Freeman's Mind

Freeman's Mind is a machinima series created by Ross Scott using the Source remake of the 1998 video game Half-Life.[2] It follows the protagonist of the game, Gordon Freeman, also voiced by Scott, who acts as a combination of narrator and running commentary, often criticizing and satirizing the game world's conventions in a style similar to that in Mystery Science Theater 3000.[3] The series ran from 2007 to 2014 and consists of 71 episodes[4] (including episode 0 and two bonus episodes). A sequel series, titled Freeman's Mind 2, debuted in 2017,[1] and is ongoing.

Freeman's Mind
GenreComedy[1]
Created byRoss Scott
Based onHalf-Life: Source
by Valve
Original language(s)English
No. of episodes71
Production
Running time8 minutes average per episode
Release
Original releaseDecember 4, 2007 (2007-12-04) –
December 31, 2014 (2014-12-31)
Chronology
Followed byFreeman's Mind 2
External links
Website
YouTube

Character differences

While the character profile behind the character Gordon Freeman remains mostly the same, he takes on a vastly different personality from the "blank slate" silent protagonist of the original plot. In Freeman's Mind, Gordon is portrayed as an extremely neurotic, selfish, egocentric individual with a history of drug abuse and racketeering, among other juvenile offenses. Gordon's thoughts often consist of his superiority to his colleagues, critiques of the Black Mesa complex, and a fascination with guns.

It is often suggested that, even though the events of Half-Life take place in an unspecified time in the future, the series is set in the present day. This is evident in Gordon's observations of the obesity rate and defense budget of the United States, describing both in relative detail as he adventures through the complex.

Most of the characters in the series are the same as in the game—vaguely helpful but more often than not telling Gordon what they need him to do. Since Gordon is still perceived as a silent protagonist by the game's non-player characters, virtually every one of them that he interacts with do not react to his inner dialogue. He has a tendency to berate the NPCs for perceived offenses against him, as well as verbally assaulting the intelligence of the soldiers and aliens he meets along the way.

Ross Scott describes Gordon's personality as having "shifting paranoia, egomania, mild schizophrenia, over-aggressiveness, petty motivations, and immaturity in general", and that "the only hint I thought they gave to his personality was how proficient he immediately was in weaponry for being a physicist."[2]

From the start, Gordon is shown to have a questionable moral compass that impacts his responses to his environment. For example, in the first episode after a security guard mentions that he is running late, Gordon comments: "If I'm fired I could probably jack some office supplies or computer equipment on the way out." Later on in the series, Gordon attempts to rationalize his increasing body count of HECU marines, but eventually drops the pursuit, because "no one's going to believe a few dozen counts of self-defense with a submachine gun."

Filming techniques

Structurally, Freeman's Mind is filmed from the first person perspective of Gordon Freeman. All of the visuals and most of the animations come from the original game, however, many scenes of the series are manipulated through the use of cheats or modifications to the game's engine.

Often in the series, Gordon avoids places where the player is usually forced to go. For example, Gordon performs pull-ups throughout the series to navigate to otherwise inaccessible areas. A typical way to film this is through the use of the noclip mode.[2]

References
  1. Livingston, Christopher (April 2, 2017). "YouTube comedy series Freeman's Mind arrives in Half-Life 2". PC Gamer. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
  2. Francis, Tom (August 6, 2010). "Community heroes: Ross Scott for Freeman's Mind". PC Gamer. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
  3. Jeffries, L. B. (July 15, 2008). "Redefining the Game: A Look at Machinima". PopMatters. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
  4. "Freeman's Mind". Accursed Farms. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
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