This week we take a look at another stunning Team Fortress 2 short called Assault on 2Fort by JP Stevens aka Lolripk, a recommendation made to us by Dominzki (whose own TF2 short we reviewed in E135). What a great choice this is: we loved this film, a classic RED vs BLU tale but with a layer of emotion that is as beautifully portrayed as it is unex…

A Star Citizen extravaganza: this week, we discuss a brilliant re-creation of Erik Wernquist's epic short, Wanderers, released by one of its creators Mr Hasgaha. Whilst this is a faithful scene-by-scene depiction of the original, its actually so much more than that too. We comment once again on the incredible qualities of the game, and how the fact…

This week's selection is a stunning cinematic imaginary by Unknown Dino, focussing on the next version of Half Life (soon to be released... er, well, possibly in the next 10 years or so?). There is a lot of craft in this film, called HL: Overworld and made in Blender, which has taken its inspiration both from the HL Reddit community and the HL2 Art…

Another packed episode of news items we found for machinima creators everywhere. We take a look at some games news including several that have released music albums recently and discuss why we think that is. We go through some of the latest AI matters, including Vimeo's new AI content guidelines. We found one of the best Unreal master classes we ev…

Crazy, it is certainly that - and more. If you enjoy slasher horror, we think you'll love this - and its definitely not for U18s! The film is by Toaster and is a music video for Code Mistake, a deathcore metal spectacular by CORPSE and Bring Me the Horizon. We examine Toaster's GTA5 machinima, reflect on its anime qualities, and conclude its signif…

This week, we discussion two films: @neisannnn 'What a Wonderful World', a love letter to Star Citizen, where we focus on its surreal nature, use of backwards music, and ability to capture the game's vast universe. Our second film is 'Plumbob Princess' by @lReMi07l - one of the all time best machinimas we've seen in Sims 4. We discuss the visual qu…

This week's film is a machinima that deals with pollution in the most overt way it can. Andy Hughes' Inner Migration juxtaposes Cyberpunk 2077 against some 'found footage' taken from early 40s/60s films and General Motors corporate 'forecast' of the future of technology. We discuss how machinima is an interesting way to explore social commentary an…

This month's news omnibus covers our usual breadth of topics - from Reallusion's Character Creator contest; to a 'how to create in SL', available only in SL; to Project Odyssey's contest for genAIers; to the winners of the second AIFF; to some fabulous projects such as @EpicSpaceman latest film, an Elden Ring band, Jennifer McKnew's Sydney and Sock…

Your go-to podcast for everything Sims related, including The Sims 4, The Sims Mobile and The Sims FreePlay! Plus, other simulation games such as Life By You and Paralives! In this episode we dig into the Lovestruck world of The Sims 4 with a new expansion pack announcement and talk about Life By You being cancelled.…

This week's film review is of [GTA5] 賽銭箱に身を投げる ロスサントス市警察, made by @mzanku - its absurdist humor but also deeply disturbing, which hits us all in different ways around half way through watching the film. Following our discussions, we conclude the creator probably didn't intend for the work to be culturally appropriated as an interpretation of US pol…

In this episode, we analyse our picks' cinematics, beginning with 'Day of Darkness' made in Eve Online by Dire Lauthris and completing with 'The Wanderer' made in the Source engine by Dominzki. We discuss the use of ambiguity, character development, and narrative qualities, as well as the advancement of video game cinematics and in-engine technique…

This week, we discuss the art of machinima filmmaking, emphasizing the importance of craftsmanship, freshness, and humor in exceptional storytelling, as evidenced in 'Lonely Episode Two: The Package Thief' by TheBizTheBiz. We analyze the efficiency and density used in delivering witty lines and twists in what is essentially a modern retelling of th…

Welcome to our latest bonus episode. We had the pleasure of catching up with Phil Rice aka zsOverman to talk exclusively about his latest machinima, called Being Moses. If there's such as thing as a parody of a Let's Play, this film is it! Check out Phil's comments and watch the film - links on our show notes web post. Credits - Speakers: Phil Rice…

This week we celebrate Nvidia's investment in machinima, discuss latest AIs and give you the heads up on some great projects we want to highlight - there are just too many for us to fully review everything we're seeing that we want to share with you these days! Do check them out, we'd love to hear your thoughts too - links and notes on our website.…

Pod's out for summer! But before we go on our summer break, we need to catch you up on some last-minute Sims news! Alley, Caitlin, and Jess are going to break down all the new packs, the latest roadmap, and what's up with all the Sims competitors. Welcome to Under the Plumbob Podcast -- the podcast about all things related to the EA-Maxis series of…

A compelling and powerful story of one man's quest to remain sane on an isolated planet. This is a very effective story by Lens Nation, given its only 60 seconds long - its probably not just this one creator's worst nightmare in a game, but several of us. Check out our review and don't forget to give us some feedback on your thoughts too. 1:01 Rick…

This week, we review a pretender for a new Disney show called Forlorn, by @projectforlorn (aka Alex St Pierre). Well, it may well be at some point in the near future! Starting life as a tech demo, this short has an interesting back story and has evolved into something even more interesting. Check out our review and add your own thoughts! Credits - …

