🟠If you have a suggestion or a piece of content with an amazing story, please let me know, I would love to see it! =================================================================================================================================== ►► Want to be a filmmaker/storyteller/writer? These books will help you! Links in the description. 🎥Patreon: [AD FREE, EARLY ACCESS, EXCLUSIVE & EXTENDED] www.patreon.com/KaiZammit 👕Merch - www.kaizammit.com/ ===================================================================================================================================
Nice i didnt see this one coming, i would really like you to watch these overwatch cinematics they are the good, but mind the correct order :D they are basically all related to eachother
Rise cinematic is nothing compared to this, so don’t get your hopes up, but the music has some unreal power in it making it the best old league cinematic
some fun facts, the last guy is called tryndamere and the ones he fought against are called kindred, and they are essentially one of the variants of the grim reaper in the league universe, He was fighting lots of normal humans but he is basically seeing and fighting against death, and thats why the one with the bow lowers it at the end when he gets saved, he is no longer meant to die
whats cool is Lamb and Wolf are also presented all over the video. Tyrnd sees her shadow at the start, right after attrox is hit with fire her shadow is in the flames, right before the old man is about to die to the arrow storm you can see wolf in the tree line. Its a super nice touch
@@kaizammit yeah, even this is just a very simple variant of the actual scenes playing out but leagues lore is VAAAST, i do recommend you check some of it out, possibly in future videos or just on your own time.
@@kaizammit Also worth mentioning, lamb gives fast and painless death with arrow for those who accept it ( like old man Yasou in middle scene), and those who try run from death get chased and mouled by the wolf ( like Tryndamere in the end scene)
From a storytelling perspective: The three stories are all tied to Kindred. They are the embodiment of death in the setting, Lamb (the Saytr like creature with the bow) represents acceptance of death, while Wolf (the wolf, obviously) represents the violent struggle against it. The song is Kindred reminding you that they are still there, death is never far away. The swordsman, Yasuo, closes his eyes as the arrows are raining down on him. In the tree line you can see Wolf's eyes, but Yasuo accepted death so Lamb's arrow found him instead. Someone else pointed out that in the scene with the two angels fighting a demon you can see wolf and lamb in the fire at the end, with Wolf rushing forward to violently end the demon's army (I still can't see Wolf in there, but thematically it does track.) Finally, the warrior at the end defies both Wolf and Lamb, with Lamb lowering her bow at the end as he is saved.
I like to imagine the fuzziness and obstruction of lamb, and the way she is literally in flames is meant to signify Aatrox's inability to die, he accepted death eras ago, but it could never take him.
in the game lore trynda and ashe the archer are married, when his eyes were red of rage refusing to die, when he sees his wife , his rage goes away and his eyes return to normal.
I was also having difficulty seeing wolf at the Aatrox scene, but finally got it - It's lamb wearing wolf like a scarf, like some spash arts depict them.
26:17,you made me realize the difference in the turn Morgana and Kayle had. While Morgana blinked and turned, Kayle turns directly making her more sharp. This minor details is what sells theirs characters, both are a half of the aspect of Justice in the lore; Morgana accepts her human half and her emotions, Kayle rejects it and considers emotions something that clouds judgement and true justice.
They also have a lot of beef in the lore, Morg thinks Kayle is too harsh, and Kayle thinks Morgana isn't rational enough. You can see this in the glare that Kayle gives to Morgana on the ground. Side note: it's very interesting how the character team juxtaposed Morgana and Kayle's design to their actual character traits. Morgana looks like a witchy demon, but is actually caring and compassionate. Kayle looks like a righteous angel, but is really just a rash and harsh executioner. What their combined design essentially implies is that justice is never black and white, and rarely what you expect it to be.
@kaizammit Also you mentioned the dust flying up as a show of power, of a hero. With Kayle [the light winged sister who most associate with goodness because of her light colors] it did not happen but it did with her sister Morgana [who is the actual one with compassion despite having dark wings which most associate with evil.] There is much more to their story in the lore, and essentially they are daughters of the Aspect [Goddess] of Justice so they carry out that justice. It goes deeper than that, too.
I wish they'd make a cinematic game so I can learn all this. I'm an old school gamer so I like my sad dad games, single player. It's one of the main reason storytelling is such a big thing for me. Thanks to games, I have the career I have now. Thanks for watching fella!
"Tomorrow is a hope, never a promise" is a quote by Kindred. They are a representation of death and are usually portrayed as the lamb and the wolf. Wolf hunts those who try to fight and flee from death, Lamb executes those who have accepted death. In regards to the sword looking like it should have cut off the arm. There's a lore significance to this, as the character has, due to his past, decided not to kill. So my interpretation would be that it might even be deliberately showing it as if it had cut the arm off just to increase the impact of not having cut it off when showing the next frame. Also good catch on the wind wall staying for an extended time, it is indeed an ingame ability The reason Yasuo (the swordsman) is looking up is due to seeing the rain of arrows incoming. The monster in the woods you described is probably once again Wolf due to him fighting death. After he closes his eyes, thus accepting death, we can see the arrow shot by lamb to grant a swift death. Usually Yasuo is shown as a way younger character. As the first longer scene with the "Angels" is set waaaay in the past it is assumed for the Yasuo scene to be in the future, which would align with the scene being of his death. In the last scene the character with the sword, Tryndamere, is fighting off death. One of his ingame abilities "Undying Rage" prevents him from dying for a certain time. The fight with Wolf and Lamb is not actually happening like that but Tryndamere is instead still fighting off the attacking soldiers, who surrounded him in the beginning. The reason Lamb holds their shot at the end is due to Tryndamere being saved from death by the two arrows shot by his wife. I especially love how the metaphysical world of fighting off death unravels when those two arrows fly by. That was a wonderful reaction and analysis, I love seeing that filmmakers perspective and have learned so much already. Most of all, highlights in the eyes and representations of relative power by the angles and respective height of the characters in the shots.
Good post, I liked that we see them use their abilities in the cinematic. At the End when Ashe fires and arrow up into the air, and it turns into a bird, that is her E that allows where she choose to be revealed. Doing it right there makes them both realize that they are surrounded. but what those minions don't know. trynd and Ashe aren't lost in that forest with them. They are lost in the forest with Tryndamere and Ashe.
It would be great if one of this reaction videos were a stream, so that we could give you the lore insight an add those facts into the analysis as it is all storytelling and it would be great to talk about it actually considering both the story that's being told and the cinematography used to that end. You picked up a lot of details that i would have loved to see analyzed under that light; for instance, the look on the blond Angel (Kayle) picking up her Sister (Morgana)'s sword after she left it, which portrays their different approach to life, Kayle rejecting emotion while Morgana embraces it. Also, death (kindred) is the perspective of the whole story, as the first scene portrays the death of Atrox's host, the second is a vision of Yasuo's future (you can see Wolf in the shadows while lamb's arrow flies towards Yasuo) and the third shows Tryndamere being ambushed and refusing death until being saved by his wife (Ashe). Btw, Lamb and Wolf are one single entity that split itself into 2 forms to never be alone. Thanks for the great video.
LoL cinematics are so insanely well done. Thanks for the breakdown, this is BY FAR the best film making technical breakdown I've seen on youtube. really interesting stuff
What i love about the old man part is: He's Yasuo, a seasoned warrior wandering around the world after he killed his brother. His brother comes back as a ghost and "helps" him let go of his of that regret and he continues wandering again. Fast forward he's become old and doesn't even have a sword with him, which indicates that he has become somwhat pacifistic and gained some enlightenment or something. He used to have a shoulder pouldron and dressed like a warrior but now he's just a normal old man living a peaceful life. The scene in this video shows him drawing a line, telling the raiders to not step across the line, as he doesn't want to shed blood anymore, but he still wants to defend the innocent. Obviously they don't take the words of an old man seriously and try to fight him off. He first defends himself with his stick but was then forced to use a more durable weapon and so he picks up a sword. The last frame shows a white arrow shot by Kindred, which is this universe's Grim Reaper, but he closes his eyes,seemingly ready for death because he has found peace with himself. I'm no expert on these stuff but the video tells so much in such little time and I just love it and I hope people can appreciate it too.
I love your breakdowns because your explanations are simple and easy to understand with a lot of good tips 🙏 Also, everybody down here already told you the lore, so let me just add some things: 1) The two "angels" are sisters. Kayle is the blond one and Morgana is the purple one. That actually happened in the past when they were still together but because Morgana had different views about humans and about justice itself, she refused to keep following the same violent actions as her sister (the fact that she put down her sword to use the chain magic indicates that). The two eventually split. 2) That old character is Yasuo, you've already seen him in "Awaken" (the samurai dude with wind powers). That's a vision of what his future could be. 3) Tryndamere's (the barbarian) eyes fade off from red (rage) to his normal ones (peace) after he sees Ashe, his wife, coming to save him.
Thank you and I'm glad you understand. Making beautiful imagery isn't that difficult if you know the ways of making it beautiful. You really don't need all silliness of terminology, it doesn't make you a better storyteller. Thank you also for the lore info too. KZ
A few minutes after I finished watching the video, I started seein the reaction come up and you can bet your ass I thought "I can't wait for Kai to break down this fucking masterpiece". And true as the SUN, here he is. Never disappoint, mate, cheers!
Haha thanks fella!! TBH, I was editing at home when it dropped and thought, I wonder if the guys (viewers) would like a shadow drop and something new instead of years old like most of the other videos. Now you know the answer! Let me know what you think of the two mistakes I pull up. What do you think? Kai
@@kaizammit Oh, damn, the two mistakes? So, you mean the absence of debris when Kayle (angel with white wings) lifts off, and the frame shenanigans going on with Yasuo's (the old samurai looking dude) sword slash and also the color clusterfuck going on? For the lift-off, I absolutely agree, I think they could have had more dust in the scene in particular, maybe have a layer of it lingering low on the ground, so that you don't need to make debris fly everywhere from the ground, but you already have the effect from the lingering layer of dust, so that both Kayle and Morgana (the other angel) have the same identical effect, maybe. For the Yasuo slash, I definitely didn't notice, but it sure looks weird. I have a couple of lore reasons that I could use as an explanation, kinda (I am a big lore nerd when it comes to League and especially Warhammer). Through a lot of conjectures, it could be that Yasuo doesn't want to land any killing blows on these bandits, because the very fact that he is using the wind technique, of which he is the only user left alive after he killed his brother, is an act of shame, and in his later years, he wanted to abandon it completely and never kill anyone, anymore. So the blade isn't really the cutting part, he is using the wind, the air he makes into a cutting edge on the blade, that is cutting, using it to make more superficial, non-lethal strikes. So the blade can go through people, but only cut when he needs to-ish? I'm trying to salvage a fuck-up from their part, really climbing on mirrors here X'D the color! The color I would have never noticed without your eagle eye, and at first I thought it's because Yasuo does have green motifs on his clothes, but those same motifs don't look to carry around his shoulder, so maybe that's another misstep on the cinematic team. Truly, a disgrace, the cinematic is RUINED X'D On another note, Kai, there is a lot that I wish you could pick up on these cinematics, that you possibly cannot, since you don't know the lore of course, but I swear, you are missing on some of the most poetic storytelling moments, the ones that grow tears in my eyes! And if you'd wish, I'd love to help you on getting the 100% experience on your breakdowns! I am a freelance writer and voice actor, who has worked on Warhammer lore channels in particular (if you want to check some of my works, head to Book of Choyer, for an example!), and a massive League lore nerd on top of that, and I'd love to help you on your journey to reach and explore either of both of these franchises productions, if you'd have me ^^ if you're interested let me know here. I know it comes out of nowhere, but since I like entertaining conversations on the topic with you, and I love your content, I'd be happy to work together, and I obviously understand if you'd not take up the offer, since it wasn't in your plans. Just saying, maybe take it into consideration for the future, I'll try to make space in the schedule for you, no matter how busy I may be ;)
Is that your TH-cam channel? I love learning about stuff even though both of those franchises are ridiculous! Always happy to collaborate or what not. KZ
@kaizammit Great reaction, I loved the break down. 36:42 - Those aren't embers rising, those are a volley of arrows. The eyes in the forest are the Wolf (Kindred), you can see the arrows closing in here above the tree line. The final shot before the scene transition is again the arrows with the Wolf's eyes in the forest; the Lamb's (Kindred) arrow obviously being the bright light closing in from the background. As others have already said from the brief skimming I did; Kindred is basically a spirit of death. I personally had a hard time seeing Kindred's brief moment at the end of the scene with Kayle/Morgana and Aatrox (the three characters with unique wings) but they were there as well.
I'd love to see you watch Necrit's breakdown from the lore perspective to add some extra context to the significance of some of these shots. For example, when the purple character plants her sword down and leaves it behind, its signaling how she's leaving behind that responsibility in favour of her sorcery. It adds another whole level of depth to the cinematic of high significance because this is the first League cinematic we have that is canon to the lore.
the only thing i wanted to mention is the moment with the guy where they dont show his eyes. The reason being is that fans only needed to see his scar across his nose to know who he is. Yasuo is a fan favourite so seeing that and that hes aged from his usual looks was a big impact
I absolutely love the way you explain things. You get into the nick of things and speak ever so seriously. And then you get the random ''Fuck me I'm only 25 minutes into this bitch'' It made me chuckle. Brilliant video!
As you wanted to know a little more about the characters - League lore is pretty amazing to unpick, and this cinematic embodies the past, present and possible future in the league universe. The Past: You see Kayle and Morgana fighting in Old Demacia (around 1000 years ago). Kayle and Morgana are twin sisters that were born with the remnant of the Aspect of Justice. Kayle embraced the calling - named Kayle the Righteous - while Morgana - the Fallen - resented her gifts. Soon after this battle with Aatrox, Kayle and Morgana ended up fighting each other, with Kayle abandoning everyone to go to the heavens, while Morgana bound her wings to walk among the mortals. This is obviously a very shortened version of the lore haha. The Present: This is the last scene - you see Tryndamere - The Barbarian King - on the ground after fighting enemies. When he stands up, he is suddenly facing Kindred. Kindred - The Eternal Hunters - represents the twin essences of death. Lamb (with the bow) is often seen as patient, offering a swift death with her bow, while Wolf hunts down those who flee from their death. When Tryndamere's eyes turn red, he is using his ultimate ability - which prevents him from dying for five seconds. It's a representation of him fighting death (Wolf) for that time, and Kindred disappears when Ashe - The Frost Archer - (Tryndamere's wife) comes to his aid. The Future: The second scene - Ionia. This is an interesting scene as it might indicate lore progression for the MMO in the future. The old man is Yasuo (characterised by the scar on his face), who is decidedly younger in current LoL lore. This is also a nod to the final scene, with Yasuo seeing Wolfs eyes and an arrow shot - acceptance of a swift death from Lamb.
