Crash Course
Released: 23rd January 2015
Stunt Help Quest
Stunt Help Quest
Main Characters / Extra Characters:
My Characters
|
Requirements / Rewards
|
Part 1
Royal: Yo, where all my stunt people at?
You and Crash arrive at Professor Hunt’s office on campus and find him conversing with Royal…
Danny: You wanted to see us, Professor?
Thomas Hunt: Yes. I believe you already know Royal, one of the first enrollees in Hollywood U’s new stunt program?
Royal: ‘Sup, Danny, what’s poppin’? And— Oh my god… you’re Crash Yamaguchi!
Crash: Hell yeah I am!
Royal: You’re, like, a legend of low-budget already! The avalanche scene in Peak Altitude… your BASE jump in Sinkhole 4: Hole New Level… Dude, your rappel down the elevator shaft in Elevated Risk was certainly insane!
Crash: Thanks but, gotta level with you, that last one was mostly--
Thomas Hunt: That’s quite enough. Before this campus is completely crawling with adrenaline junkies, it’s time you started contributing to the university’s projects!
Time - 6 hours
Thomas Hunt: Now, Spencer--
Crash: You mean ‘Crash’?
Thomas Hunt: I mean Spencer. You, Royal, and Danny will be assisting with a graduate thesis film being shot this week.
Danny: Wait, me too?
Thomas Hunt: May I remind you, this whole school-for-lunatics scheme is your idea. You may have convinced me in a rare moment of weakness that stunt performers have a place at this institution… but the board is far from swayed. In fact, they hardly see the point of a stunt major in today’s Hollywood, what with our cutting-edge CGI program…
Royal: Pffff, whatever. Fake CGI crap’s been ruining movies for too long now. Nobody wants to see a bunch of pixels smashing into each other. That’s why me and the Crash Yamaguchi are here to bring back the real!
Crash and Royal do a leaping chest-bump!
Crash: I’m so pumped, I wanna, like, do a flip off this desk--
Thomas Hunt: I dare you.
Crash: Okay, someone else’s desk…
Rewards
You, Crash, and Royal drive over to a soundstage in Brentwood. Dean spots you and waves.
Danny: Hey, Dean! I had no idea you were doing the visual effects for this project!
Crash: Whatever stunts you need, Dean-meister, we’ve got ‘em covered!
Dean: Excellent. We’ve already finished the dialogue scenes, but all of our action sequences are still to come. I’d already pre-rendered a lot of them as entirely CGI… but having actual stuntpeople should--
Royal: —make this movie not completely suck? CGI makes me want to barf.
Dean: Well, we’ll still be blending computer visuals with your practical stunts.
Royal: Heh, I could tell you were one of those computer guys. Look, just stand clear, Skynet. We’re here to show you how it’s done au naturel.
Crash: Sweet, we’re getting naked? Fearless!
Danny: Don’t think that’s what Royal meant…
Part 2
Royal: Stunts aren’t about faking something… they’re about making it real!
Dean and the director, Nyako, explain the first action scene.
Nyako: Fortunately, Danny looks something like our protagonist. Crash, you’re the spitting image of the zany sidekick who bites it early. And Royal, you’re the same build as our ‘bad seed’ character who reveals a heart of gold. So that’s whose stunts you’ll be doing.
Danny: Got it. What do you need us to do?
Dean: This next sequence is a big fight scene.
Nyako: Here’s my artistic vision. Danny and Crash are chasing Royal down this long hallway. Then Danny punches Royal through a window!
Dean: Er, that’s a stage-punch, just to be clear! Meaning you fake it. You’ll run past all these windows, before the punch happens right here.
Royal: Uh, but there’s no window here, dude! What do I get punched through?
Dean: Just jump through. The glass shattering will be added in post, as will the CGI snowstorm outside.
Royal: Oh. I get it. Wouldn’t want to do anything too real, would we, Skynet?
Danny: It’s cool, guys. We can handle this.
Crash: Totally. So, Boss Nyako, what’s our motivation for this scene?
Nyako: To punch Royal through a window.
Royal: But not really.
Time - 8 hours
As Nyako and Dean set up the shot, Royal whispers to you.
Royal: Hey, look, when the time comes, I want you to hit me as hard as you can.
Danny: Er, pretend hit you, right?
Royal: I’m talking for real. Like when Stallone had Lundgren punch him for real in ‘Rocky IV’! Sent him to the hospital! Hardcore! Seriously, though, Danny. Professor Hunt said this entire experiment is to see what stunts bring to the table. But how are we supposed to prove we belong at Hollywood U when your buddy Dean is replacing everything with CGI?
