F: Editing Styles One

This is a unique opportunity to produce a Game Show cast with Actors, renewing of a "Wizards" post apocalyptic product line, including a inventive TV show, by programming and interactive game play responding to speech and motion of actor in collaboration.

The humorous Post Apocalyptic setting is well timed. "Wizards" is a great setting.

As game play setting, Gamma World enlarges the idea of Wizards, but there is a Wizards role playing game. Also, I produced a lot of Post Apocalyptic game setting and comedy scripting material.

Divine Zoo has developed a lot of material that is designs, illustrations, settings, and a season of a TV script based on Shakespeare's plays.

However, all this is to be used, along with existing Wizards assets, in a production that will produce a TV series and a Game Show, both of many episodes and at a high production rate.
It might be wonky at first as its like early 50 television.

The Game Show also shows how it is constructed by role playing games by interactive motion and speech and programming, which is set in the Wizards/Gamma World/Post-Apocalyptic comedic setting.


The bridging pilot story summary is:


Blackwolf has died, but his damaged brain was put into a stasis box, about the size of a hat box.
So it every once in awhile casts spells, and very powerful spells...but without thought. Two idiots are charged with carrying it.

Scortch also discovered stores of pharmeceuticals, and so they flee carrying boxes of pills not knowing what these pills do, in addition to stores of liquor and canned food.
Meanwhile, the city crumbles as Giant Killer Robots release upon Blackwolf's "death", so the crumbling of the city is due to these things emerging.

They are nine in number. I have sketches, the latest three are just word descriptions, but first six or seven I have sketches. They are Giants, though, there are smaller ones.

The Mutants flee in all directions and discover more ruins farther away. Larry had discovered a clone facility, and Larry sets up a cloning mechanism.


Montagar, meanwhile, is ruled over by a honorable but aging, dissolute, gluttonous and rude monarch, Weehawk who obviously did not know what he was getting into.
The Queen hides from view because she has mutated from exposure to Scortch. She is sad about Weekhawk, sentimental about the days of Avatar, and keeps Peace99 around, who is her servant.
She is fatalistic.

Meanwhile, the Elven and Fairy armies are in retreat as the Cyborg and Giant Killer Robots swarm over them.

Beyond Scortch are more ruins, these include Cryo facilities which are discovered in greater number as mass swarms of mutants flee from the War in fear, driving in mass caravans in the opposite direction of Montager, until they reach a large, dry river valley.
There, two idiot mutants, slowed down by the random magic casting box, find pipes, and then follow those pipes while the main horde continues on.
This is far out on the other side of Scortch, and the two idiots discover a working, automated rocket station underground and covered by a fake dome.
The get inside, opening a door that is covered in rocks, which they find following the pipes (that have been exposed in the drying up of the riverbed).
Inside the door is Archie the Cyborg.
Archie had created a cyborg to house his brain out of loyalty to the company for he adores the Rocket Taxi EarthJump Station, and takes the two idiots on a tour, at least, for eight beats, then they kill him.
Then, they run away as alarms go off everywhere.
Blackwolf, dropped by the Idiots, sprouts spindlely legs and ambulate over...wherein, the box goes to work replacing the Brain that was Archies, old and rotten, with the Brain that is Blackwolfs, which has a hole in it, into the cyborg body that Archie was.
The scene where the Blackwolf's Brain comes online inside the robot is also when the alarm red lights and auugaing cease, much to his relief.

Blackwolf, now inhabiting a state manufactured custodial robot of a Rocket Taxi Station, completely automatic, with one Rocket there...and a few other custodial robots, examines databases on computers...and determines, there is a gigantic underground Mall full of people a day's travel from that rocket port...not using the rocket, though, Blackwolf starts the Taxi Rocket up, and just leaves is waiting and ready.
There is a Cryo facility half a day away, which Blackwolf seeks to get a human body, one that is to be thawed.
There is a transport vehicle...a bubble with a removable chassis.




This is the brief beginning storyline, which established the backstory of Blackwolf. The players do not hear this, and it is not revealed unless there is some mechanism in play, then, they get bits and pieces.

