Halopen.net

What are you listening to?

Chief John — Sat, 19 May 2012 18:15:55 GMT

I made this thread cause the pulse of the ears is stronger than the beat of the heart :p

What are you listening to? Like right now? It can be anything, I won't judge. Mostly.

Right at this precise moment (and since yesterday) this funky song infused in class is my jam...I stumbled on it and now it refuses to let go.

What's got your ears in auditory bliss? Share Damn it!

Guess Who?

Firestorm12 — Mon, 14 May 2012 21:29:31 GMT

Found something from an old friend of ours...

Gameplay May Change During Online Play

Chief John — Mon, 14 May 2012 20:08:49 GMT

Before I joined Halopen, I was just a kid playing matchmaking. No creative ambition was ever a goal when I turned on my xbox. It was just a time to blow shit up for a few hours and then a few hours more.

But after playing Halo 2 matchmaking for months (and loving every bleeping minute of it of course) in early 2007 I started to watch a ton of videos hyping up Halo 3. Eventually, after being bored of countless Green Day and Nickelback music videos (yes they existed) I came across my first machinima.

To this day, it still beats every machinima I've ever seen.

-Its satire on Halo 2 matchmaking is hilariously spot on.

-It's filmed on halo 2.

-Despite the date (and lack of theater mode), its camera work is perfectly adequate.

-It was edited on windows movie maker for humptey dumptey's sake!

It's just a complete picture of what machinima is: creative, ambitious, happy go lucky fun. After coming across it recently it's inspired me (just as it did when I joined Halopen) to create exciting machinima. I hope you enjoy my look down memory lane, and share a few of your own memorable machinima's you've seen over the years in the thread.

This video also comes with a fascinating trivia track, but if it bothers you, don't forget to turn off the annotations!

Solar Dream

scrappy — Sun, 06 May 2012 22:37:15 GMT

i have tons of other machinimas i could post here, but this will probably be my last...for now at least. some of you may have already seen it. i finished this last summer and it took me 10 months. my my magnum opus for machinima. a story that is very close to my heart. when i finished it and posted it around forums i did so with an intro so i'll do the same here:

Dear fellow machinima lovers,

What is Solar Dream? Besides from a 15 minute long music video it has been a long time coming for me both mentally, emotionally, spiritually and creatively. My journey to create this story started a long time ago but first I would like to tell you why this video is important to me:

Over the past decade (and more) our beloved medium has had quite an evolution. But recently I�m beginning to see it change in a way contrary to what made it so appealing to me in the first place.

A long time ago I read probably one of the best pieces of machinima analysis by TurtleMann. In it he described what he called the �Pie Effect.� To put it in short, the �Pie Effect� is when Sodagod released his unbelievable film �Pie� and set a new standard for machinima. After �Pie� everyone was playing catch up trying to up their game in professionalism through filters, editing, music, voice overs, anything and everything they could use to make their films as sexy as possible.

Several years later, the �Pie Effect� can still be seen today. Machinima creators are always looking for the cutting edge and professional techniques to get them noticed whether it be through independent visual effects, CGI, custom scores, etc. And because of this, machinima is gaining a larger audience every day.

But as it moves into the mainstream, machinima is being twisted and contorted into something different than it was when I first fell in love with it. For better or for worse machinima is changing. The �Pie Effect,� magnified by machinima.com�s rape of the medium, has shifted in that now it�s not necessary to be the best storyteller, but also be the most popular. Creators want to appeal to the masses. And if there is anything I�ve learned in my journey through America�s education system, it�s that the masses are stupid.

Dumbfounded by pretty sequences and the latest technology, machinima�s ever growing fanbase seems more interested in looking for ways to ridicule the creator rather than the heart of machinima (not that I�m innocent in the matter). And quite frankly, I�m afraid of where our beloved medium will be years (if not decades) from now.

Recently I�ve even found myself affected by these changes in machinima. I�ve been looking for more ways to promote my videos and gain exposure either through special effects or marketing. But those things aren�t why I started making machinima in the first place. I made it because I had stories to tell. Because I wanted to create something. Turn images from my mind into a reality. I first fell in love with machinima because it was a cheap way for me to live out my filmmaking dreams. With very little cost I could have immense battles and epic struggles which spanned across an entire universe. But I struggled to find inspiration to do so in this new era of machinima.

