WoW Moviewatch: A Westfall Drama
by Michael Gray 
Jun 3rd 2010 at 12:00PM
I especially enjoyed his ongoing use of interesting music. In God's Gonna Cut You Down, Kidsake made great use of Johnny Cash lyrics. In A Westfall Drama, he uses the Felice Brothers' Goddamn you, Jim. The poetry of the song's lyrics are powerful against Kidsake's animation and presentation. I continue to be impressed by this style, and hope to see it developed even further in the future.
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 1)
xSchwarzerWindx Jun 3rd 2010 12:13PM
I couldn't quite understand the lyrics, so I went and looked them up. Upon reading them, and watching the movie, damn Jim, that's some powerful stuff.
"Winter passed without a glaze, took our only boy at last
You cried God's arms were a blind an' bleeding ocean
Blooming spring brought all I need
Warmth and rain for me to seed my earth, good earth for our boy to lie in
In the summer I worked the land
She walked like she still held his hand
And I swear to God I saw her once of trace a'smiling.
In the autumn, my gold wheat swaying,
I cut her down from where she was swinging
She said: Goddamn you, Jim, up there I could hear him laughing"
Grumpycakes Jun 3rd 2010 12:25PM
Thank you for the lyrics, I enjoyed it the first time with it's style and I could guess at the story, but watching it again with the lyrics it almost brought me to tears.
Being a mother it is just heartbreaking.
Kiingy Jun 3rd 2010 12:17PM
Wow, that's a pretty haunting song.
p.troffaes Jun 3rd 2010 12:18PM
Very nice and rather emotional machinima. I wonder how he did the overhead shot, it looks awesome.
Kidsake Jun 3rd 2010 10:18PM
I used a machinima tool called Malu o5's WoW Machinima tool. I also shot exclusively on the Atena server-no mobs.
In the tool, you can set it to spectate, and it only affects only
its client side, so it's allowable.
I hope this helps
Wildthings Jun 3rd 2010 12:26PM
I too had trouble understanding the lyrics of this song, I was so enthralled with the video enough to wait till it was finished though to look them up. So haunting and it gave me the chills as I read the lyrics.
I had to watch the video again and it was heartwrentching knowing the lyrics and watching that mech.
Amazing work!
Aeneron Jun 3rd 2010 12:46PM
Very, very beautiful. Kidsake has done it again.
caelwynn Jun 3rd 2010 12:45PM
I know the Felice brothers personally. My brother married their sister... Awesome use of their music! It tickles me to see them gain a larger public!
pwherman Jun 3rd 2010 3:18PM
With the "actors" portrayed as black-and-white line drawings, my eye lingered over the landscape more intensely than it might have, and I became much more aware of the color and texture of the world. It's an effective visual technique, since it fits well with the atmospherics of the music. After seeing the lyrics, it makes even more sense, since the landscape is a main character, as well.
Kidsake Jun 3rd 2010 4:30PM
Thank you all for the kind words, thoughts and for printing the lyrics before I had a chance to get to it.
I debated long and hard on using subtitles, decided against it since the last line is such a gut punch, I didn't want to diminish that. I decided to leave it as is and print up the lyrics later for you all.
So big thanks to xSchwarzerWindx! =]
I forewent my intro graphics, fancy titles and snazzy end credits to maintain the subtle, simple elegance and heartache the song portrays.
This and God's Gonna Cut you Down are a part of a series I have dubbed 'Azerothian Gothic'. Imagine life in Azeroth as penned in a Tom Waits lyric, expressed in a Johhny Cash snarl or a Lou Reed melody; that is my vision.
My next video may be a bit aways, as this was an emotional experience for me. It has drained me, yet it also has purged my soul.
Feel free to drop in on me at http://myndflame.gameriot.com/user/Kidsake and read my blog, and see test shots and etc. There's also plenty of talented machinimators there as well.
Please feel free to follow me here, as well: http://twitter.com/kidsake
Thanks again, you guys are why I am here.
Ronin Jun 3rd 2010 10:12PM
I wish you had used subtitles. The graphics were awesome, but I really had no idea what the song was about. Since the machinima was basically illustrating the song (or vice-versa) I think it's crucial that we know what story the song is telling. As it was, it was just pretty, slow-moving video that carried no message. Having the subtitles wouldn't have spoiled it IMO-- there was nothing to spoil, because there was no story conveyed without them. Subtitles would've given meaning to your great video.
DarkSpade Jun 4th 2010 9:33PM
Awesome and well done video. I like "god is gonna cut you down", as well, but not as much as this one. The style was awesome, but the images chosen didn't make sense to me.
This somehow reminded me of another wow video I saw years ago and I'm hoping other Moviewatch viewers can help me find it. It was all music with no words. Told the story of a love triangle between 2 guys and a girl that grew up together. One Joins the army and becomes a hero while the other is turned down and turns evil. The evil one kidnaps the girl. When the hero comes to rescue her, the evil one kills her. The two do battle until they strike each other down. I have no clue what it was called. :(
cendrekai Jun 3rd 2010 9:20PM
I think you are talking about Edge of Remorse by RiotFilms. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_IoQvsIBaPk
DarkSpade Jun 4th 2010 9:48PM
Ah! Thank you cendrekai!
Movie is showing it's age, but still very entertaining.
splodesondeath Jun 3rd 2010 9:55PM
Darn, now you've made me want to listen to my Felice Brothers songs. But Christ, I don't understand how my friend can secure such miserable music.
In a similar vein of haunting lyrics, I got rid of The Rake Song by The Decemberists pretty quickly, it was just freaking me out.
Zanathos Jun 4th 2010 11:54AM
I loved how video depicted the two questgivers in westfall as what i interperted to be as ghosts of the past. Nice choice to illustrate the song, certainly goes well with their present crappy condition in the game itself.