Danny: I don’t know…
Crash: LET’S DO THIS!
Nyako: Action!
You and Crash sprint down the hallway of windows, as Nyako tracks you with handheld shaky-cam! Royal flees at full tilt!
Nyako: Loving it! The raw energy! The adrenaline!
Finally, near the missing window, you catch up. Royal turns around, ready to be punched! You punch Royal!
Danny: Hrah!
Your fist connects hard with Royal’s jaw!
Royal: Gff!
Royal flies backwards… And leaps through an actual window! Glittering razor-sharp glass scatters like shrapnel!
Nyako: Cut! Cut!
Royal: Yup, lots of cuts!
Rewards
You and Crash hurry over to where Royal is slowly getting up…
Crash: Whoa! Man down, man down!
Danny: Royal, are you okay? You missed your mark and accidentally went through a real window!
Royal: Pfft, accidentally? That was on purpose! Just hope Nyako caught it all on film…
Just then, Dean and Nyako run up…
Dean: Royal! What on earth was that for? Why did you go through the wrong window?!
Royal: Uh, ‘cause it looked freakin’ sick?
Nyako: It. Was. Incredible! The punch, the glass… it all looked so gritty and intense!
Royal: That’s because it was. Clearly, Danny agreed with me.
Dean: But you didn’t need to do it.
Royal: What we didn’t need is your CGI crap making stuff fake. When it’s real, you get something you could never get with a computer. Trust me, we just did you a solid.
Dean: No, you didn’t. We were going to add a big snowstorm outside, but the real glass shards just made that way more difficult to add.
Royal: Then maybe you should’ve shot this on location, huh.
Dean trudges off, shaking his head.
Dean: Dean, wait!
Royal: Aw, let him go, Danny. Computer guys are always getting uptight and pouty. Am I right, or am I right, Crash?
Crash: Er, well… actually… the thing is…
Part 3
Crash: Uhhhhh…
Royal: Wait… don’t tell me you’re taking Dean’s side, Crash!
Crash: Gotta level with you, Royal. I’m not great at this whole being-serious thing, but we’ve gotta be professional. Our friends, this movie, the whole stunt program depends on us getting everything right.
Royal: Aw, not you too… not the guy who rappelled down an elevator shaft upside down in ‘Elevated Risk’!
Crash: Honestly, Royal, that shot was mostly CGI. You can do some pretty bonkers stuff with computers these days.
Royal: Whatever you gotta tell yourself… Spencer.
Crash: I know being a stuntman is basically like being a superhero… but there are some things even we can’t do on our own. Computers are magic boxes that let us do bigger stunts than ever! Ones that are even too dangerous for superheroes. I did my own thing for a while, but one tank and nineteen parked cars later, I got a major wake-up call. We’re here to learn how to do it right.
Royal: But you’re not doing it right, man. You’re letting these Skynet guys code all the humanity right outta the movies! I thought you were different, Crash. I thought you were about bringing things back, putting a stop to all the overproduced fake crap no one cares about… but I was wrong. And what about you, Danny? You don’t toe the line with all this bull, right?
Danny: I agree with Crash. It’s more important to keep things safe and under control.
Royal: Et tu, Danny?
Danny: Too much is at stake here, Royal.
Royal: What, you mean this new program of yours? What’s the point of even having it if you’re willing to throw away what makes stunts so special in the first place? This assignment is about proving what stunts bring to the university, but I guess I’ll have to prove it to you too.
Rewards
The next day, you and Crash arrive on location in the Santa Monica Mountains northwest of L.A. for the thesis film’s next stunt. Dean paces nervously, marshaling various grips and sound guys.
Danny: Is everything okay, Dean?
Dean: Verifiably not. This scene is supposed to be a mudslide in the Andes Mountains, a bunch of boulders chasing you three down the slope. I could have filmed you running and added all the boulders with CGI, but the director bought into Royal’s spiel about keeping things real… So now we’re dropping these giant painted polymer boulders on you.
Danny: Well, at least they’re not real boulders chasing us…
Dean: They’re lightweight, but still large enough to cause serious damage to the equipment… or you. Jumping through a window is one thing, but this? Just… be careful out there…
Part 4
Royal: Let’s get ready to ruuuumble!
You, Crash, and Royal take your places on the steep muddy hill. Far above you, grips ready the polymer boulders to be released!
Royal: Check it out, Danny. Too cool!
Dean: Okay, everyone, this is gonna be a really dangerous stunt--
Crash: That’s what we’re here for.
