Animated Tutorials (NEW THREAD)

[LiveInTheDream]

INTRODUCTION: So I think it would be extremely helpful (and entertaining) to have a few of our tutorials animated. Like...flash walk through animations that would allow someone to get a feel for what it might be like to experience some aspect of LDing. Some people, like me...are visual learners and would greatly benefit from this. I agree with Aquanina, but unfortunately the thread in which this was posted was several years old, and as such it was closed down. So that's why I'm making this thread. The benefit of animated tutorials seems immediately obvious to me. I don't know how many people I've led to dreamviews.com only to hear them say "I checked it out, but I didn't want to spend that long reading tutorials." Funny thing is, they usually tell me about all the youtube videos they watched that day...so maybe the problem isn't the tutorials themselves, just the way they are delivered. Newcomers who don't yet have an appreciation for lucid dreaming would probably be far more willing to watch an animated tutorial than read a bunch of long posts. THE PROJECT: So I would like to revive the project of animating the tutorials...and actually get something done. I have written a screenplay for the Dream Signs Animated Tutorial to get us started: Spoiler for script: ============================== Dream Signs Animated Tutorial ============================== -Dreamviews.com Intro plays -A wizard comes on the screen and delivers the opening statements from the written tutorial (if no voice actor is available, subtitles can do just fine). The wizard will continue to narrate throughout the animation using the written tutorial as a script. -First example of a dream sign: electronics fail. Show the popular animation of the stickman at his computer banging the keys and then his head and getting the place all bloody. -Second example: incorrect lighting. Show a similar stickman walking into a room with a lamp hanging from the ceiling, only there is darkness around the lamp and light everywhere else. The stickman approaches the lamp and pulls on the cord frustratedly, but it doesn't fix anything. -Third example: deformation. First show animals, then people, then objects, then scenery looking strange. Warp effects and hue shifts are probably sufficient. -Fourth example. illegible text. The stickman is back, attempting to read/write. All the letters are hopelessly jumbled around the page, and when he tries to erase and correct it, he just writes out nonsense stuff, much to his obvious frustration. Then the letters start to move around on the page, in concordance with the narration. Lastly, a digital clock is shown with an impossible time. -The wizard reappears and begins to talk about individual dream signs, using the written tutorial as a script. -First example: places. First show a house, then a school. The scene then shows the inside of a house with the stickman as a child playing with other little stickmen. As the narration continues, two of the stickmen fight over a toy, back and forth, and then one falls over, successfully pulling it away. -Second example: people. We see two stickmen enter the screen, shake hands, and walk off, talking. -Third example: recurring Dreams. The stickman is in bed, and a thought bubble is above his head. Short scenes of the stickman repeat themselves in the bubble, both good dreams and bad dreams. At the right time in the narration, the repeating scenes stop and show the stickman doing a reality check and becoming lucid. -Fourth example: elements. The stickman walks past the screen several times, each time the scenery changing, except for a ball that is always there. (the written tutorial is added onto here; the narrator will now say: "But not all elements are so obvious.") Then, following the narration, three dreams are shown. One of the stickman at the beach playing volleyball, the next driving home in the rain, and the next seeing that his dog peed on the floor and made him angry. The camera will then zoom in on the stickman, who will put his hand to his chin in thought. Then, in time with the narration, he notices that all the dreams involved water. -In closing, the wizard appears and uses the 'Metaphors and Symbolism' part of the written tutorial as a script. When that is done, he wraps things up and the animation ends. Perhaps use this line: "Well, that's all for now! For more information, check out the written tutorial for dream signs at dreamviews.com! Tata for now!" And then the wizard disappears with a 'poof'. I don't have time to fully animate the whole thing today, but I plan on getting a sort of storyboard version up before the day is over, and then we can work from there. TOOLS: One of the most frequently mentioned/asked about things in the other thread was what tool should be used. Of course if you are lucky enough to have the professional tools like Flash or After Effects, those will do just fine, but there are other, free alternatives that can do plenty good enough with a little effort. Synfig - An open source cartoon animation tool with Windows, Mac, and Linux binaries. A good example of Synfig animation can be seen here. Pencil - Also open source, with binaries for Windows, Mac, and Linux. It is different than Synfig in that it is a more 'traditional' animation program. Feel free to mention/use your own software as well, these are just two to get everyone started. So lets get animating! EDIT: Storyboard video for above screenplay

[Dylan xD]

Hey, I'm willing to help I know how boring it was to read through the tutorials the first time so I'm glad to help... if it's ok. Also, how about just pictures with a narration to them, mainly because I am on Dial-up and it takes for ever to download anything. My idea is that we have one picture about the subject with the narration about the picture and how it can help? For eg. Then the narration something like: "In dreams electronic devices may not work properly, your watch may have a weird and unbelievable time" Picture change to a picture with a lamp in the corner but the lights coming from the other corner "Light may be coming from a different spot than the light source itself" and it continues like that, also pictures would be of much greater detail. Anyway it's your idea so it's up to you I am about to Try download Synfig before my brother wants to go on and cancel it. I'm willing to help as much as I can

[LiveInTheDream]

