This week we review a 'golden age' machinima, starring none other than Ricky Grove playing 'Bogart', and Ingrid Moon playing err, 'Ingrid', with Phil having created the score and Ricky having produced the sound design.  Its a short by German-American creator, Andre Pesch, called The Days After, made in GTA San Andreas. Its a story that pre-2020 probably we'd have all said, simply, yep that was great, without any real appreciation for what is actually being portrayed in this 2006 film. However, there's a sense in which this now brings back memories of lockdowns and isolation, and the fear of an unknown viral menace devastating our lives. It perfectly illustrates the narrow grip many had on reality, as Ricky observes in this "... war, crime, patriotism - you can name those things but you can never fix them." 

0:44 Introduction – a nepotistic choice!

7:05 Phil’s role in the production, how to deal with copyrighted music

8:53 Score design, a development process

9:23 Anti-commercial storytelling

10:54 Lest we forget – the quality of the writing is outstanding

13:00 Embodying the storytelling process in the creative practice

16:00 Using the game to develop a novel stylised aesthetic

21:04 T40X virus and its resonance on humanity

31:44 Ambiguity rocks – take a pause to watch the film HERE!

32:14 Discussion: the ending vs an ending

37:38 Science fiction’s conceit

39:41 Achievements

40:28 A sequel?

45:00 Andre Pesch, where is he now?

Credits -
Speakers: Ricky Grove, Phil Rice, Damien Valentine, Tracy Harwood
Producer: Ricky Grove
Editor: Phil Rice
Music: Animo Domini Beats

Film link on the YouTube channel