01: Preparations
Cinematic Sample - Halo Infinite’s Opening Cutscene Upgraded
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1j2QGhZLgAg413yzWSZr68rKX5ZySiFBs/view?usp=sharing
Note: I am not the original writer of these; All credit to Halo Studios for audio logs. I was not employed at the studio during Halo Infinite’s production. This is a fan-take on, “What if this was rewritten?”.
I really like what Halo Studios - at the time 343 Industries - accomplished with Halo Infinite’s cutscenes. Eye-popping, emotional, and occasionally funny, they did a good job showcasing the continuation of Master Chief’s story after the issues from Halo 5.
How I chose this Project: I am passionate about Halo’s story, its talented community, its amazing multiplayer. This is me showcasing how I’d write its story. Plus, how I’d solve problems for the following: plotting, foreshadowing, and creating both set pieces and intimate moments.
I’ve personally met two of their writers - Alex Wakeford and Jeff Easterling - at HCS World Championships. Plus, one of the franchise’s novel writers, Troy Denning. He assisted with bonus missions for Halo: Campaign Evolved (2026).
My Process: I aimed to enhance the existing cutscene. Supercharge it with missing context. The original cinematic, though pretty great in many ways, doesn’t provide the player with enough context. I am guessing this was due to production constraints.
Why is the UNSC Infinity at Zeta Halo?
Where is Captain Lasky?
Where’s everyone’s favorite Doctor Halsey?
Where is the first hint at The Weapon?
I listened to and read the following audio log transcripts on Halopedia one late evening. On repeat. Next, I combined them where they best flowed into one another, and typed them up into screenplay format:
Infinity’s Approach
01: Preparations.
03: Duty Clearance
04: Arrival
05: Zero Hour
They’re also unlockable within the campaign, but I went with the wiki route for the sake of viewing the writing.
Using as little space as possible, I aimed for the following elements in this screenplay:
Better establish tension for the situation.
Hint at clearer stakes than what the game provided.
Provide narrative propulsion that hooked players more than before.
This is to establish additional context that I believe was missing, and plug it into where Halo 5: Guardians left us off with.
Well, initially, I wrote it very simply. Stage play-style formatting. A veteran game writer, Kelly Bender on the ASGC Discord, said he wouldn’t provide feedback unless it’s written in screenplay formatting. So I rewrote it.
Some lines were erased to keep this sample to under 4 pages. But, they
The Result: This provides the player with immediate needs for three of important characters:
Master Chief
Dr Halsey
Captain Lasky
Re-established the story’s premise. Raised the stakes across the board. And connected it to the start of the cutscene players experience in the release version: Chief must exit the UNSC Infinity and deploy to Zeta Halo. Captain Lasky evacuates the ship. And Halsey hints at where Blue Team is, and we first learn of a new character - The Weapon.
Why else do this? To demonstrate that I can work within an established IP - my favorite one.
Below are the transcripts on Halopedia of the above audio logs that I used:
03: Duty Clearance
04: Arrival
05: Zero Hour