So long and thanks for all the films!

And so, another Machinima Film Festival is in the can.

Does it make sense to use that old metaphor anymore, 'in the can'? Admittedly, it is from the movie business, but it has an anachronistic whiff about it. What might be more appropriate in the digital age? Backed-up? Archived? TAR'ed? Off-loaded? Printed? Saved?

It's interesting that I struggle to find a metaphor from the computer world that works as well. I think that has something to do with the fundamental mutability of digital media. It's never really done. The whole point of digital media is that it can always be reloaded, re-edited, remixed, re-used. Gone is the raw physicality of celluloid, and with it its inherent limits and obstacles. Gone is the visceral satisfaction of the unambiguous moment when, for better or worse, you know that a project is done, completed... in the can.

In any case, the Festival is over. Though I was crushed that I was kept away at the last minute, it was by all reports a success. Great movies were shown, awards presented, issues both lofty and quotidian were discussed.

The Machinima community owes a tremendous debt to Friedrich Kirschner, whose indefatigable commitment to the Festival made it all possible. Without his enthusiam, ingenuity, and willingness to forgo sleep for days and weeks, I can assure you there would have been no Mackies, no panels, no Festival. My hat's off to you, Friedrich!

Friedrich made sure that the Festival's overarching goal was always to nurture and encourage machinima filmmakers. To give the community an opportunity to slap themselves on the back and feel good about what we've accomplished in a year or two of toil.

It was disturbing, then, to stumble across libellous commentary on the internet that the committee is biased, that we are paid lackeys of major game companies, that we arrogantly, arbitrarily and wantonly disqualify films from the competition. Even though I know full well that this sort of thing is endemic to the internet itself, and that every community deals with issues like this, it was troubling that these wild allegations found receptive readers, and few critics.

Let me encourage anyone who'd like to see things done differently at the festival to put their money where their mouth is and volunteer. We were woefully short-handed this time as last time. Everyone involved gave up nights and weekends, forsook the company of family and friends, all without pay, for months on end. No offer of help would have been refused.

And it's not too late to volunteer now. The AMAS can do a lot to support and promote the machinima community. It needs resources to do so - time and money - which it is chronically lacking. The folks at AMAS all have day jobs, so the time available for Academy activities is limited. Why not lend a hand?

In the end, we all had a great time. Sneaking up on a robot turned out to be one of life's hidden pleasures.

So 'til the next fest, keep machinimating.