This way, Blackwolf can now become the Inky character who replaced Richard the Third and Henry the Fifth, and, furthermore, this Archie cyborg who has been cloned and is in a remote underground Mall, which is the converted Comedy of Errors.
Wherein, Blackwolf infiltrates this Mall, kills that Archie clone and replaces its brain with his...putting the clone brain inside the custodial robot and using it as a slave.

So, this is a story about Blackwolf, Weekhawk is deposed and tried and beheaded as King. This is do be done with sentiment, much like in movies, a drama of the killing of the King.

Gloria and Peace escape and go back into ruined abandoned Scortch to find out how to stop these Robots, they are accompanied by two Mountain Fairies...one who is the Mark character (played by Mark Hamill), and the giant invisible dragon from the opening sequence of Wizards.
This dragon is very dumb. Its a cast away, self alienated dragon. Neurotic...like the Tyro in Toy Story.

There are two teams who play these characters.

Team one plays Gloria, Peace, Mark.

The other team plays Jack, Harold, and Gracy.

These two teams can meet after getting used to "playing" the characters.

Blackwolf has a more constrained chart, with a lot of cut scenes. He is played by the GM, (or, there is a another Voice talent who overdubs the GM) but the GM is using a heavy script provided to him by the revisions of the writers who are otherwise effected by the Game Play of the Avatars.

Avatar sends them signs in the form of weather and animal behavior, and freak coincidences.


This is a experiment in Table Top Gaming, Automating Narrative, and adapting interactivity to animation.

Sound like fun? Try it as a Kickstarter? A Wizards TV show/Game Show reboot?

Check out:

Then, my Linkedin site...though specifically Pinterest and Jour Mondial for scripts...but I think you can skip the scripts for now.


There is a month long tech and acting interface rehearsal. Its not as complicated blocking as a theater production! But, there is some, which is much like a Game Show production blocking...simple as can be.
This is done everyday five days a week, eight hours a day.

The first show could be produced by the end of two months from funding, and while that is planned, the post production animation execution might take longer.

The funding is minimal, experimental SAG, with 8 people, minimally 1500 a month, each, x 7 weeks. The last two weeks is two or three people with the rendering.

I do the casting here in Austin but Mark Hamill is to do some Voice work too. You might have good idea for voice talents, but I like that work too.

The point is get the rendering right, so, increasing the amount of time past this for post is a good idea, but its not typical post production for most of it should be automated.
And, there is to be funds for the licensing of Wizards.

Equipment and software is an extra 20,000; four Mocap set ups.

So, one month to get the programming debugged, the Voices programmed, and the play of the characters and game rehearsed in order to produce, over two weeks of the second month, the material that is rendered by the end of the second month.

Pre production is contingent on getting funded, and much has to be done before using any funds.

However, there is quite a bit to use as examples!

E. Communication structure

Each player is assigned the first sequence, the live render image, to begin composure (after the phrases of orientation, or, coming out of the Interrogative into the Imperative), a face which speaks in the voice...to present the Character formally.
Then, as part of the intro it switches between, interrupting in the half way part of the shot as I layed out in A: camera swarms.
This transition is an interrupt, but is in contrast to coming out of the Interrogative into the Expository which is not a interrupt, nor is the Exclamatory, though, the Exclamatory does not always interrupt while the Imperative does, the Exclamatory CAN interrupt if the Actor seeks to use an interrupt to make a exclamatory remark.
Thats a proper dialogue.
If the Actor chooses to use Exposition in Interrupt mode, this depends on the GM.

So, the I!(peratitive) into the I(nterrupt): there begins part one of the triangulation of the players, so that the next player to speak is part two, and the third, part three.
A reset then occurs with each different speech act, typically, there is a underlaying rhythm as directed by the GM but if the Actors speak out of turn then they reconfigure the sequence, except, it still restarts, do a A, beginning, B. Middle, and C. End.
This is the filing.
The same sequence, then repeats,
 unless,
there is a sub reset in what is called an Interrupt

"Roll The Dice!" from the GM is a interrupt and initiative...unless the GM directs the Actor to respond to the command.
There is a kind of business as usual, the syntax of the game show, that keeps the pace brisk.


