The Academy of Machinima Arts & Sciences (AMAS), an organization that provides advocacy, education and community for Machinima, announced the winners of the 2005 Machinima Awards (The Mackies), which were unveiled in an awards presentation during the Machinima Film Festival on Nov. 11, 2005.

With two stop-motion features hitting theaters this year, Gerard C. Raiti looks at another trailblazing stop-motion legend Gumby, who is celebrating his 50th year, with a talk with Clokey Prods. head Joe Clokey, the son of Gumby creator Art Clokey.

ION Animation, Games and Film Festival 2005
Los Angeles, California USA
December 2 – 4, 2005
Deadline: September 30, 2005

The ION International Animation, Games and Film Festival will return to Los Angeles this fall and organizers are looking for submissions of animated films, machinima, game trailers, music videos, live-action short films, short documentaries, TV spots, movie trailers and films made for mobile devices such as cell phones and PDAs.

In April, Electronic Arts and USC teamed up to hold a machinima contest, using the filmmaking feature in THE SIMS 2 and now the winners are in. The contest allowed game players and aspiring filmmakers to submit their 3-minute movie shorts. EA received more than 1,000 entries that were then judged by a panel of USC professors and film experts.

Bitfilm Festival 2005
Hamburg, Germany
November 2-6, 2005
Deadline: July 15, 2005

The Bitfilm Festival for digital film and new media shows films that use digital technology in a creative and innovative way. There are six categories:

* 3D SPACE – Computer-generated 3D animations
* FX MIX - Digitally composed hybrids, mixing for example live action and animation
* FLASH ATTACK - Films produced in Macromedia Flash
* MACHINIMA - Movies made in real time with game engines

In Part 3 of this series, Ellen Besen discusses the impact of new technology on performance and the future roles of technology, new and old, with former Disney animation artist Charlie Bonifacio and former Pixar animation artist Stephen Barnes.

Bitfilm Festival 2005
Hamburg, Germany
November 2-6 2005
Deadline: July 15, 2005

The Bitfilm Festival for digital film and new media shows films that use digital technology in a creative and innovative way. There are six categories:

* 3D Space: Computer generated 3D animations.
* FX Mix: Digitally composed hybrids, mixing live action, effects and animation.
* 64K Demos: Audiovisual programs that work with a PC's processor and videocard.
* Flash: Linear films and interactive works made with Macromedia Flash.

Avid Technology Inc. announced the “SOFTIMAGE|XSI Mod Tool Lock & Load” Challenge.” The challenge — sponsored in part by HP, NVIDIA and Gamedev.net — gives gamers the opportunity to win more than $25,000US in prizes for developing “mods” — modified content for popular video games — using the SOFTIMAGE|XSI Mod Tool v4.2, the freely available version of the company’s professional 3D animation software.

Broadband network Heavy.com will debut a new Machinima series, PIMP MY WEAPON, that was created in partnership with Sony as part of its pre-promotion for it's highly anticipated release of GOD OF WAR. This marks the first time that a studio-endorsed Machinima will reach a broadcast-scale audience through cable or broadband and will be shown exclusively on Heavy.com (www.heavy.com).

Ed Robertson, lead singer and guitar player for the multi-platinum rock band Barenaked Ladies, premiers in his first cameo role in this week’s special double-length 50th episode of the online Machinima series, RED VS. BLUE. Robertson plays Captain Flowers, the ill-fated leader of the Blue army.

This episode marks the third collaboration between Robertson and series creator Rooster Teeth Prods. Rooster Teeth created custom RED VS. BLUE clips that Barenaked Ladies showed on their last two concert tours of North America.