Wee Bit Films

W B Yeats - An Irish Airman Foresees His Death

2010-07-28T02:22:00.021+01:00

Recipient of the Order of 777 Studios Medal.

Nominated for Jury Award at MachinExpo2010.

Screened at Atopic - Festivel de Films Machinima - 2010

Runner up for Best Story Line/Narrative Machinima at VWBPE 2011

I have wanted to turn this poem into film ever since I saw a friend's forum signature:

A lonely impulse of delight
Drove to this tumult in the clouds

But my usual flight sim, IL2, did not have World War I scenarios. Now, with the visually stunning flight sim, Rise of Flight, this finally became a possibility.

Dakadakadaka - Machinima Expo 2010 Trailer

2010-06-03T23:58:00.006+01:00

The Machinima Expo 2010 is now accepting entries. It would be great to see some flight sim movies represented though I know it has been a quiet year. Still, there are a few months to go before the deadline is up -August 31st.

2009 had two of Doktorkop's films included, one nominated for a jury prize and another screened. Myself and Blackace had films screened too, but these were not flight sim movies.

2008 had Faith Hope and Charity screened and Bag the Hun was on display on one of the vendor stands.

I know there are good flight sim movies out there, so please do submit!

There have also been some amazing films made in other engines so I'm sure it will be the best Expo yet, especially as we are hoping to have many more attendees both from the web via Livestream and other browser technologies as well as in Second Life.

PS here's the original

Time lapse video of set building in Second Life

2010-05-02T01:22:00.000+01:00

This is how a WW2 control tower was built in Second Life and chroma keyed with an airfield in IL2 for an upcoming flight sim training film. The script has been written by Kate "kkffoo" Fosk and Carlos "EAF51 Nepe" Garcia for an interesting mix of human interest and technical accuracy. Second Life is a great engine for building sets and creating actors while IL2 is one of the best flight sims for representing WW2 aircraft. Thanks to Chantal Harvey and TributeTim Kwak for providing the land to build on.

Some of my old gaming videos moved to Youtube

2010-03-10T21:29:00.006Z

A few of my early gaming videos, pre 2007, that were only available for download, now moved to Youtube. Is this machinima? ;)

Mainly nostalga for my flying pals of the virtual European Air Force as these are mostly recorded from online flying sessions, but other's may hopefully be able to relate.

Or just for anyone interested in what I started out making, and maybe even to give you that same thought I had over 5 years ago of "hey, I could do that".

Enjoy
S/L Joe90, 602 "City of Glasgow" Squadron, EAF

Quarter of a million hits and a facelift for Flight Sim Machinima

2009-10-24T23:10:00.005+01:00

For 3 years now we have been selecting the best flight sim movies in one collection as a showcase of the great films that can be created from game engines. Many of these films were hosted on different sites for downloading which have since become unavailable, and also there were very few high quality streaming sites available back then.

So, after 250,000 hits on the website, we decided to give the site a brand new and modern style and also to create a channel on Youtube for easy viewing of all the videos in HD where available.

http://www.flightsimmachinima.com/

Please take some time to look through the fantastic, moving and entertaining films that have been made from IL2 and other simulators since the very first days when amateur moviemakers realized just what they could achieve all on their own and inexpensively with a game engine, a computer and some good ideas.

This process is now widely recognized as the art of machinima, and we sincerely hope that many of you will begin or continue making great flight sim movies.

Thanks to all on the team for keeping the flag flying - Russell (Joe90) Boyd, Chris (Bbloke) Hunton, Steve (Monty-Dan) Worsley, Bruce (Wiley/Doolittle81) Wallace, Sjon (GL2) Stevens, Michael (310thFalcon) Lockhart and Tinus (biltongbru) le Roux.

Migrating old memories and web pages and contemplations on what is real

2009-07-24T23:32:00.007+01:00

About bloody time!

http://russellboyd90.blogspot.com/

I finally got around to moving my old static and non-interactive ntlworld website to blogger. I forgot just how much change has happened over the last 6 years, while moving across some old pages.

We all started somewhere with online life - I'm sure a lot of you are of the same generation that can remember the days when there was no Internet. Yep, can you believe that!? Can you remember how the hell we got by 20 years ago without having Google ready to answer any questions, and the people we met were the people living in the same town?

When did you become hooked online?

I exclude the early years when I tried to play Duke Nukem 3d with my neighbours by modem to modem direct link. For me I discovered online gaming with the Munky Clan, an America's Army squad. It all came clear how fantastic and fun it can be to immerse yourself in a virtual reality, as it was not just the gaming but also the building of a clan and new friends. The naivety of these first days also led to major bust ups and emotional stress.

