WoW Moviewatch: Cooking with Ethnea, Episode 1
by Moo Money 
Aug 17th 2008 at 12:00PM
The most glaring mistake comes from improperly chroma keying the WoW Model Viewed character. The timing is off, so there is a noticeable difference between when Ethnea and the background appear. She also didn't adjust the high and low thresholds for her character, which is causing transparency issues. If you're just going to use still shots of your character in a picture of a background, you may as well put your character in the picture itself by using a photo editing program.
[Thanks, Melissa!]
If you have any suggestions for WoW Moviewatch, you can mail them to us at machinima AT wowinsider DOT com.
Previously on Moviewatch ...
Read on for more constructive tips ...
In addition, the background is too real, so it's a bit offputting. If you're going for a kitchen set that you can interact with, I would suggest using a program like iClone or Second Life, where you can customize everything, including food, completely. The action gets a bit repetitive as well, but it could be because there's not much to do (yet) in the kitchen.
Machinima can be difficult to master, but once you get the hang of it, it's smooth sailing. As she produces further episodes, her work will only get better. With endorsements from The Spark and Geek Media, Adreena is already off to a great start, though!
Filed under: Machinima, WoW Moviewatch, Humor
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Josh Aug 17th 2008 12:22PM
I watched this expecting it to be funny, but I was soon disappointed. I did not laugh once and it was boring. I mean its not like we will ever need to cook Kodo steaks so at least make this entertaining and funny. I mean at least show her trying to kill a Kodo or something. This was just horrible and it didnt hold my interest for a second.
Nathan Allen Pinard Aug 17th 2008 12:26PM
It isn't really meant to be a comedy at all. The fact is, it's a cooking show built into machinima. Those kodo steaks are a real recipe you can cook (of course replacing the kodo steaks with...steak)
There are a number of people that thought this was an interesting idea, and had actually got them interested in cooking.
Driphter Aug 17th 2008 1:59PM
Not funny?? The second time she walked to the fridge had me rofling.
Seriously though, good vid! I'm sure that as it goes on it will get better, just stick with it.
~Driphter
Ametrine Aug 17th 2008 12:48PM
Except for the aforementioned rough-edges, this is pretty decent for a first try. Not bad. Keep practicing, Adreena, and maybe we'll see more of your stuff in the future.
Askawarlock Aug 17th 2008 1:15PM
Before the typical wowinsider comments ensue about how this is an abomination to films and nobody but Baron Soosden is allowed to make machinima, I would like to applaud an interesting concept.
With some practise and improvements to the technical side, these movies could be quite enjoyable.
Keep at it, the more you do the better you'll get.
BaronSoosdon Aug 18th 2008 8:08AM
This has nothing to do with this vid.. but why in the hell is that people see an E in soosdOn? This ain't the first time I'm seeing this typo :)
Is that some english/american thing I don't know of? o.O
I haven't even typoed it since day one, the artist name has always been soosdOn.
Askawarlock Aug 18th 2008 1:06PM
Unintentional typo, my bad
Earnshaw Aug 17th 2008 1:39PM
For people who dont know, the background and music at the start is from The Sims 2, which is why the graphics are better than Second Life
Justin Aug 17th 2008 1:42PM
There is an easy way to fix the dissolves on multiple layers... Instead of putting the transition on each layer drop a black slug above the top-most layer and apply the dissolves to that. Really simple and once you set it up once you can copy and paste the slug and dissolves over each segment... much faster than applying dissolves to each track.
Adreena Aug 17th 2008 1:57PM
Thanks Nathan, for being so swift with the response I'd have used had I gotten there first! :)
"Cooking With Ethnea" is first and foremost a cooking show, with real life recipes, changed around a little bit, and based on WoW recipes!
Humor will be included in future episodes, there is no doubt, but it is a cooking show.
I've got Episode 2 50% done, and and am constantly trying to hone my skills with Vegas.
Thanks for the wonderful feedback! I look forward to hearing more from everyone!
Faar Aug 17th 2008 6:11PM
I know you're making a *cooking* show and all (rather than a comedy show), but the fact you're making a *WoW-based* cooking show with an undead hostess just strikes me as inherently hilarious and had me giggling crazily to myself while watching. :P
I assume that the kitchen is from The Sims? Maybe you could do excursions to famous WoW locations for future episodes. There's a kitchen both in Karazhan and Shadowfang Keep for example, or a more rural location, such as one of the Orc dwellings in The Barrens, or the inn in Razor Hill? This could be combined with some appropriate recipes, such as some boar/pork or zebra/horse dishes... ;)
Thanks for your hard work so far, and keep it up! :)
Skoteinos Aug 17th 2008 2:08PM
I thought this was really fun, too. I expected a comedy as well, but when I saw that it was seriously a cooking show with a recipe you could actually prepare yourself, I found myself enjoying it anyway. And there -were- some humorous parts. I think the best part of it was just how much it is like one of those cooking shows from the early to mid-90s before the Food Network made the genre popular and therefore competitive enough to add production value. I think she did a very good job and though a bit rough it was enjoyable and I think it'd make a great series with more episodes. Don't let the negative comments that are bound to be made (like the first post) keep you from making more.
BonfireAg Aug 17th 2008 4:56PM
When the show cut to the outside scene with the smoker/grill, I admit I laughed. Looks just like your typical smoker you get from Academy! And, it actually made me a little hungry looking at those steaks (oh, i mean Kodo steaks)
Dispater Aug 17th 2008 5:19PM
I'm looking forward to the teriyaki gnome kabobs!
uncaringbear Aug 17th 2008 9:03PM
I think she did a fine job, and her machinimas will improve technically soon enough. Also, I thought her voice acting was pretty good. Nice job!
Bullroar Aug 20th 2008 8:07PM
Do NOT use 1/4 cup of Liquid Smoke! That is insane.
jten11 Aug 18th 2008 12:26PM
Very good first attempt and I really enjoyed the style. Besides a few issues(which I know can be improved through time), I see your series going far if you keep with this concept. The voice acting was surprisingly nice, as well. Keep up the good work!
jun Aug 18th 2008 2:39PM
It's cute, but I don't really understand the demographic choice - people who are serious about cooking won't be taking your wow 'kodo and undead' approach seriously - in fact I can't imagine many cooking show fans even clicking on something that looks like a gaming video - and people who like wow vids will be disappointed that it isn't a crazy comedy cooking spoof.
I guess you are always free to follow your own creativity and all that, but I don't think this approach is going to attract a dedicated audience (if that is your goal).