WIP-Advice needed to continue:Loveless+Fair to Midland

[Lepidopteran_Productions]

There weren't any AMV's for Tall Tales Taste Like Sour Grapes XP

So i really wanted to make one. It's good practice at least. (yes- i'm still learning of course)

Aaand i have only WMM so i'm sorry ^^; (for any who choose to help me with this, and preview what i have so far)

Right now, i'm stuck between parts, as usually happens to me: I know -what- i want to do for some parts, but i can't get farther to get over -to- those parts, until i can create the parts in between. So it's frustrating ^^;

I would appreciate anyone familiar with Loveless, to help me with the parts:

To much hog wash not enough hear say
always made the front page
He could use a fine tooth comb
to get a word from the wise
Would be a welcome surprise
Keep an ear to the ground so to drown out the sound
cause the dead air is what made me whole

and later i encounter a similar problem for:

These walls don’t talk
Even when somebody knocks
These walls don’t stand
For anyone else but themselves
These walls wont fall
Even when gravity's failing us all

I have the chorus figured out as i want it, and some of the instrumental interludes (i just have to get my WMM to stop hating me so much with my transitions... or force it to deal with them as i usually must do XP)

Can't afford anouther program just yet, so i figured i'd work on bettering myself in WMM before getting something -real- to work with that won't make my life a living hell just to edit some stuff together ^.^;

anyways - here's some of what i have so far, and if you'd also be so kind as to leave your interpretations of what i'm trying to get across in the AMV so far, i would appreciate it. I'm trying to check out whether or not i'm doing a decent job keeping the lyrics and anime matching a story so to speak.

I'm working on it ^.^ Please - criticize me but also please be gentle ^.^ I don't have too much experience and the beginning is probably as good as i'm going to be able to manage it for this time frame. I've been tweaking it alot already but...

NOTE: left in some filler stuff, so you can hear the part that needs work on. I'm really lost, and am stuck right now, wanting to work on the next part, and not being able to do so because i kindof don't want to dig myself into a pit of having to re-time things at that point, and wanted to do the middle linearly.

any help would really be appreciated.

Here: (i put in in my photobucket account, because it is private. so only you guys can see my current attempts at working around WMM lag XP)

http://s233.photobucket.com/albums/ee16 ... w_0002.flv

I'll also try uploading it top somewhere else since i think the timing got: Worse at the beginning, and better at the end XP (must try and work on fixing that) Ah the joys of WMM ^.^

Also as i learned through my Angels AMV (still very much so in progress) just -one- well places comment, even out of no where, can bring that epiphany moment, something like that made me once change an entire segment that i had been previously satisfied with somewhat because it helped me to me enlightened to anouther possibility that i couldn't make out because i was too focused on the other aspects of the vid, so please feel free to leave even passing comments, even if you know nothing of the song, or series ^.^ As long as it is constructive, i'll take it at value, and hope it can allow me to improve even a small bit ^.^

Hoping i can manage a little advice quickly, before my current inspiration fails lol ^.~ I don't want to drag this one out months like my other one ^o^;

[JaddziaDax]

Are you familiar with manga spoilers?

if so I have some ideas, if not, then I don't want to spoil for you.

[JaddziaDax]

To much hog wash not enough hear say
always made the front page

This part could have to do with the fact that

Spoiler :

Seimei is actually not dead and you can show him and references to the kids looking up his "death" on the class computer

He could use a fine tooth comb
to get a word from the wise

Septimal Moon?

Would be a welcome surprise
Keep an ear to the ground so to drown out the sound
cause the dead air is what made me whole

Once again could do with the same spoilers I posted before

These walls don’t talk
Even when somebody knocks
These walls don’t stand
For anyone else but themselves
These walls wont fall
Even when gravity's failing us all

The abuse that Soubi goes through when he was younger?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Other nitpicks: you have a whole buttload of lipflap in your video, you might want to cut around those scenes, or cover them by using still frames or just cut them shorter and add random pretties... (lipflap is when people are chattering, it gets kinda boring) you could also add random pretties to it (scenes of butterflies and whatnot) a lot of the scenes also seem to drag a bit.

I can't say I'm a fan of this music... the guy is kinda hard to understand, but word of advise: try to make the images move/sync with the music... you seem to be caught up on a lot of lyrical phrasing that you are missing the movement to the music

other than that the quality looks nice for an flv.

[Lepidopteran_Productions]

^^ Oh yes - the whole spoiler thing is actually the focus of my Angels AMV. I jut have no time to play with manga scenes for it yet, though i'll be using them in that as i can manage.

The lip-flap i'm planning on trying to edit the best i can. I messed up one area that i tried cutting some lipflap, since i don't want it so static at points, and am not sure what i can do at those times.

I'm working on learning timing better- I also am trying not to tire my own clips out so badly because i plan to have a very fast paced part much later in the song.

