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2004-2006
2006
12/29/06
I've released The Anti-Elf Anthem (finally). You can watch it here:
Enjoy!
12/25/06
Merry Christmas!
If you missed it on Friday, I released my Christmas movie. Here it is:
You can also see the Christmas movie I made last year here:
Today I have finally released the revised version of Inventing Swear Words 2. See all the changes as well as extra little bloopers and tidbits here:
No update on my Ænurin today, because I haven't finished anything from The Histories. I plan on having at least one chapter done by the first Monday of the new year.
See you then!
12/22/06
I have released my Christmas movie, just in the nick of time! It is currently competing in a contest, so head on over to warcraftmovies.com, download it and, if you like it, rank it for me.
12/17/06
Thanks for visiting my Ænurin on both Booksie and Scribd. The day I asked for support, my Ænurin was ranked number one in terms of downloads on Booksie and two of the chapters made the "Popular Reads" list on Scribd. It is currently the fourth highest rated novel on Booksie. You guys rock!
I'll be releasing my Christmas movie as well as either Inventing Swear Words 2 or The Anti-Elf Anthem publicly sometime this week. As soon as I do I'll make an announcement here.
I've also begun writing new sections to my Ænurin and I will start posting some of them here starting next year.
For a while now I've been putting up links to interesting movies I've made and interesting stories or books I've written. But I think some might be interested if I post some interesting things I have read recently as well. So from now on I'll try to post a list of articles I've read during the week that caught my attention. Here is today's list:
- Wiping Away History by Bridget Johnson
- Do the Jews Really Exist? by Ted Shoemaker
- For Christ's Sake -- Literally by Kathryn Jean Lopez
12/12/06
Here's a little stealth update: I made grammatical and spelling changes throughout a number of the Ænurin sections and uploaded new PDFs to reflect them. That’s about it!
12/11/06
Maybe I can conscribe you guys to help me. You see, my Ænurin on both Booksie and Scribd is quickly being buried under the tide of user submissions, and though it has received positive reviews from those who have read it, I fear it may be lost. The nice thing about these sites is that documents are organized by popularity, and popularity is measured by page views and comments. Therefore if my submissions receive a lot of page views they may get bumped to the top.
So then, if you all have the time, visit the chapters from my Ænurin on both the sites, and better yet, leave a comment. Also, let me know via the forums and/or email which site you like best, so that I can decide which one to focus my time on. I'll be in your debt!
Here are links, chapter by chapter. I'll have the final ones up next week:
Scribd
Booksie
My Christmas movie is coming along just fine, though I am having troubles getting Adobe Premiere to export properly. But I'll figure it out in time for Christmas.
Hopefully.
12/05/06
Oops, I forgot to post a link to my article that ran in The Daily yesterday. here it is:
I also have if posted on my Camera of Truth blog which is linked to the left.
12/04/06
Warcraftmovies.com has announced a new Christmas movie contest. Luckily I already started my Christmas movie a while back. I am almost done with it; I just need to finish the last "day", adjust the color for all the elements, add shadows and sound effects and make some credits. I may not be able to release it until the 21st however, if I want to participate in the WCM contest. We'll see.
I have been invited to display my Ænurin on two community writing sites: Scribd and Booksie. So far it has been received well, though both communities are a little small at the moment. I hope to submit all my writing shortly. I like the layout of Scribd better, but Booksie seems to get more hits. Anyhow, I have added my page on each site in the links section to the left.
Here is the final part of Book I - The Foundations of my Ænurin; "Conclusion". The next book will be called Book II - The Histories and will expound upon the history I have already made, but from a more narrative, character-driven perspective. I'm going to take a break from writing it until this quarter ends, and then I'll start writing The Histories during Christmas break. I'll try to have new chapters done by the beginning of next year. If you haven't read the previous sections, they are listed in order here:
Note: I changed the name of the Segykal to the Trellic. I just like it better, hehe.
11/27/06
Blizzard has made reference to one of my movies in their upcoming expansion, The Burning Crusade! My friend JaliaThePirateTroll sent me a screenshot of a new quest for the Draenei where the NPC asks you to fish for some "Red Snapper". Check out the screenshot here:
Now the Red Snappah reference in my movie comes from the movie UHF by Weird Al Yankovic, and it could be that they are simply referring to that movie as I did. And yet I think it is too much of a coincidence. Either way, I'm flippin' out!
I've released a new movie. Xfire sent out an email inviting participants from their previous contests to participate in a "VIP" contest. They asked us to make a thirty second commercial for Xfire, which would be played on Comedy Central and other MTVU affiliates. Here is the movie I made in response:
I didn't win. Instead they chose "Squirrelbane", an entry from my friends over at Myndflame. After you compare the two, I'm sure you can see why, hehe.
I've had another article published in The Daily today. You can read it here:
I finished a new section of the site, which I actually published a few weeks ago, but I've been revising it for a while now. In the navigation menu to the left, click on "Awards" and you can find a list of awards I've won and stories or articles I've written that have been published, among other things. I'm somewhat uncomfortable having it there... but it is a sort of resumé, so ah well.
And lastly, here is another section from my Ænurin; "The Glaski - Part II". If this is your first time here, be sure to read the previous chapters first. Here they are, listed in order:
11/20/06
I probably should have announced this earlier, but it slipped my mind. I was hired a few weeks ago to write for The Daily, which is the campus newspaper at my college. I started out as a reporter and am now an opinion columnist. I have a weekly column that comes out every Thursday. I've had four stories published so far and I'll list them here. My editor often edits my articles so that the conform to the confines of printing, but I have the unedited versions on my blog, Camera of Truth, which is linked from the list to the left. I'll try to remember every Monday and I'll include the previous week's story with the update. Here they are in order:
Here is the latest section from my Ænurin. Because this is the final race's history to be outlined and it is the one under the leadership of Talitar the Red, it is a little longer than the previous sections. So I'll finish this one up in two parts. Today is the first part.
If this is your first time here, be sure to read the previous chapters first. Here they are, listed in order:
11/17/06
Bonus Update!
I generally don't like doing more than one update a week because it takes away from my Monday update, but I just released a new movie so ah well.
So that "secret" project I was working on ended up being a set of four commercials that mtvU hired me to do. They wanted me to base the commercials on my characters from the Inventing Swear Words series. They aired on Wednesday and so I am now free to publish them. You can download them from Warcraftmovies.com.
They will air the commercials until the 21st, so if you have mtvU (which is played mainly on college campuses) you can see them on the following dates:
Saturday the 18th, 9:00 - 10:00 PM Pacific
Sunday the 19th, 2:00 - 3:00 PM Pacific
Monday the 20th, 10:00 - 11:00 AM Pacific
Tuesday the 21st, 7:00 - 8:00 PM Pacific
Also, MTV2 (not U) will broadcast a thirty second portion of Inventing Swear Words 2 at the following times:
Friday
- 11:27 AM
- 11:58 AM
- 7:59 PM
- 8:46 PM
- 9:35 PM
- 10:49 PM
Saturday
- 6:05 AM
- 6:47 AM
- 7:14 AM
- 12:20 PM
- 4:38 PM
Sunday
- 7:24 AM
- 12:22 PM
- 6:27 PM
- 7:16 PM
- 5:18 AM
I also made a commercial for Xfire which they decided not to use, so I will publish it in a week or so as just an "Oxhorn short SHORTS!". It is called "The Joy of Punting Gnomes". I'm sure you'll like it (unless you play a gnome, hehe).
Also, I just got word from Xfire that my submission to their "pre-contest", Oxhorn Tells off Xfire, won first place. Wahoo!
On Monday I will have the latest section from my Ænurin called "The Glaski and Talitar the Red". I am enjoying writing it so much that I sort of made it really long, so it might be a two-parter spanning a couple of weeks. We'll see.
11/13/06
I'm working on a Christmas movie, which I hope to have finished by December 1st. It will be a lot of fun, and, just a heads-up to you fine Alliance folk, I hope you have a good sense of humor! It will consist of original music based on a traditional Christmas song with lyrics written and sung by myself and piano played by my neighbor, Sarah Grace. Wish me luck on getting it completed in time!
My friend Nate Meyers, whose website is linked to the left, is working on some shirts for an online store I will be opening up shortly. When finished you will be able to buy shirts, mugs and other things with quotes, images and references to my machinima movies. It should be ready by the end of the month.
And lastly, here is another section from my Ænurin; "The Trellic". If this is your first time here, be sure to read the previous chapters first. Here they are, listed in order:
11/09/06
I'm back from New York, and it was a blast! The Anti-Elf Anthem didn't win, but I still had a great time. You can find pictures from the Festival on my Oxhorn Brand Myspace, in the pics section.
