P4 - Creating my Music Video
12.01.2021 - A change in course
Due to the limitations of remote learning and being unable to leave home for non-essential reasons, I made the decision to create and record my music video digitally in the game "Garry's Mod". Garry's Mod is a physics sandbox game built from Valve's "Source" game engine, the same one used for Valve's games like Portal and Half-life 2.
Garry's Mod is a suitable alternative to other digital methods like animation, because it is very straight-forward and easy to use, albeit somewhat limiting in functionality as a filming tool. It will allow me to create the video closer to my original ideas, as I do not have to concern myself with Covid-19 restrictions anymore. (For example, I can include shots of a crowded dance floor.)
In the game, I have the ability to create scenes using a near-infinite range of 3D models, from the Source engine and from user-generated content that I can download. I can also manipulate the lighting of the environment, as well as posing and manipulating character models to substitute live actors.
The main limitation of these character models that I have discovered is the lack of face manipulation on many models, meaning I cannot give them facial expressions beyond their default state. The other main limitation is my own skill and patience with animating the character model's bodies.
I will be obtaining footage by recording my screen using OBS, a free open-source software. I will be filming in 25fps to compensate for my PC's inability to run and record the game at a consistent 60fps, which caused the footage to be stuttery at times. The stuttering still exists, but it's intensity is mitigated at lower recording speeds. The footage will be recorded at 1920x1080p and encoded with the H.264 codec.
Overall, I feel very confident in my ability to create the music video in this way. There will likely be many more problems and limitations I discover, but it is still preferable over filming live-action and having to make major comprimises on aspects of the video.
Scene 1 - HOME
Screenshot of the Bedroom set in the same angle as Shot 3
I filmed Scene 1 on the 12th and 13th of January. The scene was created using a motel room from a L4D2 map as a base, then added extra details like rubbish + clothes on the floor, empty cans/bottles everywhere, and of course the Jacket model, his phone and the package.
My original plan was to film in my bedroom, but I have had to compromise. The motel room that I found from an existing game map served as a viable substitute, so I used that instead as it was the closest thing I had available to me besides creating a bedroom set from scratch.
The Motel room also works with the narrative of the story, since my original ideas for Jacket was that he would be quite poor and his room a total mess. Motels are stereotypically used by mostly the working class, so it fits in that regard.
The only inconsistency with my original planning is that motels are almost exclusively american, and my original setting was the UK. To justify my use of a motel, I have actually decided to change my video's setting to modern-day US. This is because most of the sets that are readily available to me are set in the US, so it is much more convenient for me to change my video in that regard.
The Jacket model is actually a user-generated model based on the actual Jacket character in Hotline Miami. This includes an assortment of masks that I can use. I will be using the pig mask in future scenes.
To film the shots, I simply positioned my player at the location and angle desired and screen recorded my perspective with OBS. For this reason, I cannot show images of the camera set-up, since there was no camera. Camera movements were achieved by moving my player or it's field of view in real time.
Jacket's animations in the sequence were achieved using an animation tool that I played in real-time during the recording. The tool functioned by creating keyframes at important positions in the pose, then tweening the keyframes together to create smooth motion.
SHOT 1 / 2:
Shots 1 & 2 were filmed in the same way as originally intended on my storyboard. They both act to establish the scene, mostly focusing on how messy it is by showing unkempt aspects of the room. Having a virtual set allowed me to add many 3D prop models with ease, instead of having to aquire lots of cans, bottles and other rubbish for a live-action set.
SHOT 3:
Shot 3 was also filmed as intended for the most part. The exact layout of the room is slightly different since the storyboard was drawn to mirror my bedroom, the original location for the scene. The shot is positioned in the top corner of the room to give an all-encompassing view of the entire scene, including all important components of it; Jacket lying on his bed, the package on the dresser and his phone on the desk beside the bed.
It also shows the contents of the last 2 shots, which confirms that the previous shots took place in the same room.