@@sarkyny5185 kinred doesnt have feathers like that on her arrow. but as kinred appears at the moment of death, it may be a mix of ashe ult or kinred ?
Not sure this scene is an invasion of Ionia, the bandits were wearing Ionian masks and clothing. I'm guessing they're just a collective of Ionian bandits.
@@Sharonamy this should be Lore accurate cinematic. Why would ashe travel to Ionia. Ionia has some fjordy Mountains seen in yasuo and Taliyah story. So it is Ionia. And bandits are ionian as well. But Ashe has so many work with unification of freljord tribes. She would not travel at all abandoning her kingdom.
36:48 camera goes up because there is a whole valley of arrows going up and later decending with the brightest leading the way to him. it also seems to have implications of death (wolf and the lamb's arrow while he is closing eyes as if in acceptance or preparation to resist it)
the blink-turn (especially at 39:46) is used to convey: "ok. fine. let's dance" cinematically, sure you can use the terms "sexy" and "attractive"..but psychologically it is used to convey "acceptance (eyelid close). face the problem (turn). and time for action (eyelid open)"
Great Video. A bit lore for the first fight: the two girls are badicly angelictwin sisters. We saw the moment when the violett one basicly become a falling angel as she give in into her "dark powers" to save all. Her sister takes her sisters sword and accended. She hates her sister for falling and they keep fighting. That's why she gives her a really mean side eye. The kight one stands for juctice. The dark one for forgiveness and chained her own wings to walk like a human.
even though Morgana is the embodiment of dark magic, she's basically a better being because of her empathy for humans. She chose to bound her wings and not resort to violence and absolute condemntion unlike her sister kayle.
Another note, as i see a lot of lore buff's here Tryndamere (the warrior fighting kindred) has an ability in game that allows him to defy death briefly (when his eyes go red) because he has some darkin magic in him because he fought Aatrox before. Aatrox being the big red dude at the start so it makes a nice circle c: Edit: i see a lot of people already pointed it out lol
In case it wasnt noticed in the yasuo segment (older swordsman dude) his last "attack" he does is actually him saving the enemy from the rain of arrows. He blows him out of the way and then accepts his fate as the arrows rain on him, even through hes shown that he can deflect the arrows with ease. In his lore he amasses large guilt over those he has slain and hes decided he is done fighting and slaying
All that stuff in the sky with Yasuo (the swordsmans scene) is arrows raining down. They eyes in the woods is Wolf, one half of Kindred who is the entity of death in league of legends. The really bright arrow is the arrow of Lamb, the other half of kindred, marking yasuos death and the collection of his soul.
So, This cinematic actually hold so much details in regards to the lore of the universe. The theme of the cinematic is actually kinda grim, it's Death. The voice of the begining sets the theme, it belongs to the Lamb and Wolf character (litteral embodiment of death in that universe). On the death of each character you can see the Wolf form in the picture. The 3 different scenes actually show 3 different "deaths" The angels fighting the big guy is for the past, the guy with the sword is for the present , and the old guy is a older version of a hero accepting his death. So many subtle details. 26:30 - when she looks down on her that is contemp for using her "dark powers", they are sisters. 37:11 - the wolf outline below, death has come for him and it ends with an arrow. The dude with the big sword's gimmik is that he can't die when he is enraged, you can see his eyes are red. The fight between him and the Wolf and the lamb is symbolic or methaphorical, or on a different plain. Because he is on death's door seen in the begining of the video. In the physical world he is fighting some random dudes, you can see all their bodies after the scene.
Haven't finished the video yet, but fun fact about the physical vs metaphorical thing... Trynd's shoulder plate has scratches from wolf that are visible afterwards.
The bright light at the end and seemingly wrong shadows, witch looks like the light sours is somewhere in the middle of the image is about the ability of frost archer (Ashe) the arrow she shoots to the sky at the end transform in a hawk and helps her see the enemies better, the light sours is that arrow-hawk thing
so for what you said at 47:29 about the harsh lighting being toned down, the light is actually harsher in that shot because of the arrow she fired - you'll notice as it flies it illuminates its surroundings, it's part of her abilities
around 47:39 you say things about the change from the soft lighting to the overhead view with the more harsh lighting, I think it is because she shoots her bird (hawk shot I think?) out her bow which in the game is a recon bird that “lights up” dark parts of the map that may be in fog of war (areas you don’t have vision of), so I assume the change of lighting could be from the brightness of the bird as it would also be glowing/shining, outputting white light which makes it so much brighter, I think the change of lighting is intentional rather than change for just the effect Edit: After watching it again you can see the flicker of the more impactful lighting coming from the bird, which also explains the shadows on the bodies around the whole circle of them and not just from the direction of the sun
The voice at the beginning is Kindred (a playable character). They are the physical embodiment of death (Lamb and Wolf), if you try to escape/fight your death then Wolf hunts you down and you get a gruesome death. If you accept it, you are granted the merciful death of an arrow from Lamb. That's what we saw at the end of the fight with the old guy (Yasuo, a character that sought redemption through much of his young adult life). The blueish arrow that comes before the plethora of arrows land is an arrow from Lamb. When Tryndamere (the guy in the snowy fight) is fighting off Lamb and Wolf, he is trying to stave off his death. The snow fight with Lamb and Wolf is (as I see it) a metaphor for him fighting off the other people attacking him. That's why when Ashe (the girl with the ice bow) kills those two people approaching him from behind, Kindred disappears. It's super neat how you can see Lamb with a clear shot and bow drawn, she relaxes the string and realizes it's not his time right before the 2 ice arrow fly past her.
Oh my god, hearing you say you can feel your eyes starting to water because it's so epic has now assured me that I'm not some weirdo, because every time I watch, for example, the Awaken cinematic, my eyes tear up because of how epic and powerful it is. I thought I was the only one and I was weird. Thank you for making me realize that's not the case. Love the breakdowns!
The quote on the beginning is from the Characters who fight tryndamere, the Lamb and the Wolf. Kindreds the name, its the incarnation of death himself, Lamb stands for the swift death when people accept their fate and wolf is the grewsome end that awaits whenu fight or try to escape death. U should maybe look into them and a few of the storys about them. They are beautifull.
I like how you say the introduction voice is "voice of god" because it is Lamb's voice (Lamb and wolf are kindred, League's personified death and essentially a type of god). Lamb is the white creature with the bow who shoots at the guy with the sword.
What I find amazing about this breakdown is you can tell you aren’t a follower of the story and yet you have so much to say. It shows you clearly are experienced in the field. What I love about this video is that while you have so much to say, In those moments those of us who know the characters notice little hidden details from the story too that are still to be mentioned. Just amazes me as to how much detail RIOT & the League Of Legends Animators put into this cinematography. A few points where you asked for help or asked about things; • 6:10 So the voiceover at the beginning is the Lamb with a bow character (Kindred) you see in the final scene. They (the lamb and the wolf) are known as sort of the grim reapers in this lore. they only appear when a person’s time has come and only they can see them. The Lamb is the peaceful acceptance side of death that comes quickly and peaceful. The wolf is the violent and brutal struggle side of death When you FIGHT death to try stay alive. • 24:48 So in this moment I feel it focuses on her hand in the sword not just to show her getting back up. But She is picking up the sword that her sister put down. This refers back to the lore in how the “White angel” Is following the legacy that was passed down from their mother (the 2 swords they wield). While the “Purple angel” Is unsure and less dedicated to the legacy. later leaves this legacy in her pursuit of freedom. So; when she puts down the sword in an act to use her own strength and power. The white angel picks it back up and looks at her with this side eye before using the swords passed down to take care of the enemy. • 36:53 In this moment there is another barrage of arrows like before but they fill the sky like stars. And in the backdrop the eyes you see are actually to represent the wolf of the grim reaper duo. This shows that death has come for our main character in the scene. The wolf is waiting in the dark to see if he will fight death or accept it. and in that moment we see one bright light arrow come straight for our character as he closes his eyes and accepts the peaceful death of the lambs arrow. • 38:36 In this moment it’s important he breaks the arrow. because this is Kindred’s arrow of death that he cuts in half, he is saying “I do not accept death” . Also I was hoping you saw the moment the wolfs in the darks eyes opened. because it is supposed to call you back to the moment where you see them with the swordsman moments before when you see the wolf with his eyes in the tree line. • 42:05 This is one of the moments where you can’t know why until you know the story sadly. But here he can deflect with his bare hands. because, his eyes have turned red and this character (Tryndamere) gets red eyes when he enter his undying rage! so the difference here to before is now he CANNOT die, where as before he was only trying to refuse death. and this is only enforced when lamb subtly tilts her head after seeing this. Of course, You have already highlighted so much in this cinematic and I would never have expected you to have known most, if not all of these but I just wanted to chip in at point where you sounded like you were missing something or slightly confused why they chose to do some of the choices they made. Great video! and thanks so much for the content as always ❤
Thank you for your videos. I am a budding filmmaker who has recently made the change to creating my own CGI films using Unreal Engine 5. Your break downs are helping me a lot on my current project. I deeply believe that CGI films and cinematics can help put this amazing art form back into the hands of indie filmmakers and not the money hungry elite who are seemingly obsessed with ruining one franchise after another. Thank you and God Bless.
Amazing to hear and I look forward to seeing your work. Tools as you described are a way for the not so privileged to tell stories that can equal if not be better than the privileged. It's a beautiful thing. KZ
He is fighting death itself (Kindred) at the end but the red eyes means he cannot die (ultimate) :D I assume he killed almost all the attackers (seen in the first scene) in his rage and while fighting kindred. Then his wife (Ashe) comes to the rescue and kills the last 2 enemies.. Kindred is only seen when one is about to die.. so when Ashe kills the last 2 enemies, Trynda is no longer destined to die.. that's why Kindred disappears.
You can also see outline or shadow of kindred (lamb/wolf) in the fire when aatrox (demon) host dies and just before old man yasuo closes his eyes. Correct me if I'am wrong but kindred doesn't kill stuff, only collect souls.
@@kaizammit A little extra context here as well. It seems this cinematic features 3 experiences of death, which is why at the beginning we hear Kindred, the embodiment of death (basically the grim reaper) say "tomorrow is a hope, never a promise". We see Kindred fighting Tryndamere at the end. They are a being consisting of the Lamb (with the bow and the black mask) and the Wolf (the big black cloud thing with the white mask), and the come to claim you at your moment of death. At 2:13 there seems to be a silhouette of Lamb holding her bow in the flames that consume Aatrox (he dies, but he always comes back cuz his soul is in the sword) and at 3:26 we see a white arrow out in front about to hit Yasuo as he accepts his death. This is the arrow of Lamb who mercifully shoots down those who accept their fate, giving them a quick death. Wolf doesn't get involved unless there's someone who refuses to accept their death like, Tryndamere and so they fight death...they don't usually win though. But Trynd's rage is so great is seems to give him to ability to literally refuse to die and fight death off.
@@santius0 tho Kindred is not actually THE grim reaper but rather one of many spirits of death. And there are many of theses spirits or faces of death of whom we see more in Legends of Runeterra. Who you see in the end is down to who you believe in i suppose so not everyone will see Kindred at the moment of their death. At least i'm pretty sure thats the lore.
@@verdipauwnz3458 That's true, but in the context of the video it's easier to just say "basically the grim reaper". That's enough for them to understand the general thematics being expressed without going too deep.
About the swordsman missing the bandit's arm (around 35:00), he's a warrior using wind technique, as you could probably tell by the VFX. This character in particular is an older version of his depiction in the game. It seems he isn't as willing to use violence as he used to be, considering he started out fighting with a quarterstaff and only picked up the sword when engaging the larger group of bandits. Even then, he doesn't want to hack and slash through all the enemies, so he uses his wind techniques to defeat the group. I think that's probably also why you don't really see any blood throughout the fight :)
i think this is because now he is a master of his technique so he can use his wind to knock out enemies without needing to actually cut them. is martial art originally was supossed to be a pacifist one, so maybe he finally get there
I think he moreso wanted to know why it looks like Yasuo sliced through the arm in the previous cut and then in the next cut the position of the sword looks like it changed even though the slice already happened. Like, it kind of looks like a continuity error.
@@Acceleration50 Yeah it definitely looks a little jarring in the video. Maybe they only decided on Yasuo taking them out using the wind technique later on and the shot where he's closer to the bandit's shoulder was left over from before idk
37:36 I really like how the snowflake seems to empower or awaken his sword once it lands and subtly change it's visible properties. Lore wise, swordman's wife (the white haired archer who appears at the end) has ice themed powers for reasons. I don't think he has any ice themed powers at all, but I like to imagine part of his will to live and fight Death is to see his wife again (symbolized by that snowflake).
34:36 the way I see it, he's merely incapacitating his enemies because he has made a decision to not kill more people. This fits well with the lore of the character.
That's what I saw in a breakdown, he had earlier in life given up the sword and the wind because all they'd ever done was kill. Now that he's forced to use them, he's learned how not to kill, even wrapping the blade in wind to push them away from the edge. Great fit for the character.
I completely understand what you are saying about the repetition of the arrows but there is also some great detail in that, Yasuo the swordsman splits it in half, symbolizing his dedication, his precision and control with the sword. Tryndamere the barbarian at the end shatters the arrow in both instances, showing brute force and unrestraint. two very different characteristics to the same motion which also does the characters themselves justice. However from a fan of the game and lore that may be apparent and hold a different meaning but I feel that is detail and effect that Riot games are very likely to use intentionally hence the same motion for the 2 arrows.
