Bonkey – An Interview

Everyweek, machinimamaker Paus holds an interview with one of many machinima artists out there. The questions remain the same but the answers will mostly differ.

Hai Bonkey. Can you tell us how long you have been machinimating in this lifetime?

Hmm, I was in a group for Halo 2 machinima way back in the day just doing body acting and all that jazz. Wasn’t until about early 2008 I thought I’d give WoW machinima a go.

What kind of movies did you make back then?

Back in my Halo 2 days? I didn’t make anything personally. I was just in a group of some very fun and talented people who loved to do what I’m doing now.

Allright, and what about WoW Machinima?

WoW Machinima I’ve done 2 music videos, and some random here and there videos which aren’t hardly ever too serious. Though I am working on a new machinima for Blizzcon 2010 that will be a more serious movie.

Can you tell us something about it?

I don’t want to give anything away. But it’s unique in itself because it’s going to be the first full-length POV style WoW Machinima.

Sounds promising!

Did you have any Machinima Rolemodels that inspired you? Can you name a particular movie that left an impression?

That one person would be BaronSoosdon, that devious bastard. I was fortunate enough to be blessed by seeing “I’m So Sick” by BaronSoosdon as a first impression for WoW machinima. Since then I’ve seen other amazing work not just by Baron, but by abunch of my friends.

After my WoW machinima cherry was popped and the deal was sealed I started browsing the community more or less and found Olibith, RedEyelobine, X-Cross, ZimTower, Chaosvex, and a lot of other amazing machinimators I can now proudly call my friends. You’re awesome, too.

Tell us a little bit about the tools and technology you use to create your machinima. What are the general steps and processes you go through to create a machinima?

I use quite a few tools as do most machinimakers. WoW for starters, FRAPS, Sony Vegas 8.0 Pro, and After Effects CS3 are the main tools I use. As for the process I think I do what everyone else tends to do. Record in game with FRAPS, jump to WoW Model Viewer and record what I see fit. Then it’s on to editing which I do in After Effects. Once the general scene is done I move the rendered clip on into Vegas where I do all final editing.

And how long does it usually takes you to make a machinima?

It honestly depends on how I’m feeling to sum it up. I’ve taken a week working on and off to do a 20 second clip, or I can do 3 minutes of footage in a day or two. I usually tend to work faster knowing I have a deadline. To sum it up I’m a lazy bastard.

What do your parents think about your machinima?

Well I mean, after my long journey through Africa helping dying children, climbing Mount Everest fully naked with my bare hands while simultaneously beating off a pack of wild wolves- they don’t know I make machinima.

Your parents don’t know? Why is that if I may ask?

It just isn’t something that’s been shared. They know I edit film, etc. Just not machinima to be exact.

What’s going on in your life when you’re not making machinima? School? Anything else?

School’s been over for a long time. For the mean time I’ve just been taking a break from everything. Isn’t much time for anything else when you have to worry about bills to pay.

Ok, back to Machinima. What is your favorite machinima movie you ever made?

Hmm, to be honest with you that is actually a tough question. Would I be breaking the rules if I had to choose a couple?

Go ahead.

Top 3 would definitely be ( in no particular order mind you ): I’m So Sick by BaronSoosdon – Frontline by RedEyeLobine and who could forget Blind? I’m a little so so about putting Blind in the list as I wouldn’t even consider it machinima, but it’s been praised enough before.

Is it hard for you to get into the “mood” of machinimamaking? What would be the ideal mind set to be very productive?

It isn’t hard at all. It’s just once I start doing it.. Reddit pops up or another site and my mind wanders. If I need to be really serious I cut off my tie to the internet and severe the head off the beast that is machinima.

Is World of Warcraft a good game to make a movie with? What weaknesses and strengths does it have when you’re trying to use the graphics to tell a story?

WoW Model Viewer is everything and is what holds WoW Machinima so tight. It’s just a smooth canvas you can work with and I think it fits.

Do you have any movie standards you work with?

I do. I don’t like to edit something in 5 minutes and be done unless I know it looks good.

What goes through your head when you are about to upload a project to show to the world?

I usually show it to a few friends before making anything go live to get some heads up on their opinions. So usually it’s up days before it’s made public for everyone else.

What do you have to say to new aspiring Machinima makers? Any tips?

Like any skill, if you want to achieve something you have to practise. You can make random clips with machinima or anything for that matter and do the same thing over and over for a month. But even though you’re doing the same thing it will look a whole lot better than it did when you started.

Allright, thank you Bonkey. Do you have anything to add? Maybe a question I did not ask yet?

In closing all I have to say is… I love me some Paus. ^_^;; ( but no homo mind you )

You sure not homo?

I’m sure

Ok