I need help with directing :[

Creator's Corner Directing Help & Tips
#1

Hello everyone! So, my story involves cheerleaders and of course it involves cheering & all that. There aren’t many cheer dance or dance animations, though I specifically use the sing + dance animation since they’re cheering and they have to open their mouth right? (srsly)

I need help directing their cheer dance w/o making it awkward :[

This is my first draft for the animations and spot placements:

EXT. GREEK GAMES TRACK STATIC - DAY
@cut to zone 1
@DANA spot 0.542 156 392 in zone 1 at layer 4 AND DANA faces right AND DANA starts dance_groove_happy_loop
@CLAIRE spot 0.515 46 396 in zone 1 at layer 3 AND CLAIRE faces right AND CLAIRE starts dance_groove_happy_loop
@ELISE spot 0.542 265 390 in zone 1 at layer 2 AND ELISE faces left AND ELISE starts dance_groove_happy_loop
@XIAOU spot 0.408 214 475 in zone 1 at layer 1 AND XIAOU faces left AND XIAOU starts sing_dance_clap_happy_loop
@IRIS spot 0.426 99 472 in zone 1 at layer 0 AND IRIS faces right AND IRIS starts sing_dance_clap_happy_loop

@pause for a beat

@DANA starts dance_wavehands_happy_loop AND CLAIRE starts dance_wavehands_happy_loop AND ELISE starts dance_wavehands_happy_loop
@XIAOU starts sing_dance_fingersnap_loop AND IRIS starts sing_dance_fingersnap_loop

@pause for a beat
@pause for a beat

@zoom on 0 389 to 258% in 0
@DANA starts sing_dance_shimmy_loop AND CLAIRE starts sing_dance_clap_happy_loop AND ELISE starts sing_dance_clap_happy_loop
@XIAOU starts sing_energetic_loop AND IRIS starts sing_energetic_loop
@zoom on 115 394 to 258% in 2
@zoom on 297 415 to 258% in 2

@zoom reset

@DANA moves to layer 0
@CLAIRE moves to layer 1
@ELISE moves to layer 2
@XIAOU moves to layer 3
@IRIS moves to layer 4

&XIAOU walks to spot 0.507 220 401 AND XIAOU is run_athletic_neutral_loop AND XIAOU faces left
&IRIS walks to spot 0.534 102 396 AND IRIS is run_athletic_neutral_loop AND IRIS faces right
&DANA walks to spot 0.452 161 452 AND DANA is walk_sing_backward_loop AND DANA faces left
&ELISE walks to spot 0.434 281 458 AND ELISE is walk_sing_backward_loop AND ELISE faces right
&CLAIRE walks to spot 0.434 38 452 AND CLAIRE is walk_sing_backward_loop AND CLAIRE faces left

@pause for a beat
@zoom on 320 430 to 432% in 0
@DANA starts sing_dance_energetic_doublepoint_loop AND CLAIRE starts sing_beatbox_covermouth_loop AND ELISE starts sing_beatbox_covermouth_loop
@XIAOU starts sing_dance_energetic_pointup_loop AND IRIS starts sing_dance_energetic_pointup_loop
@zoom on 159 415 to 177% in 2
@zoom on 0 420 to 467% in 2


@DANA spot 0.281 271 429 AND DANA starts sing_dance_fingersnap_loop AND DANA faces left
@CLAIRE spot 0.245 14 455
@ELISE spot 0.254 297 448
@XIAOU moves to layer 1
@IRIS moves to layer 0
&zoom on 125 415 to 203% in 0
&XIAOU walks to spot 0.228 179 455 AND XIAOU is run_athletic_neutral_loop
&IRIS walks to spot 0.237 102 454 AND IRIS is run_athletic_neutral_loop
@pause for a beat
@XIAOU starts sing_dance_energetic_pointup_loop AND IRIS starts sing_dance_energetic_pointup_loop
@pause for a beat
@CLAIRE moves to layer 3
@ELISE moves to layer 2
&ELISE walks to spot 0.272 163 530 in 2 AND ELISE is run_athletic_neutral_loop
&CLAIRE walks to spot 0.281 120 527 in 2 AND CLAIRE is run_athletic_neutral_loop
@pause for a beat
&XIAOU starts dance_lift_give_loop AND IRIS starts dance_lift_give_loop AND CLAIRE starts dance_drop_it AND ELISE starts dance_drop_it

&zoom on 132 568 to 141% in 2
@DANA moves to layer 4
@DANA walks to spot 0.281 141 616 in 3 AND DANA is run_athletic_neutral_loop
@pause for a beat
@DANA starts dance_lift_receive_loop AND CLAIRE starts dance_lift_give_loop AND ELISE starts dance_lift_give_loop
@pause for a beat
&zoom on 132 563 to 304% in 2
@DANA is dance_drop_it
@pause for 1

It’s kinda awkward, and ya know, I need help because this is the first time I’m doing advanced directing. Any help is appreciated!

#2

I cannot really direct the scene for you but try working with the & command.
This will enable you to have things happen at the same time. Everything that comes below a line, starting with an & instead of the @ will happen at the same time as the line starting with the &

Also, you can have characters move spot while doing an animation. If used right, this could work here for you too. Just make sure you watch out to where they are facing and to use an animation at the end of the “walk” so they don’t end up being idle.

Here comes an example to make it easier:

&CHARACTER walks to spot 1.000 100 100 in 1 AND CHARACTER does it while danceanimation AND CHARACTER faces left THEN CHARACTER faces left AND CHARACTER is danceanimation
@CHARACTER2 walks to spot 1.000 50 50 in 1 AND CHARACTER2 does it while run_athletic_neutral_loop

What this does is it makes the first character move to a different spot while in the dancing animation and the other one running somewhere. The spots and animations are placeholders of course. But maybe this gives you an idea or helps you figuring out more versions of what you want to do :slight_smile:

Good luck!

1 Like
#3

Thank you for helping me! I see it now :)))

1 Like
#4
#5

Solved and closed. :smiley:

#6