Moviestorm - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Moviestorm is real-time

Real-time computer graphics

Real-time computer graphics is the subfield of computer graphics focused on producing and analyzing images in real time. The term is most often used in reference to interactive 3D computer graphics, typically using a GPU, with video games the most noticeable users...

3D animation software published by Moviestorm Ltd. The software is aimed at people of all age groups (with a stated minimum of 14 years old) and appeals to those with a diverse range of backgrounds and interests. Currently active members include bloggers, musicians, writers, teachers, students, engineers, marketing professionals and physicists. Moviestorm enables the user to create animated movies, using machinima

Machinima

Machinima is the use of real-time 3D computer graphics rendering engines to create a cinematic production. Most often, video games are used to generate the computer animation...

technology. It takes the user from initial concept to finished, distributed movies. Sets and characters can be created and customised, and scenes can be filmed using multiple cameras.

The software's website features a Web 2.0

Web 2.0

The term Web 2.0 is associated with web applications that facilitate participatory information sharing, interoperability, user-centered design, and collaboration on the World Wide Web...

social media service, which includes a video hosting service, and an online community where movie-makers can talk about their movies, find collaborators, and organise online events. Moviestorm also makes use of Twitter

Twitter

Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...

, YouTube

YouTube

YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....

and Facebook

Facebook

Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...

to release the latest news on the software and to interact with both current and potential users.

Development history

Moviestorm has been generally available since August 2008 and over 100,000 people have now registered to use it.
The interface has undergone fairly radical change since its first incarnation. Many User Interface improvements were implemented with the release of version 1.3 in June 2010 and version 1.4, released in August 2010, contained some long-awaited upgrades especially in the Dressing room which allows much more control over facial morphing of avatars. This release also features a completely new lighting system which more closely resembles the 3-light systems used in real live action filming. Version 1.5 is due to be released in late 2011, and features many changes.

Moviestorm Ltd interacts with customers in its active online forums.

Business model

Users new to the program can try it for 7 days for free by registering at the website. Thereafter Moviestorm offers a subscription model. Subscribers pay around US $7.99 monthly and this entitles them to receive 800 Moviestorm Points each month which can be used in the official Marketplace to purchase themed content packs and other additions/modifications to the program. In addition to purchasing content outright, users can rent content packs for as little as one day, in order to only pay for content licenses when the content is actively being used.
Moviestorm Points can also be gifted to other users in return for advice or assistance or in payment for a user-created modification. Subscribers have access to the Modders Workshop a tool which allows them to create their own 'props' and a wizard allows the direct import of models from Google SketchUp version 6. As of 2011, users can create their own custom "gestures" with the release of the Moviestorm skeletons.

Subscribers can also increase their points at any time by buying more points from the online marketplace. A subscription can be discontinued at any time, and resumed later with no penalty.

Children's animation

Blockhouse TV, based in Norwich, UK, utilised Moviestorm in their animated series for children, Jack and Holly
Jack and Holly
Jack and Holly is a preschool animated series from the UK which centres around two characters, Jack and Holly. It was created, written and produced by husband and wife team Jezz Wright and Julianne Martin at Blockhouse TV.-Main characters:...

. The first season, Jack and Holly's Christmas Countdown, was released in 2010. The second season, Jack and Holly's Cosmic Stories, was released in 2011.

Film teaching

Moviestorm has been used in film schools and media courses in many countries. Wan Smolbag Theatre in Vanuatu

Vanuatu

Vanuatu , officially the Republic of Vanuatu , is an island nation located in the South Pacific Ocean. The archipelago, which is of volcanic origin, is some east of northern Australia, northeast of New Caledonia, west of Fiji, and southeast of the Solomon Islands, near New Guinea.Vanuatu was...

was one of the first to adopt it in 2008, under tutor John Herd. Students trained on Moviestorm have gone on to successful careers with the island's TV network.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.