How to use the Saved Film feature in Halo 3

This article describes the Saved Film feature in Halo 3.

Saved Films is a cool new feature in Halo 3. We did not create this concept. Game replays and demo versions have been part of computer gaming for a long time. However, the Saved Film feature in Halo 3 improves the concept and gives the player some very interesting control over the feature.

Q1: What is a Saved Film?

A1: A Saved Film is a recording of your movements and actions that can be replayed in the game engine, exactly as it happened first time around. However, because game data is used in a 3D graphics engine, the player has almost complete control of the camera and VCR-like controls. You can pause, fast forward, make short clips, and take high resolution screenshots from your films. The films will play back at resolutions from 480i to 1080p, complete with 5.1 audio, even in stills.

Q2: Is a Saved Film the same as a WMV or QuickTime?

A2: No. Saved Films are merely game data. The advantage is the file size. A ten-minute 1080p film would use hundreds of megabytes. But a Halo 3 Saved Film that will play back at that resolution is only a few megabytes. This makes Saved Film files easier to transfer and share.

Q3: How do I see a Saved Film?

A3: When you play a Multiplayer, Campaign, or Forge mode game in Halo 3, a selection of your most recent films appears in the Theater Lobby, accessed from the main menu.

Q4: How do I control a Saved Film?

A4: The controls for Saved Films are located in your manual. The controls resemble the movement controls of Halo 3 or the controls for the Monitor mode and Forge. You have full range 3D motion and the ability to freeze time, fast forward, watch in slow motion, and more. The right trigger controls the forward speed of the film. Slightly press the right trigger for slow motion, or press it all the way down to Fast Forward. In Multiplayer mode, you can skip back a chapter by pressing left on the D-pad. You can hide layers of the control interface by continually pressing the "B" button. Press the "Y" button to detach the camera from its default "follow" mode.

To follow a different player, push up on the D-pad and cycle through co-op or multiplayer players. To go back to first person mode, click down on the right stick.

Q5: How do I take a screen shot?

A5: To take a screen shot, press "X" to view the control menu. Then, press the D-pad to select the on-screen Screenshot button (a small camera icon), and then press "A" to take a screen shot when the camera angle is the way that you want it. The shot is anti-aliased, the resolution increases, and the shot is saved automatically to your hard disk. Screen shots that you take can be viewed at www.bungie.net if you are a paid Live Gold member and have linked your Gamertag. You can view the screen shots of other players by searching for their linked Gamertag on www.bungie.net or by selecting them from your Friends list while you are playing Halo 3.

Q6: How do I keep a Saved Film that I like?

A6: If you want to keep a Saved Film, access it from your recent Saved Films in the Theater Lobby. Select the film that you want to keep, and then press "X." This saves the film so that it is not deleted when you reach the film limit. To rename the film, visit the Theater Lobby, select the type of film (for example, Campaign or Multiplayer), and then select the film from the list. Press "X" to edit the name and the description.

Q7: How do I put my Saved Films on Web sites such as YouTube?

A7: The easiest method to put a Saved Film on a Web site is to use a video capture card and video capture software to turn the Saved Film into a video data file. Currently, we are not aware of any software that can capture video without using video capture hardware.

Q8: How do I share my Saved Films with friends?

A8: You can recommend your Saved Films to anyone on your Friends list. Select the friend from the Guide when Halo 3 is running. This gives you the option to recommend a file to the friend and also view files in their File Share. If the friend accepts your Saved Film, it will transfer immediately. If you receive a Saved Film, you can control it exactly as if you made it yourself. However, a clip will play back with the camera moves that were used during the recording of the clip. It is still possible to detach the camera with the "Y" button and watch from your chosen angle.

Saved Films can also be watched over Xbox LIVE in a party, with up to 4 friends watching at the same time. However, because of the large amount of data and bandwidth that is required, this feature is best used with very fast connections. Otherwise, the Saved Films can go out of sync and send the viewers back to the lobby. The host of a Saved Film that is viewed in network viewing mode is the only one who can control "time" (for example, pausing or fast forwarding). But other viewers can control their own camera movements throughout.

Q9: Why can't I go backward in a Campaign Saved Film?

A9: Because Campaign mode loads in a linear manner, you would have to reload a previously played area to skip back. This would take a long time, and it would ruin the experience of watching the film in the first place. In Multiplayer mode, the whole map is saved in memory. Therefore, you do can go backward and forward.

Q10: Why can't I make a clip in Campaign Saved Films?

A10: The feature did not function perfectly, and we did not want to ship something that was not ready. Also, the clips are more useful in Multiplayer.

Q11: I get the "Unable to start because a player in your party is restricted from playing user created content" error message when I try to access a saved game film from my theater. What do I need to do to avoid this?

A11: To avoid receiving this error message, user-created content must be enabled for the players in your session. To do this, follow these steps:

1. Sign in to the profile for which you want to change settings.
2. In the Xbox Live section of the Xbox Dashboard, select your gamer card, and then press the A button.
3. Select Edit Gamer Profile.
4. Select Privacy Settings. If you are prompted to leave the current session, select Yes, and then press the A button.
5. Select Member Content.
6. Select Everyone, Friends-Only, or Blocked, and then press the A button.

Additional support

For more information about how to contact Xbox Customer Support directly, please visit the following Microsoft Web site: