Posts with tag oxhorn

WoW Moviewatch: Dalaran's Costume Contest

by Michael Gray Oct 23rd 2009 at 12:00PM

Oxhorn's seasonal shorts always seem to bring a little something extra to the holidays. He's hit Halloween just in time by releasing Dalaran's Costume Contest. If you can't see the YouTube for some reason, you can also pick it up over at Oxhorn's official web site.

As the story goes, Oxhorn's usual cast of characters are competing in the Hallow's End costume contest. They spend a little time discussing the event, when Hat (the singing turtle) comes up and reveals his own clever disguise. I can't go deeper into the story here, or I'll ruin the punchline. And while it may make me a pop-culture junkie, I admit that I laughed out loud at the joke.

An odd bit about this video, though, is that Oxhorn included almost a minute and a half of outtakes. I actually kind of love that stuff, since it gives a lot of personality and "humanity" to the actors in his machinima. I think it lets the audience get to know them a little better, which is almost always a good thing.

Interested in the wide world of machinima? We have new movies every weekday here on WoW Moviewatch! Have suggestions for machinima we ought to feature? Toss us an e-mail at machinima AT wow DOT com.

WoW Moviewatch: Thunk Leaves Home

by Michael Gray Sep 23rd 2009 at 12:00PM

Oxhorn's newest machinima is Thunk Leaves Home. It's an interesting tale about the ogre Thunk who is forced to leave Dire Maul after being mocked and outcast by his peers. As he wanders the world, he encounters a Night Elf. Thunk saves the elf's life, only to be scorned for food choices. After yet another encounter in which Thunk is spurned by a gnome, our ogre protagonist heads to Orgrimmar to get a little help from the Horde, only to be considered not monster enough. Lastly, Thunk finds a home with some unlikely trolls.

I think Oxhorn definitely had parables in mind as he created Thunk Leaves Home, but the morals are far enough below the surface not to distract the audience. The voice acting by Oxhorn and Jesse Cox are awesome as always, and Oxhorn's trademark musical ending rounds out the entire piece. Thunk Leaves Home is definitely the longest Oxhorn piece we've had for a little while, and I think he took the time to make sure it was viewing time well spent.

The closing credits are almost a separate piece of work. In it, Oxhorn philosophizes a bit about J-Pop, and then performs a parody piece in that style. If you like the closing credits, you can pick them up on Amazon.com. I'm not sure it's my speed, but I'm always happy to help a machinimator out by supporting their work.

Interested in the wide world of machinima? We have new movies every weekday here on WoW Moviewatch! Have suggestions for machinima we ought to feature? Toss us an e-mail at machinima AT wow DOT com.

Cranius music available on Amazon

by Michael Gray Sep 8th 2009 at 9:00AM

Cranius has built one heck of a reputation as a World of Warcraft fan songwriter. His music and video credits include Big Blue Dress and the incredibly moving Darrowshire. This year, he (and machinimator partner Legs) achieved the first place prize at the BlizzCon 2009 machinima contest for their every-man video, Don't Make Me Get My Main.

All this background makes it awesome to point out that Cranius has released his music through Amazon, all collected on an album titled Big Blue Dress. The album is pretty cheap, coming in under $5.00. It includes downloads of Big Blue Dress, Darrowshire, and The Lament of Captain Placeholder, as well as his new pieces, Happy Place and Don't Make Me Get My Main. The only piece I felt was missing was Ulduar, but I can think of a few reasons it didn't appear.

At the cheap price, it's nice to be able to throw a little support at an artist who's brought so much music to the community. He's not been alone in this, of course, as both Oxhorn and Myndflame have released their music in one form or another. I think it's a wonderful opportunity, and something I support wholeheartedly. I obviously have purchased it, and am playing it on my computer even now.

WoW Moviewatch: Work Work, Zug Zug, Dabu

by Michael Gray Sep 7th 2009 at 12:00PM

Here in the United States, today is a beloved national holiday called Labor Day. While I could get into the specific history of the holiday, I'll simply summary by saying the holiday basically amounts to "a day off work for the people who work really hard." Oxhorn has released a special Labor Day video with that subject in mind, called Work Work, Zug Zug, Dabu.

