Mad Metaverse: Opening Titles to "Mad Men" Remade in Second Life (Updated)

Just in time for the fourth season, this is Cisko Vandeverre's supreme Second Life recreation of the supercool opening sequence to the best show on television:

To make the falling furniture in Don Draper's office, Cisko used a drop script that made the objects fall; Second Life's native physics did the rest. He captured the falling Don by shooting an avatar in a blue box and then chroma keyed those shots into a Second Life set original Mad Men footage [See Update below]. "I used a few different poses/animations, and moved/adjusted the puppet layer in edit over the background," he tells me. "The same layer was doubled and modified to create the shadow layer, with a little offset."

Love it. I only miss the part where Don Draper seems to slide off the sexy foot of a billboard model. (Compare with the original.) Also, the male fashion doesn't exactly scream JFK era. Speaking of which, are any Second Life designers working on Mad Men-inspired fashion? If it was well done, I would so blog that.

(The names in the credits, by the way, are all members of the Machinima Artist Guild Ning network, where I first saw this video. Well, except for Mad Men creator Matt Weiner, unless he has a side hobby making machinima.)

Update, 3:35PM: Cisko just told me elements of the Mad Men background was also recreated in Second Life, and composited into the final video (see above). Unfortunately, the set has since been disassembled, so your avatar can't do a Draper down the New York skyline. (Pics courtesy Mr. Vandeverre.)

Comments

[Sandor Balczo]

AMG and Lionsgate should be told about this homage. I am sure it would mean good publicity for the great Machinima artists of SL.

[Ignatius Onomatopoeia]

I don't know the selection on offer, but for JFK era clothing, I'd begin my hunt in the shopping area of Old Willowdale. I did a road trip post there a few months back. They capture the suburban aspect of Mad Men in many ways.

[Ingrid Ingersoll]

I wish they had left the set somewhere for people to see!