"The Movies" game to boost DIY machinima ads: "

Lionhead Studios has released a tool that allows video game players to easily create their own machinima (wikipedia) and then export their work and upload it to the Web. In the past, only the most hard-core video game players created machinima. Even so, marketers already have started placing ads against machinima. On Heavy.com, for instance, a machinima called Pimp My Weapon, made from God of War, got 6 million streams in its first week.

The Movies positions the player as a Hollywood studio owner. In addition to the business management aspect of the game, players can shoot their own movie--designing costumes, choosing sets, adding subtitles, and dubbing audio, then upload it to a community site run by Lionhead, send it to friends, or post it online.

David Carson, from Heavy.com, explained that machinima have slipped under the entertainment establishment, but have capitalized on the growing popularity of video games. 'Nobody in Hollywood would've ever considered, 'Oh my God, this is great entertainment,' but people online say it is, and millions of people are watching it.' he said. 'The appeal is, it's all based out of video games. Anything that's a derivative of that game, people pay attention to it.'

Via MIT adv. lab < Media Post.

See also BB's post: Political film comments on French riots using video-game animation.

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(Via we make money not art.)