Well, if we do pictures with text, you can use the above storyboard video to see how fast it will load on your connection (since that's pretty much what the finished thing would be like). Without being able to create SWF files with Adobe Flash, we'll have to stick with videos, and at that point, it doesn't matter if its just pictures with text or a fully animated, fully voice-acted animated sequence; it will load at roughly the same speed on your connection either way. Sorry You can definitely still help out, though! Once you've figured out Synfig a little bit, feel free to take a shot at any part of the screenplay that is [background="green"]highlighted green[/background]. [background="Red"]Red highlights[/background] are what I will use to indicate something that's already being taken care of or is already finished. Thanks! EDIT: I can't edit the OP any more, so no highlights there after all . I guess I'll just repost the screenplay with new highlights each time someone claims a part of the animation. The reason why some parts of the wizard's spots in the screenplay are red and green is because I'm getting the animation done, but there's no voice actor yet. Spoiler for Screenplay - Version 2: ============================== Dream Signs Animated Tutorial ============================== [background="red"]-Dreamviews.com Intro plays -A wizard comes on the screen and delivers [/background][background="green"]the opening statements from the written tutorial (if no voice actor is available, subtitles can do just fine). The wizard will continue to narrate throughout the animation using the written tutorial as a script. [/background] [background="red"]-First example of a dream sign: electronics fail. Show the popular animation of the stickman at his computer banging the keys and then his head and getting the place all bloody. [/background] [background="green"]-Second example: incorrect lighting. Show a similar stickman walking into a room with a lamp hanging from the ceiling, only there is darkness around the lamp and light everywhere else. The stickman approaches the lamp and pulls on the cord frustratedly, but it doesn't fix anything. -Third example: deformation. First show animals, then people, then objects, then scenery looking strange. Warp effects and hue shifts are probably sufficient. -Fourth example. illegible text. The stickman is back, attempting to read/write. All the letters are hopelessly jumbled around the page, and when he tries to erase and correct it, he just writes out nonsense stuff, much to his obvious frustration. Then the letters start to move around on the page, in concordance with the narration. Lastly, a digital clock is shown with an impossible time.[/background] [background="red"]-The wizard reappears and begins to talk about individual dream signs, [/background][background="green"]using the written tutorial as a script. -First example: places. First show a house, then a school. The scene then shows the inside of a house with the stickman as a child playing with other little stickmen. As the narration continues, two of the stickmen fight over a toy, back and forth, and then one falls over, successfully pulling it away. -Second example: people. We see two stickmen enter the screen, shake hands, and walk off, talking. -Third example: recurring Dreams. The stickman is in bed, and a thought bubble is above his head. Short scenes of the stickman repeat themselves in the bubble, both good dreams and bad dreams. At the right time in the narration, the repeating scenes stop and show the stickman doing a reality check and becoming lucid. -Fourth example: elements. The stickman walks past the screen several times, each time the scenery changing, except for a ball that is always there. (the written tutorial is added onto here; the narrator will now say: "But not all elements are so obvious.") Then, following the narration, three dreams are shown. One of the stickman at the beach playing volleyball, the next driving home in the rain, and the next seeing that his dog peed on the floor and made him angry. The camera will then zoom in on the stickman, who will put his hand to his chin in thought. Then, in time with the narration, he notices that all the dreams involved water.[/background] [background="red"]-In closing, the wizard appears and [/background][background="green"]uses the 'Metaphors and Symbolism' part of the written tutorial as a script. When that is done, he wraps things up [/background][background="red"]and the animation ends.[/background][background="green"] Perhaps use this line: "Well, that's all for now! For more information, check out the written tutorial for dream signs at dreamviews.com! Tata for now!" And then the wizard disappears with a 'poof'.[/background]

[Dylan xD]

I'm so sorry, I can't help for about 2-3 weeks. This morning went to turn on the computer... nothing happens Were sending it back to Compaq but that will take a fair bit. Right now I'm on a crap laptop from the 90's -.- So I'm sorry, but when we get the tower back and working I will still be willing to help (If it's not finished by then) Once again sorry

[LiveInTheDream]

That's quite alright; just as long as we don't do another 2 year bump I don't think this thread will suffer the same fate as the last one for animated tutorials. I'll try to work on/finish up all the wizard sequences during your PC's absence and post my progress if I remember to. I got a laptop from the 90's myself, and there's no way I could do animating on that thing, it's so dang slow ...so I feel your pain

[DreamQueen]

I'm so sorry, I can't help for about 2-3 weeks. This morning went to turn on the computer... nothing happens I hope you remembered to do a reality test

[lucidreamsavy]

Well, I am in no way tech savvy or anything like that, so I'm just gonna sit on this thread and see what happens . I think it's a very good idea! For me, I didn't really read much of the tutorials...a few, but I tended to gain most of my lucid knowledge through experience, and articles which I find more interesting.

[LiveInTheDream]

Alright, well, just thought I'd update everyone on the progress...which isn't much. I've got a full-color wizard made in After Effects and it's jointed so that I can animate it easily, but so far I haven't really done much animating. I blame allergies for messing me up

[Ethernalboy]

This is A great Idea, and sounds like it could benfit many newcomers. Keep up the good work!

[dakotahnok]

I like this idea.. Too bad I can't do any animations on an iPad

[Nilabimini]

This idea is awesome... thanks for the links, I just downloaded Synfig... though it will probably take me awhile to walk myself through it and get a good grip on it

[Saurfang]

Nice topic, the dream signs video is nice

[LiveInTheDream]

Wow, way to necro-post, guys But I'm glad there are still people excited about the idea of animated tutorials. I never did get around to fleshing out the storyboard of the first one I made, and right now I've got two rather big video projects going on, so I can't really take on a third, but if other people still want to team up and make the animated tutorials I'm sure a lot of people would really appreciate it And I'll try to be here to help out along the way, too, of course. Right now I just can't do entire videos on my own

[Medevila]

Wow way to necropost- oh.

[Indeed]

Wao this is good thing to do.I appreciate your initial step.Keep it up. Wow, way to Necro post. I would, however, be very excited for something like this to happen. I think that it would be great if we could get this project up and running again.