All the nominees and winners of the Xfire contest were premiered at Stanford a few weeks ago. I had to choose between California and New York, and I chose New York. Luckily, they have a video of the screening up on GameTrailers.com. You can watch it here.
No big update today. I've been sort of overwhelmed with classes and machinima stuff. I'll have a propper update for you all on Monday with another section from my Ænurin, "The Trellic".
10/30/06
I posted the results of the contest last Friday and am terribly pleased (mainly, of course, because I won something, hehe). In truth, there were many fantastic entries and everyone who contributed to the contest should be applauded. I am eager to see what the machinima community comes up with next time!
I'll be leaving Friday to go to New York to attend the Machinima Festival where my movie, The Anti-Elf Anthem, was nominated for Best Original Song. I'll be staying until Monday so I probably won't be back in time to update the web page. I'll try to update it on Tuesday.
I have added four or so new articles to my blog linked to the left, Camera of Truth, which should prove to be interesting reads.
And lastly, here is another section from my Ænurin; "The Peepkin". If this is your first time here, be sure to read the previous chapters first. Here they are, listed in order:
Here is another image that I drew based on my Ænurin.
10/27/06
The results are in! The Anti-Elf Anthem recieved First Place in the Short Feature category and Inventing Swear-Words 2 recieved Third Place in the Comedy category in the 2006 Blizzard and Xfire World of Warcraft Machinima Contest. I'll be sure to post links to the movies when I am able. Hooray!
10/23/06
In three days the results of the Xfire contest will be announced. I'll be sure to let everyone here know if I won or not! So far, in the public polling at least (which is worth 20% of the final tally), The Anti-Elf Anthem is first place in the Short Feature category and Inventing Swear Words 2 is second place in the Comedy category. We will see, we will see!
I've purchased my tickets and made my hotel reservations. I'll be heading off to New York for the Machinima Festival Awards ceremony held on November 4th and 5th. I don't have high hopes that TAEA will win, but it will be a fun trip nonetheless!
I'm not sure if I should mention it or not, but I've been approached to make a few commercial machinima projects. I can't give any details but I can say that they are based on my Inventing Swear Words series, use the same characters, and there will be four of them. I'll keep everyone up to date as this thing progresses.
Lastly, here is this week's section from my Ænurin; "The Hress". If this is your first time here, be sure to read the previous chapters first. Here they are, listed in order:
Here is another image that I drew based on my Ænurin.
10/17/06
I've been featured on GameTrailers.com! Inventing Swear Words 2 and The Anti-Elf Anthem have been uploaded and have received over 20,000 hits between the two of them. If you haven’t been able to watch them yet because you couldn't get Xfire to work, click on the links above and you can watch them streaming via GameTrailers. Bear in mind that I'll be making changes to these movies for when I officially release them after the contest.
10/16/06
I made up a little promo video for my two entries in the Xfire contest, which you can watch here:
Here is the latest part of my Ænurin, The Favish. If you haven't read the previous chapters, you can find them in the Novels section. Here they are in order:
Here is another image that I drew based on my Ænurin.
That's it until next week!
10/11/06
I know that it is only Wednesday, but I have a lot of news!
The Anti-Elf Anthem, my submission in the Short category for the Blizzard and Xfire 2006 Summer Machinima Contest, has been nominated for a Mackey award by the Academy of Machinima Arts and Sciences for "Best Original Music" in the 2006 Machinima Festival. You can see the full list of nominations here. They want me to fly to New York to attend the awards ceremony in November. I don't know if I'll be able to go, but this sure is exciting!
I've also released a short promo video for the contest called Oxhornpiece Theater, which you can watch on YouTube. That’s all the news for now!
10/09/06
The polls are open! All the contest entries for the Blizzard and Xfire Summer Movie Contest have been announced. Public voting has been opened. You can watch my two submissions, Inventing Swear Words 2 in the Comedy section and The Anti-Elf Anthem in the Short Movie section, as well as all of the other contestants on Xfire. The voting will take place in the Forums. You need to download Xfire, which is a free program, in order to watch the movies.
Also, here is another section from my Ænurin; "The Races of Men" and "The Rostic". Be sure to read the previous sections before this one if you haven’t already, listed in order below:
Lastly, here is one more image I have drawn from my history entitled simply "Ænurin".
10/03/06
I've got an extra special update! Here is a promotional poster I made for my movie, Inventing Swear Words 2. It can now be downloaded on Xfire.com, and the voting will open up soon!
EDIT: I've made a poster for my other submission, The Anti-Elf Anthem. Enjoy!
10/01/06
Here is the third part to my Ænurin, "Talitar's Meddling", and here is a third image I drew based on my history, "Yalis and Halis". More next week!
09/26/06
Bah, a day late; ah well. I have the next section of my Ænurin, "The Living Things", uploaded. Also, here is one more drawing from my Ænurin, "The Shard".
The deadline is over! I've submitted my two movies, "Inventing Swear Words 2" and "The Anti-Elf Anthem" to the Blizzard and Xfire Summer Movie Contest. I also submitted them to the 2006 Machinima Festival. Now all I have to do is wait!
09/18/06
All right! An update with meat this time. I've decided to share my Ænurin. Ænurin is the name of the world which I created and which I set many of my stories in (including my completed novel, The Tale of Cloran Hastings). Many years ago I wrote out a brief summary of the history of at least some of the world, which you can find posted here. This year I started rewriting it, lengthening it and fleshing it out. I have already finished a lot of it and so I have decided to start posting portions of it every week until, eventually, the entire thing is online. Today I have uploaded the very first part of my Ænurin, "The Foundations" and next week I will post the next part.
In addition, I will start uploading images I have drawn based on my narrative, and each week I'll try to share a new picture that describes a scene from my history. This week's picture is an image of Nurin, the maker of all that was, all that is and all that ever will be. I'm not the best artist in the world, but hey, at least I try, hehe.
09/14/06
Sorry for the absence the past few weeks. I've been working on my two movies for the Blizzard/Xfire Summer Movie Contest; Inventing Swear Words 2 and The Anti-Elf Anthem. The deadline for the contest was pushed back two weeks, which has given me a chance to put in some added features like more easter eggs and to try to fine tune some of the animation.
I've also been working on my Ænurin over the break and think that parts of it are finally in a state where I can share them. I'm thinking next week I will upload a PDF of the first section, "The Foundations" which describe the creation of Hru and Ænurin by Nurin. I'm always eager to hear feedback, so drop me a line in the forums!
08/28/06
Well it is 10:32 pm, which is still Monday dernit! I've been working on Inventing Swear-Words 2, my contest entry for the Blizzard/Xfire Summer Movie Contest. For today's update I thought I'd share a screenshot from the film. This is from a part where all three characters from the last one hear something that they really don't know how to respond to. This is their reaction:
I'll try to have a more substantial update for next week.
08/21/06
I just put up a story I wrote for the release of my book called "The Discovery of the Third Gender". I haven't posted it anywhere, hoping to make it an exclusive story for those who buy the book, but it has been two years and I figure I might as well make it public. Anyhow, check my blog for "The Discovery of the Third Gender" if you want to read it. I had way too much fun writing it. It's... pretty weird.
08/07/06
I'm self-publishing my story Lanette the Dragon Tamer for my cousin's daughter on her birthday. My friend Nate (website linked to the left) designed a cover for me, which is absolutely fantastic! For today's update I thought I would share it, and so you can see it here:
I wish I could show you the full resolution version but it’s so huge I can’t host it. Isn't it great? Nate needs to hurry up and learn flash so we can make a fortune on the internet or something, hehe.
08/02/06
You know what I notice about getting older? (Which I know is funny to say because I'm "only" 25, but still...) My hands are getting rougher. I have this one spot on my left index finger where the crease in my finger is like a canyon. I can fit stuff in there; its really weird. I took some nail clippers to it and hacked away until I got down to the "young" skin and it started to hurt a little. Maybe I should just leave it alone.
Anyhow, now that I have thoroughly freaked you all out, the reason I am posting early is because Shadowcast has just released a World of Warcraft podcast. They conscribed me for the feature and I sang a rendition of The Scotsman, very much like in my video The Tauren's Kilt, only I changed the Tauren to a Dwarf. You can listen to the podcast here (their site is a little slow because of high traffic but give it time, it will go through).
I added a few more links to Courting a Celt in the Movies section. Courting a Celt has also been featured by Machinima.com (it has been for a few weeks now but I just found out since they failed to tell me) and you can still find it on their main page.
08/01/06
Oops, I'm late again. At least its only one day this time.
I'll be 25 tomorrow! Yay. I'm running out of time! I need to get something published and fast. I submitted a few short stories and a poem to a few literary contests around the nation, and they should be coming back with results here in a few days. I'll be sure to post the results here when they do.