Dean: As you run down the mountain, whatever you do, just keep up the pace! Do that, and you’ll be okay.
The director yells action, and the three of you start bounding down the slope! A huge boulder rumbles across the path right behind you!
Crash: Whoaaaa!
Another one comes thundering down straight for you! You keep running! You keep up the pave, just barely evading the boulder!
Royal: Sick, Danny! That looked awesome!
Starting and stopping to dodge the rumbling boulders, you, Crash, and Royal make your way down the hill!
Crash: Incoming!
A boulder crashes into the narrow path dead ahead, lodging in the mud! You vault over it! You fluidly plant your hands on top of the stuck boulder and fling yourself over it, keeping up your momentum!
Crash: Whoa, Danny, you’re a natural!
The three of you continue your sprint down the mountain! More and more boulders keep coming!
Crash: Heads up! I mean, down!
You spot a low hanging tree branch up ahead! You slide! Thinking quickly, you drop down, sliding on your side beneath the branch… then pop back up without losing pace!
Royal: Crash, I think we’re getting shown up by Danny!
You, Crash, and Royal keep running, dodging the boulders as they crash against the trees with resounding cracks!
Royal: Come on, we’re almost at the bottom!
But just then, you feel your leg get snared! Looking down, you see you’ve sunk into the mud!
Danny: Uh, guys, I think I’m stuck!
Crash and Royal, having run past you, stop and look back. Far below, Dean calls out over a megaphone!
Dean: Danny! Look out!
You hear a growling rumble and look up the hill to see the biggest boulder so far barreling straight for you! You try again to run, but you can’t move!
Danny: Not good!
At the last second, Crash tackles you out of your shoes and out of the way… just as the boulder strikes him instead!
Crash: Gff!
Danny: CRAAAASH!
Rewards
Soon, you and Royal are pacing in the waiting room at a Westwood hospital, nervously awaiting news. Dean enters.
Danny: What’s the word, Dean? is Crash okay?
Dean: He’s fine, thank god. A couple cracked ribs, so he’s sidelined, but he’ll heal quickly. He’s basically Wolverine.
Royal: This is all my fault.
Danny: It was an accident--
Royal: Yeah. An accident I caused. I’m the one who insisted we do the boulders for real. It was too big a stunt. We should have faked it, like Dean wanted. Maybe the board’s right. Maybe… maybe stunts aren’t needed here. I mean, who needs them when computers can do everything I do… only no one gets hurt.
You and Dean share a forlorn look.
Dean: Royal, I want to show you something.
Part 5
Dean: Come with me.
You and Royal accompany Dean to Hollywood U’s state-of-the-art editing bay lined with gigantic monitors, towering RAID drives, and mammoth soundboards.
Royal: So this is Skynet…
Dean: Not as evil as you thought? Come look at this.
Dean fires up a screen.
Dean: Like I said, before you guys came on, I was planning to do all the action with CGI. Here’s what I made for the big finale. It’s a scene where the two leads jump off a speeding tractor trailer.
Dean triggers the clip. The scene plays out with remarkable fidelity, the two fake actors leaping off of a fake truck.
Royal: Whoa. You made that on a computer? Gotta admit… not bad.
Dean: Yeah. Not bad. But…
Danny: …but something’s missing. I can’t put my finger on what, though.
Dean: Hard to describe, yes. Something about it comes off… empty. You see, there’s a reason I asked Professor Hunt to send you to this production.
Danny: Wait, you asked for us?
Time - 10 hours
Royal: I don’t understand. Why would a computer guy like you want a bunch of stunt people on your team?
Dean: I love visual effects, but I’ve been doing this long enough to realize something.CGI is limitless imagination. You can create almost anything… but you can’t fake the humanity. Sometimes… not always, but sometimes… you need someone to actually jump off of a speeding truck.
Danny: Dean’s right. What you can do together is so much more than what stunts or CGI could do on their own.
Dean: This campus does need stunts, Royal. It needs this program.
Danny: It needs you. It needs all of us.
Royal’s look of shock slowly turns up into a grin.
Royal: So… where are we getting this truck?
Rewards
You show up at Red Rock Canyon for the final day of shooting. Crash is there, on crutches but smiling as big as ever.
Crash: I really wish I could be doing this stunt with you. Seriously, I begged and begged, but the director isn’t hearing it.
Royal: You’ll be back in action in no time.
Danny: Thanks for saving me, by the way, Crash. I guess you stunt people really are superheroes.
Crash: Shhh. Can’t let my secret identity get out.
Dean jogs up, carrying a stack of papers.
