Energy.

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Energy.

Postby ZephyrStar » Tue Feb 23, 2010 10:09 am

Alright, this is a thread for those of us who are feeling uninspired, unmotivated, and generally wonder why it's so hard to get something edited. We all get this way sometimes, for various reasons, and creativity is not something you can just turn off and on at will, but there are things you can do to enable yourself to get back to the creative state of mind more easily. Some of this advice might sound silly, but as somebody who has to be fairly creative on a daily basis for my job (as mundane of a creative job as that is - I work in the print advertising industry) by the time I come home, I'm usually pretty spent.

My dillema is, that I am working on the single biggest project of my life right now, a 3DCG anime feature film which I am writing, directing, modeling, texturing, lighting, animating, rendering, editing, producing, and distributing myself. It will take years. As you can imagine, the one most important thing to do with a project like this is to keep moving. If you stop focusing on it for even one day, that's a lot of work lost. I've had to come up with novel ways of spurring myself onwards, even when I really, really don't feel like it. I'll tell you my tricks, and in return, post your own.

-TEA and COFFEE. Dunno how I would survive without them. (A Bawls is fine too)

-Change clothes. Every day, I come home from work, and the minute after I walk in the door I'm outta my work clothes and into something comfortable. I leave work at the door, and that's very important. I don't worry about work, they don't pay me to take it home with me, why should I.

-Change... clothes? I also have an odd habit. Whenever I want to feel really creative, I have this light jacket, it's kinda like an army jacket, that I wear. I dunno why, but I feel more... indie? It's my "director's" jacket? I feel like commanding things, and that feels pretty GAR. Must be the synesthesia.

-Eat a good meal. You're not going to have any energy unless you eat things that give it to you. Fast food takes it away from you. Take the time to make something good for yourself. Go easy on the salt.

-Drink lots of water. Most people go through the day under-hydrated. Not having enough can make you tired as hell at the end of the day, and also give you headaches.

-Take a walk. Even if you're tired, walk a mile or two, you'll feel a lot better. Better yet, run a couple of miles. It gets the metabolism and endorphins up, the blood flowing. Some of my best ideas come to me when I'm running.

-Sing. Sing a track from a musical out loud. Even if you don't sing well. Puts you in a good mood and ready to create.

-Talk to yourself. Whenever I am working on ideas or formulating plans, I pace back and forth through my apt with a notepad (or eeepc) in hand. This has a very mad scientist like vibe to it. Don't be alarmed if you cackle in an evil way when you come up with a good idea.

-Act things out. Maybe not as critical for AMV making, but I'm writing dialogue for my film right now, trying to wrap up the script. I act out all the things my characters would do, say their lines, test everything for good flow and to see if it sounds right. Various times I have found myself physically doing the actions of the characters, and then realizing what I saw in my head is pretty impractical compared to how you would react to a situation in real life.

-Pretend. Give your Oscar speech, teach a class to the 4th wall, have a conversation with an armchair, be crazy. I have gotten some great material this way. (No, I don't do drugs.)

And that's what I have for now. Some of this stuff applies to AMV's, and probably a lot of it doesn't, but either way, if you're stuck in a creative block, doing some of this might get you out of that "I dun wanna" mindframe and into more of a "THIS WILL BE BEST VIDEO EVAR" kinda thing. Also useful for all you would-be authors, artists, directors, etc.

>_>
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Re: Energy.

Postby Ileia » Tue Feb 23, 2010 10:56 am

I like to edit a tiny amount of something, whether it's an idea or just a song I like. People who know me are familiar with the ever-so-frequent "minibeta". Poor André's probably gotten every one I've ever made. Watching that little bit always makes me want to edit more and I always keep them around.
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Re: Energy.

Postby Otohiko » Tue Feb 23, 2010 10:56 am

And remember, sometimes it's okay not to have any. Don't kick your own ass too hard if you're out of steam and know when to take a break. Don't get into creative undertakings half-hearted and have other things to do when you're not into it. This is not a job.
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Re: Energy.

Postby Nya-chan Production » Tue Feb 23, 2010 11:15 am

Ileia wrote:I like to edit a tiny amount of something, whether it's an idea or just a song I like. People who know me are familiar with the ever-so-frequent "minibeta". Poor André's probably gotten every one I've ever made. Watching that little bit always makes me want to edit more and I always keep them around.

