Created a Scenarist scenario from scratch - but what is the correct structure?

[LordClick]

I shot my own movie and authored the DVD with Scenarist. Everything worked fine, I created a DVD that can play chapters, call the bonus menu, display production stills etc, no problem.

But the real problem came up now that I wanted to add the choice of different language subtitles. I thought I can just put the subtitle streams under the main movie in its track, and then call them from within the DVD menu. It seemed to work too, I could chose between English, German and no subtitles and they displayed. A problem was that the English subtitle displayed as default instead of none.

But when I tried to encode the DVD to a dvd image, it gave me all these error messages that the main menu language (not specified) did not correspond with the movie track it referenced (English/German subtitles), and it couldnt find the subtitles bitmaps for some strange reason (but in the simulation it could).

That made me think I may have got the structure wrong. My structure looks like this:
http://www.encounter.ch/scenarist.jpg

I just have one VTS folder and one Title in that. I made the dummy VMG and VTS pgc's to be able to go back to the main menu with either the Menu or Title button. Now how can I make Scenarist use my subtitles correctly? Do I need to duplicate the Title folder for every language (I have 6) and put them in a new VTS folder? I really don't understand that part. Or did I get the structure completely wrong and am stuck with no subtitles in this structure?

Some detailed and extensive insight would be heavily and greatly appreciated. Whoever can help me might be credited in the DVD credits.

Thanks in advance!
Lucas

[Crazyjoe]

Sorry to say so, but your DVD Structure is to say "not present"! It's awful. :rolleyes:

I don't have the time now to explain all details. Only one tip for the moment: ALL MENUS reside in a language domain! Not the title domain!

Please read the DVD Guides here at Doom9 (especially for the DVD Basics!). If you want I'll explain some details to you later, but at the moment I haven't got the time. :)

[LordClick]

hey CrazyJoe, I'd really appreciate your help. I didnt think the structure is awful, since it works like that, except that it always plays the english subs as default (i can turn them off only in the menu) :) but please tell me how i can make this a more conventional structure!

[Crazyjoe]

For your subpicture problem I gave you a tip in the "Advanced Authoring" Forum.

As to your DVD structure: first of all, put all the pgcs which represent a menu or just a menu intro animation or transition or whatever out of your title domain (means the title folder(s) of a VTS) and put them in a language domain (describes one or more language folders within a VTS or the Video Manager Folder). Let's say it's logical but also accidental that your DVD plays fine at all. ;)

For the menu pgcs you'll have to decide what pgcs you want to put in what menu area of the disc. In the Video Manager should reside menus from which you need to have direct access to single title folders of the disc. Usually the "main menu" should be the title menu of the disc and therefore in a language domain of the Video Manager.

In the language domain of a VTS you could place subpicture, audio or chapter menus. But you could also put them in the Video Manager too. Doesn't matter in your case.

As to the menu flags that can be set please read the thread "chapter menus" in "Advanced Authoring" forum. I explained some of the details there.

I hope that helps you a little bit. As you'll see yourself your project doesn't have a proper DVD structure at the moment (at least if it still looks like on the screenshot). Your structure may playback fine on a software dvd player (they usually take the DVD specs less seriously), but will make huge problems on every other DVD player. ;)

Greets

Joe

[LordClick]

CrazyJoe, thanks for your straightforward reply, it's very useful. I'm currently redesigning the structure according to your hints :) What about the movie, do I put it in the Title folder of the VTS? And things like slideshows (from the Bonus menu), do I put them into that same title folder of the VTS like the movie, or each slide show into separate title folder?

[LordClick]

oh and do I put the bonus menu itself also in the language domain of a vts?

and I have like a series of images with text (production notes) that I wanna be able to move through by selecting the "right" button. I did that in my messed up scenario :P by taking the first image and dropping it into the title folder, then adding the subsequent images to that created pgc (creating programs under the same pgc to which I can link). This doesn't seem to be possible if I have the production notes under the language domain of the vts, i can't create programs under one pgc, only cells, or new pgcs alltogether. should I just create a new pgc for every image of the production notes under the vts language domain?

[Crazyjoe]

Originally posted by LordClick
What about the movie, do I put it in the Title folder of the VTS? And things like slideshows (from the Bonus menu), do I put them into that same title folder of the VTS like the movie, or each slide show into separate title folder?

Each movie which hasn't anything to do with a menu should be placed in a title folder. How many VTS you'll need depends on the videos you're going to use. Within a VTS the aspect ratios of the videos mustn't differ (so either 4:3, 4:3 Pan&Scan or 16:9). Also the language specified and the audio attributes (Codec, Bitrate & Number of Channels) of each audio track mustn't differ (but there are many threads on that subject in the forums).
So you can split your videos over more than one VTS if you have to (because of the attributes) or simply because it might be helpful to you if you have a more transparent structure.

How many PGCs you put in a title is up to you. The DVD Specs support up to 999 PGCs per title. But if you put more that one PGC in a title you won't have a timecode and a timemap on the videos. So I think it will be better for you to put them in a different title folder.

Wether you put your bonus menus in the language domain(s) of the video manager or a VTS is up to you. If you want to have access from within these menus to certain chapter points or cells of your bonus videos, than you'll have to put them in the language domain of the VTS. If you need to jump directly to a title folder you'll have to put them in the video manager. :)

EDIT:

One other thing you should take in acount when placing the menus. From each VTS you can jump via commands directly to a specified PGC in the video manager (so it doesn't have to be the title menu pgc), but if you want to access a menu PGC in a certain vts from within a video manager PGC, than you can only jump to the PGC which has the "root menu" flag. That's also if you want to access a menu PGC of that VTS from out a video within that VTS. So if you have more than one menu PGC in that VTS you might consider putting the "root menu" flag to a dummy PGC and in that PGC check with the use of GPRMs and command to which other menu PGC to go.

[LordClick]

does the current structure look more like a regular DVD structure? :)

http://www.encounter.ch/scenarist.jpg

Could you give me some feedback on it? Alright, now as you can see I put for example 3 Cast & Crew pgcs in the CastCrew Folder of VTS_1. They are 3 images I can navigate through with arrows/buttons. Is that legitimate?

I think I had another question but I forgot :) so I'll ask next time. Thanks for all the feedback so far, great help!

[Crazyjoe]

I would say your structure looks fine. There's only one thing left. Although Scenarist suggests a free naming of title folders, you shouldn't do so.

You should keep the title folder names in the form of "Title_xx". Where xx is the number of the title without leading zeros.

If you do that and the playback of the disc works and fits your needs, then I would say it's done. :)

Greets

Joe