Lord_Kakashi
The Wabbits are attacking
- Reaction score
- 27
Okay since i started the cinematics contest i thought i might make a small guide on cinematics creation.
Please note that this is not a "strict" guide which is 100% accurate on every plot, and you might not need to add some factors of it in your map.
okay so i've devided it into these parts.
A. Plot/Story making
B. Storyline
C. Cameras
D. Fade filters.
E. Enviromental effects and sounds
A. Plot/Story Making
Firstly before even starting to make your movie in the world editor, you must have an idea of your plot. In this section i will try to cover some of the essential factors in a good plot
http://img86.imageshack.us/my.php?image=billede27li.jpg
Graphical view of the following.
1. Plot / Story
Okay this kind of explains itself, you should have an idea of what you want the story to revolve around, it could be love, a war, or even a item. A ring like in lotr as an example.
Basically just get a good idea of what your movie should contain.
2. Main characters
Now its time to plan out your main character/s. You should already from the previous step know a little about what you want this person to face or accomplish, However to add more depth to your story, you should take the time to plan out atleast some of your main characters main attributes.
E.g.
Looks, Gender, Race
Weaknesses,
Personalities,
Dislikes, Likes,
Strengths,
As an example i might want a cool strong main character named "Jake." He would be strong. However stupid giving him a weakness as well as a strength.
Now that i know how i would like this attributes i should think of how he should look and what race he should be. Since hes strong he has to be big, and since hes stupid i might make him an orc.
So now i have a Strong stupid orc in my lead role, this could lead to some amusing scenes if he were to dislike spiders or even be afraid of them, he would go hide behind my second lead character who might be intelligent but weak
Just bear in mind that nobody likes to watch a movie where they already know the "good" guys will win because your lead character is perfect.
3. bi/Secondary characters
these are often people your lead characters meet during their epic quest for personal revenge or when they are off to slay the mighty dragon.
These persons are less important. However they always seem to help the lead character in some way.
As an example, your hero needs to find a village, however he doesnt know the way, then he saves some quick mouthed bard who is well known in the area, and they team up.
4. Enemy characters
These are often the counter-part of your hero or the opposite faction.
If your hero would want to achive world peace, these would want oblivion for some scinister reason.
This part can also include obsticals and or traps which your hero is exposed for during his/her adventure towards his/her ultimate goal.
5. Key items
These can commonly be used to create a twist in your plot where your hero has to change course or direction to reach his ultimate goal. Kindda like a change in a quest in a rpg. You suddenly need a key to pass a great gate or something like that.
An example of a twist would be if your hero finds a key item, however gets corrupted by it, and your secondary character whom was following your hero now has to save/help the hero.
6. Problem
This is the problem which your hero has been faced. Sometimes key items is required for the hero to overcome this problem.
There are commonly more then 1 problem. However always keep in mind what is your hero's main goal because this is the most important problem since it's most likely what started their epic adventure / quest
7. Solution
This is where all the pieces comes togheter and your story takes an end by your hero accomplising the main problem.
An open ending?
Sometimes in the end of a movie they do an "open ending"
this means that they leave the story unfinished leaving room for a follow-up
Example: Your hero killed the evil lord, however his sidekick got away and he begins to rebuild the evil organisation and wants revenge.
B. Storyline
http://img86.imageshack.us/my.php?image=beretter26pe.jpg
graphical view.
When you cooked together a nice plot you should also take the storyline into concideration.
There are quite a few types of storylines.
there is cronocal which follows a straight storyline in correct time. Meaning it comes in the right order. start------end
then there is flashback which is a look into the past or a persons memory which causes a jump in the story line. Flashback---start-----end
And then there are circular storylines where you basically end up where you started.
Example: I go get a glass of water, but i spill it so i end up with no water just like when i started, but some time has gone by
Here i would like to describe a basic storyline and its content.
1.introduction
Here you get a fast intro to the most important characters and the inviroment which they are placed.
2. Further intorduction
Here you get a little more introduction, you get some more view on the enviroment, you gain some knowledge about your main characters personalities and maybe you introduce a few secondary people.
3. Conflict increasement
This is where the situation thightens up, and the problem starts to accour and gets more and more intense untill someting happens and forces our main character "hero" to take action.
4. Point of No Return
This is where there is no turning back and you can only move foward.
Example: i decide to steal a candy bar, and get caught. Now there is no turning back and it leaves me only with the choices of running or turning in. thus moving forward.
5. Climax
The top of your excitment curve, this is usually the most important event in the movie (evil battles good in the final battle)
6. Fade out
This is what happenes after the main problem or event has accoured, this is normally a very short process.