Royal: So when are me and Danny jumping off this truck, Dean?
Dean: Well, it’s not exactly going down the way we thought… Let’s just say there’s been a last second rewrite.
Part 6
Dean: Last-second rewrites are the bane of my existence.
Dean hands out revised scripts to you, Crash, and Royal.
Dean: As you can see, you’re still jumping off of a speeding truck…
Danny: But now, we jump right before it crashes into a chemical factory…
Crash: …which then explodes?! Whoa! That sounds like the coolest stunt of all time!
Royal: It’s… the holy grail of stunts.
Danny: But the explosion would be right on top of us! There’s no way we can pull this off for real!
Royal: Good thing we don’t have to. Dean, with a little of your wizardry, I think we can pull this off.
Dean: I’ve orchestrated some big-time stunts before, but this is…
Royal: Come on! I know there’s a little bit of stuntman in you too, I see it in your eyes! Someone who never backs down from a challenge!
Dean: Well, I think with some careful planning… a little split-second timing and a smidge of pinpoint choreography from you… plus a masterful digitalization of the explosion in post… It just might be possible. That’s if you really think you can handle all that.
Royal: And if you think you can handle the effects.
Royal and Dean grin and shake hands.
Crash: I am so inspired right now!
Rewards
A little while later, you reconvene, and Dean lays out his plan to pull off the stunt.
Dean: Okay, Danny, you and Royal will be standing on top of the tractor trailer. As the truck drives via remote control, it’ll pass markers at 500, 300, and 100 meters from the wall of the abandoned factory. At 100, you have to run toward the back of the truck and jump. Traveling at precisely 52 miles per hour and judging your running acceleration at 0.88 meters per second squared, you should leap off the rear of the truck right as it launches off the edge.
Royal: Got it.
Dean: I have lighting rigs set up off screen to flash when the truck collides. That’ll let us add the explosion in post. Now let’s go drop some jaws.
Part 7
Royal: The stunt to end all stunts… well, hopefully not, that’d actually be bad.
You and Royal climb on top of the radio-controlled semi truck.
Danny: We’re higher up than I thought!
Dean: We are green across the board. Commence acceleration!
The truck starts to rumble toward the factory in the distance, picking up speed. You gulp.
Danny: You think we might be… cutting it a little close?
Royal: Relax, Danny. At least the factory isn’t going to explode! The wonders of CGI!
Danny: That wasn’t all that comforting!
The world around you begins to blur as the truck accelerates! You wobble, fighting to keep balance! The large factory looms, growing closer and closer! Cameras rolling, you roar past a marker for 300 meters, and you stay put!
Danny: We’re almost there!
Royal: That’s right, just a little more!
Up ahead, the colossal facade of the factory fills your vision! The wind whips through your hair! Finally, the truck blows past the marker for 100 meters!
Royal: That’s our cue!
You turn away from the rapidly approaching factory and run with Royal toward the back of the truck! You reach the edge of the trailer and jump! You and Royal launch yourselves from the truck at the last second! You flail through the air!
Danny: Whoaaaaa!
Time - 14 hours
The truck slams into the abandoned factory, with a cacophony of rending metal, crashing glass, and crumbling concrete! You and Royal sail through the air, falling fast… and at the last second, a spring loaded net deploys, catching you safely!
Danny: Oof!
Dean’s lighting rig flashes, bathing you in fiery orange light… which illuminates a strange expression on Royal’s face.
Danny: No real explosion…
Royal: Yeah… but I can only imagine how cool it will look once it’s in.
Later, you, Crash, and Royal watch Dean meticulously render a gigantic explosion into the climactic shot.
Dean: So, what do you think? Not too fake for you?
Crash: It’s… beautiful.
Royal: I’m seriously going to cry from the epicness. Don’t look at me!
Dean: I think it’s pretty perfect.
Royal: Well, you planned it that way…
Dean: And you pulled it off that way.
Danny: The magic of teamwork.
Rewards
That weekend, Professor Hunt asks you and Royal to stop by his office…
Royal: So, Professor… did you see the finished movie?
Thomas Hunt: I did.
Danny: …and?
Thomas Hunt: What do you want? A golden plaque commemorating the time you didn’t screw up? Perhaps I’ll call the Academy. They can introduce a special new award. Achievement in Not Blowing Your Opportunities For Once. That being said, you didn’t screw up too royally. Which apparently is all it takes to convince the board. The stunt program is here to stay.
Royal: And so are we.
Thomas Hunt: Yes, I recognized that.
Royal: Yo, where all my stunt people at?
