Paraglyph Press Announces First Book on New Technology for Making Animated Films on Your PC: "3D Game-Based Filmmaking: The Art of Machinima" 

Scottsdale AZ - July 12, 2004 - Paraglyph Press is pleased to announce the very first book on a leading-edge filmmaking technology, "3D Game-Based Filmmaking: The Art of Machinima" (U.S. $39.99, 496 pages with CD-ROM, ISBN 1-932111-85-9). 

Get 3D Game-Based Filmmaking: The Art of Machinima from Amazon for only $27.19

Machinima, defined as animated filmmaking in a real-time virtual 3D world, is an emerging technology that is revolutionizing how animated films are made. This new art form and technology involves using powerful game engines, such as the ones provided with games like Quake and Unreal Tournament 2004, to create animation films on the desktop. Machinima is quickly being adopted by animators, designers, filmmakers, and technology enthusiasts who can now create their own animated films. 

The book features a foreword written by John Gaeta, the Senior Visual Effects Supervisor for the Matrix trilogy. "3D Game-Based Filmmaking: The Art of Machinima" is a complete guide to Machinima, including many hands-on tutorials and projects that help readers create their own animations quickly. Starting with an introduction to Machinima and the technology platforms included on the CD-ROM, this book then shows how to create characters, set up virtual cameras for live-action filming, design sets, and produce a finished film that can be distributed on DVD and online. 

This book also covers set design, video capture, visual effects, and character development. The tools on the CD, in addition to basic hardware and software available in retail stores, give readers everything they need to start creating their own characters and films immediately. 

In this book, readers will learn: 

-The nuts and bolts of making 3D animated films 

-How to create virtual sets, add actors and cameras, and record everything in real time 

-Specialized techniques for set design, cinematography, and character design 

-How to use powerful Machinima tools such as Machinimation and Unreal Tournament 2004 and its in-game camera system Matinee 

-How to edit, produce, and distribute a Machinima film 

-How to effectively use post production techniques to give animated films real polish 

Author Paul Marino is an award-winning Machinima and animation film director and designer. He is the Executive Director of the Academy of Machinima Arts and Sciences in New York City. His work with The ILL Clan has received much praise and recognition, including top honors in Showtime Networks' 2001 Alternative Media Festival and the Pixxelpoint International Computer Animation Festival. Marino has been featured in numerous magazine, newspaper and video segments about Machinima, including Entertainment Weekly, NPR, The Wall Street Journal, PBS, G4TechTV, the New York Times, and CNN. He may be reached through the website www.machinima.org. 

Keith Weiskamp, President of Paraglyph Press, says: "We are delighted to be the publisher of the very first and landmark book on Machinima. Paul Marino has been a major force in the early development of Machinima, and his current work is poised to take Machinima to a new level. With the release of highly successful animation films like Shrek, interest in making animation films is at an all-time high. We think that the Machinima technology will soon be used by animators and filmmakers worldwide. We anticipate that "3D Game-Based Filmmaking: The Art of Machinima" is going to be hit with these audiences, as well as with the PC enthusiast, who can now make animated films at very little cost." 

"Machinima is the convergence of three really hot industries--filmmaking, animation, and game development," stated author, Paul Marino. "It is starting to break out of its niche past, and now some of the major studios are looking into using Machinima with some of their productions. This book represents the culmination of my years of experience and selected insight from some of the top filmmakers working in this exciting art form. I think that Machinima is a huge step forward in the democratization of animated filmmaking, and I'm really excited to be getting the word out and helping the next generation of animated filmmakers." 

About Paraglyph Press 

Paraglyph Press was founded in May 2002 by publishing entrepreneurs Keith Weiskamp and Jeff Duntemann, along with publishing executives Steven Sayre and Cynthia Caldwell. Paraglyph publishes books for computer users and professionals on such topics as web design, game programming and development, and wireless and emerging technologies. Some of its best-selling titles are "Degunking Windows," "Degunking Your Mac," "Game Coding Complete," "Jeff Duntemann's Wi-Fi Guide, 2nd Edition," and "Looking Good in Print, 5th Edition."