Animating a smoke overlay while narrator is speaking: help needed

[Lennon]

Hi, i’m currently trying to attempt a scene where the narrator and a smoke overlay run at the same time. When I tried this, the narration didn’t show up at all and the overlay when to a full stop even with infinite loop.

This is the code I’m working with:

INT.TRENCH
@cut to zone 2
@zoom on 437 459 to 275% in 0

readerMessage No man’s land, France. with messageTitle Fall of 1916

@overlay FIRE SMOKE create
@overlay FIRE SMOKE opacity 0.73

@overlay 5625586256248832_FIRE SMOKE shifts to 18 -1147 in zone 1
&overlay 5625586256248832_FIRE SMOKE scales to 1.805 1.805

@overlay 5625586256248832_FIRE SMOKE shifts to 40 -87 in zone 1 in 12 loop INFINITE times

    NARRATOR (RIVEN)
I tiredly stare up at the sky.

If you know the solution to this, please help. Thank you love!

[KiimChi]

i hope this helps!

DARA’S GUIDE: Overlays

Please visit my website for more templates and guides! https://www.dara-amarie.com/ ​ OVERLAYNAME is the overlay name x coordinate is where the overlay is placed on the screen horizontally (side to side) y coordinate is where the overlay is placed on the screen vertically (up and down) % is the scale size T stands for time in seconds # means “number” ​ NOTE: When you test your story and move your overlay around, you will see 2 codes that look something like this (examples): @overlay O…

[TheMarie]

You can also use the “&” command!

EXAMPLE

INT. PLACENAME - DAY with effect HARD RAIN

&MC stands screen center and MC is cry(animation)

&zoom or OVERLAY in 1

 NARR (MC) Why was life so unfair.This wasn’t fair at all.

[Elaina2]

Hello,
Don’t use @ with infinite loops otherwise it will never get past this point, use & instead. That’s also why the narrator box isn’t showing.

As for the loop, you only have it shift to 1 spot in that loop so when it gets to that spot in 12, you don’t have anything else coded for it so when it repeats that code it’s only repeating to have it move to that spot but it’s already there which means it won’t move after the first loop. You’ll have to add another spot in that looping code so it can repeat a cycle of going from one spot to the other. Also depending on how you have it cycling I would maybe consider using a duplicate of the fog overlay so one can play after the other.