- The first story (Past): In the lore, they're twin ,Kayle the blonde hair angel and the purple angel- Morgana have opposite growing environment. I think after this war, maybe by using dark magic to the limit that broke her down to become the fallen angel.In the scene of Kayle looked back to her sister, i felt the emphany and care of her in the cold way like our father to the sons. He still cares about us but not by showing or speaking. - The second story(Future): The samurai-yasuo, when he was young, in a war with Noxus, his duty was protecting his master, not to fight enemies, but he's arrogant and want to prove his strength, so he left his duty and let his master was killed by another assasin who also use the wind technique just like him. So after this peopke from his hometown-Iona accused him for assination his master, so he ran away to find find the true killer to prove his loyalty. But in that way, he had killed many people who searching him for his crime even his own brother. And now we can see, he's old, he looks calm and does not use the sword to kill anymore, but back to his motherland one last time to protect it, to fight, and to accept the death as a way to redeem his sins.(he could use his wind wall to block the arrows, but he didn't) - The third story(present): i can see tryndamere's being pain but still fight to his last breath even to become about a madman, cause he have the love one, the reason to fight to the death. After saw his wife, both of their eyes can see the surprise, maybe to him is why what just happen, and to her is seeing his husband been suffering, after that is his slacken eyes, and his wife is a affectionate look, but they both change to focus to see is there any enemies left. In my perspective
as someone who really dearly loves these cinematic pieces by Riot and Blizzard, it's so incredibly nice to see someone who is genuinely interested, invested and just present when reacting to them. I sincerely appreciate you making these with passion, and it goes to show, we get to see your own deep care for the craft come out, even in the smallest details aside from the very clear emotional draws and consecutive deep investigation of the story itself, to you just keeping your webcam dynamic with constant movement. It's such small things that goes to show that you aren't here to try to farm a job, you're actually such a delight to watch. I'm honestly hooked, I feel like I'm genuinely watching some of my favorite videos with a friend, who also happens to know a shit tonne about how the animations work. I hope you are, and you will continue to, enjoying these reactions, both the initial experience, then sharing your experience, and finally sharing your thoughts on the story. In case you see pretty much this exact comment on one of your videos for 6 months ago, I decided to repost it in case you wouldn't go back to an older videos comments. I really wanted to share my gratitude and excitement, I know I'd love to hear it if I was doing something I was passionate about as well. Have a phenomenal day!
very professional , i dont know a thing about filmmaking but your way of explaining really was amazing , i learned so much in 40 minutes. I think you'd be a wonderful teacher, if you aren't already. keep up the good stuff!
The Kindred is the manifestation of death in League of Legends (they are also the ones that speak at the beginning). They are there to claim Tryndamere, as he's on the brinks of death. In game Tryndamere has the ability to stall death, that's what he does when his eyes turn red and he fights the Kindred. And as he's about to be claimed by the Kindred, Ashe comes with two arrows saving him from the clutches of death by killing the two humans that assail him.
At 37:05 you were wondering why the camera was looking up, the camera is shifting to follow the arrows that are coming at him in the next shot. As far as the “demon” you see in the trees, that’s kindred, the lamb character with the wolf in the final scene. Kindred is the last thing you see before you die. It’s a nice bit of symbolism that his death is in the horizon. There’s a lot of symbolism in the last fight as well. The wolf is a symbol for essentially a painful death. While the lamb is a symbol for a swift painless death. You die one way or the other with kindred but Tryndamere (fueled by undying rage) is basically saying I’m not dying today and especially not on Kindreds terms (which doesn’t happen). Hence the song name - I’m Still Here. It’s a very powerful scene when you know the lore. He’s not escaping death, he’s fighting death itself and in the end, death aka kindred decides it’s not his time. Kindred is the most powerful character in league lore so for Tryndamere to meet Kindred and come away still standing is like the ultimate holy shit moment
For all the heat I give Riot, this cinematic was great and the art direction was insanely good. Great breakdown, I wouldn't notice a lot of things you mentioned. Thank you for dissecting the cinematic Some additional information Starting with the in game quote of Kindred (spirit of a lamb, life, and a wolf, death), the relationship of Morgana and Kayle (which I suspect to be inspired in a weird and old special skin called Silver Kayle) in which there was a frame that exemplifies Kayle rejection of Morgana chained to the Earth (the frame of Kayle walking towards Aatrox as she was the executioner which is consistent with her lore) in contrast of Kayle ascending to the sky as she embraces justice. Also I believe they baited Jax (another champion that doesn't have a real weapon) just to reveal old man Yasuo in a big way. And when he is about to die, the Kindred spirit shows up in the shadows (same with Aatrox in the flames) and with Tryndamere Tryndamere being too angry to die fights Kindred until Ashe, whom he has a relationship with, appears. Another suspicion is that the wolf is the barbarians he is fighting against (leaving open ended the question if Kindred was really there all along). Noticing how the light invades the scene at the speed of the arrows too. Just to dissapear/obscure the spirit of death and life as it never truly leaves them until Ashe highlights the location with her abilitiy. Being my interpretation right or not, the cinematic is really good.
Thank you so much and I hope you enjoyed the video. I very much enjoy making these videos as doing, I'm always learning. Keep learning, Keep creative, keep happy. KZ
I think the arrow cut by tryndamere (the warrior at the end fits well as a contrast to Yasuo (the samurai). Yasuo has finesse with a clean stylish cut down the shaft of the arrow, but Tryndamere breaks the arrow by almost desperately batting it out of the air. The two characters do basically the same thing but maintain two wildly different characterizations at the same time, and I think that's pretty awesome.
Another awesome breakdown! Yes i fell in love with league cinematics. Even tho i don't play the game anymore i still watch them. They always hit the spot. Can't wait for more! Also let mi add some things as i understood them: Kindred, the entity with a bow, and a wolf is really just one being. She's symbolizes basically death. At 36:43 he looked up because enemies shot arrows at him. He couldn't get to the guy so he used tornado to get him, but accepted his death by those arrows in the process. You can see Kindred's arrow is the one that gets him and he sees it's eyes as he knows "death is coming". As for last scene. Tryndamere is the buffed barbarian guy. He doesn't really fight Kindred, but those warriors you saw in opening scene. Kindred symbolizes his certain death. But his ultimate ability called "Undying rage" is making him basically immortal for few seconds (also makes him stronger). You can see it as his eyes turn red. He only had few seconds tho, so if Ashe didn't come to save him he would die. That's why you see Kindred lowering it's bow because Tryndamere is saved and he can't be "reaped". Also as he slices Kindred's bow it symbolizes him defying death. Pretty awesome, so deep. Leage's cinematics are even better if you know a little bit of lore.
It was a surprise for me when I saw it. Thought to myself, would be nice to react and breakdown something fresh out of the cutting room. Shadow dropped! Random question, you watched the reaction right? Not just the breakdowns? I had one guy who asked me to just react to it without pausing it all the time meaning he missed the reaction. Is it that hard!! Thank you for watching and returning, means a lot. KZ
@@kaizammit Yes man, i always watch whole video. Both reaction and breakdown. I enjoy your breakdowns as I'm interested in some amateur filmmaking. Also wanted to add that Yasuo 28:52 is at our eye level because he's "depowered" using only this stick. Notice as he lands near the sword (he's master swordsman) camera is immediately from the bottom. Keep up the good work, can't wait for more!
This is what reaction channels SHOULD be like. No "oh this was cool haha" and calling it a day, but rather going into every detail that makes it so good. As someone thats majoring in art and animation, I found everything super helpful. Loved the vid!
I absolutely loved listening to your breakdown of the video. Watching filmmakers' reactions to cinematics is always my favourite and I've already watched yours twice! Thank you for all your insight (and random cheeky side comments that made me laugh), Kai. :)
Thank you so much for this breakdown. The best one in TH-cam by far. The fact that you paid so much attention to the details and you were enjoying the cinematic, made my eyes water. 48 minutes that felt like just 5 minutes. Keep up this outstanding content!
Man how much I would love a collab between you and Necrit. In depth analysis of how filmmaking techniques and lore influence each other to deliver the message.
Ha ha amazing, second time I've heard his name. Let him know that I'm always up for collaboration and you guys want it. Thank you for checking out the video, KZ.
#TheBoredBoarPlays: @Necrit lore The whole theme is "StillHere", referencing Kindred who is DeathIncarnate. Whether it's the Past (Morgana &Kayle), Present (Tryndamere), and Future (OldMan Yasuo). Death is "Still Here" no matter whattime it is. You can see Kindred in the Fires of thePast destroying Aatrox, Facing Tryndamere, andShooting a Fatal Arrow at Old Man Yasuo in thehead.
I appreciate your videos a lot, because you go into a lot of detail about filmmaking techniques which is very helpful to understand what is happening and why it is happening. Thanks for all your effort.
Small extra detail : at 30:07 , the reason why the reveal doesn't go onto the eyes is because it's actually showing the scar on his nose, which is a key part of a character named Yasuo, except that Yasuo is a young guy, so until that reveal we didn't expect that guy to be an old version of Yasuo, which both reveals the character and the timeline (being a few decades in the future) of that segment. Also the whole "sword going through his arm but it only nicked him" is most likely just to stay PG, as they don't show any blood anywhere in the whole cinematic (League has a big market in Chinese markets where showing blood to teenagers or even at all is very frowned upon)
lol you were spot on at 33:22 His ability does indeed stay there for a moment. its called a wind wall, it blocks projectiles. Really cool that you caught that!
Awesome video! Just wanted to comment on some details of the part with Yasuo (wind sword guy). A lot of small details of his in-game abilities can be seen on closer look. You already pointed out that his Wind Wall lasts a while, which is how it works in game too. I believe this rendition of Yasuo is meant to be non lethal, hence his lack of a bladed weapon at the beginning. If you take each bandit frame by frame you can see that he doesn't actually cut them down, but instead incapacitates them (which might explain the weird inconsistency in the sword placement during the slo-mo shot; his blade isn't actually cutting through him, but he is using the wind to injure him instead of killing him.) For the second bandit he attacks, you can see him sort of dash past him, which is a reference to his dashing ability in-game, Sweeping Blade. As for the tornado he unleashes at the final fleeing enemy, that is his ability Steel Tempest. By striking enemies with his blade, he gains stacks of Gathering Storm. The more stacks he has, the more visually powerful his wind is (in the video, you can see more wind gathering around his blade and bandaged hand the more bandits he incapacitates). With enough stacks, he is able to send forth a tornado.
Loved the breakdown helped me understand a lot about the emotion of the trailer! A few little pointers that might help with some confusion perhaps? The two angels are sisters, this is there last battle together when Morgana (dark angel) reveals her powers to Kayle (light angel) you can see the look of disgust on Kayle’s face towards Morgana for a brief second! The other part which a lot of the comments have said is about kindred and tryndamere basically fighting for his life. Everything goes dark expressing that this is his final moments and the lore of kindred (that lamb looking humanoid with the wolf) is that she appears before the death of someone in their final moment. But tryndamere in the game can go at 1 health point and not die for 5 seconds. The shadow right at the start of the scene was Ashe running towards Tryndamere and that scene from the start to the end in reality would be 5 seconds so they really slowed things down there. The part that makes this perfect for the gamer is that we know he goes undying on his ultimate skill and can’t die but what was truly genius was that they essentially showed us how his ultimate really worked. So in reality he was never really fighting that wolf and Kindred but instead he was fighting for his life against the other men that you see walking to him at the start.
You should listen to Kindred Voicelines. Their entire dialogue paints their whole story in a morose storytelling manner that hauntingly softens the heart
So the things at 37:20 are supposed to be arrows. The samurai guy is basically choosing to slay the bandit leader and sacrifice himself instead of deflecting the arrows and letting the guy live to cause more harm. An interesting theme I saw in the cinematic was that the amount of a persons face is uncovered correlated to their power/threat. The angels and samurai only used their magic after they had lost their helmet/ hat for example.
He actually didnt try to slay the bandit leader but rather save him, he pushed the leader away from the arrows with the tornado. This entire scene the samurai guy doesn’t want to fight ( you can see it when he picks up the sword when he doesnt actually want to ) and he doesnt actually kill anyone, he just pushes them away with the sword and wind. Afterwards he accepts his death. while he has the ability to deflect the arrows ,which they show early on, he’s done with fighting so he doesnt do anything.
Good video as always! I just wanted to point out that you already know the old man swordsman. He is the one that summons a tornado during the Awaken cinematic (in the shang chi part). That story is set in the future, that is why he is older.
14:08 I never would have noted that as anything special but seeing the effect that zoom-out created, so cool to now know the insight behind small details like this!!
So a lot of people here have already commented on what Lamb and Wolf represent, but what I want to add onto that is, if you look at the number of guys that surround Tryndmere at the very beginning of the trailer, subtract the two that Ashe kills, and look at how many times Tryndmere 'kills' Wolf, you might find yourself with remarkably similar numbers. Wolf represented the warriors trying to kill Tryndmere, and when Ashe killed the last two Lamb lowered her bow, because he was no longer under imminent threat of death. EDIT: I also want to mention that I love how well they did making Lamb's movements inhuman. The ethereal way she moved, the steady, unhurried, almost stalking motion. A hunter, waiting to strike down her prey. The perfect way to display that this entity was something beyond mortal, and also to act as a beautiful contrast to the rapid, almost frenzied violence of Wolf's movement. Exquisite.
Great video thanks and everybody else has already given lore input. Slight addition from my end for your comments on 48:05 : The lightning is so sharp because Ashe (the frozen archer girl) has just used her E abillity from the game with this arrow she shoots in the sky. She can give vision with it in a designated area on the map and along the way. Thats why all the enemies around them are now clearly visible and everything is bright. Thanks for the breakdown i really enjoyed it :)
Its actually really cool seeing this analyzed from someone who isn't familiar with the Lore. Seeing you pick up on details that look like mistakes from your end is also really interesting. The old guy with the green color change? His signature character art is a very green hue. The hat coming off is meant to reveal who it is. The blade work being strange? He's using his 'wind power' to knock them out and is actively trying not to kill. That was why he knocked the leader away from the arrow storm later. As others have said there's a guy called Necrit who does lore videos. There's a whole bunch of really deep storytelling going on in this and if you've got the time I think it would be fantastic for you to watch his video and then critique the filming techniques in actually communicating those stories.
At 47:50 the lighting makes sense in my eyes because she used a ingame ability which shoots kinda like a spirit bird out that illuminates the area and acts as a real world flare would do, so it brightens the area so you see who and what is where, hence it also gives the flare effect of the light being bit softer then harder then softer then harder towards the end shot
Really interesting breakdown. Nice way to see in from a technical side. But i can tell, if you know the story behind all this the scenes kick even harder. Its insane how they get better more or less every year with there cinematics
37:16 that’s the arrow of death named kindred when u see the wolf and the white arrow that means u are dead thats why yasuo closed his eyes accepting his fate
at 30:00 the point of the motion wasnt to reveal the eyes of the characters but to show his scar, since it is a very distinctive feature of a character we know in league, yasuo, no one was entirely sure it was yasuo since he suppose to be much younger but that reveal gives you that "wait is this yasuo?"
the part where they take off. if you look closely there is dust kicking up. they just delayed it so it wouldnt cover morgana(the purple one). but the effect is there, it is subtle.
