Tal's Coding 101 - Questions & Help With Directing

Can you send in your script in that area and the error message so that I can have a look and try to understand what the issue is?

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Hi Tal I’m trying to work on a montage of images for an opener in my story, and I’m also making it where the reader can skip the intro whenever they want throughout the montage. Do you know a way that I can do that?

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Hi! My advice- put all of your BGs as overlays and create the skip intro overlay as well, you’re gonna have to write an extremely long line of code with the & symbol and a tappable choice that skips to the end of the intro if you press the skip button! It’ll be one of those “easy, but not simple” tasks :sweat_smile:

I found a way but making lables for when the montage goes to different scenes if that makes senses enough

I’m not sure I 100% understand, but yeah, you’ll need a label for the end of the intro and you’ll need to have a goto inside the skip intro button :blush:

Here’s the code I used:

INT. THE DAILY SCARLETT - NIGHT with CURTAIN to 1.000 -1 -9 in zone 2 at layer -1 with COUCH-TDTABLE to 1.000 0 0 in zone 1 at layer 1 with COUCH-AC to 1.000 0 0 in zone 1 at layer -1 with TDS-SCREEN to 1.000 0 0 in zone 1 at layer -4 with TDS-STAIRS to 1.000 0 0 in zone 1 at layer 0
@cut to zone 3
@SCARLETT changes into SCARLETT_default

SKIP OVERLAY {

&ui SKIP create AND ui SKIP opacity 1 in 0.9 AND ui SKIP scales to 1.0 1.0 AND ui SKIP shifts to 4 519
#}

SCARLETT {

&ui STARRING create and ui STARRING opacity 1 AND ui STARRING scales to 1.0 1.0 AND ui STARRING shifts to -112 53 in zone 2
&ui SCARLETT-MONROE create and ui SCARLETT-MONROE opacity 0 AND ui SCARLETT-MONROE scales to 2.083 2.083 AND ui SCARLETT-MONROE shifts to 3 5 in zone 2
#}
&speechbubble reset
&cut to zone 2
&zoom on 484 264 to 256% in 0
&SCARLETT spot 0.552 177 299 in zone 2 AND SCARLETT moves to layer -2 AND SCARLETT faces left
&SCARLETT starts talk_handsopen_happy_loop
@pause for 0.5

&ui STARRING shifts to 24 53 in zone 1 using easebackout in 0.6
&ui SCARLETT-MONROE shifts to 34 5 in zone 1 using easebackin in 0.9 AND ui SCARLETT-MONROE opacity 1 in 0.5
@pause for 4
goto label scarlett_montage_2
tappable
“SKIP” {
goto label screen_title
}
label scarlett_montage_2

INT. SPEED DATING VENUE with SPTABLE2 to 1.0 0 0 at layer -4 in zone 1 with SPTABLE1 to 1.0 0 0 at layer 1 in zone 1 with CHAIR1L to 1.0 0 0 at layer -1 in zone 1
@zoom on 123 0 to 135% in 0

SKIP OVERLAY {

&ui SKIP create AND ui SKIP opacity 1 AND ui SKIP scales to 1.0 1.0 AND ui SKIP shifts to 4 519
&ui STARRING create and ui STARRING opacity 1 AND ui STARRING scales to 1.0 1.0 AND ui STARRING shifts to 24 53
&ui SCARLETT-MONROE create AND ui SCARLETT-MONROE opacity 1 and ui SCARLETT-MONROE shifts to 34 5 AND ui SCARLETT-MONROE scales to 2.083 2.083
#}
&cut to zone 1
&zoom reset
@SCARLETT changes into SPEED_DATE_1
&RANDOM DATE spot 0.803 282 183 in zone 1 AND RANDOM DATE faces left AND RANDOM DATE moves to layer 0 AND RANDOM DATE does it while talk_sit_anklescrossed_neutral_loop
&SCARLETT spot 0.803 55 189 in zone 1 AND SCARLETT does it while idle_sit_armcrossed_unimpressed_loop AND SCARLETT faces right AND SCARLETT moves to layer 0
tappable
“SKIP” {
goto label screen_title
}strong text

Hmm… I’m seeing a few issues here, for example:

Your readers will never get the tappable choice, the button will be there, but it won’t work. Because the tappable part of the script will never actually run. It’ll skip from the 4 second pause to the label scarlett_mantage_2 because of your goto and label. That’s what I meant when I said you need to put it all in one line of code using &, so that while the intro is playing the tappable option is on.

