Ya gotta wob’ere! Ya gotta wob’ere! (Don’t give up! Keep trying!) and Za woka genava (I think you are hot) form a trilogy in which Archontides delves into the use of video games as a platform for documenting dual performances, those of himself and his avatar, Adonis (Sim), created within the popular simulation game, The Sims 4. This unique collaboration highlights a peculiar interdependence: although Archontides controls the outcomes of their joint endeavors, both entities contribute essential roles to their creative process. These performances unfold under the passive gaze of an audience, drawn into a somewhat sadistic voyeurism. Yet, crucially, Adonis (Sim) remains unaware of his reality as a digital construct, performing actions dictated by Archontides that, while impossible in the real world, are completely feasible within the game’s algorithmic constraints. The Death Trilogy pushes the boundaries of digital life and death, as evidenced in the final moments of each piece. Here, viewers witness Adonis’s resurrection, a thematic echo of the limitless possibilities afforded by simulated environments.

Adonis Archontides is a multidisciplinary artist who studied Illustration & Visual Media at the University of the Arts in London. His works are satirical and introspective; they often investigate the production of identity as a conscious or subconscious process, and the porosity between fiction, reality, and simulation. Part of his research focusing on his namesake Adonis, an ancient Greek nature deity, revolves around the effects of time on the interpretation of myths. An avid gamer, Archontides believes in the artistic potential of video games which often uses as raw material in his artistic practice. He has been collaborating with an avatar of himself created in the popular simulation game The Sims 4, juxtaposing Joseph Campbell’s hero’s journey with an artist’s career trajectory through an episodic narrative. Archontides lives and works in Limassol, Cyprus.

ESSAY: DON’T CALL IT FOUND FOOTAGE: SANDBOX AS JEU VIDEO VÉRITÉ

Charlotte Clerici, Lucas Azemar, Sandbox (Bac à sable), 2023

One of the most captivating yet overlooked facets of Sandbox, an ethnographic and impressionistic study by Lucas Azémar and Charlotte Cherici of a French Grand Theft Auto V roleplay server, is the filmmakers’ innovative and meticulous process. To fully appreciate the originality of their documentation, it is essential to understand the context in which it was created.

As previously mentioned, Azémar and Cherici encountered the French GTA V roleplay community on Twitch, Amazon’s gaming streaming platform. Roleplay refers to a community of players who assume the identities and behaviors of specific characters, interacting with others in a manner driven by narrative or real-life simulation, diverging from the predefined storyline set by Rockstar Games. This vibrant subculture within the broader GTA V user community is often enhanced through modifications (mods) that enable more detailed interactions, exemplified by well-known platforms such as FiveM and GTA Network. These players choose Twitch as their preferred broadcasting platform, streaming gaming sessions live to an audience that includes both roleplayers and non-roleplayers. Both filmmakers are well-versed in gaming culture. Azémar, in particular, delved into gaming themes in his first film, Life on Earth, which was his graduation project at the prestigious school HEAD (acronym of Haute École d’Art et de Design) in Geneva, Switzerland. Similarly, Cherici has explored the concept of roleplay, though her focus has extended beyond digital environments.

Their first joint endeavor, Sandbox, captures the dynamics of a French roleplaying community in an exploratory and experimental, rather than didactic, style. Azémar and Cherici adopt an ethnographic approach, positioning themselves as both observers and engaged participants. Mirroring the style of Knit’s Island, the documentary eschews traditional talking heads and omniscient narration. Instead, it unfolds through a series of vignettes where players fully embody their chosen identities throughout their interactions. Exceptions occur with the occasional trolls or uninformed users, who are either expelled or gently asked to leave the server, informally “the island”, by the all-seeing referees. To preserve the authenticity essential to this unique form of play, Azémar and Cherici opted to forgo the traditional method of editing found footage collected from Twitch. Instead, they fully immersed themselves in the game’s environment to pursue what we can call a specific kind of jeu video vérité (truthful gaming), the game video essay equivalent of cinema vérité, a documentary filmmaking that combines naturalistic techniques with observational cinema, emphasizing a candid approach to its subjects. 

Jeu vidéo vérité embodies a particular style of game video essay that aims to capture and present video game experiences in a truthful, impressionistic, and immersive manner. This method proves effective and viable, emphasizing the authenticity of virtual experiences through spontaneous and unscripted interactions within digital gaming environments. 

Among the features of jeu vidéo vérité we can identify direct engagement…

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Matteo Bittanti

Works cited

Sandbox (Bac à sable)

Charlotte Cherici, Lucas Azemar

documentary, 58’, 2023, France

Production: Jérôme Blesson

Screenplay: Charlotte Cherici, Lucas Azémar

Filming: Charlotte Cherici, Lucas Azémar

Editing: Charlotte Cherici, Lucas Azémar, Mila Olivier

Music: Simon Averous

Sound: Pierre Oberkampf

Life on Earth

Lucas Azemar

short, 35’, 2019, Switzerland/France 

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VIDEO ESSAY: BAC À SABLE AS GTA V ETHNOGRAPHY

Selected for Cinéma du Réel in 2023, Sandbox (Bac à sable) is the directorial debut of Lucas Azémar and Charlotte Cherici. Entirely shot entirely within a Grand Theft Auto 5roleplay server, this documentary offers a deep dive into a French gamer community that transcends the conventional or “expected” gameplay. 

In gaming jargon, the term sandbox refers to a style of gameplay where players can explore and interact with a world with minimal limitations on their actions. Sandbox games typically offer a high degree of freedom, allowing players to create, modify, or destroy their environment and influence the simulated reality in both minor and significant ways. This can range from constructing buildings to altering the landscape, to creating intricate narratives or scenarios. Given this definition, sandbox as a title for a documentary about roleplay within a game like Grand Theft Auto V is quite apt. In fact, GTA V’s roleplay servers function as a sandbox environment in the truest sense: they provide a framework within which players can live out complex, interwoven lives as characters of their own creation, with the game world serving as an open canvas for their narratives. These servers expand the conventional boundaries of the game, moving beyond its original missions and storylines to embrace a form of play that is driven entirely by player choice and creativity. Players on these servers adopt nuanced character identities and engage in narrative-driven activities, effectively sidelining the original storyline crafted by Rockstar Games. Such depth in interaction is facilitated by mods like FiveM or GTA Network, which make the roleplay experience possible.

