Make Blender a realtime storytelling tool(by moving sequences out of scenes)

THE AMBITION:

Blender should become a dynamic realtime storytelling tool going from idea to final film.

THE CHALLENGE:

When you break a film down you have these elements in this order:

1. Film(a feature film is typically 90 minutes or more)
2. Sequence(a series of scenes. Ex. Kubrick always told his stories in 8 sequences).
3. Scene(situation which plays out in one location in continuity).
4. Shot(a camera setup to cover the entire scene or a part of it).
5. Take(a recorded attempt out of many to get the shot right).

A screenwriting video which defines the difference between a scene and a sequence: youtu.be/1dnUGmHkuJQ

In the data architecture of Blender the order of scenes and sequences are reversed, so the sequences are nested inside the scene. This causes a lot of challenges:

• You can't change the scene without changing the sequence.
• You can't add a Shot(camera) from the current scene to the current sequence.
• You can't do camera switching in 3D View from the Video Sequencer.
• You can't do scene switching in the 3D View from the Video Sequencer and still see the full edit in the Sequencer.
• You can't do a storyboard drawing and at the same time view the scenes/shots surrounding it in the Sequencer.
• You can't have more playheads located in different positions in more than one Sequencer Preview.
• You can't preview the source material before adding it to the Sequencer.
• You can't do 3 point editing with a preview area for the source and one for the project.
• You can't view a sequence containing all the source material in the same Window as a sequence of the edited project.

THE SOLUTION:

A lot could be gained if 'sequences' where separated from 'scenes', so sequences would become an assembly of scenes and not the other way around.

UI Implementation:

Sequences should be selected from the Sequencer areas without changing the scene. And scenes should be changed without changing the sequence in the Sequencer. In this mock-up the red boxes are sequence selectors for the Sequencer areas and the yellow ones are the 3D Viewport controls(The Timeline area should be able to be set up to control either sequence or scene areas):

THE BENEFITS:

Editing while shooting a virtual film:

With the introduction of Eevee and Gpencil it is possible to view the actual scene unrendered in real-time in the 3D View, so with this change the Sequencer could be used to assemble and playback the unrendered and real-time scene strips in the 3D View:

Camera and scene switching in 3D View:

One of the benefits is that the Sequencer can be set up to change the 'scene' and active camera in the 3D Viewport with a script according to the strips in the Sequencer. This was sort of possible in 2.79, when working in the same Scene as the Sequencer and in OpenGL with a script I did: youtube.com/watch Since then the ability to link the same Scene as the Sequencer is running in, has been disabled because of bugs: developer.blender.org/T52586 And the workaround of the script is no longer possible.

3 Point Editing:

With the sequence selector in the Timeline area allows for controlling two different playhead positions - one for the 3d View/Scene and one for the Sequencer. So 3-point-editing will be possible, adding in and out points to the 3d source Viewport and inserted at the Sequencer playhead position.

Pancake Editing:

Even stacked sequencers could be possible, ex. one containing source material and one containing the edit.

Stacked sequences with auto switch between scenes:

CONCLUSION:

This will allow a much more dynamic workflow where camera angles and Gpencil drawings instantly can be edited in the context of the sequence, they are supposed to work in. And going from ideas, previz and to final film will be more smooth that ever.