I wanna tell you there’s an easy way to do this but there really isn’t. You need to sit and figure out a way to put all of your intro into one line of code that starts with & if you want this to work and look good. You’re gonna have to use lots of THEN and AND to create one huge chain of commands.

how would i go by putting it what you said into effect about the skip overlay. I’m confused as what to do about this,

It’ll have to be something like this, kinda:

&SCARLETT spot 0.552 177 299 in zone 2 AND SCARLETT moves to layer -2 AND SCARLETT faces left AND SCARLETT starts talk_handsopen_happy_loop THEN pause for 0.5 THEN ui STARRING shifts to 24 53 in zone 1 using easebackout in 0.6 AND ui SCARLETT-MONROE shifts to 34 5 in zone 1 using easebackin in 0.9 AND ui SCARLETT-MONROE opacity 1 in 0.5 THEN pause for 4

tappable
“SKIP” {
goto label screen_title
}

label screen_title
@transition fade out 2

The long line I wrote will have to be MUCH longer though. I only took a small part.
I changed this part by the way (so you can see what changes happened):

I’m still so confused on what I’m supposed to do.

Make all of your lines one big line with an & command, so that the script runs both the option to tap the button and your scene at the same time.

Its okay I was able to contact the person I saw do this and everything is alright but thank you for the advice. They will help me figure it out.

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My character gets invisible whenever i add this aniamtion (sleep_lay_uncomfortable_loop) but it is visible on other animation

This animation changes the place your character is onscreen, it is probably below your screen which is why you don’t see it. Try to change its location on the screen and see if you can see it.

THANK YOU… I’ll try and see :hugs:

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You wouldn’t happen to have the correct overlay placing/coding for the INT. CLASSROOM WITH WINDOW - DAY chairs and tables would you?
I know the overlays are available, but no matter how hard I try the overlays won’t stay in the correct places :stuck_out_tongue:
Managed to get my characters in the correct placing, just the overlays and duplicate overlays won’t stay where I put them :confused:

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I just checked, and Episode did an awful job with these overlays because they really don’t match their position in the BG! I unfortunately don’t have the right placement, but I already started doing it for you! I just didn’t finish because I have to go to sleep and have a deadline to a project I gotta work on, If you find the full code somewhere, let me know so I wouldn’t waste my time :blush: :hearts:

What I did so far:

&overlay INT. SCHOOL CLASSROOM TABLE - DAY shifts to 135 -3 in zone 2
&overlay INT. SCHOOL CLASSROOM TABLE - DAY scales to 1.000 1.000
&overlay INT. SCHOOL CLASSROOM TABLE - DAY moves to layer 10
&overlay INT. SCHOOL CLASSROOM CHAIR 3 - DAY shifts to 256 -2 in zone 2
&overlay INT. SCHOOL CLASSROOM CHAIR 3 - DAY scales to 1.162 1.162
&overlay INT. SCHOOL CLASSROOM CHAIR 3 - DAY moves to layer 2
&overlay INT. CLASS ROOM WITH WINDOW FAR CHAIR 2 - DAY shifts to 67 37 in zone 3
&overlay INT. CLASS ROOM WITH WINDOW FAR CHAIR 2 - DAY scales to 1.072 1.072
&overlay INT. CLASS ROOM WITH WINDOW FAR CHAIR 2 - DAY moves to layer 7

&overlay INT. CLASS ROOM WITH WINDOW TABLE FAR - DAY shifts to 14 -23 in zone 1
&overlay INT. CLASS ROOM WITH WINDOW TABLE FAR - DAY scales to 1.000 1.000
&overlay INT. SCHOOL CLASSROOM CHAIR - DAY shifts to 104 1 in zone 2
&overlay INT. SCHOOL CLASSROOM CHAIR - DAY scales to 1.000 1.000
&overlay INT. SCHOOL CLASSROOM CHAIR 2 - DAY shifts to 259 -1 in zone 2
&overlay INT. SCHOOL CLASSROOM CHAIR 2 - DAY scales to 1.000 1.000
&overlay INT. CLASS ROOM WITH WINDOW FAR CHAIR - DAY shifts to 201 0 in zone 1
&overlay INT. CLASS ROOM WITH WINDOW FAR CHAIR - DAY scales to 1.000 1.000

It’s based off of the code from this thread that is incorrect unfortunately:

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the back facing chairs are a nightmare but I’ve done all I can :stuck_out_tongue:
Took me 2 days but finally got the coding to stay in place, I downloaded and re-uploaded all the chairs and tables seems to work this way (bloody phaff I can tell you :confused: )

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I recommend zooming in on a part and trying to adjust the overlays, I struggle with that currently because of a previewer bug which is why it takes me too long :frowning: