Second Life Spotlight - Sergio Castellanos

Today, attention is focused on Sergio Castellanos, the creative force behind GioNation, a collective of machinima and learning space dedicated to narrative, skills sharing and support for creators in Second Life.

How long have you been in Second Life and how did you know about it for the first time?

He's been on Second Life since 2011. Interestingly, I heard about it from a documentary you saw on TLC. It was about a man who was addicted to Second Life. He, as an avid player of Sims, wanted to see what this dependence was about and whether he could really attract it. Well, here he is almost 15 years later (laughs).

What inspired you to start creating videos in Second Life and how did this lead to GioNation's creation?

In 2014, the landscape of Second Life was very different. There were a handful of people making videos, but nothing compared to the diversity of talents that exists today. He wanted to tell a story, and he wanted that story to mean something. I had no idea where to start or what to do. He asked for help, and people either didn't know or didn't want to share what they knew. Gionation (interchangeable with GION) was born from his desire to prevent others from fighting to learn the way he had to. To give the community space, diversity and sharing skills with people who wanted to know what he knew and do what he does. She began as a producer, then grew up to become the first university on the urban side of the grid (The GioNation Cinema and Arts Institution). Honestly, the university is one of your proudest achievements to date.

!Image 2: Sergio (1).png.humb.png.d88e4fb416c25b0cf287233ec68c51b7.png) It has a distinctive style that mixes mood, fast pace and a clear visual narrative. How did this style develop?

Oh, man. That's a good question. It is believed that this comes from years of role interpretation, life experiences and media consumption, honestly. He is an art lover; strange art, popular art, niche art, digital art and handmade art. He loves books, movies, reading, writing and telling stories. A real baby from the '80s who grew up before the internet really was a thing. At that time, it was necessary to entertain yourself with the imagination, the strange Barbie doll, action figures or random pieces of paper that were folded into anything that was needed at the time. Cartomans, paper planes, spiral curls, cups... anything that was necessary. Man, can you imagine that? Have fun with a piece of paper.

But having fun, doing something out of the blue, it was never a problem for him. He always had a very big imagination, and growing up in that era kind of forced him to be brain. Nowadays, people outsource their creativity completely to the AI, and it is believed that this is where many artists lose focus. You're not saying there's not a time or a place for AI, but you're saying you feel privileged to grow up in an era before AI. A time when it was really necessary to strive to do anything. And he's very grateful for that.

The humor? Who knows, he's just a strange person who likes to make others laugh and smile. If he made someone smile, then it made his day. He doesn't take himself very seriously, and he believes that self-deprecating humor resonates with people who don't take themselves seriously either. You believe that dad jokes sell the package, honestly. Like the other day on Facebook, he saw a memory of years ago where he was thanking people for the "butfor".

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Describe his creative process. Which tools, techniques or configurations in the virtual world does he most trust when filming and editing?

The practical side of things? It uses Action to record the screen and Adobe Premiere Pro to edit. He has used programs such as Filmora and Camtasia in the past. Capcut is great for short videos! He likes to shoot on Black Dragon or Alchemy viewer, and uses an Xbox controller for flycam captures.

Outside of practical things, he enjoys filming in dynamic lighting, scenarios that tell an interesting story of their own. As much as he is attracted to humor, beauty and clean shots, he is also attracted to the dark and the strange, and loves to film all of this. He feels that his expression is well balanced, and he is always learning. He's been doing this for over a decade, and he's still struggling with the time it takes. Too long to shoot, too long for costumes, too long in editing. But he gives himself grace and patience. He believes that this is an important factor to be remembered even when deadlines are approaching. Breathe and don't give up. Don't run out, and it's okay to step back and reorganize if necessary.

Besides, it's important to remember that tools are important, but how you use these tools means much more. He has fun recording and creating things he wants to see, takes something out of his head and lets him dance on the screen. As long as he enjoys what he's recording and keeps learning along the way, he'll be fine. There is no single magic or method for good production. There is only him and what he wants to say to the world. And he promises that's enough.

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Second Life is often about collaboration and shared creativity. How did working with other Residents mold GioNation and his work in general?

He's learned a lot from collaboration over the years. He learned how to program, model, market, cheer. Your store is a testimony to this. NERG is small, a drop of water in an ocean of talent. But GioNation opened so many doors for him and for the people in his circle.

People are the center point. With GioNation (GION), the producer. They were the first producer he knew to gather producers and operate as a single team. They didn't compete, they cooperated. The same happened to GIF (The Gionation Institution of Cinema and Arts), he collaborated with landscapers, photographers, videomakers, modelers and programmers. Incredibly talented people who taught skills that were very necessary at the time. A community brings together a variety of people who have a common goal. Their goal was to teach. A central component was the teaching of culture. They wanted to create a mentality of "each, teaches one" in Second Life. Where people recognize that they're better together and can do more together than they could do alone.

For Residents who are interested in creating machinima or short videos in Second Life, what advice or lessons did he learn along the way?

Just start. Don't wait until it's good enough to start. Just start. He'll learn along the way, but if he waits until he's "good enough," then he'll never start. Just start. Learn from others, learn by watching videos and movies, looking at art... Don't be afraid to watch a tutorial or ask someone how you did something. Just as most good chefs start with a good recipe, good producers start with good instructions. Don't be afraid of not knowing things or feeling insecure about your level of talent. If there's something inside him that's screaming to get out, let it out. Just start. Keep humble and start over and over until one day people stop you and ask, "What advice do you have for people who want to create machinima?" And he'll smile and say, "Just start."

Tell us about some of the other SL Residents who inspire him and whose work he admires.

Epiphany inspires with his bright and beautiful scenes. It's admirable how she floats her camera over anything and makes it sound magical. Besides, it's not believed that anyone on the network can make a better twerk video than she can.

Gunner inspires with the depths of his creativity. Your music, your filming, your loving heart and your genuine character. You can feel your heart when watching your videos.

Sabina inspires with her gentle spirit and how she manages to make anything look painted with glitter, her filming, her work and her dedication. She's all a good producer should be.

Jordan and Loz inspire with their dedication to celebrating talent at Second Life. It is known how demanding, rewarding and difficult it is to manage a video prize platform in Second Life. So they are and will always be the real MVPs.

Malus and Sere no longer believe in Second Life, but they will be an eternal inspiration. Be, with its long angles, quick cuts, stroboscopes and overlaps that make your videos look like a VHS tape in the best way. And Malus, with his resistance, raw talent, boldness and visual depth that still leaves his mouth open to this day.

It is surrounded by so many talented videographers, and inspiration is drawn from them all. Brothers in the Beta Brotherhood Omega Iota inspired many of their videos. His knit instructor, Agusta, inspires to create and film his creations. His sons and mothers, Jaliyah and Jihyun, inspire him to set aside time for himself, to rest. They understand when you dive deep into the creative bubble and you silence yourself there. The list of people who inspire is hundreds at this point. So it's just said that if you ever liked, shared or commented on one of your videos, then that person inspired you. Thank you for sharing your art with this world. Truly.

Be grateful, Sergio, for bringing your imagination and energy to Second Life, and for inspiring others to create, learn and simply start.

Each of our Spotlight interviews offers a unique glimpse of the diverse vibrant experiences and personalities that shape our virtual world. Explore more stories and get inspired by visiting our Full collection of Spotlight posts.

Official source: Read the original publication in Second Life (Official).