A two world machinima I did this week exploring the themes of a cross-world quest for love, mixed-reality and online game relationships. The song ‘The Soul of Icarus” was composed and sung by Gary Hayes © Cubrisound 2004 and a special thanks to my co-star, SilkCharm for her patience and WoW’ness. There are some nice Flickr film stills here too! and I am really spoiling you now a selection of video sites with the film on here – YouTube, Metacafe, Google and Blip.tv

“Come to the edge. We can’t. We’re afraid. Come to the edge. We can’t. We will fall! Come to the edge. And they came. And he pushed them. And they flew”. – Guillaume Appollinaire

Credits:

• Filmed in World of Warcraft and Second Life sims:
• CityScape from NBC and Marni created by Gary Hazlitt.
• Medium rez download (85MB MP4) available here.
• Machinimatography and editing by Gary Hazlitt © JustVirtual 2008

“And once you have tasted flight, you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been and there you long to return…” – Leonardo Da Vinci

I was asked by Debbie Trilling, the creative director of this show, to be the machinimatographer on the last two performances of Pink Floyd’s The Wall in Second Life recently. It was great listening to music I remember growing up with being performed by a passionate group of people from all over the world who recreated elements of the film, animated sequences and live show in one of Second Life’s most spectacular displays of creative coordination. It was created by The Cybernetic Art Research Project CARP.

There were audiences of 60+ crammed into the NMC sim which slowed things down a touch, but not noticeably (I was still getting 15 fps or so ). I have a lot of footage to edit into a short 10 minute and the longer full 90 minute film but for now I selectively scanned the footage for interesting frames and created 107 medium resolution photographs which capture a little of the atmosphere and thought put into this.

The performances have  received rave reviews over the past few weeks and over 2000 avatars have now seen the show…

• “Amazing. Not so much viewed as it is experienced” ~ Metaverse Messenger
• “All I can say is WOW. GREAT show” ~ Second Arts
• “Nothing short of spectacular. A complete immersion” ~ Looking Glass
• “Impressive, touching and thoughtful. Second Life at its best” ~ MixedRealities
• “Never seen anything like it.20A perfect amalgamation of creativity” ~ sl-newspaper
• “Cutting edge art and performance” ~ NMC Observer

Stills (on this page and on flickr link here) – Taken from Gary Hazlitt’s Machinima of CARP’s “The Wall in Second Life” – video available soon. Stills medium ‘video’ resolution.

Production Credits

The CARP Wall Team:

• Creative Director: Debbie Trilling (UK)
• Producer: Velazquez Bonetto (Germany)
• Wall Design: Elfod Nemeth (UK)
• Animated Puppets: Duggy Bing (US)
• Animations: Caravaggio Bonetto (Austria)
• Original Music: Junivers Stockholm (Sweden) & Josina Burgess (Holland)
• Stills Photography: Adec Alexandria (UK)
• Dancing & Joyfulness: Klute Copploa (France), Southern Riptide (US)

with valuable contributions from:

• Scio Kamanchi (US)
• Gypsy Paz (US)
• Lyddyn Tzara (US)
• Celeste Moonlight (US)
• DJ Jenns (UK)
• George W B ush (US)

UPDATE: We are producing a special DVD so the videos have been temporarily removed for the moment.

[youtube]http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=p5zsCiYHceQ[/youtube]

[youtube]http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=LLMGi5v-oyg[/youtube]

The Full Credits for the above film:

• Created by DC Spensley
• Produced and Directed by DanCoyote Antonelli
• Machinamatography by Gary Hazlitt
• Editing by Gary Hayes
• Original Score ZeroOne Paz
• Technical Director ZenMondo Wormser
• Costumes Queue Marlowe

SkyDancers:

• Assistant Director Anhinga Chaika
• Deborah Stranglove – Prima
• Angelique Menoptra – Prima
• Lina Lageos
• Pyper Dollinger
• Buffy Beale – Training Director
• Pielady Smalls
• Tatiana Kurri – Puch

ZeroG SkyDancers are Produced and Directed by real life artist DC Spensley – below is earlier descriptive synopsis of the work.

Second Spring is a completely LIVE story performance. SkyDancers perform in-flight choreography without the benefit of animations or gestures of any kind following cues given in REAL TIME on a private IM channel. DanCoyote “calls” the show to keep time with the score written and performed by ZeroOne Paz.