The current 'devil' is Ritsuka's mother, and the fact that he doesn't want to accept help from Soubi, his counselor etc. on the situation that he's in.

My main hold up is intent: I want to make a music video focusing on the themes specifically that you're suggesting, but if i did, i'd want that to be the main focus rather than chopping it up. Though i might actually be able to split the themes into threes like i planned with the Angels AMV (i am trying to present 3 different relationships, one at the beginning, a 2nd at the middle, and the end will be the third one basically, though they all tie together because they are all about the effect that Seimei has had in general on certain people throughout. I will need to learn to work with manga clips though for this.

^^ I have the butterfly scenes set aside for a part, but i might be able to work them into one aspect now that you've given me something to think about.

I'm just not sure what i'm wanting to do with this - Misaki as the main focus or ah, Septimal moon and such as well as the spoilers mentioned, or try a combination of them. (i worry that a combination would be too mixed together though and don't know if i could personally pull it off right.) I contemplated just making two separate amv's, one with each theme, but i think i'd be too sick of the song by then to make something halfway decent ^^;

you've helped me alot to thinking on the Septimal Moon side of things, i wasn't thinking of that aspect on this particular project at all, since i was trying to find ways of focusing on Misaki (a difficult task as she sort of isn't in it as much as would make that easier for me o.o) Constructive critisism like you've given has been very appreciated ^.^

and btw- i didn't like the style of music so much at first either ^^; The only think i'd heard of the group was Dance of the Manatee, but then my mate wanted to find an amv to this song -ANYWHERE- and throughout google, er *coughs* boochsack, and including the org here itself, the group is an unknown ^^; There is 1, -ONE- amv as far as i can tell, and it is a nice tribute to the lion king ^^;

Then the song got hopelessly stuck in my head, so i just went and bought it so i could use the full version for amv's ^^; I also was thinking that something might be interesting to practice working with game clips (which is something i've never tried really yet, and was looking for something for practice as i'm still quite new to what i am doing) that it might be an interesting take on Aeris telling Cloud the story of the ancients, etc, or Cloud telling Tifa his past, etc. I'd have to think much more, but i figured, the song was in my head anyways ^^; The lyrics might work if i could iron out the problem areas, i need practice like woah, and it doesn't have any amv's really for it to begin with, so maybe i can contribute something ^.^

I actually have a bad tendency to want to take on the projects that no one else tackles >.> Like my wanting to make 2 Hisana from Bleach tributes, when there is a grand total of 2minutes and 30 seconds of clips of her in the entire series actually. So... i make my own life hard with AMV's ^^; I'd say counting that, my first practice throw together attempt, and my Glass to the Arson amv, i've only MADE 4 complete amv's in my life ^^; So i really love constructive criticism as to what i can do better.

Aside from already thinking about how to cut some of that distracting lipflap, and cutting all of the ending so far anyways (i just wanted to provide anyone who would watch it with the part of the song that i'll be trying to work on next) do you have any advise as to if i should try a 3 part song like Angels, or if i should try and separate the ideas, or what? Working with just Misaki is difficult, and i don't want to cut my own throat so to speak with my own capabilities being what they are, but i'm not sure what i can pull off.

I will definitely look at your suggestions as they are excellent for that type of theme though ^.~ (and actually i might be able to twist some things around to try and work on some of the Septimal moon stuff with Misaki if i can make that work the way i'm thinking) I need to sort through my own clips again. It's been a while since i last watched them all, and i just now remembered a clip i think i might want to use. (sometimes it's just as bad having too much source as too little, since you can't sift through it all sometimes, and over look things too easily)

Thank you for responding though again ^^ I might be able to work some more on this tonight now, and i'll add anything i manage to tweak for further nitpicking if someone on here wouldn't mind picking this apart more ^^ (I'm a perfectionist who can't be perfect ^^; But loves the criticism as much as i wish it weren't needed XP)

[Lepidopteran_Productions]

Oh yes- the first part entirely just about was edited using an mp3. I just finally was able to get Audacity, and converted to a Wav for a much easier time editing ^^; I had to re-watch the entire thing, and guess to get anything done for it, so i'm quite happy with how that came out considering what i had to go through ^^; The wav should help with being able to actually edit as i go more, so i'll tweak all of that and then post again with the updated version to be picked apart as the first was ^^; (and after i figure out where i'm going with this thing. Must plan more ^^; )

Um- how do you edit your posts btw? I haven't used the forums on here before yesterday ^^;

[JaddziaDax]

on some of the forums here you don't edit your posts... i think thats to keep people from saying rude things then taking it back later.

[Lepidopteran_Productions]

That's actually a very good system. I'm trying to think how to modify this... partly i wanted to make this initially because my mate was kindof sad that there were no amv's for this series, and though i know i'm not that great, (not like most of the creators on here ^^) I figured the practice would be enlightening, and as mentioned the darn song got so stuck in my head ^o^;

Hate being at a standstill though ^^; When i let ideas just sit, they tend to sit, and -rot- because i lose my initial hope and momentum for working on them, and they just stagnate -_- (here's to hoping this doesn't happen to this one) I'd ask my mate for advice to keep going but i haven't told her i'm making this yet ^^; (wanted to surprise her a bit), her and her friend cathy who i know is also interested in this group.

