Video Project: Smashing The Pandemic (2021)
Roles: Script Writer, Cameraman, Video Editor
Tools: Adobe Premiere, Adobe Photoshop, Discord, Nintendo Switch
Timeline: 2 months
OVERVIEW
Smashing the Pandemic is a short insight documentary on the Super Smash Bros. eSports scene in Vancouver that illustrates how the game's competitive community has persevered through the pandemic cancelling in-person events. This project was made for IAT 344 (Moving Images) at SFU with the project intent to document a pandemic story among a group or individual experience. I handled this project alone and was responsible for its entire production from the scripting and shot list to the interviews and editing.
It was inspired by machimina (the use of a video game to create a cinematic production, not to be confused with the now-defunct company of the same name) that I watched when I was younger with the idea to use the character Captain Falcon as a surrogate presenter in a virtual setting akin to how the pandemic has changed course delivery in the real world. This is different from my other Super Smash Bros. videos in my portfolio as this project uses mainly staged and scripted visuals.
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Video Summary:
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The video begins with a brief introduction to what Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is, a fighting game that has large competitive eSports (electronic sport) community scene. It then explains the problem that the pandemic caused in forcing players to compete using the game's online mode with input delay. Input delay is the delay between a player's button press and action happening on screen that vastly warps how the game plays in a negative way.
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The video then shifts to a couple of short interviews with key individuals within the community with questions about how the pandemic affected planned events and productions, how it affected tournament viewership, and how it affected the top players who practiced the game.
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The video then concludes with a statement about how the community's passion and love has kept the tournament scene afloat despite the difficulties the pandemic poses.
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Skills and Tools
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Video edited together using Adobe Premiere
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Game footage taken using unique tools such as a Nintendo Switch and the game Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
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Coordinated with interviewees ahead of time for succinct answers and messages.
The video was made using Adobe Premiere with footage gathered from both computer screen recordings, but also Nintendo Switch. Switch footage was gathered using Super Smash Bros. Ultimate's replay feature that can save game replay data and convert to video. During the conversion process, the game allows you to change camera angles that was used to take the video's angled shots. Once converted, the files are stored on a microSD card that I then removed from my Switch and put into my computer via a microSD to USB converter and then transferred the video files. The video clips were then assembled together in Premiere to create the overall video. I also used Adobe Photoshop to create some limited graphics and used some royalty-free music found online as secondary elements that enhanced the video, conveying tone and information that would otherwise not have time to.
Although the video was filmed within a game, I paid attention to what stages and characters I wanted to use to best represent the information I was talking about. For the narration, I mainly used the stage known as "Battlefield" that features a bright and sunny area that serves as a very neutral, yet pleasant area. The stage comes in a couple variations with the first quarter of the video using the "omega" variation where the stage lacks platforms and is instead flat while the interview transitions and ending scene used the regular version that had three platforms. I used these platforms as a visual aid for transitions, using motion to act as a guide. I had to be wary while filming in this location as there is actually a short day/night cycle programmed into the game that changes the lighting. I had to start filming right away when starting a match as to ensure consistent lighting. The location used within the interview portions is the "omega" variation of the stage Corneria. The stage has a nice background with mountains and water in close proximity that I thought best physically represented Vancouver very well.
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For the virtual host of the video, I chose the character of Captain Falcon as he is the character most associated with the game and also has a very clean and non-offensive design to a lay-audience. To represent my interviewees, I chose the characters that they play competitively to represent them in the virtual interview.
The Challenge
Pre-Production Stages:
The process first began with a storyboard being assigned for the course. While not assigned, I actually wrote a script prior to the storyboard that I used as the basis for it, with each storyboard shot assigned to certain parts of the script and tailored towards what was planned to happen on screen. The storyboards had simple details such as the shot type, a quick description, and sound direction.
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For the moodboard, I came up with some practical examples of what the shots would actually look like. This lent into the small prototype video I made at the start of the project separate from course assignments. I made this prototype for my instructor and teaching assistant as I knew the idea of filming within a game was definitely going to be new for them and wanted to briefly showcase the concept. This also came partially from previous work experience in which this idea of a "vertical slice" of a whole video is used to show an example of what the final project might look like.
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I then used what I made for this prototype to create the moodboard which had some shots from the prototype alongside some later examples such as an interview mockup from a previous interview assignment, as well as what sort of visual media would be used in supplementary material. It was also with this moodboard that I came up with the style used for the video's cut-in graphics in gray and blue. The final product ended up using more lighter colors as opposed to the more washed look of the initial moodboard.
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Production/Interview stage:
After this groundwork was set, I turned towards the video shooting within the game (refer to Skills and Tools for the technical details). Aside from the shot process however, I also coordinated ahead of time with my three interviewees from the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate community that could help support my arguments and give some important insights. I chose two tournament organizers and a well-known tournament player to talk on each their own specific topic (see Video Summary above for topic details). I gave my questions to my interviewees in advance as to give them time to plan out their responses and give concise answers for the video. I actually asked them each two questions, but only chose one for the video for timing reasons. This was done just to have a bit of variety in footage to be able to choose the better footage or in case I received a recommendation from my instructor to only focus on one interviewee, something that they mentioned while reviewing my storyboard.
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Post-Production Stage:
There were a few challenges I faced while doing the initial editing work for the video. One of the problems was with an effect I used for a lab assignment. I wanted to use a 3D effect to make any text I used in the video be more integrated with the visuals
However, when I began to apply this effect on video objects, it began to have problems when used in tandem with the opacity masking effect. The text began to clip and I could not figure out the cause. This forced me to abandon the idea of using on video and only reserved it for text.
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I also had some problems conveying the idea of machinima to my instructor as it is not well-known academically. This forced me to cut some specially planned shots that used character motion to punctuate my explanations, something that I was looking to use as a base for the entire video. You can see what sort of ideas I had in mind in the beginning of the initial draft video below:
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While it was disappointing, I also understood and learned from this that it was just a bit too much for a non-gamer audience and understood that I needed to make it simpler for lay-audiences. Using advice from my instructor, I then asked one of my interviewees who had access to smash events photos pre-pandemic for permission to use a couple of photos in my video. These photos, alongside some script suggestions, better illustrated and re-focused the video on the players as opposed to getting too technical about the game that would be difficult for a non-gamer audience.
Final Reflection
Overall, I am happy with how the project turned out as I was able to make it about a topic I was passionate about. This project hits a sort of special niche in being a part of the pandemic that would have otherwise not have been remembered as well. Competitive fighting game tournaments, while a known event, is not something the general public will think about when looking back at the pandemic.
The story about the Smash Bros scene and the pandemic is also specific and nuanced enough to surpass the idea of historical events being far removed from reality. Younger generations who did not experience the pandemic may look back at stories about how it affected the scope of society in the economy and politics without truly understanding how it affected the average person.
While this story may not exactly be as integral to the pandemic such as the culture behind mask wearing or the various ways it had separated friends and family, it tells future viewers about how something so trivial that people did for fun was still profoundly affected by pandemic by forcing social distancing and the struggles had with technology. Furthermore, the video illustrates a positive side of the pandemic with competitive gamers unexpectedly being the group of people that have managed to endure the isolation caused by social distancing.
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Structurally, while I was unable to use the game as the main film content as much as I would have wanted, I am definitely interested in trying again in a personal explanatory/instructional project that is better suited toward the audience. I am also very happy with how each interview went with my interviewees as I feel all three of them gave very good answers and perspectives that even I did not consider before make the videos.
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Other photos
 Storyboard 1 |  storyboard 2 |  storyboard 3 |
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