- Royal
You and Crash arrive at Professor Hunt’s office on campus and find him conversing with Royal…
Danny: You wanted to see us, Professor?
Thomas Hunt: Yes. I believe you already know Royal, one of the first enrollees in Hollywood U’s new stunt program?
Royal: ‘Sup, Danny, what’s poppin’? And— Oh my god… you’re Crash Yamaguchi!
Crash: Hell yeah I am!
Royal: You’re, like, a legend of low-budget already! The avalanche scene in Peak Altitude… your BASE jump in Sinkhole 4: Hole New Level… Dude, your rappel down the elevator shaft in Elevated Risk was certainly insane!
Crash: Thanks but, gotta level with you, that last one was mostly--
Thomas Hunt: That’s quite enough. Before this campus is completely crawling with adrenaline junkies, it’s time you started contributing to the university’s projects!
Time - 6 hours
Thomas Hunt: Now, Spencer--
Crash: You mean ‘Crash’?
Thomas Hunt: I mean Spencer. You, Royal, and Danny will be assisting with a graduate thesis film being shot this week.
Danny: Wait, me too?
Thomas Hunt: May I remind you, this whole school-for-lunatics scheme is your idea. You may have convinced me in a rare moment of weakness that stunt performers have a place at this institution… but the board is far from swayed. In fact, they hardly see the point of a stunt major in today’s Hollywood, what with our cutting-edge CGI program…
Royal: Pffff, whatever. Fake CGI crap’s been ruining movies for too long now. Nobody wants to see a bunch of pixels smashing into each other. That’s why me and the Crash Yamaguchi are here to bring back the real!
Crash and Royal do a leaping chest-bump!
Crash: I’m so pumped, I wanna, like, do a flip off this desk--
Thomas Hunt: I dare you.
Crash: Okay, someone else’s desk…
Rewards
- 20 Cash
You, Crash, and Royal drive over to a soundstage in Brentwood. Dean spots you and waves.
Danny: Hey, Dean! I had no idea you were doing the visual effects for this project!
Crash: Whatever stunts you need, Dean-meister, we’ve got ‘em covered!
Dean: Excellent. We’ve already finished the dialogue scenes, but all of our action sequences are still to come. I’d already pre-rendered a lot of them as entirely CGI… but having actual stuntpeople should--
Royal: —make this movie not completely suck? CGI makes me want to barf.
Dean: Well, we’ll still be blending computer visuals with your practical stunts.
Royal: Heh, I could tell you were one of those computer guys. Look, just stand clear, Skynet. We’re here to show you how it’s done au naturel.
Crash: Sweet, we’re getting naked? Fearless!
Danny: Don’t think that’s what Royal meant…
Part 2
Royal: Stunts aren’t about faking something… they’re about making it real!
- A Level 10+ Director Besides Danny (Nyako)
Dean and the director, Nyako, explain the first action scene.
Nyako: Fortunately, Danny looks something like our protagonist. Crash, you’re the spitting image of the zany sidekick who bites it early. And Royal, you’re the same build as our ‘bad seed’ character who reveals a heart of gold. So that’s whose stunts you’ll be doing.
Danny: Got it. What do you need us to do?
Dean: This next sequence is a big fight scene.
Nyako: Here’s my artistic vision. Danny and Crash are chasing Royal down this long hallway. Then Danny punches Royal through a window!
Dean: Er, that’s a stage-punch, just to be clear! Meaning you fake it. You’ll run past all these windows, before the punch happens right here.
Royal: Uh, but there’s no window here, dude! What do I get punched through?
Dean: Just jump through. The glass shattering will be added in post, as will the CGI snowstorm outside.
Royal: Oh. I get it. Wouldn’t want to do anything too real, would we, Skynet?
Danny: It’s cool, guys. We can handle this.
Crash: Totally. So, Boss Nyako, what’s our motivation for this scene?
Nyako: To punch Royal through a window.
Royal: But not really.
Time - 8 hours
As Nyako and Dean set up the shot, Royal whispers to you.
Royal: Hey, look, when the time comes, I want you to hit me as hard as you can.
Danny: Er, pretend hit you, right?
Royal: I’m talking for real. Like when Stallone had Lundgren punch him for real in ‘Rocky IV’! Sent him to the hospital! Hardcore! Seriously, though, Danny. Professor Hunt said this entire experiment is to see what stunts bring to the table. But how are we supposed to prove we belong at Hollywood U when your buddy Dean is replacing everything with CGI?
Danny: I don’t know…
Crash: LET’S DO THIS!
Nyako: Action!