Then to be more serious about online friendships and gaming by joining a Virtual RAF Squadron to reenact WW2 air battles. You would think a bunch of guys could get on OK, but even then there are some problem individuals, though much easier to deal with in a virtual democratic militaristic group. 10 years and still going strong, EAF.

In the vast virtual worlds of today like Second Life, we ask ourselves is this real or not. If real means emotional involvement, then Second Life is real, as real as America’s Army clans were 6 years ago.

Lights Out - a short horror film directed by Chris Boyd

2009-07-23T16:31:00.003+01:00

This made by my kid, Chris, along with his Media Studies class in their final year at Dunoon Grammar School, 2009.

I don't ever remember school being this much fun!

IL2 Sturmovik – new life for an 8 year old engine

2009-07-22T01:21:00.005+01:00

This short machinima piece shows how the latest mod Ultrapack version 1.7 has breathed new life yet again into an 8 year old combat flight simulator, IL2 Sturmovik, making it a viable engine for making films.

This is a demo of a track, recorded first with the mods, then for comparison, without.

No post processing was carried out. What you see and hear, is what you get in game.

Salute! EAF602 Joe90 Virtual European Air Force

Another Youtube takedown! And a putbackupagain.

2009-07-14T14:25:00.005+01:00

Youtube dropped another bomb on me. They must be getting good at dropping bombs with pinpoint accuracy, ahem.

Yes, I know, I used copyrighted music for an old training video I made on how to use the Norden bombsight in IL2. It was way before there was any real concern that Youtube would eventually have a strop with Warners Music Group and decide to pull all their content off the site.

My Bad.

Also very irked as it had been one of my more popular videos, and was still getting hits and comments even though the tutorial was over 2 years old. I still get messages asking for more information on how to drop bombs (sorry all if I don't reply to them all, it's just lack of time, but thanks for the interest. Best place to get help is in the forums then everyone can share and learn).

Well, I guess I should put it up again without WMG music. It means losing some of the sound effects, but hopefully this will still be useful to enthusiastic bombardiers. And hey, at least it means I can do it in HD this time. Back in the old days there was no such thing :)

Hitting 50 - I would celebrate but...

2009-07-08T13:20:00.006+01:00

Nope, not the number of years on this planet, but 50 Youtube subscribers to http://www.youtube.com/user/J0E90

I would celebrate as it does feel like an important number of subscribers, but then again my kid got the same number a whole lot quicker making domino videos, and now has 230. Me jealous of my kid? Hah, course not. The little brat, more popular than his old man http://www.youtube.com/user/camjam2k7 but I'll forgive him as he made me a cute little logo from dominoes :p

Thanks to all who have subscribed - it's actually very encouraging to know that you want to see more.

For those who subscribed to see more flight sim movies and have been asking for more, well, maybe one day I'll come back to that genre when there is a good way to get better human animations into the game. For sure there are still many great stories to tell.

As for now, most of my films are being made with Pooky Amsterdam in Second Life, over at http://www.youtube.com/user/pookymedia

Chuffed with OMFF results

2009-05-11T10:18:00.008+01:00

Winners of Online Machinima Film Festival 2009

Very pleased to not only get a runner up award for best film at this year’s Online Machinima Film Festival, but chuffed to see other Flight Sim movies get a mention.

My own Shoulder to Shoulder was third for best film, using IL2, Sims 2 and my first tinkering with CGI.

Wolf’s Desert Dogfighter was third for best drama, and this is one of the best dramatic stories told using a flight sim engine, integrated with ArmA and a few others.

TLR was third for best first film. Tinus is now developing great integration films; see more of his work at Youtube

Also, pleased to see Pooky getting third place in the series category with the brilliant 2nd QuestioN! live machinima show.

Congrats to all the winners, and a big thanks to Michelle for organising this. Shame there won't be an event for us all to get together again in Second Life.

Bag the Hun - a Moviestorm and IL2 experiment

2008-10-20T10:47:00.017+01:00

Is Moviestorm a tool that will introduce characters to IL2 movies?

I made this experimental movie to help new pilots learn how to improve their shooting and also to see how the mixing of the two engines is received.

Download the high quality wmv version HERE

Shoulder to Shoulder - The EAF Movie

2008-08-19T21:10:00.009+01:00

Nominated for best film at Online Machinima Film Festival 2009

Why do we fly? What do we remember? For 8 years, Over 60 men have been part of the virtual European Air Force. This is our movie.

Download from Mission4Today or watch the streaming version in full screen:

Chroma Keying a Real Person in a Virtual Cockpit

2008-05-21T23:40:00.009+01:00

Testing to see what can be done with a very simple digi-camera and Sony Vegas chroma keying.