Enter Linkin Park. Now despite many people�s problems and criticisms with Linkin Park, no one can deny their passion for their art. They give everything they have into every show and totally defy the industry clich� of a band molding to the executives� wishes. And with their latest album, A Thousand Suns, they have caught me again. Many people won�t like A Thousand Suns. It is very different, new and unique. It�s strange. But after reading their intro to the CD I fell in love. Unlike music today which tries so hard to be the latest club single, A Thousand Suns is an album. A band�s heartfelt attempt to make art in an industry dominated by commercialization.

Listening to the album for the first time I finally found my machinima inspiration. Using several tracks from the album, I wanted to create a machinima journey unlike anything else. I wanted to truly shed the modern mold of today�s machinima and create a standalone piece of art.

My first machinima project all those years ago was a Linkin Park music video and I had a blast making it. I had no real knowledge of machinima but I threw myself into it and had fun putting something together along with a song I loved. After losing that feeling with some recent videos, I wanted to reclaim it. So I made this video for myself as nothing other than a love of machinima in its purest form. Not for views or to promote a production group. You will not find any text or claim of credit. Just the story as it�s meant to be told from my own head.

If it is at all possible to put one�s heart and soul into a movie made from a video game than this is it. It�s a story from me for me and because of that, what is going on might be a little confusing. It�s a personal struggle and emotional journey of love and inner demons. Its both spiritual and physical, metaphorical and literal. But although this tale is of my own struggle told through machinima, I would still like to share it with you because you might love the medium as much as me. That being said, this movie is as much about the process as it is about the final project. With people so concerned about copyright these days you rarely see any true music videos. So going back to my machinima music video roots I sought out to create a unique and pure experience straight from the engine. Just me, the music and my years out of date iMovie.

I would like to thank those who helped make this video possible so their names are listed below.

And of course Linkin Park. I didn�t credit them in the video but I don�t think they�ll mind. They will probably never read this or even know I made the video, but they showed me that art can still exist as long as you want it to. Thank you.

Now I would like not to present to you, but share with you my ode to pure machinima:

Solar Dream.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_RrT4KKxsz4

Actors:

Wasted Titan
NewscapePro
ukilledkenny7
Angelseclipse7
Gamerrob1
Armor Juan
Boiracer16x
ateamfan
halosavior007
CORNHO1EO
ClearviewPro
chamGars110
agentbzr
SporaTicCarBon
Chris cummins
ROG Jester
Cheezy Reborn
Grifbanana
Quazwerty456
Vanquisher 2000
Soloman069
ARCTrooper40
XYZMADMIKEZYX
Michael Monkey
CalmMarksman16
dudemanpeace

The tracks used are from the album A Thousand Suns by Linkin Park and are as follows:

The Requiem
The Radiance
Burning in the Skies
Empty Spaces
Fallout
The Catalyst

(I know I didn�t give credit in the video and although I gave my appreciation and thanks to LP in the description above, the studio who owns the music might not feel the same way. But if they do have a problem, then they kind of proved the point I made above.)

Summer Blast

Chief John — Thu, 03 May 2012 00:03:11 GMT

Alright, on May 12th I'll be returning from the lusty corn filled lands where I currently dwell to the icy great lake state of my past. What does that mean Halopen wise? Here are a few things...

It's PHiller Time
When I get back, my number one pirority will be to finish Phantom as quickly as possible. That being said, I want quality to go over just throwing a half-ridden machinima out there, so I would expect a few re-shoots, costume changing, and probably some quirky filled filming sessions in your future :D. I've had a long layoff since I've seen it, so who knows what I'll think of the footage I shot all the way back in January. A fresh look at it will upgrade the quality even more, so try to view it as a positive ;)

Will do machinima for imagineary ums!
After Phantom's completed however, I'll be a free agent. I want this summer to be a productive machinima summer for Halopen. I'd like to see some new members, lots more activity on the forums, and maybe even have a contest or bring the pencast back. But for all this to happen, we need more MACHINIMA! When we get projects done, they're always done well; no one argues that. If we can just make the downtime between releases a little less, I think we'll be that much more successful and that much more likely for people to hit up on our little community. It's like a business. Nobody hangs out and talks at a coffee shop if the shop is always out of coffee. So after I'm done with Phantom, if you have any awesome ideas and are willing to work with a guy named after a bathroom (the Johnny, I swear its a thing) hit me up and we'll work on it. I have to be invested in it though, so while I can't guarantee I'll take any idea that comes my way, I'm willing to help shape it and mold the script a little if you're equally flexible about it.

