Phil Rice (aka Overman)

II. MACHINIMA FILMOGRAPHY

Introduction

"I don't know where machinima is headed as a whole. I do think it has a future, but one which is wide open. Personally, I intend to continue to make the kind of films which I enjoy watching, and get them to as large an audience as possible by whatever vehicles I can. While doing so, I want to collaborate with other filmmakers who are interested in the same thing. That's the long and the short of my goal"

Working as "Overman", Phil Rice has created or collaborated on at least 30 separate machinima films since 1998. He has composed music, served as musical director and designed the sound for almost all of those films. He has an on-going podcast called "The Overcast". His blog and z-studios website are regularly updated with information and commentary on machinima. And on his own he has created 3 original machinima films. What follows is an attempt to organize and list Overman's work chronologically. I haven't including the acting work he has done, but I hope to add that at a later date. Phil has kindly provided me with his Curriculum Vitae, which is the essential source for this filmography.

I'll be commenting on what I consider to be his most important or representative works both as creator and collaborator. I'd like to expand on why I think a particular work is important and go into some detail about what makes his work so unique and interesting.

A continuing theme in my comments on his works is the notion that Overman creates films that reveal themselves most fully in their details. The key is to look for them, because Overman layers these details in so that they do not call attention to themselves. What makes him such a great filmmaker and artist is that you can enjoy his films without being aware of these details, but if you pay attention, the pleasure and enjoyment of watching is increased because you see the craft and artistry of his work and it deepens the experience.

(Note: all quotes in italics unless otherwise indicated are from Phil Rice)

Machinima works by Overman / Zarathustra Studios

Thresh vs. Billox
Genre: Recammed Deathmatch
Engine: Quake 2
Release Date: October 1998
Run Time: 20 minutes
URL: http://z-studios.planetquake.gamespy.com/films/recams/thresh.php
Review: http://www.machinima.com/qml/ur/reviews/match5.html

Thresh vs. Billox Revisited - Full Match
Genre: Recammed Deathmatch
Engine: Quake 2
Release Date: April 16, 2006
Run Time: 22:32
URL: http://z-studios.com/films/2006/04/16/thresh-vs-billox/

Thresh vs. Billox Revisited - Highlight Reel
Genre: Highlight Reel of Recammed Deathmatch
Engine: Quake 2
Release Date: April 16, 2006
Run Time: 2:37
URL: http://z-studios.com/films/2006/04/16/thresh-vs-billox/
Reviews: http://www.sims99.com/movie_details.php?dir=Overman&id=5050
http://www.mprem.com/e107/e107_plugins/content/content.php?content.207

Commentary by gToon

Overman began his machinima career recamming a deathmatch in Quake 2. Recamming means that a demo recording is made of a 1 on 1 to-the-death fight between two opponents inside of Quake 2 with a third, passive player, "recording" the match with both visual and sound effects. The process of "recamming" means to change the original camera perspective of the third player into more cinematic shots and then edit them together as a complete film.

Thresh vs Billox (1998) was a major deathmatch duel between the legendary gamer Dennis "Thresh" Fong and a newcomer, Billox. Overman had been a fan of Thresh and his story for sometime. Overman knew that everyone would want to see the match so he completed the recam in under a week fearing that someone might beat him to the punch.

"At that time I knew absolutely nothing about Keygrip2 (the software used to recam) or making movies in Quake 2, so I really had to learn as I went"

The original recammed film did not include music, just a very brief drum beat intro. Thresh vs Billox is about 20 minutes long and was very enthusiastically received by the game community.

In 2006, Overman re-visited his original version of Thresh vs Billox using the game mod Quake2max and new textures. Most significantly, he has added a combination of Creative commons music from Magnatune.com and some of his own original music to the match. At the same time, he also released a "highlight" version of Thresh vs Billox (which is around 3 minutes long). It is these two re-released versions that I will comment on here. He is in the process of re-releasing the "ZS Classics" (all of his Quake2 recams) on DivX video. CPL Extreme Annihilation: Rix vs Immortal (1999) is the most recent release with more to follow.

