Saturday, May 28, 2011

The Most Important Thing I have Done In Second Life

The Evolution of Understanding

I have a little more than  2 years of experience in Second Life. In this time some amazing things have happened... nomination for the Linden Prize, building of Winthrop & the Sunken Gardens, the art and machinima challenges, hosting the artwork of then CEO of Linden Labs, M Linden, Peter Greenaway being guest of honour at UWA, and many more things. However, in my mind, what I will do this Tuesday, will be the most important. I'll explain below.

Now I dont normally write like this. There is in almost all of my previous posts, an 'official sheen'. However I need to be myself if I want to convey this evolution of understanding that has come about in me through a number of things that have happened across and following MachinimUWA III: Journeys.

 
I think these days, it is very hard to get below the surface with anything, to really know something or someone beyond the superficial exterior. News, happenings with acquaintances, friends, relatives sometimes go by in a blizzard of email, facebook and twitter posts. Many times we look, we read, we post, but we do not really see, we do not truly understand, nor do we really communicate. Sometimes though something happens that allows me to break through this fog...

On the 4th of February, MachinimUWA III was launched.... entries started coming in steadily, and on the 11th of April, I received an entry called 'Twinkle's Journey', by Bay Sweetwater of North California, USA, and it carried this message from Bay. "My machinima entry for MachinimUWA III is finally done and entered. Wipes forehead in relief. What a heartrending ordeal."

 I looked at it, I remember wondering a little bit about why I didnt see the star too much through 'Twinkle's Journey', apart from right at the start, and I do remember one of my colleagues commenting to me that it was very different from all the others. I didnt really know how to relate to it though then, and to me it seemed a quaint video for kids. The comment I made on the machinima in fact referenced not the machinima, but one of the art creators whose work featured in it:

"Very nice Bay... and wow... Julia Hathor, of legend"

The competition continued, and reached its finale on the 22nd of May 2011 Peter Greenaway's talk and the winners announcements. 'Twinkle's Journey' did not feature among the winners. Bay Sweetwater however, did, as she was in a 4-way tie for 3rd place in the viewer participation event. Part of her prize was to be the book '100 Treasures From UWA' released for the 2011 centenary of the University of Western Australia.

The following day many people sent me links to various news articles and posts about the winners ceremonies, and one of the links I received, was a link to a post Bay Sweetwater had written in her blog:

"I was feeling so low all day (yes, even tears) at my little “Twinkle’s Journey” video not placing anywhere in the MachinimUWAIII machinima competition this year. (See results here, heartfelt congratulations to all the amazing winners and award recipients)."

I know through my experience over the past 2 years with the art and machinima challenges that there will always be brilliance missing out on any awards that might be given out following the conclusion of the challenges, and I always try to be encouraging with anyone I know to be feeling disheartened, and hence, I responded to her in comments as follows:

"Hey Bay, don’t feel down. Your work was wonderful, and had a lot of great comments during the Machinima review days. Full audio is linked on the uwa website. It was truly truly hard not to give everyone something. some brilliant brilliant works including your missed out, and with so many talented artists and machinimatographers out there, thats always going to happen. Chin up. Smile. Your work is wonderful"

I then reminded her that she had actually won a prize, and that there was to be a book posted to her. She said instead of sending it to her, I should donate it to a primary school. When I heard this I thought it was a rather unusual request and I was a little ambivalent as to whether I would in fact do that, or let it be, as I was busy organizing to post the book to all the other winners and it would have been so much easier if I could have done the same in this case.

Anyway, some little thing inside me told me I should contact a school, and try to honour the request.  And so it was that I contacted the principal of the North Woodvale Primary School, Greg Brice, and told him that, someone in the United States had won a prize, and asked for me to donate this prize to a school, and that I would like to donate it to North Woodvale Primary, along with the machinima 'Twinkle's Journey' that Bay had created (this will be happening on Tuesday, the 31st of May).

Having organized this, I wrote to Bay and told her this and asked if she had a message that I could convey, as I was giving this on her behalf (in my mind, it was to be a message to the principal). Anyway, here is the message Bay asked me to convey:

Twinkle always believed in herself and her dreams, and look, she got all the way to the stars! You can too. Always believe in yourselves, no matter what anybody says, and you'll find your dreams, just like Twinkle. I'm so glad you're watching my little video. You'll probably notice that you feel Twinkle in the movie, but you don't see her anywhere! That's Twinkle's little mystery. No one can see her, but she lives everywhere. You can feel her in the trees and the rocking horse and the unicorn--all the things she loves. Especially that star up in the sky that has her name. So when you go home tonight, go outside when it gets real dark and wave to Twinkle high up in the sky. I bet she'll wave back to you! A big hug to every one of you, Bay Sweetwater

Again, I thought it a rather unusual message, and found it quaint she chose to direct her comment to the kids. But I did flash a smile when I saw through this comment, that the star not being present through most of the machinima was by design, and I thought here it made sense at last as to why I didnt see the star throughout the journey.

So,  had organized everything, had received the message, and copied the movie onto a thumb drive and was feeling good that I could do this. And I decided to watch the machinima again. 'Nice songs', I remember thinking.

But I still wasn't 100% happy with the message, and I wrote again  to Bay (26th May, 11:57)  saying:

"One other thing I would like you to add, if you could, is a general message from you to them (the kids). why you wanted to give your prize to them :)"

A few hours later (26 May, 14:37), I was to write again:

"Hi Bay
Oh my... i have read it now a few times and finally really really understand it. Its perfect Bay. In every way."


What had happened was, I had watched Twinkle's Journey again, and finally saw what I should have seen before. The comments she had in the description:

"A child's journey to the stars, told by those of us who are left behind."

I was thunderstruck. I was finally starting to see.... the curious words appearing close to the start of the  in the machinima became crystal clear to me at last:

"How I wonder where you are my little star. We thought you'd gone, yet here you are. You never left us."

The words from her blog, when she submitted the machinima, came back to me... 'what a heartrending ordeal'. I could hear the sound of a million pennies dropping.

I went back to her blog, and saw another post which said the following:

"I love my Twinkle’s Journey entry. I know it’s probably not the best technically or artistically, but my heart is in it. Here’s a poem for Twinkle; no matter how far your journey to the stars, your home is always in my heart.

FIREFLY IN A JAR
by Bay Sweetwater
Spring never woke that year, no eye
beheld the flowers, no tender sigh
escaped its lips. My tears wouldn’t dry.
I hailed a passing butterfly.
He’ll carry me, he’ll carry me.

Through stormy nights and days anew,
O’er woodland green and waters blue,
I see all love come shining through.
Yeah, love itself will get me through,
And carry me, and carry me.

It doesn’t matter where you are,
My own cupped hand or farflung star,
I’ll always hold you in my heart:
My firefly in a jar.
I’ll carry you, I’ll carry you.
It was so clear now to me how Bay was in overcoming her sorrow trying to share the best memories of her little star with all of us. I was so glad that I had taken the trouble to contact the school and had looked beyond the surface.

I watched Twinkle's Journey again and felt drawn to one of the songs in it.
Emelia Sleeps, by Loveshadow. I searched for the words and found them:

Emelia 9.04.08 - 4.01.09

Emelia Sleeps
Under pastures green
Under leafy Skies
By the old Oak tree

And the windmills turn
And the toys will fade
The Seasons come
And the angels play

Emelia Sleeps
But she speaks to me
From another place
In eternity

Tells me she was loved
More than most will know
China Teddy Bears
Say it’s so

If I could trade one day
Then I surely would
Cause Emelia Sleeps
By the Blubell wood.

LS 2010 


There was not one, but 2 heart rending stories contained in Twinkle's Journey. Mirroring my thoughts that many of us look but do not see, these comments were made by someone who has listened to Emelia Sleeps,  'A sweet and tender lullaby', to which Loveshadow responded, '...if only it were just a lullaby'.

I made an announcement that Bay had donated her prize to the School, and more people started to understand the truth behind Twinkle's Journey, and had I believe communicated their feelings and support to Bay.

I had hoped that all of this would somehow help her through her grief, but it wasn't something I could ask of course. Then she posted this message in the comments section of Twinkle's Journey:

"Thank you everyone for all your kind and heartwarming comments. They mean more to me than I can say. How thoughtful of you, Jay Jay, to extend Twinkle's Journey to Woodvale school, along with the copy of the UWA book, quite an amazing treasure in itself! Btw, in addition to Loveshadow's bittersweet tune "Emelia," this video features the music of Anchor Mejans' gladdening song "Welcome Home," which opened up my heart to make this little video. A big hug to you all."

And this is the evolution of my understanding, and in my thoughts the most significant chapter in what has been my own journey through Second Life, and will come full circle when Twinkle makes the journey to North Woodvale Primary School.