Sandbox allows viewers to explore the lives of various characters – doctors, police officers, store owners and workers – each portrayed with unique backgrounds and ambitions. The documentary highlights the importance of server administrators who enforce rules to maintain realism and order, drawing parallels with super partes entities. These administrators are crucial in ensuring adherence to the roleplay’s shared norms and reprimanding those who deviate. Staying in character and respecting the assigned role is non-negotiable. 

Through its ethnographic lens, reminiscent of the approach seen in Guilhem Causse, Ekiem Barbier, and Quentin L’helgoualc’s Knit’s Island, Sandbox is composed of self-contained vignettes that focus more on standalone, self enclosed narratives rather than recurring characters, with the notable exception of Astrio, the vigilant moderator depicted as a guardian of gameplay integrity, a Watchmen character donning a white suit and a hat, his face covered by a mask.

The film begins intriguingly with a “machinima within a machinima” – a meta-narrative technique where a shootout scene between thugs and special ops officers, viewed by avatars in a Los Santos movie theater, sets the stage. This is followed by a sequence featuring a job interview for a Weazel News cameraperson, possibly an alter ego of the director(s), intended for “research purposes”, illustrating the “free” nature of roleplay environments where participants shape their experiences within the confines of the world they inhabit.

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Matteo Bittanti

Works cited

Sandbox (Bac a sable)

Charlotte Cherici, Lucas Azémar

documentary, 58’, 2023, France

Production: Jérôme Blesson, La belle affaire productions

Screenplay: Charlotte Cherici, Lucas Azémar

Filming: Charlotte Cherici, Lucas Azémar

Editing: Charlotte Cherici, Lucas Azémar, Mila Olivier

Music: Simon Averous

Sound: Pierre Oberkampf

Mixing: Frédéric Belle

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EVENT: ALICE BUCKNELL: THE ALLUVIALS (APRIL 4 - MAY 5 2024, LOS ANGELES)

 Alice Bucknell's The Alluvials is a groundbreaking hybrid of video game and film. This project, set in a speculative near-future Los Angeles, engages with the the politics of drought and water scarcity through a unique narrative lens, presented at Killscreen’s new gallery space in Los Angeles.

What distinguishes The Alluvials is its commitment to exploring these pressing issues through the perspectives of non-human entities and elemental forces, such as the Los Angeles River, wildfire, and even the storied ghost of P-22, the city's famed mountain lion. The Alluvials is structured as a multi-chapter journey, spread across seven distinct worlds, using a game engine to craft a narrative that oscillates through time. This method allows the artist to explore possible futures and revisited pasts, creating a dynamic storytelling experience that challenges traditional linear narratives. By harnessing technologies like drone mapping, stable diffusion algorithms, and cinematic modding within the Grand Theft Auto V engine, the project crafts a parafictional world that is as visually enthralling as it is thought-provoking.

Each chapter of The Alluvials engages with different strands of speculative fiction and ecological theory in crafting engaging and meaningful narratives. The settings range from a synthetic water corporation’s storefront with a backdrop of burning Malibu, to a desertified downtown Los Angeles haunted by the swarm intelligence of wolves. These vivid scenarios invite players to immerse themselves in a world where a moth and a Joshua tree dream reciprocally in the ruins of the Hoover Dam, presenting a narrative that is both haunting and reflective.

The video game component of The Alluvials, developed in 2024, includes four levels, each set in a distinct environment where players assume the roles of conventionally non-playable characters, ranging from elemental forces to wildlife. This design choice not only diversifies gameplay but also enriches the narrative depth, allowing players to experience the ecological and thematic nuances firsthand. The game critically and creatively explores various gaming genres, such as first-person shooters and open-world explorations, reinterpreted through a speculative ecological lens.

Inspired by queer ecological theory and the concept of “difficult games”, The Alluvials challenges conventional game mechanics that center human players and predictable reward systems. Instead, it invites players to engage with gaming’s other affective capacities - such as failure and nonlinear progression - to reflect on the broader ecological implications of their in-game decisions. This approach not only highlights the potential of games as complex ecological systems but also prompts players to reconsider their relationship with the natural world.

The Alluvials is more than just a game or a machinima; it is a unique, visionary project that merges interactive media, ecological awareness, and speculative worldbuilding to address some of the most pressing issues facing contemporary society. Through its innovative narrative structure and immersive gameplay, it offers a compelling invitation to envision and engage with the future of our planet’s water systems and ecological health. As such, The Alluvials stands as a significant contribution to the fields of new media and environmental storytelling, promising to inspire and challenge its audience in equal measure.

Alice Bucknell is a North American artist and writer based in Los Angeles. Using game engines and speculative fiction, Bucknell’s work explores interconnections of architecture, ecology, magic, and non-human and machine intelligence. Bucknell is generally interested in the limits of scientific knowledge and systems thinking, the weird possibilities of play, and the ecological dimensions of games that can dissolve binaries like humans vs. environment, natural vs. synthetic intelligence, and self vs. world. They are the founder of New Mystics.

All images: Courtesy of the Artist and Killscreen

Alice Bucknell: The Alluvials (RSVP)

Killscreen

April 4th – May 4th 2024

5511 W. Pico Blvd.

Los Angeles, California

Read more about Alice Bucknell, The Alluvials (machinima, 2023); The Alluvials (video game, 2024)

EVENT: BABAK AHTESHAMIPOUR’S VIOLENT VIOLINS EXPOSED (APRIL 11-14 2024, ATHENS, GREECE)

We are very happy to announce that VRAL is officially sponsoring Babak Ahteshamipour's new pop-up show at Okay Initiative Space in Athens, Greece to accompany the launch of his new album Violent Violins Exposed.

Ahteshamipour is introducing three new machinima and presenting stills, characters and 3D models from different video games and media franchises such as Optimus Prime (Transformers) and Sweet Tooth (Twisted Metal) printed on fabric. The event will unfold between April 11-14 in the Greek capital. VRAL is a sponsor alongside und. athens.

