Why bother?
Apr. 13th, 2007 12:03 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
aislynnI received some probably wise advice tonight: if I stress SO much over vidding, then why am I even bothering? If I'm such a stupid perfectionist (adjective mine) and it makes it SO hard to even choose the next clip on the timeline, then how can I honestly say it's fun? And if it's a hobby, isn't it supposed to be fun?
I've got no answer for that. I'm sitting here feeling literally exhausted from working on this vid for the past 2 hours. I have not advanced it any at all tonight. It's still at 1:39. I spent all my time trying to straighten out the INSANE timing and trying to smooth out the rough transitions where my clips were too short to fit the time I needed them to fit. Then I sat here for the past 30 minutes trying desperately to find the next set of clips. I've tried just sitting here listening to the music with my eyes closed (sometimes I'll suddenly "see" what's supposed to go next). I've tried sitting here quietly and just going through the bin thing (I've already closed Vegas and I guess I'm upset enough I can't remember what the "holding pen" for your eps/clips is called *sigh* ) and hoping that inspiration would strike (sometimes that works as well).
I've got nothing. I literally CANNOT find the next clip. So I jumped ahead to the next clip that I did know (it's so nice that Vegas lets you do that). I found that clip that's about 6 seconds down the timeline, cut it out... and it's got the blinkies. BAD. *sigh* If you know Vegas, then you know that that is its neurotic twitch. You'll have 50 split-seconds of black randomly strewn through your clip. I've found the quickest way to deal with it is to zoom in close, then go through it one split-second at a time, splitting the clip and removing each instance of black until you've got rid of them all. Then quickly re-rendering that piece and use THAT for your vid. If you wait too long, more blinkies will appear and you'll have this one clip cut into a zillion pieces for nothing. *sigh* I started to do that and realized...the clip really doesn't work there. So I didn't bother "de-blinking" it.
So, scratch that 6 second ahead clip. I'm back to nothing again. And I'm dead tired and I have nothing to show for all this wrestling and fighting I've done with this thing today. It's been 6 weeks today since I put the first clip on the timeline. At this rate, it'll be another month before I'm done with the last minute and, you know what? I'm sick of looking at this thing. I just want it DONE so I don't ever have to meet it in Vegas ever again. And that's a real great way to feel about my vid. It'll certainly show in this last minute, that's for sure.
I'm tempted to just switch off to something else but I know from experience if I do, then I'll never come back to this one. But maybe that's for the best. If it's THIS hard to do, then there's probably some intrinsic flaw I'm building into it that's going to make it look stupid anyway. So what am I struggling so hard for? To make a dumb-looking vid? Why do I struggle AT ALL to vid anymore?
I lost my writing this exact same way. This same sort of stuff happened at the end, where it became physically painful to try and write, to face a blank page and realize that I had no words left in me to put on them. I have no clips for this vid. Maybe I don't have any clips for any vids. Maybe I should just give up on vidding like I gave up on writing and just forget I ever thought I was a "creative" person. Maybe I should just shut up entirely.
My apologies for leaving this where you can read it. I probably should've deleted it or made it private or whatever. I know you've all got to be sick of hearing this same old idiot complaining from me on EVERY vid. I'm sick of it. I'm sick of hating what I love. But I don't know how to get around it. I don't know whether to leave this vid where it's at and sacrifice it to try and save my vidding as a whole. Or do I press on and force myself to use just whatever clips and finish this thing, knowing full-well it looks bad? (That's what I did with my first Supernatural vid, quite honestly, and now I can't stand to even look at it anymore. :S I let it be substandard and that's really embarrassing to have to admit.) So do I do that to this vid, knowing I'll be ashamed of it down the line?
And why am I making such a big deal out of this at all, right? It's just a stupid fanvid. It's not my career, not my only means of supporting myself or something like that. It does NOT matter at all in the grand scheme of things. So why do I make this so hard?
Which brings me back to that advice. If it's not fun anymore, then why do I do it? Maybe I should give some serious thought to giving up on vidding. It'll hurt but it can't be worse than giving up my writing. I identified myself as a writer from the time I was old enough TO write. I sold my first story when I was a teenager. I was a writer. But I'm not anymore. I can be a "has-been" vidder just as easily.
The other day, I saw one of my flisters mark her entry as "one I'll be sorry later that I wrote." This one is my "one I'll be sorry later that I wrote."
Again my apologies. I'm really tired and I just needed to rant a bit and get this off my chest. Sometimes, you just need to talk it out, just to try and put it all in words to explain it to somebody else so you can try to explain it to yourself. I'm sure that none of this is as dire as it seems right now. I'll probably wake up tomorrow knowing exactly the right clip for this next set (that has ALSO happened before *sigh*). But the question still remains: why do I do something for "fun" when it's really NOT fun anymore?
I don't know the answer to that.
