Journal 59 — Unity Line Up Audio and Video in Cutscene, Part 1
Objective: Set up prefabs and virtual cameras at strategic locations to build Unity cutscene
In the example below from “The Great Fleece”, we are building the beginning cutscene which includes multiple camera locations, camera movements, and dialogue all assembled in one smooth sequence.
- Review the Director Notes for each camera shot.
- Add virtual cameras and assets (prefabs) for those items not in the scene.
- Position virtual cameras in roughly the same location as in the Director Notes.
Block Out Scene
In the first shot, we see Darren entering the building by sliding down a rope.
In our scene, we need to add the Start_Level_Cutscene prefab to near the building entrance.
In this sequence, there are two security cameras that need to be added that Darren has to sneak by.
In this sequence, there are three guard prefabs that need to be placed in the scene in between the display cases.
We can clean up the hierarchy for the security guards.
Now we are ready to compose each shot with virtual cameras.
Compose the Shots
The next series of screen captures show excerpts of the Director’s Notes, and the corresponding virtual camera added to the hierarchy and moved into position.
We can go to Cinemachine → Virtual Camera to add a camera. To correct the camera view, we can pan around in the scene to the approximate location, and with the camera selected, hit Ctrl+Shift+F to fix the camera to the current scene view.
In the first part of the sequence, we need a camera focused on Darren as he slides down the rope.
As we start this process, let’s create an empty game object to store the entire intro cutscene.
The next scene is looking at Darren near the bottom of the rope, almost ready to drop to the floor.
The next camera view is of Darren crouched behind a display case. Note the dialogue, which will be added in a later journal.
The next scene is looking over Darren’s shoulder towards the hall. Note the blue arrow indicating the camera movement, which will be added in a later journal.
The next scene is a view of all the display cases.
The next scene is another closeup of Darren.
The next scene is of Darren in a shot farther away, of him crouched behind display cases.
The next scene is an overview of the three guards in between the display cases.
The next scene is from the ground looking up at the security cameras.
The next scene is back to Darren in another location, with Darren still crouched behind a display case.
The next scene is of the end of the hall with the security desk and vault entrance.
The next scene is a close up of the sleeping guard’s key card.
The next scene is a closer view of the vault entrance and stairway.
The last scene is looking over Darren’s shoulder towards the hall, ready for action.
Thank you for your time!
The next part of this journal series will address the camera movement.
