Video: Jack Emmert Explains Champions Lore

[Ethec]

Who better to explain the history and story behind Champions Online than Cryptic Studios Chief Creative Officer Jack Emmert who, at Cryptic Studios media day, told the press (with Hair Club for Men gusto) that he liked the Champions tabletop RPG so much, he bought the IP. Join Mr. Emmert for 18 minutes of geekout grandeur for an overview of the 25+ year phenonmenon known as Champions, with special emphasis on the events and characters that will form the backdrop of Champions Online.

Check out the video at Ten Ton Hammer. Are you a current or aspiring Champions player? Does the Cryptic take on the RPG match up with your expectations? Share your comments below!

[Stark1]

Seriously, get a tripod, learn your camera. WTF was with all the movement, sound cutting in and out, the constant thumping noise everytime you moved the camera.

I was trying to concentrate on the content but at 75% percent through the video I just couldn't stand it anymore.

Please give your writers or whoever attends these events the proper equipment and training.

[Ethec]

Everything we do is one-take recording - none of the presentations we go to are produced for video. If we don't get it on the first try, there's no re-dos. For one, we haven't had multiple cameras running at any event so far (and you probably know that that sort of thing is required to cover pans, zooms, and mistakes in a quality video to preserve the audio). When I had to make the choice between keeping poor video and preserving some relevant audio, I chose to keep the audio because that's where most of the content in this presentation was. I guess my presumption was that a majority of our viewers prefer substance over style.

Sound is spotty just because we're relying on the ambient sound - there's no amplification here. Lighting was terrible in the room too, I had to use a lot of camera and post-production tricks that you probably don't think I'm capable of just to keep Emmert visible and the shots of the screen somewhat reasonably exposed. The presentations weren't made available to the press or we would have edited them in for clarity.

The conditions are never ideal, and I apologize for that. The intent isn't to give you a polished presentation like you'd get on TV - the nature of the footage means it's going to be barely a step up from YouTube, but we're getting better. Really, it's meant to put you in our shoes, let you see what we see and draw your own conclusions.

As for a tripod, you're right. Being a one man band and traveling to these things means i have to select my equipment carefully. I opted for a steady stick because it does okay for walkaround footage and it actually fits in my luggage, but becomes a huge pain in the arm when recording long presentations (we never really know what to expect until we actually arrive, and we seldom have time to set up properly, check white balance - which often requires two different presets when a powerpoint is involved, by the way, audio, and that sort of thing). I should have taken the tripod, lesson learned.

So, in short, no one is forcing you to watch these presentations. If you can't stand it, don't watch it. We'll do our best with what we've got, continue to improve, and hope that we're bringing you something valuable.

[Ethec]

Oh, and thanks for the input about the low-end rumble. I'll cut it a little more aggressively - it's hard to hear it when I'm on the road and working with laptop speakers.

[Stark1]

I know I'm not forced to watch it and I stopped when I couldn't stand anymore(see previous post). If no one says anything, you will not improve.

From your vantage point, a mini-tripod would be a good investment even if you are worried about space constraints when traveling. Also, since you had to move the camera so much, you should invest in a pocket recorder such as the Zoom H2 or something similar. The constant noise from your shifting of the camera was very distracting and you could have placed the recorder closer to your subject. There really was no style to speak of and I was referring more to the content because of what should not have been captured. I didn't ask for sparkles to come from Emmert's hands or cool lower-thirds. I just wanted to be able to focus on the content not what the camera and audio were doing.

Forget the jammies next time and stuff some extra accessories.