My latest little movie, Oxhorn Tells Off Xfire, has had a slow start, but seems to be picking up steam, thanks to Warcraftmovies.com which featured it on their main page. It has been doing well, and so far has been downloaded 3033 times on Warcraftmovies.com, 485 times on FileFront, 1246 times on GameTrailers (it was featured on their site as well), 2920 times on YouTube, 53 times on VidiLife (new mirror) and 31 times on MetaCafe (also new mirror). Since I win or lose the contest based on number of downloads, I'm keeping track, heh. It doesn't end until the end of September though, so I have some time.
As soon as this quarter is over I will be outlining and writing a new book (I can't say the title yet, but it is a science fiction thriller), rewriting the dialogue for The Tale of Cloran Hastings, making a new movie for Xfire's summer movie contest and catching up on all the little things that I have been meaning to do but have not had time to because of my accursed classes.
That's about it as far as an update goes. I'd post what I've been writing all week but it is in Greek and isn't very interesting ("Homer will send the men into the marketplace in order that they might stop the strangers from using Euripides to destroy the democracy of the people with the words of the orator." Imagine taking that sentence and writing it a thousand different ways over and over again... ugh.)
07/26/06
ARG. I’m so bad at getting these updates in on time! I need to be punished. Oh wait, I already am. I’m taking Greek.
Hopefully I can make it up to everyone with a new movie. I am finally allowed to release my new movie, Oxhorn Tells Off Xfire. I had a lot of fun with this one, and I hope you all enjoy! You can find a link to the file from the Movies section, or below.
Enjoy!
07/10/06 - B
Well the results are in. I didn't win anything. Oh well, at least now I can release my movie to the public. Here are some links to my contest entry, Courting a Celt:
File Front - Best Quality
YouTube - Most Popular
Game Trailers - Good Quality
Google Video - Fair Quality
Machinima.com - Good Quality
MetaCafe - Fair Quality
VidiLife - Fair Quality
I'll be sure to get some other links up there in a bit.
07/10/06 - A
Gah, I'm a week late again! Oh well, I'm sure you all will forgive me.
The results of the Axe/Xfire movie contest will be out sometime today! As soon as they are I will be sure to post them here. As you recall I entered my movie, Courting a Celt. I hope it does well!
As a means of making amends for being a week late, I'll release a frame from my upcoming movie. The current ETA for release is July 15th, but it all depends on Xfire. As soon as they give the go ahead, I'll be sure to place it all over the internet for folks to watch. Until then, I hope this screenshot will suffice. You can see it here.
That’s it for now. As soon as I hear the results from the contest, I'll make an update. See you then!
06/26/06
I finally posted samples from my novel, The Tale of Cloran Hastings, for the public to read, and they can be found in the Novels section. I decided to share the prologue to the book as well as chapter nine, which takes place much later in the novel. Both were chosen to get an idea of the direction of the story as well as a taste of my writing style. Since I am currently in the process of looking for an agent to represent my work, I cannot share any other chapters. You will just have to wait for it to get published! So, if you know of any agents or are one yourself, email me at
The Tale of Cloran Hastings
Sample Chapters
06/19/06
Today I thought I would update with images of the front and back covers of the two children's stories I wrote and published for my cousins, Elena and Tova. You can find the front and back covers to Tova and the Tree as well as the front and back covers of The Sabotage Brothers, all beautifully made by Nate Meyers, in the Short Stories section next to each cover's respective story.
If you have made your way here after finding my website address from Right Turn, I'd like to refer you to my blog, Camera of Truth. Here you can find everything that I have written for the magazine, as well as much more than has not been published in the magazine. As for the most recent issue (June 2006), all of my pieces were heavily altered by our good editor, and I encourage you to read the original versions which are on my blog, particularly my piece on The Da Vinci Code, as well as the responses to The Daily that I wrote (which were completely rewritten by my editor). I will have links for these short pieces in a little while.
If you have found your way here because of my WoW Machinima movies, I should let you in on a little secret. I have a new short movie coming out soon which, I think, is incredibly funny--maybe the funniest one I have made yet. It pokes fun at Xfire and, more than anything, myself, and is probably one of the most technical ones I have made. It is still in the works but as soon as I finish it, i will be sure to let you all know here. Also, the Axe Machinima Fan Film Fest contest ends tomorrow! I entered a movie for this contest called Courting a Celt, and the script can be found here, though it doesn’t do the movie justice. Check out the contest forum and root for me! I'll be sure to announce the results here when I find out. See you then!
06/12/06
I just released a new movie! Well, it's not a new movie, but rather a revision of an old one. I finally sat myself down and sang the lyrics to The Great Kodo and had a friend write music to accompany it. You can find the movie here.
If you would like to download an mp3 of the song used in the movie, you can find it here.
Also, the June issue of Right Turn came out, and though I am pleased that the paper exists, they totally botched everything I wrote for the issue, especially my Da Vini Code piece. You can read my original piece on my blog, here.
That’s it for this week!
06/05/06
I wrote a little piece called Almighty Choice, which explores the idea of the supremacy of choice over morality. I also have some covers that Nate made for my children's stories that I will upload here in a bit. It's the end of the quarter and I am rushing to get my final papers in and tests done. Next week will be a long-needed break!
05/29/06
For today's update I'll link you to my Camera of Truth blog where I have been busy with many new articles. Check out Statue Discrimination which reveals an attutude of the UW that is quite telling.
I've been meaning to post a sample chapter of The Tale of Cloran Hastings, but it is too long for my Myspace blog (which mirrors Word formatting automatically) and I am too lazy to make a new page and paste the text (having to format the bloody thing paragraph by paragraph). Ah well, maybe I will have figured it out by next week.
05/22/06
I have written an article on The Da Vinci Code that will (hopefully) be published in the next issue of Right Turn. You can read it early, though, on my Myspace blog. Check it out here.
I have also written a number of new articles in response to The Daily, which is a very liberal newspaper on campus. Some of them are funny, my favorite being Transspecies.
05/15/06
Bah, I am so bad! A week late again. Oh well, It is a good update. I wrote another short children's story, this time for my cousin Tova for her ninth birthday. My friend Nate is working on the cover, and as soon as he is done I will send her a copy. You can read the story in the Short Stories section, or click here.
05/01/06
Yay! An update on time for once!
A newspaper in Seattle wrote an article musing over what the world would be like if Gore had been president. I decided to write my own hypothesis of what the world would be like (and I do believe that my use of the "alt-o-time-o-later" makes my account much more credible!)
04/24/06
Wow, I’m just horrible with this whole updating thing. A week late even! At this rate I won’t update for a month, heh.
Anyhow, I thought I would share the script of a new Machinima movie I am making for the Xfire/Axe contest. You can read the script here. I am really excited about this contest and believe that I will do well, because I have a great team helping me! Sepheritoh over at dog-on-blues.co.za is composing all of the instrumental music for the film, and my friend Jon Olson (who made Gnomergan Jam for the last Xfire contest) is doing all of the titles, credits and other text effects. This leaves me with the script, vocal singing and male dialogue, editing, directing and production, but hey, it isn’t like this is my first movie, heh. Unlike my others, however, I cannot film it in the game World of Warcraft, so instead I am using an old favorite,
Dark Age of Camelot, which is a good game despite being overshadowed by WoW.
After the contest (and if I get permission from Xfire) I'll be sure to post the film here.
04/12/06
Sorry for the delay... again.
I've proofread the published version of "The Sabotage Brothers", the short children's story I wrote for my cousin. You can read it for free in the Short Stories section or you can buy a hard copy, with a beautiful cover designed by Nate Meyers. You can find the book on my Store.
04/04/06
Sorry for the delay! Here is the week's update.
One new article in the "Camera of Truth" blog entitled "Rainbow Rights". It will be published in the March issue of Right Turn... whenever they get around to printing it, heh.
03/27/06
One brand new story, The Sabotage Brothers. I published this short story in a little book for my cousin on her 11th birthday. I'll have a hard copy available for purchase for those who are interested in a week or so, with a beautiful cover designed by Wilhelm Design. Thanks Nate!
03/20/06
New movie, The Tauren's Kilt! This is the last of my contest submissions. I will hopefully be able to make some more soon. Next week I will have a new short story.
03/11/06
Birth of the Forsaken, my latest movie, has just been released today. It was also selected as a finalist in the Xfire contest. So check it out, and let me know in the forums what you thought of it! I have also explained my reasoning behind choosing the music for the film in the forums, which you can read here.
My updates in the past have been sporadic at best, but I am hoping to release new content every week, whether it be a new movie, a short story, poem or what have you. I'll try to update every Monday unless I have some special news, in which case I'll post it early. I have at least one more movie that I will release soon, so be ready for it on Monday the 20th!
03/03/06
We have a new community forum! This website has been receiving so many new hits recently that I figured we might as well start a community. It is brand new as of today, so check it out and leave a message! Be the first one besides me to post. Click the Forum link in the menu to the right to view the forum.
