If you're wondering what machinima is, this book is a good starting point. If you're wondering what machinima is likely to be capable of and what its history has been like, then you'll likewise find it very useful. If you are looking for a how-to or tutorial on making your own machinima, then you'll find this book disappointing. It's basically a highly-illustrated "coffee table book" about the machinima artform.
That said, I was very pleased with this book, because a history and a general idea of what was possible with machinima techniques was exactly what I wanted. I'll be looking to other sources for specific how-to information.
Most of the examples in the book were actually made with proprietary game engines and often with proprietary game resources (although in some cases these have been so extensively replaced that the game world can't really be viewed as the original game on which it is based). However, since the focus is on artistry, technique, and history, this really isn't much of a problem.
The book does allude to a number of different tools, including some free software packages, and it does address the legal implications of machinima creators who use proprietary game engines to create their works. These are both topics of interest to free software and free culture fans.
In short:
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|---|---|
| Title | Machinima |
| Author | Matt Keland, Dave Morris, Dave Lloyd |
| Publisher | Thomson Course Technology |
| ISBN | 1-59200-650-7 |
| Year | 2005 |
| Pages | 160 |
| CD included | No |
| FS Oriented | 5 |
| Over all score | 7 |