Lord Komo is machinima based on the MMORPG SWTOR, which I am still playing at the time of writing this. I am a sucker for story-driven games so this was right up my alley. SWTOR was also a source of inspiration for Aronoke, the Star Wars fan-fic flotsam I am currently addicted to writing.
Lord Komo originated when Jord and I were adventuring on Taris, wreaking destruction and havoc and generally getting quests done, when we happened on the NPC Lord Komo. And with one thing or another, we were soon singing that Beach Boys song, Kokomo…
Everyone else in Universal Exports refused to sing it. I considered hiring someone, but decided it was too bothersome. And so, a terrible exercise in self-torture and vocal expression was born. Especially since Kokomo is not happily inside my vocal range. It is far too squeaky. I can’t watch the video now, it makes me wince too much. *hides under pile of MMO subscriptions*.
Since making the movie I (and the rest of Universal Exports et al) decided to swap servers, due to the dwindling popularity of the game, so some of the characters involved in the film are no longer named the same thing.
My second attempt at LoTRO machinima. This one still has some IClone4 models in it (Sauron’s milk herd, anyone?) and lots of IClone effects, but it is heavily based on snippets of movie taken directly from the game. It was inspired by an excellent (dreadful, by most people’s standards, no doubt) pun made by Wingwoz (who stars in the film). This one was a great deal of fun to make, although I did have the song stuck in my head for about three months during and afterwards.