03/02/06
A new movie, Red Snappah! It was selected as a finalist in the Xfire movie contest. None of my movies placed, but I recieved the Special Prize Award for my number of quality submissions and conduct during the contest. I won a premium server, valued at $3,100. I have no idea what I will do with it, but I can't complain!
02/21/06
One new movie in the Movies section, Inventing Swear-Words. I will have three or so new movies up in a week as well as at least two new articles for the Camera of Truth Blog.
02/16/06
Four new articles in my Camera of Truth blog:
"Insult Us and Die", which is on the whole Muslim cartoon controversy and will be published in next month's issue of Right Turn (you can see the censored cartoons there as well), Porn and Google, a news snippet published in the magazne, Bustacap, also published in the magazine, and North Dakota, South Dakota, Colorado Too.
02/09/06
Lots of news!
I now write for an on-campus magazine called Right Turn. It is, I believe, the only conservative publication on campus. The February issue has just been released and you can find it on the campus of the University of Washington outside the HUB and many other buildings. You can find out more information about the magazine here. Many of the articles I have written can also be read on my Camera of Truth blog.
I have been busy crating Machinima movies for a recent contest sponsored by Xfire and Blizzard Entertainment. So far three of my movies have been selected as finalists, but the final results won’t be in until the 14th, I believe. I will be sure to post the results here. In the meantime, you can download and watch many of the movies I have made by clicking on the Movies link in the nav-bar to the left. The movies that cannot be selected will be available for download after the 14th.
Tor Books has ignored me and so I have submitted The Tale of Cloran Hastings to other publishers. I will be much more aggressive in getting this book published. In the meantime, you can read the first few sample chapters by clicking on the Novels link in the nav-bar to the left.
My blogs are updated very often, so check back with them. I tend to update this page when I have a lot of news, though I will be much more faithful to update it from now on. Remember, a copy of my first collection of stories and poems is available for purchase by clicking on the
Store link to the left, and features a beautiful cover designed by Wilhelm Design and many full-page images.
2005
12/19/05
I've been very busy. I have changed publishing companies from Cafepress to Lulu. This has allowed me to create a hardcover version of Era One as well as print it in a more standard 6x9 size. Increasing the size has decreased the number of pages, which has lowered printing costs, and so my book is now around five dollars cheaper for paperback and the exact same price for hardcover. I have also added an option for guests to purchase a downloadable version of the book, which is only six dollars or so.
I have added more links to the left; one to my Myspace page, one to my Myspace blog, one to my "Camera of Truth" blog where I display essays and images that I have taken on campus, and the last to my Warcraft movies page, where one can download and watch the short movies I have made for the game World of Warcraft. The Reason section now links directly to my Camera of Truth blog.
That's about it for now!
08/17/05
The prologue and the first two chapters to my book, The Tale of Cloran Hastings, are now posted on this site for public veiwing. Click on the Novels link to the left and scroll to the bottom of the page to veiw the three excerpts from the book. I apologize for taking so long to get them ready; what with working on a history degree, it can be hard finding time to update on this site. I have finished the final version of the book and it now stands at nearly seventy-eight thousand words. I mailed off the manuscript to my publisher three months ago and should be hearing back from them soon. In the meantime, feel free to read the prologue and first two chapters to get a feel for the book. Enjoy, and send me feedback!
I have also made a Links section to the left, with information that I hope can be found useful.
08/04/05
I have added a new short story to the "Short Stories" section entitled, "Opening of a New Cultural Center." Enjoy!
2004
12/07/04
I have added a link to the Reason section where you can go to read many of the political opinion columns I have written for the group Conservatives for Free Speech which I run on my university campus, the University of Washington. While this is not the entirety of that section, it is a start. I will update the section more in the future.
11/05/04
Well, at long last I finally published my book, "Era One," which is a printed form of the contents of this site. I apologize for it taking so long to come out; I pretty much had to learn how to publish a book from scratch, heh. Anyhow, you can now preview and purchase the book from the Store section, in the navigation menu to the left.
Many thanks to Nate W. Meyers, who gave me advice, designed the cover and helped me with text formatting and image scans, and many thanks to Mark Hockley who drew many of the images within the book.
I hope you all enjoy it! Now I can work on getting The "Tale of Cloran Hastings" done. I will also finish the Reason section of this site as soon as I can.
10/25/04
The book version of the stories found within this website is nearing completion. It should be available for purchase by the middle of this week. As soon as it is finished and ready for sale, I will upload the first three chapters to my novel, The Tale of Cloran Hastings, so that you call can get a taste for the book, and afterwards I will work on the Reason section of the website. So stay tuned!
09/29/04
Had a bit of a setback uploading the Reason section because...well because I got distracted.
I am compiling all short stories, poems and the World of Aenurin into a book. Actually I have finished it; it will be printed in less than a week. I have spent all the time between the last time I updated this site and now editing and reediting everything in this site, for the book's release. All changes I have made have been minor but necessary: a comma here, a semicolon there, a reworking of word choice every now and then.
I do not, however, want to release the book to book stores. As soon as it is printed I will post images of it on this site, and if any of you are interested in owning a copy, email me with your request and I can send you a link where you can purchase it. Otherwise, it will be for my own personal reference only.
As soon as I finish this project, i will work again on my Reason section.
09/10/04
The Games section is now complete. I now have left to upload the first three chapters of The Tale of Cloran Hastings and then begin work on the Reason section.
09/06/04
I have started on Novels section. I now have up the introduction to my three main works, as well as the whole of the Ænurin. Have fun reading, and don't forget to send me feedback!
09/03/04
I have added a few more stories to the Short Stories section, finishing it off, and I have added 19 new poems to the Poetry section, also finishing it off. So feel free to enjoy those sections while I work on the others!
09/02/04
I have added many more stories to the Short Stories section, including a few satires, a new genre for this site. I have also opened the Poetry section of the site and have started it off with a few additions.
09/01/04
I have added a slew of new short stories to the Short Stories section. Enjoy!
08/31/04
The official webpage of Brandon M. Dennis is now open. I have first posted a few short stories in the Short Stories section to get started. I will greatly add to the site as I find time.
Copyright © 2004-2007, Brandon M. Dennis
Links
Here you can find lyrics and scripts for my machinima movies as well as articles about machinima in general.
Run by Brandon. A record of the liberal bias on his campus, with images of their propaganda and articles and essays on various topics.
A graphic design company, run by Nate W. Meyers. He designed the cover for my hard copy of the short stories found on this site, my book Era One.
The Print On Demand service that I use to print copies of my published book of short stories and poems, Era One.
Where I post some of my art that is inspired from my history.
A fantastic place for finding Warcraft machinima. It is my favorite place to publish my movies and the guys who run the site are great.
News
January - August 2007
08/27/07
It's teaser time! I haven't released any teaser screenshots from Inventing Swear Words 3 recently, so I figure dtoday would be a good day to do so. Check out screenshots four through eight here:
ISW3 Teaser 02
I won't have the movie done by the end of August, but it is a
08/20/07
This has been an exciting week! A friend and I are working on redesigning the website, and things are moving along rapidly. The new website will look much more professional, be easier to get information from, and will be a lot more fun. I'm hoping to launch it sometime next month.
Another friend and I are designing a slew of new images for my Oxhorn Brand Store. I'll soon be coming out with lots of really cool new stuff, but in the meantime, I spruced up the store a bit, added some new products, and edited some of the old images a tad (there are black shirts now too). So check out the store for now, and visit it again soon, for I'll have lots of cool new stuff shortly. The Oxhorn and Staghorn images take you to a page with many different products with the respective image on it (shirts have a special image on the back).
Clint & co. over at Myndflame posted an interview they did of me while at Blizzcon. You can watch the interview (and see a crazy elf try to steal my hat) here.
I just happened by chance to stumble upon a YTMND page that someone made for Inventing Swear Words. Check it out here:
Inventing Swear Words 3 is coming along smoothly! I don't think I'll have it done by the end of the month, but I might--It's a tough call. Either way, it will be out soon. Sonrise from the Myndflame forums will be composing music for the movie, and he is a very talented guy, so I am excited! I'll try to get some screenshots of my progress so far up sometime this week, so be sure to check my blog. Here are last week's blog highlights:
08/13/07
Things in the busy world of Oxhorn are... busy! I'm working hard on Inventing Swear Words 3 and I have made more progress this last week than any week previous. I have in mind a complete redesign of the website, to make it look more snazzy and professional, with lots of flying text. Ok, maybe no flying text. But it will at least look new and snazzy! I'm working with our good Vinkona on designing some cool new T-shirts and other items for the Oxhorn Brand Movies Store, so expect to see cool new products in the coming weeks. If you have any design ideas, drop me a line in the forums. I'm doing some guest vocal work for a number of fellow machinimator friends of mine, so that will be fun, and I'll be sure to let you guys know when their movies come out.
