Alphabet directing tips!

[X.O.IcySnows]

I thought this would be an interesting way to give new authors tips!

Basically I will start with 1 tip starting with A and then the next person replies with a tip starting with B and so on and so forth. (When we reach the end, we loop back to A)

I feel like this will just spice up the variety of tips.

Tip A) Actions! Actions are used to make your story more animated, you can use talking actions when characters are speaking like this:
CHARACTER (talk_armscrossed)
“Oh no he didn’t”.
And you can use actions for other things such as sleeping, E.g. @CHARACTER is idle_eyesclosed_sleep.

(If those aren’t actual actions, pardon my stupidity, I am in geography class and I am physically drained.)

[JemU776]

B is for Backgrounds

Here’s how to upload them: 🖼 HOW TO: Upload Cover / Background / Overlay
When you upload a background, it needs to be one of these sizes:

HOW TO: Upload Cover / Background / Overlay

ONE PANEL: 640 x 1136 (minimum requirements)
TWO PANELS: 1280 x 1136
THREE PANELS: 1920 x 1136

And your background name has to start with INT. or EXT.

HOW TO resize images: HOW TO: Resize Images (resize your backgrounds)
Another great link:

Resize images online at ResizePic.com

You can also upload backgrounds and loop their speeds: Looping a 3-zone Background with Speeds
Backgrounds can also be uploaded as overlays to achieve the fading technique: How to "FADE" Characters

[X.O.IcySnows]

C is for CREDITING
Credit anyone who gives you CC (Custom Content, AKA backgrounds and overlays which are not of your creation.)
A good thing to ensure you do is the ask them if there is any specific way to credit them or whether it is fine just to put “readerMessage Credit to USER for CONTENT! with Credit:”

[Danielle318]

D is for DIRECTING HELPER

Directing help can get you to:

Where you can adjust filters, overlays, speechbubbles, and character placement(spotting).

[JemU776]

Yeah, @X.O.IcySnows you are so right, giving credit is so, so, so important

E is for entering and exiting

Example:

@CHARACTER enters from SIDE to POSITION

@CHARACTER enters from left to screen center

Another example, adding time:

@CHARACTER enters from SIDE to POSITION in S

@CHARACTER enters from left to screen center in 2

Another Example adding animation:

@CHARACTER enters from SIDE to POSITION AND CHARACTER does it while walk_animation

@CHARACTER enters from left to screen center AND CHARACTER does it while walk_neutral

Example adding time and animation together:

@CHARACTER enters from SIDE to POSITION in S AND CHARACTER does it while walk_animation

@CHARACTER enters from left to screen center in 2 AND CHARACTER does it while walk_neutral

The positions that exist are:

HOW TO: Stage Direction

The background positions:
back far left
back left
back right
back far right

The foreground positions:
screen left
screen right
screen center
upscreen right
upscreen left

And now for exiting:

@CHARACTER exits SIDE

Example:
@YOU exits left

Just like for entering, you can also add a time or walking animation or time and walking animation together.

There’s also page here on it:

Basic Directing: Entering & Exiting the Scene

[Danielle318]

F is for FILTERS
How to use filters!

@LaurelleE27

@set hsl Hue Saturation Lightness colorization with blendMode TYPE to OPACITY%

• The first 3 values (“Hue# Saturation# Lightness#”) are for Hue, Saturation, and Lightness. These mirror Photoshop’s hue, saturation, and lightness parameters:
  • Hue takes a number between -180 and 180
  • Saturation takes a number between -100 and 100
  • Lightness takes a number between -10 and 100
• Colorization refers to whether you want to turn colorization ON or OFF.
  • The options here are “ colorize ” or &ldquo*; no_colorize ”.
  • This is optional code to include. It will default to no_colorize if not included.
• “ with blendMode TYPE ” can be used to change how it blends with the existing image.
  • The TYPE must be one of the following: NORMAL, OVERLAY, ADD, MULTIPLY
  • This is optional code to include. It will default to NORMAL.
• “ to OPACITY %” specifies how strong you’d like this filter to be:
  • OPACITY takes a value between 0 and 100.

Check out: Guides → Special Effects → Adding & Customizing Filters

[AMagic]

G is for Guidelines
Follow Them!

