The Clown of As'Latur

[Moderator]

15:42, 31st Jul 2010
ap0calypse: Approved

Update: Adding rating and reviews from contest

bounty hunter2:
Well packed, loading screen and the preview image are fitting and custom.

The terrain is well done, noticing the fact from the start. The scenery around the house, and the house model, well chosen. The interiors were also great, I can't complain on them at all. What I must complain on is the part around the lake, the market, it was to tampered with by humans, the fence around the lake? What is that for? The pavement below the market? Dirt is more realistic.

Now to the story, which is the main part of this cinematic. The story is well hard to follow, even after a second watch. The idea of a person buying an house that is cheap but great because people think it's cursed has been used too many times, even Simpsons did it. However the clown is a nice addition to the story. It starts of great, and then it starts to confuse, but the story is mostly understandable in the end. The voice acting was good, helps the story a lot.

The camera movements was decent, I can't complain on it, nor can I praise it.

The effects? There weren't any special effects, however there were some great scenes, when the man was looking through the doors, when he saw himself hanged, those were some great "effects" and scenes.

Overall? 6/10. Good terrain, decent story, but it becomes confusing at a point, a bit boring if I may add and hard to follow.


Rui:
On "The Clown of As'Latur", we are told the story that happens on the world of Kaliim, which we recognise from the The Cult of the Holy Mother and The Lone Panther. CMarket tells us, through Borigard Smith (father of Logan Smith, a character we'll soon be seeing on The Lone Panther), the tale of the Nefa family; more concretely, that of Gomez Nefa.
All in all, the quality of this piece is close to that which CMarket has got us accustomed to on his cinematic series. The terrain and scenarios are decent in spite of a few unreal landscape details, such as the Nefa's house inner and outer dimensions.
The main difference we'll find here, however, concerns the way the story is told. You are not able to catch up with what's going on as easily as you would on the author's other works – the lore is denser and there is a part which appeals to one's intuition. This forces you to watch the cinematic more than once – the creator was well aware of that both when he planned out the plot and when he finished his submission for this Cinematic Contest.
My opinion is that small details matter on a movie but Warcraft III's resources are limited, both on the triggering and other artistic necessities (model animating, for example). Having that in mind and considering it is the first time I've seen anyone attempt such an approach, "The Clown of As'Latur" does well for a Warcraft III cinematic, but the doubt remains regarding whether or not this story density works.

Rating: 3,5/5.

 

[CMarket]

It would be nice if you guys could read the description, or at least the part where it says:
Make sure your in-game music and sound volume are at the same level.

 

[-Kobas-]

Omg finally map from CMarket must check this one right now!

23.05 MB that means you imported large number of sound files, but knowing ya work it must be something special!
I can guess that actors have their voices as well!

 

[Vengeancekael]

FINALLY released it
I've watched it before and all I can say is epic.

 

[Zanekok]

Hmm i really dont know what was there and who was that stupid clown... it was a bit like horror. I was scared in many times of story. Really great job. +4rep

 

[CMarket]

Hmm i really dont know what was there and who was that stupid clown

That's the thing, isn't it. It's not supposed to be plain and obvious. Think about it? Perhaps the Clown is a magical being, so powerful the priest couldn't even detect him. Maybe he is a manifestation of something, not necessarily magical. Is he connected to the Holy Mother? Is he helping Gomez or hurting him?
I'd prefer to hear your thoughts rather than reveal my interpretations at the start.

P.S. The description offers more info on this type of cinematic.

 

[redmarine]

Will download WarCraft III only to watch this! Rock on!

 

[Zanekok]

That's the thing, isn't it. It's not supposed to be plain and obvious. Think about it? Perhaps the Clown is a magical being, so powerful the priest couldn't even detect him. Maybe he is a manifestation of something, not necessarily magical. Is he connected to the Holy Mother? Is he helping Gomez or hurting him?
I'd prefer to hear your thoughts rather than reveal my interpretations at the start.

P.S. The description offers more info on this type of cinematic.

Yeah i read description. I watched it again and now know one more thing but its really hard to know what was there. PS: Who is Holy Mother?
Edit: OK now i know... its your serie of cinematics but dont have time for watching of it

 

[CMarket]

Edit: OK now i know... its your serie of cinematics but dont have time for watching of it

Hehe No worries there. You don't need to watch the series to understand this cinematic, but it can be an additional theory as to what the story is if you know the background of Kaliim (the world in which these cinematics take place).