You and Crash sprint down the hallway of windows, as Nyako tracks you with handheld shaky-cam! Royal flees at full tilt!
Nyako: Loving it! The raw energy! The adrenaline!
Finally, near the missing window, you catch up. Royal turns around, ready to be punched! You punch Royal!
Danny: Hrah!
Your fist connects hard with Royal’s jaw!
Royal: Gff!
Royal flies backwards… And leaps through an actual window! Glittering razor-sharp glass scatters like shrapnel!
Nyako: Cut! Cut!
Royal: Yup, lots of cuts!
Rewards
- 20 Cash
You and Crash hurry over to where Royal is slowly getting up…
Crash: Whoa! Man down, man down!
Danny: Royal, are you okay? You missed your mark and accidentally went through a real window!
Royal: Pfft, accidentally? That was on purpose! Just hope Nyako caught it all on film…
Just then, Dean and Nyako run up…
Dean: Royal! What on earth was that for? Why did you go through the wrong window?!
Royal: Uh, ‘cause it looked freakin’ sick?
Nyako: It. Was. Incredible! The punch, the glass… it all looked so gritty and intense!
Royal: That’s because it was. Clearly, Danny agreed with me.
Dean: But you didn’t need to do it.
Royal: What we didn’t need is your CGI crap making stuff fake. When it’s real, you get something you could never get with a computer. Trust me, we just did you a solid.
Dean: No, you didn’t. We were going to add a big snowstorm outside, but the real glass shards just made that way more difficult to add.
Royal: Then maybe you should’ve shot this on location, huh.
Dean trudges off, shaking his head.
Dean: Dean, wait!
Royal: Aw, let him go, Danny. Computer guys are always getting uptight and pouty. Am I right, or am I right, Crash?
Crash: Er, well… actually… the thing is…
Part 3
Crash: Uhhhhh…
- Level Crash
- Spend 750 Cash
Royal: Wait… don’t tell me you’re taking Dean’s side, Crash!
Crash: Gotta level with you, Royal. I’m not great at this whole being-serious thing, but we’ve gotta be professional. Our friends, this movie, the whole stunt program depends on us getting everything right.
Royal: Aw, not you too… not the guy who rappelled down an elevator shaft upside down in ‘Elevated Risk’!
Crash: Honestly, Royal, that shot was mostly CGI. You can do some pretty bonkers stuff with computers these days.
Royal: Whatever you gotta tell yourself… Spencer.
Crash: I know being a stuntman is basically like being a superhero… but there are some things even we can’t do on our own. Computers are magic boxes that let us do bigger stunts than ever! Ones that are even too dangerous for superheroes. I did my own thing for a while, but one tank and nineteen parked cars later, I got a major wake-up call. We’re here to learn how to do it right.
Royal: But you’re not doing it right, man. You’re letting these Skynet guys code all the humanity right outta the movies! I thought you were different, Crash. I thought you were about bringing things back, putting a stop to all the overproduced fake crap no one cares about… but I was wrong. And what about you, Danny? You don’t toe the line with all this bull, right?
Danny: I agree with Crash. It’s more important to keep things safe and under control.
Royal: Et tu, Danny?
Danny: Too much is at stake here, Royal.
Royal: What, you mean this new program of yours? What’s the point of even having it if you’re willing to throw away what makes stunts so special in the first place? This assignment is about proving what stunts bring to the university, but I guess I’ll have to prove it to you too.
Rewards
- 20 Cash
The next day, you and Crash arrive on location in the Santa Monica Mountains northwest of L.A. for the thesis film’s next stunt. Dean paces nervously, marshaling various grips and sound guys.
Danny: Is everything okay, Dean?
Dean: Verifiably not. This scene is supposed to be a mudslide in the Andes Mountains, a bunch of boulders chasing you three down the slope. I could have filmed you running and added all the boulders with CGI, but the director bought into Royal’s spiel about keeping things real… So now we’re dropping these giant painted polymer boulders on you.
Danny: Well, at least they’re not real boulders chasing us…
Dean: They’re lightweight, but still large enough to cause serious damage to the equipment… or you. Jumping through a window is one thing, but this? Just… be careful out there…
Part 4
Royal: Let’s get ready to ruuuumble!
- Run!
- Spend 1000 Cash
You, Crash, and Royal take your places on the steep muddy hill. Far above you, grips ready the polymer boulders to be released!
Royal: Check it out, Danny. Too cool!
Dean: Okay, everyone, this is gonna be a really dangerous stunt--
Crash: That’s what we’re here for.
Dean: As you run down the mountain, whatever you do, just keep up the pace! Do that, and you’ll be okay.