Yasuo (the second scene) isn't killing any of the opponents. At the end before he lets lamb take finish him he saves the man with the burnt face/mask by pushing him out of his own men's arrows. You were on the right track when you were wondering if he was even cutting them, because upon careful rewatch he is either using the false side of his blade or nicking them barely.
I pulled up the video before watching this, and even then, it brought tears to my eyes. The whole message of "I'm still here," along with the theme of pushing through adversity is very significant to me. I've been through a lot over the last few years. Over the last decade, honestly (though, it was one of those 'if you put a lobster in a pot of cold water and raise the temperature, they won't notice until it is too late' kind of decades). But I've survived it and I'm moving on from all of that, and in the last year, as I've been focusing on rebuilding myself, this whole message of "I may be beaten down and tired, but I am still here despite all of that" is very much frontmost in my brain. But, apparently, this one is a fully canon cinematic from League, and it is filled to the brim with lore deep cuts. I actually watched a video from Necrit going over the lore in it. I knew... next to none of the lore going into this, but one thing is that the character with the round glowing eyes and the wolf are, fundamentally, this world's embodiment of death, and they show up in each of the three scenes. In the one with the 'valkyries,' as you called them, it doesn't step in because that great demon isn't able to die. In the middle story, you see the wolf as the arrows are flying up to come down on the samurai character (who is the guy with the wind powers, just decades later than the in-game present), and the one that comes straight for him is the same kind of glowing arrow that we see the death archer firing in the last scene, implying that this is his death years later. Most interestingly, the scene implies that he's at a point in life where he has forsaken killing - none of the bandits that he fights are killed. Even the leader, who he blasts with the wind... it seems as though he is knocking him away from the rain of arrows. And the last scene is a character... having a kind of near-death experience, with some of the implications being that he isn't actually fighting death, but rather the warriors who were surrounding him in the first place. Phenomenal storytelling all around!
The ending can be explained like this tryndamer has an ultimate ability that grants him the inability to die for a period of time, when he's fighting kindred with the bow it implies that he's close to death because in the lore only those close to death can even see kindred, similar to death or the grim reaper. At the end when tryndameres eyes go from red to normal it implies his ult is ending and as he's not on deaths Door, kindred disappears and he's greated by the archer Ashe, who also happens to be his wife 😊! This cinematic and attention to detail and the lore in this is seriously next level, and in my opinion far outshines anything blizzard has released to date. I'm not lying even one bit if I said I'd be willing to sell my soul or years off my life to the devil If it would mean Riot studio's would come out with a ton of shows and movies going over the incredibly layered lore that is league of legends. They killed it with Arcane but I need mooorrrrreee!!!
And you were right, the wind wall stays for a while in place. The thing that I found so epic, is that he closes his eyes when the arrow is coming, grabs the sword, cut the arrow in half, and then open his eyes... just.. jessss
At 30:00 there is also a subtle hint who this character is(i missed it first time watching). We get a scar shown but this character normally doesnt use a staff and isnt that old, he is a young swordsman(This video also shifts between past, present and future). So as soon as he grabs the sword we know shit is on.
36:55 Is a callback to another cinematic in which he is bombarded by a hail of arrows. The camera is panning upward not only to reveal the impending threat (which he's just saved the fleeing bandit chief from) of arrows raining down, but to reveal Wolf (death) watching him from the treeline. In the other cinematic, he is younger, and uses the wind wall to protect himself from harm. However in this scene he does not, as he closes his eyes and accepts his fate, Lamb's arrow (the bright one) takes his life. As others have pointed out Lamb is representative of acceptance in death, and her arrow is mercy - whereas the Wolf represents a violent, fearful, and merciless one. So put into context, the scene in question is an acceptance that his time has come.
A lot of info was already put in the comments, but one thing I didn't see mentioned is at 47:20 where the girl shoots that bird-type arrow into the sky, it is an in-game ability that grants vision within the area it's shot. That's why the lighting grows "harsher" as you said it does. Just an extra small detail that adds a little for the players :).
Love your Reactions and breakdowns on League Cinematics so much❤ I have some problems to understand everything due to the (acsent/dialect) idk sry ^^' But that reminds me a bit of my english listening tasks. Anyways thanks for this very nice breakdown of the cinematic (its like you said very often "very cinematic" xD)
There's a thing I learned about going close when I saw the film Logan. All these superhero films taking things to the bigger level that when Logan actually closed in the camera to the subject not only signifies Grandeur isn't always big, but also when done right, can convey more emotions and connect more to the audience. Yes, Avengers will make you feel happy. But Logan still resonates with me to this very day.
Something that almost brought me to tears was the frame where Tryndamere (last character in the snow), immediately ceases his otherwise-uncontrollable rage as soon as he sees Ashe (female archer)... In the lore, this battle happened shortly after they became "Oathsworn", meaning they got married by the sacred ways of the Iceborn, this is beautiful because it was arranged by political interests, but true love was born shortly after.. and this shot right here.. is definitely a shot saying "God damn, this woman is my wife"
Something you missed is when Ashe (the woman at the end) shoots past Lamb (the archer part of Kindred) the light changes as the arrow proceeds through the scene.
Alot of people say when Kayle(Blonde angel) walks past Morgana(Purple angel) and looks at her is kinda bichty. The reason she walks past her and gives her that look is because at that moment Morgana sacrificed her angelic status and embraced her demonic side. In game Morgana's face is demonic looking while here it is Angelic, but as she strains with Atraox(Immortal demon guy) the demonic powers begin to convert her appearence. Also, after Kayle (Kay-EL) flame bursts Atraox(A-Tree-Ox) you can see the sillouette of Kindred, the games version of death. Kindred appears because Atraox wants to die but is cursed with immortality, thus she is always watching him but can not tke him. The last guy is named Tryndamere (Tren-da-mere) and his ultimate move in game is that for a short period of time he is unkillable. In reality he is fighting against the men trying to kill him, but he is using his ultimate (His eyes are red establishing that he is in it) and while he is unkillable he literally fights with death, A.K.A. Kindred, which is death split into two characters. Wolf and Lamb. Also, in the last shot, Ashe(the beautiful archer lady my favorite character to play lol) she uses one of her in game skills which is a scouting arrow thaat takes the form of a very bright bird. When she realeses it, the light becomes harsh due to the skill. In gme it lights up everything around it in an area revealing parts of the map that are in fog of war. Anyways I really really enjoyed your breakdown. Alot of useful tips I can use for my own projects. Also, I laughed so hard I let one slip when you said "No, it went right through 'is fvkn arm!" (34:24) Plus, I think they wanted the sword to go through his arm, but used the next shot to establish that it didn't because of PG rating(I don't know what it's actually called) but you know you can't show actual gore and even without blood, that one shot of cutting through the arm is enough for some countries to ban the entire video.
I think you should start with a watch and first impression and than a nice full breakdown because I can’t remember the video and your breaking it down when I want to see what’s going to happen so I understand where it’s going. Love your vids
Hi, early sorry for my writting, english is not my first language. In my modest non-profesional opinion, the last scene in which old Yasuo (the cool sword old man) appears references the fact that he is probably going to die. Let me explain. First, the relevant characters. Yasuo is a swordmaster that uses a rare wind technique which, as far as I remember, only him, his older brother (Yone, who was killed by Yasuo), and their master (I don't remember his name) knew. Due to Yasuo's carefree atitude, he ends up taking the blame for his master's death, and basically everyone treats him as a murderer, and making him lose all of his honor (a recurrent theme in his lore). Since he no longer feels like he deserves to use his masters' technique, he runs away from the people chasing him, skipping town as soon as he is found out, but never killing anyone, only going as far as midly inguring his chasers. He doesn't take pride in his masterful technique anymore, so he tries as best as he can to not use it, and also since it leaves traces (hence he is discoverable). Also, there is a very cool scene where he shows his determination to protect that town, even if it means using his technique, right before he takes up the sword one last time. Next is one of the other characters that appears in this cinematic, Kindred. They are the spirit of death. In their lore, they are defined as being given different forms depending on where they appear, since different cultures have different representatives for death; even though, when they are seen, they have always been described in one common way: a lamb and a wolf. Lamb is the lamb and Wolf is the wolf, original ain't it. The narrator at the very begining of the cinematic is Lamb, and they also appear in the first snowy scene, right before Tryndamere, the viking guy, goes to sleep, which then transfers into the last fighting scene where these two characters fight. Kindred always appear when they sense someone aproaching their death, and usually do so to just reave the deceased's soul. In the snowy fight against Tryndamere, they are forced to fight for the soul, since Tryndamere is a special subject. His ability (which is also in the game) makes him so, so, so angry that he just doesn't want to die. In the end, Ashe, Tryndamere's wife (& also another playable character), appears, saving the day and his husband. Since she defeated the people that were trying to kill Tryndamere, Kindred don't sense death anymore coming from Tryndamere's soul, so they leave. That's the interesting part, since Kindred are a spiritual life form, they are only seen by those who are afected by "death". So all that fight is basically all in Tryndamere's mind, in reality, he keeps fighting against the bad vikings. That being explained, we come back to that last Yasuo scene, right before he hits that last bad guy with a tornado. He does indeed look up to a massive wave of arrows coming his way. He should probably be able to make a wind wall to protect himself, but he doesn't; he prioritizes taking down the foes, which is signified by his troubled gaze when making his decision. After hitting the tornado, he accepts his destiny, and the camera looks up into the wall of arrows raining onto him. But there is one more detail. The eyes. Those eyes are curiously placed on a part of the forest that makes the background which looks kinda similar to... a wolf. And at the very end, that one shiny arrow appears, with a very much similar color to that of the arrows Lamb uses. There is no resistance offered from Yasuo, Kindred just appeared to reave his soul. So sorry Yasuo mains, your guy is probably a goner. EDIT: I forgot one important detail about Kindred. When the soul they are trying to reave resists, like in the case of Tryndamere, it's Wolf the one who "chases", or in other words, fights. Lamb is the more peaceful route, which is the one Yasuo takes.
33:59 just noticed this because of your analysis, that shot is basically what the game looks like because the camera is permanently fixed top down, and to top it off the game has "lanes" and the lane yasuo goes down typically mirrors the road almost exactly
Again a great breakdown. I'm not someone familiar with LoL, so like you I'm an 'outsider' for the trailers. But while some symbolism is lost or you'd need more knowledge of the lore to fully understand it, as you said, it's still a very nice trailer with clear motifs and ability to get the wanted emotions across. (PS hope you'll do the For Honoer trailers soon tho ^^)
At around the end of the scene of the Swordsman, you were asking why Yasuo was looking up, it was because he saw the multiple arrow raining down on him, he used his hasagi as a last effort to kill the one running away and finally closes his eyes to accept death. The eyes on the mountains were from the Wolf of Kindred (Kindred is the lamb, together they are Death Incarnate or something) I think the Wolf can shapeshift into something or someone that his enemy is afraid of, maybe? hence why we saw his wolf instead of having a wolf-like form while fighting Tryndamere, he is like a bear (Looks like Volibear). Edit: Also, in the scene of the twin Sisters Morgana (violet) and Kayle (While, yellowish), I just thought it was a magnificent idea where Morgana abandoned her sword, and Kayle grabbed it. In the game, Kayle have only 1 sword at the start, and once he evolve(?) the character will have two swords. I just thought Morgana lowkey gave her sword to Kayle so that Kayle can perform her Ultimate move. deym
![[LIVE] : ONE ลุมพินี 88 | คู่เอก "ป้อมเพชร vs อัสลามจอน"](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/1ZqTVVbMgbo/mqdefault.jpg)
🟠If you have a suggestion or a piece of content with an amazing story, please let me know, I would love to see it!
===================================================================================================================================
►► Want to be a filmmaker/storyteller/writer? These books will help you! Links in the description.
🎥Patreon: [AD FREE, EARLY ACCESS, EXCLUSIVE & EXTENDED] www.patreon.com/KaiZammit
👕Merch - www.kaizammit.com/
===================================================================================================================================
Nice i didnt see this one coming, i would really like you to watch these overwatch cinematics they are the good, but mind the correct order :D they are basically all related to eachother
PLEASE watch the Rise cinematic! Best League of Legends cinematic by FAR IMO
@@Crunchy166 Agreed
Rise cinematic is nothing compared to this, so don’t get your hopes up, but the music has some unreal power in it making it the best old league cinematic
Can you react to Valorant cinematic please!
some fun facts, the last guy is called tryndamere and the ones he fought against are called kindred, and they are essentially one of the variants of the grim reaper in the league universe, He was fighting lots of normal humans but he is basically seeing and fighting against death, and thats why the one with the bow lowers it at the end when he gets saved, he is no longer meant to die
Wow, that's cool! I very much enjoy the lore you guys tell me in the comments. Thank you. KZ
whats cool is Lamb and Wolf are also presented all over the video. Tyrnd sees her shadow at the start, right after attrox is hit with fire her shadow is in the flames, right before the old man is about to die to the arrow storm you can see wolf in the tree line. Its a super nice touch
@@kaizammit yeah, even this is just a very simple variant of the actual scenes playing out but leagues lore is VAAAST, i do recommend you check some of it out, possibly in future videos or just on your own time.
@@kaizammit Also worth mentioning, lamb gives fast and painless death with arrow for those who accept it ( like old man Yasou in middle scene), and those who try run from death get chased and mouled by the wolf ( like Tryndamere in the end scene)
In fact kindred is in all 3 shots in shadows
From a storytelling perspective:
The three stories are all tied to Kindred. They are the embodiment of death in the setting, Lamb (the Saytr like creature with the bow) represents acceptance of death, while Wolf (the wolf, obviously) represents the violent struggle against it. The song is Kindred reminding you that they are still there, death is never far away.
The swordsman, Yasuo, closes his eyes as the arrows are raining down on him. In the tree line you can see Wolf's eyes, but Yasuo accepted death so Lamb's arrow found him instead.
