Halo 1 & 2 for PC
This topic has moved here: Subject: Sierra (second episode now released)
  • Subject: Sierra (second episode now released)
Subject: Sierra (second episode now released)
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Here it is, the thing I've been working on for a year now...ya...

First of all, bungie mods. I know this Machinima is in Halo 3. However, it started out as a H2v project and I sure as hell don't want this to get thrown down the gullet of that idiotic fetish known as the Halo 3 forums. Leave me here, a Maw reg, I shall not disappoint.

Anyway, this video is what I would like to call bitter sweet. I'm extreamlly happy that I got this released and counting on more well on the way. But I'm also kind of disappointed that this could be so much better if Halo 3 would let you lower your weapon online. Oh, and that my capture card sucks. And don't forget about how my CGI animator lied to me till the last second making me cut out half of the video and creating a whole new intro just so this would make sense. Well, you can read up on the details here.

I could use a few voice actors in producing the next few if anyone cares to help. And rest assure the quality will increase as I go along, I'm still learning how to do this whole Halo 3 thing anyway.

Hope you liked it.

Happy New Year.

[Edited on 01.29.2008 1:21 PM PST]

  • 12.29.2007 10:59 PM PDT
Subject: Sierra, Part I of an epic
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Impressive, I'll take a look at the script and decide if I want to help out

  • 12.29.2007 11:34 PM PDT
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I don't know who current voice actors are, but they suck. I'm sorry, but at 2:00 (the sit-rep part) there was absolutely no emotion in the voices at all. I just stopped watching. The script was excellent, the voices were not.

Edit: The intro first person ground shake was an excellent idea.

Edit: OK I watched it twice. At 4:55 (abouts) you hear "Nice shot" "Nice throw" which is great, and then "get down here" which sounds like utter crap. There needs to be more intensity in the voice acting perhaps? Something to entice people instead of dragging it on with emotionlessly-voiced dialogue.

Edit: The ending was probably one of the dialogue sweet spots. "I'm fine... let's go". My only dislike, it just seems as if it's spoken too fast. Maybe a sigh between or have "fine" emphasised greater.

Overall it was good, but it could be far better.

[Edited on 12.30.2007 12:26 AM PST]

  • 12.30.2007 12:18 AM PDT
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The script really didn't need any intense voice acting at the time, and the main character I wanted to be "voice less" for a reason. He needed to be an everyman from my opinion, and that was carried out successfully. As for the other characters (aside from the sergeant) I totally see your point. However this episode didn't inspire much dialog aside from the typical military orders. However in the later episodes when you start seeing some "problems" with characters and a few meaningful speeches you'll notice a difference simply because the voice actors will be trying to ensue emotion. Here they kinda weren't.

But your criticism is noted.

  • 12.30.2007 12:28 AM PDT
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Posted by: No Refunds
The script really didn't need any intense voice acting at the time, and the main character I wanted to be "voice less" for a reason. He needed to be an everyman from my opinion, and that was carried out successfully. As for the other characters (aside from the sergeant) I totally see your point. However this episode didn't inspire much dialog aside from the typical military orders. However in the later episodes when you start seeing some "problems" with characters and a few meaningful speeches you'll notice a difference simply because the voice actors will be trying to ensue emotion. Here they kinda weren't.

But your criticism is noted.

If you were aiming for the main character to be "voice less" then that's fine. I still don't think it's right, but I guess I'll see more reasons as more of it is released.

  • 12.30.2007 12:34 AM PDT
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Pretty much everything has been discussed here, but I'll give my say anyway.

There seems to be a bit of an identity crisis here. All the soldiers look exactly the same, you don't really get attached to any of them; there doesn't seem to be any real personality.

* The dude on the turret was clearly sniped by the Human Sniper, yet later, the Elite holding the rifle was holding a Beam Rifle
* What's the point of whispering "covering fire"? You're in a battlefield, deliver a sense of epic. If that made any sense :P
* Again, I'm having a lack of personal attachment to anyone here, and the voices just don't feel "right".

I don't really want to critique anymore than this, but great work nontheless =] It just lacks a bit of personal attachment, and suffers from a bit of an identity crisis.

Pretty good work =D

EDIT: I'm wasn't me. I'm tired now, so I won't hold back, and I'll be honest: It sucked. It was boring. Had to slog through it just to watch it. Try again, bud.

[Edited on 12.30.2007 7:16 AM PST]

  • 12.30.2007 12:54 AM PDT
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You only saw one main character. The marines are all just to present an environment. When you actually see the next main character you'll understand.

  • 12.30.2007 11:13 AM PDT

#1. Nice! Hope to see more coming!
#2. Voices still need more enthusiasm. But otherwise, brilliant

[Edited on 01.29.2008 5:44 PM PST]

  • 12.30.2007 1:08 PM PDT
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Posted by: No Refunds
You only saw one main character. The marines are all just to present an environment. When you actually see the next main character you'll understand.
That doesn't mean there wasn't an identity crisis going on here. The main character seems kinda emo to me, like he's "had a rough past", but it was poorly executed.

I'm a jerk, leave me alone =[

  • 12.30.2007 3:18 PM PDT
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Lol, yep you are a jerk. Nut I do like the criticism, it lets me know what I do wrong. But I think you kinda need to learn what you can and can't do in Machinima. It's not like I have a paid cast of professional actors. Though this could be made MUCH better (the second episode which I just finished filming abut an hour ago kicks this one in the ass) there are limits to what is possible in machinima.

I hate to brag, but go look at some of the majority of videos coming out, and you'll find that even this crushes them.

  • 12.30.2007 3:50 PM PDT
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Yeah, I'm a person that likes to be brutally honest here, but I've been a jerk to everyone lately, so >_>

=[ Either way, keep up =D

  • 12.30.2007 3:52 PM PDT
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The combat scenes were nice and intense, but too linnear (try having the camera view the combat in different angles, such as Spielberg style where you can see the onslaught in the enemy gunner's point of view. Watch the first 20 min of Saving Private Ryan to understand what I mean. xD ).

The voice acting was horrible, but other than that, everything was fine and dandy. 4/5 overall. =D

  • 12.31.2007 7:56 AM PDT

Slaying noobs since 2007.

Nice job, I do agree with everyone else on this in the area that voice acting could be better, and work a tad on the camera angles, but other than that great. Make sure to use some footage of campaign to use in it.

  • 12.31.2007 11:39 AM PDT
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Thanks for the criticisms guys. We just put episode 2 into video and are probably gonna work with it tomorrow. To put this in perspective, episode one originally had over 60 lines, we had to cut that down to about 35 because of the lack of a 3d animation. Episode two has 86, several are long winded. And episode three has 70 on the dot, and thats with loads of action in between.

In short, there were a lot of compromises with the first episode, expect to see a difference in the second and so on.

I could still use some voice actors <.<

  • 01.04.2008 9:08 PM PDT
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I finished the second episode...I can't say I'm proud of it but it translates the series. As you guys can see, I am still in a voice actor delema which is the reason for the delay, and even now the quality is not spectacular.

For anyone who attempts to make Machinima, equate this, because I'm starting to realize it. While your writing the script, plan and expect everything you write and imagine to go entirely wrong...because more often than not it will.

Now that depressing note aside, here's the next episode (yaaaaay right?)

[Edited on 01.29.2008 1:23 PM PST]

  • 01.29.2008 1:20 PM PDT
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OK, episode two is better than episode one.

Out of curiosity, how are voices recorded?

  • 01.29.2008 5:03 PM PDT
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In the method the voice actors see best (as you can see, some of them make good decisions, others...not so much). We just take them as they send them to us. I really can't do anything about sound quality, as I don't necessarily have a budget to afford good mics for all my actors.

When life hands you lemons, make lemonaid.

  • 01.29.2008 5:18 PM PDT

Posted by: No Refunds
When life hands you lemons, make lemonaid.

No water? Sugar? Whoa! Sour

  • 01.29.2008 5:45 PM PDT

Slaying noobs since 2007.

Good job.

  • 01.29.2008 6:07 PM PDT
Subject: Sierra (second episode now released)
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Yes, I am a hypocrite, and I'm sorry. I really do mean well, but I'm not running on all cylinders.

Everytime someone buys a copy of Halo 2 Vista, a puppy dies.

Blah.

[Edited on 01.29.2008 6:15 PM PST]

  • 01.29.2008 6:14 PM PDT
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Posted by: n357
Blah.

Thats...a good thing...right?

  • 01.29.2008 6:27 PM PDT
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Yes, I am a hypocrite, and I'm sorry. I really do mean well, but I'm not running on all cylinders.

Everytime someone buys a copy of Halo 2 Vista, a puppy dies.

I'm just disappointed I didn't get to do voice acting for you. I really wanted to. It's good!

  • 01.29.2008 6:44 PM PDT

Hello! Star Wars FTW. Also, join the MAW group. Please?

Admiral Picard? Nice. Anyhow, all of my critisims are due to limitations of resources available to you, and limitations of using a video game to create a film in the first place, so I just won't mention them. I respect what you are trying to do though, it's very hard to have drama machinima taken seriously, but you are trying anyway, and I admit to some level of success.

  • 01.30.2008 10:49 AM PDT
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The line was written Packerd. The voice actor was a moron, I just had to deal with it though as his crappy british accent was less crappy than everyone else's normal speech. He was the only one who didn't stumble.

  • 01.30.2008 11:38 AM PDT