A cutscene is an animated or live-action sequence used to advance the story, create spectacle, and provide atmosphere, dialogue, character development, and reveal clues that would otherwise be missed by the player during gameplay. The player often has no control over the game while a cutscene plays.
I find cutscenes to be a double-edged sword. On one hand, they usually look fantastic, allowing your game world and characters to be shown in a way that may not be reproducible in the game engine. However cutscenes carry a stigma. There is a history of many cutscenes being too long, not necessary to the story or a downright chore to watch. Many players will skip through cutscenes (if the game gives them the option to do this!) in order to "get to the game." To avoid this, you should first ask yourself this very important thing:
We'll answer that in a minute. Just as there are many ways to make movies, there are many ways to make cutscenes: full motion video, animated, flash animated, prerendered, puppet shows, and scripted events.
Full motion video (or FMV) cutscenes were popular when video games were first being published on CD media. Titles like Wing Commander III: Heart of the Tiger (Origin, 1994), Command and Conquer (EA, 1995), and The Horde (Crystal Dynamics, 1994) featured live-action cutscenes featuring Hollywood actors and production values. FMVs are usually produced by an outside production company, as they require all the resources of a motion picture production.
FMVs became so popular during the mid-1990s that several systems dedicated to playing interactive movies were produced. Game systems like the 3DO Interactive player, Philips CD-I, and Sega Mega CD (as well as PCs) specialized in games with extensive or playable FMV sequences such as Night Trap (Sega, 1992), Sewer Shark (Sony Imagesoft, 1992), Phantasmagoria (Sierra Online, 1995), and Psychic Detective (EA, 1995). Even though DVD media can easily handle the file size of the videos, FMVs have become less popular with game developers these days. They're usually deemed too expensive to produce for something the game's audience may not even watch.
Animated cutscenes or full motion animations offer a stylistic alternative to FMVs. A cell animated or stop motion animated cutscene is converted into a video format playable by the game's engine, which is then shown during the game's title and story sequences. Players have no control over the game during these sequences. Due to the involved production, generally long shooting time and cost, animated cutscenes are scarce in video games. However, there have been many gorgeous examples of animated cutscenes such as the Neverhood titles (Dreamworks Interactive, 1996), The Curse of Monkey Island (Lucasarts, 1997), and the Professor Layton series (Nintendo, 2007).
Flash animated sequences are animated sequences created in Adobe Flash, which, due to the use of still images and simple movement, lends the animation a certain distinctive visual style. While Flash is often used for a game's animatics, some games used Flash animations for their cutscenes such as in the Sly Cooper series (SCE, 2002), and the first God of War.
Prerendered cutscenes are created using high-resolution versions of the game's character models and environments, with cinematic cameras to create dynamic and dramatic choreography, imagery, and storytelling. Players have no control over the game during these sequences. With enough money, time, and manpower, these prerendered cutscenes can look spectacular—check out any Blizzard title, Final Fantasy series game, or Namco[171] fighting game to see what I mean.
Puppet shows use in-game assets such as characters and environments to create cutscenes. These are called puppet shows because the characters in early versions of these cutscenes moved unnaturally, giving them the impression of marionettes. Visually, they are only distinguished from gameplay by the use of a cinematic camera. Puppet shows can be non-interactive or allow the player limited character and camera movement (such as looking around with the main character's head) as seen in Assassin's Creed (Ubisoft, 2007), and the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare series.
Scripted events are similar to puppet shows where in-game assets are used to create animated sequences, but here the player is allowed limited to full interaction with the game during the sequence. Since their inclusion in games such as Half-Life (Valve, 1998), The Operative: No One Lives Forever (Fox Interactive, 2000), and the Call of Duty series, scripted events have become the preferred method to convey story without upsetting the pace of gameplay. They are quite common in FPS and action games, but if not properly choreographed players run the risk of missing/not seeing the event. They can also get repetitive if the player has to experience them repeatedly due to dying before the event's objectives can be completed[172]. Here are a few ways to make sure your player is watching your scripted event:
Have your events activate only when the player character is actually looking at/facing the scripted event.