Someone else pointed out that in the scene with the two angels fighting a demon you can see wolf and lamb in the fire at the end, with Wolf rushing forward to violently end the demon's army (I still can't see Wolf in there, but thematically it does track.)
Finally, the warrior at the end defies both Wolf and Lamb, with Lamb lowering her bow at the end as he is saved.
That's crazy deep! Thank you for the comment fella. KZ
@@kaizammit it's a testament to the power of cinema that even without knowing the lore, the essential emotions can come through so thoroughly.
I like to imagine the fuzziness and obstruction of lamb, and the way she is literally in flames is meant to signify Aatrox's inability to die, he accepted death eras ago, but it could never take him.
in the game lore trynda and ashe the archer are married, when his eyes were red of rage refusing to die, when he sees his wife , his rage goes away and his eyes return to normal.
I was also having difficulty seeing wolf at the Aatrox scene, but finally got it - It's lamb wearing wolf like a scarf, like some spash arts depict them.
26:17,you made me realize the difference in the turn Morgana and Kayle had. While Morgana blinked and turned, Kayle turns directly making her more sharp. This minor details is what sells theirs characters, both are a half of the aspect of Justice in the lore; Morgana accepts her human half and her emotions, Kayle rejects it and considers emotions something that clouds judgement and true justice.
Powerful stuff in such minor details. Love it.
They also have a lot of beef in the lore, Morg thinks Kayle is too harsh, and Kayle thinks Morgana isn't rational enough. You can see this in the glare that Kayle gives to Morgana on the ground. Side note: it's very interesting how the character team juxtaposed Morgana and Kayle's design to their actual character traits. Morgana looks like a witchy demon, but is actually caring and compassionate. Kayle looks like a righteous angel, but is really just a rash and harsh executioner. What their combined design essentially implies is that justice is never black and white, and rarely what you expect it to be.
I like that.
@kaizammit Also you mentioned the dust flying up as a show of power, of a hero. With Kayle [the light winged sister who most associate with goodness because of her light colors] it did not happen but it did with her sister Morgana [who is the actual one with compassion despite having dark wings which most associate with evil.] There is much more to their story in the lore, and essentially they are daughters of the Aspect [Goddess] of Justice so they carry out that justice. It goes deeper than that, too.
I wish they'd make a cinematic game so I can learn all this. I'm an old school gamer so I like my sad dad games, single player. It's one of the main reason storytelling is such a big thing for me. Thanks to games, I have the career I have now. Thanks for watching fella!
"Tomorrow is a hope, never a promise" is a quote by Kindred. They are a representation of death and are usually portrayed as the lamb and the wolf. Wolf hunts those who try to fight and flee from death, Lamb executes those who have accepted death.
In regards to the sword looking like it should have cut off the arm. There's a lore significance to this, as the character has, due to his past, decided not to kill. So my interpretation would be that it might even be deliberately showing it as if it had cut the arm off just to increase the impact of not having cut it off when showing the next frame.
Also good catch on the wind wall staying for an extended time, it is indeed an ingame ability
The reason Yasuo (the swordsman) is looking up is due to seeing the rain of arrows incoming. The monster in the woods you described is probably once again Wolf due to him fighting death. After he closes his eyes, thus accepting death, we can see the arrow shot by lamb to grant a swift death.
Usually Yasuo is shown as a way younger character. As the first longer scene with the "Angels" is set waaaay in the past it is assumed for the Yasuo scene to be in the future, which would align with the scene being of his death.
In the last scene the character with the sword, Tryndamere, is fighting off death. One of his ingame abilities "Undying Rage" prevents him from dying for a certain time.
The fight with Wolf and Lamb is not actually happening like that but Tryndamere is instead still fighting off the attacking soldiers, who surrounded him in the beginning.
The reason Lamb holds their shot at the end is due to Tryndamere being saved from death by the two arrows shot by his wife.
I especially love how the metaphysical world of fighting off death unravels when those two arrows fly by.
That was a wonderful reaction and analysis, I love seeing that filmmakers perspective and have learned so much already.
Most of all, highlights in the eyes and representations of relative power by the angles and respective height of the characters in the shots.
Thank you for your insightful comment!
Good post, I liked that we see them use their abilities in the cinematic. At the End when Ashe fires and arrow up into the air, and it turns into a bird, that is her E that allows where she choose to be revealed. Doing it right there makes them both realize that they are surrounded. but what those minions don't know. trynd and Ashe aren't lost in that forest with them. They are lost in the forest with Tryndamere and Ashe.
Such a great breakdown for someone like me who doesn't play the game but wants to know what's going on over there...
It would be great if one of this reaction videos were a stream, so that we could give you the lore insight an add those facts into the analysis as it is all storytelling and it would be great to talk about it actually considering both the story that's being told and the cinematography used to that end. You picked up a lot of details that i would have loved to see analyzed under that light; for instance, the look on the blond Angel (Kayle) picking up her Sister (Morgana)'s sword after she left it, which portrays their different approach to life, Kayle rejecting emotion while Morgana embraces it. Also, death (kindred) is the perspective of the whole story, as the first scene portrays the death of Atrox's host, the second is a vision of Yasuo's future (you can see Wolf in the shadows while lamb's arrow flies towards Yasuo) and the third shows Tryndamere being ambushed and refusing death until being saved by his wife (Ashe). Btw, Lamb and Wolf are one single entity that split itself into 2 forms to never be alone.
Thanks for the great video.
I've never streamed before but it is something I've thought about. Problem is, where do you start!? Thank you for watching the video, means a lot.
LoL cinematics are so insanely well done. Thanks for the breakdown, this is BY FAR the best film making technical breakdown I've seen on youtube. really interesting stuff
Thank you so much, I just hope you enjoy watching it as much as I did making it. KZ
What i love about the old man part is: He's Yasuo, a seasoned warrior wandering around the world after he killed his brother. His brother comes back as a ghost and "helps" him let go of his of that regret and he continues wandering again. Fast forward he's become old and doesn't even have a sword with him, which indicates that he has become somwhat pacifistic and gained some enlightenment or something. He used to have a shoulder pouldron and dressed like a warrior but now he's just a normal old man living a peaceful life. The scene in this video shows him drawing a line, telling the raiders to not step across the line, as he doesn't want to shed blood anymore, but he still wants to defend the innocent. Obviously they don't take the words of an old man seriously and try to fight him off. He first defends himself with his stick but was then forced to use a more durable weapon and so he picks up a sword. The last frame shows a white arrow shot by Kindred, which is this universe's Grim Reaper, but he closes his eyes,seemingly ready for death because he has found peace with himself. I'm no expert on these stuff but the video tells so much in such little time and I just love it and I hope people can appreciate it too.
I love your breakdowns because your explanations are simple and easy to understand with a lot of good tips 🙏
Also, everybody down here already told you the lore, so let me just add some things:
1) The two "angels" are sisters. Kayle is the blond one and Morgana is the purple one. That actually happened in the past when they were still together but because Morgana had different views about humans and about justice itself, she refused to keep following the same violent actions as her sister (the fact that she put down her sword to use the chain magic indicates that). The two eventually split.
2) That old character is Yasuo, you've already seen him in "Awaken" (the samurai dude with wind powers). That's a vision of what his future could be.
3) Tryndamere's (the barbarian) eyes fade off from red (rage) to his normal ones (peace) after he sees Ashe, his wife, coming to save him.
Thank you and I'm glad you understand. Making beautiful imagery isn't that difficult if you know the ways of making it beautiful. You really don't need all silliness of terminology, it doesn't make you a better storyteller.
Thank you also for the lore info too. KZ
A few minutes after I finished watching the video, I started seein the reaction come up and you can bet your ass I thought "I can't wait for Kai to break down this fucking masterpiece". And true as the SUN, here he is. Never disappoint, mate, cheers!
Haha thanks fella!! TBH, I was editing at home when it dropped and thought, I wonder if the guys (viewers) would like a shadow drop and something new instead of years old like most of the other videos. Now you know the answer! Let me know what you think of the two mistakes I pull up. What do you think? Kai
@@kaizammit Oh, damn, the two mistakes? So, you mean the absence of debris when Kayle (angel with white wings) lifts off, and the frame shenanigans going on with Yasuo's (the old samurai looking dude) sword slash and also the color clusterfuck going on? For the lift-off, I absolutely agree, I think they could have had more dust in the scene in particular, maybe have a layer of it lingering low on the ground, so that you don't need to make debris fly everywhere from the ground, but you already have the effect from the lingering layer of dust, so that both Kayle and Morgana (the other angel) have the same identical effect, maybe. For the Yasuo slash, I definitely didn't notice, but it sure looks weird. I have a couple of lore reasons that I could use as an explanation, kinda (I am a big lore nerd when it comes to League and especially Warhammer). Through a lot of conjectures, it could be that Yasuo doesn't want to land any killing blows on these bandits, because the very fact that he is using the wind technique, of which he is the only user left alive after he killed his brother, is an act of shame, and in his later years, he wanted to abandon it completely and never kill anyone, anymore. So the blade isn't really the cutting part, he is using the wind, the air he makes into a cutting edge on the blade, that is cutting, using it to make more superficial, non-lethal strikes. So the blade can go through people, but only cut when he needs to-ish? I'm trying to salvage a fuck-up from their part, really climbing on mirrors here X'D the color! The color I would have never noticed without your eagle eye, and at first I thought it's because Yasuo does have green motifs on his clothes, but those same motifs don't look to carry around his shoulder, so maybe that's another misstep on the cinematic team. Truly, a disgrace, the cinematic is RUINED X'D
On another note, Kai, there is a lot that I wish you could pick up on these cinematics, that you possibly cannot, since you don't know the lore of course, but I swear, you are missing on some of the most poetic storytelling moments, the ones that grow tears in my eyes! And if you'd wish, I'd love to help you on getting the 100% experience on your breakdowns! I am a freelance writer and voice actor, who has worked on Warhammer lore channels in particular (if you want to check some of my works, head to Book of Choyer, for an example!), and a massive League lore nerd on top of that, and I'd love to help you on your journey to reach and explore either of both of these franchises productions, if you'd have me ^^ if you're interested let me know here. I know it comes out of nowhere, but since I like entertaining conversations on the topic with you, and I love your content, I'd be happy to work together, and I obviously understand if you'd not take up the offer, since it wasn't in your plans. Just saying, maybe take it into consideration for the future, I'll try to make space in the schedule for you, no matter how busy I may be ;)
Is that your TH-cam channel? I love learning about stuff even though both of those franchises are ridiculous! Always happy to collaborate or what not. KZ
@@kaizammit Oh no, I have just worked for them, I have a connection or two in the Warhammer space! ^^
My email is in the description box, send me an mail and we can chat.
@kaizammit Great reaction, I loved the break down.
36:42 - Those aren't embers rising, those are a volley of arrows.
The eyes in the forest are the Wolf (Kindred), you can see the arrows closing in here above the tree line. The final shot before the scene transition is again the arrows with the Wolf's eyes in the forest; the Lamb's (Kindred) arrow obviously being the bright light closing in from the background. As others have already said from the brief skimming I did; Kindred is basically a spirit of death.
I personally had a hard time seeing Kindred's brief moment at the end of the scene with Kayle/Morgana and Aatrox (the three characters with unique wings) but they were there as well.
I'd love to see you watch Necrit's breakdown from the lore perspective to add some extra context to the significance of some of these shots.
For example, when the purple character plants her sword down and leaves it behind, its signaling how she's leaving behind that responsibility in favour of her sorcery.
It adds another whole level of depth to the cinematic of high significance because this is the first League cinematic we have that is canon to the lore.
the only thing i wanted to mention is the moment with the guy where they dont show his eyes. The reason being is that fans only needed to see his scar across his nose to know who he is. Yasuo is a fan favourite so seeing that and that hes aged from his usual looks was a big impact
I absolutely love the way you explain things. You get into the nick of things and speak ever so seriously. And then you get the random ''Fuck me I'm only 25 minutes into this bitch'' It made me chuckle. Brilliant video!
Imagine being in my head! It's crazy haha. Thank you for checking out the video, means a lot. KZ
As you wanted to know a little more about the characters - League lore is pretty amazing to unpick, and this cinematic embodies the past, present and possible future in the league universe.
The Past: You see Kayle and Morgana fighting in Old Demacia (around 1000 years ago). Kayle and Morgana are twin sisters that were born with the remnant of the Aspect of Justice. Kayle embraced the calling - named Kayle the Righteous - while Morgana - the Fallen - resented her gifts. Soon after this battle with Aatrox, Kayle and Morgana ended up fighting each other, with Kayle abandoning everyone to go to the heavens, while Morgana bound her wings to walk among the mortals. This is obviously a very shortened version of the lore haha.
The Present: This is the last scene - you see Tryndamere - The Barbarian King - on the ground after fighting enemies. When he stands up, he is suddenly facing Kindred. Kindred - The Eternal Hunters - represents the twin essences of death. Lamb (with the bow) is often seen as patient, offering a swift death with her bow, while Wolf hunts down those who flee from their death. When Tryndamere's eyes turn red, he is using his ultimate ability - which prevents him from dying for five seconds. It's a representation of him fighting death (Wolf) for that time, and Kindred disappears when Ashe - The Frost Archer - (Tryndamere's wife) comes to his aid.
The Future: The second scene - Ionia. This is an interesting scene as it might indicate lore progression for the MMO in the future. The old man is Yasuo (characterised by the scar on his face), who is decidedly younger in current LoL lore. This is also a nod to the final scene, with Yasuo seeing Wolfs eyes and an arrow shot - acceptance of a swift death from Lamb.
i think the arrow shot at yasuo might be ashe ult. it looks like her arrow. but ye i do think its kinreds spirit cause he is close to death
@@Sharonamy definitelly kindred arrow and Yasuo will die
@@sarkyny5185 kinred doesnt have feathers like that on her arrow. but as kinred appears at the moment of death, it may be a mix of ashe ult or kinred ?
Not sure this scene is an invasion of Ionia, the bandits were wearing Ionian masks and clothing. I'm guessing they're just a collective of Ionian bandits.
@@Sharonamy this should be Lore accurate cinematic. Why would ashe travel to Ionia. Ionia has some fjordy Mountains seen in yasuo and Taliyah story. So it is Ionia. And bandits are ionian as well. But Ashe has so many work with unification of freljord tribes. She would not travel at all abandoning her kingdom.