Content Guidelines

Hello Episode Community! You’ve been asking for more specifics on our content guidelines and clarity on many of the points. At the end of the day, it is not possible for us to provide a list of everything that is (or is not) allowed on the Episode platform as many scenarios are heavily context-based and will need to be reviewed on an individual story-by-story basis. What is or is not acceptable on the Episode Platform and in the Episode Community? Our Official Content Guidelines are as follow…

[AMagic]

H is for "How To’s
Helpful

HOW TO: Phone - Text messages

There’s a lot of ideas to show texting on the phone! Here’s a few! INT. CELLPHONE - DAY Or any phone background/overlay you have. In the art catalog, you can find a cell phone background, you just need to place your characters offscreen or use NARRATOR bubble Example scripts: Note: I’ve changed the position of the speech bubble. More about how to move them or change the size HERE Character name bubbles: INT. CELLPHONE - DAY &CHARACTER stands screen left in zone 2 &CHARACTER1 stands scre…

HOW TO: Zoom from the Feet to the Head (Full Body)

Let’s use: EXT. ISLAND BEACH - DAY @KIKI spot 1.095 78 124 AND KIKI faces right (I made my character smaller because I want to have a full body zoom, you can make it from default position as well although you won’t see their feet) Click here if you don’t know how to do it: Spot Directing (Moving Characters Around) More about zoom: Zoom Directing (The Art of the Zoom Made Easy) [zoom%20out] Now click on: Zoom Helper Switch Tool: Focus - Focus on the part you want Zoom - Move around t…

[X.O.IcySnows]

I is for Internet
If you are writing a story about gangs, a disability e.g. autism or schizophrenia etc; then you need to know the topic well, Use the Internet and check the validity of your sources. If you’re a blind writer, you may offend people. (A blind writer is a writer who spreads stories on episode of which are not true or non-factual and can cause misconceptions on fact.)

For example, a blind writer had put all the characters WITH AUTISM as 1-2 types, The kind that repeats their words and has trouble to get words out, and the kind of autism in which the person will say random phrases over and over. (These are actually 2 types of autistic people at my school, so an example of the second is when my friend says “Sorry taylor, beyone had b-best music video of all time” and repeats it over and over AND no he doesn’t just say that, that is an example.) However as I was saying, I actually have autism myself and found no character representing version of autism I have along with a variety of others. So please use the internet and find a variety of different factors about the topic, that way you’re not being a blind author and steryotyping someone by accident. <3

[JemU776]

J is for Joseph Evans.

As in one of the most helpful directors in the community.
He has videos on YouTube ^^

[JemU776]

OMG that was a mistake , i’m so disorientated XD

[X.O.IcySnows]

Don’t worry. xD I do that to.
In the I for internet one. I had to go through and delete every repeated word, because my autism tends to make my brain forget that I typed something and I will will put it twice by mistake.

[JemU776]

OK, I edited it and thank you for letting me know XD

[Sydney_H]

Moved to Directing Helps and Tips since this is for directing tips. Make sure to check out our Forum Tutorial for more info about where to correctly create topics, and feel to PM me if there are any questions.

[JemU776]

K is for Kiss

Amazing thread here: 💋 HOW TO: Hug and Kiss (Ink & LL)

Video:

[JemU776]

Bump! This thread shall not die

[xetic]

L is for Layering

Thread which pretty much explains everything you need to know about layering

HOW TO: Move Characters / Overlays to the Layers

Moving to the layers means something or someone can be in front or behind character or overlay. You can use as many numbers as you want: -100 to 100 (probably even more) CHARACTERS: Commands: @CHARACTER moves to layer # @CHARACTER spot % X Y in zone # at layer # [image] This picture is an example to show how numbers working. Entering characters (@CHARACTER enters from left to screen right) are always in front of everything (unless you move other characters or overlays to the layers) If …

[JemU776]

M is for Music

A Simple Guide to Using Sound Effects and Music

For looping sound (usually for music):

music sound_name

A Simple Guide to Using Sound Effects and Music

To turn off music:
music off

To change the volume of music:
volume music x T

x is the volume level from 0 to 100
T is time in milliseconds (1000 milliseconds is 1 second)

A Simple Guide to Using Sound Effects and Music

Example:
music music_fashionedge
volume music 50 2000

(with the above commands, the music volume will go to level 50 in 2 seconds)

*Left out sound from the quotes, sorry but it starts with s, so its turn will come at some point

Can read more on sound/music fully here: A Simple Guide to Using Sound Effects and Music