#its thursday night

[that-ari-blogger]

Critical Role's Cameraman

So, Critical Role (@criticalrole) just released their newest opening title sequence, an animated sequence in the same style of Your Turn To Roll and I would be remis as a film nerd to not pick apart every detail.

What fascinates me about this introduction, however, is the camera movement and shot composition. Allow me to explain.

I DONT THINK THERE ARE SPOILERS AHEAD, BUT JUST TO BE SAFE

So, we open with a hand, this is a close up, I don't think that is unobvious.

But this stops being a close up rather quickly, before it starts moving away. The shot just gives the hand context, and suddenly you aren't in an extreme close up of a hand, you are in a medium shot of a very large person. Then the camera pans backwards, and you can see villains and places spring up, although the perspective on Matt remains weird. Is he a few metres from you, or a hundred? How big is the Game Master here? There's a sense of mystery, of incomprehension. This is setting up some cosmic horror shenaniganry.

Then, we get Fearne. This is a wide camera motion, swivelling around her in a tracking shot that focuses on her face, and those eyes. It is like a reverse panorama, where Fearne is taking in the world, the world is observing Fearne.

But I want you to take note of the leaves here, because they are used to form a connection between her and Orym. The transition uses them, while it isn't a direct wipe transition (the leaf just flies close to mask an abrupt cut), it is framed as one. The name of that isn't important, though, what's important is the leaves. By being in both shots, they emphasise the relationship between the two characters. But where for Fearn they show off her sense of wonder, for Orym, they take on a very different meaning.

Notice, however, how still this shot is. There is no sense of danger here. This is a scene of a warrior with a sword and two people passing on from this world. But it's calm. Because this is a memory. Orym might not be at peace with the death, but the memory isn't a violent one, it's a memory of his family's lives.

Cut to a close up. Orym creates a gust of wind.

And cut to the next shot.

I will not lie, Bertrand is my favourite character across all of Critical Role, so this shot of him made me smile, but it isn't the point here. The point is Imogen's introduction.

Although is Bertrand not actually the point? Because take a look at how Imogen is shown here. Do you notice anything?

She's shown in the exact same way. Imogen is shown doing the exact same thing that those who have died have done. And she can see them ahead of her. The camera panning back shows a wider perspective here, showing her as she tries to run, tries to get away from the same path as Bertrand.

The wind from Orym's blade that came to this scene gets across a consistent element: Memory. This is a dream. But dreams can become nightmares.

As Imogen loses her footing, the camera gives some of its wildest movements yet. It tumbles around her, then looks up.

The camera stops moving when it sees the red moon, because now the viewer has something to orientate themselves around. There is a constant point, and we can see Imogen falling down. And getting closer, and closer, and closer, until.

These are the three frames in order, there is nothing in between.

Imogen crashes into the screen, and we get an abrupt impact frame (that's the black and white one) then Ashton. This is so cool to watch, in my opinion, but it is quite possibly the opposite of smooth in camera work. So why is it so cool? Motion.

The motion is in towards Imogen and out away from Ashton. They are both falling, just in different directions. And the impact frame both helps smooth over and accentuate the abrupt transition.

The camera around Ashton is a tracking shot. They are falling, but they remain the exact same in the screen (shrinking slightly). The rest of the world moves. And when Ashton lands, the screen cracks. The tracking shot is used to show Ashton's disassociation with their surroundings. Not in a "I feel nothing" type of way, but in a "it's me vs the world" type of way.

Then, there is an abrupt cut away. Nothing hides or smooths this at all, because Ashton's memory isn't smooth, and neither is Ashton. Remember the disassociating thing I mentioned, now it changes again to someone who gets lost in his thoughts. Medium.com calls this an "anxiety stare" and as someone who does that on the regular, I can attest to this abruptness being exactly what that feels like.

I'm not going to talk too much about the ship, but just be aware that there is a Dutch angle (the horison is diagonal) here to heighten the stress of it.

Likewise with this shot, there isn't much to talk about. The slow outward zoom and triangular composition are neat, and the tiered reactions (bottom row reacts, then middle, then Fearne) are amusing, but other than that, not much.

Then we meet Laudna, playing with Pate and giving him life. That's a neat little shot, I wonder if there's a metaphor there.

Oh.

This is a super cool visual because it establishes exactly who this character is in two seconds. But I also want to point out the symmetry of this. The hair becomes the blood which becomes the hair again, and then the tree.

Laudna is introduced as big and scary and imposing, and that is very intentionally undercut by making her look small.

Being small means you are less likely to be the focal character, so shrinking Laudna takes away her agency. Only to give it back through Imogen, and when the camera pans back outwards, Laudna is the same size, but the colours and the surroundings make her feel less alone, and as a weird result of that, less small.

And last but not least in this moment, there is the delayed drop of the hands. Laudna finally feels safe and finally breathes a sigh of relief.

