The Sound'r Blog

Behind the scenes with Musica Poetica

Dear friends,

after more than two years of exploring the commercial and artistic opportunities for Machinima using Second Life® as a platform, Sound’r has entered into a somehow new, yet familiar spectrum of production.

No longer do we fight with frame-rates, server lag or as we like to call it “Virtual Weather”, however we do now once again fight with the classical hindrances of real life production such as bad lighting, real weather and dealing with the fact that you can’t just change the background of a set with the flick of your mouse anymore (damn-it).

Indeed, with the acquisition of a broadcast grade professional full HD video camera and tons of production accessories, Sound’r has (re-)entered “real-life” film production.

With several great projects on the table, the first one a co-production in partnership with Dirk Fischer and Tobias Fischer, already wrapped mid-February and now in post-production, is a short format documentary following the preparations leading up to a mind boggling concert performance of the amazing Musica Poetica ensemble. A group of unique musicians, under the musical direction of Jörn Boysen a young, energetic conductor and musician, that has garnered respect for their historically accurate, faithful and musical performances.

While Machinima is still an avenue of our productions that we continue to explore, experiment and support, it does feel good to once again hold a real clapboard in hands and haul lights, tripods and cameras from set to set.

Check back soon for some more production notes and behind the scenes footage of the Musica Poetica project and thanks for reading!

-André

Streaming live from the Coolsounds & Magick Studios in Amsterdam, the Born Again Pagans have been travelling the grid in their tourbus for over a year, sharing their unique sound: reggae sidetracked by synths and heavy guitars.

“We’ve been touring the grid since the early spring of 2008,” says vocalist (plus guitarist and percussionist) hexx Triskaidekaphobia. “What got us started was all the other musos: the more we invited to jam at our own place, the more we started thinking about getting ourselves out there as well. So once we found out how easy it is to set up a stream, we just did it. And after we got used to the weird feeling of playing tens of seconds earlier than the people actually heard it, we got the groove.”

With Madame Amoufhaz on synths and percussion, the Born Again Pagans play an average of two shows a week.

“A lot of our shows are regular ones and those are always at venues we really like. Santir on Bayou Noir comes to mind, the Memphis Pavilion of course, the Stream Life Gallery, the kitchen table in the Greenies home. We’re also invited to take the stage at the Phantom Theatre on Eerie Isle every other month or so. Oh, and we really should jam more often at our own place, Rastafairy Beach on Prankster South,” says Triskaidekaphobia.

The band’s website includes a calendar of upcoming shows, as well as pictures and links to their music online. You can also hear original songs on the Born Again Pagans’ MySpace page, follow the band on Twitter or IM hexx Triskaidekaphobia in-world to request a free copy of their live album, released earlier this year.