Shot 3 also serves as the title card for the video. In editing I will add a text overlay that says "HYDROGEN".
SHOT 4:
Shot 4 is a zoom shot of Jacket's phone. Due to my own skill and limitations of the software, I made the decision to add the camera rotation and phone screen in post, while editing the video. Originally, the phone would have lit up with a call, but that is not something I can pull off (at least to my knowledge) in Garry's Mod.
SHOT 5:
Shot 5 was complicated to create. It was the first of many times I had to use animation tools for the video. This required learning how to use the tool, and then creating Jacket's movements as he looks up from his bed.
In short, I succeeded in doing so. The movement of the model isn't great, or even particularly human, however I am still satisfied with the result. Of course my original plan had a real person do these movements, which would be no doubt very realistic. This is simply one of the limitations of my animation skill and of the program itself.
SHOT 6:
Shot 6 was much like shot 5, where I had to animate Jacket once again. This time, it was only a simple head turn, however. Besides being virtual, the shot was filmed as originally intended. Jacket is positioned with his shoulders roughly along the middle of the shot (horizontally) to make the shot shoulder-height, with his eyes close to the upper third line, adhering to the rule of thirds.
Lining up shots along third lines is easier than with an actual camera, because I can have full control over character's movements and position in frame, rather than relying on actors who cannot see from my perspective.
SHOT 7:
The last shot of the scene is shot 7. It is another shot of the dresser of rubbish, but this time focusing more on the box in particular, which is the package containing Jacket's mask. This was filmed as originally intended bar digitally. The slight pan right in the shot is to mirror Jacket looking right in the previous shot, making shot 7 appear as if it was from Jacket's perspective. My player character, an easy substitute for a camera, was actually positioned decently infront of Jacket so that the shot was closer to the package, so it isn't really a POV shot.
NOTE: The filming from Scene 2 onwards was completed in a much less chronological order, with shots being recorded from the 15th to the 27th of January.
Scene 2 - DRIVE
Screenshot of the animating tool used to create movement without player interaction. This example is of shot 14.
While looking for this map, I also found other maps that I could use for future locations such as the main club area and the mob boss' office.
Many of the shots in this scene required manipulating objects and characters inside of a car model, which was surprisingly a massive hurdle. When trying to pose Jacket while the model was inside the car, the tools would simply select the car instead. It took hours to find an addon with a tool that set the car model to an "ignored" state where it could not be interacted with.
SHOT 8:
Shot 8 was filmed more or less as planned, however there was one important fact that affects every shot involving the car. The model of the car is American, meaning that the driver's seat is on the left side instead of the right. This fits with the change of setting from the UK to the US, but nevertheless changes the composition of every shot of the car.
In many cases, the shots are simply recorded in a "mirrored" manner compared to the original storyboard.
SHOT 9:
Shot 9 took a few attempts to get right, because I was controlling the car to drive it across the scene while looking at it from the camera's perspective. Due to the digital set instead of the original location planned, the movement of the car relative to the camera is slightly different, however it remains mostly as initially planned; the car moves towards the camera then turns and moves right, across the frame.
I used the "tracking" feature of the camera tool to follow the car automatically instead of moving the camera myself.
SHOT 10:
Shot 10 was very straightforward as there was no movement of objects or the camera. Besides using a different, digital car instead of the original planned car, which resulted in different headlights. I actually prefer the digital car as it looks cooler.
SHOT 11:
Shot 11 included more animation that I had to create, which was quite time consuming. Other than the mirrored composition compared to the storyboard, the shot was filmed without compromise.
SHOT 12:
Shot 12 was quite different to the original plan, due to the new digital location. Originally, the bouncer would have been directly facing the car, but in the new location there is a tunnel structure leading to the entrance space, which runs perpendicular to the car. This meant that I chose to position the bouncer facing left instead of away from the camera, as I wanted him to be leaning against the wall.
