Minecraft's popularity within the gaming industry is unheard of, considering the series' indie nature. One of the biggest contributors to the series popularity came from YouTube videos parodying various objects in pop culture using the game's engine. Now, Machinima artists Jonny Rice plans on reaching farther with an original romantic sitcom set in the Minecraft's universe. In this Game & Guie exclusive Q&A, Rice talks web-series creation, fascination with source material and Kickstarter campaign.
Game & Guide: Give us some background on who you are, Jonny.
Jonny Rice: Born and raised in Sand Springs OK, just outside of Tulsa. Lifetime lover of video games. Nintendo is my favorite video game flavor. I moved to CA after high school to chase my dreams of breaking into the video game business. Former quality assurance game tester for LucasArts (13 titles). Graduated video game college (Art Institute of LA) in 2009. I contract for Machinima Inc. as a cinematic artist. Almost 1 year married to Anna Pearman who is a super nurse and I am a super nerd.
GNG: Talk about the inspiration for Lovecraft: A Minecraft Love Story.
Jonny Rice: Lovecraft is the result of multiple events in my super lucky life. A: I love Minecraft, I rebuilt the house I grew up in using Minecraft, then I recreated my likeness in Minecraft. I wish I could live in Minecraft sometimes. B: While freelancing as a cinematic artist at Machinima my boss asks me to come up with a pitch for a web series. C: I was about 3 months away from getting married. So I indulged a fantasy about what it would be like to live and find love in the world of Minecraft.
GNG: What do you hope to accomplish through the Kickstarter?
Jonny Rice: I think crowd funding is awesome, It's an exciting platform for getting independent projects off the ground. I'm trying to raise enough money to pay for season 1 of Lovecraft. I just need enough to compensate my talented actors Chad Evans who plays Coal and Erin Kaufman who plays Rose for their time. Also I need to pay for recording studio time.
GNG: You were at E3 promoting it through Machinima. How have they supported you and your show?
Jonny Rice: Like I said, I'm a super lucky guy, If it weren't for Machinima there wouldn't be a show. I've worked on several really great projects with Machinima. With Lovecraft they supported the entire pilot episode all the way through, They let me put it on The Machinima Realm channel, where it could get views, as of today it has 409,735 views.
GNG: Have the guys at Mojang seen it? If so, what's been their reaction to it?
Jonny RIce: I don't know, I've tweeted it @Notch (Markus Persson) and @jeb_ (Jens Bergensten) a few times and I never heard back, I suck at Twitter. I'd love to know what they think, I hope they would love it. I'm trying to push the envelope of what Minecraft videos can be.
GNG: Talk about the structure of the show. How long does it take to create an episode in regards to pre production through post production?
Jonny Rice: Good question, The pilot episode took me just about a month from pitch to completion. I think I could do the next episodes faster if I could just focus on them full time.
GNG: What attracted you to the Minecraft series in the first place?
Jonny Rice: I saw people playing on Youtube before Beta and that made me want to play it and my nephew Kynan was really into it. I liked the single player, but the multi player mode really got it's hook in me. It's a really great blend of pixel art, FPS, and creativity. When I was coming up with the pitch I realized it was the perfect vehicle for Lovecraft. The music of Minecraft is also amazing, made by C418.
GNG: Speaking of E3, any thoughts on it? Get a chance to play anything?
Jonny Rice: I love E3, I've been lucky enough to go nearly every year since 2007. It's like a video game circus! I played all the new 3DS games and they look great. Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds, is going to be fantastic.
GNG: Where would you like to see the Minecraft and Lovecraft series go in the next couple of years?
Jonny Rice: I'd love to see Minecraft on the 3DS. I'd love to see new kinds of tools and magical items and weapons in Minecraft as well. I would like to see some more machinima friendly functionality too; like the ability to swap skins on the fly and more character customization options. Basically, I just want them to keep adding things like they have been doing. I also get giddy when I think of what kind of BIG things they could do with Minecraft 2.
I'd love to do a many more seasons, I've got ideas bubbling up all the time. The story of season 1 is basically written, but since Lovecraft is auto biographical there are many things in my real life that I'd like to add introduce into later stories. I also can't shake the idea of cameos from real people and other video game characters. I want Coal to run into Blanka in the jungle one of these days.
GNG: Are you worried that the Minecraft series will loose steam and possibly affect your show?
Jonny Rice: Minecraft is not going anywhere, It is crazy popular with young kids and they are the future of the demographic. Not to mention the mod community is huge and they are always spicing things up.
Watch the first episode below: