In your journeys through the interwebs, you might have spotted the term “machinima” floating around. No, it’s not a lesser-known Pokemon — machinima is the art (yes, art!) of using a game engine to create a cinematic video. Vimeo has hosted many of these video game creations throughout the years, and we’ve partnered with some of the biggest video game entertainment companies in the world to bring some top-tier gamer videos to our Vimeo On Demand platform. In honor of the holy National Video Games Day, we reached out to Alec Chaney of 8-Bit Bastard, a three-man team of talented machinimators who make some of the most epicly creative gaming vids out there. Watch their Grand Theft Auto V nature documentaries below, then behold the parables of the video game artiste.
Do you consider video games art?
Video games are art — some are avant-garde, some are strikingly beautiful. All of those tiny codes and processes that formulate the images on screen when you enter a game for the first time are like the stroke of a paintbrush in the hands of a master.
Your videos are super creative and artistic. What inspired you to go from just playing games to making cinematic art with games?
When 8-Bit Bastard first started over a year ago, one of the first things that we realized was that if we were to make a name for ourselves, we'd need to make our own creative niche in gaming content that had not been done before — for example, movie scene creations, cinematic time lapses and, of course, nature documentaries. The games that have been released in recent years contain some of the most outstanding graphics that have been created and we love to show them off in the best ways we know how.
What are your favorite games to play? What are your favorite games to screenshot/make videos of?
My favorite games to play at this current time are XCOM, Terraria, Minecraft, DayZ and Metal Gear Solid 5. I prefer to play slow-paced games so I can just chill and relax, but there are some games like FIFA that I enjoy playing with my mates. GTA 5 is pretty much the only game that we make videos for, the reason being that the GTA 5 world has so much to offer in terms of creating machinima. Even though we have made over 100 videos in the GTA world, there is still so much more to offer!
When most people play GTAV, the first thing they think of probably isn’t, “Damn, that would be a good wildlife documentary.” How do you come up with the cool and creative themes/topics for your gameplay videos?
Well, we all take inspiration from moments that we experience in GTA 5. For example, when I first came up with the idea of the wildlife documentary Into The Deep, that all came from playing the Trevor Heist mission (spoiler alert!) that involved taking a submarine underwater to collect a device at the bottom of the ocean. But, as I got in the submarine and went into the water, I realized just how utterly intense the graphics are! I completely ignored the mission and just went exploring and discovered that on the next generation version of the game, they had added so many varieties of animals in the sea alone. And then the whole idea of creating a wildlife documentary was born. So we all take inspiration from the game itself in order to create the videos for 8-Bit Bastard.
What videos are you most proud of creating and why?
The videos I am most proud of are the wildlife documentaries Into The Deep and Onto The Land. I am, and always have been, a huge admirer of the natural historian David Attenborough and his works with the BBC. I’ve taken inspiration from him in order to create those videos and I feel that what I have done with those videos is homage to everything he has taught me over the years about natural history. I just hope that one day he sees the work I’ve done and says, “That Chaney, I wanna give him a hug.”
How do you make these videos? What programs do you use and what kind of computer rig do you have? How much do you do with the game engine and how much do you do in post-processing?
All the footage that is used for our videos is in game graphics. We do use a few overlays every now and again just to add a sense of realism, [like in the “Weazel News” series we did back in the day, adding all the ticker tapes and whatnot to make it seem like it was a real news program. We use a combination of different capture cards — mainly Shadowplay, which was introduced with the GTX 970 graphics card. And for console, we use Elgato 60HD and Hauppauge PVR 2. I’m gonna be totally honest with you about my computer rig: people told me what parts to get and I got them. I know almost next to nothing about computers! But here are the specs anyway: i5 4690k Processor, Z97X-SLI Motherboard, GTX 970 graphics card, three monitors and a Sony TV.
Your shot composition is really interesting in your videos. Is there any particular technique you use to frame your shots in-game?
One thing that I feel is very useful for me when creating my videos is my degree in photography. Having spent over seven years studying photography, I feel that has helped me with so many variations of shots and camera angles. I’m just happy to put my photography skills into video gaming. Means I didn’t get the degree for nothing.
What advice do you have for other gamers hoping to make cinematic videos from their gameplay?
The main bits of advice that I have to anyone that wishes to make cinematic videos is to be unique and be patient. Patience is a virtue when creating these types of videos. Also, if you wish to stand out amongst the rest of the gaming community, do research into what others have created. If you have an idea, check to see if anyone has done it before. If they haven’t, then you’re golden.
What’s next for you? Ever think of trying to make a full-length movie from a game engine?
A full-length movie would be a mean feat indeed! However, we have nowhere near enough time to give our fans that kind of content yet. If the dream comes true, and we make 8-Bit Bastard our jobs, then I think a full-length movie could be considered. But for now we’re all happy with creating smaller projects for our fans, ensuring the quality is top-notch. Very possibly some more wildlife documentaries, but that would be telling.
Are your mad skillz for hire?
Our mad skillz, as you so rightly put, are up for hire indeed. We have done commissioned projects for organizations in the past and they have paid off quite nicely. If anyone wants our mad skillz then get in contact.
For more National Video Game Day entertainment, enjoy the fine collection of video game cinematics from all across the Vimeosphere.