I've got no answer for that. I'm sitting here feeling literally exhausted from working on this vid for the past 2 hours. I have not advanced it any at all tonight. It's still at 1:39. I spent all my time trying to straighten out the INSANE timing and trying to smooth out the rough transitions where my clips were too short to fit the time I needed them to fit. Then I sat here for the past 30 minutes trying desperately to find the next set of clips. I've tried just sitting here listening to the music with my eyes closed (sometimes I'll suddenly "see" what's supposed to go next). I've tried sitting here quietly and just going through the bin thing (I've already closed Vegas and I guess I'm upset enough I can't remember what the "holding pen" for your eps/clips is called *sigh* ) and hoping that inspiration would strike (sometimes that works as well).
I've got nothing. I literally CANNOT find the next clip. So I jumped ahead to the next clip that I did know (it's so nice that Vegas lets you do that). I found that clip that's about 6 seconds down the timeline, cut it out... and it's got the blinkies. BAD. *sigh* If you know Vegas, then you know that that is its neurotic twitch. You'll have 50 split-seconds of black randomly strewn through your clip. I've found the quickest way to deal with it is to zoom in close, then go through it one split-second at a time, splitting the clip and removing each instance of black until you've got rid of them all. Then quickly re-rendering that piece and use THAT for your vid. If you wait too long, more blinkies will appear and you'll have this one clip cut into a zillion pieces for nothing. *sigh* I started to do that and realized...the clip really doesn't work there. So I didn't bother "de-blinking" it.
So, scratch that 6 second ahead clip. I'm back to nothing again. And I'm dead tired and I have nothing to show for all this wrestling and fighting I've done with this thing today. It's been 6 weeks today since I put the first clip on the timeline. At this rate, it'll be another month before I'm done with the last minute and, you know what? I'm sick of looking at this thing. I just want it DONE so I don't ever have to meet it in Vegas ever again. And that's a real great way to feel about my vid. It'll certainly show in this last minute, that's for sure.
I'm tempted to just switch off to something else but I know from experience if I do, then I'll never come back to this one. But maybe that's for the best. If it's THIS hard to do, then there's probably some intrinsic flaw I'm building into it that's going to make it look stupid anyway. So what am I struggling so hard for? To make a dumb-looking vid? Why do I struggle AT ALL to vid anymore?
I lost my writing this exact same way. This same sort of stuff happened at the end, where it became physically painful to try and write, to face a blank page and realize that I had no words left in me to put on them. I have no clips for this vid. Maybe I don't have any clips for any vids. Maybe I should just give up on vidding like I gave up on writing and just forget I ever thought I was a "creative" person. Maybe I should just shut up entirely.
My apologies for leaving this where you can read it. I probably should've deleted it or made it private or whatever. I know you've all got to be sick of hearing this same old idiot complaining from me on EVERY vid. I'm sick of it. I'm sick of hating what I love. But I don't know how to get around it. I don't know whether to leave this vid where it's at and sacrifice it to try and save my vidding as a whole. Or do I press on and force myself to use just whatever clips and finish this thing, knowing full-well it looks bad? (That's what I did with my first Supernatural vid, quite honestly, and now I can't stand to even look at it anymore. :S I let it be substandard and that's really embarrassing to have to admit.) So do I do that to this vid, knowing I'll be ashamed of it down the line?
And why am I making such a big deal out of this at all, right? It's just a stupid fanvid. It's not my career, not my only means of supporting myself or something like that. It does NOT matter at all in the grand scheme of things. So why do I make this so hard?
Which brings me back to that advice. If it's not fun anymore, then why do I do it? Maybe I should give some serious thought to giving up on vidding. It'll hurt but it can't be worse than giving up my writing. I identified myself as a writer from the time I was old enough TO write. I sold my first story when I was a teenager. I was a writer. But I'm not anymore. I can be a "has-been" vidder just as easily.
The other day, I saw one of my flisters mark her entry as "one I'll be sorry later that I wrote." This one is my "one I'll be sorry later that I wrote."
Again my apologies. I'm really tired and I just needed to rant a bit and get this off my chest. Sometimes, you just need to talk it out, just to try and put it all in words to explain it to somebody else so you can try to explain it to yourself. I'm sure that none of this is as dire as it seems right now. I'll probably wake up tomorrow knowing exactly the right clip for this next set (that has ALSO happened before *sigh*). But the question still remains: why do I do something for "fun" when it's really NOT fun anymore?
I don't know the answer to that.
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Date: 2007-04-13 08:10 am (UTC)*hugs*
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Date: 2007-04-14 05:24 am (UTC)Oh, I know that "pulling teeth" feeling all too well! It's horrible! Especially when you were able to write before and then it's just been cut off!
