“There’s not one thing that is Machinima. There’s a range of different approaches, and what you can say on it depends on the approach you take.” (Berkeley, 2006)
The two most distinctive approaches, in terms of both their popularity and polarisation of one another, reflect the two colliding forces found within the form — gameplay and filmmaking.
Live Action Machinima:
This approach more closely reflects the gamers’ perspective in terms of Machinima making. Here, the gamer plays whilst recording the action using techniques provided within the game construct (such as the 30 second “capture action” option found within popular Machinima engine The Sims 2), or via alternative means, such as VCR recording. A narrative is then edited & assembled utilising the footage that is captured.
A further method of ‘Live Action’ Machinima involves a group of gamers that act as cast & crew — recording their interactions ‘live’. Typically, this action takes place in a networked computer game, mainly using a FPS (first-person shooter) game (such as Quake). Every player controls a virtual character via mouse and keyboard commands, thus becoming actors portraying that character. Each actor uses a headset with a microphone to perform dialogue, if there is any. Though, dialogue is added later in postproduction. One of the players serves not as an actor, but rather a cameraman, with his/her point of view recording to tape (or hard disk) and thus representing the “film-footage”. (machinimag.com)
The advantage of the Live Action approach to Machinima-making is that it allows for spontaneity and improvisation amongst the players. Thus, it is an approach that is also often linked to documentary filmmaking. (Berkeley, L. AJETS, 2006)
Indeed, Berkeley's Machinima reflects this attitude.
Scripted Machinima:
This is Machinima creation that follows the traditional narrative filmmaking model. Each actor/character is controlled through a pre-defined script, telling him/her what to do and when. The script can be set up either via the game mechanics or by using the game's Modding Tools. Cameras can be assigned to pre-defined paths and actions can be triggered through scripts as well. Sound and music is often imported into the game itself, or afterward during a post-production process reflective of that in any other form of filmmaking. Using scripts, some movies run entirely in the game environment that they are created in without the need to record "footage". Also, scripted movies often allow for a higher level of customisation, as most tools let you import your own characters, animations, and/or textures. (machinimag.com)
Scripted Machinimas have the relatively appealing advantage in that only one person may have complete control over the entire project. However, the technical problems inevitably linked to the use of Modding Tools generally inhibit many from gaining this control.
Thuyen Nguyen's work can be seen as Scripted Machinima.