This week, we discuss two stunning music videos: Children of Pain by @VincereSylph with video created by @TomJantol and @tanyasubaBg ; and Firefly by @TheEsotericaChannel in Unreal Engine. Children of Pain is a perfect example of Tom's 'anymation' approach whilst Firefly demonstrates just how far Unreal Engine has come as a creative toolset in one …

What would your baking skill level be in the Sims? Caitlin, Ava, and Jen discuss theirs while baking some delicious results picked by our patrons! Learn some great cooking tips and hear how our experiences went while making them. Welcome to Under the Plumbob Podcast -- the podcast about all things related to the EA-Maxis series of games called The …

Join hosts BeyondSims and Rachybop as they talk about the vibrant world of The Sims, Life By You, and other life simulation games in the Llama Drama Podcast!In this episode we attempt to be comedians with Sims-inspired jokes, and dig into the upcoming Season of Love from The Sims 4. We also commemorate The Sims 3 turning 15 years old at the start o…

Not for the first time do we discuss the gorgeous cinematic qualities of GTA5, and this week we share a beaut by @Salva.Padilla. This one has a distinct vibe to it, but it is its general ambiguity that we especially love about the machinima. We each see something a little different in it! What do you see in it? Credits - Speakers: Ricky Grove, Phil…

Our May update on machinima and virtual production related news highlights some of the latest generative AI tools, warts and all, and brings to attention several of the latest machinima potential games, including Jaws, Jurassic World Evolution, Rise of the Hydra and Harold Halibut. We discuss the challenges filmmakers face when developing games fro…

It's a bite size episode for a bite size group of kits! Jen and Jess cover the Grunge Revival, Castle Estate, and Goth Galore kits as your native alternative style girlies. Welcome to Under the Plumbob Podcast -- the podcast about all things related to the EA-Maxis series of games called The Sims! We avoid the real world by talking about our made-u…

This week we celebrate Star Wars with a fabulous short portraying the infamous AT-AT death walkers as 'nature-creatures' in their natural habitat - this is a beautifully observed work, made in Unreal Engine by Jeremy Cummins. Cummins is an experienced character creator, now working for Tippett Studio, with an impressive list of credits including An…

This week, we cover three outstanding music videos, demonstrating different genres of music and different game engines - a re-imagined Simon and Garfunkel classic, a pop-tacular and a rap. We discuss the perfect match between the lyrics, the game and the images our three selected creators have demonstrated in these shorts. We suggest comparing and …

The Sims 4 has changed a lot since we first talked about the 100 Baby Challenge (Ep 008: Line 'em up for Baby-Making), so we thought it was time to provide an updated guide! Caitlin and Jess are going to give you a quick history of the challenge, discuss the packs that will either help or hinder your baby-making spree, and provide invaluable tips a…

This week, we discuss one of the most outstanding presentations of space science, by @EpicSpaceman , called I put 4M Suns in a Blackhole. Made in Blender, we discuss the creative workflow adopted, from zero to hero - and why the @BlenderOfficial Foundation should take note. We make a few suggestions for enhancing the work even more and discuss the …

A packed review this month, with some sad :( better :| and happy news :) 1:42 Demise of Rooster Teeth and yet RVB will outlive the corporate brand! We reminisce about the early days of machinima and the influence Rooster Teeth had on the emerging creator community 26:30 Drax Files: World Makers comes to a close 33:37 Awards! Sam Crane’s continuing …

And now... the thrilling conclusion to this year's Maxis Madness Pack-a-palooza! Alley, Jen, Jess, and Vaniti are back to work through the Cowplant Conference, then crown an overall winner for the podcast's bracket. Will we survive this episode? Will we pick the same packs as the listener vote? Will anyone be quitting the team? Will Ava be disappoi…

The Dog Days is an unusual machinima that combines the glitchiness of AI generated content composited with a Second Life avatar. Whilst not realtime, the performative aspect of this work is evident and we reflect on the fit of the current state of generative AI with the Fluxus art movement. We discuss what The Dog Days means, metaphorically and lit…

In this ep, we discuss two machinima films dealing with thematically similar issues, albeit presented with different treatments: Vigilante is made in GTA5 and tells the shocking story of how the lead character became cyberpunk. The second is a futuristic yet somehow more traditional gender-based story made in UE5. It is presented as a proof of conc…

Maxis Madness is back, baby! This year is Pack-a-palooza, covering all stuff, game, and expansion packs in Sims 4. Alley, Jen, Jess and Vaniti give their thoughts and opinions and see what makes it to the final seed for part 1. Part 2 coming in 2 weeks! Make sure you are keeping up over on Instagram to vote for the listener brackets! Welcome to Und…

This week, we take a look at a spectacular particle show in a machinima that has been documented and edited by Tutsy NaVaRaThNA in Second Life. The show is called Flowers of Evil and was created by Lalie Sorbet and Chrix as an interactive installation inspired by the most scandalous literary works of Charles Baudelaire, with the support of a Second…

