Editing Halo 2 storyboards

{{Title|''Halo 2'' storyboards}}

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{{Series/Cut/H2}}

==Overview==

When Lee Wilson started the storyboards, it was clear to him that the script was not ready for shooting boards due to the numerous script revisions at [[Bungie]]. This lead to Lee boarding up the entire cinematic script two to three times. What he opted to do was present the boards in a hybrid storyboard/comic panel style, drawing them in pen to "remove the temptation of erasing and redrawing them until they looked good to me". These boards were for simple communication, not to be displayed on a wall.{{Ref/Site|Id=H2Storyboards|URL=https://www.artstation.com/artwork/68xkw5|Site=Artstation|Page=Halo 2 storyboards|Detail=|Quote=|D=28|M=12|Y=2020}}

These boards were also drawn by Lee R. Wilson. These were for the [[Halo 2 E3 demo|''Halo 2'' E3 Demo]].

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These storyboards represent some of the oldest work done by Wilson on ''Halo 2'', and bear the least resemblance to the final product. These storyboards are characterised by simple linework and shading often done in pen, moreso resembling the [[Halo: Combat Evolved storyboards|storyboard work]] done for ''[[Halo: Combat Evolved]]''. Due to these boards being produced early in the development of ''Halo 2'', they take many cues from ''Combat Evolved'' such as Master Chief, Arbiter and UNSC Marines all using armour derived from their ''Combat Evolved''-era counterparts, as their ''Halo 2'' incarnations had not been designed in full yet.

The early storyboards for the ''[[The Heretic]]'' cutscene differ little from those in the final game, though have some minor differences. The council chamber of ''[[High Charity]]'' bears a heavy resemblance to the [[wikipedia:House of Lords|House of Lords]], and the opening panning shot of the city is complete with an excerpt from the [[Writ of Union]]. Some camera angles are different, and the [[Sangheili Councilor|Councilors]] do not bear their distinctive headdresses seen in the final game.

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The storyboards for the ''[[The Armory]]'' cutscene display only minor changes from the final game, such as the arms master carting away the old battered [[MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor/Mark V|Mark V]] suit from ''Combat Evolved'', and a very different design for [[Cairo Station]] - referred to here as ''Torres Vedras''. The [[Cut Halo 2 vehicles#Strike fighter|strike fighter]] is also present in these storyboards.

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The level ''[[Cairo Station]]'' has an opening cinematic mostly similar to that found in the final game, though with one major difference - the {{Class|Moncton|orbital weapon platform}} has a vastly different design and bears the name ''Torres Vedras'', rather than the final game's [[Cairo Station (station)|Cairo]]. The opening cutscene opens by focusing on a tram on the station's exterior, and the rest of the cutscene proceeds mostly as in the final game. Notably, [[Terrence Hood|Lord Hood]] is shown wearing a cape, and [[Cortana]] is shown with short-cropped hair akin to her original ''Combat Evolved'' appearance. The cinematic ends with Hood departing the assembly hall and a fade to black for gameplay, and no focus on the UNSC fleet overhead.

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Following on from the destruction of the Covenant ship in the prior level, the Master Chief is evacuated from New Mombasa via Pelican dropship. The Pelican ascends into space to dock with the {{UNSCShip|In Amber Clad}}, as the frigate begins to join a UNSC task force. Johnson and Master Chief enter the ship's drop pods as the human battlegroup engages the Covenant fleet, and the ''In Amber Clad'' begins to rocket ahead to try and catch up with the Prophet of Regret's ship, ''[[Solemn Penance]]''. The carrier creates a [[slipspace portal]], and the ''In Amber Clad'' is able to enter it before it closes - being teleported to places unknown.

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File:H2 AlphaMoon Storyboard Outro 1.jpg|Alphamoon outro storyboard 1.

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The early sequencing for the ''[[Delta Halo]]'' opening cutscene showcases a small [[space warfare|space battle]] between ''In Amber Clad'' and two CCS-class battlecruisers.

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An outro cutscene for what appears to be a heavily altered [[Quarantine Zone]] can be found in the earliest revisions. The outro cutscene begins at one of Installation 05's "thermal outtake platforms", near the site of a crashed [[D77-TC Pelican|Pelican]] dropship. Around the crash site are Miranda, Johnson, Master Chief and a small handful of Marines seemingly trying to repair a damaged [[radio]], to little success. The group are ambushed by the Arbiter, who proceeds to engage Chief in hand-to-hand combat though the scuffle is soon interrupted by the arrival of a Phantom and several Brute troops led by Tartarus. The Brutes encircle the group, and are themselves interrupted by the arrival of a "Flood hulk" - bearing a design very close to the known concept designs of the [[Sharquoi]] from ''Halo 2''. The hulk begins to smash through the group and swat aside one of the Phantoms, before falling to sustained fire and crashing through the thermal vent - bringing the Chief, Arbiter and several Brutes with it. This encounter would have presumably resulted in Miranda and Johnson being captured by the Brutes, as in the final ''Halo 2''.

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A set of storyboards publish coincide heavily with the few details known of the cut [[Cut Halo 2 levels#forerunnertank|forerunnertank]] level also cut from the game. Following on from the radically altered Quarantine Zone cutscene above, the Brutes die from their falls though the Spartan and Elite survive and are now stranded in the underbelly of the ringworld. Master Chief picks up a [[Type-25 Brute Shot|Brute Shot]] and the cutscene fades to gameplay - presumably lining up with the details of Forerunner Tank recalled by Joseph Staten in the ''Halo 2'' developer commentary.

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File:H2 ForerunnerTank Midbreak Storyboard 3.jpg|

File:H2 ForerunnerTank Midbreak Storyboard 4.jpg|

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Early storyboards released for ''[[The Great Journey]]'' showcase a slightly different series of events for the Tartarus boss battle at the end of this mission. With Johnson and Miranda having been captured by the Brutes, Arbiter enters the control room with only his Sangheili allies and no Johnson aid. The control room's layout in these early storyboards matches that of the design used in ''Combat Evolved'' and ''Halo 3''.

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The second revision storyboards resemble the final game more closely, featuring designs mostly similar to those found in the final game and a drastic reduction of scope compared to the original outline, including the cutting of the majority of the third act to be replaced with the game ending found in the final product. The design of ''[[Anodyne Spirit]]'' in these storyboards has evolved from the frigate-like entity shown prior to a large tower, though would later evolve again to resemble the [[Keyship]] design familiar to fans now.

====The Heretic====

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Early storyboards for the opening cutscene of the level ''[[High Charity (level)|High Charity]]'' showcase a sequence of events essentially the same as that found in the final game. Major differences include a differing design for the Keyship (the same as those found in the Heretic storyboard above), and Cortana now resembles her final in-game counterpart.

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File:H2 Outskirts Storyboard Intro 1.jpg

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File:H2 DeltaHalo V2 Storyboard Intro 1.jpg

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The near-final storyboards for the outro of High Charity show relatively few differences with the final game, and depict a Keyship very close in design to the final one seen in-game. This design is nonetheless different to the final, having more elegant curvilinear forms than the pyramidal shape of the keyship in final release. Interestingly, this early design did make it into early builds of the game and can be seen in some early screenshots of the High Charity skybox, including the final in-game mission select preview icons.

File:H2 HighCharity Storyboard Outro 11.jpg

File:H2 HighCharity Storyboard Outro 12.jpg

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==Sources==

{{Ref/Sources}}

[[Category:Halo 2 storyboards| ]]