Getting character to stay in cinematic format during customizing/character wont enter the screen in spotlight format (Please help)

I chose to have my story in limelight (cinematic) so I can switch up the formats. However I’m doing a beginning part where a female character is in cinematic format to say some things before the story starts. I gave the option to customize a character. I picked the reader to be able to see the character in full view (I don’t really want to script customization in full view but decided to go with it because for the life of me I can’t figure out how to keep the cinematic view of a character on screen while the reader is customizing the character, so if you know how to, please let me know) I set the format to “set format spotlight_no_frame” and it worked as far as getting the character out the framed bubble, but now entering commands aren’t working and the character drops into the screen and pops in and out between labels. There’s no error, it’s just not flowing right.

The picture below: The script is still in cinematic format until I ask if they want to customize the character and I change the format within the choice. This works as far as getting them out the frame but with the GENDER_CHOICE_CUSTOM label I tried using “@fawn enters from right to screen right” and she didn’t walk she literally dropped into the screen and was there for a moment and then appeared off screen and only her talk bubble could be seen. So I changed it to what you see there and she just slides and pops into place but also when other choices are picked like “skin” “hair color” and so on, she disappears from the screen and only comes back when the label restarts, and only then can you see what choice you picked.
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Idk if it’s because I added the format change twice within two labels, that she popped up a couple times before she disappeared and then idle at the beginning, but I feel in spotlight this wouldn’t happen. Idk what’s happening now. :tired_face:

Hmm ok so I tried copying this part of the script and I’m seeing the character sliding across the screen. Are you trying to spot the character off the screen, where he or she walks to a certain point or are you trying to spot the character in a certain place on screen?

I want to make the character stay in cinematic format during customizing, like throughout the options like “skin” “hair color” and what not. But the character slides away after clicking any of the choices to custom them. When I realized that wasn’t working as far as keeping the character present during customizing, I tried using the (spotlight_no_frame) and I thought it’d work throughout the label where the reader picks “yes” to customize, and it worked for getting them out the frame but not for keeping the character there. Then I decided I was going to make the character walk out into the screen (@ fawn enters from right to screen right) in the spotlight format (because it worked in regular spotlight and the character stayed) but that’s when the character drops into the screen and doesn’t walk. And when you choose an option to start off with customization, the character slides out of the screen and you can’t see. I thought this was because in the customizing it has labels of their own and within them they’re in cinematic format, that’s why I added a second (spotlight_no_frame) within the label and it didn’t work, she still slides and doesn’t stay still. Where you see me trying to spot her was a last resort choice because I figured instead of having her walk it, she would just pop up and it would keep her there and it didn’t, so now idk what to do.

Hmm ok have you tried taking out all of the “set format cinematic” etc out of the script? If so, does the character remain in the screen at all times?

The weird thing is I chose cinematic at first to create the story :confused: then I tried adding “set format cinematic” to see what would happen and it would tell me I couldn’t do that because it’s already set to spotlight format when it wasn’t at first. Without it, it stays cinematic though.

Yeah it wouldn’t work if you’ve already chosen cinematic to create the story. Same for spotlight, you can’t type “set format spolight” if you’ve already chosen spotlight for the whole story.

That’s when I removed it because it didn’t really make sense. But as far as the cinematic format I chose to start the story it’s fine. I read you can’t have a cinematic look if you choose spotlight first, so I chose cinematic. The issue is getting the character to stay during customizing and then making it so when I do decide to switch the format to spotlight, the character walks and doesn’t just drop into the scene. Btw: using “set format spotlight” didn’t work for full view, I had to use set spotlight_no_frame (also thank you for trying to help me)

Alright, so in spotlight, characters automatically swipe up and back down in spotlight so the character won’t stay in customization for you to see what you’ve done. That’s why they keep sliding across the screen and disappearing.

I figured out how to make the character stay in cinematic. I just replaced the NARR in the customizing template with the characters name and it works. The only thing now is the walking. Are you sure there’s no way to do that? I’ve seen stories where people use both cinematic and spotlight (if thats the kind that makes them full view and walk), I just don’t know which format works best.

Yes, I’ve just tried it! Both cinematic and spotlight work! I can make the character walk whilst in cinematic. Just send me the section of the script where you want the character to be walking. I don’t think walking to a certain place will work.


As you can see, the charater is walking in spotlight, but this is a moving background so idk if it’ll work on still backgrounds. Edit: Same thing works for LL.

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Alright maybe that might work. Because I tried this, I have the story in cinematic and everything looks fine. But then I ran into the same issue. Here’s the section:

label CUSTOM_STORY_FEMALE (the labels are fine)
set format spotlight_no_frame
INT. HALLOWEEN FIVE
@ FAWN enters from right to screen right

    FAWN (talk_sarcastic)
Wow so funny 

After putting this she still didn’t walk into the screen, it looked like this.

She’s on the right side just standing out of the way.

try just:

set format spotlight

When I used set format spotlight it comes out looking like this

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still in cinematic format

I’m confused :thinking:

Do you want your character in the bubble or full body?

Full body. And when I use spotlight_no_frame it works as far as getting the character out of the bubble and in full frame, the only issue is the command @ FAWN enters from right to screen right isn’t working. There’s no error, she just doesn’t walk out, she either drops into the screen or pops up on the side like in the examples above.

Did you try set format cinematic ?

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I fixed the issue. I realized I can’t use cinematic if I chose spotlight to begin with, I thought it was the other way around. I made a new story set in cinematic and then used spotlight and now she walks :persevere: sorry for the misunderstanding. Thank you for helping!

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Sorry for the misunderstanding, thank you for helping!

Its alright! I understood the whole thing and what you was trying to do, I noticed it too.:smile:

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