Scenarist Navigation Structure

[EmployedStuntman]

I've been trying to figure out Scenarist for the past week and it's complicated but I'm making good progress. I can do motion menus, subtitles, multiple angles and audio tracks etc. But here's my question.

What is the "proper" way to set up the navigation structure?

Should I make a new VTS for each video?
Should I put everything under a Language folder?
What is supposed to be in the Video Manager folder?

List as much details as possible please :)

I appreciate any input, Thanks.

[slig]

Here's a link which helped me to understand dvd structure. Download this pdf and feel good.

http://estore.sonic.com/books/dvdproduction.asp

[EmployedStuntman]

Thanks, I've got a book on order.

I've read the guides on doom9 and trilight (and a few others) but does anyone know any other good guides, tutorials or books about Scenarist?

[slig]

If you know Russian - try this: http://www.spline.ru/SplineRazdel_7.htm

[EmployedStuntman]

I can't read Russian but thanks anyway.

Does anyone have any screen captures of their scenario editor/navigation structure that they're willing to post.

[dan]

You can pretty much do it however you'd want, there is no "right" way to go about it, but there are "better" ways.

Generally, you'll want your main movie to have a title within a given VTS; your menus to be in a language domain (folder) within that same VTS. This will make linking to chapters, etc. much simpler.

Then, I put video that is in the same aspect ratio as the main movie in a new title [not VTS] within the same VTS that has the main movie, again for easier linking from the menus to a title. If there's only one video per title, there isn't an issue of implenting a command that selects which one to play.

Then, I make a new VTS for video that is a different aspect ratio than the main movie, and a title for each clip; after this, I make the necessary dummy PGCs in the video manager to link the menus [in the language domain of a different VTS] to the content in this new VTS. The simplest way to make these connections is probably a link to a dummy PGC in the video manager that links from menu to title within that new VTS, then linking to a dummy PGC (again in the video manager) to go back to the menu.

Anyway, as you knew already, Scenarist is a complicated beast.

Specifically, the main movie is usually not in the language folder of a VTS; try to leave that for the menu(s).

I've linked to two screenshots; yeah, I know it's tough to make anything out of the pictures, but maybe it'll provide at least a bit of a graphical representation of this all. I've included one without the links displayed and one with the links displayed, but as you can see, it's a real zoo when they visible.

There's a lot more going on in there than just the links, but it'd take more time than I have now to go through everything.

http://pubweb.northwestern.edu/~dcf797/Franklin/project_nolinks.png
http://pubweb.northwestern.edu/~dcf797/Franklin/project_links.png

Hope this helps in some way or another,
Dan

[EmployedStuntman]

Thanks Dan, I appreciate it.
I'm going to make a few "test" projects and try to learn all I can by trial and error (well hopefully not to many errors).

[dan]

no problem...if you have any specific questions or problems, just ask.


Dan