The video is short, sweet, and fun-sized. This is one of the things I often love most about Oxhorn's short videos. He has a basic, great idea, and then crafts a video specifically towards that idea alone. His content is tailored and fitted to the short length, which means even the most casual audience gets a very high return on their investment.

The song is the centerpiece of this video, of course, and it's as much fun as any other Oxhorn music. The honest goblin singing his way to mercantile expression is wonderfully done. As usual, my hat's off to Oxhorn. The round robin medley between the three orcs (who I have to think are named "Work Work," "Zug Zug," and "Dabu" for obvious reasons) is brilliantly executed.

If you like this video, you should definitely take the time to cruise Oxhorn's website, and check out his other work.

Interested in the wide world of machinima? We have new movies every weekday here on WoW Moviewatch! Have suggestions for machinima we ought to feature? Toss us an e-mail at machinima AT wow DOT com.

WoW Moviewatch: Gnome Overboard

by Michael Gray Jul 9th 2009 at 12:00PM

Hot on the heels of Steak Sandwiches, Oxhorn also released Gnome Overboard. This new installment in the series of Oxhorn's Short Shorts actually reminds me of the older, pre-Inventing Swear Words work done by the Tauren Maestro.

The story is not complicated. Three men decide to go hunting whales. (A perfectly reasonable thing to do in Northrend, mind you, as the whales there aggro from about a hundred miles away.) Despite their better judgement, the three men are convinced to let a gnome go with them. This proves to be a complete and total disaster, as gnomes are, apparently, filled with curses and spite. They all die.

Gnome Overboard is the resurgence of another favorite aspect of Oxhorn Brand Machinima. His music is creative, fun, and interesting. While I admit the voice in this song seemed to struggle a bit, his lyrics were amusing and cleverly written. On that subject, Oxhorn has also made his music available for purchase on Amazon.com, so if you like his work, you can pick it up fairly easily.

Interested in the wide world of machinima? We have new movies every weekday here on WoW Moviewatch! Have suggestions for machinima we ought to feature? Toss us an e-mail at machinima AT wow DOT com.

WoW Moviewatch: Oxhorn Brand Medley

by Michael Gray May 22nd 2009 at 12:00PM

Reader Ted T. asked for a good place to get started with Oxhorn videos. That's a really tough call, because Oxhorn's created so many different movies. But, I guess my favorite Oxhorn piece is the Oxhorn Brand Medley. (Moo Money actually first covered it about a year ago.)

Not only does it combine everything there is to love about Oxhorn machinima, it also expands his music in some interesting ways. When my fiancee and I first saw it, we spent all weekend singing its chorus over and over and over.

The chorus seems simple, but is actually rather difficult to belt out in tune and in time. "LOLOMGWTGDAIRYQUEEN" flies across the screen to help you know what Oxhorn's singing, but getting it down corectly and reliably can be a challenge. The "Oxhorn Brand Medley" revisits and tips its hat to some of his best songs, but still manages to blend them all together in a convincing way.

While it might help if you're familiar with Oxhorn's many videos, you definitely don't need to have seen them to enjoy the video. Take a few minutes, check it out, and see what you think.

If you have any suggestions for WoW Moviewatch, you can mail them to us at machinima AT wowinsider DOT com.

Previously on Moviewatch

WoW Moviewatch special: 7 movies you should know

by Michael Gray May 16th 2009 at 12:00PM

Machinima's a pretty big topic. Depending on who you talk to, "machinima" could include story-based movies, PvP footage, boss kills, music videos, and even videography of altered in-game landscapes. There are uncounted thousands of videos about World of Warcraft roaming the internet, so it can be very difficult to know where to start.

In honor of the ticket queue for BlizzCon 2009, Moviewatch presents seven machinima movies and machinimators you should know. Certainly, these aren't the only 7 movies or authors you should know, but they do include some of the most popular staples of the art. If you find yourself chatting it up with a machinima enthusiast around the BlizzCon water cooler, you can probably be certain they've seen these shows.