Not glad to hear that you've had this happen to you, too, but it's good to know that I'm not out here all alone in it, you know? *hugs!* ♥
(That icon is made of the proverbial awesome! ;) ♥♥♥! )
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Date: 2007-04-13 02:32 pm (UTC)Dude, I feel ya. I get like this sometimes too (like right now - I haven't actually FINISHED a vid in months, but it hasn't been for lack of trying!). Sometimes vidding just ISN'T fun. It sucks that it can't always be this awesome, creative, wonderful thing. Sometimes it really does seem like more trouble than it's worth.
Now I don't think you should give up on vidding ENTIRELY (though I certainly understand the feeling -- sometimes I feel like throwing in the towel too, don't get me wrong -- hell, a few years back I gave up on vidding for a year and half before finally getting the desire to vid again), I mean you DO still love it a lot of the time, right? And you're awesome at it! But if it's not fun right now, just take a break from it. Nobody's going to die if you don't finish your vid now (or ever -- there's no crime in scrapping a vid if it really isn't working). Like you said above, it's not like it's your career, it's a hobby, so just don't do it right now if all you're getting out of it is frustration.
Stop vidding for a month or something, and concentrate on other things. Your muse WILL come back eventually.
I think we both need to somehow figure out a way to be more efficient vidders. Maybe that will make the process less painful. I'm going to
Wow, this got super-long. I'm sorry. Hopefully it was at least a little bit encouraging! And here's hoping your vidding muse stops being such a jerkface ;-)
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Date: 2007-04-14 05:52 am (UTC)Because I think if we can find a way to get vids done well in a few days as opposed to spending MONTHS obsessively tweaking every single moment of the vid until we go crosseyed, vidding might actually be FUN again.
That's just... WORD. That is absolutely what my problem is, dead-on. Months of obsession over every little second until I just want to scream! I know other vidders can make thoughtful, creative, wonderful vids without agonizing over every little clip, etc. But I just can't seem to get the trick of that down! :( I keep reciting in my head over and over what
Wow, this got super-long. I'm sorry. Hopefully it was at least a little bit encouraging! And here's hoping your vidding muse stops being such a jerkface ;-)
Oh, that was COMPLETELY encouraging! Thank you so much! Heh, I'm going to call my vidding muse "jerkface" until she straightens up and flies right, LOL!
*big hugs!* ♥♥♥!
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Date: 2007-04-13 08:00 pm (UTC)*hugs, hugs, hugs*
First off, don't ever say you're not creative. You are one of the most creative vidders I know! Who else can pull off a sexy Charlie/Claire vid? Or a Ben/Juliet/Jack triangle? Not to mention how the wonderful things you did with WMM (which, as we all know, is the most evil program in the universe).
Secondly, I have to tell you a secret. Vidding isn't fun for me either. Really, it's not. That's why I cringe when I think of starting a vid - because I know I have to go through all the insanity of clip sorting and breakdowns, etc. The fun part, I think, is watching the final product. I remember "Children of Lost Men" was complete hell for me, but I just couldn't help cracking up when I watched Jack speak in a British accent at the end of it. It's things like that that keeps us vidders vidding. It's getting a point across by combining random scenes in a show with music to tell a story. Hell, even the writers of TV shows themselves don't have that kind of skill. ;)
And remember, asking for help is a sign of strength. If you ever feel like you can't figure out what clips to use or whatever, you can always ask a fellow vidder. I'm sure we'd all love to help! ♥
*Remember my icon loves you*
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Date: 2007-04-14 06:44 am (UTC)Thank you SO much for all the kind words. It sounds so plain to say that but I really, truly mean it. I really struggle with this stupid insecurity about the things I make, whether it's writing or vidding, and it means so much to read all of those nice things and just feel like, "Look, you're NOT totally hopeless as a vidder. You can make something worthwhile." *huge hugs* ♥♥♥!
It's things like that that keeps us vidders vidding. It's getting a point across by combining random scenes in a show with music to tell a story. Hell, even the writers of TV shows themselves don't have that kind of skill. ;)
That is so true, isn't it? o_O I didn't really think about it that way but vidding IS much harder than writing the show in that respect since we have to take pre-filmed footage and try to make something out if it, rather than build it up from scratch!
*Remember my icon loves you*
*makes happy noise like a puppy getting her tummy scratched* And I wuv him, too! ♥♥♥
Thanks so much! *big hugs*! ♥!
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Date: 2007-04-14 01:01 am (UTC)Either way...I ♥ you and the Dean clones are on the way ;)
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Date: 2007-04-14 06:53 am (UTC)If you continue to pull your hair out about this one vid then you're not going to be happy with the end result
That's so true. Like I told you the other day and mentioned above as well, that's what happened with my SPN vid. :S It was extremely stressful to do just because I wasn't vidding-familiar with the footage (as opposed to just "knowing the footage from watching the eps once last year" kinda thing o_O ). I should've shelved it until I felt more comfortable working with it instead of continuing to cut the song down until it was practically a commercial! O_O ;) Anyway, water under the bridge, as the saying goes. ;)
and trust me, NO ONE wants you to stop viddig, Ais, because you're amazing. Consider scrapping it if you really think that doing so will help you relax and get back into fun mode.
