MOVIE COMPETITION RULES and DEADLINES NOW CLOSED!!

[White Owl]

I was driving home from work tonight, and inspiration struck my brain from out of nowhere. I know what I want to do for this. Even though I haven't tried anything like it before...

[bw_wolverine]

I intend to enter a film. God, I hope I can find the time to get this thing done on time. Even 90 days seems like it might be tight with my schedule

[DoolittleRaider]

As there may be a number of Community members who would like to enter the Movie Competition but are new to Movie-making, and might not be sure where to begin, we think it might be valuable to present Food-for-Thought with regard to Flight Sim Movies…perhaps to stimulate ideas for a competitive ‘Cliffs of Dover’ movie.

Note that in no way is this competition limited to only Experienced Flight Sim movie-makers. In fact, with exception of 3 or 4, most of the IL-2 Movie-makers of the ‘glory days’ of IL-2 movie-making (2004-2009) have retired from the Flightsim movie-making hobby…or advanced to more professional real-world realms of movie-making.

As has been noted elsewhere, GamePlay videos play a number of very useful roles…to open discussions of on-line experiences and tactics; to offer Training in aircraft controls and instruments; to provide flying lessons in aerial maneuvers and gunnery lessons; to demonstrate positive features or negative bugs of the COD game, to promote Sales of the Game, or simply display on-line kills/achievements, etc. In the main, the sequence of events in the majority of GamePlay videos consists of take-off (sometimes preceded by engine start steps); flying to a point in time and space, sometimes just for sightseeing, more often to encounter enemy targets which are then engaged (either airborne or ground targets, with guns or rockets or bombs); a resolution of the combat engagement occurs which may or may not result in the ‘loss’ of the POV pilot, or a safe return towards home base…often all the way through landing and engine shutdown. Very often, a gameplay video will begin “airborne’ and consist solely of constant, or nearly constant, air-to-air combat action.

Putting Gameplay videos aside for the moment, however, it should be noted that this current Competition is for "Movies", and the very best FlightSim Movies offer the opportunity to present a much greater variety of “events’, specifically orchestrated by a “Story” or “Screenplay” which usually conveys an emotional connection of one sort or another with the “humans” at the aircraft controls. The typical Story or Screenplay (of a Hollywood movie or Broadway/West End stage play) most often follows a general structure in which there is a Beginning (setup), Middle (crisis) and End (resolution), sometimes referred to as the 3-Act structure. The structure is sometimes more refined, such as: Introduction, Rising Action, Climax, Falling Action, and Resolution.

This structure can be applied to even the shortest movie, and most would agree that, with rare exception, simply must be followed with long movies (referring to Hollywood movies, Stage Plays, and novels, etc). Note that the outstanding IL-2 (and Rise of Flight Movies) have been as short as 2 minutes, and as long as One Full hour…but at both extremes the best movies have employed some version of the 3-Act structure.

The simpler way of putting the preceding is that a movie-maker must plan ahead before ‘shooting’ his first raw ‘footage’, plan and think beyond Action-Action-Action. Think about the "story", about the “message” and/or the “emotion” to be conveyed. When we say "emotion", guys, we aren't talking "Chick Flic". You've got Happiness, true, but also achievement, pride, sorrow, respect, fear, patriotism, sacrifice, camaraderie, bravery,cowardice, evil, heroism, etc.

It has been proven in Flight Sim movies that it is possible to convey emotion, to engage the audience, without on-screen human actors. I refer you to “Requiem”, "I Promise", and "Not my Time to Die". If, at the end of your movie, the viewer is left Thoughtful, Wondering, Smiling, Laughing, Enlightened/Educated, or even with a Manly Tear in his eye, you've produced a "Movie". I will note that, lacking human actors on screen, voice-over Narration and/or Dialogue can be a very effective technique to convey emotion, and contribute to immersion, in Flight Sim movies.

The very first step, of course, is to establish what “Type” of movie is desired. Below are listed several types of flight sim movies which have been made using the IL-2 series, and to a much lesser degree Rise of Flight, and one or two from other Flight Sims. All of the movies below can be viewed at the Flight Sim Movies Website . They may give newcomers an idea of what is possible, and what appeals to their individual personalities and interests as movie-makers.

For convenience, I have provided direct links to each movie’s Showcase page at FSM.

Flight Sim Movie types

Memoirs:
I Flew for the Fuhrer
Not my Time to Die
Checkertails, Star of Altoona

Docudrama:
Brothers in Arms
Desert Dogfighter
Faith, Hope, and Charity

Comedy:
Bob Storm of War
Nachthexen
Bill et John, Episode 2
The Messenger

Documentaries and Tributes:
Sabres of the 51st FIW
Death of Mannock
Taranto
Mitchell
Against the Odds
Operation Ten-Go
Battle of Britain:The KanalKampf

Dramatic Fiction and/or Science Fiction:
I Promise
Pictures of War
Pictures of War 2
In the Sky

Thematic, Poetic, Inspirational… Music videos:
“Requiem” The Classic IL2 Movie, which has stood the test of time for a full decade
Come with Me
An Irish Airman Foresees His Death
Hearts and Minds

Recreations of Hollywood Movies:
Battle of Britain 2.0 (Recreates opening scene of 1969 BofB Movie)

Unique and Infinitely Creative:
To Do and Die

[DoolittleRaider]

ATTENTION: If you plan to enter a Movie into the Competition, even if you are not finally decided to do so, please send a Private Message to me, DoolittleRaider. This will help me plan for administering the competition in the coming months when the Movie entries submitted. I will also be able to directly alert and update specific competitors as Competition developments/modifications may occur.