Real Estate Lied. The number one rule is advertise, advertise, advertise
Alright, as a group, we need to do a LOT more advertising when our machinima's get released. Every Halo website, every machinima website, every website that has even an inkling about Halo community should be let known about a premiere for our release. Regardless of whether they have five members or 500, we should really think of our projects as a group effort. If you're a body actor, share it. Voice actor, share it. Forge designer, photoshop cover artist, director, script writer whatever! We're all Halopen members, there's no hierarchy, so let's advertise each others work! While the machinima community at large has lost a lot of big groups, there are thousands of little tiny websites just like us. Share our machinima with them, and do them the courtesy of watching theirs and being a little part of their community. Ok, so the posting sounds political. The registering for sites sounds tedious. The work sounds like a lot of effort for little gain. But guess what. Firestorm sent a little link to Halo Waypoint for the Warriors Three and I posted a few things on a a few websites and we got 4 thousand views, a shitload of subscribers, and a few new forum members. So try it. Back in the early days we used to have jobs specifically for this purpose. It worked. Now it's every person's job, so please go out there and do it! And posting on our forums and welcoming new members wouldn't go amiss either!

Distance Makes the heart (and the fart) grow stronger
Besides all our filming shenanagins, I miss gaming, watching movies, or just party chatting you guys. Hit me up sometime and lets have some funnn! (Even you firestorm)

So that's about it. I'm coming back to help out as best I can. Let's make this an exciting, productive summer of machinima making with fun times and Halopen spirit for all! :D

Voice of the Gods - Reach Machinima

scrappy — Wed, 02 May 2012 13:55:53 GMT

next on the scrappy presents to chief john playlist lol is voice of the gods. this video has an interesting history. it was actually the pre-cursor to horns halos and heartbreak. i wanted to do a demo for halosavior007 (ed) but i wanted to do one in a legit film. so i was talking to him one night (drunk i might ad) and came up with this "BRILLIANT" idea to have one character who has multiple personality disorder and each personality is a different greek god and ed was gonna play him and do all the voices. lol well i live up to my word and made the film for him (and me because i love it). if you were wondering horns halos and heartbreak was me wanting to do the same idea but different style/story and a girl. so thats where that came from.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VDru-x_9mBQ

Sins of the Father -H3 machinima

scrappy — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 20:10:05 GMT

this one is mainly for chief john because he didnt like the payoff for the other machinima i posted lol. made this one i think 2 years ago or so. oh and dont read the comments before watching the vid. spoilers.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lJi-ycVpwt4

Horns, Halos and Heartbreak (Reach Short)

scrappy — Sat, 28 Apr 2012 00:54:25 GMT

my latest film. feedback appreciated

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dj1EQXRKhIQ

hey ya'll

scrappy — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 21:48:37 GMT

saw three warriors on firelight's site so thought i'd join up. always been a fan of you guys. dont know if anyone knows me but ive made some machinima in my day. just saying hey and im gonna try to be active here. see ya around

Red vs Blue Season 10 teaser

VenomousCarnage — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 01:38:07 GMT

Okay, I wouldn't usually bring this up, but there's something at the end that's worth noting, spoilers below the video.

SPOILER: Okay, who went down on who to get fucking Elijah Wood in here?!

My First Flash Animation

Blekk — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 00:00:07 GMT

I think it was alright for a first try :cool:

I forgot how to embed the video so here's a link instead!

I drew everything myself :o

Ghost Rider review

VenomousCarnage — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 08:22:57 GMT

Hey guys, in between classes and studying, I somehow found time to make another review! Enjoy!