Read the full press release below:

Violent Violins Exposed is a pop-up show & live performance curated by Okay Initiative Space as a presentation of Babak Ahteshamipour’s same titled album released on the cassette label Jollies (Brooklyn, NYC) on the 3rd of April of 2024. The show is a gamified exploration of blackened dreams, despair and violence woven by accelerating technocapitalism, parallelized with the accelerating tendencies of cars, screeching tires, roaring engines and militarized machines, as a haunting reminder of the collateral damage wrought by technological hubris. It seeks to unravel the interconnectedness between technological singularity, cybernetic warfare, environmental degradation, waste and pollution, from extractivist activities fueling geopolitical conflicts to the fetishized pursuit of capitalist immortality.

Tires have the potential of being representative candidates of accelerating technocapitalism: they are rapidly and massively produced, consisting mostly of synthetic rubber — which is synthesized from petroleum byproducts — and carbon black filler produced by burning fossil fuels. After their lifespan is over they are either dumped in landfills or recycled through grinding or burning — a practice that is highly pollutant. As Lesley Stern writes in A Garden or A Grave? (2017) Regarding landfills filled with tires in the San Diego – Tijuana region “Heidegger predicted: when the tool breaks, you notice its thingness — though the tire in Heideggerian terms is not a thing, lovingly handcrafted; it is a mass-produced and ugly object.”

The show unfolds in an immersive audiovisual installation based on the three video clips created via video games that focus on vehicles, racing, machines and combat: Twisted Metal: Black (2001), Need for Speed: Carbon (2006) and Transformers (2004) — in combination with 3D animation. The video clips were created for the album's three singles, and the installation includes four fabric prints featuring characters from the aforementioned video games as well as Xenoblade Chronicles.

The walls of the room are adorned with quotes that echo the undead dogmatism of Lady Deathwhisper and the scourge from World of Warcraft: The Wrath of the Lich King and the machinist desires of Magos Dominus Reditus from Warhammer 40,000. These quotes serve as reflections on the transhumanist tendencies of accelerationism that align with technological singularity: “Our combined decay-phobia and techno-heroic fantasies keep our imaginations trapped in the spinning haze of the monotechnological, accelerationist narrative. There is a persistent and maniacal desire for limitless production and production without decay.”, as Shuyi Cao and Remina Greenfield underline in Soft Rot, Sweet Rot, Bitter Rot: The Politics of Decay, published in Heichi Magazine (2021).

Violent Violins Exposed eventually serves as a catalyst for contemplation, urging towards a revaluation on the automated nihilism that mainstream discourses passively impose and the escapist memefied extremist online ideologies that emerge in response to the face of technological singularity and accelerationism. It beckons for a reconsideration of a symbiotic and integral relationship with technology that is empathy driven rather than having a divide-and-conquer strategist as a puppet master.

Watch a video clip based on the track “Machinist Auxiliaries, Needles of Needless Emphasises” featuring alternating footage of Ahteshamipour playing the video game Twisted Metal: Black and AI generated rock blasting with a text about violence/extractivism and its connections to warfare and nihilism.

Babak Ahteshamipour, Machinist Auxiliaries, Needles of Needless Emphasises, digital video, sound, color, 4’ 43”, 2024.

Watch a video clip based on the track “When Death Parties, Everyone Shows up Dressed as a Skeleton” which features a segment showing hyper-processed footage from the 2004 Transformers video game for the PlayStation 2and another unfolding within a 3D animated eerie alien landscape with a hovering spaceship and a grotesque necromantic portal installed in the middle.

Babak Ahteshamipour, When Death Parties, Everyone Shows up Dressed as a Skeleton, digital video, sound, color, 3’ 47”, 2024.

THE STRUGGLE (TO HEAL) IS REAL

Carson Lynn’s earliest machinima, Oddball (2019), introduced the foundational themes and stylistic elements that echo throughout his subsequent works, including A bronze anvil falls to the earth., Reversal Ring, and Storm and Stress. In these projects, Lynn explores the complex interplay between digital spaces and queer identity, employing video games as medium, message, and messenger. A set of recurring themes – the representation of bodies, the exploration of virtual spaces as sites of friction and refuge, the use of mechanics as analogies for non binary experiences, glitching as queering – permeate his creations. In this final installment about Lynn’s machinima production, we’ll focus on his inaugural work, Oddball.

Oddball is a poignant meditation on virtual embodiment and queer resilience within the battlegrounds of Halo 2. Thanks to the modification Project Cartographer, Lynn captures the raw intensity of in-game interactions and the futuristic landscapes of Microsoft Studios’s popular first-person shooter. By weaving together footage from the game with real conversations appropriated from player exchanges on YouTube between 2006 and 2010, Lynn crafts a context that moves beyond hyper-masculine competition – the expected/prescribed gaming experience – exploring themes of vulnerability, violence, and the search for safe spaces within fictional domains.

As the artist explains in the artwork’s accompaying text, Oddball draws inspiration from Aevee Bee’s 2015 personal essay, “I love my untouchable virtual body,” which tackled the concept of invulnerability within Bloodborne as a coveted but unattainable shield against real-world pain and trauma. Unlike Bloodborne’s fleeting moments of invincibility, Halo 2’s gameplay mechanics, where characters are unavoidably subjected to damage, decline and degradation, serve as a metaphor for the exposure and assault of the queer self in spaces rife with homophobia and aggression…

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Matteo Bittanti

Works cited

Carson Lynn

A bronze anvil falls to the earth., digital video, color, sound, 6’ 35”, 2023

Reversal Ring, digital video, b&w, sound, 3’, 2022

Storm and Stress, digital video, color, sound, 3’ 45”, 2020

Oddball, digital video, color, 3’ 27”, 2019

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CARSON LYNN: GLITCHING IS QUEERING

Central to Carson Lynn’s oeuvre is the exploration of queerness, not just as an identity but as a lens through which to challenge and reinterpret the world. This theme is evident in the way he employs digital media to question and disrupt normative narratives and binary understandings of identity, suggesting a fluidity and multiplicity that is intrinsic to the queer experience. This theme is manifest in Storm and Stress (2020).

