Intro movie

[Beiss]

Ok, here's some music for the intro movie (we're gonna have an intro movie, right?? ) It's pretty much done, could use some polishing I guess, but it's more finished than any of the other music I've posted. The reason I'm starting a new thread instead of posting this in the music thread is because I think the intro movie needs its own thread. If you like the song, give me some rep

So, here's an outline of what's gonna happen in the intro movie (this is pretty much how CA would have done it, I'm sure):

00:00 That ugly monk you see in the faction intros sitting and writing (we'll just rip it from the game)

00:05 Instantaneous flash to a Viking longship at high sea in bad weather

00:16 Flash to medieval paintings of Viking invaders or something, panning around

00:34 Back to the ugly monk, zoomed in if possible, voice over: "save us oh lord from the wrath of the northmen" or whatever.

00:38 BATTLE! (live footage of the game). Maybe clips could be synchronized with the music? Hehe

00:50 Zoom in a finishing move, slow-mo, and freeze at "don't hurt me" (which can be removed if you prefer, and yes it's taken from that "what is love" song). Continue, synchronize the animation with the splatter sound that follows at 00:54

00:55 More battle, perhaps a siege or something?

01:01 Have a group of berserkers run towards the "camera" screaming and just as they close in at 1:03, the screen goes blank.

01:03 The WotN logo fades in from the black background and then fades out again together with the music.

[finneys13]

Good work, now for constructive criticism.

I look it until about half way through, until 00.38 seconds. Then you cut into much more modern 'heavy' music then before or afterwards, it feels out of place in the music sample and for the game period itself, at least up to 00.50 and the first killing.

You are definitely on the right track, but I would do something to make the change after to 00.38 at least less modern, using modern instruments like that doesn't sound Medieval. Or at least make the change at 00.38 less of a difference to the rest, less heavy.

I really like 00.55 to 1.05, that is closer to the style needed I think.

That's just my opinion, I'm no music expert, hope you can follow that, I hope that was more useful than everybody just agreeing for agreements sake.

[Kahju]

Nice piece of music, but it sounds like power metal. Nothing wrong with that, but modern rock music in a viking age mod is like having Frank Sinatra in RTW. The main menu music you posted in the music thread was excellent, but this sounds very out of place.

[Grand Inquisitor]

I like it. But you are aware that there is viking metal you could use!

[Azraelthefallen]

Yeah some Norwegian metal, maybe some "light" Norwegian black metal, That would really give the intro that feel of being back in the viking age and the feel of wanting to go beserk

[DeZzErX]

Yeah some Norwegian metal, maybe some "light" Norwegian black metal, That would really give the intro that feel of being back in the viking age and the feel of wanting to go beserk

The band Tyr have some nice songs, not the hardest of viking metal but it sounds great to me

http://www.tyr.net/

[tnick777]

Sounds good.

Another reason why I stuck with this mod was I took 4 years of video editing in Highschool so I have it planned out.

It sounds good!

Tyler

[Beiss]

I see your point, but the whole idea was to give the intro movie more of a "movie" feel, and so, there is no need to constrain the instrumentation to the time period at hand. I think. Hell, back in 800AD even the violin wasn't invented as far as I know. If tnick777 thinks electric guitars don't belong here, I'll try something else.

I wanted this song to give you a "Yeah, kill people!" feel. The in-game music will be non-electronic, but there has been a lot of people saying they want some rock elements in the music as well, and I guess, this is a compromise.

I hope that was more useful than everybody just agreeing for agreements sake.

Indeed.

[Beiss]

Frank Sinatra in RTW... hahaha... is it really that bad? *sigh*... well... maybe this song will have to be confined to a trailer or something. But I personally don't think it's out of place - it's just intro movie music and won't be playing "in the game". I think you've misunderstood the concept a bit...

[Kahju]

It's definitely not bad - I liked the beginning a lot, actually. It's just that the modern instruments kind of break the feeling, if you catch my drift.