CHANNELS THAT STREAM
In rpgs there are only a few channels in which speech occurs.

Online, its fewer channels: there are three really: Audio Visual and Print Media, while in RPG's there is Reality TV.

Combining both online animation, action and chat both in Online with Table Top which is generative and directs the "Online" sequence.
Kinda like composing a online Multi player Game on the fly.
The speech of actors has a few more channels though!
Again, it is like rehearsal.

Much of what is rehearsal need be excluded...so there is a on off for the program itself, however, this on off switch is also controllable by the Technician.

There is a Rendering Director who can eliminate other rehearsal bits. This is the Director who is also the Technician.

A sub director who takes over time from the Director, and a voice and dialogue maker, is the GM.

So they have a on off relationship. A dynamic relationship.

The next level is three, which is static...instead of moving the game forward, the stasis of three...they come to moot points often...the stasis of three...they come to do the same thing and initiatie a shift into the Action part of the Program.

They can override each other, and, there is all the other on off, the one to one with the Director and Player/Actors, and the one to one between actors.
That is actually very stable and creates two sequences which can be "filled with data and edits", which means, the players or, the GM and the players are getting into a scene...therein propogates buildings, props, NPC's...less vertices, and subdued, pastel colors, some relief and shadow, all in lower resolution that looks like figurine photographed...and the Actors own Avatars...so depicted.


EQUITY IN STREAMS

So we can see there is a two step process wherein both steps are about equal: the Voices are sketch (and the GM cannot do all the NPC voices), and the described action is sketch. This has less to do with the initial programming, as, some editing is automatically done.
There is a auto pre rendered version that founds part of one of the already rendered sequence...eventually, there will be three.
Then, they go back into the data, perhaps change the camera angle, do the line again, perhaps changing the sequence...wherein, this is insert editing and not cutting. This is not done in excess, really.
Most of all more stuff is produced as the Game continues, yet, the constraints are Aristotelian...unities of time and space mean a kind of consistency in reusing Animation assets within a set period of time.

Next week might be a different set and setting, same AVatars, new costumes. Or, it might be more of the same from last week, which I encourage in starting out.


INTERRUPTS

The Director interrupts Actors and the GM and that is auto off. So, whenever the Director speaks there A, beginning, B, middle and C end, of the players speaking in sequence, begins again.

So, there is an interruption to the sequence there. Also, there is a competition level of the three players, which can creates a "first scooter dynamic interrupt"...the thief takes leave first, and the camera holds and accomodates that Character's description of moving through the atmosphere and mood.
(We expect witty remarks from the Wizard.)

Another interruption is a Actor lock button (a touch screen in from of them has buttons and panels and streams of information). A Actor can turn on and override, having turned that on, the others must wait, to be specifically heard, for 10 seconds. However, they earn those interruptions as points.

A third interruption of the ABC sequencing of player speaking (as it is directing by the GM)...this is broken up by initiative roles, so the sequence resets each initiative round in the Action program. It will tend to the lower bonus and higher bonus, creating a kind of lead.
But the three player dynamic obliterates some of this lead...which is not always good. Having the lead is encouraged, espe

Actors also have access to motion interruption by reaching into the box and activating a motion sensor that captures the action of their hand, so this is also a switch somewhat controllable by the actor.
The Virtual Hand of the Avatar reaches down and picks up a figurine. The hand does do this to an actual figurine, but then sets in down...the motion is interpreted to show the figurine picked up and moved into the scene through a pre rendered animation sequence.

The Players will have controls to do this, so the hand is just what the Actor can imitate, set in motion, then return to their touch screen where they make the Avatar move to where they want according to the map screen and the POV screen.
Though, it can be worked into as a real switch.