Build your level geometry to "frame the scene" so the player gets a clear view of the action.
Move the camera around the environment to give the player an idea of its layout and space.
If you have a mobile camera, be sure to start your event from the player's POV or position. This is particularly important for cutscenes that use the in-game camera to show events like geometry changing position or when giving hints about puzzle elements or revealing enemies. You want to use the camera to always show a clear cause and effect, such as "pull this lever and that door opens."
The good news is, you can now determine which type of storytelling device is best for your cutscene. The bad news is, you now have to write it.
There are so many books on screenwriting, I'm not going to even attempt to go into the level of detail that they do. If you are interested in reading an in-depth analysis on screenwriting, then I suggest the following books[173]:
Since you are reading this book and not theirs, here is a quick and dirty guide to teach you how to write your screenplay like a professional, so it can be used by storyboard artists, cutscene animators, or voice actors.
Step 1. Outline your story. If you don't know the beginning, middle, and end of your story, you won't know what the heck you are writing. But you've already learned this back in Level 3, right?
Step 2. Break your story down scene by scene to determine which characters are in each scene and what locations they take place in. This is going to be important for staging as well as asset creation purposes. You may not be able to have 10,000 Orcish warriors charging over a hill in a puppet show cutscene. You may want to play around with the order of your cutscenes. Maybe you want to start with a flashback, because there is more action in a later scene than in your first scene. For example, in SpongeBob Squarepants: Atlantis Squarepantis (THQ, 2007), we started the game at the end of the story because it was the scene with the most action and we wanted the game to start with a high action scene. I find it better to start with a bang to grab the viewer's attention.
Step 3. Determine which scenes of your story are going to be cutscenes vs being told through gameplay. I prefer to tell as much of the story through gameplay as this is what the player will be doing the most—playing the game. You want to save cutscenes for big moments—kissing and blowing things up—things that the game engine cannot support.
Don't make the player watch something they should doing. It's always better to have the player do than watch... Wait a second, that's a very important thing. Let me try that again.
Step 4. Write your scenes and dialogue. Determine what needs to happen and what needs to be said. Try to communicate it with action as much (if not more) than with words. Write to entertain. It doesn't hurt to be funny either. What you do need to be is brief. As Shakespeare once said, "brevity is the soul of wit." Or in other words, keep it short. Don't bore with a lot of yapping and psycho/technobabble[174]. Try to get your point across in as few words as possible. I used to treat writing dialogue like a game of "Name that Tune." "George, I can write that dialogue in 12 lines." "Oh yeah, well, I can write that in eight lines or less." "Write. That. Dialogue!"
Step 5. Write your script in the official screenplay format. If you are going to be a writing professional (hey, you're writing a video game, so guess what? You are a writing professional) then you'd better learn to do it the way the pros do. Every other entertainment professional uses this format, so there's no reason to reinvent the wheel. Here's a simple style guide:
SCENE #. INT./EXT. (choose one) - LOCATION - TIME OF DAY CAMERA ANGLE Describe the setting, introduce CHARACTERS in ALL CAPS, highlight any ACTION in ALL CAPS too. CHARACTER's NAME (actor's direction goes in parenthesis) Dialogue is written here. Keep it brief.
That's pretty much the basics of screenwriting format! There are plenty of screenwriting formatting programs like Final Draft or Movie Magic available if you want to save time pressing the "tab" key on your keyboard.
Step 6. Read your dialogue. Out loud. Dialogue often sounds great "in your head" when you've written it down, but sounds strange or clunky when it's read out[175]. Expect to rewrite (and rewrite and rewrite) your dialogue.