In the summer of 2020, Lynn unveiled Storm and Stress, a distinctive project commissioned for Silicon Valet’s Lot Residency #07. This innovative exhibition, hosted on the digital platform's Instagram page over the course of August 1st and 2nd, marked a creative exploration into the digital and virtual realms. Lynn’s work, segmented into nine distinct parts, cleverly utilized the Instagram grid to present a cohesive yet multifaceted visual narrative. Each of the nine sections not only stood alone as a piece of art but also housed a unique short machinima clip, further enriching the viewer’s experience with dynamic, moving images that delved deep into the concept of queerness in digital spaces.

Central to Storm and Stress was the exploration of the concept of “queering as glitching” and “glitching as queering.” This innovative approach posits the act of glitching, often seen as errors or flaws within digital systems, as a form of queering, challenging normative structures and expectations within digital environments. Lynn’s project provocatively suggests that, much like the queer experience disrupts societal norms and expectations, glitches disrupt the smooth, expected functioning of digital systems. This parallel draws attention to…

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Matteo Bittanti


Works cited

Carson Lynn, Storm and Stress, video, color, sound, 3’ 45”, 2020

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BONES OF CONTENTION: QUEERING DIGITAL LANDSCAPES

Carson Lynn, !CURSED!, multimedia exhibition consisting of several digitally-constructed collages and a short machinima, 2022.

To fully appreciate the depth of Carson Lynn’s A bronze anvil falls to the earth., showcased in the Slot Machinima program at MMF MMXXIV, we now delve into his earlier works.

Originally featured within the context of the multimedia exhibition !CURSED! in 2022, Lynn’s Reversal Ring exemplifies the artist’s ongoing exploration of digital artistry through a queer lens, particularly focusing on the emblematic use of skeletons and skulls. This exhibition, comprising digitally-constructed collages and the aforementioned machinima Reversal Ring, utilizes a diverse array of source materials ranging from public domain illustrations to analog photographs of gamescapes, drawing from queer zine archives and employing memetic typography. This approach not only highlights Lynn’s innovative use of digital media but also underscores a thematic continuity with his previous works, such as the 2019 machinima Oddball (featured at the 2020 Milan Machinima Festival), which similarly employs game footage, skull imagery, and player interactions to create a narrative space that transcends traditional gaming aesthetics.

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Matteo Bittanti

Works cited

Carson Lynn, Reversal Ring, digital video, b&w, sound, 3”, 2022

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MMF MMXXIV: CARSON LYNN’S QUEER RAGE

Carson Lynn, A bronze anvil falls to the earth., digital video, color, sound, 6’ 35”, 2023.

Debuting in the Slot Machinima program at MMF MMXXIV, A bronze anvil falls to the earth. marks a seminal moment in Carson Lynn’s oeuvre. This work masterfully synthesizes digital artistry, game-based performance, and socio-political discourse into a singular, compelling narrative. Crafted in 2023, with a duration just shy of seven minutes, it epitomizes the transformative potential of machinima as a platform for both artistic innovation and poignant political dialogue.

In A bronze anvil falls to the earth., Lynn employs gameplay as a performative act, leveraging the dark, violent, feral world of Bloodborne to weave a narrative rich in Greek mythology and fueled by a palpable queer rage. This machinima blends the grim aesthetics and challenging gameplay of a video game renowned for its gothic environments, eldritch horrors, and brutally unforgiving combat with themes of resistance, suffering, and defiance against oppressive forces. Bloodborne’s setting, Yharnam, a cursed city plagued by a mysterious blood-borne disease transforming its inhabitants into beasts, serves as the perfect backdrop for Lynn’s counter narrative and relentless slaughter. The game’s emphasis on solitary exploration and the constant threat of death mirror the solitary struggle against the “blood-drunk beasts”, a metaphor for the violence and hatred faced by queer and trans individuals in the current environment. That is, the intense battles serve as a metaphor for the LGBTQ+ community’s real-world struggles against oppression, emphasizing the significance of perseverance and the quest for acceptance…

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Matteo Bittanti

Works cited

Carson Lynn, A bronze anvil falls to the earth., digital video, color, sound, 6’ 35”, 2023.

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NEWS: LEARN AND PRACTICE THE ART AND CRAFT OF MACHINIMA

Il Varco and Lago Film Fest are delighted to announce the third edition of the internationally acclaimed residency, Nouvelle Bug. This unique program is dedicated to the exploration and production of cinema within the realms of video games and Artificial Intelligence. Set against the picturesque backdrop of Revine Lago, this intensive week-long experience combines webinars and live lessons designed to immerse participants in the experimental frontier of Cinema. Under the guidance of the most renowned filmmakers in this niche, attendees will not only gain invaluable insights but also actively engage in the creation of avant-garde short films. Arrive with ideas and leave with a masterpiece that pushes the boundaries of traditional filmmaking.

The workshop is designed to familiarize participants with cutting-edge techniques, supporting them through the development and production phases of their short film projects. Moreover, these projects will have the opportunity to compete for awards offered by prestigious partners such as Gargantua Distribution, Gioia Film, Sayonara Film, and Lago Film Fest.

Participants will explore new aesthetics and solutions introduced by the widespread use of artificial intelligence, learning to adopt a machine-like perspective. This approach not only opens up new vistas for storytelling but also prompts a reflection on humanity’s god-like role in software creation and its implications for our future.

Through this workshop, filmmakers will embark on a journey to discover and harness the unique narrative power of digital worlds, translating them into compelling cinematic experiences. Nouvelle Bug stands as a beacon for those eager to pioneer the fusion of technology and art, offering a platform to redefine the essence of storytelling in the digital age.

TUTORS

The tutors for the workshop include:

  • Andrea Gatopoulos, a Rome-based film producer and director with a background in Modern Literature from Sapienza University, Rome. His work, which explores virtual environments, includes the project Bit-Reality and the short film Happy New Year, Jim, presented at the 54th Quinzaine des Réalisateurs in Cannes. His productions have been featured in over 100 festivals worldwide, such as Cannes, Venice, Rotterdam, and Camerimage.

  • Ismaël Joffroy Chandoutis, an artist and filmmaker trained at Le Fresnoy, known for exploring the intersection of identity, technology, and the virtual world. His work Maalbeek,a deep dive into the fragmented memory of a Brussels terrorist attack victim, was selected for the 59th La Semaine de la Critique and won the 2022 César for Best Short Documentary.

