Much of what I'm going to say about content creation for in-game cutscenes can be boiled down to a simple statement: if you're going to use in-game cutscenes, expect to create about as many custom sets, animations, and models as you would have to for an equivalent prerendered sequence.

Again, Machinima is simply another form of animation, and it demands as much skill and time as any other form. True, there are a number of shortcuts and useful tricks (which I'll talk about in a moment) to make it appear that you're using more in-game animation than you are, and it is often possible to reuse game content, but if you're expecting to be able to get away with game idle animations and unaltered character models, you're being very unrealistic if your goal is to something interesting to watch.

Models

Yes, in general it's entirely possible to use game models for your cutscenes, and indeed it's a good idea if you want to keep your players immersed in the game world while they're watching the cutscenes. However, if you're going to do this, your game models have to be designed from the start with not just gameplay but also cutscene use in mind.

Unlike most gameplay foci, the primary focus of the camera during a cutscene will be on the head and face of your characters, to better display emotions. Obviously that means that you'll have to assign space in your polygon budget for highly detailed character heads -- and don't forget about the upper torso, which also appears in most close/medium to close shots.

In general, most close shots will cut around the nipples on a character's chest. Thus, things such as overly thick necks, spiked shoulder joints, and unrealistic breast shapes and sizes (you know who you are...) will certainly be more noticeable, and care should be taken on your actor models to avoid such problems. Shoulders, thanks to the commonly used conversational over-the-shoulder shot, are particularly important. It's worth taking the time to make sure that they join properly and react well to arm movement.

Many models are designed using standard orthogonal views, and hence look great from the latter two angles but flat and uninteresting from a 45-degree angle. That's a major no-no: film language dictates that a good cameraman is most likely to shoot your models from three-quarter side shots, profile, and, least often, full-frontal. Design accordingly, and remember to check that your heads look good from the back, too (again, for the ever-present over-the-shoulder camerawork.

Emotion

Film is about nothing if not emotion and reaction. In any conversation, more than half of the camera shots are likely to be "reaction shots": shots looking at other characters than the one speaking, giving the viewer additional information about the story from their reactions.

Why is this important? Because if you want your cutscenes to have any weight at all, your characters need to be able to react, and they need to be able to show emotion. In other words, whether by cunning skin changes or by facial animation (although the latter is preferable), they need to be able to move more on their face than just their mouths.

This is a very important point, and I'm amazed that as yet I've seen no game that implemented it. For an example of how simple facial animation can bring a character to life, see Monolith's Lithtech 2 technology demo videos: the Frankenstein character there isn't incredibly complex, yet the fact that he can react at all draws the audience in and gives them some ability to feel empathy with him -- the most important step in a film.

To put it bluntly, if your characters aren't going to be able to show emotion on their faces, then you might as well never use any close-in shots on them, or even have them conduct any conversation. Without facial animation, in fact, you may as well conduct conversations using the old Ultima staple of a static portrait next to text.

On a similar point, film is also all about eye lines, and the movement of the eyes and head. Even if nothing else on your character's face can move, having eyes (and the character's whole head) set up so that they can be scripted to "look" at a point will pay off tenfold, as you gain the ability to introduce shots, direct conversations, and direct the viewer's attention. Of course, eyes (and eyelids) are the most important components in conveying emotion, too, so this is a real two-for-one deal. (Also on the subject of eyes: People blink. So should your characters.)

Skins

Probably the most important point in skinning for Machinima (beyond the ever-present "detail the head" instruction), is the option to use multiple skins (specifically on the head, but also on the body as a whole) to add detail or emotion to your film. Varying "emotion" skins, in conjunction with careful facial animation, can really bring a character to life. Have a character's forehead crease, or give him or her a scratch on the cheek after some fighting or action, and watch as your world comes alive.

Animation

There are two important things to realize about animation in a real-time 3D film: first, you're going to need a lot of it, and second, you can fake more than you think.

There's an old animator's maxim that no frame (of a film) should ever be entirely still -- that's a good one to follow. However, it's followed by a new maxim that never really applied in the days of cel animation, but applies very strongly in the brave new world of Machinima in particular: No living thing ever loops its movement.

It's completely standard in game cutscenes to see a pair of characters standing, talking to one another, obviously repeating the same large-scale gestures over and over again. Frankly, unless you're in a very unusual circumstance (wind blowing at long hair, for example), that looks absolutely horrible. No living thing ever moves like that, and it's never going to do more than detract from the overall effect of your scene.

Possibly the best stand states I've seen recently come from Ion Storm's Deus Ex, whose characters simply stand, more or less still, talking to one another. I think there might be a small looping animation there, but I can't be sure. That's the absolute minimum you need to aim for in a standing state. Ideally, you'll add some random "noise" to some parts of the body (as this demo does for an animated head), or better yet precisely cue "idle" animations like shifting weight manually, as part of your animation in the scene.

The best stand states I've seen recently come from Ion Storm's Deus Ex

So, where do we get our constant movement from, then? Well, there's a number of techniques to animate a scene. First, and most obviously, your characters should be expressive in their conversation. If they're shouting, have them shake a fist at the same time (but just once, rather than endlessly looping the animation -- it might sound stupid, but I've seen it done). If they're whispering, have them come in a pace or two, lean toward the character to whom they're talking, and make furtive "shushing" gestures.

Obviously, that demands a lot of custom animation (hence another maxim of mine: "Conversation demands as much animation as any fight scene"). However, that movement doesn't have to just be animations from the character's list. Have them walk around. Have them stride closer to accuse someone, turn away when they're being verbally attacked, or wander around the room and examine paintings when their subordinate is boring them.

This is where your eye and head animation comes in, too. If you can cue your characters to look at objects or move their eyes, do so. Have them avoid the eyes of the person whom they just robbed. Have them look over their conversational partner's shoulder to signal someone else joining the conversation.

Finally, just to make your job harder, you should always have a reason for any character's animation. A movement or action made without reason (even if that reason is "my leg's going numb") confuses the observer and reduces the impact of your scene. All animation should further a character's personality and illustrate his or her thoughts.

Sets

It's eminently possible to set your cutscene within an existing game map, however, that again means that your map designer should bear the cutscene in mind while making the map. Obviously, they should first make sure that there's enough space within the map for the cutscene's action to take place! Minimizing extraneous detail within the area in which the cutscene is to happen is also important, as is making sure that any important features within the area which need to be brought out in the cutscene are visible from intelligent camera angles.

Beyond that, a carefully crafted map for a cutscene can add a lot to the scene. Lighting, primarily, is a vital tool in film, and no less so in Machinima. A carefully placed light can plunge half a character's face into darkness for a sinister effect, and flashing or otherwise varying lights (fires, particularly) can add to the movement in a scene, making it feel more "alive."

Carefully placed geometry can add to a scene in the same way that set design can add to a film, too. Arches in which to frame important characters or speeches, bars or pillars to give the impression of imprisonment, skylines against which to position your protagonists -- the list is endless.

Overall, there aren't as many firm rules here as with model design and animation. The important thing to remember is that a map on which a cutscene is set doubles as a film set, and as such a dialogue between the cinematic creator and the map designer should be set up.

Up Next

In the second part of this article, I'll be discussing film language, shot setup and editing, and looking into Machinima-specific film techniques to get around graphical limitations and make the best use of your engine's abilities.