Step 7. Let it simmer for a day or two. Often you will get new ideas, think of better ways to write scenes or dialogue. Have someone else read it and give you their feedback. Try not to hover too much over them as they do it.
Step 8. Prepare your script for voice actors using a spreadsheet program like Microsoft Excel. Break out the character's dialogue line by line as this is the way voice actors read and record their dialogue. Having the actor's lines isolated will make it easier for them and you to get through what they need to read without having to page through a lengthy script. Make sure to retain scene numbers on your spreadsheet. Remember to give each line of dialogue a file name so the sound engineer has something to name each sound file when they cut up the session tracks. This will be the same file your programmer uses to put the track into the game.
Cold Steele VO Script: Jake Steele dialogue (Actor TBD)
File Name | Dialogue | Notes |
|---|---|---|
Opening_01_01 | Those terrorist bastards have hidden from us for too long, Montoya | Opening cinematic |
Opening_01_02 | Well, they're about to get a taste of COLD STEEL | Place emphasis on "cold steel" |
Opening_01_03 | Saddle up amigo, we're going hunting. | |
Opening_01_04 | Heh. You can say that again. | |
Opening_01_05 | Montoya! Noooooo! | Montoya is killed by terrorist |
Cutscene_01_01 | Just because you've got me trussed up like a Thanksgiving turkey, doesn't mean you've won, Von Slaughter. | |
Cutscene_01_02 | I wouldn't give you the map even if I did have it... Ungh! | Jake is slapped by Von Slaughter at end of line |
Cutscene_01_03 | Go ahead, sucker. Do your worst. | Hurt, but not defeated |
Jake_Climb_01 | Unnnh! | Climbs mountain |
Jake_Climb_02 | Umphf! Umphf! | Alternate climbing take |
Jake_Collect_01 | Come to papa. | Collects pick-up or cash |
Jake_Collect_02 | This will come in useful. | Collects pick-up or cash |
Jake_Collect_03 | Heh heh. | Collects pick-up or cash |
Jake_Health_01 | Oh yeah, that's the stuff. | Drinks health tonic |
Jake_Health_02 | That was a good one. | Drinks health tonic |
Jake_Yell_01 | Yaaaaah!! | Jake's charge move |
Jake_Yell_02 | Here I come, suckers! | Alt charge move |
Jake_Victory_01 | Take that, sucker! | |
Jake_Victory_02 | Ha ha! That's how we did it in the old days! | |
Ow! | ||
Jake_Hit_02 | Oomph! | |
Jake_Hit_03 | Aarrgh! | |
Jake_Death_01 | Yaaaaaaaah! | Jake falls off cliff |
Jake_Death_02 | Ung! Ooooh! | Jake is shot and drops to his knees |
Jake_Death_03 | Not again! Uhhhhh! | Alternate death take |
Jake_Death_04 | YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA! | Burned to death |
As you may have noticed from above, VO (that stands for voice over, btw. And btw stands for by the way, btw) scripts have a lot of "YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" and "Oomph!" and "Unngh!" in them. Voice actors read these lines very literally so write it the way you want it to sound. There's a big difference to a voice actor between "Arg!" and "Aaaargh!". One's a pirate and the other is a death rattle.
If you're not sure how to spell a grunt, hit reaction, or death cry, I suggest reading comic books. They're filled with all sorts of onomatopoeic[176] words like POW! CRASH! And AIIEEE!
Now that you've written your script and broken it out, I find it helpful to record a temp track. This is a track of moderately talented amateur actors and team members—such as you—reading the lines for the purposes of determining audio file size and length. All you need to record a temp track is your script, a willing actor, a decent microphone, computer software that can record audio, and a quiet, non-echoing place to record. Try to do your best to read the line the way you will eventually want it performed by a professional voice actor. However, it's a bad idea to animate a character's lip synch to a temp track: the actor's performance is going to end up very different than that of the temp actor. You should only use temp track audio for timing and blocking purpose.
