Emotive Scenes

[Trace2010]

Music isn't essential. The scene with Alyx didn't have music. Music can help, but it's easy to create a sense that you're telling the viewer what to feel rather than just letting them feel it.

Well, some scenes are well accompanied with dead silence. Hard sci-fi does that to emphasise the loneliness.

Not just hard sci-fi, though. Silence can be very effective regardless of genre, especially when there's a lot of sound and chaos normally. This isn't a video game example, but take the movie American Grafitti; the scene where the guy attaches the cable to the back of the cop car is extremely tense, and there is no music at all there.

If I am not mistaken, there is what Hollywood calls "source music" coming from the radio of the cop car- very faint but distinct. Source music is music in a scene that the actors can or are supposed to hear, whereas the film score is the musical accompianment for the scene- it is added later and it is assumed that it cannot be heard by anyone on screen.

 

[Mr. Fister]

Since I'm sure I've listed Twilight Princess before,

Spoiler

I hear the word "lament" I flashback to that particular moment and music,Vietnam War style

I'll list one of the dumber emotive moments in recent memory.

It occurs in Spartan: Total Warrior. There's a particular scene in which of the characters that travels with the Spartan dies, but a multitude of things keep the moment from being heavy. For one, the graphics are bad. The whole death just looks ridiculous, and slightly amusing. Also, you never really care for the characters in the game, as their dialogue is wooden at best. As a result, the whole moment is completely ruined, and would've been better if the person who died simply tripped and fell on his/her own weapon.

 

[Trace2010]

Music isn't essential. The scene with Alyx didn't have music. Music can help, but it's easy to create a sense that you're telling the viewer what to feel rather than just letting them feel it.

Well, some scenes are well accompanied with dead silence. Hard sci-fi does that to emphasise the loneliness.

Not just hard sci-fi, though. Silence can be very effective regardless of genre, especially when there's a lot of sound and chaos normally. This isn't a video game example, but take the movie American Grafitti; the scene where the guy attaches the cable to the back of the cop car is extremely tense, and there is no music at all there.

A better example would be WESTERNS-the end of the movie "Shane" (right before the boy calls out to him), or the beginning of "Lawrence of Arabia"- silence used can signify vast emptiness as well.

 

[ThePlasmatizer]

I dont know how to make a powerful emotive scene but i can definitely name a few times where they've failed and why. Recent example - Fable 2, ive been playing through this for the last few days and the ending was deeply unforfilling -

Spoiler

I felt no attatchment to the dog, reaver, the mage, lucien, my sister, theresa, or my wife, husband and child he murdered

so ultimately that scene fell flat on its face.

Why did i feel nothing for them?

Because they weren't human, they didn't have quirks or nuances from what i'd expect. Especially reaver because not only did he not vary from his stereotype but he was also an unlikeable douche - This is coming from a Stephen Fry fan!

Ill go back to the dog for a bit. If any of you have played shadow of the colossus too, hopefully, like me you've found it sad when your horse fell, thats because aside from being a faithful companion like the dog it tried to save you, it did something it wasnt required to do, so it has a personality. The dog on the other hand just hangs around, finds treasure that (essentially) you couldn't find anyway and pesters the occasional downed enemy. Now if it saved you in combat, or showed its affection for you in some way other than just hanging around i might think otherwise. I actually liked the dog in the child portion of the game because it was scripted in to do some nice things but once i turned adult and walked into the open world hoping to explore only to get dragged away constantly by the little mut to go find dig spots...¬

The dog in Fable 2

Spoiler

does actually die for you at the end.

I'm the same though I didn't feel a connection to the dog or any of the characters.
There was one point where I connected with a character,

Spoiler

When Barnum died I was angry, during the game you get used to his eccentricity and hair brained personality and you know he's a good person at heart. when Reaver shot him it definitely made me outraged at the loss of a good character.