Awwwwwwww! *Sammysmishes* you! Thank you so much for saying that! I'm not sure exactly what will make vidding more fun at this point, other than finding a way to knock off the obsessive second by second twiddling thing I do (wow, that sounds kinda naughty, doesn't it? o_O *imagines Dean doing that sexy smirk of his at that comment* :D ).
But I'm definitely stepping back from all vidding right now and going to do some other things for fun (including that last meme you tagged me for! I haven't forgotten! ;) I started gathering pics tonight! :D ) and then go back to any vid when I feel like it and not before then. Whether that's a few days, a couple of weeks, a month, whatever. That's one of the reasons I don't do contests anymore: I don't like the pressure of a deadline!
Either way...I ♥ you and the Dean clones are on the way ;)
♥'s you right back! Ooo, Dean clones, yay! *happy dances* *big hugs!* ♥♥♥!
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Date: 2007-04-14 07:35 am (UTC)So, let me ask you this, then, Aislynn...what's your process of vidding? Do you map out the lyrics and then cut the clips and put them to the music you've edited or do you go bit by bit as you go along? I think, if you're not cutting your clips (ALL your clips) first before you even THINK about putting them in the timeline (...okay, put them in the timeline, but on a different layer than the finished product will be on), that'll at least cut the stress down a little. Once you've got those clips cut, do NOT go back and cut more unless you find that you've missed something. Seriously, just don't do it. It makes things harder.
Another suggestion you will probably freaking HATE, is that you could have two people beta watch. One, a non-vidder and one a decently seasoned vidder who is familiar with the fandom, footage and music. This way, you get two different opinions, both very valuable, and after you do that...LISTEN TO THEM lol. If they praise the work and go on about how awesome this or that bit was...believe them; they're not just making you feel good about yourself - they're saying it because they mean it. When you've got their feedback, too...don't fix what isn't broken. If no one mentions the fade transition that you're a little iffy about, then leave it alone; it's fine. Are you pickin' up what I'm droppin? You have to force yourself to let sleeping dogs lie. NO video is perfect. NO video. I don't care what anyone says, and EVERY vidder, no matter how fantastic their vid might be...has something about each and every vid of their own that they absolutely HATE. For example, I've had NOTHING but amazing feedback for Hit the Floor from anyone who has watched it, but you know what? I hate the beat use at the end...my cookie-cutters are sloppy as hell and it makes me cringe. The part with the clown makes me want to cry it sucks so much, too, and the part with Meg falling out the window didn't turn out NEARLY as cool as I wanted it to, even though that part, for example, was one of the things most people said they really liked a lot (with the jump cuts). So, really, it's just something you have to MAKE yourself do.
/novel lol
Oh, and...in return for the Sammysmish:
Megatron!Hugs just for you...too bad I'm too lazy to mess with uploading that into my icons, cuz it's one of my faves lol
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Date: 2007-04-16 03:19 am (UTC)That line alone was worth the price of admission! :D :D :D But yes, I did. You've given me a lot of AWESOME advice (Hey, you volunteering to beta for me? You know you have to get you an Official Beta Hat if you do that... ♥! ;) ) and I really appreciate it all!
Once you've got those clips cut, do NOT go back and cut more unless you find that you've missed something. Seriously, just don't do it. It makes things harder.
Duuuuuude! Does that mean you cut all your clips FIRST? *mind boggles* WOW, that's extremely impressive! *golf claps* :D
Here's my vidding process:
1. Usually I hear a song and suddenly get a flash of "hey, I could see a [whatever] vid to that!" In the case of this Skate vid, I got a couple of clear ideas of what clips to use at a few places.
2. Next I usually cut the song. ;) 'Cause viddergirl here doesn't DO repetitive lyrics and long instrumental breaks if she can help it. ;)
3. By this time, I've usually planned out my opening gambit. So I animate/otherwise do :P the opening and then and only then do I contemplate my first "official" clip. Then, when I've found it, I consider what clip is going to be the second one. And so on and so forth. ;) If I know a few clips that I'm going to use for certain scenes, I go ahead and roughly plug them in on the timeline and vid up to them (they're kinda like a vidding oasis! ;) ).
I actually vidded "Vertigo" with an outline, preselecting the clips and such, but that one had absolutely no storyline to it, so that worked okay for me. When I'm trying to form a story, though, I really can't preselect too many clips because I don't know if the story will support them at those places until I actually vid my way up to them. :S
I've had to discard preselected clips before because they really didn't fit the story once the stuff ahead of it was in place. Vidding often takes wild turns on me that I never expected, lyrics get interpreted totally differently than I intended or just the story takes a twist that makes that clip moot by the time I get there.