The director yells action, and the three of you start bounding down the slope! A huge boulder rumbles across the path right behind you!
Crash: Whoaaaa!
Another one comes thundering down straight for you! You keep running! You keep up the pave, just barely evading the boulder!
Royal: Sick, Danny! That looked awesome!
Starting and stopping to dodge the rumbling boulders, you, Crash, and Royal make your way down the hill!
Crash: Incoming!
A boulder crashes into the narrow path dead ahead, lodging in the mud! You vault over it! You fluidly plant your hands on top of the stuck boulder and fling yourself over it, keeping up your momentum!
Crash: Whoa, Danny, you’re a natural!
The three of you continue your sprint down the mountain! More and more boulders keep coming!
Crash: Heads up! I mean, down!
You spot a low hanging tree branch up ahead! You slide! Thinking quickly, you drop down, sliding on your side beneath the branch… then pop back up without losing pace!
Royal: Crash, I think we’re getting shown up by Danny!
You, Crash, and Royal keep running, dodging the boulders as they crash against the trees with resounding cracks!
Royal: Come on, we’re almost at the bottom!
But just then, you feel your leg get snared! Looking down, you see you’ve sunk into the mud!
Danny: Uh, guys, I think I’m stuck!
Crash and Royal, having run past you, stop and look back. Far below, Dean calls out over a megaphone!
Dean: Danny! Look out!
You hear a growling rumble and look up the hill to see the biggest boulder so far barreling straight for you! You try again to run, but you can’t move!
Danny: Not good!
At the last second, Crash tackles you out of your shoes and out of the way… just as the boulder strikes him instead!
Crash: Gff!
Danny: CRAAAASH!
Rewards
- 3 Diamonds
Soon, you and Royal are pacing in the waiting room at a Westwood hospital, nervously awaiting news. Dean enters.
Danny: What’s the word, Dean? is Crash okay?
Dean: He’s fine, thank god. A couple cracked ribs, so he’s sidelined, but he’ll heal quickly. He’s basically Wolverine.
Royal: This is all my fault.
Danny: It was an accident--
Royal: Yeah. An accident I caused. I’m the one who insisted we do the boulders for real. It was too big a stunt. We should have faked it, like Dean wanted. Maybe the board’s right. Maybe… maybe stunts aren’t needed here. I mean, who needs them when computers can do everything I do… only no one gets hurt.
You and Dean share a forlorn look.
Dean: Royal, I want to show you something.
Part 5
Dean: Come with me.
- Royal
You and Royal accompany Dean to Hollywood U’s state-of-the-art editing bay lined with gigantic monitors, towering RAID drives, and mammoth soundboards.
Royal: So this is Skynet…
Dean: Not as evil as you thought? Come look at this.
Dean fires up a screen.
Dean: Like I said, before you guys came on, I was planning to do all the action with CGI. Here’s what I made for the big finale. It’s a scene where the two leads jump off a speeding tractor trailer.
Dean triggers the clip. The scene plays out with remarkable fidelity, the two fake actors leaping off of a fake truck.
Royal: Whoa. You made that on a computer? Gotta admit… not bad.
Dean: Yeah. Not bad. But…
Danny: …but something’s missing. I can’t put my finger on what, though.
Dean: Hard to describe, yes. Something about it comes off… empty. You see, there’s a reason I asked Professor Hunt to send you to this production.
Danny: Wait, you asked for us?
Time - 10 hours
Royal: I don’t understand. Why would a computer guy like you want a bunch of stunt people on your team?
Dean: I love visual effects, but I’ve been doing this long enough to realize something.CGI is limitless imagination. You can create almost anything… but you can’t fake the humanity. Sometimes… not always, but sometimes… you need someone to actually jump off of a speeding truck.
Danny: Dean’s right. What you can do together is so much more than what stunts or CGI could do on their own.
Dean: This campus does need stunts, Royal. It needs this program.
Danny: It needs you. It needs all of us.
Royal’s look of shock slowly turns up into a grin.
Royal: So… where are we getting this truck?
Rewards
- 20 Cash
You show up at Red Rock Canyon for the final day of shooting. Crash is there, on crutches but smiling as big as ever.
Crash: I really wish I could be doing this stunt with you. Seriously, I begged and begged, but the director isn’t hearing it.
Royal: You’ll be back in action in no time.
Danny: Thanks for saving me, by the way, Crash. I guess you stunt people really are superheroes.
Crash: Shhh. Can’t let my secret identity get out.
Dean jogs up, carrying a stack of papers.
Royal: So when are me and Danny jumping off this truck, Dean?