DanCoyote and Technical Director ZenMondo Wormser have pulled out all the stops this time and created the most dynamic stage set ever. Set pieces will evolve, vanish and change position as the story plays out.

Production Designer Queue Marlowe has created an incredible array of SkyDancer costumes called “cascades” that change many times over the hour long show.

Set pieces have been created by venerable Second Life artists Jopsy Pendragon and Nand Nerd. Expect the unexpected!

=========Earlier Press Release Jan 1, 2008=========
For Immediate Release

New Media Consortium Presents
ZeroG SkyDancers III – Virtual Flight Choreography

Pioneering Performing Arts Soar in the Metaverse – Again – Under the Direction of DanCoyote Antonelli ††

January 1, 2008, (Second Life) – Avatar DanCoyote Antonelli is accustomed to breaking new ground. Even in virtual worlds he is considered avant guarde. The real man controlling that avatar, DC Spensley, has been wowing virtual audiences since 2006 with art installations that would not be possible in real life, but perhaps the most coveted ticket in all of Second Life is one to a performance by his ZeroG SkyDancers. On January 6, 2008, the premiere of the highly anticipated, third, completely redesigned production of ZeroG SkyDancers will debut.

Second Life’s history making, critically acclaimed world performance group, the ZeroG SkyDancers is a new form of ensemble performance that uses the airspace of this virtual world, resulting in a cross between water ballet and aerial acrobatics, in ways that would not be possible in the physical world. Wearing spectacular, flowing costumes called cascades – that are many times larger than their avatars – the SkyDancers move through space, and become part of the stage themselves. Altering and evolving, their flight triggers audio samples, which provide a unique layer to the original musical score commissioned for the production.††

The production, sponsored by the New Media Consortium (NMC), will introduce an all-new reactive-interactive stage set that is repeatedly and dramatically transformed over the hour long performance. The ZeroG SkyDancers III will formally debut at 9PM Pacific Standard Time, Sunday, January 6, 2008 in the virtual world of Second Life. Seating is limited, but the show will run every week during the first 90 days of 2008, to accommodate the most guests possible. Tickets will cost $10 US ($3000 Lindens) a piece. For ticket information, please contact Spensley directly at dc@spensley.com.

Those with tickets will need to complete a 5 minute registration process with Second Life, http://www.secondlife.com , in order to access the ZeroG SkyDancers III performance.† A basic account is absolutely free, includes unlimited access to Second Life’s tools, events and communities.†Spensley recommends that audience members spend a minimum of 15 minutes learning the basic skills of the Second Life world prior to attending the performance. “Familiarizing yourself with basic navigation of Second Life will add even more enjoyment to the show,” said Spensley.

Gary Hazlitt’s video of a ZeroG SkyDancers II performance is available at YouTube and has received more than 10 thousand hits.†† “It’s difficult to convey the dramatic and immersive effects of the Second Life virtual world in a 2-D web environment, however this video by Gary Hazlitt does convey the overall concept of the performance,” said Spensley.

You can download a 15MB medium rez MP4 here. It was fantastic to experience this next generation performance and witness a new layer, a narrative across the three musical movements in addition to what has been visually more abstract in the past. Other exciting elements included the movement by the dancers around the volumous space triggering elements of the soundscape and the long prim cascades they are wearing integrating seamlessly with the more static set elements. A show well worth going to (if you can get tickets) and yes, I know, my little trailer and previous well received captures of the shows only gets half way there in terms of capturing the essence (see bottom of post)…but you who are not in this world are watching/reading this

75 still photos on flickr here. Here is the official blurb

New Media Consortium (NMC) proudly presents:
DanCoyote’s ZeroG SkyDancers Third Production:
“Second Spring”.

Second Spring is a completely LIVE story performance. SkyDancers perform in-flight choreography without the benefit of animations or gestures of any kind following cues given in REAL TIME on a private IM channel. DanCoyote “calls” the show to keep time with the score written and performed by ZeroOne Paz.

DanCoyote and Technical Director ZenMondo Wormser have pulled out all the stops this time and created the most dynamic stage set ever. Set pieces will evolve, vanish and change position as the story plays out.

Production Designer Queue Marlowe has created an incredible array of SkyDancer costumes called “cascades” that are change many times over the hour long show.