36:48 camera goes up because there is a whole valley of arrows going up and later decending with the brightest leading the way to him. it also seems to have implications of death (wolf and the lamb's arrow while he is closing eyes as if in acceptance or preparation to resist it)
the blink-turn (especially at 39:46) is used to convey: "ok. fine. let's dance"
cinematically, sure you can use the terms "sexy" and "attractive"..but psychologically it is used to convey "acceptance (eyelid close). face the problem (turn). and time for action (eyelid open)"
Great Video.
A bit lore for the first fight: the two girls are badicly angelictwin sisters. We saw the moment when the violett one basicly become a falling angel as she give in into her "dark powers" to save all. Her sister takes her sisters sword and accended. She hates her sister for falling and they keep fighting. That's why she gives her a really mean side eye.
The kight one stands for juctice. The dark one for forgiveness and chained her own wings to walk like a human.
Holy shizzle... That's insane. I didn't realise. No wonder my eyes started watering. KZ
even though Morgana is the embodiment of dark magic, she's basically a better being because of her empathy for humans. She chose to bound her wings and not resort to violence and absolute condemntion unlike her sister kayle.
Another note, as i see a lot of lore buff's here Tryndamere (the warrior fighting kindred) has an ability in game that allows him to defy death briefly (when his eyes go red) because he has some darkin magic in him because he fought Aatrox before. Aatrox being the big red dude at the start so it makes a nice circle c:
Edit: i see a lot of people already pointed it out lol
Probably worth noting that the name of the ability is “undying rage”.
In case it wasnt noticed in the yasuo segment (older swordsman dude) his last "attack" he does is actually him saving the enemy from the rain of arrows. He blows him out of the way and then accepts his fate as the arrows rain on him, even through hes shown that he can deflect the arrows with ease. In his lore he amasses large guilt over those he has slain and hes decided he is done fighting and slaying
All that stuff in the sky with Yasuo (the swordsmans scene) is arrows raining down. They eyes in the woods is Wolf, one half of Kindred who is the entity of death in league of legends. The really bright arrow is the arrow of Lamb, the other half of kindred, marking yasuos death and the collection of his soul.
So,
This cinematic actually hold so much details in regards to the lore of the universe.
The theme of the cinematic is actually kinda grim, it's Death.
The voice of the begining sets the theme, it belongs to the Lamb and Wolf character (litteral embodiment of death in that universe).
On the death of each character you can see the Wolf form in the picture.
The 3 different scenes actually show 3 different "deaths" The angels fighting the big guy is for the past, the guy with the sword is for the present , and the old guy is a older version of a hero accepting his death.
So many subtle details.
26:30 - when she looks down on her that is contemp for using her "dark powers", they are sisters.
37:11 - the wolf outline below, death has come for him and it ends with an arrow.
The dude with the big sword's gimmik is that he can't die when he is enraged, you can see his eyes are red.
The fight between him and the Wolf and the lamb is symbolic or methaphorical, or on a different plain.
Because he is on death's door seen in the begining of the video. In the physical world he is fighting some random dudes, you can see all their bodies after the scene.
Haven't finished the video yet, but fun fact about the physical vs metaphorical thing... Trynd's shoulder plate has scratches from wolf that are visible afterwards.
Also, Kayle and Morgana not only just sisters, but twins.
The bright light at the end and seemingly wrong shadows, witch looks like the light sours is somewhere in the middle of the image is about the ability of frost archer (Ashe) the arrow she shoots to the sky at the end transform in a hawk and helps her see the enemies better, the light sours is that arrow-hawk thing
If you're interested in the lore, Necrit does a wonderful breakdown of the characters and the stories behind the scenes.
so for what you said at 47:29 about the harsh lighting being toned down, the light is actually harsher in that shot because of the arrow she fired - you'll notice as it flies it illuminates its surroundings, it's part of her abilities
around 47:39 you say things about the change from the soft lighting to the overhead view with the more harsh lighting, I think it is because she shoots her bird (hawk shot I think?) out her bow which in the game is a recon bird that “lights up” dark parts of the map that may be in fog of war (areas you don’t have vision of), so I assume the change of lighting could be from the brightness of the bird as it would also be glowing/shining, outputting white light which makes it so much brighter, I think the change of lighting is intentional rather than change for just the effect
Edit: After watching it again you can see the flicker of the more impactful lighting coming from the bird, which also explains the shadows on the bodies around the whole circle of them and not just from the direction of the sun
Amazing video nonetheless, highly enjoyed
I was just about to make a comment on this but it seems like I don't have to :D I hope he sees your comment too!
The voice at the beginning is Kindred (a playable character). They are the physical embodiment of death (Lamb and Wolf), if you try to escape/fight your death then Wolf hunts you down and you get a gruesome death. If you accept it, you are granted the merciful death of an arrow from Lamb. That's what we saw at the end of the fight with the old guy (Yasuo, a character that sought redemption through much of his young adult life). The blueish arrow that comes before the plethora of arrows land is an arrow from Lamb. When Tryndamere (the guy in the snowy fight) is fighting off Lamb and Wolf, he is trying to stave off his death. The snow fight with Lamb and Wolf is (as I see it) a metaphor for him fighting off the other people attacking him. That's why when Ashe (the girl with the ice bow) kills those two people approaching him from behind, Kindred disappears. It's super neat how you can see Lamb with a clear shot and bow drawn, she relaxes the string and realizes it's not his time right before the 2 ice arrow fly past her.
Oh my god, hearing you say you can feel your eyes starting to water because it's so epic has now assured me that I'm not some weirdo, because every time I watch, for example, the Awaken cinematic, my eyes tear up because of how epic and powerful it is. I thought I was the only one and I was weird. Thank you for making me realize that's not the case. Love the breakdowns!
My eyes watered in awaken too and you are not a weirdo! It's on my channel, check it out. KZ
The quote on the beginning is from the Characters who fight tryndamere, the Lamb and the Wolf. Kindreds the name, its the incarnation of death himself, Lamb stands for the swift death when people accept their fate and wolf is the grewsome end that awaits whenu fight or try to escape death. U should maybe look into them and a few of the storys about them. They are beautifull.
I like how you say the introduction voice is "voice of god" because it is Lamb's voice (Lamb and wolf are kindred, League's personified death and essentially a type of god). Lamb is the white creature with the bow who shoots at the guy with the sword.
What I find amazing about this breakdown is you can tell you aren’t a follower of the story and yet you have so much to say. It shows you clearly are experienced in the field.
What I love about this video is that while you have so much to say, In those moments those of us who know the characters notice little hidden details from the story too that are still to be mentioned. Just amazes me as to how much detail RIOT & the League Of Legends Animators put into this cinematography.
A few points where you asked for help or asked about things;
• 6:10 So the voiceover at the beginning is the Lamb with a bow character (Kindred) you see in the final scene. They (the lamb and the wolf) are known as sort of the grim reapers in this lore. they only appear when a person’s time has come and only they can see them. The Lamb is the peaceful acceptance side of death that comes quickly and peaceful. The wolf is the violent and brutal struggle side of death When you FIGHT death to try stay alive.
• 24:48 So in this moment I feel it focuses on her hand in the sword not just to show her getting back up. But She is picking up the sword that her sister put down. This refers back to the lore in how the “White angel” Is following the legacy that was passed down from their mother (the 2 swords they wield). While the “Purple angel” Is unsure and less dedicated to the legacy. later leaves this legacy in her pursuit of freedom. So; when she puts down the sword in an act to use her own strength and power. The white angel picks it back up and looks at her with this side eye before using the swords passed down to take care of the enemy.
• 36:53 In this moment there is another barrage of arrows like before but they fill the sky like stars. And in the backdrop the eyes you see are actually to represent the wolf of the grim reaper duo. This shows that death has come for our main character in the scene. The wolf is waiting in the dark to see if he will fight death or accept it. and in that moment we see one bright light arrow come straight for our character as he closes his eyes and accepts the peaceful death of the lambs arrow.
• 38:36 In this moment it’s important he breaks the arrow. because this is Kindred’s arrow of death that he cuts in half, he is saying “I do not accept death” . Also I was hoping you saw the moment the wolfs in the darks eyes opened. because it is supposed to call you back to the moment where you see them with the swordsman moments before when you see the wolf with his eyes in the tree line.
• 42:05 This is one of the moments where you can’t know why until you know the story sadly. But here he can deflect with his bare hands. because, his eyes have turned red and this character (Tryndamere) gets red eyes when he enter his undying rage! so the difference here to before is now he CANNOT die, where as before he was only trying to refuse death. and this is only enforced when lamb subtly tilts her head after seeing this.
Of course, You have already highlighted so much in this cinematic and I would never have expected you to have known most, if not all of these but I just wanted to chip in at point where you sounded like you were missing something or slightly confused why they chose to do some of the choices they made. Great video! and thanks so much for the content as always ❤
Thank you for your videos. I am a budding filmmaker who has recently made the change to creating my own CGI films using Unreal Engine 5. Your break downs are helping me a lot on my current project. I deeply believe that CGI films and cinematics can help put this amazing art form back into the hands of indie filmmakers and not the money hungry elite who are seemingly obsessed with ruining one franchise after another. Thank you and God Bless.
Amazing to hear and I look forward to seeing your work. Tools as you described are a way for the not so privileged to tell stories that can equal if not be better than the privileged. It's a beautiful thing. KZ
Absolutely loved the reaction video and the perspective you gave... I need to go watch more of your videos
Awesome! Thank you! I hope you enjoy them and if you want me to cover something, let me know. KZ
He is fighting death itself (Kindred) at the end but the red eyes means he cannot die (ultimate) :D I assume he killed almost all the attackers (seen in the first scene) in his rage and while fighting kindred. Then his wife (Ashe) comes to the rescue and kills the last 2 enemies.. Kindred is only seen when one is about to die.. so when Ashe kills the last 2 enemies, Trynda is no longer destined to die.. that's why Kindred disappears.
That's why his eyes change. Nice! Thanks for letting this boomer know. KZ
You can also see outline or shadow of kindred (lamb/wolf) in the fire when aatrox (demon) host dies and just before old man yasuo closes his eyes. Correct me if I'am wrong but kindred doesn't kill stuff, only collect souls.
@@kaizammit A little extra context here as well. It seems this cinematic features 3 experiences of death, which is why at the beginning we hear Kindred, the embodiment of death (basically the grim reaper) say "tomorrow is a hope, never a promise". We see Kindred fighting Tryndamere at the end. They are a being consisting of the Lamb (with the bow and the black mask) and the Wolf (the big black cloud thing with the white mask), and the come to claim you at your moment of death.
At 2:13 there seems to be a silhouette of Lamb holding her bow in the flames that consume Aatrox (he dies, but he always comes back cuz his soul is in the sword) and at 3:26 we see a white arrow out in front about to hit Yasuo as he accepts his death. This is the arrow of Lamb who mercifully shoots down those who accept their fate, giving them a quick death. Wolf doesn't get involved unless there's someone who refuses to accept their death like, Tryndamere and so they fight death...they don't usually win though. But Trynd's rage is so great is seems to give him to ability to literally refuse to die and fight death off.
@@santius0 tho Kindred is not actually THE grim reaper but rather one of many spirits of death. And there are many of theses spirits or faces of death of whom we see more in Legends of Runeterra. Who you see in the end is down to who you believe in i suppose so not everyone will see Kindred at the moment of their death. At least i'm pretty sure thats the lore.
@@verdipauwnz3458 That's true, but in the context of the video it's easier to just say "basically the grim reaper". That's enough for them to understand the general thematics being expressed without going too deep.
About the swordsman missing the bandit's arm (around 35:00), he's a warrior using wind technique, as you could probably tell by the VFX. This character in particular is an older version of his depiction in the game. It seems he isn't as willing to use violence as he used to be, considering he started out fighting with a quarterstaff and only picked up the sword when engaging the larger group of bandits. Even then, he doesn't want to hack and slash through all the enemies, so he uses his wind techniques to defeat the group. I think that's probably also why you don't really see any blood throughout the fight :)
i think this is because now he is a master of his technique so he can use his wind to knock out enemies without needing to actually cut them. is martial art originally was supossed to be a pacifist one, so maybe he finally get there
Yeah it seems like he uses the wind to hurt and not his sword to kill in the scene if you know what i mean.
I think he moreso wanted to know why it looks like Yasuo sliced through the arm in the previous cut and then in the next cut the position of the sword looks like it changed even though the slice already happened. Like, it kind of looks like a continuity error.
@@gexianhenExactly what I was thinking! Really cool detail if you ask me, considering Yasuo has some of the bloodier animations in the game.
@@Acceleration50 Yeah it definitely looks a little jarring in the video. Maybe they only decided on Yasuo taking them out using the wind technique later on and the shot where he's closer to the bandit's shoulder was left over from before idk
37:36 I really like how the snowflake seems to empower or awaken his sword once it lands and subtly change it's visible properties. Lore wise, swordman's wife (the white haired archer who appears at the end) has ice themed powers for reasons. I don't think he has any ice themed powers at all, but I like to imagine part of his will to live and fight Death is to see his wife again (symbolized by that snowflake).
Wow, this is unexpectedly, but welcomingly, quick. Normally, these kind of thorough breakdowns come a day or two after. It's only been hours!
It's because I wanted to put something new on the channel haha. Most of the cinematics I watch and breakdown are years old. It's refreshing. ✌🏻
34:36 the way I see it, he's merely incapacitating his enemies because he has made a decision to not kill more people. This fits well with the lore of the character.
That's what I saw in a breakdown, he had earlier in life given up the sword and the wind because all they'd ever done was kill. Now that he's forced to use them, he's learned how not to kill, even wrapping the blade in wind to push them away from the edge. Great fit for the character.
I completely understand what you are saying about the repetition of the arrows but there is also some great detail in that, Yasuo the swordsman splits it in half, symbolizing his dedication, his precision and control with the sword. Tryndamere the barbarian at the end shatters the arrow in both instances, showing brute force and unrestraint. two very different characteristics to the same motion which also does the characters themselves justice.
However from a fan of the game and lore that may be apparent and hold a different meaning but I feel that is detail and effect that Riot games are very likely to use intentionally hence the same motion for the 2 arrows.
- The first story (Past): In the lore, they're twin ,Kayle the blonde hair angel and the purple angel- Morgana have opposite growing environment. I think after this war, maybe by using dark magic to the limit that broke her down to become the fallen angel.In the scene of Kayle looked back to her sister, i felt the emphany and care of her in the cold way like our father to the sons. He still cares about us but not by showing or speaking.
