WoW Moviewatch: The Achiever - Rapid Defense
by Michael Gray 
Feb 17th 2009 at 12:00PM
I wasn't originally going to cover The Achiever - Rapid Defense by Origano because it had a fundamental flaw. (I'll touch on that in a second.) However, the machinima kept coming up in the suggestion box and elsewhere, so I thought I would go ahead and put it out there for our readers to comment upon. This review will touch on the video's sound and video separately, for an obvious reason.
The movie is about a chap who enters a kind of reality-TV show. He competes for fabulous prizes by completing objectives. The thing is, though, I mostly gleaned that from the video's description and guessing from what happened in the video. The voice track was almost impossible for me to understand, even cranking the volume all the way up. I tried it on a couple different computers, and just had a hell of a time making anything out.
It's a shame, because the video looks pretty good. I like the framing and the basic premise of what I saw. But I did have to rely on what I saw. Grading the imagery alone, I'd give the machinima high marks. It's only when the audio is accounted for that I think the movie got derailed.
So, that being said, I hope Origano revisits with a cleaner voice track. The Achiever looks like it could be awesome, but we've got to be able to hear what people are saying.
If you have any suggestions for WoW Moviewatch, you can mail them to us at machinima AT wowinsider DOT com.
Previously on Moviewatch ..
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, WoW Moviewatch, Machinima
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Noobieninja Feb 17th 2009 12:05PM
HAHA!! 1st
Kay Feb 17th 2009 12:07PM
It does look interesting...unfortunately for people used to hearing american english, this was sort of a triplefail combo of very heavily accented english, bad microphones, and bad audio mixing. (As if understanding them wasn't hard enough, every time there's a sound effect it completely eclipses what's being said.)
Erogroth Feb 17th 2009 3:08PM
Agreed. The concept is great and I think it had potential but I just couldn't understand more then half of what was being said.
Siorra Feb 17th 2009 12:07PM
Yeah, that's some pretty terrible voice work right there. It's not often I actually give up on a machinima, but I had to this time. :(
FireStar Feb 17th 2009 12:07PM
Yeah i think this one's better watching it on mute.
Jillemixie Feb 17th 2009 12:08PM
Weird... it says this shouldn't have been out yet when i posted O.o
origano Feb 17th 2009 12:24PM
I was checking my profile when I suddenly noticed the views had boomed up, was pleased to find out that it had been reviewed here : ) Thanks Adam!
Anyway you are absolutely right, I don't know why I tuned the voice down so much, maybe it was that I understood it because I knew the script inside-out and forgot to check if others did too : / well, atleast I have something to learn for next one!
Atros Feb 17th 2009 12:33PM
The first half of the video was practically unwatchable due to not having a clue as to what was being said. The second half, I was able to get the jist of it, but the jokes probably didn't come off as well as they probably would have. Work on your audio mixing. With the voices being so low, sound effects being so high, and the voices just being 'muddy' overall, what has a lot of potential just comes off as weak. Perhaps if you re-do the audio and re-release it, it may work out better.
Eternauta Feb 17th 2009 12:42PM
Hey GMs, ban that guy!
BANBANBANBANBANBANBANBANBANBANBANBANBAN
skbak_ Feb 17th 2009 1:49PM
Isn't that Kel'Thuzad?
I won't lie, I lol'ed
Drakkenfyre Feb 17th 2009 3:30PM
This is a transcription, as best as I could make out.
Host: "Hello, and welcome to a new show, "The Achiever". In this program, we'll follow a brave warrior and his journey to gain the desired title "The Achiever". In order to do this he must complete all the achievements in the game. at this time our competetant is that guy. I mean Origano."
Origano: "Turn it off!", " Howdy!"
Host: "Hello, and welcome Origano"
Origano: "No, please, call me "The Spice Boy."
Host: "Spice Boy? Oh, yeah. What motivates you to do all of the achievements in the game?"
Origano: (Thinking) "Glory, money, (unknown)." "Cake". And (unknown) of course."
Host: "Good motivators. So, we have choosen the first achievement for you. And it's a great difference. You are to action several ghouls under (unknown), blah blah blah."
Origano: (Thinking) "Mmmm, achieve sounds like an achiever, mmmm."
Host: "Miracle bot, we're almost done."
Origano: (Thinking) "Achiever, achiever, achiever, achiever, achiever, achiever, achiever, achiever, achiever."
Host: "Are you listening at all?"
Origano: "Yup."
Host: "Great. We'll all meet in Dragonblight then."
Host: "Where the heck is he? He should have been here an hour ago."
Lord Afrasastrasz: "Won't matter."
Origano: "Hello guys, sorry I'm late. I was (unknown)."
Host: "What took you so long?"
Origano: "I had some mount problems."
Origano: "Ding, dong, ding, dong, ding, dong, ding, dong, ding, dong, ding, dong. Ahhhhh!"
Host: "Fine, anyway, are you ready to do the achievements?"
Origano: "Yup."
Host: "Do you know what to do?"
Origano: "Nope."
Host: "And to think he got this far."
Host: "Got it?"
Origano: "Got it."
Host: "Your drake is there. Good luck."
Origano: "How do I fly this thing?"
Lord Afrasastrasz: "They just go up."
Origano: "Oh.", "Ahhhhh!"
Host: "He will never make it."
Lord Afrasastrasz: "There is always a chance, or maybe not."
Lord Afrasastrasz: Look out, this might (unknown).
Lord Afrasastrasz: "Oh yeah, he's on fire."
Host: We need the (unknown)."
Host: "Hey, isn't that Kel'thuzad?"
Lord Afrasastrasz: "No shit, Sherlock."
Host: "That must have hurt."
Host: "So, he could actually do it this time."
Lord Afrasastrasz: "Right."
Origano: "(Unknown)."
Origano: "Burn!"
Host: "I think Kel'thuzad is very (Unknown)."
Lord Afrasastrasz: "(Unknown)."
Host: "Look out, he's coming."
Origano: "I'm turning in, sir."
Lord Afrasastrasz: "Turn in accepted. Good job, Origamo."
Origano: "Thank you. But something's not right. There was no achievement sound."
Lord Afrasastrasz: "Are you sure you haven't done this before?"
Origano: "Yup, I am. I have never done the quest before."
Lord Afrasastrasz: "Is that really your own account?"
Origano: "No, it's not. I mean, yes, yes, yes it is. Yes, it's one of them. I'm the only Origamo from Mulgore. See ya."
Lord Afrasastrasz: "Hey, don't go anywhere."
Origano: "(Unknown)."
Lord Afrasastrasz: "Game Masters, ban that guy!"
GM's: "Ban, ban, ban, ban, ban, ban, ban, ban."
Origano: " Ahh, faster, faster!"
GM's: "Ban, hup. Ban, hup, Ban, hup, Ban hup."
Host: "Origano was too busy to give any comments, but we are sure he is happy about his already-done achievment. Grats to him. We will see you again next week, if Origano doesn't get banned, so see ya!"