The hand is always primed to begin the sequence from where the figurine was moved last time so the scenery moves as the Player moves the camera/head of the Avatar to where they wish to go on the map...its just a simulated "Figurine World" that can use the Face performance streams, and the Actor can animate the face of the Figurine in the scene.
This is an Interrupt that begins another kind of animation, this action of picking and moving the Figurine. So the GM usually begins this as it should occur to interrupt the Die Roll from the GM initiated "Roll that Die!" initiative sequence.
But, not always.
Then, the GM and Actor discuss the scene, we go into another program block, ACTION, where the interrupt is a different set.
Anyway, the Figurine is a reset function, as first play of the game based on Inititiative, and not the Action sequence.

A Third Uber Order of ABC, Initiative being somewhat brief, Action sequence quite long, there is initiative in dialogue, which is allowed, just as the recording of play.

So, a persons voice shifting into the Imperative can Interrupt, though, the Director might not like that, the GM and the Actor who is typically, going on part of the GM's sorta repetitive rythym of round and round the table. they might not like that.
Thats okay though.

When the GM says "Roll Dice!" or "Roll The Dice!" (they might have a selection with emotional tinges listed as file names), that starts an initiative sequence.
The initiative sequence can be only one player, and this is an exception, when it is just one player, the GM must say "Just *Avatar name rolls the dice."


THE RENDER
*In the Table Top/Avatar interaction, the Actors must use masks somewhat. There is a technical issue of how fast the motion they are implementing is executed as a animated face, live, so the Director and Technician have a fairly good image to make reference to in the middle of the action, and sure maybe the GM and the Actors get this stream but its doubtful they really need to look at it so much as play the game...,...so, one of the sequences needs to appear to be in time, but it might otherwise be a database of actors faces recording and streaming into a database which chooses which stream to render.
That render is an in game render, which occurs during the in game archiving. The archive builds up, and eventually the organization of it is of issue.
So, there is a second Render, which is done by the Director (though they might include someone else, or everybody, who would take notes and be unable to suggest!).
So, there is this second render...now, the data being archived means the Pre Render during the game can be used as reference, but it might have many reference, render 'holes', and these holes need to be cleaned up, but then, what was the first prints live rendering delays need only be rendered again.
What the Program does is present the Director with a alternative streaming choice...which can be 2-d, and occur over the speech of the Actor, who may be straining the system by speaking too long.
The Directors judgment is not a raw cut, but more a first sketch and can concentrate mostly on content. The action sequences that worked can be planned out. The other action sequences can be dropped, or left unresolved as the Play of the game occurs.


REHEARSE: IN GAME RENDER

Intro (brief video...less than 3 seconds. The screen that the Actors Avatars have, and are touch screen.
What the Actor does is activate either initiative die roll video sequence by reaching down, leaning down by one arm "into" the Map...
So, the touch screen has a Map Window. It also has a Avatar feedback window, wherein, the Actor playing the Avatar can see how their motion, in the face, is being captured.
Also, the Actor touches the screen, the virtual screen is the same as the Actors actual screen, and there the same motion sensor used to activate the Figurine movement/Initiative die roll, and or touch screen movement of the Avatar as they puppet is viewed from waist up.
Maybe lit in dim light like a poker game but anyway...

So one window in the touchscreen is the map, the other the avatar, another two for either other avatars, and the GM, which changes Avatar, frequently, though there is a default.

There is dice animation window, and a POV window, which is largely what the Avatar used to advance the view as it is streaming from the default veiw of POV, and, as it corresponds, to a pre animated sequence of the arm picking up the figurine and moving it to place it down, in the scene.
That window is not seen by the Player. Its a directors view.


There is a rehearsal, which sets up a pattern with these models and situations and lighting, and then it is repeated using pretty much the same models and situation and lighting, but different here and there, and this is fused with the other into a braided storyline...nevertheless with a central, one time more worked, finished single narrative.
Prime, with two secondary sequences.
Then, there is a third performance, meant just to do a scene.
The final bit is the re doing of Voice work to perfect the tone and delivery.

How the Animation and Voice, being worked on two seperate scenes, works together is that there is mostly automated Avatar sequences, and the Animator just update the 3-d sequences, and create the action/particle effects that the players stated or described in play.
The Actors could help, by doing some mocap.

