Tutorials and questions on making Basic Videos and Movies

[DoolittleRaider]

I have established this Sticky thread as a place for experienced COD movie-makers to hopefully contribute some posts explaining techniques on making basic COD videos, the in-game options and features to consider, recording tips, replay techniques, capture software (such as Fraps), basic editing software (such as Virtual Dub or Windows Movie Maker), etc.

Community members interested in making their first videos will be able to come to this Sticky thread to get a kick-start....and ask questions.

[White Owl]

MSI Afterburner Beta is superior to Fraps in almost every way, IMO. This program is free, easy to set up, easy to use, light on system resources, and most importantly of all... it's free.

Note that the program is still in development and newer versions are released regularly, so I don't expect that download link to be good for more than a few weeks. I always have to search for the latest version when the old one expires.

I know both Freycinet and myself use MSI Afterburner.

[E.V.E]

HI all,

i hope i write in the right thread and sorry for my bad english.
I have any problems in the playback on server with setting no Externview(Ausenansicht) In IL2 1946 i can change in the playback on externview when the setting no externview is off.Why is this not so in Cliffs of Dover. I can't make movies from Servers with big Formation on Full Realismuss and no Externviews.Can that change by a Patch for this game and change it to the same recording setting as IL2 1946.

LG E.V.E

PS: Here in German

Hallo alle zusammen,
ich hoffe ich Schreibe hier in den richtigen thread und Sorry für mein schlechtes English.Ich habe einpaar Probleme bei der aufnahme auf Servern bei denen die Ausenansicht ausgeschaltet ist (FullRealism) früher in Il2 1946 konnte ich bei der Aufnahme in die Ausenansicht wechseln auch wenn diese Serverseitig ausgeschaltet waren dies Bezieht sich nur auf die ntrk wiedergaben. Im neuen Spiel Cliffs of Dover geht dies überhaupt nicht was ich sehr schade finde da ich dann keine Videos mehr machen kann mit Großen Formationen usw. auf Servern auf denen ich gerne Fliege. Daher meine Frage kann man dies nicht umstellen das die aufnahmen so sind wie beim alten IL2 1946 das ich bei der Aufnahme wieder in die Außenansicht komme auch wenn diese Serverseitig ausgeschlatet waren und nur wenn ich direkt Spiele halt nicht auf die Ausenansicht komme.
Ich würde mich darüber freuen wenn man dies umsetzen könnte. Ich glaube auch andere Würden sich darüber freuen und die die einen Film machen möchten auf Ihrem Server müssten dann nicht immer die einstellung Außenansicht ein/Aus ganze zeit ändern.

LG E.V.E

Hier noch ein Link zu meinem Kanal.Die Cliffs of Dover aufnahmen konnte ich nur mit Außenansicht ein drehen und das halt Offline (leider da alle Server Mit Vollemrealismus die Ausenansichten aus haben) http://www.youtube.com/user/29Saibot

[Blackdog_kt]

Currently it is as you say: the track playback uses the difficulty settings that were in effect when the track was captured.

What this means is that if you fly with externals disabled (like it happens on most servers), you will not be able to use externals in the track either.

This has been brought up quite early on, so i would guess it is a known issue to the developers.

I don't know if we are expecting a fix that will improve the track player, but i don't expect it to come until the critical bugs (stability and performance) have been corrected first. That's just my personal opinion though, i don't have any inside information about this.

[bw_wolverine]

I have a question regarding how to make panning shots in CloD. What's the best way to do this? I know we can use the F3 fly by to do a pan track of the active aircraft, or even use a padlock to track another object, but what if you're making an independant pan shot? What's the best (smoothest, easiest to setup) way you've found to do it?

I have Track IR and I think the best way I can do it is to tweak the sensitivity settings and range of movement settings until my 'camera' is forced along a certain path and then all I need to worry about is the smooth and continuous movement.

Just curious if people have other techniques.

[DoolittleRaider]

An observation:
95% of new flight sim movie-makers are unaware of a very basic Movie-making/Editing rule (Hollywood movies and Flight Sim movies): As the person doing the flying/filming the "Director/Movie=Maker" always knows what he is viewing, the spatial relationships, etc...but new movie-makers tend to forget that the audience doesn't have that advantage/knowledge.

One way of addressing that phenomena is known as "Directional Continuity" See this: http://www.howtomakeamovie.org/howtomakeamovie11.php#5

Another Term for it is "Crossing the Axis..Avoid it!" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/180_degree_rule

The use of cut-ins and establishing shots helps a lot. Of course,in the three dimensional world of aerial combat, especially furball dogfights, the handling of directional continuity, or the Axis, is especially difficult.

One other unrelated BASIC for flight sim movie making....NEVER manually pan! Use TIR or the various Padlocking cameras/views.

[bw_wolverine]

Anyone have some helpful tips and info to offer regarding all the various in game view options?

Like this: Can I get the padlock to work if I'm using a static camera or do I have to be in the cockpit view to use the padlock? I can't seem to get a padlock working from a static camera and I would like to.

What's the use for all the external padlocks? Do these work from static cameras? I've tested but a lot of these options don't seem to work unless you have a specific starting condition that I don't know about.

Thanks

[Cataplasma]

Originally Posted by DoolittleRaider

One way of addressing that phenomena is known as "Directional Continuity" See this: http://www.howtomakeamovie.org/howtomakeamovie11.php#5

Another Term for it is "Crossing the Axis..Avoid it!" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/180_degree_rule

A modern alternative to that basic rules for the description of a single object or status is the Matrix 360° camera pan technique

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_KtghA0rkDY

Now I would like to ask, maybe to a developer: is there a non-conventional way to remove the plane from the F3 flyby external view? Because I would like to add a different airplane model with a camera tracking.
I think that is possible because I remember a COD bug that removed the plane from external views, but I can't find that old version or recreate the problem...

[DoolittleRaider]

Here are some additional suggestions and considerations with regard to basic movie-making which might be of interest/use to new movie-makers. These are mostly well-accepted guidelines employed in professional big-screen cinema/movie productions, many of which were specifically adapted to Flight Sim movies during the first decade of amateur IL-2 movie-making.

Of course, when it comes to individual Director’s creativity in making movies, there are no Mandatory RULES, per se…and there are certainly none for the 2012 COD/IL-2 Series Movie Competition. Just go for it!

Cinematography:
Do not stay with the "Trail camera-view" for extended periods, which has your foreground aircraft always locked/fixed in the middle of the screen. That is the way a Flight Sim Game is viewed/played 90% of the time, Inside-Cockpit-POV locked to Center of screen with occasional switches to external centered trail view; but that continuous “Center-View” actually creates an artificial game-like appearance in a “Movie”. Use a mix of various cameras/views. Also, it is possible to crop and move your frame in post-processing so that even in Trail, your foreground aircraft will not always be in the dead-center. The "Rule of Thirds" is one that is nearly always worth considering. The same holds true for any other external view…try to avoid having the aircraft of interest always dead-center. Also, look into Camera shake options (which might require some specific post-processing software) or other off-center cropping techniques.

Never manually pan in a movie…that instantly destroys any immersion, causing the viewer to instantly think “Ahh…he’s moving his Mouse now”. Use TIR or varied padlock controls, or a free-flying camera plane, to get your panning effect.


Editing:
Pace: A Rule-of-Thumb is to change shots/cameras/views at a good brisk pace; usually suggested at an average 14 per minute for action scenes. That sounds like a LOT...but if you watch the best movies (IL-2, COD, or Hollywood big screen action movies) you'll realize that is what they do.

Shot Transitions…Hugely important! Here is a good Wiki discussion of Shot Transitions.

The “Cut” type transition is most common and very effective, and the “Straight cut” serves most purposes. In flight sim movies, with lots of dogfighting and other aerial chase type action, the “Parallel cut” is very frequently used. See the Wiki discussion of the Parallel Cut.

In addition to the Cut transition, there are other useful Transition options, such as fade-outs/fade-ins (Fade-to-Black is classic) and ‘dissolves’; Note that in movies with a linear Story line, transitions are often used to imply a passage of time. Repetitious, and especially back-to-back, use of the Fade-to-Black transitions is probably not a good idea for a Movie with a Story. Even artistic, non-linear Movies, should probably avoid sole use of only FADE transitions.

There are, of course, scores of extraordinarily Fancy shot transitions available within Windows Movie-Maker alone…Spirals, exploding flower petals, split screens, Diagonal wipes, Star bursts, Curtains rising and falling, etc etc etc. They have a place, a use, but should probably be avoided, or used very sparingly, in all but the most Thematic, artistic, poetic, Music-Video type movies.

In sum: Vary your types of shot transitions, but when in doubt, keeping it simple works best.

The F3 FLY-BY mode:
Specifically with regard to Flight Sim movies, it is recommended to avoid repetitious “Flyby mode” shots, and emphatically recommended to avoid back-to-back fly-bys of the aircraft of interest! Separate the fly-bys shots with other camera views. The fly-by mode is always very Cool looking, dynamic and full of action, yes…but a few go a long way…and the effect can be numbing after a bit if over-used.


General comments on Story-telling:
Voice-Over Narration is a very effective technique to tell a Story (which is VERY important in the Competition). In flightsim movies, radio chatter dialogue is also very effective. Be sure that the audience can identify who (which aircraft) is ‘speaking’…Without human actors/faces, that is easier said than done.

If Subtitles are used, they should be on screen long enough for viewers seeing them for the first time will have sufficient time to read and understand than you as the Director/Movie-maker would require. Try reading the subtitle three times, yourself, which will then be long enough in duration for the first-time reader in the audience. Try to keep the verbiage down...use shorter phrases, etc, so the viewer can take in the dialogue at a glance if possible, specifically during action scenes/sequences…The viewer should not be distracted by reading a multi-line sentence or paragraph. Of course, in setting the stage in the Intro for a movie, or a major ACT within, more expansive commentary can be used effectively…I refer you to the famous scrolling Text opening of the original Star Wars movie (Episode 4).

[DoolittleRaider]

Originally Posted by bw_wolverine

I have a question regarding how to make panning shots in CloD. What's the best way to do this? I know we can use the F3 fly by to do a pan track of the active aircraft, or even use a padlock to track another object, but what if you're making an independant pan shot? What's the best (smoothest, easiest to setup) way you've found to do it?
...Just curious if people have other techniques.

From a Flightsim movie-making expert: "In IL2, most have used mouseemu:
http://rhdesigns.browseto.org/mouseemulator.html

One trick (credit to MontyDan) is to lock onto a vehicle/aircraft that is so far away that you can't see it, or it is behind something else."

DR