That, however, imediately match cuts to this. FCG's vision. The red tinting has obvious implications that I don't need to explain, but the match cut heavily implies a connection between this group and the Bells Hells. There is a fear that this might happen again made clear by a single transition.

Here's something else. FCG doesn't move. At least, the camera doesn't treat them as moving. It's a slow panning out as if nothing is happening. It's the disassociation vibe that you get from Ashton's falling shots now repurposed to someone who isn't in control of their own actions. This is what FCG is afraid of, this is the important pieces of his character. This is FCG.

And just like Laudna, FCG finally gains agency when surrounded by their friends who hug them, and FCG finally moves.

Chetney Pock O'Pea, outlaw of the RTA, alpha of his own heart. A fundamentally chaotic character who takes rules as suggestions to be intentionally ignored. A man who's first instinct upon meeting you is to consider how you could be killed. And he is introduced whittling, with a steady camera and warm light illuminating his face. This is a peaceful side of Chetney, there is a duality to him.

Speaking of which, notice how Chetney draws back from the light as he transforms. His eyes begin to glow, but they don't illuminate him, until this:

Chetney is now backlit by the cold light of the moon itself (There's a neat reveal of Ruidus caused by the pan, but that's only tangentially relevant). Notice how much further you are from him here than in his first shot. But notice how much of him is visible, and how much of the screen he takes up. It's the same, this is still the same character. It's a true Doctor Jeckyl and Mr Hyde character. This isn't split personality, but a character who can be a different person in each form, while still remaining Chetney at all times.

There is more in this video. I encourage you to watch it, but unfortunately, Tumblr has a limit on how many images I can include, so I will leave you with this final shot. A group of heroes looking up at a threat that is so much bigger than them, a threat that is literally controlling the light. But the Bells Hells are closer to the camera, they take up more of the screen. The battle isn't lost, instead, it is just starting.

#rants #literary analysis #literature analysis #media analysis #critrole #critical role #bells hells #imogen temult #laudna #ashton greymoore #fcg #orym of the air ashari #fearne calloway #chetney pock o'pea #its Thursday night #critical role bells hells

[no-regertss]

characters i want to make a return in the m9 reunion: - kiri!!! - the Bad Luck Bandits - henry crabgrass - pumat - that guy that beau-tracy flirted with on the docks that one time - dairon!! - g e l i d o n

#the mighty nein #m9 reunion #its thursday night #beauyasha #henry crabgrass #pumat sol #no but it'll be really cool and really silly for gelidon to make a return for the THIRD time #kiri the kenku #critical role campaign 2 #critical role #cr #jester lavorre #fjord stone #beauregard lionett #caleb widogast #yasha nydoorin #kingsley tealeaf #veth brenatto #mollymauk tealeaf #cadeuces clay

[blackcatgaming]

Finally, it’s Thursday. This has been our faces since last week. Hang in there Critters!

#d&d #dungeons & dragons #critical role #critrole c3 #critical role campaign 3 #critrole #critters #it’s #its thursday night #laudna #fearne calloway #imogen temult #orym of the air ashari #ashton greymoore #chetney pock o'pea #fcg #ruidus born

[env0]

Isn’t in the opening songs, “ Two-By-two, we fall Will we meet our end Or meet our destiny”

HOW DID THEY KNOW?

#critical role campaign 3 #cr spoilers #critical role spoilers #it was spoiled for me and im whimpering #crit role #critical role campaign 3 spoilers #its thursday night

[puttybutter]

Can't wait to get my heart broken tonight...

**Its Thursday niiight**

#critical role campaign 3 #critical role #CR #its thursday night #WAAAH #CR3

[77words]

In honor of us getting to hear from Robbie Daymond himself tonight, here's a wonderful screenshot I got while I was comfort-rewatching the beginning of Campaign 3:

Happy Thursday y'all 💙

#dorian storm #critical role #robbie daymond #its thursday night #cr c3 #cr campaign 3

[miezkind]

i’m sometimes wondering what is my main drive to getting drunk is and  sometimes i think ist the only time im loving people uncritically

#im drunk #oki? #and thinking about all the people that i need to tell how much i love them #its thursday night #i love you all so much #this is onl happening bc aldi had an Angebot on the liquor

[chekovsphaser]

Shoutout to the guy on my street who is drunk and belting out 4 Non Blondes What's Going On but he only knows the hey-yey-yey part.

#its thursday night #its not even like a weekend

[titsthedamnseason]

so the doors have barely opened but already the selena rumors are raging, the light up bracelet rumor turned out to be true and therefore implies some sort of additional surprise / change with the lights, professional camera crews are walking around and getting footage/interviewing fans (and supposedly giving away closing night tickets)…..IM SCARED

#AND THIS IS ONLY THE FIRST NIGHT. I MEAN ITS LITERALLY A THURSDAY #taylor swift #mine #was aelin-s

[rainbowcaleb]

what if robbie walked in as boromir during this episode

#listen. i will clown so hard. its thursday night let me play makebelieve #cr spoilers #critical role spoilers #critical role

[sniperct]

#elon musk #twitter #its a thursday night massacre

[m00ngbin]

TFS TUESDAY!!! (WEDNESDAY??)