"The Magnatune.com music was an addition which came along only in 2006 when I did the first video release of it; it had been the request of several people who watched it in 1998 to have music throughout, but logistically it just wasn't practical back then because small filesize was so important"

Even at the start of Overman's film-making career you can see he has the instincts of a director. He knows where to put his camera to bring out the flow of the match and where to cut so that he is able to heighten the tension of the match. He even manages to add an element of comedy to what could otherwise be a repetitive and boring match (to non-Quake2 fans, that is). While the 20-minute version of the film is long for someone who isn't a gamer, you can see that Overman paid careful attention to the match and places his camera in anticipation of the action. Most of the film is played out in wide shots which gives the viewer a clear view of the fighting, but Overman also adds medium and even close ups to provide variety and to create dramatic conflict.

The long version of Thresh vs Billox is interesting because Overman chooses not to use the thundering heavy metal that has become a standard death match cliche, but music from a group called Introspekt (aka Benny Sanches). This music is a excellent choice because it has just enough edge to please the metal heads, but is enjoyable to people who like music with more variety. Introspekt's music is a nice blend of acid rock and jazz something like what you'd hear in the soundtrack of a hip independent film. I believe that actual term for the music is "beat driven Electronica".

Overman uses fluid and smooth camera moves (for the time) to track each fighter at certain key points almost as if he wants the viewer to initially develop sympathy for both fighters. You can see Overman's sense of humor develop when it becomes clear that Billox is overmatched. Thresh mopped the floor with Billox and was clearly the superior player. In the longer version you can see that he was clearly a master of strategy and a dead-eye shot. The humor I'm referring to can be seen in one particular sequence the camera follows the desperate Billox from another re-spawn through tunnels and under water as he carefully sets up his strategy only to be shot and killed immediately when he first appears in open space. The camera never cuts to a shot of Thresh shooting because there is no need. It's because Overman has created the impression that Thresh is almost ubiquitous in the match from the point of view of Billox. This effect is comic and produces laugh after laugh during the match. This humor is created solely through Overman's careful camera placement and editing. The match also has a special level of enjoyment due to the fact that Thresh has chosen a female figure as his fighter and Billox has chosen the over-muscled grunt. So visually you repeatedly see this interesting female dressed in red, kick the ass of a tough looking grunt.

Overman skillfully paces the editing so that by the end of the match you feel you have seen a dramatic narrative story, even though the fight is spontaneous and one-sided. The title sequence is excellent and sets the tone for the match with the smaller image of soldiers fighting becoming the larger image of the title itself. It fits the entire theme of Overman's works: look for details inside the larger picture; small into large and back again.

In addition to re-issuing the longer version of Thresh vs Billox, Overman also created a terrific "highlight" version where he scores the film using his oven arrangement of Edvard Grieg's "Hall of the Mountain King". He times his edits to the rhythm of this wonderfully dramatic music which leads to a more intense and humorous film than the long version. Initially, there is a kind of warming up of the players where Overman follows their movements around the set as introduction to the match, but once the match is underway it only takes a few edits to show that Thresh is the superior player. Overman places a graphic on the left side of the screen that shows the number of kills for Thresh. As the kills mount up, so does the rhythm of the edits until the end where each kill comes on a note from the music. The very last orchestral note pushes Thresh's score to 56 and Billox's to -1, a nice visual joke that fits well with the music. Overman actually gets a laugh on the very last moment of the film. An achievement that, in the theatre world, is considered quite an accomplishment.

In general, the re-released Death match recams are a lot of fun to watch even for someone who may not know much about Quake2 deathmatch. The music helps to keep the mood fresh. Overman lists each cut on the left side of the screen, similar to a music video. Both films are entertaining and smart and shows how far Overman's editing and music skills have come since it's original release. With another new re-cam just recently released at the z-studios site, we will soon have the opportunity to see all of the recams. Something I am looking forward to.

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