VegettoEX wrote:I always hate to say things in a bad light, and I hope this doesn't come across as that, because it's not meant to...
Not at all, in fact that's part of the point of this thread...I mean...what, you think I chose the subject line just for the hell of it? LOL I'm tryin to get input more than anything, the more negative the better, because it only serves to make to me work harder. If I really did think I was the best I wouldn't even bother finishing the video.
But in terms of lip-synching alone, I'm not impressed with the file you've put up for download, and that's only been accentuated by:
a) the claims of perfection
b) the general demeanor of your responses in this thread
Are you sure those aren't the ONLY reasons?

It still looks VERY forced. If you're lip-synching, you want it to look natural, as if the character is actually speaking it. It's SO forced, that to me, *that's* when I realize I'm just watching a digital video someone's made, instead of a story being told through a character's voice.
Hrmmm, an interesting opinion.
Something I think a lot of people forget when lip-synching in videos is that we're using anime as a source. OK, that's fine. Take a good look at mouth movements when you're watching anime, though (be it dubbed or subbed.. or raw... heh). Not EVERY syllable goes with a mouth flap. Sure, it should be relatively close, but not EVERY SINGLE sound that comes out has SOME kind of movement to fit it. I think THAT is what makes it look SO natural when we're watching the show, that it allows us to forget that there's just some man or woman in the booth doing a voice to some 2D drawings.
So in essence you're saying that it's actually better to slack off a little when doing lip synching? Don't take it so seriously? Hrmmm...I'd be VERY interested in hearing other peoples thoughts on this. Personally I've always thought that it was most believable when it was as accurate as possible, otherwise it's like watching a bad dub/Americanized hack job shown on Kids WB...
And I'm not sure if that's being accurately reflected in this kind of video. Of course, to do the exact same thing as anime would be to not do something original, but like I said, it just seemed WAY too forced.
I'll take your ideas under consideration, but I will also keep in mind that your opinion may be largely influenced by the two things you listed before.
It also really irks me when people continuously try to compare / contrast / poise themselves in relation to Kevin Caldwell videos. You're talking about using similar techniques, out-classing him, etc, etc, etc.
LOL, as I mentioned in another post, out classing Kevin Caldwell isn't something THAT hard to do. He's good at slapping pretty clips together with music, but other than that he's WAY over exaggerated.
You're also forgetting that Kevin was doing this kind of stuff YEARS before you started attempting it.
THAT says a lot for talent and vision.
I don't think the instance of time really has anything to do with it. Especially since you can't even truly judge that without knowing the particulars or a persons life. For all you know Kev grew up on anime watching it ever since he was like 6. I didn't get into anime until...a year ago, and considering the point I've reached so far, I'd say that I progressed much faster than most, but as I said, I don't think that's really extraordinary or anything.
It's very accurate to say that some of the things Kevin Caldwell did in his video could easily be done (better?) today by a wide range of individuals, but I think you'd be hard-pressed to go back a few years to the actual times of the mentioned videos and find the same amount of individuals with enough skill, imagination, and general ability to pull off videos like "Believe" and "Engel" that to this day I see as standing out as "good" among what is producded today.
I think the tools and media available also contribute to that though. I mean say 5 years back, how hard was it to make a music video? First DVDs weren't really prevalent, distribution of media over the Inet was in the stone age, and editing software was piss poor at best. I don't think imagination and skill had so much to do with him being one of the few, rather it was his access to materials and tools that others didn't have.
Basically... I just wanna say... take it easy, and try and re-evaluate the reasons you're working on what you're working on, and how you're working on it. If you're simply going out of your way to prove yourself, I guarantee you that you're going to fail. No "revenge video" or "[insert creator name] - killer" video has ever been given a second thought (mainly because.. well.. they suck).
He, he, he...no, that's not the point. The point is to make a video where I actually put the maximum amount of effort into it. I mean most of my videos score in the 8 to 9 area and that's putting in usually not more than 20% of my effort, imagination, and skill. This video, despite the scores it gets, will be a true testament to my skill, imagination, creativity, etc.
I think you've got a GREAT idea for your video, and a really neat way of telling that story, but I also think you're going about it in a poor fashion.
You obviously don't know me very well, I enjoy stirring up a bit of controversy every now and again, it helps me a lot to better myself. I'm inherently evil and thus I can use other peoples negativity to increase my skill, knowledge, and abilities.
By the time I actually release the video I doubt anyone will even remember this thread. ^_^