So then, check out the forums, watch some of my movies, read some of my stories, and enjoy some of last week's highlights on my blog:
So then, check out the forums, watch some of my movies, read some of my stories, and enjoy some of last week's highlights on my blog:
08/06/07
Well, Blizzcon is over, so now I can release my new movie!
- Mirror 1 : GoogleVideo (MED)
- Mirror 2 : FileFront (LOW)
- Mirror 3 : YouTube (LOW)
- Mirror 4 : Stage6 (HIGH)
- Mirror 5 : GameVideos (LOW)
- Mirror 6 : FileFront (HIGH)
It is 5:00 AM and I have to go to work in a few hours, but I wanted to get this up for everyone before I did. I'll post the script and the lyrics to the song that plays during the credits tonight when I get off work.
This movie won second place in the Blizzcon 2007 machinima contest. Can't be dissapointed with that! I'm a very, very happy Tauren.
Blizzcon was a blast! I'll post a big "Oxhorn's Blizzcon Adventure" on my blog with lots of pictures here in a few days, once I get some sleep. In the meantime, enjoy the movie, and here are some of the highlights from my blog last week:
07/30/07
I just got back from The Simpsons Movie, and I was blown away! It was funny, it was very well made, and (aside from a little bit too much “save the environment” preaching crap) it was hysterical! I loved nearly every moment of it. Seeing the movie got me really excited about the new little tricks I’ve been learning with After Effects. Maybe it is just my love of animation geeking out on me, but I do love it so! Anyhow, I’ll take this opportunity to show a few more screenshots from the Inventing Swear Words 3:
My latest movie will be released on August 6th. If my movie is selected as a finalist, you will be able to see it at Blizzcon, but otherwise, I’ll be sure to release it next morning. And early in the morning too! No more weekly updates at nine in the bloody evening! Heh, sorry about that, by the way.
Also, if you go to Blizzcon, be sure to stop by the machinima booth and say hi to me. I’ll be there on Saturday at 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm, passing out business cards and information on machinima. Many of my machinimator peers will also be manning the machinima booth at Blizzcon, so if you want to see some of your other favorite authors, be sure to stop by! Here is their schedule:
Friday
Slashdance – 1:00 PM
Riot Films – 2:00 PM
Time Gnomes – 3:00 PM
Stone Falcon Productions – 4:00 PM
Dead Worker’s Party – 5:00 PM
Saturday
Rufus Cubed – 1:00 PM
Oxhorn – 2:00 PM
Spiffworld – 3:00 PM
Red Sky Foundry – 4:00 PM
Blizzard DVD/Video Production – 5:00 PM
07/23/07
Monday, Monday, Monday!
So I have been having the most wonderful time teaching myself how to use Adobe After Effects. And by "wonderful" I mean "never-ending". And by "time" I mean "frustration". Though similar to Adobe Premiere Pro, which I know like the back of my hand, it has its own unique learning curve, and I feel a little lost. If only some of the same functions had, at least, similar names.
But I am not being completely honest. It is time-consuming and frustrating, but it is also interesting, and for the most part, I enjoy it. I've been discovering fantastic new effects that have opened up a new world of possibilities for me. I've decided to share some of my progress so far with a screenshot from one of the first sequences within "Inventing Swear Words 3".
Now, if only I can figure out how to export what I've made into Adobe Premiere...
I have a new job and I start on Thursday. I hope to get in as much work on ISW3 as I can between now and then, but I certainly won't finish it. When I start work, my time will be divided, but hopefully the majority of the stiff learning will be done with by then. I'll try to release screenshots of my progress as time goes on.
Here are some of the highlights from my blog last week.
See you next Monday!
07/16/07
Well I missed last week's update, but today I hope to make up for it. I've been working on my Blizzcon machinima entry all week, and I just finished it today! I'm not allowed to release it yet, so instead I'll release some teaser screenshots. I used some familiar characters, so it took some work to find areas of the movie that I could show without giving the story away:
I think this will end up being one of my favorites so far! It will premiere at Blizzcon and I'll be sure to release it to the rest of the world the day afterwards (August 5th).
I've been active on my blog the past few weeks, and here are some of the highlights. I really need to figure out a way to force myself to have something to say every day, heh.
I, along with a number of other WoW machinima authors, have been invited to speak at Blizzcon this year. I will be given a time slot at the Blizzard machinima booth where people can come up and talk with me and see examples of some of my movies. As soon as I find out, I'll be sure to announce exactly what time during the day I will be there. So be sure to stop by and say hi!
In other news, I've been to a number of interviews and should be getting a nice job here soon, which is certainly a good thing for Brandon! Top Ramen stops tasting good after a few months. Job hunting has been consuming much of my time this week, which is why I didn't know whether or not I would finish my Blizzcon machinima entry in time, but I did, somehow! I am now free to work on Inventing Swear Words 3 again. As I've said before, ISW3 is probably the most ambitious movie I have ever started, so it may be a while before I finish it. I know that in the trailer I said "Summer, 2007" but... well, we will see!
07/02/07
I just finished a new short children's story that I wrote for a contest. The contest was held by a bank, and the winner of the contest gets $1,000 (to be held in a new account opened at the bank). More importantly, the story will be published. The story had to be less than 1,400 words, aimed at 8-12 year olds, and it had to teach kids basic financial principals, like saving and spending wisely. Here is the story I came up with. I hope it wins!
I've been busy with my blog this week. Here are some of the highlights:
HeroicLegacy has completed a fan movie which uses some of my swear words from Inventing Swear Words. You can check it out here:
I've just completed the move to my brand new apartment. It is just a studio apartment, but the rent is cheap and it is in a good location. It is also in a cool old building, and I'll be sure to post some pictures, when I can. I don't have internet access there, however, which means that I have to do all of my online stuff at the library or a frends house, until I get internet set up. So if I havent checked the forums, my email, my YouTube messages or anything else recently, I'm sorry--I'll be sure to answer every message when I get a chance.
I'm still working on Inventing Swear Words 3. Production is going slow due to graduation, the move, and my lack of internet access (not to mention my aging laptop, which might not be able to make movies anymore, heh). I still plan to release it this summer, but I thought I would just give you all an update as to its progress.
That's it for now, see you Monday!
06/25/07
I've written a new short story! I wrote it as a birthday present for my cousin.
It is a sequel to a story I wrote for her last year:
I've been busy with my blog! Here are some of the highlights from last week:
I've found my blog to be a handy place to post the scripts to my movies as well, so be sure to check it out if you are ever in need of an Oxhorn fix!
That's it for now! See you Monday.
06/18/07
I co-hosted a radio show with my friend Menuet on her show “The X” last Saturday. It went really well, and was a lot of fun to do. You can download an MP3 of the show from the archives at WCRadio.com:
If you missed the update a few days ago, I have released a new movie:
And I have launched a brand new blog:
- “Chewing the Cud – Oxhorn’s Thoughts on Everything Machinima”
People have been asking me for an MP3 of the spoof Eurovision song I made in the credits. You can download it here:
I’m looking for work, looking for a new apartment, and spending the rest of my time on Inventing Swear Words 3. I won’t be able to make my weekly short shorts until I finish ISW3, because this movie is turning into a monster—the script is huge! It will probably end up being my longest and most complicated movie yet. But it will also be very funny! Until then, check back every Monday for new updates, participate in the ever-growing forums, and check my blog every day for my daily ramblings about machinima. See you next Monday!
06/15/07
As promised, here is an additional update with my new movie. Mortuus, Associate Professor Evil and a hungry ogre named Thunk sit down for a little chat with a hippy elf:
- Mirror 1 : GoogleVideo (MED)
- Mirror 2 : FileFront (MED)
- Mirror 3 : YouTube (LOW)
- Mirror 4 : Stage6 (HIGH)
- Mirror 5 : GameVideos (LOW)
- Mirror 6 : Stormrager Productions (HIGH)
I’ve just released a new blog that I update daily with thoughts about machinima, gaming, World of Warcraft, and anything else that I’m thinking about. Check it out, and join in the conversation!
- Chewing the Cud – Oxhorn’s Thoughts on All Things Machinima
Now that I have finished “The Peace Circle”, I will devote my energy to completing “Inventing Swear Words 3”. I still have a list of ideas for more short shorts, but I’ll shelve them for now. I released a trailer for ISW3 a while back which you can view here:
Our good friend Vinkona sent me a very sweet graduation card, which you can view here. Thank you Vinkona!
Tomorrow, Saturday, I'll be co-hosting a WoW Radio broadcast with Menuet on her show, "The X". It will air at 2:00 PM EST/7:00 PM GMT/11:00 AM PST. Be sure to catch it at WCRadio.com!