#whoops i had a really long day and i got really tired and fell asleep early #so ik TECHNICALLY its not tuesday but in my heart and soul today is still tuesday #actually i thought it was thursday #all day #but yk #tuesday!! #at least its not thursday like last time #ALSO #I WOULD HAVE GIVEN AN ARM AND A LEG TO GO TO THAT MITSKI CONCERT LAST NIGHT #JUST TO SEE HER SING GEYSER TBH #but its fine. totally fine. its not like im super upset about it or anything. #ALSO. TYLER THE CREATOR IS GOING TO BE AT COACHELLA??? HELLO??? #GODD I HATE THE WEST COAST WHY DO ALL OF THE BANDS AND ARTISTS I LIKE GO TO CALIFORNIA AND NOT HERE #anyways enough about concerts i wish id gone to or could go to #let me shut up for five minutes so i can get to the new chapter #ik ive already asked this but be honest if you guys think these are annoying just tell me and ill shut up so fast and never make another one #ever

[autistme]

Thursday dressed up as zombies for their Halloween show at Soma in San Diego, 2006. Photos from DA user ElectricFritz

#thursday #thursday band #geoff rickly #tucker rule #tim payne #steve pedulla #i dont know why theres not a single tom image ??? like not one??? in this collection #like the pixels of him behind geoff is literally all there is #i might look to see if anyone else got pics this night #you can barely see it in the last pic but this was one of them shows where his jeans were just fucking destroyed #the fact a geoff crotchless jeans cinematic universe could be made #its more obvious in some photos i didnt include

[forecast0ctopus]

Just wanted to pop in and say that your art is so cool!! It's so-- SHAPES!! And I especially like how you draw McCoy, he's a favorite of mine and he has such a specific set of facial features that seems so hard to simplify, and yet you manage so well! And there's something I really love about your poses and compositions too, they're so very dynamic and/or evocative even when characters are just standing. Aaa so much to say--

I also saw your last ask, and as someone who was also intimidated by the sheer amount of content there is like you, just know that if you get invested you kinda just forget about it. I got into TNG first and that series alone looked like an enormous task to finish. Before I knew it I finished it and went on to watch DS9, and I already can't wait to see more. In general my tip is to go with the flow and see it as a hobby rather than something to achieve, because nobody is forcing you to watch EVERYTHING there is. You get there when you'll get there, y'know! It's a show about silly space people, have fun with it! (but with all the fan art you're drawing, I'm sure you already are hehe)

ANYWAY SORRY FOR THE BARRAGE OF TEXT THIS AIN'T EVEN AN ASK BUT UHHH BUH-BYE

THANKS i just. like shapes and points and lines.. i just think they’re neat…… i really like drawing mccoy hes got such a specific posture haha i will definitely be posting. more of him lmao

im on tng s2 right now and i definitely never push myself to watch things i don’t want to watch (except angel (1999) because. i like spike) but i do take my time with watching things so itll be a good while until i’m on the next series.. it did take me uhhh years to finally finish tos but the dam really broke on that in december so. here we are

bones time

#becoming one of those shows where i put an episode or two on while i drink tea or eat dinner or something lmao #always a good time imo #im just so used to shows that get canceled so. change of pace! fun #ask #aless-was-here #honestly big fan of taking time with shows instead of binging them #if any of you ever watch twin peaks pleaase begging you watch it one or two episodes a day its sooo much better when u get to sit and think #or better yet for the 1990 viewing experience u could watch it every thursday night. #not to discuss twin peaks on star trek ask. oops

[skunkes]

Hope you giggle and smile big today

i hope so toooo t_t thank u

#im having a very small one day outing with my best friend in her city on saturday #so today i have to finish comms and get everything sorted and sift thru march's comms and get those sorted #bc she'll be picking me up friday night #ill get 2 nights of a break before diving back in....bt im already running on empty its been so hard to sit and focus on art #also cookie is having issues :[ + ive been on Low Sleep for the past [forever] im just really Frayed right now #dungeon meshi thursday...save me....i want to giggle and smile big.... #anonymous #skunk mail

[sapphire-heart-tippy]

I'm back everyone! Just gonna take it easy for now. I still have some things to finish, and need to focus on my mental health. Just been distressed with anger and sadness, but I've been finding ways to soothe my negative emotions

#tippy rambles #weirdly enough coloring in coloring books helps me a lot- its a good distraction from the hurt /genuine #plus pretending vanilla is motivating me to do chores and take care of myself genuinely helps me out #although i will admit- i think one of the reasons for my mood is i have been forcing myself to keep my room clean every night and- #vacuum and do laundry every thursday... the adhd really disliked that. so maybe the rigid routine makes me feel trapped- #so im trying to find a way to keep my spaces clean consistently while at the same time not stressing out