Made in the still developing game, Star Citizen, this week's film is a large-scale production showing 97 players creating a complex battle scene. The film is called Sandstorm, directed by Wailander.  Ricky, Phil and Damien discuss the extent to which machinima is about showing off the game vs telling a story, what the role of the director is in game-based machinima productions and, of course, take a deep dive into the history of machinima in the process. They also reflect on just how wealthy (with in-game currency) the creators of this work actually have to be!  

0:05 Intro to the film. 
6:50 Sound effects and effects. Aircraft and flight sounds are tremendous, but dull. The biggest weakness is the emotionless commander. 

10:24 The post-credit sequence.
13:53 Phil’s criticism of machinima. 
16:52 A fan-made marketing video for the game. 
20:21 Battle of the Empire Strikes Back. 
24:17 Vermisimilitude. 

Credits -
Speakers: Ricky Grove, Phil Rice, Damien Valentine (mia Tracy Harwood)
Producer: Ricky Grove
Editor: Damien Valentine
Music: Arp Solina