We went for variety in this selection, choosing videos with different styles and subjects. They certainly aren't listed in "countdown to the best" format, since trying to rate these videos like that would be dang near impossible. Instead, they are simply listed alphabetically, according to the creator of the movie.

Check out the selection behind the cut.

WoW Moviewatch: Inventing Swear Words 5

by Michael Gray May 6th 2009 at 12:00PM

Inventing Swear Words has been one of my favorite Oxhorn machinima series. Its lighthearted, playful nature won me over early, and the unmistakable pokes at WoW culture frequently made me laugh. It's been a year since the release of Inventing Swear Words 4, when Mortuus and Lacy got married.

In this final chapter, the team has an epic plan to finally force their new swear words on the entire World of Warcraft. It's got all of the cameos you'd want out of the final chapter of a saga, a great resolution, and the same fun music you'd expect from Oxhorn. Mr. Horn does assure us the characters will be back in other works, which makes me happy. I love those guys.

If you have any suggestions for WoW Moviewatch, you can mail them to us at machinima AT wowinsider DOT com.

Previously on Moviewatch

WoW Moviewatch: Oxhorn's Christmas Tree

by Alex Ziebart Dec 23rd 2008 at 12:00PM

I hate the long, drawn out build-up to Christmas you see these days. Christmas is a holiday, not a season that lasts from late September to early March, alright? I think my love of the holiday as a season died when I worked at a retail store that spent the entire year assembling Christmas trees back in the warehouse. A necessary evil considering how many they sold each year, but impaling yourself on little green needles year 'round sort of crushes the soul a little.

With that said, if anything can get me back into a celebrating mood, it's Oxhorn. Especially when those celebrations include beating Elves brutally until Christmas spews forth from their broken frames. I even like Elves! Okay, saying something like that could put me in a sticky spot. I like most Elves. Is that better?

WoW Moviewatch: Dynamic Action Team Ep 3: Fitting In

by Natalie Mootz Oct 27th 2008 at 12:00PM

Oxhorn's got a new series of movies out which he's posted under the name BMD over at WeGame.com. His latest flick is the third episode in the Dynamic Action Team series, called Fitting In. It's a bit of a hybrid movie for us to show here at WoW Moviewatch, since its premise revolves around three characters from Team Fortress 2 who try to find their way around our beloved World of Warcraft, but we love the nearly seemless blending of the two games.

Episode 3 follows the team's attempt to fit in with guilds and arena teams. Let's just say their social skills come with a 3-day waiting period and their classes are definitely OP. I'd absolutely want these guys on my side against the zombie scourge, but I'm not so sure I'd want to pal around with them. I like to see Oxhorn playing with the medium's possibilities; moviewatchers can only benefit as he continues to stretch his talents.

You don't need to know anything about Team Fortress 2 to enjoy this film, much like you didn't need to know about any version of The Sims to enjoy Releasing the Beast. It's a great way to poke fun at WoW's foibles while at the same time winking at us with some inside jokes.

[Via WeGame. Thanks, Jeff! ]

If you have any suggestions for WoW Moviewatch, you can mail them to us at machinima AT wowinsider DOT com.

WoW Moviewatch: Mighty Morphin' Midget Gnomes UNITE

by Moo Money Sep 12th 2008 at 12:00PM

Many moons ago, a little skit called Hat vs. Barnaby introduced us to the Mighty Morphin' Midget Gnomes, a powerful quintet of ... little people gnomes? Oxhorn has brought them back in their very own machinima, Mighty Morphin' Midget Gnomes UNITE. While I would have much rather seen a video devoted to my not-so-secret crush, Hat the Singing Turtle, it's good to have the old Oxhorn back.

When Lt. Col. Virtue's vigilante justice gets out of hand, the Mighty Morphin' Midget Gnomes are called in to save the day. However, they begin to question their orders when they realize that the Lt. is actually doing the world a favor. Will they be able to carry out their mission?