That's everything! See you again on Monday. Or tomorrow, on my new blog. Heh.
06/11/07
I've graduated! I am officially a graduate of the University of Washington with a BA in history and a minor in classics and ancient history. Whew. My week has been filled with finals, papers, convocations, ceremonies and a wee bit 'o partying. But now I am all done, and I'll never have to attend another class again. Bwahahaha!
Now I have all the time in the world to dedicate to other pursuits. Here is a list of my priorities--well, as far as this website goes:
1) Finish a movie I started last week.
2) Finish a short story for my cousin.
3) Start a new literary project that I am keeping hush for now.
4) Start and complete Inventing Swear Words 3.
Somewhere in there I will get a new job, find a new place to live, revamp the website and learn how to use Adobe After Effects.
I have an exciting announcement that I wish I could talk about here, but I am sworn to secrecy for now. So I guess I shouldn't be writing this. Hmmm.
The movie I am working on now should be done sometime next week, either on Wednesday or before the weekend, and I plan to have an additional update when I finish the movie.
Also, I am starting a new literary project which I will launch when I release my new movie, so expect it to appear Wednesday or sometime before the weekend.
HellfiresFury liked my movie Hark! Hear the Wails so much that she sent me a link to an art project she made. You can see it here. Thanks for the link Hellfires!
Check back in a few days and I should have a more substantial update for you. See you then!
05/28/07
Here is this week's movie!
- Mirror 1 : FileFront (High Quality)
- Mirror 2 : YouTube (Low Quality)
- Mirror 3 : GoogleVideo (Low Quality)
- Mirror 4 : Game Trailers (Low Quality)
- Mirror 5 : Stage6 (High Quality/Firefox Only)
You can download an MP3 of the song I sang in Orcs in SPACE!, "The Trail of the Lonesome Pine", Here:
- The Trail of the Lonesome Pine on FileFront
I have a week or more until I graduate, so this is my final movie until after June 9th, so that I can spend these final days of the quarter studying.
Vinkona has made yet another wonderful movie poster, this time for my movie ROFLMAO!
Our good Crystalgonzales has made some more ring tones, this time from my trailer for Inventing Swear Words 3 which I released last week:
Wolfrain14 from YouTube sent me this image, with her using one of my invented swear words with her own Hat the turtle. If you have some fan art or images, send them my way and I'll post them here! See you all next week.
05/21/07
Happy Monday! I am back from my choir tour and we had a blast. If you missed it last week, I released my trailer to Inventing Swear Words 3. You can find links to the movie below.
Crystalgonzales has created two new ring tones for our cell phones! You can find them here:
- ROFLMAO! Ring Tone 02 - "Ubar ubar l33t" sequence
- Hat the Singing Turtle song from ISW2
Today is a special day! Clowie from Durotan has named her guild using the swear words from my Invented Swear Words series and she sent me a screenshot:
Thanks for the image Clowie!
I've finally written a short guide that should answer many of the questions I get about movie making, including what program I use, where to get it, and how to do screen keying. You can find it on my Myspace page in the blog section, or in my forums, here:
That's it for this week!
05/17/07
I've completed and released the trailer to my next major movie, Inventing Swear Words 3!
- Mirror 1 : Stage6 (HIGH, FireFox)
- Mirror 2 : FileFront (HIGH)
- Mirror 3 : Google Video (MED)
- Mirror 4 : YouTube (LOW)
- Mirror 5 : GameTrailers (LOW)
- Mirror 6 : GameVideos (LOW)
Vinkona has been hard at work making beautiful, high resolution large wall posters for my movies! You can purchase a movie poster for the Inventing Swear Words 3 Trailer at base cost (I do not make a profit).
Our good friend Crystal Gonzalez has made cell phone ring tones for many of my musical movies. You can find them on her ring tone page here:
Here are the individual links:
I have polished the first book of my Ænurin, The Foundations, into a finished, complete work of publishable quality. You can read the entire 16,400 word excerpt from my novel here:
- Ænurin - The Foundations - PDF
I'm leaving town on Friday to go on tour with my choir, and I won't be back until Monday. I won't have a new movie done for next week, but this trailer should tide everyone over for a while. I have some "behind the scenes" footage and bloopers that I want to organize and release soon, but that will take some time. In the meantime, download my movies, download my songs, read my stories and I'll see you soon!
05/14/07
I've finished my trailer for Inventing Swear Words 3. A friend of mine is composing music for it, so I can't release it just yet. Check back in a few days. I'll have an additional update this week when the trailer is ready. I'll also have some "behind the scenes" footage, which you guys might enjoy.
My latest movie Elf On was featured on WoW Insider last week. You can read about it here:
Vinkona has made two great, high resolution posters for my movies. I am selling them at cost from my cafepress store (I don't make a dime). Thanks again Vinkona, the posters are great!
That's it for now, check back in a few days to see my new trailer!
05/06/07
Here is this week's new movie, "Elf On". It truly lives up to the name of "short" short!
- Mirror 01 - Stage6 (Firefox Only, HIGH)
- Mirror 02 - FileFront (HIGH)
- Mirror 03 - FileFront (LOW)
- Mirror 04 - YouTube (LOW)
- Mirror 05 - GameVideos (LOW)
- Mirror 06 - GameTrailers (LOW)
- Mirror 07 - Google Video (MED)
Last week, my movie Associate Professor Evil Kills All Beggars was featured on WoWInsider. You can find it here:
Vinkona made a great new poster for last week's movie:
That's it! See you next week!
04/30/07
I've released a new movie!
Mirror 01 - FileFront (HIGH)
Mirror 02 - FileFront (LOW)
Mirror 03 - GameVideos (LOW)
Mirror 04 - YouTube (LOW)
Mirror 05 - Google Video (MED)
Mirror 06 - GameTrailers (LOW)
So my goal was to make one movie a week. I missed one week because I had to go to Oregon for a conference, and I missed another week because I completed a movie for mtvU (which I am not allowed to release yet). But I jumped back on the wagon this week, and I'm glad I got this done in time for the Monday update.
I submitted this movie to The Condemned contest, which is being run by machinima.com. If they accept it, there will be a public voting period, and I will be sure to post a link here so you all can vote.
Vinkona has been busy making really cool posters and artwork!
MuseDria has been having fun with Photoshop too:
Thanks again Vinkona for the posters! I hope you all like my new movie. Guess I had better start working on the next one!
04/23/07
Inventing Swear Words was listed as one of the top WoW movies on YouTube in the latest issue of MMO Games magazine. I'll try to get a picture up soon, but you can find it listed on page 25 near the bottom. They got the name a little wrong (calling it "curse" words instead of "swear" words) but still, it’s pretty sweet!
I've finished my latest movie, but since I was commissioned to make it, I can't release it virally until they give me the go-ahead. So instead, I've posted a few more screenshots from the finished version:
I'm working on a new comedy, which I should have done by next Monday. I am hoping to finish it in time to submit to Machinima.com's "The Condemned" contest, so wish me luck!
The forums have been awash with creativity! Here are some images from Vinkona and MuseDria. I want to join the Hat fan club too!
Hat Fan Club
- Hat 01 - MuseDria
- Hat 02 - MuseDria
- Hat 03 - MuseDria
- Be My Little Friend - Vinkona
- Have a Nice Day! - Vinkona
T-Shirts
- T-Shirt 01 - Vinkona
- T-Shirt 02 - Vinkona
- T-Shirt 03 - Vinkona
All right, that's it for this week. Wish me luck on the last midterms that I will ever have to take!
04/16/07
*Update* ROFLMAO! just passed the 100,000 downloads mark on WCM, earning me my first platinum star. I know, I know, vanity, but... wee!
I've been interviewed by WoW Insider. You can read the interview here:
Also, a number of my movies have been featured on WoW Insider; some recently and others a long time ago:
Many thanks to everyone at WoW Insider for the publicity, especially to Elizabeth Harper!
I just got back from the Phi Alpha Theta history conference in Oregon, where I presented a paper on Herodotus. It was a blast! They put us up in a great hotel, right on the beach, and the University of Washington, along with PAT, footed the whole bill. Here are some pictures of the coast:
I've been working on a machinima project that I was hired to make that promotes "awareness" on college campuses. I can't get into too many details yet, but I suppose I can show you some screenshots. Here are some good ones from the first scene:
Because of the conference and this latest project, I haven't been able to make a new movie. I'll be working on my project all this week (as well as catching up on my class-work and working on getting my novel published) so I probably won't have a new movie done for next week either. We will see.
Vinkona from the forums has been quite busy! She is making a papier-mâché model of a kodo, and she graces us with updates and images as her project progresses. Check out the thread here to see her kodo in-the-works (it is near the end of the thread).
