Holy Hiatus, Batman

halo-warsMaking a series like TLW takes a crap-ton of time. So whenever we get a reprieve from the insanity of this absurd Counter-Strike: Source machinima, we tend to live it up. I’ve been playing a stupid amount of video games, particularly Halo Wars, Resident Evil 5, and some Killzone 2 for good measure. We even started up a game of D&D with some friends, which I’ve never done before. Nick is a Dwarven Paladin named John Smotetrain, Daniel is an Avenger named Cortez Cardinal, and I’m a Wizard named Tom Shanks. We are questers of the most badass sort.

However, all that free time is gone as of this coming weekend, as we kick up production on Episode 8. We’ll hopefully have a camera there filming the process as we move through some of the episode, and hope to release our “making of” video at some point in the next month or so.

Speaking of, do you guys have any particular piece of the TLW production process that you’re most interested in hearing about? Besides whether or not Nick’s Beard (it must be capitalized out of honor) hinders our ability to puppeteer. Let us know!

36 thoughts on “Holy Hiatus, Batman

  1. Kuilui

    I always wondered how you guys managed to do the camera work for TLW. I mean is it like a halo thing where you can just float around as the camera? I would guess not. Or is it you get a character to walk around and get a bunch of different angles for each shot? If its the latter that must get annoying after awhile. Oh and I assume Cortez in your D&D game gets a cool set of shades to start?

    P.S:I was going to ask about Nicks beard but never mind then.

  2. Gassy Mexican

    I would like to see some of your voice acting sessions. Those always seem to have some hilarity to them when you guys release the outtakes. Also i’m just dying to see that wonderful closet you record in lol ; ).

    -Gassy

  3. Teh_meaty

    I’m really really curious as to how you guys do your storyboard, or if you guys even do storyboards haha. (@ Eddy’s picture in the About page holding a ‘storyboard.’) But yeah, I’m mostly curious about the camera set up. Kuilui pretty much summed it up for me.

  4. Stefanus Lie

    Hmmm… I actually curious on how you guys combine lots of features in the show. I don’t think it is as simple as change the skin of the counter-strike… Or maybe it really is as simple as that…

  5. Stefanus Lie

    Oh, another one. I actually curious on how you guys actually combine the video and the music by the awesome Jace. Do you guys send him the video then he make the music or he give you the music then you guys make the video or both sides meet up and create the masterpieces together?

  6. sclscl

    Has to be the voice-overs! And generally how you go about recording/acting out an episode? How many people are on hand for the action scenes in the challenge for example at any one time?

    I LOVE TEH LEET WORLD!!!!!!!!!!!!!111111

  7. Benb

    i need to see eddy and nick fight for the crums in his beard…it could be like a whole other web series where they like live off the food in there! you could call it “starving: beard of life” hehe translation: you guys on the computers, in-game

  8. DPbg94

    Yeah voice acting sessions are always fun to hear so watching them probably would be hilarious!!!

  9. hl2lover14

    Seems what i was going to say was already said, so on to other things. When will you guys start up Web Zeroes again? I miss it 🙁

  10. S.T.R.E.L.O.K.

    @Kuilui: U can use a character + noclip to move around, so its almost the same as Halo.

  11. 5aga-m4n

    I was wondering how much of a difference all those after effects make in the post-production stage compared to what it looks like unchanged as raw footage.
    Also, if you guys end up doing any cool Gmod tricks in the next episode, give us a glimpse of that whole process… especially teh bl00perz!!!

    On a completely different note, will there be additional podcasts/ commentaries in the near future?

    PS: No pressure.

  12. sgtpepper

    @Kuilui – u can also take a demo and then demo smooth it by creating paths. This is how they would get some of the movements that are very smooth and particular.

    i am interested in how many computers you use to film tlw. Do you act out the scenes with the head moving and all, demo it, and then film the angles you want, this would involve going over each demo about 3 or more time to get all the different angles.
    Also how do you manage to get sometimes more that 8 people in a scene??

  13. Gadfly Jim

    if you do storyboarding, or the equivalent of storyboarding, for any of the major Scenes it would be cool to see that, or the voice acting sessions.

  14. Danny-Boy

    im mostley interested in how you get so many players in the scenes, even if you are gamers, and the other voice actors plays to, i doubt you can take so many pc,s a person…
    so 2 options
    1) you find random guys on a server or 2) is it bots?
    that wonders me
    2nd: ive listened to the voice recordings/outtakes and it seemes only one of you talk per. record, if thats it, do you tape one persons line at a time, and then glue it together, also how does DD/Jace make the music so acurate, as youve said before, records it before the episode is recorded, so i guess you send him a “sound script” (just a name ofc) and then he make the music to the script? thanks in advance for respond (if that comes)

  15. Trogador

    I’d really like to see behind the scenes with Jace as he writes the music for TLW.

