Catching up

To follow up on last semester, my research on macaronic verse and different depictions of Nausicaa ended up evolving into a machinima project that adapts classic literature into short films using video-capture software and MMORPGs (massively-multiplayer-online-role-playing-games). I think I realized that what interested me about the first two topics was how old stuff is used in new ways, and how using old stuff in new ways is subversive to ideas of canon, and how much I really love doing something that tweaks people who can't stand having the canon messed with. So far, it's just the one short film--The Best of All Possible Worlds from Bernstein's version of Voltaire's Candide, using video from World of Warcraft. I'm just learning about copyright protection, and I think I need to write for permission from CBS recordings to be able to post the video on-line. With what I've done so far, for academic purposes and using a CD I had purchased, there's no problem; however, I need to double-check on the recording I used before I make the film even somewhat public. I also am bothered by those two little glitches in the middle and need to find out what is causing them.
In any case, I've submitted my proposal for a master's project that will allow me to create a half-dozen more of these little films. I'm thinking about using excerpts from typical required reading lists for junior and senior high schools--maybe something from Poe or Hawthorne, a poem by Blake or a sonnet by Shakespeare. Some works that are hard for a teenager to relate to. My Mr. Darcy's already aspiring to use his druid's raven form to recreate Poe's Raven; I have my doubts since an animated Simpsons' version already exists.
Here's a link to one of my favorite machinima films, mostly because of the original madrigal music, but also because there are some interesting video effects. Just imagine using some of these talents using great texts.