She has also made a few more images with Photoshop that you all might enjoy:
I'm surprised at how popular ROFLMAO! has been. On YouTube alone, it has been downloaded over 160,000 times, and the movie has only been out for two weeks! On WCM, it has been download 98,000 times, and with it being downloaded nearly 8,000 times a day, it will break the 100,000 mark tonight, making it my first movie to receive a platinum star from WCM (only The Great Kodo is beating it, and it has been out for more than a year).
Here are some brief stats, just for fun. All my movies, together, have been downloaded:
- 741,849 times on WCM
- 759,120 times on Google Video
- 58,568 times on Game Trailers
Not even counting all the other websites that have hosted my movies (with and without my permission), it is quite humbling! It makes me wonder whether or not I should start accepting sponsors. Thanks everyone for downloading my movies, and I hope that you will enjoy my future movies just as much. I'll work on a new "Oxhorn Short Short" as soon as I finish my college "awareness" movie, which should be soon.
Lastly, I've received uncountable requests for the MP3's to many of the songs in my movie. So here is a list of all of them, hosted on File Front, which you can download:
Here are some additional audio files, just for fun:
That's it! See you on Monday, unless I see you in the forums before then.
04/10/07
Oops, I forgot to post this yesterday. People have been asking for an MP3 of "ROFLMAO!", so I put it up on FileFront. Here you go!
Also, Vinkona has graced us again with her Photoshop skills! Here is her fan poster based on my movie, "Drunken Kodo Riding":
04/09/07
I've released a new movie, "Drunken Kodo Riding"!
Mirror 1 : YouTube
Mirror 2 : Google Video
Mirror 3 : Game Videos
Mirror 4 : Game Trailers
Mirror 5 : File Front (Low Qual)
Mirror 6 : File Front (Normal Qual)
I made a little poster for the movie, which you might enjoy:
Whew! That one was fun to make. I won't have a new one done next week because I've been hired to make a machinima movie that promotes a new "awareness" campaign for college students, and I'll spend most of next week working on it. I'll be sure to post it here when I am allowed to, which probably won't be for a while. I am also leaving for Oregon on Thursday to deliver a presentation on Herodotus at the Phi Alpha Theta history conference. Those are my excuses for not working on a new movie for next week at any rate, hehe.
ROFLMAO!, which I released last week, has been remarkably successful. It was the top downloaded movie on warcraftmovies.com every day of last week, and it received a number of honors on YouTube. I'm really not sure why it has struck a chord with folks, but I'm glad people are enjoying it!
Bryndza from YouTube released a response to my movie "Krick in the Back!" which explores what went through the minds of those hordies who walked past Oxhorn stuck in his cramped position. You can watch it here:
I've signed up as a weekly co-host with Eriyanna on WCRadio's "Tails from Thunderbluff" radio segment. I play the part of a Tauren who gives an aspiring machinimator movie making advice. It aired last Thursday during Eriyanna's Deus Ex Machinima segment. You can download an MP3 of the broadcast from File Front here.
I also gave Menuet some fun recordings that she will use as transitions for her own radio broadcast. They are simple and along the lines of: "This is Oxhorn and you are listening to Menuet!" but I threw in a few funny quips and references to my movies. Her show will air Saturday the 14th at 3 EST, 8 GMT at WCRadio.com.
Vinkona from the forums has been busy making Tauren-themed artwork. Here are three of her projects:
Nice work Vin! That's it for today's update. See you next week.
04/02/07
Here is this week's new movie, ROFLMAO!
Mirror 1 : YouTube
Mirror 2 : Google Video
Mirror 3 : Game Videos
Mirror 4 : Game Trailers
Mirror 5 : File Front (Low Qual)
Mirror 6 : File Front (Normal Qual)
I may have bitten off more than I could chew. I will still come out with movies on a regular basis, though maybe not every week. This one took me literally all week to make; I ended up neglecting my classes. Since this is my last quarter ever at college (thank God), I can't make this a habit. I also have a historical fiction story I would like to post, but I haven't had a chance to edit it yet, so maybe next week.
Stop by the forums and let me know what you thought of ROFLMAO!
03/26/07
Dum, da-da-da! I've made a new movie! You can find it on warcraftmovies.com, and I've posted a few mirror links as well:
Mirror 1 : YouTube
Mirror 2 : Google Video
Mirror 3 : Game Videos
Mirror 4 : Game Trailers
Mirror 5 : File Front
This movie took me two days to make. I've decided to try to produce short movies like this on a regular basis, perhaps once a week (but don't hold me to that). I figure that machinima is the perfect medium for making cheap but entertaining internet movies quickly, so I might as well take advantage of it.
I've been working on getting my fantasy novel, The Tale of Cloran Hastings, which is completed at 82,000 words, published. In the meantime, I'm placing a very short sample here on my website. I've taken down the previous sample chapters that I posted here because my novel has changed drastically since then. I'm placing the prologue here on my site, which I hope you will enjoy.
I am still working on my Ænurin. I do not think that I will be placing completed chapters of it on my site anymore, because after completing a chapter I often make numerous changes. I will leave up Book I of my Ænurin, "The Foundations", but I am taking down Book II : "The Histories" for now until I complete it and have it polished.
I am no longer writing for The Daily, and therefore will not have weekly columns to share with everyone. I hope to have a short movie instead (which I think many will like better anyway, heh).
That’s it for today!
03/19/07
Happy Monday!
I finished yet another short story for one of my cousins for her birthday. For those who have read the older version of my Ænurin, you may recognize a few themes from it. Anyhow, I just self-published it with Lulu and it is on its way. Here is the PDF:
Alas, I don't have another chapter of my Ænurin ready for this week's update. I was busy writing the above story, and last week was finals week for me too. This week is my spring break, but I will be busy readying the submission materials necessary in order to find an agent, and also, if I have time, there are three movies I have mapped out that I would like to try and finish this week. Since I'm such an ornery fellow, I'll give you the names of my movie ideas. Partially.
Red ******** 2
********* Swear ***** 3 Trailer
***** in the ****!
Hehe, I'm horrible.
03/12/07 - B
I've edited one of the short stories I posted a few weeks ago and I've written a completely new one. Both of these were written as assignments for my short story writing class this quarter and are very unlike the kind of stories I usually write. I feel an explanation of sorts is due, but here they are, the edited one first and the new one second:
There is a sort of snobbery in the field of creative writing when it comes to genre fiction, especially concerning science fiction and fantasy. If you go to college and try to get a degree in creative writing, you will be more or less forbidden to write fantasy or other genre fiction. The reason for this is that "professional" scholastic writers consider genre fiction to be inferior, for a number of reasons, but the main one, I believe, is because it is so popular. If something is very popular, the scholastic types want to distance themselves from it so that they can set themselves apart as being "unique".
The kind of fiction that is praised by the scholastic types is usually dark, depressing and morbid. If you read any of the "great" novels, especially the great modern novels, you will find them to be dystopian or depressing. Why? Well, the scholastic types have a morbid fascination with everything that is not mainstream, everything that is sad, depressing, unconventional or otherwise "deep". I believe this stems from arrogance, for many scholastic writers tend to see happily-ever-after stories as simple, fantasies as worthless, and anything that caters to a mass audience as vulgar. In order to solidify their own superiority, they write stuff that flies in the face of mainstream fiction, morality and ethics so that they can be set apart from the "vulgar masses".
South Park once made fun of films at festivals such as the Sundance Film Festival as concerning nothing but "gay cowboys eating pudding". When Brokeback Mountain came out, this social commentary was pretty much proven, and this analysis does well to describe the mindset of the hoity-toity snobbish filmmakers who are too good to make anything mainstream, and are so good that they just simply are "misunderstood".
As far as fiction goes, there is a similar mindset amongst scholastic and non-mainstream writers, the kind of fellows who go for writing stuff in order to receive awards and be patted on the back by their peers instead of writing something that people actually want to read. Thus, you are going to find stories about lesbian hookers slitting their wrists while having an affair with an anorexic panda that is addicted to heroin. Yeah, I'm not even kidding.
So in order to survive in this sort of environment, one cannot write a fantasy, a children’s tale, a morality tale, an analogy or anything that might appeal to a widespread audience. With this in mind, I sat down to write two stories for my creative writing class that fulfilled the requirements and catered to the dark, morbid and dystopian desires of those in the industry.
Therefore, both "Just Keep Rowing" and "The Tree in the Meadow" are not fantasies and are darker than most things I write. Now if anyone has seen Racing the Grimtotem, he will know that I am not opposed to tragedy and consider it to be a legitimate and wonderful art form. I just think, however, that it is really silly for college students to always pump out nonsensical dreck dealing with death, sickness and oppression; especially if they are blessed children of middle-class families, going to a great university and have never experienced death, sickness or oppression. It seems to me that those who revel in such things are the least experienced with them. Anyhow, I tried to write the stories in such a way so that my peers would go, "Ooo, how wonderfully depressing!" while at the same time not compromising my own morals. The language is stark and perhaps a bit vulgar in both stories, and are not meant for children, but I also tried to retain some kernel of goodness. Anyhow, that is my rant.