SHOT 13:
Shot 13 is very similar to shot 8, only with a slight tilt down which is done to mirror Jacket's head movement in shot 11. This tells the viewer that this is a POV shot from Jacket's perspective.
SHOT 14:
Shot 14 involved animation again, which took a while to set up. As with the other shots, it is mirrored in composition, with Jacket now on the right hand side leaning left instead of left leaning right.
I decided that moving the box with Jacket holding it would be too complicated and time consuming to record, so instead I made Jacket look around cautiously to fill out the length of the shot. This still makes sense narratively and it is the first solid hint to the viewer that Jacket is up to no good.
SHOT 15:
Shot 15 is used solely to emphasise the importance of the animal mask while teasing the viewer by not showing the front of it. They can see enough to know it is a pig mask, but not enough to be satisfied as a large portion of the mask is out of view.
SHOT 16:
Shot 16 was definitely a compromise in quality due to technical limitations and time concern. Animating Jacket getting out of the car alongside an animated door opening and closing was deemed to complicated to pull off with my skills. Another problem was that there was no independant model for the car door, so my only option was to leave it removed or Jacket would appear to phase through it. Overall, it still conveys the fact that Jacket is leaving the car while again teasing the mask by only showing the back of it.
The original shot described Jacket's head being out of view, but due to there being no door closing sequence I decided to show more of Jacket getting up instead to fill out the shot time, which consequently shows the mask. Fortunately, it is only the back, so mystery remains on what the front looks like.
SHOT 17:
Shot 17 was recorded with the help of one of my friends, who was controlling Jacket so that I wouldn't need to animate all of the walking myself. My friend edited the model of the car in real-time to remove and replace the boot section, and switched to a bat to look as though he picked it up.
I couldn't use my own player model as switching to the bat and editing the car model would have brought up UI elements over my screen, ruining the recording.
---One note for this shot and all others filmed with my friend on 20/01/2021 is that I accidently left the Discord overlay on in the corner of my screen. Cropping the shots by zooming in would hide that, but may compromise visual quality. If needs be, I may re-shoot these shots later. For now, I only have time to leave it as is.---
UPDATE 22/01/2021 I rerecorded those shots, adding better npc poses and removing the Discord overlay before filming.
SHOT 18:
Shot 18 was difficult to set up as it required complex camera movement combined with Jacket walking through the tunnel. To accomplish this, I used my own player model to walk along the tunnel so that I wouldn't have to animate anything. To record the shot, I set up a moving camera track along the back wall and timed it so that the speed of the movement roughly lined up with the player's walking speed.
This shot is the dramatic full reveal of Jacket in his full glory, with the pig mask on and a baseball bat in hand.
SHOT 19:
Shot 19 is used complementary to shot 18, finally revealing to the viewer the pig mask from the front. It is a slow zoom shot which will show intermittantly
alongside shot 18. The focus on the mask, without a wearer as of yet, implies that the mask is important in it's own right, hinting at it's deeper meaning in the concept of the video.
SHOT 20:
Shot 20 was also recorded with my friend. He attacks the bouncer, sadistically beats his lifeless body and then enters the back entrance to the club. Unfortunately due to technical and time limitations, the bouncer doesn't seem to react to Jacket at all before being killed, but that is simply another compromise on the long list of compromises I have had to make.
---Same issue with Discord overlay here.---
UPDATE 22/01/2021 While rerecording this shot I added an animation to the npc that played before he was killed. This makes it appear as though he was reacting to jacket, increasing realism and quality of the shot.
Scene 3 - FLASHY
This screenshot is of the camera track I set up for shot 21.
The main club area, on the other hand, is from an entirely different map that I used just for the main club shots.
SHOT 21:
Shot 21 was recorded in the same manner as shot 18 from scene 2. I used a moving camera track and positioned it to follow Jacket's bat as he walks towards the entrance thug. The original shot followed the bat from near ground-level with Jacket holding it downwards, but due to technical difficulties that was not possible to pull off adequately.