Dean: Well, it’s not exactly going down the way we thought… Let’s just say there’s been a last second rewrite.
Part 6
Dean: Last-second rewrites are the bane of my existence.
- Level Danny
- Level Royal
Dean hands out revised scripts to you, Crash, and Royal.
Dean: As you can see, you’re still jumping off of a speeding truck…
Danny: But now, we jump right before it crashes into a chemical factory…
Crash: …which then explodes?! Whoa! That sounds like the coolest stunt of all time!
Royal: It’s… the holy grail of stunts.
Danny: But the explosion would be right on top of us! There’s no way we can pull this off for real!
Royal: Good thing we don’t have to. Dean, with a little of your wizardry, I think we can pull this off.
Dean: I’ve orchestrated some big-time stunts before, but this is…
Royal: Come on! I know there’s a little bit of stuntman in you too, I see it in your eyes! Someone who never backs down from a challenge!
Dean: Well, I think with some careful planning… a little split-second timing and a smidge of pinpoint choreography from you… plus a masterful digitalization of the explosion in post… It just might be possible. That’s if you really think you can handle all that.
Royal: And if you think you can handle the effects.
Royal and Dean grin and shake hands.
Crash: I am so inspired right now!
Rewards
- 20 Cash
A little while later, you reconvene, and Dean lays out his plan to pull off the stunt.
Dean: Okay, Danny, you and Royal will be standing on top of the tractor trailer. As the truck drives via remote control, it’ll pass markers at 500, 300, and 100 meters from the wall of the abandoned factory. At 100, you have to run toward the back of the truck and jump. Traveling at precisely 52 miles per hour and judging your running acceleration at 0.88 meters per second squared, you should leap off the rear of the truck right as it launches off the edge.
Royal: Got it.
Dean: I have lighting rigs set up off screen to flash when the truck collides. That’ll let us add the explosion in post. Now let’s go drop some jaws.
Part 7
Royal: The stunt to end all stunts… well, hopefully not, that’d actually be bad.
- Level 5+ Royal
You and Royal climb on top of the radio-controlled semi truck.
Danny: We’re higher up than I thought!
Dean: We are green across the board. Commence acceleration!
The truck starts to rumble toward the factory in the distance, picking up speed. You gulp.
Danny: You think we might be… cutting it a little close?
Royal: Relax, Danny. At least the factory isn’t going to explode! The wonders of CGI!
Danny: That wasn’t all that comforting!
The world around you begins to blur as the truck accelerates! You wobble, fighting to keep balance! The large factory looms, growing closer and closer! Cameras rolling, you roar past a marker for 300 meters, and you stay put!
Danny: We’re almost there!
Royal: That’s right, just a little more!
Up ahead, the colossal facade of the factory fills your vision! The wind whips through your hair! Finally, the truck blows past the marker for 100 meters!
Royal: That’s our cue!
You turn away from the rapidly approaching factory and run with Royal toward the back of the truck! You reach the edge of the trailer and jump! You and Royal launch yourselves from the truck at the last second! You flail through the air!
Danny: Whoaaaaa!
Time - 14 hours
The truck slams into the abandoned factory, with a cacophony of rending metal, crashing glass, and crumbling concrete! You and Royal sail through the air, falling fast… and at the last second, a spring loaded net deploys, catching you safely!
Danny: Oof!
Dean’s lighting rig flashes, bathing you in fiery orange light… which illuminates a strange expression on Royal’s face.
Danny: No real explosion…
Royal: Yeah… but I can only imagine how cool it will look once it’s in.
Later, you, Crash, and Royal watch Dean meticulously render a gigantic explosion into the climactic shot.
Dean: So, what do you think? Not too fake for you?
Crash: It’s… beautiful.
Royal: I’m seriously going to cry from the epicness. Don’t look at me!
Dean: I think it’s pretty perfect.
Royal: Well, you planned it that way…
Dean: And you pulled it off that way.
Danny: The magic of teamwork.
Rewards
- 5 Diamonds
That weekend, Professor Hunt asks you and Royal to stop by his office…
Royal: So, Professor… did you see the finished movie?
Thomas Hunt: I did.
Danny: …and?
Thomas Hunt: What do you want? A golden plaque commemorating the time you didn’t screw up? Perhaps I’ll call the Academy. They can introduce a special new award. Achievement in Not Blowing Your Opportunities For Once. That being said, you didn’t screw up too royally. Which apparently is all it takes to convince the board. The stunt program is here to stay.
Royal: And so are we.
Thomas Hunt: Yes, I recognized that.