Actually, I do this fairly often as well - though it often stays unfinished ;_;
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Re: Energy.

Postby Fall_Child42 » Tue Feb 23, 2010 12:09 pm

Just watching and enjoying other people's stuff always get's me pumped up.

It's why I started doing it in the firstplace, and I think often I forget that the reason I make these things is because I think they are neat.

Seeing other people do this stuff and have fun with it always makes me want to do more of it myself.
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Re: Energy.

Postby Jwalk0 » Tue Feb 23, 2010 1:58 pm

Dr.Dinosaur wrote:Just watching and enjoying other people's stuff always get's me pumped up.

It's why I started doing it in the firstplace, and I think often I forget that the reason I make these things is because I think they are neat.

Seeing other people do this stuff and have fun with it always makes me want to do more of it myself.


ZephyrStar, you make some very good points on how to get your creative juices flowing again and I do a few of them myself but I find this the most powerful way for anyone to get into editing. Watching an amv that a friend or role model has made that you enjoy really gets you into editing more than anything else, at least for me. People get into this hobby because they have fun watching their favorite animes and music synced together and when they find them edited from someone else on point, that gives them that extra incentive to say: "Fuck it, I'm giving this a try". Good luck on your project BTW, and TAKE YOUR TIME. Enjoy life while you're doing your project because time goes by too quick and your best years will pass you by before you even know it.
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Re: Energy.

Postby Enigma » Tue Feb 23, 2010 2:24 pm

Everytime i can't edit i just smash my head towards a wall until it all works out :P
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Re: Energy.

Postby Kariudo » Tue Feb 23, 2010 2:27 pm

I find that listening to a good song (be it in an amv or not) can really get me pumped up and ready to edit.

...It's a double edged sword though, as I might end up wanting to edit to the song that got me pumped up instead of whatever song I'm (trying) to work with

Ileia: sounds like it's compilation video time
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Re: Energy.

Postby inthesto » Tue Feb 23, 2010 3:11 pm

I break out the talent juice, do a horrible job of editing, and then look at it the next morning.

More often than not I change almost everything I did the night before, but it at least gives me a starting point and some momentum.
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Re: Energy.

Postby Pwolf » Tue Feb 23, 2010 3:50 pm

if the dvd doesn't contain at least 30min worth of video showing you acting out scenes, i will be sad.
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Re: Energy.

Postby CodeZTM » Tue Feb 23, 2010 4:25 pm

I like doing a mixture of things to get me in the mood for editing. Listening to the song I'm going to be editing with, checking out AMV's I find inspirational to my style of editing, and drinking a LOT of green tea. :)

It also helps whenever I'm REALLY stressed out, to just sit back and edit. It's really a great way to get rid of stress and just relax and let my aggravations out in my editing. But then again, this is a hobby for me, so I'm sure film students or people in the industry probably don't do this. xD
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Re: Energy.

Postby Castor Troy » Tue Feb 23, 2010 4:41 pm

ZephyrStar wrote:Sing. Sing a track from a musical out loud. Even if you don't sing well. Puts you in a good mood and ready to create.

-Talk to yourself. Whenever I am working on ideas or formulating plans, I pace back and forth through my apt with a notepad (or eeepc) in hand. This has a very mad scientist like vibe to it. Don't be alarmed if you cackle in an evil way when you come up with a good idea.

-Act things out. Maybe not as critical for AMV making, but I'm writing dialogue for my film right now, trying to wrap up the script. I act out all the things my characters would do, say their lines, test everything for good flow and to see if it sounds right. Various times I have found myself physically doing the actions of the characters, and then realizing what I saw in my head is pretty impractical compared to how you would react to a situation in real life.

-Pretend. Give your Oscar speech, teach a class to the 4th wall, have a conversation with an armchair, be crazy. I have gotten some great material this way. (No, I don't do drugs.)


I prance around my room all day doing these things. When I listen to a song and want to put Goku shooting a Kamehameha to one part, I act it out myself. :x

I'm doing the same things for a feature film I plan to write, direct, edit, and shoot myself. This is stuff from amvs that definitely carries onto film. :up:
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Re: Energy.