  • Total Refusal Crew, a pseudo-Marxist media guerrilla group focusing on the artistic intervention within mainstream video games to expose their underlying political messages. Their films have been showcased at numerous festivals, including Berlinale and Locarno, and their research has been featured in museums and art fairs globally.

  • Gala Hernández López, an artist filmmaker and researcher applying a feminist and critical perspective to analyze discourses within virtual communities. Her film La Mécanique des fluides won the 2024 César for Best Documentary Short Film and the 2023 Experimental Work Award from la Scam (France), among other accolades. She regularly conducts workshops and lectures at prestigious institutions and festivals.

CALENDAR

March 28th 2024 Opening of the call for entries

June 15th 2024 Closing of the call for entries

June 28th 2024 Announcement of the 30 selected directors

August 18th 2024 Start of the workshop

October 1st 2024Selection of the winning project

THE MAKING OF A CYBERPUNK MASTERPIECE: CHAIN-LINK

A standout feature of the Slot Machinima program at MMF MMXXIV was the European debut of Steven Cottingham’s As Far as the Drone Can See. This remarkable 15-minute work delves into the intricate landscape of depicting warfare, offering a critical view on the surge of imagery from modern conflict zones. Cottingham introduces a female journalist within the military simulation software ArmA 3, challenging prevailing gender biases and probing the capacity of digital simulations to capture the nuanced realities of conflict. To fully appreciate his new work, it is useful to return toChain-Link, Cottingham’s remarkable full-length machinima, showcased on the VRAL platform in 2022.

The inception of Chain-Link can be traced back to the artist’s fascination with the creative possibilities inherent in the medium of machinima. As he explained in this interview, he views the genre as a blend of found footage and digital puppetry, where the constraints of the video game’s mechanics necessitate creative and often counterintuitive workarounds, imbuing the process with a unique form of ingenuity. This engagement with the medium allows for a reworking of game worlds into narratives that diverge significantly from their original contexts. Cottingham draws upon a wide array of influences, from the choreographic to the cinematic, to repurpose the virtual landscapes of video games into a canvas for storytelling.

At the heart of Chain-Link lies the tension between creativity and constraint, a theme that resonates both within the film’s narrative and its production process. The characters navigate a world where surveillance and control pervade every aspect of existence, mirroring the constraints Cottingham himself navigated in creating the film. This theme is not just a narrative device but also a reflection on the process of machinima, where the limitations imposed by the game engine and the available mods and add-ons prompt a constant negotiation with the material at hand…

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Matteo Bittanti

Works cited

Steven Cottingham

Chain-link, single-channel HD video, comprising machinima, 3D animation, and found footage with sound, 90’ 1”, 2022, Canada

Steven Cottingham

As Far As The Drone Can See, single channel HD Video, comprising machinima, 3D animation, and found footage with sound, 15’ 50”, 2023, Canada

Steven Cottingham, Liljana Mead Martin

MACHINE CINEMA, The making of Chain-Link, digital video, color, sound, 12’ 03”, 2023, Canada

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PATREON: JOIN OUR GROWING COMMUNITY

Our Patreon for VRAL stands as a cornerstone for enthusiasts and scholars interested in the cutting-edge realm of  avant-garde machinima, offering 320+ meticulously curated posts that dive deep into the avant-garde aspects of this dynamic art form. For a modest monthly contribution starting at just $3.5, patrons unlock access to a rich repository of exclusive content that spans insightful articles, thought-provoking essays, and captivating videos. This subscription not only enriches your understanding and appreciation of avant-garde machinima but also plays a pivotal role in sustaining our endeavours, particularly the VRAL online platform which is about to begin its fifth season.

At the heart of our project is a commitment to supporting the talented artists we collaborate with. Every contribution we receive is directly reinvested into the project, ensuring that these creators are fairly compensated for their work and that the initiative remains viable for the long haul. Your support is invaluable to us, and we extend our deepest thanks for your continued belief in our mission.

March has been an especially vibrant month for our Patreon community. We have shared a wealth of material, including articles, essays, and videos that were made freely available in conjunction with the Seventh Edition of the Milan Machinima Festival, held from March 11-17, 2024. Below is just a glimpse of the diverse and rich content our patrons have exclusive access to, highlighting the breadth and depth of avant-garde machinima and its evolving landscape.

Join us on this exciting journey to explore and support the forefront of digital art and storytelling.

SXSW: GRAND THEFT HAMLET, OR ALL THE VIRTUAL WORLD’S A STAGE

Premiering at SXSW in Austin, Texas, Grand Theft Hamlet garnered acclaim from both critics and audiences alike. In this compelling segment from The Digital Room (2023), produced by Mark Ager, Sam Crane delves into the creation of this remarkable documentary.

In Grand Theft Hamlet (2024), filmmakers Sam Crane and Pinny Grylls chronicle an audacious project: the production of Shakespeare’s Hamlet within the virtual landscapes of Grand Theft Auto Online amid the isolation of the 2021 COVID-19 lockdowns. Crane, also known by his stage moniker Rustic Mascara and esteemed for his performances in London’s West End, embarks on an innovative journey into digital spaces, seeking new horizons for artistic expression. His pioneering venture was lauded with Critics’ Choice Award at the 2022 edition of the Milan Machinima Festival for his avant-garde short, We Are Such Stuff As Dreams Are Made On (2021), marking a significant milestone in fusing game technology with classical theater. This endeavor introduces a contemporary lens to the interpretation of Shakespearean works. Alongside Crane, Grylls, a renowned documentary filmmaker with a penchant for human-centered narratives, navigates the uncharted territories of a virtual milieu. Her extensive background in ethnographic video work is a testament to her versatility, illustrating the evolving demands on documentary filmmakers to adapt and innovate within digital landscapes, thereby expanding the scope of narrative storytelling.