SHOT 22:
Shot 22 was a major compromise compared to my original idea due to technical limitations and time constraints. I could not animate the face as it was simply not a feature of the model I was using, and creating a lively animation of the body myself was simply beyond my ability within the time frame. With that in mind, I decided to choose a more crude approach and manipulate the ragdoll model in real-time with the default move tool. I froze the head in place so that the thug would be looking in the right direction and rapidly moved the body section around to create an erratic flailing movement.
Whether I am satisfied with the shot is still undecided, but I don't have any better ideas so it will have to stay for now.
SHOT 23:
Shot 23 was another shot filmed with my friend to attack the thug. As with the last attack, the thug does not react to Jacket approaching due to technical limitations, although as of writing I have thought of a way to animate the thugs during these shots. This combined with the Discord overlay issue brings a good reason to reshoot these shots, so that might be what I do if I have time.
--UPDATE 22/01/2021 -- This shot has been rerecorded and I posed the npc in such a way as though he has readied himself for combat. Overlay also removed.
SHOT 24:
Shot 24 was recorded alongside shots 29 and 39 as they are all more or less the same. It involved creating a nightclub dance floor location, complete with refreshments and booths at the other end of the large room. Shots 24, 29 and 39 are all of people on the dance floor dancing. These characters are simple npcs rigged to play a cheering animation on a loop, as there was no specific dance animation available. Some npcs I set to perform different animations to substitute variety in dance moves.
SHOT 25:
Shot 25 was initially planned to be a single shot, but I chose to record both parts separately for ease. This was also because the desired composition for both shots could not be achieved without changing the camera's location between shots. This will still feel like a single shot, however, because I will create a whip pan transition between them to mask the cut.
SHOT 26:
Shot 26 was difficult to record because it required precise timing between the camera movement, my friend's movement and the animation of the thug looking left. It took several tries to get a shot that I felt was adequate, and even then it wasn't perfect.
SHOT 27:
Shot 27 was more or less like Shot 23 to record, only I set the thug to be sitting down by the wall, somewhat looking as if he were cowering. Again this shot was recorded with my friend to help control the Jacket model while I followed behind him in-line with the original storyboard. As I follow, I arc the camera round to continue focus on the action and mirror Jacket's turn round the corner. This movement is quite primitive but it does the job.
Scene 4 - TENSION
This screenshot shows the camera and lighting setup for shots 36 and 37.
This scene uses locations from 3 different maps; the corridors, which are from the same map as those in scene 2 and 3, the main club area from scene 3 and a new map for the mob boss' office and the room outside of it. The scene cross cuts between shots of Jacket's spree of violence and 2 thugs' efforts to warn and protect the mob boss.
SHOT 28:
Shot 28 was difficult to get right in terms of timing, as I set up a moving camera track and had to align my player model to walk forwards while staying in frame. This meant that I needed to set the speed of the camera track to match my player walking speed, then time the shot to get my player's feet in the centre of the frame. This took several attempts to pull off adequately.
SHOT 29:
Shot 29 is another part of shot 24, as I recorded them all together.
SHOT 30:
Shot 30 took a long time to create because it was the most complex animation I have had to do while creating the video. It required coordination between the Jacket, Thug and bat models to line up their movements so that it appears as though they are interacting. I added a flickering light effect to the side of the frame to add some variety in the lighting of the video, since most lighting used is static.
SHOT 31.1:
Shot 31.1 is more or less the same as shot 25.2, with the same camera position and angle with the same composition. The only difference is that this time, the thug points to the left side of the screen, gesturing to the other thug in the room to leave.
SHOT 31.2:
Shot 31.2 was filmed with my friend so that I wouldn't have to animate walking. It is a simple shot with the same position as shot 25.1 only the thug walks away from the camera, towards the door in the background.