 

[-Kobas-]

If we forget about my FU mind this one is really awesome! I can't wait to see more...
I can't understand story jet but all else was epic!

 

[CMarket]

I can't understand story jet but all else was epic!

Think of it as literature class you had in high school when you analyzed books, as a lot of things in the story have symbolic or metaphorical meaning.

If not, check back later and somebody might write their interpretation, after which you might get a spark, an idea for yours

 

[Zanekok]

I have some but i won't say it because ppl will know many of things from story after

 

[Tanasren]

Pisse suit, or pisea suit
it was written this near the priest, no ?
two guys we wearing same clothes as the two guys at start.
The last guy was named "james sullivan" but what were the two characters' names at start ?

 

[Mantis_Style]

that's a badass cinematic O.O

Ideas about the story

I believe the clown is the manifestation of his guilt. He is the bad thing, the sin in Gomez (men are not punished for their sins, but by them). Everytime we see him, the main character Gomez is thinking about an possible affair of his wife (she comes home late, she talks to this affair guy near the market place) or he killed / is going to kill someone. So Gomez killed his wife and the affair guy, but somehow he can't remember anything and just don't understand (the letter at the beginning which says the affair guy is dead, but he doesn't know his name). He only has these visions about what will happen and what he did (his headache). Slowly he remembers what he did and at the end of the cinematic, when he's in jail, he remembers killing his wife and the affair guy.

The creator used fire to show Gomez's guilt (and the clown of course). Like in hell fire is supposed to clean the sins through pain (catharsis), but the fire we saw two times wasn't real (the house is not damaged in future). So the fire seems to be a symbol for that.

He says, Gomez had these visions because he remembered a different past, but he doesn't seem to be able to help him. The Priest wipes one single time with his hand and simply says it's not magical. Maybe he is not powerful enough to see what's going on.

What's with these three rooms before he gets to the affair guy?
Why can't Gomez remember anything?

PS: Please don't be mad about my english

 

[-Kobas-]

Maybe rooms 301, 302... means: The Sect of the Holy Mother (we see that pyramid head dude), The Lone Panther (he didn't show room because serial isn't finished jet) and dead mean was for this one (He saw himself, because at end of cinematic dude told to his boy: "He was hanged in the town square. A sad end to a sad story. The worst thing is that he probably did love her, despite the affairs.")

 

[Septimus]

borigard smith voice was a bit choppy at the beginning, but it was rather a good cinematic that definitely worth to be recommend.

i recommend to use subtitle system and potrait talk animation to give a much better realism into it.

 

[crimson fire]

Another clown map thingy.....the circus must be rolling in xD will download it and c what the fuss is all about.

 

[kidsoulex]

Did he really did that or it was the clown?

 

[millzy]

well im going to have to watch this
to bad the map size is huge and im capped
its going to take me like over a hour to download

 

[CMarket]

What's with these three rooms before he gets to the affair guy?
Why can't Gomez remember anything?

Spoilers!!!

As Kobas mentioned already, it is said that Gomez was hanged at the town square. One could interpret room 303 as a glimpse of reality, in Gomez's twisted world. Another possibility would be, as Kobas said, that the rooms represent the three series. One could then ask what the symbolism of three is.

Pyramid Head, seen in room 301, is the ultimate executioner. A symbol of cold punishment, judgment and torture (as we can see a torture room behind him). While this is not mentioned in this episode, it has been established throughout the other cinematics what Pyramid Head represents.

As for room 302, it is sort of an easter egg, as far as the inscription goes, a reference and not really a plot point, while the rust covering the peephole speaks of decay, corruption and vile.

Another possibility would be that the first room represents torture and suffering, the second hidden and unknown decay(the rust is covering the view, therefore we do not know what is in that room, which is similar to us not knowing what happens after death), where the third room shows a lifeless body.

As for Gomez not remembering stuff, well, he's not in his sound mind, is he. Rage, guilt, jealousy drive him, or possibly some other unknown force and blank his thoughts and memories, up until the end.

Did he really did that or it was the clown?

Spoilers once again!

It's up to you to determine which version you believe. Did Gomez kill his wife? Was it an unknown and powerful spirit of Vengeance, shaping himself in a figure of a clown? Are Gomez and the Clown the same person? A clown is a symbol of friendliness, laughter, and some mystery, while Gomez is quiet, not interesting and plain.