Jay Jay


EDIT:
This is what happened next, with images of the occasion at the Primary School 







Friday, May 27, 2011

31st MAY CLOSING - UWA RL (and SL) Photographic Competition: A Century of Seasons

.

University of Western Australia's "A Century of Seasons Photographic Competition" is being held to celebrate the diversity of The University of Western Australia’s campus at Crawley as well as other sites associated with the University. Images that reflect the seasonal, scenic, academic, botanical and/or atmospheric characteristics of these sites are sought.

Closing Date : 31st May 2011
Method of Entry: Webform on UWA Office of Development and Alumni Relations Website

MAIN PAGE:
http://www.development.uwa.edu.au/friends/fog/photo-competition

ENTRY FORM
http://www.development.uwa.edu.au/friends/fog/photo-competition/entry-form

TERMS & CONDITIONS http://www.development.uwa.edu.au/friends/fog/photo-competition/terms

MESSAGE FOR SL RESIDENTS FROM JAY JAY ZIFANWE:
The above is taken from the website of the Office of Development and Alumni Relations, UWA. This was initially envisioned by them as an RL only Photo competition, however, they have now confirmed to me that PHOTOS TAKEN IN SECOND LIFE AT THE UWA CAMPUS ARE ELIGIBLE!

I am adding a L$25,000 prize to anyone whose works are selected for the calendar.

This is the message I received from the Chair of the UWA Friends of the Grounds Photographic Competition and Calendar Sub-committee.

"I was forwarded your email [as chairperson of the relevant group who organizes it] last week regarding the eligibility of photos for the virtual UWA site. Having consulted the others in the Group, all of whom attended your excellent presentation a few weeks ago, we think it is a great idea – the competition is called 'A Century of Seasons' and surely this includes the 'then', the 'now' and the future. Please encourage your friends to submit their images. I look forward to seeing them – and hearing the comments of the judges."

I am not closely involved in the running of this competition, and in fact intend to submit a few snaps myself. If any avatars feature in a photo you want to send in, please have written permission from the person allowing you to send the photo in.

The SL campus at UWA is made up of both replications of the campus grounds, as well as areas that exist only in second life. I do not have detailed knowledge of the judging criteria, but my personal advice would be to focus on areas of the campus which can be recognized against the RL campus, meaning areas like the UWA 3D Open Art Challenge Gallery, will probably have no traction (and this is just my guess). To assist the many who would be unfamiliar with the RL campus, here are some suggested areas, that the panel would recognize as being representative of UWA:

Winthrop Clock Tower & Reflecting Pond

Sunken Gardens
Physics Building

School of Business Building
The Ken & Julie Michael Building (Motorola Building)

Lawrence Wilson Art Gallery
Moreton Bay Fig Trees

Peacocks
UWA Law Building









Thursday, May 26, 2011

Twinkle's Journey to North Woodvale Primary School

.


Bay Sweetwater (of the United States) won one of the prizes announced at the 22nd of May Grand Finale of MachinimUWA III. One of her prizes was to be the book '100 Treasures From UWA'. Bay had however requested that the book be donated to a Primary School of my choice.

This has been arranged, and on Tuesday the 31st of May, the book, along with a copy of the Machinima created by Bay, 'Twinkle's Journey' will be given to the School Principal of the North Woodvale Primary School (Western Australia), Greg Brice during a school assembly.

I asked Bay if she would be kind enough to share a message with the children, and this is what she sent:

"Twinkle always believed in herself and her dreams, and look, she got all the way to the stars! You can too. Always believe in yourselves, no matter what anybody says, and you'll find your dreams, just like Twinkle. I'm so glad you're watching my little video. You'll probably notice that you feel Twinkle in the movie, but you don't see her anywhere! That's Twinkle's little mystery. No one can see her, but she lives everywhere. You can feel her in the trees and the rocking horse and the unicorn--all the things she loves. Especially that star up in the sky that has her name. So when you go home tonight, go outside when it gets real dark and wave to Twinkle high up in the sky. I bet she'll wave back to you! A big hug to every one of you, Bay Sweetwater"

As per the tributes on the machinima, Twinkle's Journey is "A child's journey to the stars, told by those of us who are left behind."

"I love my Twinkle’s Journey entry. I know it’s probably not the best technically or artistically, but my heart is in it. Here’s a poem for Twinkle; no matter how far your journey to the stars, your home is always in my heart."

FIREFLY IN A JAR
by Bay Sweetwater

Spring never woke that year, no eye
beheld the flowers, no tender sigh
escaped its lips. My tears wouldn’t dry.
I hailed a passing butterfly.
He’ll carry me, he’ll carry me.

Through stormy nights and days anew,
O’er woodland green and waters blue,
I see all love come shining through.
Yeah, love itself will get me through,
And carry me, and carry me.

It doesn’t matter where you are,
My own cupped hand or farflung star,
I’ll always hold you in my heart:
My firefly in a jar.
I’ll carry you, I’ll carry you.

Thank you Bay, thank you Twinkle. Twinkle's journey now continues to North Woodvale Primary, and we hope will inspire a whole new generation.

EDIT: And thank you Loveshadow for sharing this

Tutsy & Jayjay Interviewed on MBC News: MachinimUWA III, IV & V

.

MBC News May 25th, 2011 from Metaverse TV on Vimeo.


Dousa Dragonash interviews Tutsy Navarathna, joint-winner of MachinimUWA III, and Jay Jay Jegathesan/ Jayjay Zifanwe, who gives an insight into what might be in store for the future. (interview proper starts from approximately 14:55)

.

Tribute By Open This End on MachinimUWA III

.
Aino Baar of Open This End has sent in the following tribute to the MachinimUWA III works. Much thanks to them for their sponsorship of the event and efforts in putting together this E-Book:


.

Monday, May 23, 2011

Eric Boccara & Tutsy Navarathna, Grand Prize Winners for MachinimUWA III!

Peter Greenaway Speaks @ Grand Finale (photo by PJ Trenton)

In a nail biting finish to MachinimUWA III: Journeys, it came down to the final judges scorecard sent in 20 minutes before the midnight deadline causing a tie between the double epics of  Eric Boccara's 'Juroney', and Tutsy Navarathna's 'Journey Into the Metaverse' each winning L$85,000 and a special package including the book released this year for the centenary of the University of Western Australia, 'The 100 Treasures of UWA'. Bryn Oh's 'Rusted Gears' took the much coveted Peter Greenaway Prize (L$60,000), while Alfonso Kohn's 'Unplugged', an avatars journey to reconnect with her 'creator' took 3rd prize. 


A small section of the audience (photo by Andy Graycloud) 



The Phoenix Embers Showcats Kicked off the Grand Finale (photo by PJ Trenton)

Results and reactions are summarized next, with the full text of the announcements on the day provided below:

GRAND PRIZE WINNER of  MachinimUWA III (JOINT) (@L$85,000):
JOURNEY INTO THE METAVERSE by Tutsy Navarathna
JURONEY by Eric Boccara of the Netherlands


Tutsy Navarathna (photo by PJ Trenton)

"Wow, what an honor and a pleasure to have my work selected from this group of astoundingly impressive submissions!  Many thanks to the University of Western Australia for its pioneering support of 3D artists and budding "machinimatographers," as together we give birth to this new and exciting art form. Word will spread and the rest of the world will become aware of us soon, no doubt! I would like to specially thank the now-famous Jayjay Zifanwe. Without his vision and enthusiasm, none of this would be possible. And of course, my profound gratitude to all of the 3D artists and builders of Second Life, for their generosity in giving me access to their work, rather than insulating themselves with copyright concerns. I am moved by this display of artistic solidarity and freedom of expression. Special thanks to Blotto Epsilon, for the Spencer Museum of Art, and to SuzeLaRousse Milo, for Risk City." Tutsy Navarathna


Eric Boccara (photo by Jayjay Zifanwe)

"Its an honor to win this award. I honestly did not see it coming, as while my Machinima had flashy graphics detailed animations, and all the good things graphics wise. It didn't have much of a story.
There were Machinimas out in this contest with such a deep story, that i actually wondered if i would stand a chance against it. But to my suprise i won, alongside with the talented tutsy. And guess what. I'l be back for UWA4!" Eric Boccara


Peter Greenaway MachinimUWA III Prize (L$60,000)
RUSTED GEARS by Bryn Oh

"I am honoured to have won this award from Mr. Peter Greenaway.  It is remarkable that a man of his stature would come forward to support the machinima arts. His presence and willingness to engage in dialogue is greatly appreciated.  It helps to illustrate that the critics of this new frontier in art are merely short sighted, as we know most critics are at the beginning of anything which challenges their dominance of understanding.  We are currently in the Salon des Refusés and may we always remain there." Bryn Oh

