The Kinetoculus (Guide)

Early Firmament Content and Onwards

The Kinetoculus Summary

Fixed-Length Activity

Setup

1-2 A

Progress

2 A

End

1 A

Progress Details

Choose your lens, Buy a film reel, film it, and return. Excludes Travel.

Items Inputs/Outputs

Start-up

• 200 x Stuiver

And based on colour:

• Cosmogone:
  • 1 x Vision of the Surface
• Violant:
  • 5 x Romantic Notion
• Peligin:
  • Memory of Distant Shores

Outputs

Narrative

Special

Narrative only. Raises Chromatophoric Cinematographer

Will there be an opportunity to open up the Kinetoculus and see what's inside? Not at all – it simply ingests the film strip through a slot in the back. It makes a satisfied slurping sound as it does so.

Introduction

So, you want to be the Neath's foremost film director? Luckily, now you can! To start, you will need to have at least reached Hallow's Throat, the first Roof location unlocked during Firmament, and be Restored to the Court of Her Enduring Majesty. This guide assumes you have done both of these.

Currently this activity only has narrative rewards. There are no items or economic rewards from doing it.

Set Up

To get started on your film career, there is a short series of introductory storylets to work through first. To begin, play the A Starved Man with a Moving Camera storylet in Hallow's Throat, and the subsequent handful of options. This series of storylets will give you levels of Acquaintance: The Chromatophoric Cinematographer. At level 2, the option Borrow the Cinematographer's camera becomes available. Play it, you will receive The Chromatographic Kinetoculus, and you are able to begin taking films of the Neath. The Kinetoculus itself is a +2 Bizarre Companion item.

At levels 2 and 3 of Acquaintance: The Chromatophoric Cinematographer (the latter unlocked by developing your first film), two zero action storylets become available, (namely Commerce, you say? and Consider further ventures with the Cinematographer), which are purely story related.

Process

The process of filming is essentially a short carousel, as follows:

1. Select one of two lenses for the camera (your choice will persist across multiple rounds - you will only need to repeat this step if you wish to swap lenses);
2. Purchase a reel of film emulsion, in one of three colours of the Neathbow;
3. Travel to a roof location;
4. Make the film;
5. Return to Hallow's Throat and develop the film.

Developing a film emulsion will increase Acquaintance: The Chromatophoric Cinematographer by one each time, for each unique roof location.

Lenses

Once you have been given The Chromatographic Kinetoculus, you may select a lens, from the new storylets available. Your choice of lens persists across multiple films, but can be changed whenever you wish. Your choice of lens will affect the subject of your film.

Lens	Game Description
Telescopic	The telescopic lens emphasises distant subjects – places on the Unterzee, far away, that you can see from the Roof.
Wide-Angle	The wide lens emphasises nearer subjects – the Roof locations themselves.

Once you have selected your lens, you may then purchase a reel of film emulsion.

Film Emulsions

Having selected a lens, you now need to purchase a reel of film emulsion, of which there are three types available. Please note that you are only able to purchase one reel of film emulsion at a time, and unlike lenses, you cannot swap until you have used it. If you wish to change your type of film emulsion, you will first need to make a film with the Kinetoculus and develop it. Film emulsion, unlike the lens, is consumed upon creating your film, and you may only have one at a time.

Emulsion	Cost	Effect on film
Cosmogone	200 x Stuiver 1 x Vision of the Surface	Emphasises the highlights.
Violant	200 x Stuiver 5 x Romantic Notion	Focuses on midtones, emphasises movement, agency, connection.
Peligin	200 x Stuiver 1 x Memory of Distant Shores	Focuses on shadows, emphasises the dark and monstrous.

Making the film

Shooting your film is a simple process. Once you have selected your lens and film reel, a new storylet appears in each roof location, titled The Kinetoculus: (Location Name). There is only one option in it, which is to shoot your film. Shooting your film will consume your film emulsion (but not your lens). It is at this point you may now purchase a new film emulsion.

Once you have created your film, return to Hallow's Throat to develop it.

Developing the film

Once you have returned to Hallow's Throat, a new option will be available in A Starved Man with a Moving Camera - Develop the reel you exposed in (Location Name). Playing this option will develop your film, and you will get to read the type of film you made. Developing your film will increase Acquaintance: The Chromatophoric Cinematographer (once per each unique roof location).

Please note that there are no economic rewards for making and developing films. The reward is purely narrative.

You may also revisit films you have previously made - a zero action option will appear within A Starved Man with a Moving Camera allowing you to do so for each different location. Please note that while you can shoot six different films in each location, depending on the combination of lens and film emulsion you choose, you may only revisit the most recent one you have developed.

Once you have reached Acquaintance: The Chromatophoric Cinematographer 9, a new option appears, which advances the story of the The Chromatographic Kinetoculus.

Results

Each location has six possible films that may be taken (2 lenses x 3 emulsions). Listing them all here would quickly become unwieldy, but they are all documented on the following pages:

• Develop the reel you exposed in Hallow's Throat
• Develop the reel you exposed at the Midnight Moon
• Develop the reel you exposed in Zenith
• Develop the reel you exposed in Burgundy
• Develop the reel you exposed in the Sous
• Develop the reel you exposed in Queeneater's Castle
• Develop the reel you exposed at Stonegift

A summary of the locations that are filmed, based on location/lens combinations is as follows:

Shooting Location	Wide-Angle Lens Subject	Telescopic Lens Subject
Hallow's Throat	Hallow's Throat	London
The Midnight Moon	The Midnight Moon	Visage
Zenith	Zenith	Nuncio
Burgundy	Burgundy	Ragged Crow Lighthouse in Stormbones
The Sous	The Sous	Gant Pole
Queeneater's Castle	Queeneater's Castle	Kingeater's Castle
Stonegift	Stonegift	Avid Horizon