Set pieces have been created by venerable Second Life artists Jopsy Pendragon and Nand Nerd. Expect the unexpected!

To be our guest at this performance please send a message to DanCoyote Antonelli. DanCoyote will invite you to join the tickets group. Seating is very limited so only members of the tickets group will be admitted to the performance space.

Please contribute generously to the donation kiosk. A production of this quality and depth takes many hundreds of hours to prepare as well as tens of thousands of Linden dollars to produce. Suggested donation is $3000 Lindens with a sliding scale from $1000 up.

Cheers!

DanCoyote Antonelli, Producer Director, ZeroG SkyDancers

=========Press Release=========
For Immediate Release

New Media Consortium Presents
ZeroG SkyDancers III – Virtual Flight Choreography

Pioneering Performing Arts Soar in the Metaverse – Again – Under the Direction of DanCoyote Antonelli

January 1, 2008, (Second Life) – Avatar DanCoyote Antonelli is accustomed to breaking new ground. Even in virtual worlds he is considered avant guarde. The real man controlling that avatar, DC Spensley, has been wowing virtual audiences since 2006 with art installations that would not be possible in real life, but perhaps the most coveted ticket in all of Second Life is one to a performance by his ZeroG SkyDancers. On January 6, 2008, the premiere of the highly anticipated, third, completely redesigned production of ZeroG SkyDancers will debut.

Second Life’s history making, critically acclaimed world performance group, the ZeroG SkyDancers is a new form of ensemble performance that uses the airspace of this virtual world, resulting in a cross between water ballet and aerial acrobatics, in ways that would not be possible in the physical world. Wearing spectacular, flowing costumes called cascades – that are many times larger than their avatars – the SkyDancers move through space, and become part of the stage themselves. Altering and evolving, their flight triggers audio samples, which provide a unique layer to the original musical score commissioned for the production.††

The production, sponsored by the New Media Consortium (NMC), will introduce an all-new reactive-interactive stage set that is repeatedly and dramatically transformed over the hour long performance. The ZeroG SkyDancers III will formally debut at 9PM Pacific Standard Time, Sunday, January 6, 2008 in the virtual world of Second Life. Seating is limited, but the show will run every week during the first 90 days of 2008, to accommodate the most guests possible. Tickets will cost $10 US ($3000 Lindens) a piece. For ticket information, please contact Spensley directly at dc@spensley.com.

Those with tickets will need to complete a 5 minute registration process with Second Life, http://www.secondlife.com , in order to access the ZeroG SkyDancers III performance.† A basic account is absolutely free, includes unlimited access to Second Life’s tools, events and communities.†Spensley recommends that audience members spend a minimum of 15 minutes learning the basic skills of the Second Life world prior to attending the performance. “Familiarizing yourself with basic navigation of Second Life will add even more enjoyment to the show,” said Spensley.

Gary Hazlitt’s video’s of two previous ZeroG SkyDancers II performances are available at YouTube and have received nearly 15 thousand views. “It’s difficult to convey the dramatic and immersive effects of the Second Life virtual world in a 2-D web environment, however the videos do convey the overall concept of the performance,” said Spensley.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c_gT0YDAkec[/youtube]

I have the good fortune of meeting and getting friendly with a wide range of people in my capacity of creating many large ‘environments’ across the Second Life grid. I often get invited to engagements, weddings, parties and a couple of funerals. A few months ago I noticed a couple riding horses around the Pond cobble lanes and then befriended Pollyanneke and scubasteve. They have many friends and are about to get married in Second Life (a 2nd attempt – story below) which I will video for them next week. To demonstrate and be more committed in world they are doing a potential world first – sponsoring a real world (read: developing or troubled world) child as a virtual couple inside Second Life. I interviewed them at their large mansion house inworld to understand their motivations and how significant this could be.

Could you tell me a little about how you met

scubasteve Canning: We never planned to meet, I was learning to build and Pol came up to me and asked me to teach her.
Pollyanneke Pera: It was a rainy day for me in real life and thought why not for a day. He kept tp’ing (teleporting) me to teach me. I had zero interest really.
scubasteve Canning: Yeah no intention of ever getting together but we had so much in common and we know each other so well.
Pollyanneke Pera: But…the pull. We are an odd couple as it has turned out.

So you dated or just grew to know each other through buiilding

Pollyanneke Pera: Not through building, he would’ve ditched me. We found at we had a lot in common, like horses and causes.
scubasteve Canning: We both have horses in real life.