3rd prize for MachinimUWA III (L$50,000)
UNPLUGGED by Al Peretz (Alfonso Kohn) of Miami Florida, originally hailing from Colombia

"I found an interesting competition. Once again thank those who participated in this film and everyone who saw my movie. This is another step we take to keep learning and improving. In future we hope to present a better job. Congratulations to the winners" Alfonso Kohn

MachinimUWA III Special Award for JOURNEY AND MACHINIMA ADAPTATION (L$37,150):
THE EGG by Animatechnica Umbarundu

"I am turly honored to be recognized tihs in wonderful celebration of art" Animatechnica Umbarundu

MachinimUWA III Special Award for ‘FEEL’ & MUSIC (L$37,150) :
BAKERMAN’S JOURNEY by Arrow Inglewood


"I would like to thank the UWA and Jay Z for their incredible and  generous support, encouragement  and  promotion of  this new art form.  I would like to extend my admiration and  congratulations to everyone who entered and contributed to the growing lexicon of machinima. I would also like to make a special acknowledgement of the Winthrop Hall Clock tower for providing such timely inspiration." Arrow Inglewood

MachinimUWA III Special Award for IMAGERY (L$37,150):
BEGINNING OF KNOWLEDGE AND OF SORROW by Laslopantomik Yao

"Special recognition for Cat Carfagno as she was my right hand in making our little piece posible.
Also special recognition for the great deep australian voice of Talesin Llanfair.  I am amazed how could we ever win such a prize (MachinimUWA III Special Award for IMAGERY ). Imagery sounds magic.  I want to thanx everybody on UWA university, judges and everybody that follows this pioneer event. For me the most important is the journey towards being able to do something that is nice to share with all machinima comunity and makes you feel something. I am very very happy for this recognition. More then all, the best is to  be part of this comunity." Laslopantomik Yao


MachinimUWA III Special Award for NARRATION AND HISTORICAL CONTENT  (L$37,150):
KAPHD by Hypatia Pickens

 I'm so very gratified to receive this award for narration and vocal content.  I think I worked hardest on the voice and singing than even the imagery and animation...take after take after take in Sound Booth.  Thank heavens I learned to sing Hildegard's antiphon, and I love her invented words.  It was such a pleasure creating this for the UWA; I felt I took a risk focusing on the 12th century. My heartfelt thanks to all the judges for thinking well of it, and to the UWA for sponsoring this challenge." Hypatia Pickens

MachinimUWA III Special Award for MESSAGE AND IMAGINATION (L$37,150):
ESCAPE by Veruca Vandyke

"I am grateful of the honor that my movie has recieved and thrilled that others have enjoyed it too." Veruca Vandyke

MachinimUWA III Special Award for INTERPRETATION AND DELIVERY (L$37,150):
WARRIORS OF ALIVENESS by Cecil Hirvi

 "UWA III was one of the best, fairest machinima contests ever devised. Leave it to a Physics guy to run a better art film festival."  Cecil Hirvi

MachinimUWA III  Honourable Mention Prize JOINT  (@L$18,575):
REQUIEM by Kobuk Farshore

THE JOURNEY by Soda Lemondrop

"Very inspirational to know your work is being seen and acknowledged and makes you want to try harder and to create more and better art. Loved being a part of the Machinima and really excited to see what I can create for next year." Soda Lemondrop

MachinimUWA III Viewer Participation Prize 1st Prize (L$30,000)
PIA KLAAR

MachinimUWA III  Viewer Participation Prize  2nd Prize (L$20,000)
CISKO VANDEVERRE

MachinimUWA III  Viewer Participation Prize JOINT- 3rd Prize (@L$2,500) 
ZENI RAIN
LALIE SORBET
BAY SWEETWATER
ARROW  INGLEWOOD

Open This End Awards of Excellence in Film (@L$3,000)
BRYN OH (Toronto, Canada) - Rusted Gears
HYPATIA PICKENS (Rochester, New York, USA) - KAPHD
CECIL HIRVI (Citizen of the Universe) - Warriors of Aliveness
ARROW INGLEWOOD (Toronto, Canada) - Bakerman's Journey
ED VESPUCCIANO (Ottawa, Ontario, Canada) - The Marine Corps Does Not Want Robots

Open This End Awards of Excellence in Directing(@L$3,000)
AL PERETZ [ALFONSO KOHN] (Miami, Florida) - Unplugged
ANIMATECHNICA UMBARUNDU (Northern California, USA) - The Egg
ERIC BOCCARA  (Velp, Netherlands) - Juroney
PIA KLAAR (Brewster, Massachusetts, USA) - The Red Shoes
TUTSY NAVARATHNA (Frenchman in Pondicherry, India) - Journey into the Metaverse

Open This End Emerging Artist Awards of Excellence (@L$3,000):
ANDY GRAYCLOUD (Moscow, Russia) - I Want to Go Fast
ANRI EMERALD (Riga, Latvia) - The journey of life and death
FUSCHIA NIGHTFIRE (Dorset, UK) - Take the Road Less Travelled
KOBUK FARSHORE (Alaska, USA) - Requiem & Home
LASLOPANTOMIK YAO (Barcelona, Spain) - Beginning of Knowledge and of Sorrow
MIMESIS MONDAY (Oslo, Norway) - Yourney
NICOLEX MOONWALL (New Orleans, USA) - Journey Into
OONA EIREN (London, UK) - Onward & Upward
SILENE CHRISTEN (The Balears Islands, Spain) - Lost Souls' Island
TAUBCHEN SONNENKERN & MERIT COBA (both of Alkmaar, Netherlands) - Object

NEW WORLD NOTES (WAGNER JAMES AU) REPORT ON THE WINNERS

NORDAN BLOG REPORT ON GRAND FINALE

PJ TRENTON'S PHOTO GALLERY OF GRAND FINALE

MACHINIMUWA III REVIEW WITH LAPISCEAN LIBERTY & KINTE TRILL (FULL AUDIO OF DAY 1 & 2

SOROR NISHI BLOG REPORT ON GRAND FINALE

ROWAN DERRYTH (PRIM PERFECT) BLOG ON GRAND FINALE

NICOLEX MOONWALL MACHINIMA OF THE AFTER PARTY

BRACLO EBER'S BLOG

EDITORIAL CLARITY 'LIVE FROM SECOND LIFE' ON JURONEY

BRYN OH BLOG ON WINNERS

For those who are interested, full text of the announcements by Jayjay Zifanwe which took place from 6am slt, Sunday 22nd May as follows:

Greetings everyone, and welcome to the University of Western Australia, or UWA as she is known and also welcome to the Grand Finale of MachinimUWA III: Journeys, the 3rd in the series of UWA Machinima Challenges. As is tradition at UWA, I would like to acknowledge that the University is situated on Nyoongar land and that the Nyoongar people remain the spiritual and cultural custodians of their land and continue to uphold their values, languages, beliefs and knowledge.

Before I do or say anything else, we have a real cracker to kick off the Grand Finale, and I would like to introduce to you Laurina Hawks and The Phoenix Embers Showcats, with the debut performance of a brand new show! Over to you Laurina!

LAURINA HAWKS & The Phoenix Embers Showcats debut performance of 'The Cinema Show' followed.

Today brings to an end the amazing journey of MachinimUWA III which kicked off on the 4th of February 2011. It will see the end of the rein of Laurina Hawks and Bradley Dorchester who are now on the judging panel, and see a new champion take the mantle from the 50 amazing entries that have come in from Spain, the USA, Mexico, India, Canada, Poland, Spain, Russia, Netherlands, South Africa, Italy, United Kingdom, Germany, Norway, Sweden & The Ukraine. Both Alaska and Antarctica are represented as well!

Its been an absolute pleasure for me to work with some wonderful people who have gone above and beyond the call of duty to make all of this a success.  Many, many of you helped in inumerable ways, but I do want to take this opportunity to thank LaPiecean Liberty, who is one of the true unsung heroes of second life, and with AviewTV has been instrumental in putting everything together. Thanks also to my co-host, machinimatographer, dancer extraordinnaire, and reigning UWA MachinimUWA Champion, Laurina Hawks. Also to Taralyn Gravois for all her work in the lead up to the ceremony, as I am sure she has been speaking to many of you. Thank you to Yesikita Coppola, the UWA Official Machinimatographer, who created the wonderful trailer for MachinimUWA III. Also to Aino Baar and Open This End, co-sponsor, and the craftspersons of quite an amazing surprise, which you will hear of soon. Due to AviewTV, Open This End, Jon Stubbs of UWA, the Cultural Precinct of UWA & the Vice-Chancellery, the Prize pool sits at approximately L$660,000.