Speaking of voice actors, while you could play the part of Jake Steele, international terrorist killer, you really should hire a professional actor for the final game. I've had the privilege of working with dozens of VO actors over the years and, believe me, there is a HUGE difference in the performance you get from an actor versus an amateur. You want the best for your game, right? So hire an actor. (Or two. Or three. Or a dozen.) But before you can hire an actor, you're going to need to hire a voice director.
Voice directors are extremely helpful people (and usually very nice too). They will help you cast your game's characters based on the description of the character you give them. Make sure you're accurate with what you send them and don't be vague. If necessary, give the voice director the name of an existing actor you are imagining would be perfect for the role. Who knows, you may even be able to get them for the part[177]! They will book the studio time and help you get the best rate. A voice director will help you schedule your time to get the most recording time with your actors. They will direct the actors during the voiceover sessions and work with the sound technicians to get the best quality results.
As you get ready for the voiceover session, send the script to the voice director. It doesn't have to be the final draft, but make sure you let the voice director know that you will be bringing changes to the script with you. On the day of the voice session, be sure to bring the following with you:
Extra physical copies of the script.
A highlighter, for calling out lines to the actor in the script during the session.
A ballpoint pen or pencil, to make notes and to keep track of changes to the script. (Trust me, there will be changes.)
Images of the characters the actors are playing. Bring whatever you can to give the actor an idea of what the character looks like. In many cases, VO actors will play several parts in your game so even if it's "drooling alien no. 2" bring an image to help them bring that character to life (and send it ahead of time to the voice director as well to aid in casting).
A book or handheld game. "Hurry up and wait" is the motto of the entertainment industry. There is always plenty of "down time" as actors and sound technicians prepare for the session. Keep out of their way, but don't wander off too far.
Beverages and snacks—voice sessions can last all day if not all week. And even though all you're doing is sitting and listening to actors all day, it can be exhausting! Be prepared!
If you aren't the game writer/designer, make sure your writer/designer is on hand when it's time for the voiceover recording session too. Very often, there will need to be script rewrites and the actors and voice director don't always know the context of the line. You may need something very specific for your game: don't leave it up to someone else. Not that there's any problem with improvisation—giving an actor free reign to create great additions and alternate takes on your script will not only give you plenty of material to work with, but the actors enjoy doing it too—and if they enjoy working with you, they will want to work with you again in the future.
And finally, have fun! Remember, you are getting paid to sit in a room listening to actors say lines that you have written! It doesn't get much better than that!
Level 16's Universal Truths and Clever Ideas:
Your cutscenes should fit the style, budget, and schedule of your game.
Learn and write your script in the standard screenwriting format.
Start your game off with a bang to draw audiences in.
It's better to have the player do than watch: tell your story using gameplay.
Allow the player to skip cutscenes, and don't make them watch them over and over again.
Keep your cutscenes short to save player's time and your money.
Use cutscenes for kissing and explosions: save your cutscenes for big spectacular moments and intimate ones. Do everything else in gameplay.
Professional actors make a big difference. Use them whenever possible.
Break out your actor's material when preparing for voice acting sessions.
[171] During the production of Tekken 3, I remember the game's Japanese producer proudly telling me that the game's spectacular cinematics were the work of just two animators. He then told me that both of them ended up in the hospital due to exhaustion.
[172] This often leads to the "Groundhog Day" phenomenon, where the player feels like they are caught in a time loop having to live out the same sequence of events over and over again.
[173] Do me a favor and read them AFTER you've finished this one, OK?
[174] Yes, Metal Gear Solid series, I'm still looking at you.
[175] I am reminded of Harrison Ford's quote to George Lucas about Star Wars' dialogue: "George, you can type this sh*t, but you sure as hell can't say it."
[176] That's a fancy way of saying "It's spelled like it sounds."
[177] This happened to game developer Tim Schaeffer, who thought he could never get Jack Black to play the lead in Brütal Legend.