Informative: Machinima for the Uninitiated

Today I set out to learn a little bit more on the subject of Machinima and then to blog about it before class tomorrow, at Dr. Burton's request. This knowledge is coming in bits and pieces; hopefully this post is at least somewhat intelligible.

Machinima is the use of video game engines to create movies. Using an existing game engine means that the movie can be rendered in the original game's environment(s) and characters. The term is derived from Machine and Cinema.
(see also Machinima.com, "the next generation video entertainment network for video gamers")

Originally I was under the impression that you could only make Machinima from PC games, but the second video on this webpage taught me differently. He's actually choosing to focus on only console games and excluding PC games completely. Note: If you decide to watch the video, don't listen to or watch any advertisement preceding it-I liberally apply the adjectives "crass", "crude", and "monumentally stupid" to the one I was unfortunate enough not to mute. The language of the video itself is also NSFW. But the video is is informative!

It turns out that some games that have a history of Machinima (such as Halo: Reach) have what is called "Theater Mode" so you can act out and record stories. If the game you are using does not have a theater mode, you have to film in real time, using a program such as Bandicam.

Here follow a few (hopefully) instructive examples.

The following video is NOT an example of Machinima because it is simply video of game play. Whoever posted the video just recorded the game being played, they did not make their own story out of it.

Instead, Machinima includes a change to the original game. In the following example, the makers of the Machinima, using the game Lord of the Rings: Conquest of Middle Earth and their own dubbed in voices, created a sort of fanfic for Lord of the Rings. Warning! These are not professional voice actors! Unintentional cheesiness ensues!

Here is another example, and a fairly popular one (if you can judge by the number of views: just under 1.5 million). Warning! Some of the language is NSFW:

Up until this point in my search I was not much seeing the point or getting any enjoyment from watching these or any others that I found. I can see how it would be fun to make one, but that's about it. But then I found this next one. And you know what? I smiled. And I laughed.

I would be interested to know how this was done. According to The Keyhole (a wiki for Kingdom Hearts), a theater mode can be unlocked in a few versions after beating the game, but it doesn't sound like a normal theater mode. According to the wiki, "It allows the player to re-watch all voiced cut scenes in the game after beating it at any time via the main menu." But even if there is a record function, how did they make them dance?? Still much to learn.