But of course, the biggest thank you goes to our Special Guest of Honour, multiple award winning Director and Judge for MachinimUWA III, Peter Greenaway, who not 3 days ago, presented to me the most remarkable series of answers to questions I had asked (and you can find this on the UWA blog). I am honoured to welcome Peter to take the stage.

(Peter Speaks)

Thank you Peter, it was truly a privilege to have you here! At the end of all the announcements, we will be able to hear the amazing voice of Tukso Okey, who has kindly agreed to give one of his much sought after live performances. Someone else I need to acknowledge here are Metaverse TV with Mal Burns and Dousa Dragonash who are covering this event live, and helping to stream voice across the globe. Also thank you for all the amazing exposure you gave to the machinima submitted to the challenge over the past few weeks!

The machinima challenges would not have started if White lebed had not hounded me into starting the very first one, and which was also the most difficult to organize due to the extremely narrow theme, of displaying the Teaching, Research, Art and Architecture at the UWA SIMS. It was a necessary evil.... as because the machinima created by Chantal, Cisko, Bradley, Pyewaket Bellman and others who were part of this broke through the RL barrier at my university. If you will recall, the prize pool for that started with L$10,000 and increased to more than L$220,000 once it was seen by the RL side of UWA. This led to increased funding for machinima, and we had MachinimUWA II: Art of the Artists, followed by the current. I can now confirm that MachinimUWA IV, which is an 'Art of the Artists' challenge tied to the UWA 3D Open Art Challenge, opens immediately after this, and runs through approximately October 2011.

I want to thank our judging panel for their sterling work in looking through the incredible array of 50 entries. It was unbelievably hard to seperate things, and the panel was put to a great deal of work and this was an amazing 26 member panel made up of people from all around the world involved in a diverse array of related areas.

Peter Greenaway (RL) - Acclaimed Director
Professor Ted Snell (RL) - Director, Cultural Precinct, The University of Western Australia
Jay  Jay Jegathesan (RL) / Jayjay Zifanwe (SL) - Manager School of Physics/ Lead of UWA Virtual Worlds
Cristina García-Lasuén (RL) / Aino Baar (SL) International Curator, Art Writer, Founder & Owner of Open This End group
Yesikita Coppola (SL) - Official Machinimatographer for UWA 2011
Laurina Hawks (SL) - Joint Reigning UWA MachinimUWA Champion
FreeWee Ling (SL) - Curator, UWA 3D Open Art Challenge
LaPiscean Liberty (SL) - CEO AviewTV and UWA Virtual World Technical Media Advisor
Nazz Lane (SL) - Journalist and Author
Rowan Derryth (SL) - Art & Design Historian; Writer for Prim Perfect Publications
Apollo Manga (SL) - examiner.com Writer & Novelist
Dr. Phylis Johnson (RL) - Media Professor, Southern Illinois University, Author - Machinima: Aesthetics and Practice (a.k.a, Sonicity Fitzroy, SL Virtual Journalist)
Lowell Cremorne (SL), Owner & Editor-In-Chief, The Metaverse Journal
Mal Burns (SL), Metaverse News Aggregator and Broadcaster
Paisley Beebe (SL), CEO of Perfect World Productions TV
Flimsey Freenote - CEO of Metamix TV (Mixed Reality Television)
Rhett Linden (SL) - Linden Labs
Bradley Dorchester (SL) - Joint Reigning UWA MachinimUWA Champion
Dousa Dragonash (SL) - COO Metaverse Television
White Lebed (SL) - Former Lead of Burning Life Art Department, Director of Special Projects @ UWA
Madeline Bates (RL) - Program Manager (Film), Perth International Arts Festival, UWA
Chantal Harvey (SL) - Founder of MaMachinima Group
Jon Stubbs (RL) - Director of Student Services, UWA
Dr Lisa Cluett (RL) - Project Leader - ALTC Viral Leadership Project, UWA
A/Prof Peter Mudie (RL) - Film: Imagist Avant-Garde, School of Architecture, Landscape and Visual Arts
Thomas Chadwick (RL) - UWA Student Guild Public Affairs Council President

One more acknowledgement. The trophy for the winners of MachinimUWA III is a fabulous nano version of Winthrop Clock Tower, created by the Nano Artist Mkoll Wiles especially for this Challenge. Thank you Mkoll! Laurina Hawks will be giving this trophy to all winners after the ceremony. If you dont receive one in the next few days, do contact her (as SL sometimes plays up).

Before going on, some announcements as to happenings with UWA in Second Life.

First of all, on one of the UWA SIMS, we have been having a full sim art series, where an artist was given a full sim for an entire month to work their magic. The month of May till the 30th features 'The Art of Wizard Gynoid', and as it says on the Linden Showcase, this is a "dazzling display of colorful geometric art inspired by fractals, tensegrity and hyperboloids". Do take time to see it before the end of the month. Save this slurl  http://slurl.com/secondlife/UWA%20VIRTLANTIS/132/139/24

Next, the People's Choice Vote for the May round of the L$1,000,000 UWA 3D Open Art Challenge is open right now, and will be open for voting till the 3rd of June. More than 75 amazing artworks in for the May Round, do visit when you can http://slurl.com/secondlife/UWA/63/132/249 Also do note down the date of the winners announcements which will be from 6am slt on Sunday the 5th of June. We are alo receiving artworks as of now for the June Round. We had announced that we were taking the advice we received from a survey sent out to keep the monthly collections together for a longer period, and are thus closing entries on the 20th of each month, meaning the full sets of monthly art collections are together for 2 weeks at least. We're still collecting your ideas and impressions about the UWA Challenges. If you haven't yet had a chance to participate in the survey, please save the following link for a rainy day. It shouldnt take more than 5 minutes, and will help me out a great deal. Go to: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/UWASecondLife

Also, the 31st of May is the closing date for UWA's RL/SL Photo competition. "A Century of Seasons Photographic Competition" is being held to celebrate the diversity of The University of Western Australia’s campus at Crawley as well as other sites associated with the University. Images that reflect the seasonal, scenic, academic, botanical and/or atmospheric characteristics of these sites are sought. Anyone good with an SL camera, save this link:
http://uwainsl.blogspot.com/2011/05/uwa-rl-and-sl-photographic-competition.html

On to the awards!

Okay, first of all will be a special series of awards by one of the co-sponsors of the challenge, Open This End, led by Aino Baar. This group had a separate RL based sub committee looking at all the machinima, and they saw such an abundance of excellence, that they decided to provide 20 Awards of Excellence of L$3,000 each. This was a pleasant surprise to me, as I had been wondering how even more of the wonderful creators of the Machinima could be recognized.

Firstly we have 5 Open This End Awards of Excellence in Film (@L$3,000), and these go to (in alphabetical order, as opposed to the reverse Klingon Alphabetical order that we listed all the machinima on the UWA blog):
BRYN OH (Toronto, Canada) - Rusted Gears
HYPATIA PICKENS (Rochester, New York, USA) - KAPHD
CECIL HIRVI (Citizen of the Universe) - Warriors of Aliveness
ARROW INGLEWOOD (Toronto, Canada) - Bakerman's Journey
ED VESPUCCIANO (Ottawa, Ontario, Canada) - The Marine Corps Does Not Want Robots

Next, there are 5 Open This End Awards of Excellence in Directing(@L$3,000), and these go to:
AL PERETZ [ALFONSO KOHN] (Miami, Florida) - Unplugged
ANIMATECHNICA UMBARUNDU (Northern California, USA) - The Egg
ERIC BOCCARA  (Velp, Netherlands) - Juroney
PIA KLAAR (Brewster, Massachusetts, USA) - The Red Shoes
TUTSY NAVARATHNA (Frenchman in Pondicherry, India) - Journey into the Metaverse

And because they are great believers in supporting the development of machinima from the grassroots up, there are 10 Open This End Emerging Artist Awards of Excellence (@L$3,000), and these go to:
ANDY GRAYCLOUD (Moscow, Russia) - I Want to Go Fast
ANRI EMERALD (Riga, Latvia) - The journey of life and death
FUSCHIA NIGHTFIRE (Dorset, UK) - Take the Road Less Travelled
KOBUK FARSHORE (Alaska, USA) - Requiem & Home
LASLOPANTOMIK YAO (Barcelona, Spain) - Beginning of Knowledge and of Sorrow
MIMESIS MONDAY (Oslo, Norway) - Yourney
NICOLEX MOONWALL (New Orleans, USA) - Journey Into
OONA EIREN (London, UK) - Onward & Upward
SILENE CHRISTEN (The Balears Islands, Spain) - Lost Souls' Island
TAUBCHEN SONNENKERN & MERIT COBA (both of Alkmaar, Netherlands) - Object

Next for the Viewer Participation Prize, which has a prize pool of L$60,000, in which anyone in the world who was not on the official judging panel was invited to provide what they thought the top 10 would be as decided by the actual panel. This was no mean task, as the viewer had to watch all 50 machinima and then rank them, and I can tell you.Aside from the Lindens, the winners will receive in the mail a special RL pack that includes a copy of the book, 'The 100 Treasures of UWA' which has just been released to commemorate UWA's Centenary, as UWA are 100 years old this year! The first prize winner will also be invited to be on the official judging panel for MachinimUWA IV.