So yeah, I vid totally by blind feel, moving forward one clip at a time, having to stop and keep testing to see how the story "feels" while it's in this building process. Then I have to mull over where I want the story to go, so to decide what sort of clip will support that.
Geez, that's sounds insane once I spell it all out like that, huh? o_O ;) But that's the only way I can put a story in place, just one clip at a time, slowly building it and hoping that it turns into "something" by the time I'm done!
I hate the beat use at the end...my cookie-cutters are sloppy as hell and it makes me cringe. The part with the clown makes me want to cry it sucks so much, too, and the part with Meg falling out the window didn't turn out NEARLY as cool as I wanted it to, even though that part, for example, was one of the things most people said they really liked a lot (with the jump cuts).
No way! I would've never guessed that you didn't like all of that from Hit the Floor! It's an awesome vid (I actually just watched it again not too long ago! ;) )!
Anyway, thanks again for all your help! It means a LOT, seriously! And you can write a novel ANYTIME in my comments! I ♥ long posts, you know that! :D :D :D
*super(natural)!hugs!* *snort* Sorry, couldn't resist... ;) ♥♥♥
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Date: 2007-04-16 04:23 am (UTC)...well I most certainly wouldn't be opposed and hey...your Beta Hats are AWESOME, so I'm not sure I'd go down THAT road, because I could never compare, but I could definitely think of SOMETHING ;) Although, I'm not gonna lie...the idea of a vidder as new and rough around the edges as myself giving a vidder as amazingly creative and talented as you a beta watch...is a liiiiiittle bit laughable ;) BUT, if you think I've got enough expertise to give it a go, believe me, I'd be honored!
Duuuuuude! Does that mean you cut all your clips FIRST? *mind boggles* WOW, that's extremely impressive! *golf claps* :D
I didn't USED to. Kayla turned me on to it, actually and I did it with Hit The Floor. On that note, though, I DID have to delete some and go back to put new ones in when some things didn't fit. THAT goes unsaid. If you cut something that you think will work and then see that it won't, clearly you have to go back and find one that does, but OTHER than that instance, trust me...if you outline the song lyric for lyric or beat for beat or whatever it is you're seeing in your head...cut the clips via that outline FIRST and put them up on the timeline. Do your magic and if something's missing or something doesn't fit, go back and fix it. Just don't put a few clips in, then go back and cut more, and put those in and go get more, because that's how you end up agonizing over a three second hunk of song, you know? I managed to finish Hit the Floor as the second fastest vid in the history of moi, and it doesn't suck a LOT, so...that's saying something ;)
I'm telling you...try it sometime, even if just for a thirty second random vidlet just to give the technique a shot...it made things SO much easier for me! And look how fast Kayla punches out all those amazing vids! That Eko and Shannon AU...she did that in a day and a half. Seriously. Is that nuts or what?!
If I know a few clips that I'm going to use for certain scenes, I go ahead and roughly plug them in on the timeline and vid up to them
I do that, too. I actually do that before I cut any of the rest of the clips in the outline, because if there are scenes that I see clearly in my head, I need to do them first before I forget how I want them to look. Meg falling from the building and the bit with the little girl from Provinence in Hit the Floor were times that I had scenes in my head and put them in the timeline right away so I wouldnt' forget them. I just went back and tweaked them with color and and exact beat use later. They were really rough, but the idea was there just so I wouldnt' forget. I didn't get anal with them and I only spent about an hour on each scene, JUST TO BLOCK IT OUT to remind myself. Don't fuss with them until you actually GET to them in the timeline, you know? It slows you down a lot if you do and can frustrate you in the process.
So yeah, I vid totally by blind feel, moving forward one clip at a time, having to stop and keep testing to see how the story "feels" while it's in this building process. Then I have to mull over where I want the story to go, so to decide what sort of clip will support that.
The only thing wrong with this is that it's EXACTLY the thing that's making you so miserable when you're vidding. Maybe what you should do is either outline lyrically and make notes of beat use you want to utilize (this is how I do it) or do a very ROUGH out together without effects (unless there's a specific transition you're needing...skip the cookie cutters; picture them in your head until you actually get to them on the timeline--I did that with the beat use at the end of Hit the Floor. All of my really rough version of HtF were just the background clip and I'd just dart my eyes across the clip to where I wanted those cookie cutters to be later).
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Date: 2007-04-16 04:24 am (UTC)But that's the only way I can put a story in place, just one clip at a time, slowly building it and hoping that it turns into "something" by the time I'm done!