SHOT 32:
Shot 32 was filmed on the final recording day 27.01.2021 with my friend. It was a little more complicated than expected because I could not get the angle I wanted for the shot without pushing my player against the wall, which made my player walk at a different speed to my friend. In a short shot this is not very noticable but it did mean that the shot took a good few attempts to get to a reasonable take. The shot is very similar to shot 21, only I chose not to use the moving camera track.
SHOT 33:
Shot 33 was another complex animation to create because of the appearance of character interaction required for the shot. This didn't take as long as the bat strangle as it is a shorter shot and does not have the added complexity of a prop being used. The shot was the same as initially planned as a two shot of Jacket and the thug as he snaps the thugs neck.
SHOT 34.1:
Shot 34.1 was filmed on the final recording day 27.01.2021 with two of my friends. The last few shots I recorded required two actors as animating characters would not have been suitable. In this shot, my friends (acting as thugs) enter the room one after another to warn the mob boss of Jacket.
SHOT 34.2:
Shot 34.2 actually had to be rerecorded using a different boss model due to a fault with the player version of the previous boss model. In later shots, it is required for the boss to be controlled by a player for ease, but the original model I was using did not have a version for a player to use. This meant that I had to find another model and record this shot again, as I had already done so before encountering the problem.
SHOT 35:
Shot 35 was another shot recorded on 27.01.2021 with my 2 friends, this time with them exiting the office and standing outside it with guns. I made sure to cross reference the composition of this shot with shot 40, in which the position of the thugs and the weapons they're holding were already shown. If I used different positions or weapons, then the shots would be inconsistant.
SHOT 36:
Shot 36 was another complex animation that needed to imitate character interaction. This was actually the first complex animation I created, before the strangling and neck snap shots. It involves Jacket punching a thug repeatedly while kneeling over him. The shot is lit from the front but below the camera's position, to focus more light on Jacket's face and less on his back.
SHOT 37:
Shot 37 was created with more animation to imitate the thug squirming as he panics and gives Jacket information, pointing to the right as he does so. I also animated Jacket's head to turn slightly, just so that he is not completely static during the shot.
SHOT 38:
Shot 38 was recorded in two separate parts. The first part was recorded using the same model as the last shots, animating it to look up and to the side as the camera tilt upwards. I have actually kept 2 versions of the shot as I am still undecided on which to use, and I will make that decision while editing.
The second part was filmed with my friend and, despite my original plans to keep shot 38 as a single shot, it was filmed separately to the first part. The camera angle is not exactly the same as the first part, but not so much that it is noticeable. Not that it really matters anyway, since the shot is interrupted by a cutaway to shot 39.
SHOT 39:
Shot 39 is another part of shots 24 and 29.
SHOT 40:
Shot 40 was filmed with my friend. He walked through the archway as I followed with the camera. I positioned 2 npc thugs standing by the door to the boss' office, holding guns. Guns are never actually used in the video beyond being held, and I'd like to think that the implication of Jacket's victory in the next scene, despite not even carrying his bat anymore, makes him all the more intimidating as an anti-hero.
Scene 5 - CLIMAX
This screenshot shows the camera position for shot 45, where Jacket slams the suitcase down onto the mob boss.
This is the only scene besides the first that only shows one location. It is entirely based in the mob boss' office as Jacket corners the boss and kills him, stealing the suitcase.
Note that the original plans used a briefcase instead of a suitcase, but they are more or less interchangable, only that I'm calling it a suitcase since it's larger and that's what the item was called in the game, and it was the best substitute available.
SHOT 41.1:
Shot 41.1 was awkward to set up, as the original door to the office was not suitable for the shot I wanted. My original plan was for Jacket to burst through the door, slamming it open, but the door to the office could not be opened at different speeds. It was also hinged on the less convenient side of the doorframe which would make Jacket have to peer awkwardly around it as he entered.