There was a maximum of 100 points that any viewer could get, and this is if they were spot on with every single selection and matched the exact order as well. For example, if you listed a machinima in 1st place, and it actually won first, you would receive 10 points (there is a difference of ZERO between your selection and the actual). If you listed a Machinima as 1st, and it got 10th, then you would get one point (difference of 9 between your selection and actual). Now the average score achieved by entrants for this was 32, with 62 being the top score, and 11 being the bottom.

Anyway, we had a wonderful response, and a curious outcome for 3rd place. Finishing on exactly 43 points, in the Viewer Participation Prize were ZENI RAIN,  LALIE SORBET, BAY SWEETWATER and ARROW  INGLEWOOD!  All will be sent the RL packs, and the 3rd prize will be split, so each takes home L$2,500.

The 2nd Prize Winner for the Viewer Participation Prize, had 58 points, huge gap between 2nd the group at 3rd. 7 of this persons selections turned out to be in the actual top 10. And so, the winner of the L$20,000 2nd Prize for the Viewer Participation event is:

CISKO VANDEVERRE

Unbelievable.... what has he not done. Cisko won the original Machinima challenge, helped organize the 2nd one and now takes this prize. Maybe he should have been on the panel all along, but then again, I was hoping he would have his aliens create another journey!

And now the winner of the Viewer Participation Prize, on 62 points, just beating out Cisko, and also picking out 7 of the top 10. Another amazing story here. This person ALSO won one of the top 3 prizes for viewer participation in MachinimUWA II: Art of the Artists, of course this time with the viewer prize pool being so much more than it was, the difference in prize money is by a factor of  30! And so the winner of the L$30,000 First prize for the Viewer Participation Event is:

PIA KLAAR

Congrats Pia. Well, Pia will now be invited onto the official panel for MachinimUWA IV, though I am secretly wishing she declines and submits another one of her wonderful machinima for the event instead. Anyway, that will be left to Pia to decide.

Now on to the winners of the competition proper. When the winners are announced, it will be done in 1 minute intervals. We do invite everyone to comment and congratulate the winners and for the winners to respond before the next announcement (and if they could please use the SHOUT function). Hopefully we can get pictures of you attending the event. Anyone taking good pictures of today, please email them to me at jayjayaustralia@hotmail.com

Now to explain  how the judging was done. Each judge listed their top 10 in order of preference. 8 points was allocated for a 1st place vote, 6 points for a 2nd place vote, 4 points for 3rd, 3 for 4th, 2 for 5th, and 1 point each for 6th – 10th. Straight aggregates were then used for the top 3, with the special awards decided by discussion among a smaller subset of  judges taking into consideration the overall rankings. There is of course the Peter Greenaway Prize as well. One thing to note is that for these in particular, a 1 prize only rule was used. Also know that the judging was extremely diverse with even the 1st prize winner featuring in 19 of the 26 top 10 lists. The average number of top 10’s any given work featured in was about 4 to 6.

There are 7 special prizes of L$37,150 each.

First of all,  and you can see the trouble started here, we have the Honourable Mention Prize. However, the judges were hopelessly deadlocked. And so it was, that we had a tie for the Honourable Mention Prize, which becomes L$18,575 each!  And so the Honourable Mention Prize for MachinimUWA III (L$18,575) goes to:
REQUIEM by Kobuk Farshore

this was one of the earliest entries received and truly set the standard for the challenge!

and the Honourable Mention Prize for machinimUWA III (L$18,575), also goes to:
THE JOURNEY by Soda Lemondrop

If only we had a Best Comedy category!

Moving on, the MachinimUWA III Special Award for  JOURNEY AND MACHINIMA ADAPTATION (L$37,150) goes to:
THE EGG by Animatechnica Umbarundu

Very very much a favourite of many, containing one of my favourite phrases ‘The Hindus Were Right’ !

Next, the MachinimUWA III Special Award for ‘FEEL’ & MUSIC (L$37,150) goes to:
BAKERMAN’S JOURNEY by Arrow Inglewood

Its a pity Arrow can’t be here today as he is off somewhere tripping the baguette fantastic!

And now the MachinimUWA III Special Award for IMAGERY (L$37,150) goes to:
BEGINNING OF KNOWLEDGE AND OF SORROW by Laslopantomik Yao

Wonderful machinima which has its origins in a book written in China several hundred years ago.

Next, the MachinimUWA III Special Award for NARRATION AND HISTORICAL CONTENT  (L$37,150) goes to:
KAPHD by Hypatia Pickens

Amazing atmosphere created in this machinima, and we see Hypatia’s vocal versatility

And now the MachinimUWA III Special Award for MESSAGE AND IMAGINATION:
ESCAPE by Veruca Vandyke
In books we find the soul of the universe. Thank you for reminding us of that.

And to cap it off, the MachinimUWA III Special Award for INTERPRETATION AND DELIVERY goes to:
WARRIORS OF ALIVENESS by Cecil Hirvi 

Thank you for bringing to UWA, the staggering conclusion to the saga of Cecil!

And next, for the staggering conclusion to MachinimUWA III!

The 3rd prize for MachinimUWA III is L$50,000. Now across 26 judges and 50 machinima, only 4 creations received more than two 1st Place votes. The 3rd Prize winner in fact received four 1st Place votes, and featured in the top 10’s of 19 of the 26 judges, with an overall point total of 72. This was a truly ground breaking piece, and I am in awe of its creator! And so, 3rd Prize (L$50,000) for MachinimUWA III: Journeys, goes to:

UNPLUGGED by Al Peretz (Alfonso Kohn) of Miami Florida

Apart from being amazing, this machinima also beautifully demonstrates to the world, how exactly virtual worlds work.

Next we come to 2nd Prize. And I tell you truly 20 minutes prior to the end of the deadline for the judges to provide their feedback, when the final judge had yet to send their submissions in, I had already done all the other calculations, and the name I am going to read out next, is NOT the name that had been inked in prior to me receiving that final judges listing 20 minutes before the end. It was that close. Every single position decision made by the judges, totally counted, and if there was even one deviation from any of them with regards to where this piece was placed, things would have been different. I was left shaking my head, as I am sure some of you will be in a few moments. And so, 2nd Prize for MachinimUWA III, goes to:

NOBODY

Some of you who know me will have already guessed why.

Before we move to 1st Prize, we come to a very special and much coveted award. The L$60,000 Peter Greenaway MachinimUWA III Prize. The winner of the prize, received four 1st place votes and featured in 15 of the 26 top 10 lists. The most amazing thing about this work to me, is how different it is from all of the other works in the top 10. And so, the winner of the Peter Greenaway MachinimUWA III Prize is:

RUSTED GEARS by Bryn Oh

And now for the Grand prize. Unfortunately, we can no longer award L$100,000 to the Grand Prize Winner.

This of course is because, as some of you may have guessed, we have a TIE for the Grand Prize with both these creations finishing on 91 points, decided by that fateful final result which came to me 20 minutes before the midnight close on the 18th of May. One of the winners had FIVE 1st place votes and featured in 20 of the 26 top 10 lists, while the other had FOUR 1st place votes, SEVEN 2nd place votes and featured in 18 of the 26 top 10 lists. So we had to recalibrate the prize, and put the 1st & 2nd Prize together and divide by 2, making that L$85,000 for each of the two 1st Prizes!

So, the JOINT-GRAND PRIZE WINNER of  MachinimUWA III: Journeys (L$85,000) is:
JOURNEY INTO THE METAVERSE by Tutsy Navarathna

Our much beloved Frenchman in Pondicherry who showed us the connections between an avatar and creator via this passage to India.

And now, the JOINT-GRAND PRIZE WINNER of  MachinimUWA III: Journeys (L$85,000) is:
JURONEY by Eric Boccara of the Netherlands

In the words of Bradley Dorchester (MachinimUWA II winner), whose place he takes on the podium, “I take my hat off to this guy. Great show and inclusion of the tower at the end. I like the protagonist’s unswerving focus to reach his destination. Attention to detail, music, story, sheer quality. I’m going to approach him at some later stage and see if he wants to do a collab. Could be awesome”.

Could be awesome indeed!

Thank you so much Mal Burns and Dousa Dragonash and your team for the live broadcast of this event and helping stream voice during the announcements!

NicoleX Moonwall Machinima of the happenings following the Winners Announcements

.


Queen of the single sweep machinima, NicoleX Moonwall cuts through the incredible lag to produce a wonderful show of the Tukso Okey performance and going on in the crowd immediately following the Grand Prize winners announcements.

Thank you Nicole!

.

Sunday, May 22, 2011

Grand Finale of MachinimUWA III: Journeys - 6AM SLT SUNDAY 22nd MAY


MachinimUWA III: Journeys - 22 May from Yesikita Coppola on Vimeo.

The Grand Finale of MachinimUWA III: Journeys is less than half a day away!

WINNERS ANNOUNCEMENT CEREMONY 6AM SLT SUNDAY 22nd MAY
Time & Date: 6am SLT Sunday, 22nd May
Location: UWA - BOSL Grand Amphitheatre (Entrance 1, Entrance 2, Entrance 3)
6AM SLT KICKOFF WITH: The Phoenix Embers Showcats
7AM SLT BRINGS THE HOUSE DOWN WITH: Tukso Okey

50 entries (all listed below, and all linked on AViewTV) have come in from around the world, including Spain, USA, Mexico, India, Canada, Poland, Spain, Russia, Netherlands, South Africa, Italy, United Kingdom, Germany, Norway, Sweden & The Ukraine. Both Alaska and Antarctica are represented in some capacity as well!

UWA would like to acknowledge the amazing efforts of some of the main organizers including Laurina Hawks and LaPiscean Liberty (AViewTV), with special mention to Taralyn Gravois as well! UWA would also like to thank the Guest Speaker of Honour for the winners announcements from 6am slt, Sunday 22nd May, acclaimed Director, Peter Greenaway who is also on the panel of judges.

Thank you also to Mal Burns & Dousa Dragonash who will be streaming the ceremony live on Metaworld TV.

L$660,000 PRIZE POOL (Sponsored by UWA, AviewTV & Open This End)
1st Prize - L$100,000
2nd Prize - L$70,000
3rd Prize - L$50,000
Peter Greenaway Prize - L$60,000
Open This End Awards of Excellence - L$60,000 Prize Pool
7 Special Prizes - L$37,150@
Prizes for Audience Participation Event - L$60,000

The trophy for the winners of MachinimUWA III is a fabulous nano version of  Winthrop Clock Tower, created by the Nano Artist Mkoll Wiles especially for this Challenge

MACHINIMUWA III: JOURNEYS (50 Entries - in reverse Klingon alphabetical order*)

LASLOPANTOMIK YAO (Barcelona, Spain) - Beginning of Knowledge and of Sorrow

SODA LEMONDROP (Monterey, California, USA) - The Journey

VERUCA VANDYKE (Arkansas, USA) - Escape

BERT JEDBURGH (Mexico City, Mexico) - Come to me

TUTSY NAVARATHNA (Frenchman in Pondicherry, India) - Journey into the Metaverse (English Version),  (French Version - English Subtitles)

BRYN OH (Toronto, Canada) - Rusted Gears

AL PERETZ [ALFONSO KOHN] (Miami, Florida) - Unplugged

CECIL HIRVI (Citizen of the Universe) - Warriors of Aliveness

L1Aura LOIRE / LORI LANDAY (USA) - Time Journey

SILENE CHRISTEN (The Balears Islands, Spain) - Lost Souls' Island

HYPATIA PICKENS (Rochester, New York, USA) - KAPHD

KOBUK FARSHORE (Alaska, USA) - Requiem

KOBUK FARSHORE (Alaska, USA) - Home

ANDY GRAYCLOUD (Moscow, Russia) - I Want to Go Fast

ANIMATECHNICA UMBARUNDU (Northern California, USA) - The Egg

ERIC BOCCARA (Velp, Netherlands) - Juroney

BRACLO EBER (South Africa) - Journey to the Top

PIA KLAAR (Brewster, Massachusetts, USA) - The Red Shoes

PALLINA60 LOON (Rome, Italy) - A Journey Through Time

ARROW INGLEWOOD (Toronto, Canada) - Bakerman's Journey

FUSCHIA NIGHTFIRE (Dorset, UK) - Take the Road Less Travelled

FRIDAY SIAMENDES (Denver, Colorado, USA) - Journey to Art Terror

MYRON BYRON (Western Europe) - Daydream

MARY WICKENTOWER ( Zimmerman, Minnesota, USA) - Journey Down Moon River

HUGO KRELL (Madrid, Spain) & Soriana Breda (Soria, Spain) - Proyecto XXY

MOLLY CYBERTAR (Wisconsin, USA) - Dance of the Red Boots

EVIE FAIRCHILD (Washington DC, USA) & ALMO SCHUMANN (Chatanooga Tennessee) - Gold

AIDEN WITRIAL (Munich, Germany) - Easel

AIDEN WITRIAL (Munich, Germany) - Rhythm of Time, Movement & The Moon

TAUBCHEN SONNENKERN (Alkmaar, Netherlands) & MERIT COBA (Alkmaar, Netherlands) - Object

AMBROSIA LANLEY (Seal Beach, California, USA) - My Second Life

ED VESPUCCIANO (Ottawa, Ontario, Canada) - Peyote, It Was Sweet

BAY SWEETWATER (Northern California, USA) - Twinkle's Journey

MIMESIS MONDAY (Oslo, Norway) - Yourney

LALA LARIX (Gdańsk, Poland) - 3 Minutes Ophelia Journey

OONA EIREN (London, UK) - Onward & Upward

ARM STROM (Oslo, Norway) - SymbioticA-Exotica or Vice Versa

NICOLEX MOONWALL (New Orleans, USA) - Spirit's Dream

NICOLEX MOONWALL (New Orleans, USA) - Journey Into

APMEL GOOSSON (Stockholm, Sweden) - The Rider

THETELL MERLIN (South East London, UK) - The Dragon


DELGADO CINQUETTI (Springfield, Illinois, USA) - An Infinite Journey

GINGER ALSOP (Calgary, Alberta, Canada) - The Clock Tower

YT RECREANT (Europe) - Straight to the Light

ED VESPUCCIANO (Ottawa, Ontario, Canada) - The Marine Corps Does Not Want Robots

MYTH GUYOT (Frankfurt, Germany) & LAKSHMI GIHA - Walk to Eleal

ANRI EMERALD (Riga, Latvia) - The journey of life and death

TIKAF VIPER (Living in Rome, Italy) - A Fashionable Journey

FAIRODIS AVIATIK (Kherson, Ukraine) - Journey to Fashion

CORPHAELIA NINETAILS (Bristol, UK) - Voyage to Antarctica

JUDGING PANEL
Peter Greenaway (RL) - Acclaimed Director
Professor Ted Snell (RL) - Director, Cultural Precinct, The University of Western Australia
Jay  Jay Jegathesan (RL) / Jayjay Zifanwe (SL) - Manager School of Physics/ Lead of UWA Virtual Worlds
Cristina García-Lasuén (RL) / Aino Baar (SL) International Curator, Art Writer, Founder & Owner of Open This End group
Yesikita Coppola (SL) - Official Machinimatographer for UWA 2011
Laurina Hawks (SL) - Joint Reigning UWA MachinimUWA Champion
FreeWee Ling (SL) - Curator, UWA 3D Open Art Challenge
LaPiscean Liberty (SL) - CEO AviewTV and UWA Virtual World Technical Media Advisor
Nazz Lane (SL) - Journalist and Author
Rowan Derryth (SL) - Art & Design Historian; Writer for Prim Perfect Publications
Apollo Manga (SL) - examiner.com Writer & Novelist
Dr. Phylis Johnson (RL) - Media Professor, Southern Illinois University, Author - Machinima: Aesthetics and Practice (a.k.a, Sonicity Fitzroy, SL Virtual Journalist)
Lowell Cremorne (SL), Owner & Editor-In-Chief, The Metaverse Journal
Mal Burns (SL), Metaverse News Aggregator and Broadcaster
Paisley Beebe (SL), CEO of Perfect World Productions TV
Flimsey Freenote - CEO of Metamix TV (Mixed Reality Television)
Rhett Linden (SL) - Linden Labs
Bradley Dorchester (SL) - Joint Reigning UWA MachinimUWA Champion
Dousa Dragonash (SL) - COO Metaverse Television
White Lebed (SL) - Former Lead of Burning Life Art Department, Director of Special Projects @ UWA
Madeline Bates (RL) - Program Manager (Film), Perth International Arts Festival, UWA
Chantal Harvey (SL) - Founder of MaMachinima Group
Jon Stubbs (RL) - Director of Student Services, UWA
Dr Lisa Cluett (RL) - Project Leader - ALTC Viral Leadership Project, UWA
A/Prof Peter Mudie (RL) - Film: Imagist Avant-Garde, School of Architecture, Landscape and Visual Arts
Thomas Chadwick (RL) - UWA Guild Public Affairs Council President


* Random
** RL - real life name, SL second life name

MachinimUWA III: Full List, Winners Ceremony (6am SLT 22nd May), Audience Event (L$60,000)


MachinimUWA III: Journeys - 22 May from Yesikita Coppola on Vimeo.