A fade out could be a kiss when the hero had finally saved the princess in the tower guarded by the dragon.
C. Cameras
with cameras there are three major things to keep in mind.
1. Perspective
2.view
3.Cut rythme
1.Perspective
Frog perspective
You see something like a frog, from the ground and up. this can have a psygological effect of making someone seem big and mighty compared to the viewer
Normal perspective.
You see the perspective as you normally would
Bird perspective.
You see something from above making it look smaller and more insifnificant.
2 View
The view is important, you should always be able to see clearly what is going on in the picture, however there are diffrent kind of views you can use to view a scene
PoW: Point of view, How someone on the scene sees it
full view: You view the entire scene
Half view: You view half the scene, the most important part
1/4 view: try'n guess what this means
Close up: You see only one person giving a very detailed view on what they are doing
3. Cut rythme
This basically means changing cameras and how often you do so.
if the cut rythme is fast it creates an illusion of action and speed, however if its slow it speeds things down making it seem more calm.
D. Fade Filters
I think people underestimate fadefilters in the W/e they are very usefull when changing scenes.
Also fadefilters are usefull for when jumping in the storyline. As an example when doing a fade out before a flashback you could make it fade white and then fade in again and change to the dream scope.
A short white fade filter along with a thundering sound can also add action to a war scene or a thunder storm.
E. Enviromental Effects and Sounds.
The enviroment is very important for your movie, it should at some point reflect the current situation of the scene. You can't very well make a spooky scene when a little unicorn with a happy smile is prancing around you in circles.
Sounds are also very important. Ever seen a thriller without sound? it gets boring.. Sound can have a major psygological effect on the viewer.
There are two types of sounds.
Synconised and non syncronised
The syncronised sounds are the sounds of which source can be located in the image, The non syncronised sounds are those which cant be detected, such as background music, or bird singing, unless you are filming a bird lol
Sounds can also be used to add action / stress.
let's say you have a peacefull bird tune in the background, and then suddenly when something happens it changes to seagul (screams?) well anyway seaguls sound awful compared to your average bird. This sudden change in the sounds will also enforce the change in the mood of the scene
Also try experimenting with diffrent types of fog and lightning, it can greatly change the mood in a scene
Well thats all for now, hope you liked it ^^
~Lord_Kakashi
p.s.
Please leave a comment of what you think of this, and if my grammer is awful, its most likely because its 3am and english isn't my mother language.
Please note that this is not a "strict" guide which is 100% accurate on every plot, and you might not need to add some factors of it in your map.
okay so i've devided it into these parts.
A. Plot/Story making
B. Storyline
C. Cameras
D. Fade filters.
E. Enviromental effects and sounds
A. Plot/Story Making
Firstly before even starting to make your movie in the world editor, you must have an idea of your plot. In this section i will try to cover some of the essential factors in a good plot
http://img86.imageshack.us/my.php?image=billede27li.jpg
Graphical view of the following.
1. Plot / Story
Okay this kind of explains itself, you should have an idea of what you want the story to revolve around, it could be love, a war, or even a item. A ring like in lotr as an example.
Basically just get a good idea of what your movie should contain.
2. Main characters
Now its time to plan out your main character/s. You should already from the previous step know a little about what you want this person to face or accomplish, However to add more depth to your story, you should take the time to plan out atleast some of your main characters main attributes.
E.g.
Looks, Gender, Race
Weaknesses,
Personalities,
Dislikes, Likes,
Strengths,
As an example i might want a cool strong main character named "Jake." He would be strong. However stupid giving him a weakness as well as a strength.
Now that i know how i would like this attributes i should think of how he should look and what race he should be. Since hes strong he has to be big, and since hes stupid i might make him an orc.
So now i have a Strong stupid orc in my lead role, this could lead to some amusing scenes if he were to dislike spiders or even be afraid of them, he would go hide behind my second lead character who might be intelligent but weak
Just bear in mind that nobody likes to watch a movie where they already know the "good" guys will win because your lead character is perfect.
3. bi/Secondary characters
these are often people your lead characters meet during their epic quest for personal revenge or when they are off to slay the mighty dragon.
These persons are less important. However they always seem to help the lead character in some way.
As an example, your hero needs to find a village, however he doesnt know the way, then he saves some quick mouthed bard who is well known in the area, and they team up.
4. Enemy characters
These are often the counter-part of your hero or the opposite faction.
If your hero would want to achive world peace, these would want oblivion for some scinister reason.
This part can also include obsticals and or traps which your hero is exposed for during his/her adventure towards his/her ultimate goal.
