Composing a Scene in Unity3D for Cutscenes

To compose a shot in Unity is flexible and easy! All we need is Unity’s Timeline and Cinemachine!

Composing the Shot

Before we begin, we as developers are given a set of thumbnails or keyframes for a cutscene shot. Here’s an example of how a thumbnail could look like:

It could be a sketch or a 3d block-in of the idea that the director envisions. Also, each thumbnail may have notes and information about the scene and where the camera will lead.

Once we have a general idea, the assets, and the ok to compose the shot, we can start the fun part!

By using the Timeline and Cinemachine, we set up the shot in the Scene View.

The first thumbnail indicates that the camera will move and pan over the shoulder of the foreground character. This shot intends to show the keycard on the sleeping guard’s lap. I wanted to make some changes to this shot. Instead of exposing the keycard from the beginning, I wanted to reveal it after panning out from the desk.

After hours of suggesting this idea to the director, I finally convinced him that this idea strengthens the shot! lol, jk.

Once you have all of your cameras set up and your Timeline tracked, we can have a nice cutscene, as seen on the gif above!

Composition

Composition is the arrangement of elements with the intent of leading the eye towards a focal point.

There are some guidelines to make your composing cutscenes visually appealing to grab your audience’s attention. Composition, in general, is a topic of its own! It’s worth studying if you want to follow and practice cinematography.

Types of composition:

• Rule of thirds
• Light vs. Dark
• Steelyard
• Group Mass

These are just a few to name. The most common and easiest one is the rule of thirds!

Here is an example from a movie still:

Notice how both characters are aligned where the lines cross? It’s intentional. It creates balance. As long as you have the main focal point in or near one of those crossing lines, you will be fine!

In conclusion, composing shots in Unity becomes like a walk in the park! And if you want to create better shots, study some cinematography!

That is all for today. Thank you for your time!

Gabriel