Cleaning up the coding in this scene?

Creator's Corner Directing Help & Tips
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I’m trying to clean up an old, unpublished story of mine that has some pretty bad coding, and I can’t seem to find the right way to clean this up. Basically, I have like 7 characters (a cheerleading squad) entering a new scene where they run into the room and to a spot in another zone. With the coding I have now, I sort of get the desired effect, but they’re running in one by one and it’s taking foreverrr!! I tried fiddling with it and they either run in super tiny, or they run into the scene as one giant blob, lol. Any suggestions?

Here’s what I have:

INT. DANCE STUDIO - DAY
@ cut to zone 1 AND COACH GRIFFITH spot 1.055 117 86 in zone 1 AND MOM spot 0.720 237 197 in zone 1 AND MOM is idle_shiftweight_neutral_loop AND COACH GRIFFITH is idle_armscrossed_angry_loop AND COACH GRIFFITH moves to layer 0 AND MOM moves to layer 0
@ TARYN enters from left to screen right AND TARYN is run_athletic_neutral_loop
@ LIONA enters from left to screen right AND LIONA is run_athletic_neutral_loop AND TARYN exits right AND TARYN is run_athletic_neutral_loop
@ MIA enters from left to screen right AND MIA is run_athletic_neutral_loop AND LIONA exits right AND LIONA is run_athletic_neutral_loop
@ SIERRA enters from left to screen right AND SIERRA is run_athletic_neutral_loop AND MIA exits right AND MIA is run_athletic_neutral_loop
@ AALIYAH enters from left to screen right AND AALIYAH is run_athletic_neutral_loop AND SIERRA exits right AND SIERRA is run_athletic_neutral_loop
@ YOU enters from left to screen right AND YOU is run_athletic_neutral_loop AND AALIYAH exits right AND AALIYAH is run_athletic_neutral_loop AND YOU moves to layer 1
@ LYNAE enters from left to screen right AND LYNAE is run_athletic_neutral_loop AND YOU exits right AND YOU is run_athletic_neutral_loop AND LYNAE moves to layer 1
@ LYNAE exits right AND LYNAE is run_athletic_neutral_loop
@ LIONA spot 0.840 148 160 in zone 2 AND LIONA moves to layer 0 AND MIA spot 0.840 17 152 in zone 2 AND MIA moves to layer 0 AND AALIYAH spot 0.840 65 154 in zone 2 AND AALIYAH moves to layer 1 AND TARYN spot 0.840 179 140 in zone 2 AND TARYN moves to layer 2 AND SIERRA spot 0.840 266 148 in zone 2 AND SIERRA moves to layer 0 AND LYNAE spot 0.840 204 158 in zone 2 AND LYNAE moves to layer 0 AND YOU spot 0.840 304 145 in zone 2 AND YOU moves to layer 1 AND YOU faces left
@ COACH GRIFFITH faces right
@ cut to zone 2
@ zoom on 503 280 to 433% in 0
@ speechbubble is 153 149 to 100% with tail_top_right
TARYN (talk_apathetic)
Look girls, [YOU]'s mommy showed up to practice again!

2

Try using the & symbol instead of the @ one if you want them to run in at the same time. That usually works for me.

3

When your characters are running in try adding the & sign at the beginning of the code for each of the lines except for the last one. It’d look like this:
& TARYN enters from left to screen right AND TARYN is run_athletic_neutral_loop
& LIONA enters from left to screen right AND LIONA is run_athletic_neutral_loop AND TARYN exits right AND TARYN is run_athletic_neutral_loop
& MIA enters from left to screen right AND MIA is run_athletic_neutral_loop AND LIONA exits right AND LIONA is run_athletic_neutral_loop
& SIERRA enters from left to screen right AND SIERRA is run_athletic_neutral_loop AND MIA exits right AND MIA is run_athletic_neutral_loop
& AALIYAH enters from left to screen right AND AALIYAH is run_athletic_neutral_loop AND SIERRA exits right AND SIERRA is run_athletic_neutral_loop
& YOU enters from left to screen right AND YOU is run_athletic_neutral_loop AND AALIYAH exits right AND AALIYAH is run_athletic_neutral_loop AND YOU moves to layer 1
@ LYNAE enters from left to screen right AND LYNAE is run_athletic_neutral_loop AND YOU exits right AND YOU is run_athletic_neutral_loop AND LYNAE moves to layer 1

You’ll probably have to fix the spot directing if you want them to all come in at the same time though.

4

They’re all running in at the same time then moonwalking to the spot I want them at in zone 2 :confused:

5

You can try doing on all the lines after the original code:

THEN (character) is (action)

6

I tried that, and it didn’t change much. I’ll try switching the zones around so I can have them run in from zone 1 into zone 2, then exit into zone 3. Past me really made this complicated :joy:

7

Hmm… this one has me stumped :sob:

Did you add the time? Like the character walks to spot x in t

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I’ll try that, too. Since I had it in zone 1, the characters had to enter in from screen x. I could also try smushing them all into one spot slightly off-screen then walk to the zone at different rates.