- The second story(Future): The samurai-yasuo, when he was young, in a war with Noxus, his duty was protecting his master, not to fight enemies, but he's arrogant and want to prove his strength, so he left his duty and let his master was killed by another assasin who also use the wind technique just like him. So after this peopke from his hometown-Iona accused him for assination his master, so he ran away to find find the true killer to prove his loyalty. But in that way, he had killed many people who searching him for his crime even his own brother. And now we can see, he's old, he looks calm and does not use the sword to kill anymore, but back to his motherland one last time to protect it, to fight, and to accept the death as a way to redeem his sins.(he could use his wind wall to block the arrows, but he didn't)
- The third story(present): i can see tryndamere's being pain but still fight to his last breath even to become about a madman, cause he have the love one, the reason to fight to the death. After saw his wife, both of their eyes can see the surprise, maybe to him is why what just happen, and to her is seeing his husband been suffering, after that is his slacken eyes, and his wife is a affectionate look, but they both change to focus to see is there any enemies left.
In my perspective
''look something from darksiders"
i see you are a man of culture
I'm old school so a lot of my references go over peoples head or gen z-ers. Darksiders made me the gamer I am today. KZ
@@kaizammit hell yeah brother
as someone who really dearly loves these cinematic pieces by Riot and Blizzard, it's so incredibly nice to see someone who is genuinely interested, invested and just present when reacting to them. I sincerely appreciate you making these with passion, and it goes to show, we get to see your own deep care for the craft come out, even in the smallest details aside from the very clear emotional draws and consecutive deep investigation of the story itself, to you just keeping your webcam dynamic with constant movement. It's such small things that goes to show that you aren't here to try to farm a job, you're actually such a delight to watch. I'm honestly hooked, I feel like I'm genuinely watching some of my favorite videos with a friend, who also happens to know a shit tonne about how the animations work. I hope you are, and you will continue to, enjoying these reactions, both the initial experience, then sharing your experience, and finally sharing your thoughts on the story.
In case you see pretty much this exact comment on one of your videos for 6 months ago, I decided to repost it in case you wouldn't go back to an older videos comments. I really wanted to share my gratitude and excitement, I know I'd love to hear it if I was doing something I was passionate about as well.
Have a phenomenal day!
very professional , i dont know a thing about filmmaking but your way of explaining really was amazing , i learned so much in 40 minutes. I think you'd be a wonderful teacher, if you aren't already. keep up the good stuff!
The Kindred is the manifestation of death in League of Legends (they are also the ones that speak at the beginning). They are there to claim Tryndamere, as he's on the brinks of death. In game Tryndamere has the ability to stall death, that's what he does when his eyes turn red and he fights the Kindred. And as he's about to be claimed by the Kindred, Ashe comes with two arrows saving him from the clutches of death by killing the two humans that assail him.
At 37:05 you were wondering why the camera was looking up, the camera is shifting to follow the arrows that are coming at him in the next shot. As far as the “demon” you see in the trees, that’s kindred, the lamb character with the wolf in the final scene. Kindred is the last thing you see before you die. It’s a nice bit of symbolism that his death is in the horizon. There’s a lot of symbolism in the last fight as well. The wolf is a symbol for essentially a painful death. While the lamb is a symbol for a swift painless death. You die one way or the other with kindred but Tryndamere (fueled by undying rage) is basically saying I’m not dying today and especially not on Kindreds terms (which doesn’t happen). Hence the song name - I’m Still Here. It’s a very powerful scene when you know the lore. He’s not escaping death, he’s fighting death itself and in the end, death aka kindred decides it’s not his time. Kindred is the most powerful character in league lore so for Tryndamere to meet Kindred and come away still standing is like the ultimate holy shit moment
i appriciate that you - someone who know cinematic tricks breakingdown this one so i can be even more greatfull for this Riot masterpiece.
For all the heat I give Riot, this cinematic was great and the art direction was insanely good. Great breakdown, I wouldn't notice a lot of things you mentioned. Thank you for dissecting the cinematic
Some additional information
Starting with the in game quote of Kindred (spirit of a lamb, life, and a wolf, death), the relationship of Morgana and Kayle (which I suspect to be inspired in a weird and old special skin called Silver Kayle) in which there was a frame that exemplifies Kayle rejection of Morgana chained to the Earth (the frame of Kayle walking towards Aatrox as she was the executioner which is consistent with her lore) in contrast of Kayle ascending to the sky as she embraces justice.
Also I believe they baited Jax (another champion that doesn't have a real weapon) just to reveal old man Yasuo in a big way. And when he is about to die, the Kindred spirit shows up in the shadows (same with Aatrox in the flames) and with Tryndamere
Tryndamere being too angry to die fights Kindred until Ashe, whom he has a relationship with, appears. Another suspicion is that the wolf is the barbarians he is fighting against (leaving open ended the question if Kindred was really there all along). Noticing how the light invades the scene at the speed of the arrows too. Just to dissapear/obscure the spirit of death and life as it never truly leaves them until Ashe highlights the location with her abilitiy.
Being my interpretation right or not, the cinematic is really good.
i watch a lot of reaction videos and your breakdown is simply unique, it shows you really know what you're talking about. keep up the good work
Thank you so much and I hope you enjoyed the video. I very much enjoy making these videos as doing, I'm always learning. Keep learning, Keep creative, keep happy. KZ
I've been waiting for a reaction like this.
Thank you for checking out the video. KZ
I think the arrow cut by tryndamere (the warrior at the end fits well as a contrast to Yasuo (the samurai). Yasuo has finesse with a clean stylish cut down the shaft of the arrow, but Tryndamere breaks the arrow by almost desperately batting it out of the air. The two characters do basically the same thing but maintain two wildly different characterizations at the same time, and I think that's pretty awesome.
You earned my sub wow very nice breakdown!
Awesome, thank you so much! I hope you liked the reaction part of the video too. KZ
Another awesome breakdown! Yes i fell in love with league cinematics. Even tho i don't play the game anymore i still watch them. They always hit the spot. Can't wait for more!
Also let mi add some things as i understood them:
Kindred, the entity with a bow, and a wolf is really just one being. She's symbolizes basically death. At 36:43 he looked up because enemies shot arrows at him. He couldn't get to the guy so he used tornado to get him, but accepted his death by those arrows in the process. You can see Kindred's arrow is the one that gets him and he sees it's eyes as he knows "death is coming".
As for last scene. Tryndamere is the buffed barbarian guy. He doesn't really fight Kindred, but those warriors you saw in opening scene. Kindred symbolizes his certain death. But his ultimate ability called "Undying rage" is making him basically immortal for few seconds (also makes him stronger). You can see it as his eyes turn red. He only had few seconds tho, so if Ashe didn't come to save him he would die. That's why you see Kindred lowering it's bow because Tryndamere is saved and he can't be "reaped". Also as he slices Kindred's bow it symbolizes him defying death.
Pretty awesome, so deep. Leage's cinematics are even better if you know a little bit of lore.
It was a surprise for me when I saw it. Thought to myself, would be nice to react and breakdown something fresh out of the cutting room. Shadow dropped!
Random question, you watched the reaction right? Not just the breakdowns? I had one guy who asked me to just react to it without pausing it all the time meaning he missed the reaction. Is it that hard!! Thank you for watching and returning, means a lot. KZ
@@kaizammit Yes man, i always watch whole video. Both reaction and breakdown. I enjoy your breakdowns as I'm interested in some amateur filmmaking. Also wanted to add that Yasuo 28:52 is at our eye level because he's "depowered" using only this stick. Notice as he lands near the sword (he's master swordsman) camera is immediately from the bottom. Keep up the good work, can't wait for more!
This is what reaction channels SHOULD be like. No "oh this was cool haha" and calling it a day, but rather going into every detail that makes it so good. As someone thats majoring in art and animation, I found everything super helpful. Loved the vid!
I absolutely loved listening to your breakdown of the video. Watching filmmakers' reactions to cinematics is always my favourite and I've already watched yours twice! Thank you for all your insight (and random cheeky side comments that made me laugh), Kai. :)
Thank you so much for this breakdown. The best one in TH-cam by far. The fact that you paid so much attention to the details and you were enjoying the cinematic, made my eyes water. 48 minutes that felt like just 5 minutes. Keep up this outstanding content!
What an awesome comment, thank you!!
Man how much I would love a collab between you and Necrit. In depth analysis of how filmmaking techniques and lore influence each other to deliver the message.
Ha ha amazing, second time I've heard his name. Let him know that I'm always up for collaboration and you guys want it. Thank you for checking out the video, KZ.
@@kaizammitThat would be amazing if you two could put something together…. We must put the word out….
Do it!
#TheBoredBoarPlays:
@Necrit lore
The whole theme is "StillHere", referencing Kindred who is DeathIncarnate. Whether it's the Past (Morgana &Kayle), Present (Tryndamere), and Future (OldMan Yasuo). Death is "Still Here" no matter whattime it is. You can see Kindred in the Fires of thePast destroying Aatrox, Facing Tryndamere, andShooting a Fatal Arrow at Old Man Yasuo in thehead.
Absolute banger of a video, love the way you explain things!
I appreciate your videos a lot, because you go into a lot of detail about filmmaking techniques which is very helpful to understand what is happening and why it is happening. Thanks for all your effort.
Thank you so much for watching and being here. ✌🏻 I'm glad you like them.
One of the reasons why they stopped right below his eyes at 30:00 is to show his scar he got from fighting his brother.
Small extra detail : at 30:07 , the reason why the reveal doesn't go onto the eyes is because it's actually showing the scar on his nose, which is a key part of a character named Yasuo, except that Yasuo is a young guy, so until that reveal we didn't expect that guy to be an old version of Yasuo, which both reveals the character and the timeline (being a few decades in the future) of that segment.
Also the whole "sword going through his arm but it only nicked him" is most likely just to stay PG, as they don't show any blood anywhere in the whole cinematic (League has a big market in Chinese markets where showing blood to teenagers or even at all is very frowned upon)
Love your way of explaining things so us non filmaker plebs can grasp the concepts easily
Haha thank you and your comment made me laugh. Cheers, KZ.
This video is like a masterclass ! Thank you for sharing this!
Loved the breakdown, stunning cinematics as always from riot. Thank you for the video, these insights are really fun to watch.
Glad to hear it and thank you for checking out the video. I hope you visit the channel again. KZ
So glad that I've found your channel through this! Great insightful analysis!!
Thank you so much, I hope you liked the reaction part of the video too. KZ
@@kaizammit sure did!!
Amazing, so good to hear. I hope you stick around with the channel and be apart of the community. KZ
lol you were spot on at 33:22 His ability does indeed stay there for a moment. its called a wind wall, it blocks projectiles. Really cool that you caught that!
Awesome video! Just wanted to comment on some details of the part with Yasuo (wind sword guy). A lot of small details of his in-game abilities can be seen on closer look. You already pointed out that his Wind Wall lasts a while, which is how it works in game too.
I believe this rendition of Yasuo is meant to be non lethal, hence his lack of a bladed weapon at the beginning. If you take each bandit frame by frame you can see that he doesn't actually cut them down, but instead incapacitates them (which might explain the weird inconsistency in the sword placement during the slo-mo shot; his blade isn't actually cutting through him, but he is using the wind to injure him instead of killing him.)
For the second bandit he attacks, you can see him sort of dash past him, which is a reference to his dashing ability in-game, Sweeping Blade. As for the tornado he unleashes at the final fleeing enemy, that is his ability Steel Tempest. By striking enemies with his blade, he gains stacks of Gathering Storm. The more stacks he has, the more visually powerful his wind is (in the video, you can see more wind gathering around his blade and bandaged hand the more bandits he incapacitates). With enough stacks, he is able to send forth a tornado.
Loved the breakdown helped me understand a lot about the emotion of the trailer!
A few little pointers that might help with some confusion perhaps?
The two angels are sisters, this is there last battle together when Morgana (dark angel) reveals her powers to Kayle (light angel) you can see the look of disgust on Kayle’s face towards Morgana for a brief second!
The other part which a lot of the comments have said is about kindred and tryndamere basically fighting for his life.
Everything goes dark expressing that this is his final moments and the lore of kindred (that lamb looking humanoid with the wolf) is that she appears before the death of someone in their final moment. But tryndamere in the game can go at 1 health point and not die for 5 seconds.
The shadow right at the start of the scene was Ashe running towards Tryndamere and that scene from the start to the end in reality would be 5 seconds so they really slowed things down there.
The part that makes this perfect for the gamer is that we know he goes undying on his ultimate skill and can’t die but what was truly genius was that they essentially showed us how his ultimate really worked.
So in reality he was never really fighting that wolf and Kindred but instead he was fighting for his life against the other men that you see walking to him at the start.
The only reaction that I was waiting xD U're the best
If only that was true haha. Thank you for the kind words and thank you for checking out the video. KZ
You should listen to Kindred Voicelines. Their entire dialogue paints their whole story in a morose storytelling manner that hauntingly softens the heart
So the things at 37:20 are supposed to be arrows. The samurai guy is basically choosing to slay the bandit leader and sacrifice himself instead of deflecting the arrows and letting the guy live to cause more harm. An interesting theme I saw in the cinematic was that the amount of a persons face is uncovered correlated to their power/threat. The angels and samurai only used their magic after they had lost their helmet/ hat for example.
UP.
He actually didnt try to slay the bandit leader but rather save him, he pushed the leader away from the arrows with the tornado. This entire scene the samurai guy doesn’t want to fight ( you can see it when he picks up the sword when he doesnt actually want to ) and he doesnt actually kill anyone, he just pushes them away with the sword and wind. Afterwards he accepts his death. while he has the ability to deflect the arrows ,which they show early on, he’s done with fighting so he doesnt do anything.
@@tombulskaffa6251 the wind wall was on cooldown /s
Good video as always! I just wanted to point out that you already know the old man swordsman. He is the one that summons a tornado during the Awaken cinematic (in the shang chi part). That story is set in the future, that is why he is older.
14:08 I never would have noted that as anything special but seeing the effect that zoom-out created, so cool to now know the insight behind small details like this!!
