User:ChromiumCurium/this spartan life trials

This Spartan Life is a machinima talk show created by Bong + Dern Productions, produced and directed by Chris Burke, who also hosts the show under the pseudonym Damian Lacedaemion (pronounced ). Premiering in 2005, the show is created using the video game Halo 2. The half-hour episodes are released in shorter parts, called modules. Guests such as Bungie Studios' Martin O'Donnell are interviewed via Xbox Live within the online multiplayer worlds of Halo 2.

The show is the first notable talk show in Halo 2, but this is not the only cause of its popularity and cult-like following. Its humor is different from most Halo 2 machinima, and due to this, it has developed a solid fanbase. Some of the comedy in the show itself is derived from holding serious interviews in a chaotic game world, highlighted via game glitches, combat with unruly guests, and the presence of other players who outwardly appear to be unaware that the show is being filmed at all. These players fire upon other players, camera operators, and even the host and his guests.

This Spartan Life created "Webisodes" for Spiketv.com, for the 2005 Video Game Awards, those webisodes are no longer available to be viewed.

Episode format
This Spartan Life consists of episodes separated into 6 modules of varying lengths. These modules are the core of the show; they vary from episode to episode. However, there are some common threads. Every show starts with a talk-show standard, the monologue, during which Damian lays out the show ahead, as well as a small comedy bit. This is the only "stable" segment of the show, besides the Solid Gold Elite Dancers, as it has appeared in every episode. The Solid Gold Elite Dancers segment is a dance segment (usually), set to music by Glomag, the pseudonym of the creator Chris Burke, and in Episode Three was a full-fledged music video. The segment "Body Count", which has appeared in two out of three episodes, is a debate and a war between the contestants as they make their points while fighting each other. The Travelogue segment is a glitch montage, which is set to music, and is one of the most popular segments, as the show's original fans were glitchers. The rest of the segment are usually the interviews, with the guest of the show.

Characters
This Spartan Life has a full cast of characters, each with their own unique qualities, which serve to move the show along. As is typical in machinima, the characters have very strong personalities and are heavily characterized in order to make up for the weakness of machinima: the inability to act.'' The characters are:

Damian Lacedaemion
A personable soldier in grey with a smiley face emblem adorning his armor, he leads the show along with his unique style of interviewing and, when things get tough, he can always fall back on his soldiering skills to save his guests - hopefully. He tries to rise to a "higher level of discourse" and is the center of the civil nature of the show. Phil is Damian's trusty sidekick shotgun that is almost always by his side, and Phil has a preference to be used by only Damian, and will fight anyone else that attempts to use him. Damina Lacedaemion is voiced by Chris Burke, Phil is voiced by _______________

DJ Octobit
The second character introduced, DJ Octobit is named in a reference to the 8-bit music he plays in the show. He creates the 8-bit music for the show on his DJ console in New Mombasa. He never speaks, yet he has defended Damian on several occasions. In the first episode he is referred to as Doctor Octobit, but by the second episode his name was changed to DJ Octobit.

Fyb3roptik
Damian's assistant of sorts, he always seems to be shooting at Damian, sometimes without reason. He is Damian's comedic foil and he therefore always seems to be doing things Damian does not like; this running gag is a fan favorite. He usually carries a sniper rifle.

Solid Gold Elite Dancers
The squad of Solid Gold Elite Dancers are the show's equivalent of a talent segment; they usually dance to music by Glomag, and a segment in the show is reserved for them. Their dances are usually excellently choreographed, as their characters move in near perfect synchronization. They are also the point of several jokes including they not getting paid.

Peaches and Sherry
These two operate the virtual cameras used in This Spartan Life, but are also characters in their own right, sometimes commenting on the action.

Gamers
While not characters, the gamers serve a role in their own right. They act as the backdrop to the show, highlighting the lunacy of having a talk show in the middle of a battleground. They usually exhibit stereotypical "new player" or in gamer terms "noob" behavior. The players also serve as the basis for a great number of the show's jokes, which originate on Xbox Live.

History
This Spartan Life was first started around the year 2004, when Halo 2 was released. The creator, Chris Burke, wanted to create a sort of social environment for interaction that was nonviolent, but he had little success, mainly because "very few people were willing to stop shooting". After discovering the true potential to hold an intelligent conversation in the game, he was inspired to create a talk show, originally to be called The Spartan 117 Dialogs, the name of which would have come from the official code for the Master Chief, protagonist of the Halo video game series. However, some time before episode one was released the name was changed to "This Spartan Life", and all releases have been under that name. The show, while fairly popular, did not see its current popularity until its fifth blog, which centered on net neutrality. That episode became widespread and was shown to the United States Congress. This Spartan Life experienced a surge in media attention, as shown by This Spartan Life's press page.

Production
This Spartan Life videos are released on the site, in both QuickTime and Windows Media Video formats. As is common in Halo machinima, the show is made on Xbox Live or using interconnected Xboxes, and the final footage is edited in Final Cut Pro. Most shows are made, at least in part, on Xbox Live; however, not all of the show segments can be filmed exclusively on Xbox Live, due to issues of in-game latency ("lag"), which would otherwise prevent the coordination seen in the Solid Gold Elite Dancers. However, on the online segments, gamers from the This Spartan Life community are used instead of experienced actors. The cameras are created using the "gun-drop glitch", which causes them to lose their weapons, thus providing a less obstructed screen. The guests for the show are usually interviewed in Burke's sound booth.

Reception
This Spartan Life has been mentioned by the likes of Attack of the Show!, Wired Magazine Wired Magazine. , and Google Current, to name a few. The strange nature of the show has garnered many positive reviews; the show even won an award at the 2005 Machinima Film Festival for Best Machinima Series. This Spartan Life was even featured at Festival Nemo in France. The show, while still relatively obscure when compared to the likes of Red Vs Blue, has gathered a large online community of both new media advocates and gamers.

Damian Lacedaemion
A personable soldier in grey with a smiley face emblem adorning his armor, he leads the show along with his unique style of interviewing and, when things get tough, he can always fall back on his soldiering skills to save his guests - hopefully.

Phil
Damian's trusty sidekick shotgun that is almost always by his side, and Phil has a preference to be used by only Damian, and will fight anyone else that attempts to use him.

DJ Octobit
The second character introduced, DJ Octobit

Fyb3roptik
Damian's assistant of sorts, he always seems to be shooting at Damian, sometimes without reason. He is Damian's comedic foil and he therefore always seems to be doing things Damian does not like; this running gag is a fan favorite. He usually carries a sniper rifle.

Solid Gold Elite Dancers
The squad of Solid Gold Elite Dancers are

Gamers
While not characters, the gamers serve a role in their own right. They act as the backdrop to the show, highlighting the lunacy of having a talk show in the middle of a battleground. They usually exhibit stereotypical "new player" behavior. The players also serve as the basis for a great number of the show's jokes, which originate on Xbox Live.

Peaches and Sherry
These two operate the virtual cameras used in This Spartan Life, but are also characters in their own right, sometimes commenting on the action.