I understand what you mean when you say you want "kill people"-feeling. I want that too! But I think there are better ways to achieve it than electric guitars, and you have certainly proved that you could do it with more traditional instruments also. Horns and drums are so much more violent and warlike than guitars!

[Beiss]

Haha Oh well, I've read through the music thread and it seems it I who have misunderstood things. But I'll keep this as is until tnick swings by. Turning this into a full orchestral piece is going to be a lot more work than just switching some instruments.

[Kahju]

Turning this into a full orchestral piece is going to be a lot more work than just switching some instruments.

I'm well aware of that. We don't have to worry, though: if things will progress as they have, you''ll have plenty of time to compose violent viking music before this mod is finished.

[Beiss]

Does that mean you approve of my intro movie "manuscript"? Or do you have other plans for the intro movie?

[tnick777]

Oh yes that manuscript is brilliant!

I just had in mind all the different battle scenes.

I really haden't had all of it planned out.

But yours beats the crap out of mine

[Matthæus]

im personally against any kind of metal in mod but you will probably outvote me.

[Grand Inquisitor]

Tyr are great!! Matko I think some folk or viking or Norweigian orianted metal might just give it a good sound. Remeber 300? The part with the guitar was good.

[mocker]

No black/power/viking metal, please...
I suggest following instruments:
horn, bass, violin(?), lur, drums of war, flute, kantele(?), and/or possibly choir.

The monk's viking prayer should be in latin, not english.


Oh, and could the intro end with a burning, pillaged monestary ruin instead of the berserkers? I think something in the lines of this:

0050: finishing move, partially slow-motion.
0055: screen goes black, music is slightly muted.
Sound of a great door being opened. Footsteps of (mail?) boots against stone tiles, the monk chants almost silently in prayer (latin).
The inside of the monestary fades in, as a background. No characters on the screen, just an enviroment, preferably a wall with some candles.

0105: The footsteps suddenly stops, and the monk stops chanting. The poor man of God begs for mercy while someone unsheathes a sword.
0110: The sound of the monk being killed, and the screen once again goes black.
0117: A burning monestary, the result of a viking raid. camera moves up toward the sky.
0120: The WotN logo fades in from the black sky and then fades out again together with the music.

...

Could the battle scenes have a voice over of some viking talking about how the white christ threatens the old ways, and so on?

[finneys13]

No black/power/viking metal, please...
I suggest following instruments:
horn, bass, violin(?), lur, drums of war, flute, kantele(?), and/or possibly choir.

The monk's viking prayer should be in latin, not english.


Oh, and could the intro end with a burning, pillaged monestary ruin instead of the berserkers? I think something in the lines of this:

0050: finishing move, partially slow-motion.
0055: screen goes black, music is slightly muted.
Sound of a great door being opened. Footsteps of (mail?) boots against stone tiles, the monk chants almost silently in prayer (latin).
The inside of the monestary fades in, as a background. No characters on the screen, just an enviroment, preferably a wall with some candles.

0105: The footsteps suddenly stops, and the monk stops chanting. The poor man of God begs for mercy while someone unsheathes a sword.
0110: The sound of the monk being killed, and the screen once again goes black.
0117: A burning monestary, the result of a viking raid. camera moves up toward the sky.
0120: The WotN logo fades in from the black sky and then fades out again together with the music.

...

Could the battle scenes have a voice over of some viking talking about how the white christ threatens the old ways, and so on?

Perfect.

[Antagonist]

Sounds really nice. I wonder about the "white christ" thing though, would that really be appropriate? I honestly don't know the actual historical circumstances, but I have sometimes got the impression that neo-Pagan movements have kind of appropriated the Vikings as a platform, recasting the Viking raids as some kind of Pagan Crusade against the tyrannical Christians (much in the same way that the pagan Celts are recast as enlightened nature-loving feminists)

I'm not objecting to it or anything, just wondering if the "Paganism v. Christianity" angle isn't to some degree a retrospective interpretation.

Antagonist

[Kythras]

Damn that's going to be cool. I amd 100% for the metal in it, I figure the mod was inspired by metal, and we're going to have appropriate music in the actual game, why not splash out a little with the intro?