  16. Stuart

    Here’s something i want to know:
    What software do you use to create the voice of Leeroys computer?

  17. LotsofLuck

    It would be great to see a general behind the scenes (voice recording, writing process, acting process), that type of thing.

    I would guess that you record demos of all the action you want, and then later record the correct angle shots using demo smoother, but that’s probably only if you need to do complex shots (like Season 1, episode 8, following the tree-trap to kill the domination man). Otherwise, it looks like most the shots are still frames, which makes me believe it’s all done either by a “camera-man” or probably demo smoother.

    I don’t know, enough of me babbling. Just give us ton of information, and we’ll enjoy it, even though we’ll ask you even more stuff that you “missed”.

  18. hamberglar

    I would also like to see when you guys are doing the voice overs, but I also want to know what role Nick’s Beard plays in it. I’d also like a detailed guide on how to get such an awesome beard.

  19. axel

    I’m huge into voiceover, and so I’d truly LOVE to see an in-depth look at how you three handle your dialogue, from writing it to recording it. If your process includes line rehearsal, direction, any kind of unique techniques you use whether for acting, recording, or even micing, would be incredibly interesting.

  20. Mitch

    Have you guys been going to the Penny-Arcade School of D&D Names? Nah, just kidding, but your names remind me of the sobriquet that Gabe uses in the D&D podcast. (Jim Darkmagic.)

    As for the L33t World production, I’d like to take a peek at a script, if you use one. (I imagine machinima scripts are much like movie scripts and the like.)

    It’d be funny/interesting to see the lines written out, including the required inflections.

  21. Shaggy

    It’d be cool to see you guys actually record audio, rather than just listen to outtakes.

  22. Eddy

    It’s funny how many of you want to see the voiceover sessions, considering that you’ve already heard them. I mean, what you hear is a 2 minute clip out of like an hour or so of audio files. The rest of it is just us doing the lines normally. But yeah, we’ll definitely get some footage of that.

  23. theworldhero

    i love the outtakes. you guys need to screw up more lines so we can laugh histerically at you.

  24. Paperkut

    I would to know some few trick that you guys do with valve hammer ;D i love that effect of rain and i would like to know how to do it 😀 post a tutorial..

  25. freebiewitz

    You guys have started up a DnD group? You guys should post updates about your quests. I really want to see what kinda crazy stuff you guys will get up to in your game. Seriously DnD + good friends = awsome stories.

    for example. Im playing a druid and I had enchanted a bunch of acorns and nuts to explode (Yeah we can do that)
    then we blew up the cities barracks (long story short the captain was an arse) even though we were only ment to expose his crimes to the king buuut we were too pised off for that so we came up with the explosive acorn plan and it was awsome.

    So can you guys pleeeeaaaaase post up DnD updates?

  26. playerborg96

    mebby like behind the scenes like what you actually do when your not making leet world

  27. crackspider

    erm if its not to much can you send me the raining militia map cos that would be gr8 for the community i help with’s event and if im lucky i can get some 1 to write smoothfew films in the skybox just for you and send it back

    oh and id like to know how much actual footage is shown and what is cut ie for fade ins and fade outs a rough like amount cos i made a 3 minute film trailer (rl) and ended up taking 30 mins worth jus to dice all it over

    also would you say you have the entire season planned out story wise or make small alterations here and there to make things more continuitous?

  28. ninjahkb

    Haha i would definitely like to see two things.
    one who teh !@#$ does the actual typing for player?
    2nd id like to see the intricate workings of his ferret seizures and how they are made

  29. Eddy

    [quote comment=”14631″]Haha i would definitely like to see two things.
    one who teh !@#$ does the actual typing for player?
    2nd id like to see the intricate workings of his ferret seizures and how they are made[/quote]

    Ha, I don’t know why people ask about Player. I write the scripts, and we add the typing in during the editing process.

  30. awkook

    Im pretty sure that i remember eddy telling me (or in a podcast) that they use split screens for multiple players. Recording sessions would also be cool 😀

  31. starbriantrekmay

    Love to see voice acting/ recording with all the dudes. I see others would like the same, add my name to the chorus! Keep up the great work!

  32. GreaseMonkey

    I want to see the whole process! Even the boring stuff, because I’m sure everyone here will find it all fascinating.

Comments are closed.