This week’s podcast episode is our curated news omnibus for this month. We cover lots, and enjoy reflecting on the significance of the stories we highlight for the world of machinima and virtual production. Links and show notes on our website, as usual – skip to our highlights about each item with our timestamps here – 1:23 Learn UE5 in less than 6…

Surprise! We are on top of it and Jen, Jess, and Vaniti are here to give you our low-sodium review of Crystal Creations Stuff Pack, mere seconds* after its release! Does it all work? Is it everything high school us wanted in life and in game? Is Vaniti still salty about the horses and not being an infomercial actress? Listen in to find out! *more l…

Join hosts BeyondSims and Rachybop as they talk about the vibrant world of The Sims and other life simulation games in the Llama Drama Podcast! We talk about all of the latest in the world of The Sims 4 such as new kits and the Crystal Creations stuff pack. We also dig into competitors such as Paralives, Life By You and Vivaland. We also cover the …

In all our years of involvement with machinima (and that's over 75 years between us), feature length has been something we've rarely found watchable... but with this week's pick, we were proven wrong, mostly! Emesis Blue, made in Source Filmmaker using the Team Fortress 2 characterisations by Fortress Films, is an incredibly well-made if very compl…

100 Ways to Die in Starfield is wonderful stuff - whether you are 15 or 50! For all those who have distant memories of seeing classic slapstick comedy featuring Charlie #chaplin in B&W, well now you can see a contemporary interpretation in the incredible #starfield universe - and enjoy it with the grandkids! @mans1ay3r has a rich stream of work to …

The Social Bunny Crew (Caitlin and Jess), joined by special guest Nardvillain, have collected enough news nuggets to present them to you! We're covering everything from the start of the year -- from a new roadmap with new kits and packs to spilled tea about SimGurus, Paralives, and Life by You! So, charge your crystals and get ready for another edi…

This week we compare and contrast, in a way extending that ongoing debate about whose IP is the daddy... but the ep is about much more than that too. We discuss @solofilmmaking4857 's use of #chatgpt to generate a film's story, using the plots of 60 of his portfolio works on Batman, mixing styles and genres along the way. We don't see it as wholly …

This week's review is of a self-contained excerpt from a larger film, called Escape Game by @CrisUberman . This part of the film is the final chapter of the story, Danser Encore, voiced by @lionelmazari1990 with a song by @hksaltimbank . We delve into the inspiration for the themes in the film, which draws on the philosophy of Empedocles and Rosset…

Alley and Jen cover the Relationship and Pregnancy Overhaul Mod by Lumpinou. We do love our realistic mods! Please be advised that as of the time of posting, there is a known issue of malware in mods, please see below link or in the beginning of the episode on how to prevent and resolve this. Also trigger warning for mention of pregnancy loss and a…

This week, we spend some time talking about new tools, emergent topics, AI and copyright (again), with some interesting links for you on our show notes - 2:45 New tools for machinima makers, including iClone 8 crowd sim, Kenneth MacLean’s MegaHumans WIP and Praydog’s VR mod 8:07 SAG AFTRA update on voice acting using AIs, Replica Studios 15:32 Mick…

Made with Sims 4 characters although animated in Blender to great effect, this is a short short at under one minute long by @tricoufamily . It is also all about the title, and interesting to reflect on how we have all seen similar things in the film but interpreted them differently. We conclude this is masterfully done, but check out how we get to …

This week we discuss two very different films, both reflecting a bygone era of classic entertainment. Firstly, an interpretation of the 1954 Japanese classic Godzilla, made in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. Its unusual for a couple of reasons: its been made on a handheld Nintendo Switch in a game not really known for its creative application, and its…

Calling all enterprising slumlords! Ava and Julia are breaking in and snooping around for all the info on the latest Sims 4 expansion pack, For Rent! They'll tell you the good (the build buy items) and the bad (everything else) about the new pack! As always, make sure you have plenty of water on hand... It's going to get salty! #MushroomsForJulia #…

Join hosts BeyondSims and Rachybop as they talk about the vibrant world of The Sims in the Llama Drama Podcast! As we enter 2024, we talk about our thoughts on The Sims 4 For Rent which released in December as well as the new "Cause A Sensation" Season featuring new kits, a stuff pack, SDX drop and more! We also cover the topic of the latest news f…

We take a look at one of the best machinima series we've ever seen this week... from the annals of history. The Fixer series was a crime drama created by Todd Stallkamp (aka Burnt Coffee Productions aka TodNYC28) made in Sims 2 and originally released in 2006. Todd was part of the first brain drain from the world of machinima, and shortly after the…

Phil catches up with a long-time machinima creator Ben Tuttle, aka 4413 Media. Ben admits he cut his teeth on The Movies in the late 2000s, and then discusses Shockbreak, one of his latest productions. They get into the detail of how the film was created and generally Ben’s creative workflow using iClone, Character Creator, Unreal Engine and a heap…

This week, we discuss the critical turn we witnessed in 2023 towards machinima among creative industries professionals. We highlight why it is high time there is a major rethink on the role of indie creatives and fan fiction in general. We also review a beautiful cinematic made in GTA5, and also reflect on some of the challenges with a particular c…