It doesn't sound insane spelled out that way, but now that you've spelled it out that way, can you see how you're setting yourself up for frustration and slow vidding complete with agonizing tweaking in between? Slow vidding is not bad vidding, unless it makes YOU unhappy, and clearly, Aislynn, it's making you unhappy. What you need to do is implement at least SOME of my advice, especially if that's the way you feel you HAVE to do things, then taking all of my advice would make you really go nuts (lol)...and just see what happens. Pick a song that you're not in love with and that you won't mind seeing the vid scrapped if it doesn't pan out, the first time you try any of these techniques; that way it's not as heartbreaking if it doesn't work out for you.
No way! I would've never guessed that you didn't like all of that from Hit the Floor! It's an awesome vid (I actually just watched it again not too long ago! ;) )!
I hate all that stuff from Hit the Floor, actually lol, but that was just to prove to you because I know that you like that vid...even vids that you think are really well put-together and look really neat have things about them that the vidder who created them absolutely can't stand. But on the WHOLE...I think that Hit the Floor is, in the words of
Anyway, thanks again for all your help! It means a LOT, seriously! And you can write a novel ANYTIME in my comments! I ♥ long posts, you know that! :D :D :D
*super(natural)!hugs!* *snort* Sorry, couldn't resist... ;) ♥♥♥
You're so welcome. I hope it actually DOES help you, though...because after having read your vidding process, I'm wondering if my suggestions might just make your head explode instead of helping you at all :-\ lol
*Megatron!Hugs* (teehee super(natural)!hugs rule!)
Much love!!!
♥ ♥ ♥
no subject
Date: 2007-04-16 04:34 am (UTC)What you need to do is implement at least SOME of my advice
Maybe even if you vid a few seconds (like ten or fifteen) at a time and send THOSE bits to beta as you finish them, then you can continue to do it your way, but not have to agonize over little bits and pieces, because if a beta sees that it's okay and doesn't think anything needs tweak, leave it alone. Then, when you finish the whole song you've cut, send THAT to beta and they'll be able to see the vid as a WHOLE and poke and prod it more thoroughly for you.
...you should probably refrain from encouraging me to write novels in response to you from now on, don't you think...? haha
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Date: 2007-04-17 04:39 am (UTC)Are you kidding? I'm lovin' it! :D :D :D
Of course, I forgot how LJ would put my answering comments in this weird "not-under-the-post-I'm-answering" format, so I hope you're able to follow my responses! *eyeroll* ;)
Thanks so much for working this all out with me and trying so hard to find things that can help me! *squishes you!* ♥♥♥!
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Date: 2007-04-17 05:02 am (UTC)And, believe me, it's so worth it helping you out if it means you'll keep trying to vid, because it'll make me so sad to see you stop :(
*Megatron!Hugs*
no subject
Date: 2007-04-17 04:36 am (UTC)Puppy Glare of Doom, FTW! ;)
What you need to do is implement at least SOME of my advice, especially if that's the way you feel you HAVE to do things, then taking all of my advice would make you really go nuts (lol)...and just see what happens.
You know, I've been mulling this over all day and I think you're EXACTLY right about that... I don't know that I can outline an entire vid and stick anything remotely TO it (I once tried doing a novel that way and got a lot of details down, including the climax which hinged on the fact that the male lead was sort of reserved and was extremely agorophobic... Well, when I started the actual writing, I couldn't KEEP the guy indoors! o_O And instead of a reserved personality, he was a total flirt! O_O So there went that novel! ;) ). Aislynn + outlines = disaster 9 out of 10 times :S ;)
However, for vidding what I might be able to do is script out the opening few seconds/first verse whatever, pick out the clips, everything, then start vidding. Hopefully, I can follow the outline but if what starts setting up is pulling away from the outline, I won't have done details for the whole thing that's now being scrapped. I'll make adjustments for verse two and continue on that way. That might give me the ability to vid "organically" yet have the speed of vidding by outline as well...
*ponders* I'm going to DEFINITELY try finishing the Skate vid in this way since we're already down to the wire storywise and all that so I should be able to get it across the finish line without it taking some weird turn on me! ;)
*happy dances* Yay, some hope, at long last! ;)
*super(natural)!hugs* ;) ♥♥♥!
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Date: 2007-04-17 04:56 am (UTC)Well...good luck! Any questions you have about the technique I've adopted that you might wanna try, gimme a holler ;)
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Date: 2007-04-17 03:57 am (UTC)Duuuuude, I would so trust you to beta for me! I just haven't ask before now because, well...I'm obsessive and usually don't like to let people see my stuff until it's done annnnnnnnd it's never usually "done" even when I turn it in! o_O *twitch* Yes, I would definitely like your opinion, particularly on one part which I won't tell you about ahead of time (obviously) so to see if it sticks out as "off" to anybody else but me! ;) When I'm ready to work on it again, I'll send you a rough draft, if you don't mind having a look at it! ;) *hugs!*
And look how fast Kayla punches out all those amazing vids! That Eko and Shannon AU...she did that in a day and a half. Seriously. Is that nuts or what?!