So how long exactly have you known each other

scubasteve Canning: We met in March 2007
Pollyanneke Pera: I think I met scuba his first day (rez day), he was such a cute shy newb.

And how long after SL dating did you connect in real life

scubasteve Canning: Well probably after a month, but we have never met, just on phone.
Pollyanneke Pera: We shared photos too he has a great voice though.
scubasteve Canning: But we are together forever.. eternally apart
Pollyanneke Pera: It’s weird when u know someone in one medium and then you get to talk, the voice will be different.
scubasteve Canning: But we know each others voices and I love talking to her at work and trying to make her laugh.

Why did you decide to get married in Second Life

Pollyanneke Pera: Scuba asked as a joke initially and it butterflied from there
scubasteve Canning: Just a crazy idea at the time lol
Pollyanneke Pera: He likes a challenge, must be a build thing?
scubasteve Canning: For me its was after the first time Pol left me in Second Life and then I felt that I really like this girl. I took a pic of her that nite and we will always remember that nite she went away.
Pollyanneke Pera: That was awful nite, I didn’t know my password was saved to laptop. Oh real life sometimes doesn’t like second life to begin with until all is understood.
scubasteve Canning: We will always be locked apart, we will always be together in Second Life. Together forever.. eternally apart.. thats us.

So how do you think your relationship will change after the wedding next week. Also how big is the wedding? How many people coming to it?

Pollyanneke Pera: we already are committed
scubasteve Canning: as hard as it is we can never meet in real life
Pollyanneke Pera: well we can, but we won’t!, too perfect as it is. Sluv is a word scuba created… best word to describe how I feel about him.
scubasteve Canning: we got at least 100 that i know of coming to the wedding and the list keeps getting bigger

So you have taken a big step of adopting a real world child from within Second Life. Whose idea was this?

Pollyanneke Pera: Well not really it was not a big step. It was a very easy one…
scubasteve Canning: it just made sense to us to do this. We had to find a way to declare our sluv for each other
Pollyanneke Pera: i saw the posters of madeleine mcann and I thought wow, what a medium for lost children. Then World Vision was having their 10000 appeal for one month and i thought hang on.
scubasteve Canning: we so hope that others will follow us and show their sluv for each other as we have done
Pollyanneke Pera: World Vision are one three aid based Non-Government Organisations (NGOs) in Second Life at the moment I believe. They need to look at Second Life in a big way I think. So many great people and from fairly secure lives.

So do you think you are the first to do this? And how will the child be made aware that he/she is adopted by virtual couple!

scubasteve Canning: yeah.. Pol had this great idea.. never been done before
Pollyanneke Pera: hmmm, another good question… Oh I have had World Vision children for years and no I don’t do that its seems so patriarchal somehow. Scuba and I just want to start this we are not an organization but we are so committed
scubasteve Canning: We are two kindred souls who wanted to make a difference because we so care about each other and want to use our feelings for each other to help others
Pollyanneke Pera: My 1st sponsored child was from West Bank in Gaza. Her name is Abeer Mahmoud. She sent me one card that totally changed me last Xmas, it said ‘I love yo\u forever’” – and she doesn’t know me, she doesn’t need to.
scubasteve Canning: we shall have a pic in the house here of our child

A little bigger picture. What is your opinion of the virtual world sponsoring the 3rd world

scubasteve Canning: We hope to get tip jars that can transfer money direct to World Vision and we have hundreds of friends in Second Life
Pollyanneke Pera: yes and sponsor children worldwide
NOTICE: Second Life: Second Life will be closing for a scheduled update at 6am PDT. Watch the blog for details.

At this point the second life grid closed for its bi-monthly update and the interview was sadly cut short. I will try to catch up with Polly and scuba at a later date, perhaps post wedding, to see how things are progressing. For now some information about World Vision.

Change the life of a child
The best way to change a child’s life is to change the world in which they live.
By sponsoring a child, you will help to bring about long-term benefits to the child, their family and community for just $43 per month. Your support will help to fund vital development work in the child’s community, such as digging wells, improving sanitation and building health clinics.
This work ensures that the community will be able to provide the children with the basics they need, which helps them to grow up in a healthy environment and have the chance for a better future.

Posted by Gary Hazlitt from inside Second Life