 

[Good morning blues]

If I am not mistaken, there is what Hollywood calls "source music" coming from the radio of the cop car- very faint but distinct. Source music is music in a scene that the actors can or are supposed to hear, whereas the film score is the musical accompianment for the scene- it is added later and it is assumed that it cannot be heard by anyone on screen.

Not in that scene; the background sound in that one is a train going by.

A better example would be WESTERNS-the end of the movie "Shane" (right before the boy calls out to him), or the beginning of "Lawrence of Arabia"- silence used can signify vast emptiness as well.

Actually, that's quite true. How about that scene in The Good, The Bad and The Ugly where Clint Eastwood is reloading his gun in his hotel room while the three assassins are approaching his door?

 

[Avida]

The dog in Fable 2

Spoiler

does actually die for you at the end.

Oh i know that happens, its just that by that stage that character meant nothing to me, he was set in my mind as an annoyance so when it happened i was only sad for my lack of further treasure.

Edit: besides its underminded by the fact that

Spoiler

you're shot immediately afterwards and emerge fine anyway... not even a scar... Infact that stupid hallucination scene is never explained properly

 

[Trace2010]

Actually, that's quite true. How about that scene in The Good, The Bad and The Ugly where Clint Eastwood is reloading his gun in his hotel room while the three assassins are approaching his door?[/quote]

You may be right, I need to watch American Grafitti again.

Enrico Moriconne was a genius...as was Max Steiner, at knowing when to step back and let the scene and the actors show you what was going on. I hate it in todays movies where people believe EVERY scene needs its own background.

 

[Trace2010]

DISCLAIMER: I don't think Lawrence of Arabia was actually a Western- please don't call up and chew me out mom.

 

[ThePlasmatizer]

The dog in Fable 2

Spoiler

does actually die for you at the end.

Oh i know that happens, its just that by that stage that character meant nothing to me, he was set in my mind as an annoyance so when it happened i was only sad for my lack of further treasure.

Edit: besides its underminded by the fact that

Spoiler

you're shot immediately afterwards and emerge fine anyway... not even a scar... Infact that stupid hallucination scene is never explained properly

I believe it was the power you gained that saved you.

I didn't feel like that towards my dog, I liked my dog but I didn't connect with it like Peter Molyneux claimed we all would.

 

[GenHellspawn]

(For anyone interested I thought this was a rather good example of an emotive scene that works: link [http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=WDYPOS00fsc&feature=related]).

I don't understand what was so emotional about that other than some woman crying.

 

[ThePlasmatizer]

(For anyone interested I thought this was a rather good example of an emotive scene that works: link [http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=WDYPOS00fsc&feature=related]).

I don't understand what was so emotional about that other than some woman crying.

His girlfriend was in an accident and he bought the rings for her, I think the climax is very emotional, the look on his face when the realization dawns on him is very emotive imo.

 

[.Ricks.]

Emotive scenes as it's already been said are established by backgrounds for the characters we relate with and the music that creates the ambience as well as the voice acting or storytelling, a scene that I remember liking and being touched by was in FFX ( sorry ;P had to put a Final Fantasy here) the final scene where

Spoiler

Tidus defeats Yu Yevon and knowing his fate never says anything to Yuna until the last second, but instead of tears he tries to cheer her on and jumps off the ship, though she cries his atitude towards it made him lose some "pussyness" in my opinion

Aside from that some scenes in MGS4 as it's also been said. were really well performed and awakened various feelings in the player.

 

[Good morning blues]

(For anyone interested I thought this was a rather good example of an emotive scene that works: link [http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=WDYPOS00fsc&feature=related]).

I don't understand what was so emotional about that other than some woman crying.

His girlfriend was in an accident and he bought the rings for her, I think the climax is very emotional, the look on his face when the realization dawns on him is very emotive imo.

Well, maybe so, but if it is emotive it's because we've already grown attached to the characters. I've never seen this show before so to me it's just another sappy anime scene.

 

[GenHellspawn]

(For anyone interested I thought this was a rather good example of an emotive scene that works: link [http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=WDYPOS00fsc&feature=related]).

