Today we are shining a spotlight on LP Kidd, an award-winning Director, Writer, and Producer of many Second Life machinima! Join him on October 6th for a showing of one of his short films at the Second Life Cinema!

How long have you been in Second Life and how did you first hear about it?
I've been in Second Life for seventeen years. My original join date is August 2006 from an alternative account. I learned about Second Life while in college from my art teacher. As a class, we were instructed to join Second Life to further teach us 3D building aspects as well as networking with people in the gaming industry. We visited sandbox regions and explored SL as a class in 2006. Eventually, Second Life turned into a personal hobby for me as my first step away from the class was to join role plays, create content, and explore videography.

You are the Director, Writer, and Producer of many machinima that you filmed in Second Life, which can be viewed on YouTube as well as Amazon Prime. How long have you been writing and creating, and where do you get your inspiration?
I was inspired at a young age by my late father when he took me to theatrical animation festivals. Of course, over time I'd write short stories about my childhood life around the age of eight. Later heroic movies like Superman, Terminator, The Abyss, and The Matrix were influential. An MTV series called Liquid Television, Aeon Flux would further feed my inspiration to write Science Fiction scripts and comic books. I also gathered inspiration from attending college and getting my degree in Game Art and Design, which is where I learned a lot of cinematic videography techniques. Although all these inspirations are from varied sources, one of the most major inspirations I have ever read was from the bible and the study of eschatology.

In light of the recognition your machinima has garnered, have there been any standout feedback or reviews that have particularly resonated with you?
There have been three recognitions.

The first was being accepted by Amazon Prime for my four episodes of The Tales Of Twilight series along with accrediting approval for the Imdb.com listing. The episodes are now purchasable on Amazon Prime. 

The second was being awarded the Independent Short Awards (International Film Festival) for my short film series episode of The Tales Of Twilight: Destineville.

The third was the article review from Film Threat, which covered Resilient Red-X Episode One.

I continue to produce films because I'm passionate about filmmaking, telling, entertaining, and producing stories. I am very appreciative of all of the SL community support, and fan following of my works that I've produced in music videos and in Machinima short films... and thus far these three stand out to me. I count being featured on Spotlight by Linden Lab a fourth.

What kind of software do you use to capture and edit your videos?
There was a time I would not share this information when I worked in videography as a company.  Also, I didn't receive a lot of help, and being an early pioneer and veteran of SL Machinima. A lot I had to learn on my own back in the day using CamStudio and Windows Movie Maker. So I kept that information private for a time, and with a company like DreamFX I kept indoor intel proprietary. However, today so much is shared and exposed within the videography community. I also work more independently sort of how I began. I currently use Davinchi Resolve and sometimes FXHome/Hitfilm, and VideoPad. As for audio enhancement, I use my voice, licensed GhostHack sounds, and a program called MusicMaker.

What can we expect from you in the future? Are there any interesting projects you are currently working on?
I am currently working on a science fiction spiritual drama/adventure series called 27 R.C.  I have three episodes out and plan to produce more. I am also in talks of revisiting Resilient Red-X into a new evolved story. I also look forward to more Tales of the Twilight episodes. I hope to one day get my series more solicited in hopes of syndication. That will be a great day for Machinima animation. I believe Tubi is the next step to get my content out to the world. On a side note: I am always making music videos monthly and bi-monthly so you'll always find some kind of content from my Musicality YouTube page.

Tell us about some of the other Residents in SL that inspire you and whose work you admire.
Currently, Teal and Vrutega's work is inspirational and very top-notch in cinematic appeal. Both of their works are visually stunning. Just add voice acting, good lip, good facial emotion, and a good script... and poof they are there! The talent list of creators is growing though. So many are now out there making videos from SL now. More and more people are producing content, and for those where finances are not an option, they have the opportunity to use some of the top-end PC software, with fast CPU graphics, as well as education to match... making their machinima look epic, reaching its limits... if it has any. It's always been my goal to produce machinima where people don't know that it's machinima, or they have to ask, "Where does this animation come from? What is this animation?" Because they are intrigued and impressed, and they wonder because it's not exactly like industry animation. When I get that question I feel like I've pushed the SL Machinima visual envelope into CGI Meetup territory.

Where can people see your work? Please share links to your sites and social media accounts.
The best route is to use my linktree. 

However as an option here is a list:
Media Pages:
YouTube @LPFilmsCGI
YouTube @lpmusicvideos
TikTok @lp_films
Flickr - LP Films
Instagram @lp_films_cgi

Personal or specific Pages:
Portfolio
ResilientRedX
The Tales of Twilight
Twitter @cgiseriesx

Watch the trailer for LP's RESILIENT RED X LEVEL 4, submitted for Spotlight

Thank you LP, for adding your creative talent to the machinima scene in Second Life!

Watch a showing of RESILIENT RED X LEVEL 4 with LP and other Residents at the Second Life Cinema on Friday, October 6th at 12pm PT!

Each of our Spotlight posts features a different Resident to showcase the spectrum of experiences and personalities found in our virtual world. If you have created something inworld that you’re proud of, or have had a deeply meaningful experience that could brighten someone else’s day, please sign up! More info here: https://second.life/spotlight-signup