5. Key items
These can commonly be used to create a twist in your plot where your hero has to change course or direction to reach his ultimate goal. Kindda like a change in a quest in a rpg. You suddenly need a key to pass a great gate or something like that.
An example of a twist would be if your hero finds a key item, however gets corrupted by it, and your secondary character whom was following your hero now has to save/help the hero.
6. Problem
This is the problem which your hero has been faced. Sometimes key items is required for the hero to overcome this problem.
There are commonly more then 1 problem. However always keep in mind what is your hero's main goal because this is the most important problem since it's most likely what started their epic adventure / quest
7. Solution
This is where all the pieces comes togheter and your story takes an end by your hero accomplising the main problem.
An open ending?
Sometimes in the end of a movie they do an "open ending"
this means that they leave the story unfinished leaving room for a follow-up
Example: Your hero killed the evil lord, however his sidekick got away and he begins to rebuild the evil organisation and wants revenge.
B. Storyline
http://img86.imageshack.us/my.php?image=beretter26pe.jpg
graphical view.
When you cooked together a nice plot you should also take the storyline into concideration.
There are quite a few types of storylines.
there is cronocal which follows a straight storyline in correct time. Meaning it comes in the right order. start------end
then there is flashback which is a look into the past or a persons memory which causes a jump in the story line. Flashback---start-----end
And then there are circular storylines where you basically end up where you started.
Example: I go get a glass of water, but i spill it so i end up with no water just like when i started, but some time has gone by
Here i would like to describe a basic storyline and its content.
1.introduction
Here you get a fast intro to the most important characters and the inviroment which they are placed.
2. Further intorduction
Here you get a little more introduction, you get some more view on the enviroment, you gain some knowledge about your main characters personalities and maybe you introduce a few secondary people.
3. Conflict increasement
This is where the situation thightens up, and the problem starts to accour and gets more and more intense untill someting happens and forces our main character "hero" to take action.
4. Point of No Return
This is where there is no turning back and you can only move foward.
Example: i decide to steal a candy bar, and get caught. Now there is no turning back and it leaves me only with the choices of running or turning in. thus moving forward.
5. Climax
The top of your excitment curve, this is usually the most important event in the movie (evil battles good in the final battle)
6. Fade out
This is what happenes after the main problem or event has accoured, this is normally a very short process.
A fade out could be a kiss when the hero had finally saved the princess in the tower guarded by the dragon.
C. Cameras
with cameras there are three major things to keep in mind.
1. Perspective
2.view
3.Cut rythme
1.Perspective
Frog perspective
You see something like a frog, from the ground and up. this can have a psygological effect of making someone seem big and mighty compared to the viewer
Normal perspective.
You see the perspective as you normally would
Bird perspective.
You see something from above making it look smaller and more insifnificant.
2 View
The view is important, you should always be able to see clearly what is going on in the picture, however there are diffrent kind of views you can use to view a scene
PoW: Point of view, How someone on the scene sees it
full view: You view the entire scene
Half view: You view half the scene, the most important part
1/4 view: try'n guess what this means
Close up: You see only one person giving a very detailed view on what they are doing
3. Cut rythme
This basically means changing cameras and how often you do so.
if the cut rythme is fast it creates an illusion of action and speed, however if its slow it speeds things down making it seem more calm.
D. Fade Filters
I think people underestimate fadefilters in the W/e they are very usefull when changing scenes.
Also fadefilters are usefull for when jumping in the storyline. As an example when doing a fade out before a flashback you could make it fade white and then fade in again and change to the dream scope.
A short white fade filter along with a thundering sound can also add action to a war scene or a thunder storm.
E. Enviromental Effects and Sounds.
The enviroment is very important for your movie, it should at some point reflect the current situation of the scene. You can't very well make a spooky scene when a little unicorn with a happy smile is prancing around you in circles.
Sounds are also very important. Ever seen a thriller without sound? it gets boring.. Sound can have a major psygological effect on the viewer.
There are two types of sounds.
Synconised and non syncronised
The syncronised sounds are the sounds of which source can be located in the image, The non syncronised sounds are those which cant be detected, such as background music, or bird singing, unless you are filming a bird lol
Sounds can also be used to add action / stress.
let's say you have a peacefull bird tune in the background, and then suddenly when something happens it changes to seagul (screams?) well anyway seaguls sound awful compared to your average bird. This sudden change in the sounds will also enforce the change in the mood of the scene
Also try experimenting with diffrent types of fog and lightning, it can greatly change the mood in a scene
Well thats all for now, hope you liked it ^^
~Lord_Kakashi
p.s.
Please leave a comment of what you think of this, and if my grammer is awful, its most likely because its 3am and english isn't my mother language.