I don't understand what was so emotional about that other than some woman crying.

His girlfriend was in an accident and he bought the rings for her, I think the climax is very emotional, the look on his face when the realization dawns on him is very emotive imo.

I think all the emotion was removed when the male character sounded like he was 12 and the woman sounded like she was 7.

 

[Avida]

I believe it was the power you gained that saved you.

Spoiler

Fine, but do you die and come back to life? Are you knocked out? Why doesn't Lucien 'finish the job' like he claimed to make very sure he did to your family?

By the way good job with that Gundam clip, perfect example

 

[ThePlasmatizer]

(For anyone interested I thought this was a rather good example of an emotive scene that works: link [http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=WDYPOS00fsc&feature=related]).

I don't understand what was so emotional about that other than some woman crying.

His girlfriend was in an accident and he bought the rings for her, I think the climax is very emotional, the look on his face when the realization dawns on him is very emotive imo.

Well, maybe so, but if it is emotive it's because we've already grown attached to the characters. I've never seen this show before so to me it's just another sappy anime scene.

Yeah, if you'd seen her previous happy and energetic character it might be more of an impact.

(For anyone interested I thought this was a rather good example of an emotive scene that works: link [http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=WDYPOS00fsc&feature=related]).

I don't understand what was so emotional about that other than some woman crying.

His girlfriend was in an accident and he bought the rings for her, I think the climax is very emotional, the look on his face when the realization dawns on him is very emotive imo.

I think all the emotion was removed when the male character sounded like he was 12 and the woman sounded like she was 7.

They are young teens after all, and that's ridiculous you can't feel empathy towards a character or person because they have a childish voice?

 

[GenHellspawn]

(For anyone interested I thought this was a rather good example of an emotive scene that works: link [http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=WDYPOS00fsc&feature=related]).

I don't understand what was so emotional about that other than some woman crying.

His girlfriend was in an accident and he bought the rings for her, I think the climax is very emotional, the look on his face when the realization dawns on him is very emotive imo.

I think all the emotion was removed when the male character sounded like he was 12 and the woman sounded like she was 7.

They are young teens after all, and that's ridiculous you can't feel empathy towards a character or person because they have a childish voice?

All I felt after watching that was "Wow, some girl lost a hand. How emotional.".

Also, I have never seen a young teenager that sounded like they were 7 in my life, unless they had some sort of disability.

 

[ThePlasmatizer]

I believe it was the power you gained that saved you.

Spoiler

Fine, but do you die and come back to life? Are you knocked out? Why doesn't Lucien 'finish the job' like he claimed to make very sure he did to your family?

By the way good job with that Gundam clip, perfect example

I have no idea whether it was the end or just a dream, I assume whichever it was it appeared you were finished off.

I love that clip, it's one of the few times I've actually felt something from watching an anime.

 

[ThePlasmatizer]

(For anyone interested I thought this was a rather good example of an emotive scene that works: link [http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=WDYPOS00fsc&feature=related]).

I don't understand what was so emotional about that other than some woman crying.

His girlfriend was in an accident and he bought the rings for her, I think the climax is very emotional, the look on his face when the realization dawns on him is very emotive imo.

I think all the emotion was removed when the male character sounded like he was 12 and the woman sounded like she was 7.

They are young teens after all, and that's ridiculous you can't feel empathy towards a character or person because they have a childish voice?

All I felt after watching that was "Wow, some girl lost a hand. How emotional.".

Also, I have never seen a young teenager that sounded like they were 7 in my life, unless they had some sort of disability.

That's a bit cold isn't it?

Really I've heard lot's of adults and their voice sounds like a child.

 

[Avida]

By the way good job with that Gundam clip, perfect example

I love that clip, it's one of the few times I've actually felt something from watching an anime.

Try grave of the fireflies (sad), or haibane renmei (happy/sad), and if your've gone through a ton of emotional hardships evangellion is apparently for you (listening to fans, personally it wasnt for me)