Are you a winning procrastinator?

[Infinity Squared]

We all have lives (some of us more than others) and certainly AMV creation is not exactly something you'd push away real life for, or at least shouldn't be. That issue aside, how often do you find yourself staring at your editing program window, click the play button a few times, but never actually do any editing? Have you ever just twiddled around your chair, laughing away in IRC or Skype while that AMV competition's submission deadline that you so wanted to send something to crept even closer?

And then... all of a sudden you realise that the deadline is the next day and you sweat out an all nighter to get that blasted video up to some sort of respectable quality. That happened to you before?

Finally, how many times have you won an award, or received praise for it even after that, like it's a work of art or some other cliche? And so I reach the point of my thread... time, effort and result.

I see quite a number of video explanations saying that their video was patched up in only a few days and then raked in a few awards in the process. Do you believe that spontaneity and last minute rushes, the staple attitude of many AMV creators submitting to conventions actually yield results (Iron Chefs aside)? Or is it more like accident rather than the person harnessing stress and dangerous levels of caffeine that got them that award?

[Prodigi]

It's down to the individual editors. Some editors cannot edit in a short period of time and still produce quality results. Other editors can. And there are those that seem unable to keep a longterm project. I personally find it very difficult to work on a long-term project. The longest i've worked on a single video is probably the 3 or so weeks that went into Echoes of Haven. Everything else has been done in a short time frame.

Gekimetsu - 1 day
Freefall - 14 hours straight
Second Coming - 5 days
Sympathy For The Devil - 2 days
Chimera - 1 week

On the other hand, people such as Nessephanie would argue that I just get lazy *shrug*. Like I said, it comes down to the individual creator.

Also, I don't think time necessarily affects the quality of a video. For my example, I will use Koopiskeva. Waking Hour was done in what's considered a low amount of time, yet is quality goods, and well-liked. His 'other' video is taking a fucktonne of time, but the results are delicious. And yet I still love A Time For Us the most : \

[Otohiko]

Generally I can't pull myself from editing once I actually start a project. Actually starting a project, on the other hand, is a long battle for me.
I mean in 2006, I swore I'd take a few stabs at serious editing and enter at least a couple of the more significant American cons... so much for that Now the word is "2007".

Otherwise, pausing an ongoing project due to nothing other than procrastination probbaly means "the end" for me.

[BasharOfTheAges]

I started something big back in late July, did a good 200+ hours of preprocessing work and have sat idle ever since. My timeline has 8 seconds on it, and the deadline for the con is coming up fast. There's no way in hell i'm going to be able to pull this off in a day or so, but something on this scale being pulled out of my ass in a week is a distinct posibility.

[AMV_4000]

im a losing procrastinator... every awa pro video i have made has been made the week of the deadline.. my acen video this year was made the weekend before deadline... for my cbr fanservice video *due friday*, i havent even started editing... and i have work tonight and tomorrow... although last year i won second with a video i finished the day of deadline.. so yeah, im a losing procrastinator....
as for getting praise... well all 3 awa pro videos got a good responce and were each nominated in 2 categories... my acen video got a decent responce from the org... although i didnt see it at acen.. and as i said, my cbr vid last year won second..

caffeine is my friend...

[BauziOLD]

I edit therefor I´m

Have you ever just twiddled around your chair, laughing away in IRC or Skype while that AMV competition's submission deadline that you so wanted to send something to crept even closer?

I´m not the fastest editor out there. I´m more the lazy one most of the time (and now guess why my studio are the: Lazy Generation Studios). In past time I used to force myself to bring something to an end. This could be deadlines (IronChef, Contests, self set deadline etc.) and it almost worked.
There are too many ideas in my head that want to be done. So I force myself today in this way: "Look at this whole work! Was that for nothing?" and this helps. Be honest: At some parts of making and amv you are quite sick about it, but in the end you (can/are/have to/whatever) be statisfied.

Finally, how many times have you won an award, or received praise for it even after that, like it's a work of art or some other cliche?

Contests... I´m happy that I´ve got into the "Best of the Rest" at the Connichi06. That is better than last year. I do get praise, but nothing in thermes of art. There isn´t so much originality in my vids for that praise.

Time: :/ 2 months in average for one amv (MEP parts are finished in 4 days; I don´t know why, but I´m very fast in my eyes at these things).
Effort: Quite a lot
Result: Almost pleased with myself, but not about everything. I can´t see into and mirror and say: "That amv was perfect for your skill and you couldn´t do better". I just can´t.

I see quite a number of video explanations saying that their video was patched up in only a few days and then raked in a few awards in the process. Do you believe that spontaneity and last minute rushes, the staple attitude of many AMV creators submitting to conventions actually yield results (Iron Chefs aside)? Or is it more like accident rather than the person harnessing stress and dangerous levels of caffeine that got them that award?

Deadlines mean... preasure and sometimes good adrenaline and stress

[JaddziaDax]

what about winning a con (or two) with a video you barely worked on?

3 words: I'll Be There

[JaddziaDax]

what about winning a con (or two) with a video you barely worked on?

3 words: I'll Be There

what i mean is, i wasnt trying to get it in by any deadlines or anything, but i didnt really spend very long on it, but as you said "pulled an all nighter" to get it done anyways

[Shinodude]

well im a procrastinatior >.> and I think I can edit a decent amv in a day *cough*cursed*cough* but iv never done what you mentioned sence I make videos when I feel motivated >.>

[dj_ultima_the_great]

That issue aside, how often do you find yourself staring at your editing program window, click the play button a few times, but never actually do any editing?

That's basically my AMV hobby in a nutshell. What most people could pull off in a few days takes me weeks. The shortest I've ever taken to edit something was two weeks (The Chosen Two) simply because I was just playing around with my new editing program and had no internet for two months. My current project has taken me over a month to just finish a minute - not because it's complex, but because I have trouble actually sitting down and doing the editing. Seriously. If we would just invent telepathic editing, I'd have a hundred videos done by now.

On the note of contests... couldn't tell you. I entered my first one recently, but it hasn't happened yet, and it was with a video that I already had done. The contest I'm looking at now is an informal one for my local anime club, so I don't feel too pressured to really finish anything. The only con I'm planning for right now is ACen - and I already know the video I'll be submitting. It's just a matter of making it. However, since I know that I'm notoriously slow at editing, I'm leaving myself plenty of time to do it.

Conclusion: yeah, I guess some people work better under pressure. I don't - at least as far as editing is concerned.


- Jen