This groundbreaking work not only pioneers new avenues of artistic expression but also sheds light on the profound social and cultural repercussions of the pandemic on the creative sectors, alongside the pivotal role of video games in nurturing social bonds. Prior to delving into the filmmakers’ inventive methodologies, the technical hurdles they faced, and the distinctive experiences of the directors, it’s crucial to underscore that Grand Theft Hamlet stands as a paragon within an emergent genre of documentaries. These documentaries leverage video games or virtual platforms as their central narrative canvas, treating digital worlds with the gravitas of real-world settings. This exploration delves into the rich social and creative potential of virtual realms, emphasizing how these platforms can be a crucible for connection, collaboration, and artistic expression. Examples of such game video essays include the award-winning Knit’s Island (shot in DayZ, 2023), We Met in VR Chat (shot in VR Chat, 2022), Total Refusal’s Hardly Working (shot in Red Dead Redemption 2, 2022), and others that we have previously discussed and/or presented either on VRAL or at the Milan Machinima Festival. Many of these documentaries intricately weave narratives around the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, illustrating how virtual environments emerged as sanctuaries of community and purpose amid widespread isolation. The pandemic, while presenting unparalleled challenges, also sparked a surge in creative and intermedia experimentation, bridging the gap between traditional and digital art forms. This renaissance is vividly captured through the filmmakers’ journey, exploring new frontiers, navigating technical complexities, and bringing to light the unique perspectives of its creators.

(continues)

Matteo Bittanti


Works Cited

Sam Crane, Pinny Grylls, Grand Theft Hamlet, documentary, 90’, 2024, United Kingdom. URL

Associate writer-director: Mark Oosterveen. 

Production: A Project 1961, Grasp the Nettle Films production, in association with Park Pictures.

Producers: Julia Ton, Rebecca Wolff. 

Executive producers: Sam Bisbee, Jackie Kellman Bisbee, Cody Ryder, Will Clarke, Andy Mayson, Mike Runagall, Sam Crane, Harlene Freezer, Eric Kuhn, Hannah Bush Bailey, Shanida Scotland.

Crew: Directors, writers: Sam Crane, Pinny Grylls. 

Camera: Pinny Grylls. Editor: Pinny Grylls.

Music: Jamie Perera.

Sam Crane, We Are Such Stuff As Dreams Are Made On, 10’, 2021, United Kingdom. URL

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MMF MMXX: PLASTIC FANTASTIC?

Prior to the unveiling of Inner Migration in the Slot Machinima program of the MMF MMXXIV, the British artist, environmentalist, and scholar Andy Hughes had already captured critical acclaim with his first game-based video work, Plastic Scoop, a powerful reflection on climate change and plastic pollution, shot with/in the virtual landscapes of Grand Theft Auto V. To fully appreciate the trajectory of Hughes’ artistic journey from the sun-soaked streets of Los Santos to the neon-lit corridors of Night City, it is essential to revisit this remarkable piece.

Plastic Scoop made its debut in the context of the 2020 Milan Machinima Festival, where it was lauded for its innovative approach to environmental commentary, blending the fictional metropolis created by Rockstar Games with pressing global issues. This work not only serves as a testament to Hughes’s evolving narrative and visual style but also as a cornerstone in the dialogue between digital culture and environmental sustainability.

Even better, Plastic Scoop jolts viewers into confronting the dichotomy between the ludic fantasy and the rapidly deteriorating physical world. Hughes ingeniously appropriates the immersive, hyper-realistic graphics of Grand Theft Auto V, subverting Los Santos and turning escapist power fantasies into canvases for environmental critique. The 24 minute machinima opens with a jarring juxtaposition: a vivid crimson ocean sunset is shattered by missile fire from an ominous helicopter, while archival audio celebrates plastic innovation with an oblivious, hyperbolic zeal. This striking incongruity immediately signals Hughes’s intent to destabilize the boundaries between fabricated digital spaces and real-world ecological crises. We are then introduced to symbolic character vignettes that further this unsettling contrast, including an African American astronaut emerging from the polluted waters to explore a factory as an alien planet, a clown plummeting in slow-motion against decaying industrial backdrops, a man ritualistically shooting plastic bottles and litter on a sidewalk…

(continues)

Matteo Bittanti

Works cited

Andy Hughes, Plastic Scoop, digital video, color, sound, 23’ 59”, 2019

Andy Hughes, Inner Migration, digital video, color, sound, 10’ 00”, 2023

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MMF MMXXIV: INNER MIGRATION, OR “WELCOME TO DYSTOPIA”

Andy Hughes crafts a thought-provoking narrative using a montage that juxtaposes in-game footage from Cyberpunk 2077 with historical archive film, illustrating a chilling vision of a dystopian future dominated by corporate powers.

In Andy Hughes’s Inner Migration (2023), a motorcycle races through Night City’s neon-lit streets. Recorded hyper-realistic in-game scenes from Cyberpunk 2077 are juxtaposed with black and white archive film footage — à là Adam Curtis — revealing cooling towers overlaid with early space-age imagery. The dystopian future depicted in CD Projekt Red’s futuristic world offers a vivid portrayal of an urban landscape where powerful corporations not only govern technological advancements but also play a significant role in shaping and exploiting people, places, and the environment.

Hughes’s avatar travels through the landscape, running across a trash mountain and swimming backwards into a sunset. We also see and hear archive material from Out of This World (1964) and To New Horizons (1940), two promotional American domestic films created by General Motors that present future worlds. Exploring this virtual world like a post-modern day flâneur, the artist looks for what the French philosopher Michel Serres described as soft pollution. While we can measure what Serres described as hard pollution —- the poisoning of the Earth — we ignore at our peril the disastrous impact of the soft pollution created by sound and images on our psyche..

(continues)

Works cited 

Andy Hughes, Inner Migration, machinima/digital video, colour, sound, 10’ 00”, England

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MMF MMXXIV: CROWD CONTROL IS AWARDED THE CRITICS’ CHOICE AWARD

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Crowd Control Wins the 2024 Milan Machinima Festival Critics Choice Award

Milan, Italy – The Milan Machinima Festival is thrilled to announce that Crowd Control by Jonathan Carroll and Cat Bluemke (SpekWork Studio) has been honored with the 2024 Critics’s Choice Award. This recognition serves not only as a testament to the creativity and skill of Carroll and Bluemke but also highlights the critical role of arts funding — in this case, the Canada Council for the Arts — in nurturing innovative digital explorations.

