After performing in Second Life during (and because!) of the pandemic lockdown since last year, rising indie pop star Aufwie recently released his first music video shot in Second Life -- watch above! Very nicely shot and edited by VRutega, Aufwie's "throw me to the sea" because quite literal in the virtual world.
"[The machinima] uses the sea as a metaphor for oblivion and how someone can actually throw u into oblivion by forgetting about you, taking u out of their lives," he tells me now. "Sinking as a metaphor of how depression pulls u down."
His virtual performances in SL through 2021 helped him take his career to the next stage -- both in the virtual world and across social media:
I've been meaning to blog this machinima for weeks, because holy shit just watch. Shot in Second Life by Vene Sere (Discord: Sere Vene#8502), it's actually a tribute to Lion's Pride, a classic roleplay hangout site in World of Warcraft. The final result, however, looks better than anything from either platform.
"There is always a ton of people roleplaying there," Vene explains, "and I wanted to picture the ambience!"
It's also his bid to encourage fellow roleplayers from other MMOs to try out Second Life.
"A friend of mine brought me on SL, and I was amazed by the endless possibilities that platform offers," as Vene puts it. "It was for me the perfect place to do roleplay. You can have your own character that you can customize from head to toe, and you can build your own home." Custom avatar animations really sold him on SL roleplay: "It’s amazing to see your character so the animation you wanted him to do [can be played], as it was really limited in World of Warcraft."
His video demonstrates just that -- all the fantasy content and avatar customizations you see in his video was bought and assembled (and then disassembled) by him from the existing SL content marketplace.
As you might have guessed, there is some post-processing, but then again, not much more than what you'd see in a Marvel movie. Here's how he made the final results:
After a long wait, it's here! And exclusive to New World Notes: Presenting Episode 1, Season 3 of LANG, a noir comedy machinima series made entirely in Second Life, which I'm thrilled to premiere. (Watch above.)
If you haven't seen Season 1 and Season 2, however, binge-watch them here first, as the story is pretty complicated. Here's a very brief elevator pitch of Season 3 from lead LANG creator Zatch Ixchel:
"Without spoiling previous seasons - LANG is about two private investigators in a city that doesn’t want them. This season, in particular, is one about parenthood -- fatherhood, specifically. Betrayal, lost love, and revenge are other themes we explore this time around."
There's a seriously cool shot around 9:20 that was more challenging to create then it might seem -- here's how they did it (spoilers ahead):
I'm thrilled to announce that Season 3 of LANG, a full-fledged streaming series shot entirely in Second Life, will premiere here on New World Notes next Friday. Fresh from lead creator Zatch Ixchel, here's the exclusive trailer above.
"This season takes place a few months after the events of Season 2," Zatch tells me, "but we also get a few glimpses into the past, and where some of these people came from. Characters from Season 1 reappear, some as their younger selves. There is one character briefly mentioned by Teddy in Season 2, 'Jack', who is featured prominently throughout this story. I think this season will be a real treat for anyone who has been watching since the beginning."
So now is a good time to binge watch the first seasons -- they're embedded below. Easily among the most ambitious Second Life machinima projects ever made, LANG has great noir visuals and voice acting, and dialog with a wry Tarantino-esque wit. As you might have guessed, theses seasons take quite awhile to create, and involve a dozen-plus SLers along with Zatch:
With its arresting visuals, sardonic dialog, and music like the ironic Sinatra throwback heard above, the LANG series is something Quentin Tarantino* might make, if he was in the mood to make a comedic neo-noir machinima in Second Life. Created by Zatch Ixchel and company, I wrote about LANG last January, and it's not only kept up its solid pace, but is now teasing Season 3 as coming soon.
"At this point, I’m inspired by the characters themselves, the world we’ve built here," Zach tells me, when I ask how he keeps inspired to keep creating episodes. "I want to know what happens to these people. I want to know why Lang is the way he is. I want to know if Sadie will ever be satisfied."
Watch Season 1 and Season 2 below so you're all caught up before S3 drops:
I mentioned this machinima last week in another post but it deserves a post of its own: "Watch the World" by Robbie Dingo (aka Rob Wright). Created in 2007, it remains one of the best machinimas in Second Life ever made, because it beautifully illustrates the dynamic content creation that remains unique to Second Life, and weaves it with a classic folk song about another, slightly more famous artistic innovator:
From the maker of the hit machinima video "MESHONME", the first rap song inspired by Second Life, comes Lang, a private detective machinima series shot in Second Life.
Seriously, a whole series: Season Two and episode nine just came out! The editing and neo-noir cinematography is great, the voice acting is solid, and the dialog has some wry, self-aware humor. Lead creator Zatch Ixchel tells me that that's intentional:
"Lang began as a joke, and in many ways, it still is – at its core, it is a parody of the 'original series' we all like to binge on Netflix or HBO. The idea was always that Herman Lang believes he is the star of one of these highbrow TV shows, and acts accordingly. Sadie King, the show’s true protagonist, keeps things grounded. In short, Lang is a comedy series about two private investigators, one that’s competent, and one named Lang."
Another element I really appreciate: Unlike most SL machinima, the lip sync in Lang is pretty solid. Here's how he pulled that off:
This is a lovely machinima tribute to Christmas-time in Rieri, a Japanese town in Second Life painstakingly modeled from Google Maps and real photos of Tokyo neighborhoods. (Click here to visit.) Lead developed by Eripom Moonwall, Tokyo-based master creator of realistic cityscapes and military hardware, Rieri in SL currently boasts snowfall and Christmas lights that evoke the holiday season in Japan.
And yes, the Japanese celebrate Christmas in their own unique way -- and it also includes insanely hot sex. As Eripom explains:
Dropping on YouTube just an hour or so ago, here's the latest music video of BYNORAL, aka Yasushi Watanabe, a major figure in the J-Pop world (he's composed songs for top girl groups AKB48 and Nogizaka46) who earlier this year spun off a side project creating music videos in Second Life. Video summary:
This track is a sentimental song that incorporates various elements of electro, chill, and pop with the theme of light and darkness of modern society.
Not quite seeing the dark side of this beautifully shot, candy-colored video, but maybe the lyrics are where the shadows reside. He was actually active in SL ten years ago, so this side gig represents a return to the virtual world. (His new brand "BYNORAL”, by the way, is a play on "binaural stereo system."
For a user-created virtual world that's nearly 20 years old, it's difficult for anyone to create the first something in its category, but Zatch Ixchel has probably done just that: "MESHONME" is the first rap song inspired by Second Life that I'm aware of. And it's actually damn good, with a solid trap beat matched to Zatch's staccato rapping of uniquely clever rap lyrics that only SLers will understand:
I come thru with a lil sum suttin
You come thru with a Ruth to the function
Boy, you better poof, better move it or somethin
I'm bout to blow thru the damn roof with the dumb shit
Got a new suit with the HUD shit too
Only shed blood with a new tattoo
They're so on point, I thought he must also rap in real life, but he tells me no.
"I choose to do it in relative privacy/anonymity, even in real life," as he puts it. "I suppose this is because I see it as a character I am playing. To put my face on something like that would feel inauthentic. In Second Life, I don't have that issue."
"MESHONME" is very much about SL culture: "I guess I was inspired by the inherent materialism of Second Life," Zach tells me, "which complements the Hip Hop genre rather well. I also thought it would be funny to watch someone try and flex that sort of bravado and wealth in the context of a virtual world."
Nailed it. As does the video, which stars his RL wife Lucie. Full lyrics below courtesy Mr. Ixchel, who's originally from New York -- in case anyone wants to get an East Coast/West Coast avatar rivalry going.