 

[redmarine]

Hm, will you make a sequel to this cinematic? Just wondering since, in my opinion, the ending was quite a cliffhanger.

 

[kidsoulex]

From the three options you have there i take the third, for me

 

[CMarket]

Hm, will you make a sequel to this cinematic? Just wondering since, in my opinion, the ending was quite a cliffhanger.

I'm not really sure what the sequel would contain. If I explore the clown character further, I'll just fail my original goal which was to have multiple theories on what actually happened here. Same stands for exploring any other aspect further.

My idea here is for everyone to take in as much of the story as they want. One could look at this story as a linear, non-detailed plot and see one version, the other can hang on every detail and see a completely different story, both of which are correct. Exploring any aspect further would make most viewers accept only that version and disregard all the other ones.

 

[redmarine]

I'm not really sure what the sequel would contain. If I explore the clown character further, I'll just fail my original goal which was to have multiple theories on what actually happened here. Same stands for exploring any other aspect further.

My idea here is for everyone to take in as much of the story as they want. One could look at this story as a linear, non-detailed plot and see one version, the other can hang on every detail and see a completely different story, both of which are correct. Exploring any aspect further would make most viewers accept only that version and disregard all the other ones.

I understand. Anyhow, outstanding work as always and I hope you'll at least pump out a couple more episodes of TLPS.

 

[HappyCockroach]

Really cool! I liked it. 5/5

 

[Fussiler1]

Awesome. 5/5

 

[SexYFrostWyrM]

This cinematic is a real masterpiece ! I never seen something like that before ! And more over, thats not just a very, very well-made cinematic but also a story which makes the watcher reflect and pay attention to the details.
I'm not sure to understood everything, but i have to say this really kicks ass, man.
And i saw the author was kafana, the same one who made the sect of the holy mother, now i don't wonder anymore about the quality of this cinematic ^^

 

[creyzi4zb12]

I love cinematics, usually come in and out of the cinematic section to take a look at some maps uploaded. And this one was a good show, nothing really much to say....I loved the way you used the cameras and angles.

Points to improve: There really isn't anything, but it did strike me however, that the interior view of the house had no windows.

Anyway, still a good one... 5/5 for me.
BTW: I thought you were gone CM

 

[CMarket]

but it did strike me however, that the interior view of the house had no windows.

Anyway, still a good one... 5/5 for me.
BTW: I thought you were gone CM

It had windows, though I suppose that they weren't really large. There's one in the bedroom, behind the beds and there are also two in the living room, which can be seen most easily during the scene with Borigard and Logan, inside the house.

Yeah, I was gone for a while and now I'm back, looking forward to releasing Lone Panther 3 and probably the rest of the series, though I won't make any promises yet.

 

[deepstrasz]

This is not epic. The idea is seen in David Lynch's movie: Lost Highway. Watch it and you'll see what I'm talking about.

---

EDIT:
Rewatched this. The visuals are stunning. The camera needs better movement as it's pretty staccato.

 

[CMarket]

The idea is seen in David Lynch's movie: Lost Highway.

Indeed it is, and I have credited him for the inspiration. I could have, however, not used the exact lines for the clown, but since the contest conclusion was coming to an end and I didn't have a proper actor for the clown, I had to use Robert Blake's voice. However, the idea is far from the same, while the main idea is there, you could also say that I used Secret Window's idea, Shutter Island's idea, Memento's idea and so on. All of these had demons of their own, as does mine. While the main plot idea (guy kills his wife/friend) is similar to basically every psychological thriller the execution is original as well as the symbolism.

 

[thedeathunterxx]

ive watched this before and i give this 5 stars.

i just had a few questions about it.

The clown, is he apart of the maincharactes mind ? or is he a diety ? like is it possible that that was like the holy mother or some demonic minion of hers that does that to sane people ?

im interested in seeing a mysterious answer ^.^

 

[CMarket]

ive watched this before and i give this 5 stars.

i just had a few questions about it.

The clown, is he apart of the maincharactes mind ? or is he a diety ? like is it possible that that was like the holy mother or some demonic minion of hers that does that to sane people ?

im interested in seeing a mysterious answer ^.^

That's the thing, isn't it? The correct answer is the one you believe. Either it's the twisted mind of Gomez that's manifesting his emotions into this figure, or it is an entity.