Not only did Nathan Allen Pinard do his usual sound design for Oxhorn, he voiced a couple of roles! Be sure to stick around for the credits, which aren't a Rickroll this time. I promise!

[Thanks, Nathan!]

If you have any suggestions for WoW Moviewatch, you can mail them to us at machinima AT wowinsider DOT com.

Previously on Moviewatch ...

WoW Moviewatch: The Robber Baron of Warsong Gulch

by Moo Money Sep 1st 2008 at 12:00PM

Now that the submission deadline for the WeGame machinima contest has passed, things can really start heating up. Ending with a total of 120 entries, word on the street is that there are at least six serious contenders for the top prize. Yesterday, I featured Martin Falch's split personality drama, Divided Soul. Today we're going to revisit the nastiest guy in Warsong Gulch.

It's been eight months since we were first introduced to B.Z. Caddington, the profiteer and PvP twink, in A Warsong Carol. Pinkhair has brought him back in silent movie-style as he tries to stop the alliance sneaking around his base.

This is a machinima that you'll have to pay special attention to. All of the dialogue is on text cards on the screen in order to give it that authentic feel. You can also expect custom models, little inside jokes here and there, excellent editing, and all-around evil. Now that's what I call a good time!

If you have any suggestions for WoW Moviewatch, you can mail them to us at machinima AT wowinsider DOT com.

Previously on Moviewatch ...

WoW Machinima: The basics

by Moo Money Aug 28th 2008 at 12:00PM

(Dell is holding a machinima contest, which we'll discuss shortly. They asked me to write a tutorial to help new machinimators get their start.)

Every day, I feature a video by some brave soul that dived in head first into the world of machinima. For those that aren't familiar with the term, it stands for machine and cinema. The literal definition is movies made in a 3D gaming platform. Using this basic guide, as well as the other tutorials and resources available to you, you'll be creating your first project in no time!

Here is what you'll need if you want to make a machinima for free:

WeGame camera - A free capturing program
GIMP - A free image editing program
Audacity - A free audio editing program
Windows Movie Maker/iMovie - Free video editing programs that should have come with your appropriate system

[Thanks for originally suggesting this, Bryan!]

Read on for optional and advanced tools, plus additional resources ...

WoW Moviewatch: We Eat Flesh!

by Moo Money Aug 13th 2008 at 12:00PM

Oxhorn must be totally out of ideas for movies. While well produced, We Eat Flesh! is yet another mockery of all things that he doesn't approve of, which we now know includes Satan, the scientific community, and vegetarians. At least before he was (mostly) able to keep his personal views out of his machinima and focus on an enjoyable show.

We Eat Flesh! is about a man, Francis Baconmeister, Jr., that vows to his father that he will continue the legacy of serving juicy meat to his patrons. When a group of hippies elves protest his eatery, will he give up? The real life images of meat look out of place for a movie from WoW. Otherwise, despite the mockery, the movie is amusing in a different way. When can we get the old Oxhorn back?

If you have any suggestions for WoW Moviewatch, you can mail them to us at machinima AT wowinsider DOT com.

Previously on Moviewatch ...

WeGame announces machinima contest to win an Alienware desktop

by Moo Money Aug 1st 2008 at 5:00PM

WeGame.com recently announced a machinima contest with $5000 USD in prizes. To participate, you must make a movie from any game during the month of August, upload it, and submit it to the contest group. Oxhorn, as well as other WeGame staff, will be judging the submissions based on a number of factors including creativity, story, humor, and execution.

Some of the prizes include:

Grand Prize: Area-51 Alienware desktop
Second, Third, and Fourth place winners choose from a varying amount of the following: Sennheiser HD-280 headphones, a 500GB external hard drive, a professional microphone, a GeForce 8600GT 512mb video card, speakers, an AMD processor, a gaming mouse, and some other really cool items
Eight Honorable Mentions get WeGame schwag and a $25 USD gift certificate to ThinkGeek

[Via WeGame.com]

Read on for a list of the basic rules ...

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