So a lot of people here have already commented on what Lamb and Wolf represent, but what I want to add onto that is, if you look at the number of guys that surround Tryndmere at the very beginning of the trailer, subtract the two that Ashe kills, and look at how many times Tryndmere 'kills' Wolf, you might find yourself with remarkably similar numbers. Wolf represented the warriors trying to kill Tryndmere, and when Ashe killed the last two Lamb lowered her bow, because he was no longer under imminent threat of death.
EDIT: I also want to mention that I love how well they did making Lamb's movements inhuman. The ethereal way she moved, the steady, unhurried, almost stalking motion. A hunter, waiting to strike down her prey. The perfect way to display that this entity was something beyond mortal, and also to act as a beautiful contrast to the rapid, almost frenzied violence of Wolf's movement. Exquisite.
Great video thanks and everybody else has already given lore input.
Slight addition from my end for your comments on 48:05 :
The lightning is so sharp because Ashe (the frozen archer girl) has just used her E abillity from the game with this arrow she shoots in the sky. She can give vision with it in a designated area on the map and along the way. Thats why all the enemies around them are now clearly visible and everything is bright.
Thanks for the breakdown i really enjoyed it :)
Thank you so much for watching! Hope you enjoyed the reaction too. KZ
Its actually really cool seeing this analyzed from someone who isn't familiar with the Lore.
Seeing you pick up on details that look like mistakes from your end is also really interesting.
The old guy with the green color change? His signature character art is a very green hue. The hat coming off is meant to reveal who it is.
The blade work being strange? He's using his 'wind power' to knock them out and is actively trying not to kill. That was why he knocked the leader away from the arrow storm later.
As others have said there's a guy called Necrit who does lore videos. There's a whole bunch of really deep storytelling going on in this and if you've got the time I think it would be fantastic for you to watch his video and then critique the filming techniques in actually communicating those stories.
At 47:50 the lighting makes sense in my eyes because she used a ingame ability which shoots kinda like a spirit bird out that illuminates the area and acts as a real world flare would do, so it brightens the area so you see who and what is where, hence it also gives the flare effect of the light being bit softer then harder then softer then harder towards the end shot
Really interesting breakdown. Nice way to see in from a technical side. But i can tell, if you know the story behind all this the scenes kick even harder. Its insane how they get better more or less every year with there cinematics
37:16
that’s the arrow of death named kindred
when u see the wolf and the white arrow that means u are dead thats why yasuo closed his eyes accepting his fate
at 30:00 the point of the motion wasnt to reveal the eyes of the characters but to show his scar, since it is a very distinctive feature of a character we know in league, yasuo, no one was entirely sure it was yasuo since he suppose to be much younger but that reveal gives you that "wait is this yasuo?"
the part where they take off. if you look closely there is dust kicking up. they just delayed it so it wouldnt cover morgana(the purple one). but the effect is there, it is subtle.
Yasuo (the second scene) isn't killing any of the opponents. At the end before he lets lamb take finish him he saves the man with the burnt face/mask by pushing him out of his own men's arrows. You were on the right track when you were wondering if he was even cutting them, because upon careful rewatch he is either using the false side of his blade or nicking them barely.
I pulled up the video before watching this, and even then, it brought tears to my eyes. The whole message of "I'm still here," along with the theme of pushing through adversity is very significant to me. I've been through a lot over the last few years. Over the last decade, honestly (though, it was one of those 'if you put a lobster in a pot of cold water and raise the temperature, they won't notice until it is too late' kind of decades). But I've survived it and I'm moving on from all of that, and in the last year, as I've been focusing on rebuilding myself, this whole message of "I may be beaten down and tired, but I am still here despite all of that" is very much frontmost in my brain.
But, apparently, this one is a fully canon cinematic from League, and it is filled to the brim with lore deep cuts. I actually watched a video from Necrit going over the lore in it. I knew... next to none of the lore going into this, but one thing is that the character with the round glowing eyes and the wolf are, fundamentally, this world's embodiment of death, and they show up in each of the three scenes. In the one with the 'valkyries,' as you called them, it doesn't step in because that great demon isn't able to die. In the middle story, you see the wolf as the arrows are flying up to come down on the samurai character (who is the guy with the wind powers, just decades later than the in-game present), and the one that comes straight for him is the same kind of glowing arrow that we see the death archer firing in the last scene, implying that this is his death years later. Most interestingly, the scene implies that he's at a point in life where he has forsaken killing - none of the bandits that he fights are killed. Even the leader, who he blasts with the wind... it seems as though he is knocking him away from the rain of arrows. And the last scene is a character... having a kind of near-death experience, with some of the implications being that he isn't actually fighting death, but rather the warriors who were surrounding him in the first place. Phenomenal storytelling all around!
The ending can be explained like this tryndamer has an ultimate ability that grants him the inability to die for a period of time, when he's fighting kindred with the bow it implies that he's close to death because in the lore only those close to death can even see kindred, similar to death or the grim reaper. At the end when tryndameres eyes go from red to normal it implies his ult is ending and as he's not on deaths Door, kindred disappears and he's greated by the archer Ashe, who also happens to be his wife 😊! This cinematic and attention to detail and the lore in this is seriously next level, and in my opinion far outshines anything blizzard has released to date. I'm not lying even one bit if I said I'd be willing to sell my soul or years off my life to the devil If it would mean Riot studio's would come out with a ton of shows and movies going over the incredibly layered lore that is league of legends. They killed it with Arcane but I need mooorrrrreee!!!
And you were right, the wind wall stays for a while in place. The thing that I found so epic, is that he closes his eyes when the arrow is coming, grabs the sword, cut the arrow in half, and then open his eyes... just.. jessss
At 30:00 there is also a subtle hint who this character is(i missed it first time watching). We get a scar shown but this character normally doesnt use a staff and isnt that old, he is a young swordsman(This video also shifts between past, present and future). So as soon as he grabs the sword we know shit is on.
your reactions are awesome!
36:55 Is a callback to another cinematic in which he is bombarded by a hail of arrows. The camera is panning upward not only to reveal the impending threat (which he's just saved the fleeing bandit chief from) of arrows raining down, but to reveal Wolf (death) watching him from the treeline. In the other cinematic, he is younger, and uses the wind wall to protect himself from harm. However in this scene he does not, as he closes his eyes and accepts his fate, Lamb's arrow (the bright one) takes his life. As others have pointed out Lamb is representative of acceptance in death, and her arrow is mercy - whereas the Wolf represents a violent, fearful, and merciless one. So put into context, the scene in question is an acceptance that his time has come.
A lot of info was already put in the comments, but one thing I didn't see mentioned is at 47:20 where the girl shoots that bird-type arrow into the sky, it is an in-game ability that grants vision within the area it's shot. That's why the lighting grows "harsher" as you said it does. Just an extra small detail that adds a little for the players :).
I love little character traits within the cinematics that crosses the bridge between mediums. Awesome. KZ.
Love your Reactions and breakdowns on League Cinematics so much❤
I have some problems to understand everything due to the (acsent/dialect) idk sry ^^'
But that reminds me a bit of my english listening tasks.
Anyways thanks for this very nice breakdown of the cinematic (its like you said very often "very cinematic" xD)
There's a thing I learned about going close when I saw the film Logan. All these superhero films taking things to the bigger level that when Logan actually closed in the camera to the subject not only signifies Grandeur isn't always big, but also when done right, can convey more emotions and connect more to the audience. Yes, Avengers will make you feel happy. But Logan still resonates with me to this very day.
I think your spot on with the color change. It's most likely a subtle detail to reference the color of his armor he used in his youth.
Something that almost brought me to tears was the frame where Tryndamere (last character in the snow), immediately ceases his otherwise-uncontrollable rage as soon as he sees Ashe (female archer)... In the lore, this battle happened shortly after they became "Oathsworn", meaning they got married by the sacred ways of the Iceborn, this is beautiful because it was arranged by political interests, but true love was born shortly after.. and this shot right here.. is definitely a shot saying "God damn, this woman is my wife"
Something you missed is when Ashe (the woman at the end) shoots past Lamb (the archer part of Kindred) the light changes as the arrow proceeds through the scene.
Alot of people say when Kayle(Blonde angel) walks past Morgana(Purple angel) and looks at her is kinda bichty.
The reason she walks past her and gives her that look is because at that moment Morgana sacrificed her angelic status and embraced her demonic side. In game Morgana's face is demonic looking while here it is Angelic, but as she strains with Atraox(Immortal demon guy) the demonic powers begin to convert her appearence.
Also, after Kayle (Kay-EL) flame bursts Atraox(A-Tree-Ox) you can see the sillouette of Kindred, the games version of death.
Kindred appears because Atraox wants to die but is cursed with immortality, thus she is always watching him but can not tke him.
The last guy is named Tryndamere (Tren-da-mere) and his ultimate move in game is that for a short period of time he is unkillable.
In reality he is fighting against the men trying to kill him, but he is using his ultimate (His eyes are red establishing that he is in it) and while he is unkillable he literally fights with death, A.K.A. Kindred, which is death split into two characters. Wolf and Lamb.
Also, in the last shot, Ashe(the beautiful archer lady my favorite character to play lol) she uses one of her in game skills which is a scouting arrow thaat takes the form of a very bright bird. When she realeses it, the light becomes harsh due to the skill. In gme it lights up everything around it in an area revealing parts of the map that are in fog of war.
Anyways I really really enjoyed your breakdown. Alot of useful tips I can use for my own projects.
Also, I laughed so hard I let one slip when you said "No, it went right through 'is fvkn arm!" (34:24)
Plus, I think they wanted the sword to go through his arm, but used the next shot to establish that it didn't because of PG rating(I don't know what it's actually called) but you know you can't show actual gore and even without blood, that one shot of cutting through the arm is enough for some countries to ban the entire video.
I think you should start with a watch and first impression and than a nice full breakdown because I can’t remember the video and your breaking it down when I want to see what’s going to happen so I understand where it’s going. Love your vids
Hi, early sorry for my writting, english is not my first language. In my modest non-profesional opinion, the last scene in which old Yasuo (the cool sword old man) appears references the fact that he is probably going to die. Let me explain.
First, the relevant characters.
Yasuo is a swordmaster that uses a rare wind technique which, as far as I remember, only him, his older brother (Yone, who was killed by Yasuo), and their master (I don't remember his name) knew. Due to Yasuo's carefree atitude, he ends up taking the blame for his master's death, and basically everyone treats him as a murderer, and making him lose all of his honor (a recurrent theme in his lore). Since he no longer feels like he deserves to use his masters' technique, he runs away from the people chasing him, skipping town as soon as he is found out, but never killing anyone, only going as far as midly inguring his chasers. He doesn't take pride in his masterful technique anymore, so he tries as best as he can to not use it, and also since it leaves traces (hence he is discoverable). Also, there is a very cool scene where he shows his determination to protect that town, even if it means using his technique, right before he takes up the sword one last time.
Next is one of the other characters that appears in this cinematic, Kindred. They are the spirit of death. In their lore, they are defined as being given different forms depending on where they appear, since different cultures have different representatives for death; even though, when they are seen, they have always been described in one common way: a lamb and a wolf. Lamb is the lamb and Wolf is the wolf, original ain't it. The narrator at the very begining of the cinematic is Lamb, and they also appear in the first snowy scene, right before Tryndamere, the viking guy, goes to sleep, which then transfers into the last fighting scene where these two characters fight. Kindred always appear when they sense someone aproaching their death, and usually do so to just reave the deceased's soul. In the snowy fight against Tryndamere, they are forced to fight for the soul, since Tryndamere is a special subject. His ability (which is also in the game) makes him so, so, so angry that he just doesn't want to die. In the end, Ashe, Tryndamere's wife (& also another playable character), appears, saving the day and his husband. Since she defeated the people that were trying to kill Tryndamere, Kindred don't sense death anymore coming from Tryndamere's soul, so they leave. That's the interesting part, since Kindred are a spiritual life form, they are only seen by those who are afected by "death". So all that fight is basically all in Tryndamere's mind, in reality, he keeps fighting against the bad vikings.
That being explained, we come back to that last Yasuo scene, right before he hits that last bad guy with a tornado. He does indeed look up to a massive wave of arrows coming his way. He should probably be able to make a wind wall to protect himself, but he doesn't; he prioritizes taking down the foes, which is signified by his troubled gaze when making his decision. After hitting the tornado, he accepts his destiny, and the camera looks up into the wall of arrows raining onto him. But there is one more detail. The eyes. Those eyes are curiously placed on a part of the forest that makes the background which looks kinda similar to... a wolf. And at the very end, that one shiny arrow appears, with a very much similar color to that of the arrows Lamb uses. There is no resistance offered from Yasuo, Kindred just appeared to reave his soul.
So sorry Yasuo mains, your guy is probably a goner.
EDIT:
I forgot one important detail about Kindred. When the soul they are trying to reave resists, like in the case of Tryndamere, it's Wolf the one who "chases", or in other words, fights. Lamb is the more peaceful route, which is the one Yasuo takes.
33:59 just noticed this because of your analysis, that shot is basically what the game looks like because the camera is permanently fixed top down, and to top it off the game has "lanes" and the lane yasuo goes down typically mirrors the road almost exactly
Oh really, that's cool! KZ
Again a great breakdown. I'm not someone familiar with LoL, so like you I'm an 'outsider' for the trailers. But while some symbolism is lost or you'd need more knowledge of the lore to fully understand it, as you said, it's still a very nice trailer with clear motifs and ability to get the wanted emotions across.
(PS hope you'll do the For Honoer trailers soon tho ^^)
I will get to them, don't worry. I've got a lot of franchises that I want to cover. KZ
At around the end of the scene of the Swordsman, you were asking why Yasuo was looking up, it was because he saw the multiple arrow raining down on him, he used his hasagi as a last effort to kill the one running away and finally closes his eyes to accept death. The eyes on the mountains were from the Wolf of Kindred (Kindred is the lamb, together they are Death Incarnate or something) I think the Wolf can shapeshift into something or someone that his enemy is afraid of, maybe? hence why we saw his wolf instead of having a wolf-like form while fighting Tryndamere, he is like a bear (Looks like Volibear).
Edit: Also, in the scene of the twin Sisters Morgana (violet) and Kayle (While, yellowish), I just thought it was a magnificent idea where Morgana abandoned her sword, and Kayle grabbed it. In the game, Kayle have only 1 sword at the start, and once he evolve(?) the character will have two swords.
I just thought Morgana lowkey gave her sword to Kayle so that Kayle can perform her Ultimate move. deym
34:00 This is the camera position seen when playing the game at all times, that's the call-back