WoW Moviewatch: Cloud 9 by Zimtower
by Michael Gray 
Feb 19th 2009 at 12:00PM
But when I fired up the video and started watching, I was enthralled. Zimtower's work to animate the singer was astounding. Face and body movements are well-tuned and expressive. You can see her eyes behind her gnomish goggles. The soft glow of scenery and motion-capture are all beautifully done, giving the video an overall ephemeral quality.
The song itself fits perfectly. While it's not my genre of music by preference, the strong bond between visual and audio has cemented "Cloud 9" as something to live in my iPod. Zimtower said the video was about joy. I was skeptical, but the sense of serenity and peace during the movie really did bring that across. I admit, I thought the music video was, in fact, amazing.
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, Machinima, WoW Moviewatch
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Eberron Feb 19th 2009 1:02PM
Cute doesn't even begin to express how great that is.
TexanStyle Feb 19th 2009 12:16PM
I was skeptical going in, and yet the song was a little more catchy than I expected.
Xmonger Feb 19th 2009 12:50PM
I found this video amazing. The things that most captured me would be the music first, lyrics were just so sensational and the scenery in the backgrounds and the movements of the gnome.
Very, very well done! I'd love to see more like this.
Julie Feb 19th 2009 12:27PM
I wish that hairstyle was really available for gnomes...I know my main would have it :D
WootZoot Feb 24th 2009 9:14PM
It is. Just visit a barber shop. (if you do it at level one, the haircut is free!)
Jay Feb 19th 2009 12:27PM
Video was good, song was horrible. Just my preference though.
Triforceelf Feb 19th 2009 12:28PM
Well music videos are not my favorite, but the creator obviously did a good job and has serious talent. I wouldnt compare it to BLIND, but these are two very different machinmas, both with their own merits.
Lemons Feb 19th 2009 12:33PM
If the next vid features a gnome you're gunna have to change to the name of the column to" WoW Gnomewatch"
...if there's not a gnome in your vid, don't bother sending it in!
miko Feb 19th 2009 12:40PM
been checking Zimtower's channel for a while now because of this - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tTVA_TSawGI
he seems to use frequent remakes of music vids for this song as animation tests (tho i like Crystal more with the orginal Pigtails tbh :P )
as for the high energy euro pop or what ever it is its struck me as very Gnomish since the first time i heard it in one of his tests.
imo all the world is an intriguing wonder to a Gnome (and its no coincidence they resemble toddlers ;) )
nice vid but i wait with baited breath for Gnomes of Gnomeregan...
Arras Feb 19th 2009 12:41PM
enjoyable..though, about 20 seconds in I started getting cavities so I had to stop
Zorachus Feb 19th 2009 12:50PM
as a long time horde
i do find these creatures awsomely cute
almost tugged at ma heart
great job
silentfox Feb 19th 2009 1:14PM
gnomes are so cute!!! and that kind of music fits so perfectly with them!
Ardwyad Feb 19th 2009 1:15PM
Absolutely Awesome!
I hope the creator does more
Thlop Feb 19th 2009 1:26PM
S'alright. Song wasn'y my preference, although was kinda catchy. Nice custom animations and acting to the song. Scenery sort of went. I can see this is where machinima's moving into, with the addition of Blind.
Camera angles needs some work though.
Karilyn Feb 19th 2009 1:38PM
As an artist... I have to say, yeah, the video is very well done visually.
As a musician... eww at the song choice.
As a Tauren, I have to say, I rather enjoyed it simply for the fact that the first half of the video was set in my Mulgore.
As a person, I have to say, yeah... low gnome tolerance. I wonder what it is about gnomes that makes people groan and fling hatred at them? I reckon it probably has to do with almost everyone has probably stumbled across gnome porn at least once online... And after that, I can never look at a person playing a gnome again and not think of them as a sick person with a fetish for pre-pubescent children.
Phun Feb 23rd 2009 5:13AM
Did anyone else notice how skinny her neck was? ew.
Jenn Feb 19th 2009 3:22PM
Man, gnomes really do need that hairstyle. So awesome, hopefully Blizz will add some more rearranging when Ulduar comes!
FireStar Feb 19th 2009 3:26PM
Very well done. I was very impressed with the vocal animation and how it synced up with the singing. I could actually believe the little gnome was singing.
Frank Feb 19th 2009 3:38PM
i'm pro-gnome, but even still, any video that doesn't use metal in it has already gone a long way towards getting my thumbs up. this was a perfect match of choice of song and character to me. great stuff, keep it up!
Hugh "Nomad" Hancock Feb 19th 2009 5:29PM
Hmm. It's not very often I say this, because I know, erm, quite a bit about Machinima creation these days, but - how was it done? New animations inserted into a private server, or all hand-animated and rendered like Blind?