*TWITCHY TWITCHES* Day...and...a...half... *falls over* Man, I think that's more than I can ever hope for, personally! But I'm certainly going to try to streamline this process down a whole lot! ♥! (Answering the next part separately... ;) )
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Date: 2007-04-17 05:00 am (UTC)Yes, I would definitely like your opinion, particularly on one part which I won't tell you about ahead of time (obviously) so to see if it sticks out as "off" to anybody else but me! ;) When I'm ready to work on it again, I'll send you a rough draft, if you don't mind having a look at it!
Oh my God, girl, of COURSE I don't mind. If you trust me to beta, then trust me, I'm more than ready to give it a whirl. I've only ever beta-ed for Kayla and I've never had to give her any like real suggestions because she's amazing anyway, so you'll have to let me know how you want me to beta you...harshness level, beat by beat etc, whatever, or else I'm just gonna go at it the way you do it for me. ;)
*TWITCHY TWITCHES* Day...and...a...half... *falls over*
...yeah you're not alone. She amazes me, too lol I could NEVER do a vid that fast and have it not suck. Say What You Will = perfect example of the point; finished that one in two days. The first day, I outlined and cut clips, second day I put it all together. It shows :(
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Date: 2007-04-14 01:03 am (UTC)*Huge Hugs* ♥♥♥
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Date: 2007-04-14 07:03 am (UTC)I feel bad for you gbecause I know just how much you love doing them. Taking a break may make the difference. ;-P
I do still love to vid (ha ha, I typed "bid" first... I bid $100 on Jensen! Did I win him? ;) *not distracted by that pic...much* :P ). When it all comes together and works, it's an awesome feeling! I've just got to figure out a way to cut out all of the totally unnecessary "drama" and just streamline the vidding process so it doesn't tie me up for months at a time!
And? That little dream recap you made the other day? Totally inspired! Someone who doesn't think they're creative couldn't come up with this type of material sweetie;-P Just relax, take a breather-and then decide what needs to be done. Nobody is judging you on this-we only want to help if we can.
Awwwwwww, thanks so much! That really means the world to me to hear all of that! *HUGS!* ♥
And here is a little something to make you feel better. He's just waiting for you!
*fangirly sigh* Ahhhhhhh, I feel so much better already, thank you! :D *more fangirly sighing, the occasional licking of the screen and changing of the drool bib* ;)
*BIG HUGS!* ♥♥♥!
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Date: 2007-04-14 07:16 am (UTC)It's a struggle to get everything just right I know. And juggling real life as well as. I have trouble with this myself. I want to spam and chat with my friends-and still do everything else. *Freaks* I just added 5 new friends tonight. I fear I won't be able to keep up soon ;-P But I try not to let that discourage me.
I know it seems daunting-but hang in there! It will work itself out and then you'll wonder why you stressed-lol. Been there-done that! Just enjoy it-and you'll know when the time comes if it's not worth it-and adjust accordingly. I have total faith in you on that. ;-P Ranting on your lj is a wonderful outlet-and the best part? Your friends are here to help ;-P
I'm glad the picture has made you smile(as well as drool!), that was the intention ;-) Dean/Jensen/Alec-no matter the name=hot! He'll help you to relieve some of that stress! *G* Oh yeah... ha! Sorry about the run on words-the new keyboard is super sensitive-and I see the mistakes AFTER I hit send. *Headdesk* ;-P
*Hugs you* ♥♥♥
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Date: 2007-04-16 03:40 am (UTC)It's a struggle to get everything just right I know. And juggling real life as well as. I have trouble with this myself. I want to spam and chat with my friends-and still do everything else. *Freaks* I just added 5 new friends tonight. I fear I won't be able to keep up soon ;-P But I try not to let that discourage me.
Oh, I know just what you mean by all of that! I love to hear what's going on with everybody and stay really involved but I'm just getting so far behind on everything I can't ever seem to catch up to where I want to be! *emo pout* ;)
Sorry about the run on words-the new keyboard is super sensitive-and I see the mistakes AFTER I hit send. *Headdesk* ;-P
Oh, I do that SO much! *sending telepathic vibes to the LJ High-Mucky-Mucks that they'll give us the ability to edit our comments* ;)
Thanks again so much for the pic of teh pretteh! *big hugs!* ♥!
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Date: 2007-04-17 07:19 pm (UTC)I wish I could catch the mistakes before sending-I am just lazy and hit send. Then it's ohh crap! LOLOL! Yeah, I'm lazy! They do need an edit feature here!
You're welcome-glad you liked the picture! I was hoping you would ;-P
*Hugs* ♥♥♥
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Date: 2007-04-16 10:02 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-04-17 07:11 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-04-14 03:47 pm (UTC)It's so painful to see something you work so hard on... not working. Here's some advices, I hope they're going to help.