MachinimUWA III: Journeys which kicked off on the 4th of February 2011 is heading towards its finale! 50 entries (all listed below, and all linked on AViewTV) have come in from around the world, including Spain, USA, Mexico, India, Canada, Poland, Spain, Russia, Netherlands, South Africa, Italy, United Kingdom, Germany, Norway, Sweden & The Ukraine. Both Alaska and Antarctica are represented in some capacity as well!

UWA would like to acknowledge the amazing efforts of some of the main organizers including Laurina Hawks and LaPiscean Liberty (AViewTV), with special mention to Taralyn Gravois as well! UWA would also like to thank the Guest Speaker of Honour for the winners announcements from 6am slt, Sunday 22nd May, acclaimed Director, Peter Greenaway who is also on the panel of judges.

WINNERS ANNOUNCEMENT CEREMONY 6AM SLT SUNDAY 22nd MAY
A special event will be held to announce the outcomes of the challenge:
Time & Date: 6am SLT Sunday, 22nd May
Location: UWA - BOSL Grand Amphitheatre (Entrance 1, Entrance 2)
6AM SLT KICKOFF WITH: The Phoenix Embers Showcats
7AM SLT BRINGS THE HOUSE DOWN WITH: Tukso Okey

L$660,000 PRIZE POOL (Sponsored by UWA, AviewTV & Open This End)
1st Prize - L$100,000
2nd Prize - L$70,000
3rd Prize - L$50,000
Peter Greenaway Prize - L$60,000
Open This End Awards of Excellence - L$60,000 Prize Pool
7 Special Prizes - L$37,150@
Prizes for Audience Members - L$60,000

The trophy for the winners of MachinimUWA III is a fabulous nano version of  Winthrop Clock Tower, created by the Nano Artist Mkoll Wiles especially for this Challenge


L$60,000 AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION EVENT
Win a Share of L$60,000, A Spot on the Official Jury for MachinimUWA IV & Special RL Package
Deadline: Midnight SLT 18th May

L$60,000 (approx USD250) has been set aside for viewers who take part in a special participation event. We are asking everyone to watch the submissions and give us your TOP 10 machinima, in order of your preference (email jay.jay@uwa.edu.au OR list them on a notecard to Jayjay Zifanwe - please put your name on the title of the notecard with the words MachinimUWA III).

The 3 participants whose order comes closest to the final order decided by the judging panel (as below), will win for themselves L$30,000, L$20,000 and L$10,000 each. The first prize winner will also be invited to be on the panel for MachinimUWA IV and ALL 3 will receive in the mail a special pack that includes a copy of the book, '100 Treasures of UWA' which was produced for UWA's Centenary.

MACHINIMUWA III: JOURNEYS (50 Entries - in reverse Klingon alphabetical order*)

LASLOPANTOMIK YAO (Barcelona, Spain) - Beginning of Knowledge and of Sorrow

SODA LEMONDROP (Monterey, California, USA) - The Journey

VERUCA VANDYKE (Arkansas, USA) - Escape

BERT JEDBURGH (Mexico City, Mexico) - Come to me

TUTSY NAVARATHNA (Frenchman in Pondicherry, India) - Journey into the Metaverse (English Version),  (French Version - English Subtitles)

BRYN OH (Toronto, Canada) - Rusted Gears

AL PERETZ [ALFONSO KOHN] (Miami, Florida) - Unplugged

CECIL HIRVI (Citizen of the Universe) - Warriors of Aliveness

L1Aura LOIRE / LORI LANDAY (USA) - Time Journey

SILENE CHRISTEN (The Balears Islands, Spain) - Lost Souls' Island

HYPATIA PICKENS (Rochester, New York, USA) - KAPHD

KOBUK FARSHORE (Alaska, USA) - Requiem

KOBUK FARSHORE (Alaska, USA) - Home

ANDY GRAYCLOUD (Moscow, Russia) - I Want to Go Fast

ANIMATECHNICA UMBARUNDU (Northern California, USA) - The Egg

ERIC BOCCARA (Velp, Netherlands) - Juroney

BRACLO EBER (South Africa) - Journey to the Top

PIA KLAAR (Brewster, Massachusetts, USA) - The Red Shoes

PALLINA60 LOON (Rome, Italy) - A Journey Through Time

ARROW INGLEWOOD (Toronto, Canada) - Bakerman's Journey

FUSCHIA NIGHTFIRE (Dorset, UK) - Take the Road Less Travelled

FRIDAY SIAMENDES (Denver, Colorado, USA) - Journey to Art Terror

MYRON BYRON (Western Europe) - Daydream

MARY WICKENTOWER ( Zimmerman, Minnesota, USA) - Journey Down Moon River

HUGO KRELL (Madrid, Spain) & Soriana Breda (Soria, Spain) - Proyecto XXY

MOLLY CYBERTAR (Wisconsin, USA) - Dance of the Red Boots

EVIE FAIRCHILD (Washington DC, USA) & ALMO SCHUMANN (Chatanooga Tennessee) - Gold

AIDEN WITRIAL (Munich, Germany) - Easel

AIDEN WITRIAL (Munich, Germany) - Rhythm of Time, Movement & The Moon

TAUBCHEN SONNENKERN (Alkmaar, Netherlands) & MERIT COBA (Alkmaar, Netherlands) - Object

AMBROSIA LANLEY (Seal Beach, California, USA) - My Second Life

ED VESPUCCIANO (Ottawa, Ontario, Canada) - Peyote, It Was Sweet

BAY SWEETWATER (Northern California, USA) - Twinkle's Journey

MIMESIS MONDAY (Oslo, Norway) - Yourney

LALA LARIX (Gdańsk, Poland) - 3 Minutes Ophelia Journey

OONA EIREN (London, UK) - Onward & Upward

ARM STROM (Oslo, Norway) - SymbioticA-Exotica or Vice Versa

NICOLEX MOONWALL (New Orleans, USA) - Spirit's Dream

NICOLEX MOONWALL (New Orleans, USA) - Journey Into

APMEL GOOSSON (Stockholm, Sweden) - The Rider

THETELL MERLIN (South East London, UK) - The Dragon


DELGADO CINQUETTI (Springfield, Illinois, USA) - An Infinite Journey

GINGER ALSOP (Calgary, Alberta, Canada) - The Clock Tower

YT RECREANT (Europe) - Straight to the Light

ED VESPUCCIANO (Ottawa, Ontario, Canada) - The Marine Corps Does Not Want Robots

MYTH GUYOT (Frankfurt, Germany) & LAKSHMI GIHA - Walk to Eleal

ANRI EMERALD (Riga, Latvia) - The journey of life and death

TIKAF VIPER (Living in Rome, Italy) - A Fashionable Journey

FAIRODIS AVIATIK (Kherson, Ukraine) - Journey to Fashion

CORPHAELIA NINETAILS (Bristol, UK) - Voyage to Antarctica

JUDGING PANEL
Peter Greenaway (RL) - Acclaimed Director
Professor Ted Snell (RL) - Director, Cultural Precinct, The University of Western Australia
Jay  Jay Jegathesan (RL) / Jayjay Zifanwe (SL) - Manager School of Physics/ Lead of UWA Virtual Worlds
Cristina García-Lasuén (RL) / Aino Baar (SL) International Curator, Art Writer, Founder & Owner of Open This End group
Yesikita Coppola (SL) - Official Machinimatographer for UWA 2011
Laurina Hawks (SL) - Joint Reigning UWA MachinimUWA Champion
FreeWee Ling (SL) - Curator, UWA 3D Open Art Challenge
LaPiscean Liberty (SL) - CEO AviewTV and UWA Virtual World Technical Media Advisor
Nazz Lane (SL) - Journalist and Author
Rowan Derryth (SL) - Art & Design Historian; Writer for Prim Perfect Publications
Apollo Manga (SL) - examiner.com Writer & Novelist
Dr. Phylis Johnson (RL) - Media Professor, Southern Illinois University, Author - Machinima: Aesthetics and Practice (a.k.a, Sonicity Fitzroy, SL Virtual Journalist)
Lowell Cremorne (SL), Owner & Editor-In-Chief, The Metaverse Journal
Mal Burns (SL), Metaverse News Aggregator and Broadcaster
Paisley Beebe (SL), CEO of Perfect World Productions TV
Flimsey Freenote - CEO of Metamix TV (Mixed Reality Television)
Rhett Linden (SL) - Linden Labs
Bradley Dorchester (SL) - Joint Reigning UWA MachinimUWA Champion
Dousa Dragonash (SL) - COO Metaverse Television
White Lebed (SL) - Former Lead of Burning Life Art Department, Director of Special Projects @ UWA
Madeline Bates (RL) - Program Manager (Film), Perth International Arts Festival, UWA
Chantal Harvey (SL) - Founder of MaMachinima Group
Jon Stubbs (RL) - Director of Student Services, UWA
Dr Lisa Cluett (RL) - Project Leader - ALTC Viral Leadership Project, UWA
A/Prof Peter Mudie (RL) - Film: Imagist Avant-Garde, School of Architecture, Landscape and Visual Arts
Thomas Chadwick (RL) - UWA Guild Public Affairs Council President


* Random
** RL - real life name, SL second life name

People's Choice Voting is Now Active

In one of the most exciting rounds ever, the UWA gallery is packed with 78 amazing new entries. Come spend some quality time with the best in SL art! Deadline for voting is Saturday, June 4 at noon SLT. The awards ceremony is 6AM SLT, Sunday, June 5.