Full details of the method used can be viewed HERE

Chroma Keying a Real Person in a Virtual Cockpit from Russell Boyd on Vimeo.
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Josephine's Beau - Screentest (Mar 08)

2008-03-04T11:30:00.023Z

This is a screentest for the upcoming movie 'Heroes and Friends' featuring the Mustang 'Josephine' of Joe Peterburs in which he shot down the Luftwaffe Ace Walter Schuck. After the war, Joe and Walter have become great friends and this will be a movie to honour that friendship.

Josephine's Beau - Screentest from Russell Boyd on Vimeo.
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Faith Hope and Charity (Jun 07)

2008-03-04T11:00:00.013Z

Made as a member of the Wingmen Productions team.

This historical drama, inspired by actual events, tells the story of the defence of the island of Malta at the start of WWII. Only a few Gloster Sea Gladiator biplanes were available for the heroic battle against scores of more modern Italian fighters and bombers.

Click HERE to download the high quality version from Wingmen Productions or watch the streaming version from gamerztheatre.com:

Winner of Best Film at the Online Machinima Film Festival 2008 and finalist for Best Drama, Best First Film, Best Custom Content and Best Original Sound Design.

Nominated for three awards at the Machinima Festival Europe 2007 for Best Direction, Best Story and Best Visual Design.

Awarded the Golden OLEG for being the internationally proclaimed best epic flight sim machinima movie yet produced.

Awarded a second Golden OLEG for the combined creative and technical efforts of a dozen movie makers, particularly for direction, editing, CGI, musical score, sound effects, and screenwriting.
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Milne Bay (May 07)

2008-03-04T10:30:00.005Z

This movie is based on the events of the 1942 Battle of Milne Bay, New Guinea. It is highly fictionalized in its details, but the result of the battle is historically correct. The movie is a re-creation and dramatization of the actual missions flown in an online campaign version of the Battle, flown by the virtual European Air Force UK Squadrons 602 and 19, opposed by the Italian 51 Stormo.

Click HERE to download the high quality version from mission4today or click below to see the streaming version from vimeo.com:

Milne Bay from Russell Boyd on Vimeo.
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Norden Bombsight Training (Apr 07)

2008-03-04T10:00:00.009Z

A training movie showing how to use the Norden Bombsight to level bomb from high altitude.

Click HERE to download the high quality version from mission4today or click below to see the streaming version from vimeo.com:

Norden Bombsight Training from Russell Boyd on Vimeo.
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Brothers In Arms (Sep 06)

2008-03-04T09:30:00.009Z

On 7 January 1949, as the Israeli War of Independence was coming to an end, three nations' Air Forces, all equipped with Spitfires, were at the front line. This is a true story about the combat events of that day and the men who fought in them.

Click HERE to download the high quality version from Netwings or click below to see the streaming version from vimeo.com:

Brothers In Arms from Russell Boyd on Vimeo.

Awarded the Golden OLEG for outstanding achievement in screenwriting.
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Beaufighters of 455 Squadron

2008-03-04T08:40:00.005Z

This movie is a tribute to 455 Squadron of the RAAF, and is based on historical events.

After the original publication of the movie in May 2006, I was contacted by the son of the Operations Officer at Dallachy and I offered to publish some of his father's old photographs on THIS BLOG. It's a priviledge to be contacted by relatives of the men represented and we can only hope that our efforts will be a worthwhile remembrance.

Download the high quality DIVX VERSION from netwings.org or watch the streaming version from vimeo.com:

Beaufighters of 455 Squadron from Russell Boyd on Vimeo.
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Operation Big Ben (Mar 05)

2008-03-04T08:30:00.011Z

This is the true story about Raymond Baxter and 602 Squadron's involvement in Operation Big Ben - the anti V2 campaign. This movie is based on the squadron diary as published in the book 'Operation Big Ben' by Craig Cabell and Graham A Thomas.

It was the greatest honour to have Raymond Baxter watch my movie before he passed away. He wrote me this letter:

Click HERE to download the high quality version from Netwings or click below to see the streaming version from vimeo.com:

Operation Big Ben from Russell Boyd on Vimeo.

Awarded the Golden OLEG
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Other Movies

2008-03-04T08:00:00.008Z

B-25 Level Bombing Training Video
The old way, replaces by this new version

Blue Max
Biplane fun

Carrier Line Up
8 EAF down safely, watch out for the last man!

Czechwar Bombers
How to bomb and rocket attack tanks

Don't Push The Button
What NOT to press when lining up to take off

Mossies and Tempests
EAF's first mission with the Mosquito

My Old Friend The Arresting Hook
Why it's important to put chocks in and raise your wings

Operation Big Ben
Couple of out-takes

Rhubarb
EAF602 Training Mission

Too Close For Comfort
So you bring your 1,600lb'er home. What to do with it?

Ways to Kill a Zwilling
Not only with guns!