So there is a first stream, and then a second stream that informs the second production, which is no longer a rehearsal but the execution of the game.
It need not follow the same sequence, but much of it will be pre rendered in structures that merely ft the timing from a previous sequence.

Eventually, there will be a timing curve, wherein, all of the vocal timing and Game refinement create a pattern of increasing density as the pipeline and program come together.


ACTION:1st RENDER: 2nd IN GAME RENDER + NEW RENDERS

Action in the game play stops the rendering...well, the voices continue, the talking heads continue, but the facial rendering can be turned off automatically while the rendering occurs on Figurines faces.

Also, the part of the Voice that was in game during the action sequence but was skipped over in the old render, this is when the Actor can redo the part, interrupting based on referencing...and can re create that bit, which may have been bad in the 1st Render, but must be included for there is something good in the sequence around them.
So, this is now Rendered in totality so that the Actor can use Voice, and more face acting, to update, and move along with the story otherwise.

This is done three times. So that there are three stories. The three stories must be in the same place and time more or less. This means each week they play the game three times, for four hours.
Also, this means re-occuring characters for the Action sequences to be easier to re do or in most cases, add to.

D: Reading and Derivation

Working on learning a program to use the musical as a de bug.

The making of multi narrative software, which is intended to be used to make movies from table top role playing games...not really sure how the movies will eventually take shape, but they will be an approximate, for having implemented into programming the edit techniques specific to motion picture narrative construction...from animation/fantasy to documentary.

So, the reverse is to read a movie, and from that pre made movie, say for instance Chaplin's "The Gold Rush", the software "processes" the movie, derives some of the programming from the Table Top Game "Voice command" programming (thats make approximate feature film or tv show narratives), to create a 3-d environment and more importantly, the 3-d rig, and its de-interpolated animation.
The deriving/re-compiling a background into a 3-d environment is somewhat well along. Doing the same with animation, a rig, well, I don't think its that much a stretch.
Even if the 2-d background-converting-to-3-d-background software does have traction, it can then be used to help denote the rig and animation...even then, there is old software of motion keying...its an old 'keying effect' wherein, what was keyed out was in motion...frequently a talking head.
But this turning into...is it Boolean? Or Turing? Where, the reverse placement of the legs is problematic with rigging and motion capturing, the same could be said of reading a image of the Tramp turning around on skates having this same tendency, so, the programming would have a rigorous reversal test, to see "which truth worked best".
This all kind of fits together when using the Generation Software, the Table Top voice activated Animation generation", to provide a fill in the blanks to the Derivation Software, which 'read' motion pictures and then creates duplicates in 3-d.

This is also a generator for the given cloud of cameras provides multitudes of interpretations...some configurations pre programmed.
Say, Gold Rush was suddenly shifted into a documentary...this is a early Citizen Kane lesson...the opening sequence has six or seven distinct styles of film editing construction...a kind of summary.
Furthermore, the scene can be predicted to go on...as if the cameras did not "cut" but just became part of a swarm of cameras available for the final render.

In this sense, a sidereal version of the motion picture, the action just before the cut leading into the scene, the scene, and then the action continued, just after the cut leading out of the scene...these two buffering motion pictures duplicates in some way, but telling a story?
We might call it fat, but its the technique itself that suddenly widens the scope of how to reconfigure it to tell another kind of story.
The buffers, or fat, is not really viable, but the point is this generates more footage, and more possibilities from which to apply the "bare bones", the rig and motion files, with different 3-d wrappers.

These extra motions, lists in data banks, are to be pre made as the typical lead in to a scene in Table Top Role Playing...or really speech activated team narrative construction.
For instance, the player/actor Steve says, "Bob goes through the door and into the other room."

The GM though, knows what Steve does not know, and so, when Steve goes through that door, he is confronted with...a scene rigged from one of the original star trek episodes, predetermined scene, with blocking all set up...its just that from the TV show the scene did not have the Steve Avatar stepping through a door, but instead, blinking in from teleportation.

At that point the GM can re configure the action, but its already set up. See, the big bugaboo of old chit/printed/hexagonal wargaming.