[DoolittleRaider]

Another bit of Food-for-Thought for new Movie-makers:

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, or a camera plane.

[DoolittleRaider]

Announcement:

Please note that although I am continuing to serve as Competition Administrator, I have removed myself from the Judging Panel so that I can now be free to provide advice or critiques on movie “works-in-progress” if requested, and I can serve as an independent helper/mentor for anyone wanting to make a movie for the competition but who may be completely new at movie-making and not know quite where to start. If interested, just contact me via PM.
DoolittleRaider

In that vein, below I have provided some ideas for Movies, categorized in accordance with my earlier post on Movie ‘types’. I hope these suggestions might generate some ideas of your own as you contemplate whether you are going to enter the competition. If anyone wants to use any of the specific ideas below, please feel free to do so.




Memoirs:
(Not full life/careers…just Battle of France, Battle of Britain phase).
1. Douglas Bader , famous RAF Ace:
http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/2101.htm Historically accurate paint schemes for Bader’s Spitfires are well documented…http://www.markstyling.com/spitfiresv/spit.V.01.jpg

2. Adolph Galland and his Famous Mickey Mouse Bf109 http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...nd_Gerippe.jpg



Drama:
1. A possible Plot synopsis of just one idea: We see an RAF trainee in Moth, then Gladiator, advancing to Hurricane, then Spit. Interleaved in alternating scenes we see a Luftwaffe trainee in a Storch, Bf108, then Bf109E. The two finally meet in Dogfight combat…Who wins? Does either one win? Do they even survive their first combat engagement???

Comedy:
I’m thinking that a Gypsy Moth pilot finding himself in the midst of a formation of Luftwaffe Bombers, or a fur-ball Dogfight of scores of high performance combat fighters, might have some comical experiences and the dialogue/radio chatter by Brits and Germans and the poor Moth pilot could be hilarious.


Documentaries:
1.Recreate Flt Lt James Nicolson’s action of 16 August, for which he was awarded the Victoria Cross in BofB, the only RAF fighter pilot to receive the VC in the Battle of Britain. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eric_Ja...ndley_Nicolson

2. Recreate Sailor Malan versus Werner Molders dogfight of 28 July 1940 (probably just a myth, but an interesting one); there are many photos of each famous Ace available…maybe film footage as well. Also, historically accurate paint schemes are well documented; Malan’s ZP+A Spit is in COD, and a skinner could do Molders Bf109, seen here: http://img.wp.scn.ru/camms/ar/32/pics/2_58.jpg
http://www.battleofbritain1940.net/0022.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Werner_M%C3%B6lders

3.Battle of Barking Creek: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Barking_Creek http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Barking_Creek


4.Spits versus Stukas over Calais… See the Stuka Pilot interview entitled “Targets in France” on this webpage:
http://www.heinzmigeod.com/campaign-in-france-1940.php

5. RAF Spit pilot Al Deere shoots down first Bf109 of the war, over Dunkirk. The COD mission of this event is already available here:http://bobgamehub.blogspot.com/p/cli...-missions.html

6. RAF Ace Johhny Allen fights Galland, 24 July ’40. Mission and accurate skins are also already available at the Bobgamehub site.

7. RAF “Eagle Squadron” stories …Just be forewarned that if the movie makes it appear that Ben Affleck and his American buddies won the BofB, you will get a LOT of flak.



Science Fiction:
1. Think about the movie “The Final Countdown”; Time Travel; mix of COD visuals with FSX jets, DCS A10, etc


Thematic, Poetic, Inspirational… Music videos:
1, Vera Lynn Soundtrack “White Cliffs of Dover” What else…Doh!!!!

2. Vera Lynn Soundtrack “We’ll Meet Again” for RAF perspective.

3. From Luftwaffe perspective, perhaps, “Lili Marlene” Soundtrack:


Recreations of Movie Scenes:
1. “Battle of Britain” (1969 movie)…for example, scene with undisciplined Polish flyers breaking formation
2. “Dark Blue World” (2001 movie)… Czech flyers this time…Confusion of Czech/Polish vs English radio chatter as seen in both movies
3. Action in France as seen in “Piece of Cake” (a terrific 1988 British TV series, available in 3-DVD set…or bitTorrent)….Lots of action/scenes; for example, look for the “bridge” scene.

[Exclusive]

Great initiative! I've posted my video in the right topic, so watch that out !

[Euridamante]

I will try to participate for the first time.
Good job to all

[DoolittleRaider]

Originally Posted by Euridamante

I will try to participate for the first time.
Good job to all

Welcome aboard! Good luck!

[Honeybee]

Hello, since this is my first post I would to tell everyone that I am grateful to be here, anyway I'll try to submit one before the deadline that is if I am not too late to watch captain america online