This groundbreaking Unity 3D project, hereby presented as a game video essay, emerged as a standout in a field of international submissions, captivating jurors and audience alike with its innovative exploration of artificial intelligence and its impact on collective action and historical revolt, particularly within the context of the French Revolutionary mob as depicted in Assassin’s Creed: Unity (2014). This work is part of the duo Assassin’s Creed Art History series, which includes previously self-published game essays Gameworkers and Guildworkers (2020) and Blindspot (2021).

Crowd Control delves into the intersections of crowd simulation technology and the surveillance industry, questioning the role of technology in shaping the possibilities of collective action in both the past and the future. Through its insightful text by Cat Bluemke, compelling design and programming by Jonathan Carroll, and engaging narration by Romanne Walker, the project reflects on the evolution of crowd representations from art history to contemporary video game simulations, redefining the notion of video essay, machinima, and desktop cinema.

The selection of Crowd Control was overseen by an esteemed panel of jurors, including Marco De Mutiis, a digital curator at Fotomuseum Winterthur; Henry Lowood, a curator and scholar at Stanford University; Jenna Ng, a multi-award-winning researcher; and Martin Zeilinger, a senior lecturer in Computational Arts and Technology at Abertay University. Their diverse expertise in digital culture, machinima studies, and the intersection of art and technology played a pivotal role in identifying Crowd Control as a work that embodies the festival’s mission to explore the avant-garde and innovative frontiers of digital storytelling.

The Milan Machinima Festival extends heartfelt congratulations to Jonathan and Cat for their remarkable achievement. The duo presented their work in person on March 14 2024 in the Game Video Essay special program. Crowd Control stands as a compelling examination of how digital and interactive media can not only represent historical and contemporary phenomena but also provoke critical reflection on the destructive force of US-driven techno-capitalism.

For more information about Crowd Control, please visit Spek Studios’ website.

About the Milan Machinima Festival

The Milan Machinima Festival is a leading international event dedicated to exploring the artistic, scholarly, and critical potentials of machinima, a form of filmmaking within real-time, virtual 3D environments. Through its annual presentation of works that challenge traditional narratives and aesthetics, the festival celebrates the innovative convergence of digital gaming, cinema, and video art.

About SpekWork Studio

Cat Bluemke and Jonathan Carroll create art that delves into the themes of work and play, manifesting through video games, performances, and expanded reality experiences. Their collaborative projects, which began in 2013, critically examine how technology mediates both labor and leisure. Operating often under the banners of SpekWork Studio and Tough Guy Mountain, their partnership has produced an intriguing portfolio of work. As SpekWork, they specialize in developing video games, virtual and augmented reality experiences, and mobile applications, intricately exploring the interplay between users, workers, and players. This body of work not only reflects on the technological regulation of daily activities but also invites reflection on the broader implications of digital interaction in modern society.

Work cited

Cat Bluemke, Jonathan Carroll, Crowd Control, digital video, color, sound, 8’ 08”, 2023, Canada.

Narration by Romanne Walker.

Contact: To contact the curators, please click here.

FOTOLUDICA: OVER 500 ATTENDEES AT IULM UNIVERSITY

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Over 500 Attendees at Italy’s First Conference on In-Game Photography

Milan, Italy – IULM University hosted the pioneering Fotoludica conference on March 14 and 15, 2024, marking a significant milestone in the recognition of in-game photography as an emerging art form. Curated by Matteo Bittanti and Marco De Mutiis, the event attracted over 500 participants, highlighting its success and the growing interest in this cutting-edge field.

Fotoludica, brought together a diverse group of attendees, not limited to IULM students. The conference saw participation from students across various universities and art schools, including a notable class from the Milan Academy of Art of Brera, led by esteemed curator Domenico Quaranta.

The event unfolded in the Sala dei 146 at IULM 6, Università IULM, offering two days filled with insightful talks, presentations, and discussions. It served as a vibrant platform for creators, researchers, and theorists to explore the intersections of video games, photography, copyright law, activism, and visual culture.

Fotoludica tackled various facets of in-game photography, from the artistry of photo modes and screenshot hacks to the legalities concerning player-created images. The conference featured analyses of works by renowned artists such as Boris Camaca, Leonardo Magrelli, Simone Santilli, Alan Butler, Pascal Greco, Joseph DeLappe and Adonis Archontides, showcasing the depth and creativity possible within virtual gaming worlds.

Key topics included the use of photography for architectural visualization in games like Minecraft, documenting in-game performance art, and contemporary war photography. Discussions delved into the ways gaming environments, when viewed through a photographic lens, can expose themes of violence, labor exploitation, and colonial ideologies.

The lineup of speakers spanned diverse fields, including art history, visual culture, game development, and internet law, with keynotes by Marco De Mutiis on “Playable Imaging” and a special conversation between artist Joseph DeLappe and scholar Laura Leuzzi. Panel discussions led by Bittanti and De Mutiis critically examined the boundaries of creativity, authorship, and ethics in photographic practices using game engines.

Fotoludica has not only established in-game photography as a significant art form but also underscored IULM University's leading role in the scholarly exploration of photography within game studies. The conference’s success in fostering multidisciplinary dialogue sets a new benchmark for artistic interrogation of games, bridging the worlds of photography and machinima.

Fotoludica was the first of a series of events organized by IULM University on the topic of in-game photography as part of an ongoing research. Additional initiatives will take place in May 2024. For more information on the Fotoludica conference and its contributions to the field, please contact Matteo Bittanti at matteo.bittanti@iulm.it

Contact Information:

Matteo Bittanti

Università IULM

Via Carlo Bo, 2

20143 Milano

Event Information: Fotoludica
Date: March 14-15, 2024
Time: 10 AM - 1 PM
Location: Sala dei 146, IULM 6, Università IULM

MMF MMXXIV: ON KNIT’S ISLAND CRITICAL RECEPTION

The Milan Machinima Festival is thrilled to present the full length documentary Knit’s Island as part of the Game Video Essay program. Join us for a special screening on March 14 2024 at IULM University. In the meantime, enjoy this exclusive clip.

Knit’s Island, a documentary that ventures deep into the virtual yet undeniably real — that is, “emotionally intense, socially impactful, and culturally significant” — ruthless world of DayZ, has emerged as a significant cinematic exploration, receiving critical acclaim for its unique perspective on virtual communities. By blurring the lines between the digital and the tangible, Knit’s Island offers an unparalleled look into the human condition, as reflected in the virtual spaces we inhabit.