In light of this, I chose to have Jacket destroy the door instead. This doesn't make much sense from a realism stand point, but I didn't have many other options that emphasised Jacket's strength. The only issue with this new idea was that the door itself was not destructable in the way that I wanted it to be, so instead I created a wooden panel to replace the door that was destructable, then have my friend, who was helping me with the shot, break it and walk through the open doorway.
For some reason I didn't think to save this new door substitute before recording, so after every take I had to replace the panel and set it up again.
SHOT 41.2:
Shot 41.2 was recorded on 27.01.2021 with one of my friends acting as the mob boss. It's a janky, awkward shot due to the way player movement works in Garry's Mod, but I still think that it was a more efficient alternative to animating very complex movement. My friend crouches along the desk and then walks to the right of the frame. Unfortunately, as mentioned in the beginning, emotion cannot be shown on the character's faces due to the limitations of the program, and this is one of the shots that is most affected by that. The mob boss was originally going to be panicked and scared, but that is difficult to convey only in the crude motions of a player character.
SHOT 42:
Shot 42 was a simple shot of Jacket tilting his head, created with basic animation. I chose to record the shot at a slight dutch angle to somewhat reflect his head tilt.
SHOT 43:
Shot 43 was the last shot I filmed, using the help of both my friends. Even in the original planning, it was going to be an awkward shot to pull off, and the transition to digital made it much more awkward. This was mostly because of the difficulty attached to camera movement in the program. Without using a moving camera track, smooth movement of the camera's position is simply not possible, and the shot needed to adapt to my friend's movements so a track was deemed unsuitable.
In the end, I chose to instead leave out the movement as when I tried to move closer, it appeared janky and unpleasant since the video-game platform became too clear. I could still smoothly pan the camera across, but smooth movement and zooming is more difficult.
SHOT 44:
Shot 44 was another simple shot, with basic animation to move Jacket's hands back out of frame and make the boss look up slowly. I also moved his arms slightly so that the shot wasn't quite as still.
SHOT 45:
Shot 45, the last shot of scene 5, was more animation. However, it was a bit more complicated as there was a prop involved that was more or less the focus of the shot. I animated Jacket to swing the suitcase down towards the camera, as originally planned. This coincidentally made the shot end on black, as the suitcase blocks the entire frame.
Scene 6 - RESOLUTION
Screenshot of shot 51. It mirrors shot 9 from the 2nd scene but the car is driving away instead.
SHOT 46:
Shot 46 was recorded in the main club set, but this time focusing on one of the booths at the back of the room. I set up some npcs to be sitting and the booth and applied a preset idle animation so that they wouldn't be totally static. I also added an extra light from above so that the shot wasn't so dark.
SHOT 47/48/49:
Shot 47, 48 and 49 were all recorded with my friend controlling Jacket. Now, he is holding the suitcase that he stole earlier and is leaving the club. Each shot is the same set as a previous scene to show the audience that he is going back. To emphasise this, Jacket is now facing to the left of the frame as he moves, while before he was mostly facing right while moving. This reinforces his return in the audiences minds and refrains from breaking the continuity of the video.
SHOT 50:
Shot 50 was recorded at the same position and angle as shot 11 from scene 2. The only difference is that now Jacket has the suitcase in the car with him and also has the mask in his left hand as he just took it off. Some basic animation was used to make Jacket sit up as though he is thinking about what he has just done.
SHOT 51:
Shot 51 is the last shot of the video and the longest. It is the same angle as shot 9 from scene 2, only the car is moving the opposite direction as Jacket leaves. I chose to do this because it gives a sense of closure to the video by showing Jacket leave the club behind him. It also hints that the events of the video are cyclical in some way, as the video ends the same way as the second scene began. Most of the last scene echoes previous shots to hint at this, and I did this to reference back to the game Hotline Miami, which the video's narrative is based off of. In the game, Jacket commits these acts of mass murder over and over again, each in a different location but with one similarity; he drives to the location, and he drives back from the location.
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