In response to the survey JayJay is doing, an earlier deadline is being established for the competitions. Entries are now due by the 20th of each month. This means the complete collection of entries will be on display in the UWA gallery for a full two weeks. This is good for the artists and good for the visitors. But remember -- there are 78 pieces by 56 artists, including 16 who have never submitted work before. It could easilly take you two weeks to see it all, so don't put it off!

We're still collecting your ideas and impressions about the UWA Challenges. If you haven't yet had a chance to participate in the survey, please take a few minutes to do so. Go to: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/UWASecondLife

-FreeWee Ling

Here is the complete list of May entries:

1 Alizarin Goldflake Nido de Serpiente
2 Anley Piers Death to profit
3 Apmel Goosson Timelike loop (or why we have free will)
4 artist Loon Totemic
5 Artistide Despres Une Horde de Cordes
6 Barry Richez Peace and Love
7 Betty Tureaud ice color cube
8 Betty Tureaud Tsunami
9 Cat Carfagno Beginning of Knowledge and Sorrow
10 Cherry Manga soul nourishment
11 Cherry Manga poetry elixir
12 Cheyenne Palisades Robot Sanatorium Conveyor Belt
13 Corcosman Voom Angels Wanna Wear My Red Shoes
14 Daco Monday Nudo
15 Daco Monday scream and smile
16 Delgado Cinquetti Rip-Tide Tunnel
17 Delgado Cinquetti BoB's BIG Wheel!
18 Earl Dinkin Fire Flyer Second Flyer Second Flight
19 Finn Lanzius Diamond Tree
20 Finn Lanzius Diamond Sculpture
21 fiona Blaylock Fallen
22 fiona Blaylock Snowdrift
23 Ginger Alsop Monocolar Rings
24 Ginger Alsop Abandoned
25 Ginger Lorakeet Cornfield
26 Ginger Lorakeet In Wonderland
27 Gleman Jun The acrobat
28 Gleman Jun Eternal life of the seasons by Gleman Jun
29 Haveit Neox Immortal Blue
30 Hypatia Pickens House of Uneasy Chairs
31 Jesse Keyes Fountain Meditation
32 Kicca Igaly Dream of a Midsummer Night
33 Kobuk Farshore What the Ether Asked of the Girl Who Listened
34 L1Aura Loire One and Four Timeboards
35 Lollito Larkham The Refacer
36 Lollito Larkham The Humanical Frog
37 Loup Erin TV Sleuth-girl caught
38 Loup Erin RWB Bot - Bird
39 Luko Enoch Qualix
40 Maryva Mayo Gust of wind
41 Maryva Mayo Kaleidoscope
42 Merlino Mayo Golden Age
43 Milly Sharple Butterfly Ball
44 Milly Sharple Whimsy
45 Miso Susanowa Time As A Helix of Semi-precious Stones
46 Miss Crumb cool blue picture and jelly fish
47 Moeuhane Sandalwood Mother Earth's Heart Pt.1
48 Nino Vichan Realm of the Gods: Desire and Transformation
49 Oberon Onmura Uncanny Valley
50 Persephone Requiem Clarisse's Lament
51 pravda Core Ancient Ruins
52 pravda Core Angels of death
53 Pumpkin Tripsa Danu
54 Reezy Frequency Twenty-one Doves
55 Ronin1 Shippe Farmer's Field at Sunset
56 Ronin1 Shippe Vincent's Ocean
57 Rory Torrance Mysterium Tremendum
58 Rory Torrance rainbow-twister
59 Secret Rage Peace of Mind
60 Secret Rage Witness: the growth of an idea
61 Silene Christen Ball
62 Sledge Roffo Spatial
63 Soda Lemondrop Esibizionismo
64 soror Nishi The Old White Pelican Tree
65 spiral silverstar Zen Fractalis
66 spiral silverstar Fingers Holding Secrets
67 Tani Thor Mars Forest
68 Tani Thor Nevicata
69 torno Kohime l'astronauta
70 torno Kohime Leone
71 Toughlove Sabra The Real Cost of Oil
72 Uman Kesslinger The Reaper King
73 Uman Kesslinger Freak Garden
74 Wizard Gynoid 5x8 Compound Cube
75 Yooma Mayo Clock Work Dreaming
76 Zany Foxtrot fidelity
77 Zany Foxtrot unicorn
78 Zeni Rain Bounce

MachinimUWA III Review: Audio From Day 1

.

This is the audio podcast from Day 1 (4pm - 8pm slt Friday 20th May) of the MachinimUWA III Review hosted by Kinte Trill and LaPiscean Liberty. UWA is grateful to LaPiscean Liberty (AviewTV) and Ken White (TMUnderground) for hosting this event, and to Kinte Fergerson (Kinte Trill) who is Master of Ceremonies.

CLICK HERE FOR PODCAST OF DAY 1

.

Friday Night Live Interview on MachinimUWA III - Wurlitzer Seisenbacher & Jayjay Zifanwe


Interview by Wurlitzer Seisenbacher and his rockin' crew (Nefertiti Kimagawa with sponsor 'The GodFather' from theleaffm.com)  with Jayjay Zifanwe discussing the MachinimUWA III Challenge, the history of art & machinima at the University of Western Australia, the Linden Endowment for Arts, the end of the world and a public challenge to Linden Labs !

Click here to listen to the interview. It is the MP3 File, which should play/download when you hit it.

http://www.theleaffm.com/FNTS/

Friday, May 20, 2011

Statistics, Facts & Figures on MachinimUWA III: Journeys


MachinimUWA III: Journeys - 22 May from Yesikita Coppola on Vimeo.

Total MachinimUWA III Entries: 50
MachinimUWA II: 45
Original MachinimUWA: 13

Total Judges: 26

Total # of Countries People Came From: 16

Highest Possible Score for Viewers Event: 100
(10 points allocated for selecting and placing a machinima in exactly the same spot as the final judges top 10)

Winning Score for Viewers Event: 62

Lowest Score for Viewers Event: 11

Average Score for Viewers Event: 31

Highest number of machinima correctly selected by a viewer into top 10: 7 (2 viewers achieved this)

Lowest number of machinima correctly selected by a viewer into the top 10: 2 (3 viewers achieved this)

How many people who finished in the top 3 for the Viewers event for MachinimUWA II, will also finish in the top 3 for MachinimUWA III ? Answer: 1

Longest Machinima Submitted: 19 Minutes 41 seconds

Shortest Machinima Submitted: 1 minute 24 seconds

Total Prize Pool: L$660,000

Highest Score possible for a machinima from the actual collective judging panel: 208 = (26 judges x 8 points)
(1st place votes - 8 points, 2nd - 6 pts, 3rd - 4 pts, 4th - 3 pts, 5th - 2 pts, 6th - 10th: 1 point each)

Score achieved by winning machinima: 91

Average score achieved across all 50 Machinima: 14

Average score achieved by top 10 machinima: 53

Point difference between 1st place and 10th place: 75

Number of machinima that received votes into the top 10: 38

Highest number of machinima selected by an individual judge making it to the top 10: 8 (1 judge achieved this, but 8 judges had 7 correct selections)

Lowest number of machinima selected by an individual judge making it to the top 10: 4 (2 judges had this)

Number of different machinima receiving a 1st Place vote: 11

Highest number of 1st Place votes received by a machinima: 5

Highest number of 2nd place votes received by a machinima: 7

Highest number of selections by an individual machinima into the top 10: 20 judges out of 26
(meaning at least 6 judges did not have the eventual winning machinima in their top 10)

Number of selections into the top 10 by the machinima finishing with the 10th highest point total: 8 judges out of 26