WATCH: Sweeping Single-Shots Through Spectacular Second Life Locations

Put your headphones on and click play:

Update, 3:00PM: Erik explains his technical and artistic process for creating these after the break.

Shot by longtime SLer Erik Mondrian, it's The Centaurs' Hall, a Second Life build by Haveit Neox. (Direct teleport here.) Erik's been using his SpaceNavigator to document SL's most beautiful places like this in a way that's rarely seen in person. Here's a couple more favorites:

Erik in Groenland Kangamiut, a region designed by Kaelyn Alecto -- direct teleport here.

"I bought my SpaceNavigator last November, had never used one before, so for each 'finished' film you see, there were a lot of practice takes before I got one I was happy enough with to upload," Erik tells me. "I basically just park my avatar somewhere, usually hiding behind a corner or in some other part of the sim where I won't be seen (unless it's one of the videos where I'm actually part of the filming, like in the 'naptime' vids or in The Island Without Name), and then play around with the SpaceNav, trying to figure out a path that I think would show off the area well.

 

"[A]ll the videos are shot in Linux, in Firestorm, and using a program called SimpleScreenRecorder. I don't use any HUDs or script the camera's path in any way (it's all shot 'by hand,' steering the SpaceNav as best I can). I do play around a little with the Joystick Configuration in Firestorm, changing the Flycam scale settings and sometimes the Feathering to get the right speed and smoothness."

Finally, one of the great wonders of the Second Life world -- a recreation of Mont Saint-Michel built by Moeka Kohime. Click here to teleport.

Veterans can probably guess Mondrian's inspiration, artistically, for creating these:

"My admiration for the work of other amazing Second Life machinima makers, like Amelie Marcoud, Tizzy Canucci, Pepa Cometa, Bryn Oh, and Groves, just to name a few. Also, one of the activities I enjoy most in SL is exploring, seeing the amazing places people have made. And because I've been in Second Life for 13 years this month, I've seen a lot of those places come and go... and wanted to start documenting them, sans narrative, focusing on the place itself for the most part, to 'capture' them in a way that you don't quite get with images. 

 

 

"That desire to 'preserve' some of these virtual places also comes from my history not just with SL but with other virtual worlds, like The Palace, and knowing how ephemeral virtuality can be... and, often, how easily these places can disappear without a trace."

Many more Mr. Mondrian machinima on his YouTube channel.