Gowstuff

My original proposed topic for Ignite Seattle had nothing to do with stainless steel arterial struts. It was going to be "How to Set Up a Machinima Studio for $20 (or Hamlet: Armed and Dangerous)." From my original proposal:

The startling true story of the Hamlet production that defied sanity—staged entirely in StarCraft®: Brood War®, a decade-old computer game.
GASP at how I gleefully embraced the wrong tool for the job—and made it the right tool!
MARVEL at how I cast my own computer as the actor—for every single role!
THRILL at the missteps and hazards I encountered—including a berserk Hamlet going murderously off-script!
In a world where machinima productions are becoming more and more sophisticated, one man dared to turn back the clock—and discovered a cheap way to do it!

I switched topics the week beforehand as part the obligatory pre-event panic.

But it got me to thinking about the action-packed, thrill-a-minute world of Starcraft-based machinima development. So here's the 10-minute original machinima (Act V, scene ii of Hamlet, preceded by a comedy short):

Or you can view just the 1-minute comedy short if you're strapped for time:

Someday I hope to polish my original Ignite presentation draft and post it. Untl then, here's a brief overview for those who wish a tantalizing glimpse of the development process.