For instance, the Jury at Visions du Réel ‘23 eloquently captured the essence of the film, praising it as “a film distinguished by its visceral aesthetic adventure.” Their statement highlights the directors’ ability to transport viewers into a parallel universe that, while virtual and unbound by geography or common law, poignantly addresses the sheer “violence of the present times.” The jury admired how brutality, satirical humour, and a tender sense of community coexist, often within the same frame, offering a multifaceted view of the online world. Likewise, Amber Wilkinson on Eye for Film concluded that “There’s something ultimately quite optimistic and heartwarming about the fact that many people who stepped into this world to chiefly kill things, end up forging friendships instead.”

ScreenDaily’s writer Tara Judah offered insightful commentary, describing Knit’s Island as an “eye-opening exploration of the communities within DayZ”. Judah appreciates the film’s gentle enquiry into the video game world, which “yields fascinating results,” shedding light on the complexity and richness of virtual communities.

Variety’s Lise Pedersen spoke to the film's accessibility and its broad appeal, calling it “an immersive and existential deep dive into the world of gaming.” Pedersen’s remarks emphasize the documentary's capacity to engage not just gamers but all audiences, making the virtual gaming experience relatable and intriguing to a wide viewership.

Business Doc Europe’s Nick Cunningham lauded the film as “a fascinating, original and disconcerting portrait of its inhabitants",” underscoring the documentary's ability to challenge perceptions and present a nuanced portrayal of the virtual community's denizens. Cineuropa’s Muriel Del Don described the filmmakers approach as “an explosive blend of cinema and videogames.”

Giuseppe Di Salvatore of FilmExplorer lauded the “masterful editing work” that bridges the discontinuity typical of long gaming sessions. The review praises how the documentary builds a narrative arc where unknown players become acquaintances and friends, seamlessly blending the simulated and the real until they feel “perfectly melded.”

Through these varied critical perspectives, Knit’s Island is celebrated for its innovative approach to storytelling, its exploration of community and isolation in the digital age, and its reflection on how virtual spaces mirror and amplify the human experience. The documentary stands as a testament to the power of virtual worlds to reveal the complexities of society, community, and individual identity, making it a must-watch for anyone interested in the intersection of technology, culture, and human interaction.

Knit’s Island also made its mark in Asia at the DMZ International Documentary Film Festival in Korea, and in North America at the Camden International Film Festival in the United States, where it competed in the Cinematic Vision competition. Its participation in the 2024 Milan Machinima Festival and the 2024 First Look at the Museum of The Moving Images in New York further signifies its ongoing relevance and the growing interest in films that navigate the complexities of virtual worlds.

Knit’s Island is the kind of film that could inspire a new generation of video game documentarians.

Matteo Bittanti

Works cited

Guilhem Causse, Ekiem Barbier, and Quentin L’helgoualc’h, Knit’s Island, digital video, color, sound, 95”, 2022.

Read more about the 7th edition of the Milan Machinima Festival

MMF MMXXIV: HOW KNIT’S ISLAND WON THE FESTIVAL GAME

The Milan Machinima Festival is excited to present the full length documentary Knit’s Island as part of the Game Video Essay program. The film will be screened on March 14 2024 in the Sala dei 146 at IULM University. Today we are happy to share an exclusive clip. But well before its Milanese premiere, Guilhem Causse, Ekiem Barbier and Quentin L’helgoualc’h’s documentary has collected a series of awards at major retrospectives. Let’s face it: the game video essay has become a hot film genre.

Knit’s Island, an innovative documentary that ventures into the digital world to explore the complexities of online communities in the popular post-apocalyptic game DayZ, has garnered widespread acclaim across a variety of prestigious film festivals worldwide. Directed by a visionary team of French filmmakers who immersed themselves in the virtual landscape as avatars, this groundbreaking film explores the blurred lines between reality and the digital realm, offering a unique perspective on the virtualization of our lives.

Set within a 250 square kilometer online space, Knit’s Island invites audiences on an ethnographic journey through a survivalist fiction world where players gather to share stories, fears, aspirations, and the essence of human connection. The film crew, adopting avatars as their digital personas, engages with this community, unraveling the layers of digital identity as players reveal their true selves behind the avatars. This exploration into the heart of digital communities challenges viewers to reconsider the boundaries of our physical and virtual existences.

The film’s tour de force began with its world premiere at Visions du Réel in Switzerland, where it won both the Jury Prize in the Burning Lights Competition and the International Critics’ Award (FIPRESCI Award), setting the stage for its subsequent success. Guilhem Causse, Ekiem Barbier and Quentin L’helgoualc’h’s film continued to captivate audiences and critics alike at various international retrospectives, including the Documenta Madrid International Film Festival in Spain, Millennium Docs Against Gravity in Poland, and the Subversive Film Festival in Croatia, where it received a Special Mention in… you guessed! the Subversive Competition.

The documentary’s acclaim did not stop there. It was also celebrated at the Transilvania International Film Festival in Romania, the Biografilm Festival in Italy, and DokuFest in Kosovo, showcasing its universal appeal. Its selection for competitions in diverse genres, from the International Feature Dox Competition at DokuFest to the Official Competition in the Animated Feature Category at the Ottawa International Animation Festival, demonstrates the film’s innovative approach to storytelling and its ability to transcend traditional documentary formats with its unique mix of online ethnography and digital anthropology.

Knit’s Island also made its mark in Asia at the DMZ International Documentary Film Festival in Korea, and in North America at the Camden International Film Festival in the United States, where it competed in the Cinematic Vision competition. Its participation in the 2024 Milan Machinima Festival and the 2024 First Look at the Museum of The Moving Images in New York further signifies its ongoing relevance and the growing interest in films that navigate the complexities of virtual worlds.

This film not only provides a window into the lives of individuals within these digital communities but also questions the future implications of our increasingly virtual lives. The international recognition and accolades Knit’s Island has received underscore the documentary’s significance in contemporary cinema, marking it as a pivotal work in the exploration of online ethnography and the evolving narrative of human connection in the digital age. This is the kind of films that could inspire a new generation of documentarians.

Read more about the 7th edition of the Milan Machinima Festival