Another thing to consider is this: If it is an entity, is it helping Gomez or is it hurting him? On one hand it might be a spirit of vengeance, dealing justice and killing the wicked. On the other hand, it might feed on Gomez' wrecked mind and body, on his suffering.

There is plenty of proof to back up all three theories if you know where to look. The correct answer is the one you notice most evidence for and therefore accept.

Things to consider: The rooms, the characters, the clown's exact words, the elements (lightning bolt, fire)...

 

[ytmnd7]

hey this cinematic was really cool, if this was second place in a contest I would love to see the first place winner. can anyone give me the link to the darkness within cinematic?

 

[dead-man-walking]

The voice acting is very lovely. Although Gomez' doesn't seem to show any real emotion. You showed that your fangs are still sharp. And even sharper than before. The thrill that this Cinematic caused to my spines is amazing. Just like Black Riverside.

All in all, I should give this 5/5. With some refining on voice acting, I'm sure this deserves a DC.

 

[Sharingan]

Awesome cinematic. Never saw a better one in my life.
I understood almost everything. Well the 2 things i didnt were :
1. What the hell was that strange hotel/smthing when gomez was looking inside rooms ?
room 301 , 302 , 303 ... etc.
2. Why in the end of the movie there were a lot of clowns ?

 

[CMarket]

Awesome cinematic. Never saw a better one in my life.
I understood almost everything. Well the 2 things i didnt were :
1. What the hell was that strange hotel/smthing when gomez was looking inside rooms ?
room 301 , 302 , 303 ... etc.
2. Why in the end of the movie there were a lot of clowns ?

The rooms were rooms of the Drunken Clown. The literal interpretation would be that he was looking for his wife and possibly her lover, who he finds in room 304.
As for the first three rooms, each has a symbolic meaning.
The first hosting a torture chamber and Pyramid Head, a creature that has been a symbol of suffering, justice in torture in my previous work.
The second is unknown, covered with rust (a symbol of corruption; corruption is hiding part of the truth) with an Easter egg inscription on it.
The third shows Gomez hanging. As Borigard said, Gomez was hanged in the end so the room could be a vision of the future, or perhaps the present, depending on how you understood the story.

The mass number of clowns indicate that the Clown has increased his hold (be it magical or psychological) over Gomez. The Clown's power has increased which is expressed in the multitude of his images.

I am really glad you enjoyed it

 

[Loomax]

[+] story idea
[+] cameras
[+] terrain

[+/-] some of animations was failed (like this in scene with fire, where man scratching his head screamed to his wife)
[+/-] dubbing wasn't very good. Only clown and uncle did good dubbing

but despite these few shortcomings, this cinematic is really good

Cheer!

 

[valhalla]

very nice map.the bigest size (23.05MB)i ever seen.

 

[xDeathKnightx]

I must say, that this cinematic really made me think alot, and apart from the fact that the every part of the cinematic was well done, the parts with the Torture chamber, hanging man, and the clown, really made me think alot, it almost seemed like a mind-twister, i thought that this was an amazing cinematic, I hope to see alot more.

5/5 +REP

 

[Hargoth]

Adulterers deserve to die? Thats my only issue with this.

 

[Vengeancekael]

As a member of the group Map Reviewers, I will be checking approved cinematics again:

Compatible - X

Permission - X

Map already uploaded - X

Rules - X

Bugs - X

Genre - X

Section - X

Category - X

[X = Passed]
[X = Failed]

 

[Ribenamania]

Aww.. no credits for me?

 

[CMarket]

Aww.. no credits for me?

Seriously???

I can't believe I missed that. I cramped the credits in the loading screen in order to conserve screen time for the story (as there was a limit to how long the cinematic can last). I'll have to fix it as soon as I get the chance.

I'm terribly sorry

 

[Ribenamania]

haha =.= yea I'm cool, it's okay. Great cinematic anyway thou I never watch the other series therefore not knowing the sequel.

 

[CMarket]

Actually, this cinematic is a stand alone story. While it is situated in the same world and a few of the characters have been introduced earlier the story itself is on its own.

 

[Skipper]

Very good, Good atmosphere, good Music, All is Good!

 

[Rufus]

Shit! Looks scary! i will download it right away!

 

[RDz_NewbMapmaker]

Quite an interesting in-depth storyline. The atmospere was in tune with the story and it was quite like watching a murder/horror story. The downfall alas was the tone of the voices. It doesn't sound realistic and flowing with the story. It sounds like it was generated from a robot, if you know what i mean.

All in all 4/5