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Red v. Blue at South by Southwest

The big to-do n Austin this week is the South by Southwest Media Conference. It has three tracks that include both industry seminars and panels, events, and most important for networking - Happy Hours and After Event Parties.

The Music track is the most famous and what started it all. Music company executives come and meet with musicians, and bands get out and play in nearly 100 bars - its huge, and people fight to get the wrist bands. Austin as Live Music Capital of the World.

The Film track came along and you could go to films - another independent film festival, but with panels to discuss the business of film.

The Interactive track is my main interest, and this looks at all things Internet and someone told me that attendance was up 300% this year for this track.

I'm at the very first of a series of panels, here i'm sitting on the front row listening to the creators of Red v. Blue, one of the most creative things I've seen out there on the Internet in the new field of Machinima - using gaming software to produce animated film shorts - NEAR PIxar-like quality, but much cheaper to produce - check this out! They are pioneers, breaking new ground, and they have an audience - how about ONE MILLION DOWNLOADS A WEEK! Try that on!!

The team uses the game Halo, owned by Microsoft, and its characters, to produce creative new animation. They will do the Keynote address on Tuesday, but I'll be on Spring Break with my family in California. Oh well. Hollywood is starting to use Machinima and it is starting to be used on TV a little. It's a valuable tool for storyboarding for movie making, but I like it as a creative, raw new medium.

I enjoy their product, but I'm more wowed by their creativity and social commentary than I am about the technology. They are creative and irreverant, which I think is a big part of why they've developed such an audience.

Posted on March 10, 2006 at 03:04 PM

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