I like the song enough to be willing to dedicate my time to it, but i'm just not sure now where to go. I'm way to indecisive for making these thing ^^;

[Lepidopteran_Productions]

Oh yes- and i must add that i love your avatar ^^; It amused me from the moment i saw it in anouther thread, and i've just started to watch the series this week or so and must say that i love it ^^; It's just so.. so... well. Indescribable is what i'd call that series lol ^o^)

((Sorry for chatting when i'm supposed to be looking for help lol - bad habits ^^; Must break those))

[JaddziaDax]

usually when i get to a place where i can't continue I take a break and distract myself with other things... then eventually come back to it later :3

Though editing with WMM makes things entirely frustrating because I don't edit linear... if you want you can put in a black jpg and edit the parts later in the timeline and just use the jpg to hold space till you get there... though you will end up having to fix it again later because wmm sucks like that O:

I'm also working on a Loveless AMV at the moment so its fairly fresh in my mind...

hehe thanks XD I made the icon out of an avi file XD Zetzubou Sensei

[Lepidopteran_Productions]

^o^ It is priceless ^.^

I'm working on trying to -learn- how to time things better musically, rather than just lyrically (my goal for this one was if i couldn't manage to master technical prettyness and timing, i'd hope it could have some meaning to it so it won't be a total mess ^^; )

I like to wait but, the last time i did that i'm STILL waiting (and my mate who's been waiting just as long after my nice epiphany with the lyrics: Pulled through doorway, and there being a scene of that that i'd overlooked entirely, changing the whole middle thanks ENTIRELY to her and her roommate helping me with advice there...)

Ah stuff like that makes me love constructive criticism ^.^ Even if i can't do mush better than i have, or am completely satisfied with my hard work, even if it isn't spectacular, one well placed comment will still sometimes be enough to give me a fresh start on things. I used to have troubles in school because i'd hate to change stuff- or erase something i'd done, even if i thought of something better. -_- I'm working on getting better about that through AMV's lol.

I thought about editing in a black jpg (i keep one for just such occasions, or if i want to play around with fading like in my Hisana tribute XP) but ended up playing with random scenes which is why everything of the chorus is not really ... timed at all. It's sortof all practice with timing, fillers instead of just slapping in a black screen there ^^; My WMM was lagging like crazy since i've been using it alot, (and WMM takes little use, and abuse to get angsty imo) and have been running some other programs so i'll go back to my quest to rid myself of the lip flaps in a few more hours. (or i'll just re-start the comp or something or give it a rest)

Do you have any suggestions or tips for that stillness, of having to use plain pics? I want to keep the lengths of the parts, and the scenes themselves, without any of the speaking, but i don't want just.... still images all over the amv ^^; I also played with a few effects, but thought they just detracted more than they helped at those points, so i'm not sure what would be a nice -subtle- but still... something, type of effect that i could use.

I want to learn as i go ^^; Figured out some tricks and techniques myself, by experimenting, of course, for years, i've watched and weanted to at least try and emulate the best for inspiration on here (have loved the quality of the org, and wanted to push myself towards that all through high school, and only now have been able to really work on anything, as the last computers i'd used either weren't mine,a nd i had limited access time on them, or actually didn't even have WMM ^^; (the really old desktop i mean) It couldn't even handle playing the higher quality amv's let alone full episodes, clips, ripping stuff, or editing it.

But if i'm learning as i go (and i still have such a LONG way to go lol XP) i'd prefer to learn -right- so i'm so sorry if i bombard you with questions such as "what's this do" and how can i get better at timing things to the music and beats etc instead of just working on lyric matches....) And yes i have already (and re-read every year or so as i forget everything that was written) the guides to 'good' amv's on here, and timing, and all that wonderful stuff, i am trying to work on my own style though ^^; I'm just not sure i currently grasp good timing. 'course ... it can't help much that when i DO get timing the way i want it WMM screws it up as i save it making me have to approximate and -hope- that it comes out right in the end XP

I also have a (is it a bad habit?) of wanting to time things to the undertones in music, or the downbeats? I don't know any of the lingo that would help me to explain what i am meaning here ^^;

I've found a tendency with my amv's where i want to have a beat-then scene right after, so it's like Bam/flash, or so with the timing after on purpose, and i don't know why ^^; Or if that goes against the amv very much. As i said i really don't know much, so i'm full of questions if you don't mind my struggling to explain myself here ^o^

And i wish you the best of luck on your own Loveless vid, i can't wait until it's done and i can watch it ^.^ It's sure to be quality ^.^


I am so bad at getting points across that i'm trying to make though -_-