9

Let me know if it helps at all! :blush:

10

Try using the XYZ method. The reason they are so small and or big is because u just have them entering left to screen center. You don’t give them and actual size. You have some with that but some with out. They all should have the XYZ and use the @ symbol instead the &

Sorry replied to you instead of @kaetlan

Here’s a video of how to do proper spot directing

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@Ashtyn1Raine @Jpassen

Nothing is working :smiling_face_with_tear: :smiling_face_with_tear:

Switching zones destroyed the scene and XYZ was messy- they ran in as a blob idek how, my brain is mush. I’m almost about to just give up and have readers deal with the 7 seconds of watching characters run across the scene :melting_face: I could also just delete it, but it’s needed for continuity between scenes LMAO.

12

I’ll help u with the code. Is there certain position u want them in when they run to the end. Are they all females as well or are there males in there are they all kids or teenagers just so i can figure out the height

13

do you want them all to run at the same time

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Here is the fixed template for you. You’ll just need to fix the spaces between the @ and names.

INT. DANCE STUDIO - DAY
readerMessage thank you @Jpassen_episode for this template
@ cut to zone 1

& COACH GRIFFITH spot 1.055 117 86 in zone 1 AND MOM spot 0.720 237 197 in zone 1 AND MOM is idle_shiftweight_neutral_loop AND COACH GRIFFITH is idle_armscrossed_angry_loop AND COACH GRIFFITH moves to layer 0 AND MOM moves to layer 0

@ TARYN spot 1.280 -92 -6 in zone 1 THEN TARYN walks to spot 1.280 140 -1 in zone 2 in 3 AND TARYN does it while run_athletic_neutral_loop
@ TARYN moves to layer 2

@ LIONA spot 1.280 -77 -1 in zone 1 THEN LIONA walks to spot 1.280 140 -1 in zone 2 in 3 AND LIONA does it while run_athletic_neutral_loop
@ LIONA moves to layer 2

@ MIA spot 1.280 -77 -1 in zone 1 THEN MIA walks to spot 1.280 140 -1 in zone 2 in 3 AND MIA does it while run_athletic_neutral_loop
@ MIA moves to layer 2

@ SIERRA spot 1.280 -77 -1 in zone 1 THEN SIERRA walks to spot 1.280 140 -1 in zone 2 in 3 AND SIERRA does it while run_athletic_neutral_loop
@ SIERRA moves to layer 2

@ AALIYAH spot 1.280 -77 -1 in zone 1 THEN AALIYAH walks to spot 1.280 140 -1 in zone 2 in 3 AND AALIYAH does it while run_athletic_neutral_loop
@ AALIYAH moves to layer 2

@ YOU spot 1.280 -77 -1 in zone 1 THEN YOU walks to spot 1.280 140 -1 in zone 2 in 3 AND YOU does it while run_athletic_neutral_loop
@ YOU moves to layer 2

@ LYNAE spot 1.280 -77 -1 in zone 1 THEN LYNAE walks to spot 0.732 206 178 in zone 2 in 3 AND LYNAE does it while run_athletic_neutral_loop
@ LYNAE moves to layer 2

@ COACH GRIFFITH faces right

@ TARYN spot 0.876 183 135 in zone 2 AND TARYN moves to layer 6 AND TARYN faces left AND LIONA spot 0.732 143 188 in zone 2 AND LIONA moves to layer -3 AND LIONA faces left AND MIA spot 0.723 85 196 in zone 2 AND MIA moves to layer 0 AND MIA faces left AND SIERRA spot 0.723 253 191 in zone 2 AND SIERRA moves to layer -4 AND SIERRA faces left AND AALIYAH spot 0.750 107 165 in zone 2 AND AALIYAH moves to layer 1 AND AALIYAH faces left AND YOU spot 0.876 252 135 in zone 2 AND YOU moves to layer 1 AND YOU faces left AND LYNAE spot 0.732 206 178 in zone 2 AND LYNAE moves to layer 0 AND LYNAE faces left

@ pan to zone 2
@ zoom on 516 280 to 337% in 2

@ speechbubble is 164 230 to 120% with tail_top_right
TARYN (talk_apathetic)
Look girls, [YOU]'s mommy showed up to practice again!

1 Like
15

O…m…g… you are my hero!! Thank you SOOOOOO much, this is amazing!!! :heart_eyes: :heart_eyes: :heart_eyes: I can’t thank you enough!!

1 Like
16

Of course I hope it works. And if u can leave my credit it that would be awesome.

1 Like
17

Yes, I’ll credit you in the pop-up! (:

1 Like
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