WoW Moviewatch: The Rise of Shnookums
by Michael Gray 
Mar 22nd 2010 at 12:00PM
The story is about a death knight who finds herself chafing under the yoke of the Lich King's quests. Frustrated by having the blood of peasants soil her otherwise awesome clothing, Shnookums stripped down and headed off to become the first Miss Azeroth. It wasn't an easy journey for her, and she was forced to take action to narrow the playing field. With some very death-knight-appropriate tactics, Shnookums soon rose to power.
The video is a darn lot of fun. It's nice to see another take on the Rise to Power theme, especially once that's done with a certain amount of tongue-in-cheek comedy. I think Shnookums is going to be a favorite of mine for a while.
Interested in the wide world of machinima? We have new movies every weekday here on WoW Moviewatch! Have suggestions for machinima we ought to feature? Toss us an e-mail at machinima AT wow DOT com.Filed under: WoW Moviewatch
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
josh Mar 22nd 2010 12:05PM
eh
wasn't so great
Andrew R. Mar 22nd 2010 12:16PM
The voicing was terrible. She needs a lot of work.
cocobang Mar 22nd 2010 7:24PM
yeah, my ears are bleeding. The makers of these should lay off trying to make music videos and just do straight up story telling. of course, you'd need enough of a story for that...
hpayne Mar 22nd 2010 12:19PM
Oh god, my ears.
Sel Mar 22nd 2010 12:42PM
I love this video! It clearly doesn't take itself seriously, and it's absolutely tongue-in-cheek hilarious.
baronsoosdon Mar 22nd 2010 12:32PM
Outstanding work.
The creators of Blind and Tales of the Past III could learn a lot from this.
Killik Mar 22nd 2010 1:32PM
Agreed - it defies belief!
Dreyja Mar 22nd 2010 4:34PM
LOL... Do I detect Baron sarcasm perchance?
uncaringbear Mar 22nd 2010 5:22PM
That was some nice peer review, Baron. Very constructive and helpful.
zandilar Mar 22nd 2010 12:44PM
I has that vintage Nancy Sinatra feel to it, lyrically. I like it!
Qot Mar 22nd 2010 12:47PM
It seems appropriate to compare a death knight video to the singer of "You Only Live Twice".
Qot Mar 22nd 2010 12:44PM
There's something odd about a music video where the ghoul blows a defensive cooldown as the singer starts.
I think the microphone was really bad (maybe tinny is the term I'm looking for) and the DK ghoul voice was comically inept (Shnookums:Ghoul::Christian Bale:Batman), but the script, premise and animation were actually good. It was a cute movie that could benefit from a rework with a better mic and a friend voicing the ghoul.
Theyas Mar 22nd 2010 2:20PM
The mic wasn't the problem, it was the placement of said mic.
You don't have to eat your mic while using it! Move it back a tad.
Emophia Mar 22nd 2010 12:52PM
It was budget but adorably funny. Liked it.
Is it just me or do all the EU Rise to Power Videos seem to be much more high quality productions wise?
RothKeahi Mar 22nd 2010 12:55PM
Overall I enjoyed the concept and story of this video, but the audio was terrible. I agree with the other folks who have said that if it were remade it could be great.
Khremloc Mar 22nd 2010 12:57PM
I preferred this to I Am Vengeance. :)
It sort of reminds me of this, though. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=URcvdDtnM_0
Richard Mar 22nd 2010 1:07PM
Can't believe anyone liked this. The sound was atrocious. And the video itself was the most generic of video capture, like what we used to see in the very first few months of WoW Machina. Also there are several parts where the video isn't in sync with the song lyrics.
Really people, if you're going to make Machina, don't voice all of the parts yourself. There are very few people in the world that can change their voice enough to actually sound different (and to everyone reading this that thinks they are the exception, trust me, you're not).
While the joke itself was a funny concept, it actually would have been better off told as a story instead of song format. The singer just doesn't seem to have much of timing or range and should refrain from singing solo.
zweitblom Mar 22nd 2010 1:13PM
On the plus side:
- it wasnt rap
- it wasnt Belves
- it wasnt auto tuned
- it looks like an honest effort by someone who loves the game
- it sure as hell is 200% better than everything I could come up with
Dreyja Mar 22nd 2010 4:33PM
Ah, it's a fun little machinima. I have to give her props for doing it.
The story kinda made me go: o.O but then, that's the point eh?
cendrekai Mar 22nd 2010 1:24PM
Yes, the sound was a bit tinny at some points. Yes, there were no shiny or fancy Adobe After Effects. But you know what? She wrote a song and probably had fun. And even though it was probably done using just Fraps and Windows Movie Maker she created a good story.
Many machinama makers these days have fancy software they have won/pirated/bought that most people cannot afford ($500 for software?!?) or won't pirate (I still can't figure out how these cracked program things work) or can't win (hard to compete against someone who has several hundred dollars worth of programs). So good for her.