I'll have a new chapter to my Ænurin next week!
03/12/07 - A
Gah, it's noon! That's not too late for an update, no, not at all.
*ahem*
Anyhow, let's see. Ah, ok, so here is my latest article that ran in The Daily:
And here is the unedited version:
Now I've got a new story I'd like to put up here, but I need to make some tweaks to it first. I'll get on that now and should have it up in a few hours.
03/05/07
Today I am a Featured Filmmaker at Best Film on Campus! Head on over and rate my movies there if you haven't already, or send me a message and say hi!
The Daily elected not to publish my article last week. But for those who are interested, you can read it on my blog:
For those World of Warcraft fans out there, I think I should point you to an interesting article in The Daily today that one of my peers wrote about WoW. I plan on responding directly to it, if my editor allows me to, so stay tuned. Here is the article:
It is the last week of the quarter for me and I have been busy writing papers, so I haven't been able to add to my Ænurin. I'll try and have a new chapter for you next week. Also, I have written a new short story, one that is not a fantasy, which I will try and get up here by next week.
As far as news goes, my interview last week on WoW Radio went so well that they've been tossing around the idea of having me on to co-host a weekly show. As soon as I find out more, I'll be sure to let you know!
02/26/07
If you missed it, I was interviewed yesterday by TotalBiscuit on WoW Radio. You can find an archive of the show here:
TotalBiscuit had the community give him a list of questions to ask me during the interview, and you can find the list here:
I finished another chapter of my Ænurin which you can read here:
Here is a link to my article in The Daily last week:
and here is the unedited version:
In other news, I've finally quit my job of three years, which is a great relief for me because I now have the weekends free to write, work on my classes or work on my movies. Hooray!
02/23/07
Announcements, announcements announcements! I've been interviewed by TotalBiscuit for WoW Radio, which will air on their flagship show, Blue Plz. Here is the information he sent me:
"You can listen to the interview live on Sunday 25th Feb at 17:30 GMT (12:30 EST, 9:30 PST) at http://www.wcradio.com. The show will be airing a 1 hour long preshow just before the main event kicks off to get you in the mood so feel free to pop by the site at that time and simply click the red 'tune in' button. You can use most popular mp3 players including Winamp and iTunes to tune in to the show. After the show you will be able to download the mp3 of the entire show if you missed it or want to listen over again, or simply subscribe to the Blue Plz! podcast feed available here:
Be sure to check out previous Blue Plz! shows available in the 'Downloads' section on the website."
So there you go, how's that for an extra special pre-Monday update, eh? Hehe.
02/21/07
Sorry for the late update. I put it off because I thought I would be able to finish my latest chapter of my Ænurin in time. Instead I finished another short story for my cousin David for his birthday. I did get halfway done with my Ænurin chapter though, so I should have it done in time for next week's update.
Here is the short story I wrote for my cousin:
Here is my article that was published last week in The Daily:
And here is the unedited version:
Thats it, see you Monday!
02/12/07
I've got plenty for you to read this update!
Here is a Christmas story I wrote for my cousins a few months ago:
Here is a short story I wrote for a class I am taking this quarter. It is rather different from stories I normally write. It isn't a fantasy and is geared towards adults.
Here is my latest column in The Daily:
And here is the unedited version:
That should do it for now. I'll try and have a chapter of my Ænurin for you all next week. See you then!
02/05/07
Gah, I lost track of time. Ah well, better an evening update than no update at all, right?
So I've been getting a lot of questions about when my next movie will come out, whether it will be shot in the Burning Crusade, etc. So here is the update: I have a script done for Inventing Swear Words 3. I also have a script done for three music videos, a third music video with a new song that I have written, and a tragedy along the lines of Racing the Grimtotem. I have also been asked to make a music video for another artist's song.
The problem is that I am a full time college student, a weekly columnist for my campus paper, I'm actively trying to get my book published and I work part time on the weekends. Between all of that, I just don’t have time to make movies.
Now, I'm not giving up on it by any means. Perhaps I can find some time during work to get a few hours of movie making in. I just can’t work on it very much right now. Similarly, though I have the BC expansion, I have not installed it and haven't even played WoW in almost a year. I honestly doubt I will have time to take up the game again, unless casually for thirty minutes or so a week. But don’t worry; I can still make movies outside of the game.
But it isn't like I have been neglecting my movies. Last year I made 12 movies, 7 in the last six months alone. Compared to most other machinimators, I have hardly been idle. So never fear, I'm still here, and though I am concentrating on my studies and my future, my hobby of machinimating will probably not leave me for very long. Once you get the bug, it is very hard to get rid of.
After all of that, I suppose you won’t be surprised that I haven't had a chance to write the next chapter in my Ænurin. I'll make it up to you. I'll try to have it done by next week, and additionally, I will post a new story that I wrote for a class this quarter.
Anyhow, here is the sixth and final historical fiction piece I wrote for a class back in 2005:
I wrote a column on sex and marriage last week which was published on Friday, and I have had more comments on it than anything else I have ever written. You can read most of the reader's comments from The Daily link. Here it is:
And here is the unedited version:
Sorry for the delay, and I'll be sure to have more for you next week!
01/29/07
Thanks to everyone who went over to BestFilmOnCampus.com and viewed, rated and commented on my movies! Many of my movies are still on the Most Watched list, including Racing the Grimtotem, which has 5/5 stars and is the second most viewed movie on the site. You all rock!
I have some rather exciting news (well, for me, at least.) I went to dinner with a friend of a friend who works at a press here in Seattle. She found out that I was a writer and that I had a completed manuscript that I was trying to get published and she asked to read it. I printed out a copy for her and if she likes it, she will give it to her superior who works for Simon & Schuster. Of course, I'm all giddy inside at the prospect of finally getting my book published and am hoping that something actually comes from this.
Anyhow, I spent all week editing and tweaking my book. I added a prologue and an additional chapter, as well as an appendix and a glossary, and I reworded a number of places within the story. It is now over 80,000 words, which is the size of an average novel. Because I spent all week writing in my book, I did not have a chance to update my Ænurin this week. Sorry, but I'll be sure to have the next chapter done by next Monday.
I ran out of room on the front page (I didn't even know I could run out of room) so I archived all news from 2004-2006. They can be found in the new Archives section of the web page.
Here is the fifth historical fiction short story I wrote back in 2005 based on Thucydides' history of the Peloponnesian War:
Here is my article that came out in The Daily last friday:
And here is the unedited version:
See you Monday!
01/22/07
I need your help! MTVU has invited me to put up a page on their "Best Film On Campus" site were my movies are hosted and where people can rate them. I've uploaded a number of my movies and if you could head on over and rate them for me, I'd be in your debt! Click the link below and when the page loads, choose the movies to the right to view them. You can select more of them by pressing up or down on the arrows. Be sure to refresh the page before rating a new movie:
Here is the fourth historical fiction story I wrote in 2005 based upon Thucydides' account of the Peloponnesian War:
Here is a link to my article that ran in The Daily last Thursday:
And here is the unedited version:
Here is the second chapter of The Histories section of my Ænurin:
Lastly, here is an interesting article I read earlier this week that you all might enjoy:
Well that was a rather large update! I hope I am leaving myself enough material for future updates, heh. See you next week!
01/15/07
I've begun writing the second book in my expansive Ænurin called "The Histories". I'll post a new chapter from it every week, just like I did for "The Foundations". Here is the first chapter.
Here is my article that was published in The Daily last week:
And here is the unedited version:
Here is the third historical fiction short story I wrote back in 2005, based on the Peloponessian War:
That's it for now! Enjoy the Burning Crusade!
01/08/07
Gah, I almost forgot about the update!
My column in The Daily last Thursday can be read here:
You can find the unedited version here:
I also updated the Awards, Honors &c. section on the webpage.
And here is the second historical fiction story based on the Peloponnesian War: Pericles and the Cause of War.
I just finished my Christmas children’s story and as soon as I get some feedback from friends, I'll post it here. Maybe next week.
01/01/07
Happy New Year!
If you missed it last week, I released The Anti-Elf Anthem, which you can watch here:
Classes start up again for me on Wednesday, and due to working overtime at the hotel, writing for The Daily, finishing my movies and submitting my applications to graduate school, I have been unable to work on The Histories of my Ænurin. So instead, today I will upload one of six papers I wrote in 2005 based on Thucydides’ account of the Peloponnesian War. In the class I took, I had to write a short story based on the events we had covered that week. Here is the first one and each week I will upload a new one:
Copyright © 2004-2007, Brandon M. Dennis
