Raindance.tv regulars and others in the independent filmmaking community will be aware that this year's festival has a left-field event in the form of a competition to make a 90-second short using the free 3D animation software, Muvizu.

The deadline for entries was to have been August 31. However, feedback from entrants and would-be entrants - especially those coming to the competition from the film community rather than machinima/computer gaming circles - showed a consistent "if only" theme. If only I weren't limited to static cameras, my entry would have been so much better. If only I'd been given the equipment for a tracking shot. And so on.

It's not without irony, then, that moving cameras are to be introduced in the next release of Muvizu 3D animation software which is scheduled for, you guessed it, August 31. Given this new release, Raindance and Muvizu have decided to extend the competition deadline to October 10, 2010.

Clearly, if we were not to have extended the deadline, we would all have squandered an opportunity to see what people with a proven talent for storytelling and directing can do with some novel and intriguing software.

We would point out to all of you who have already submitted your entries, frustrated by having to invent ingenious directorial tricks to overcome the limitations of fixed cameras, that entrants may submit as many clips as they wish.

Furthermore, if you update your software via the Muvizu site on August 31, you may load your .set files from your original work into the latest version. This will allow you to rework your shots with moving cameras, the original character performances having been preserved. Render the film out again and submit as a new entry.

Happy, and more flexible, animating to you all.