Postby 8bit_samurai » Tue Feb 23, 2010 4:49 pm

ZephyrStar wrote:Wear Sunscreen. The long term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience…I will dispense this advice now:

Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth. Oh nevermind, you will not understand the power and beauty of your youth until they have faded. But trust me, in 20 years you’ll look back at photos of yourself and recall in a way you can’t grasp now how much possibility lay before you and how fabulous you really looked. You’re not as fat as you imagine.

Don’t worry about the future. Or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubblegum. The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind; the kind that blindside you at 4pm on some idle Tuesday.

Do one thing everyday that scares you


Sing

Don’t be reckless with other people’s hearts. Don’t put up with people who are reckless with yours.

Floss

Don’t waste your time on jealousy. Sometimes you’re ahead, sometimes you’re behind. The race is long, and in the end, it’s only with yourself. Remember the compliments you receive, forget the insults; if you succeed in doing this, tell me how.

Keep your old love letters. Throw away your old bank statements.

Stretch

Don’t feel guilty if you don’t know what you want to do with your life…the most interesting people I know didn’t know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives, some of the most interesting 40 year olds I know still don’t.

Get plenty of calcium.
Be kind to your knees, you’ll miss them when they’re gone.

Maybe you’ll marry, maybe you won’t, maybe you’ll have children,maybe you won’t, maybe you’ll divorce at 40, maybe you’ll dance the funky chicken on your 75th wedding anniversary…what ever you do, don’t congratulate yourself too much or berate yourself either – your choices are half chance, so are everybody else’s.

Enjoy your body,
use it every way you can. Don’t be afraid of it, or what other people think of it, it’s the greatest instrument you’ll ever own

Dance.
Even if you have nowhere to do it but in your own living room. Read the directions, even if you don’t follow them.

Do NOT read beauty magazines, they will only make you feel ugly.

Get to know your parents, you never know when they’ll be gone for good. Be nice to your siblings; they are the best link to your past and the people most likely to stick with you in the future.

Understand that friends come and go, but for the precious few you should hold on.

Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography and lifestyle because the older you get, the more you need the people you knew when you were young.

Live in New York City once,
but leave before it makes you hard; live in Northern California once, but leave before it makes you soft. Travel.

Accept certain inalienable truths. Prices will rise, politicians will philander, you too will get old, and when you do you’ll fantasize that when you were young prices were reasonable, politicians were noble and children respected their elders. Respect your elders.

Don’t expect anyone else to support you. Maybe you have a trust fund, maybe you have a wealthy spouse; but you never know when either one might run out.

Don’t mess too much with your hair, or by the time you're 40, it will look 85.

Be careful whose advice you buy, but, be patient with those who supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia, dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than it’s worth.

But trust me on the sunscreen…


Couldn't resist >_>

/edit I actually read the first post in Baz's voice, which inspired this <_<
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Re: Energy.

Postby Knowname » Tue Feb 23, 2010 6:03 pm

I never put a bad idea down x| I know it's bad but lol... you probly shouldn't do what I do :| but as far as the crazy part. I got the crazy part down to a science :)
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Re: Energy.

Postby ngsilver » Tue Feb 23, 2010 9:11 pm

A lot of those ideas I find also translate over to writing, I've done the majority of them when trying to get ideas or coaxing the muse. But I also find I do a lot of the same things for AMV'ing.

Most of the time my mood is very music driven. Usually when I want to be inspired I'll put on a good movie while I eat dinner (I generally prefer to watch a movie during dinner anyway) and often times the credits music is what puts me in the mood to create. I usually head right to the PC and start work on whatever my muse is pulling at me to do. Sometimes that's writing, but mostly nowadays it makes me want to open up premier and start working. I'll throw on the credits music some more while I stare at my project lists and see which one makes me want to open it and work on it. Sometimes this can be a problem if I don't have the sources already ripped because I'll want to work on it right away, but in the end it gets me up to doing the work.

Another thing I like to do when it gets warmer out is take a walk at night and smoke a cigar. Sometimes I wont even bother with the walk I'll just go outside, turn the radio on to the local jazz station, grab a beer or wine cooler, and just have a nice refreshing drink and a smoke. While I try to calm down in this way often my mind will go manic and I'll start coming up with ideas and stuff at a mile a minute (this happens a lot when I'm at a con and go have a cigar at night with friends.) The ideas and what not just come flying out then.

The only problem with my methods of coaxing my muse and getting manic is I tend to forget to sleep which makes going into work in the morning really annoying.
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