Machinima is the art of using virtual worlds or games to make films. Second Life has proven a popular venue for the creation of machinima for a number of reasons including the ability of users to create custom content, the facility to reuse items made by other users, and the capacity to readily alter avatars and landscapes. Though this medium is used by budding film makers to create fictional pieces and simulated documentaries, educators and researchers have also been quick to spot the potential of this form. This paper reports on a project undertaken by the Australian Digital Futures Institute and the Australian Centre for Sustainable Catchments, both at the University of Southern Queensland, to use machinima to inform sugarcane farmers’ decisions around sustainable farming practices. Managing risk associated with climatic variability is a significant challenge for farmers. This project specifically explores the use of machinima to stimulate discussion amongst farmers around how to incorporate an understanding of climate risk into their decision-making. More broadly, it considers the potential of innovative, web-based, discussion support systems to contribute to improved decision-making by land managers, regional communities, policy-makers and civil society, leading to sustainable and resilient regional areas.

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Helen Farley & Kate Reardon-Smith
Digital Futures-CRN
University of Southern Queensland
Sweet Success:
making machinima for
sugarcane farmers

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Digital Futures-CRN
• Collaborative Research Network (CRN)
- CRN partners: USQ, ANU & UniSA
- Federally-funded: $5.1 M over 3 years (2012-2015)
- 5 projects (post doctoral research fellows, PhD scholarships)
• DF-CRN sub-themes:
- social and policy challenges in a digital future;
- participation in higher education; and
- technology rich learning environments.

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DF-CRN Project 3
Investigating the impact of a web-based, ‘discussion-support’,
agricultural-climate information system on Australian farmers’
operational decision making
• Project objectives
- to enhance farm management decision-making around
climate risk
- to support sustainable (resilient) agricultural systems and
rural communities
• Project partners
- Australian Centre for Sustainable Catchments (ACSC)
- Australian Digital Futures Institute (ADFI)
- ANU, UniSA & CANEGROWERS

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Climate risk management

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Machinima
• Machinima … using virtual worlds to make films
Source: davisthomas.com.auSource: wired.com

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Second Life
• A virtual world
• User-created content & virtual
marketplace
Phil the Phoenix
Source: USQ in SL (LindyMac, 2010)
• Avatars can be customised &
manipulated
• Screen capture software – e.g.
FRAPS
• Recorded soundtracks

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Virtual worlds & education
• Second Life as a teaching and learning medium
Source: SMH 2009
Source: USQ in SL (LindyMac, 2010)

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Source: stephanierguzman.com

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ACSC APN project - India
• Funded by the Asia-Pacific Network (APN)
• real-life climate-based scenarios depicted through 2nd Life
avatars challenging participant farmers about on-farm
decisions that involve seasonal climate risk.
• Aim: to stimulate discussions at farmer-oriented internet
kiosks in agricultural regions in India and on line with farmers
and support staff.
• 2nd Life/eLearning distance education methods trailed with
farmers and farm advisers in Andhra Pradesh, India

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• English scenario video
• Hindi scenario video
• Telugu scenario video

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APN project - India
• Well-accepted
• any synthetic video discussion-support tool must be
customised appropriately if this approach is to gain
widespread uptake.
• BUT ... issues with aspects not necessarily related to
core climate and crop science:
– farmers' dress
– informal interactions within a discussion
environment

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Sweet success –
developing machinima for Australian sugar farmers
• Set: ... a typical Australian sugarcane farm ... coastal
mountains, Queenslander, shed, machinery, dog

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Sweet success –
developing machinima for Australian sugar farmers
Avatars ... sugarcane farmers

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Sweet success –
developing machinima for Australian sugar farmers
• Script: ... typical conversation designed to stimulate
discussion about using climate information to make farm
management decisions.
• Machinima: Top Dingo
• Link: Sweet Success

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Sweet Success - evaluation
• Potential to provide a relevant engaging technology rich
learning environment?
• Readily adapted for different farming systems and locations
by using culturally appropriate clothing, language and
settings?
• Able to be disseminated widely and cost-effectively?
• Effectiveness as a capacity building tool?
• Contribution to sustainable land management?

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Acknowledgements
• Team members:
PhD candidate: Neil Cliffe (ACSC, USQ)
Research Fellow: Kate Reardon-Smith (ACSC, USQ)
ACSC (USQ) researchers: Roger Stone, Shahbaz Mushtaq, Torben
Marcussen, Tek Maraseni
ADFI (USQ) researchers: Helen Farley, Joanne Doyle, Neil Martin
DF-CRN collaborators: Janette Lindesay (ANU), Adam Loch (UniSA)
Industry collaborator: Matt Kealley (CANEGROWERS)
• Noel Jacobson & Amanda Hassett, Top Dingo ...
www.topdingo.com/
This project is funded through the Australian Government’s
Collaborative Research Networks program