1. You don't know what clip to use:
Take any clip of Sawyer or Kate looking angsty/sad/happy, depending on the feel of your video. I do it all the time... so what if it's random? It's little seconds at a time (2-3 random scenes) and it's not going to affect your overall vid...
2. Blinkie
I get them all the time when I use overlays, spit screens and cookie cutters. I use the default settings when it happens... the vid file gets bigger, but so what? almost everyone watching vids these days have a fast connection.
Audio: 64 Kbps, 44,100 Hz, 16 Bit, Stereo.
Video: 29.970 fps, 720x480, Quality VBR 90, WMV V9 Compression.
But if you really want a smaller file, then change the image size to 320x240. I don't have blinkie problems with those settings.
3. Not enjoying vidding
Take a break. Maybe do some graphics or write some fanfiction to change your ideas a little?
And yeah. Good enough is good enough. I may have to enlist you for a perfectionist anonymous therapy session. ;)
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Date: 2007-04-16 05:22 am (UTC)Take any clip of Sawyer or Kate looking angsty/sad/happy, depending on the feel of your video. I do it all the time... so what if it's random?
I never would've guessed that! Your vids always look so polished! ♥!
Thanks for your settings! I'll definitely play around with them when I'm rendering because your vids always come out really nice quality, too, even at YouTube which is so notorious for squashing the quality! *angry* But you know where my blinkies are coming at? It's in my clips themselves! When I put eps in the Trimmer and preview them, they already have the "10,000 blinkies per second" issue before I even cut them! o_O So when I drag the cut out clip to the timeline, it's full of all of those blinkie moments before I've even used it for the vid! It doesn't happen all the time (or I'd have my hair pulled out by now! ;) ) but probably like every 1 clip out of 100 I use. And even those clips don't always blink. *frustrated sigh* It's probably some goofy codec problem on my computer!
Take a break. Maybe do some graphics or write some fanfiction to change your ideas a little?
That's definitely what I'm going to do! ♥! I finished that next Top 10 meme that
And yeah. Good enough is good enough. I may have to enlist you for a perfectionist anonymous therapy session. ;)
I TOTALLY need to find a good PA meeting to go to... LOL! ;) (For an example of my painstaking vidding habits, see my answer to Jen's question in the comments right above this... It kinda explains how I make myself totally nutty! o_O ;) )
*smishes you!* ♥♥♥!
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Date: 2007-04-17 04:54 am (UTC)And even those clips don't always blink.
...um, since you said that the clips don't always blink, the fact that you're using the trimmer might be a part of the problem. When I was doing Hit the Floor, I kept getting that blinky crap, too, and then Kayla told me to try just putting the episodes right on the timeline to trim them. I haven't had any blinkies since. Maybe that's just luck, but I'm not gonna mess with a good thing. So, when I'm cutting clips, I have the music I'm using on the top layer, the clips I'm using on the second layer, leave a third layer empty so I can do overlays or cookie cutters or whatever, and I put the episodes on the fourth layer and drop the opacity of the other layers to zero while I cut the clips right on the timeline. then I just leave them there with like ten or twenty frames between each clip until I need them in the VID's timeline.
Actually, when I first tried it, I thought it'd be harder than using the trimmer, but honestly, I find it much easier than making subclips. Another problem I was having with subclips is that sometimes when I cut them, if they weren't blinking...they wouldn't let me move them onto the timeline from the project media O_o So, it's a lot easier for me to just put them on the timeline and cut 'em that way. In any case, try that and see if it helps any?
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Date: 2007-04-17 05:56 am (UTC)Duuuuuuuude! O_O I just imported a part of an ep (recall that I have to render all of my eps in 4 WMV parts so to accommodate 1. Vegas's deeply intense hatred of AVI and 2. WMM's deeply intense hatred of rendering anything longer than 15 or so minutes at a time ;) ) and put it in the Trimmer. It was blinkin' like a toad in a hail storm *has never personally seen a toad in a hail storm but my Southern relatives use that expression and it sounds basically plausible* ;) ). So I pulled the whole piece up onto a fourth timeline (recall also that Baby Vegas only has 4 video timelines but at least this vid is only currently using 3 of them so I had one to spare! ;) ). And NO BLINKIES! I just roughly split the clip before and after where I needed, deleted the other pieces, and just had to work with that small bit to get the clip I needed!
*does extreme happy dancing* That will make me the happiest viddergirl in the whole wide world if that's all it takes to avoid the Blinkies!
*squishes you liek woah* ;) ♥♥♥!
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Date: 2007-04-17 05:58 am (UTC)♥♥♥!
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Date: 2007-04-17 07:19 am (UTC)I'm glad that worked for you! :D If you ever don't have an extra timeline, though, just put it at the end of the timeline you're working on and then move it where it needs to go; I've done that, too, sometimes, because working with four layers is fine; I can see them all without scrolling. Working with five sucks, and I hate it, so I avoid it. ;)