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You know what happens when people are creative without pausing to ask themselves whether that's really such hot idea? BAD AMVS!!
2011-08-27 19:28:28
The Kingdom of L.F.S.
Pre-edit: 2 hours
Edit: 34 hours
The Good: I became pleased with this video again today for a few key segments. Not jumping-up-and-down-on-my-couch pleased, but definitely cackling pleased.
The Bad: Apparently I know what I'm doing well enough to have successfully predicted that the worst was yet to come. It came, and it's not going away anytime soon. I made my first "Oh, I can just adjust the lip flap later" concession today, despite not knowing if it's even possible. The entire scene will collapse around it if I can't, though. I also got stuck in the all-too-familiar rut of being so fixated on crafting a specific, very important segment that I disregard that it has to work with the rest of the video - it doesn't just live in a vacuum, no matter how great a vacuum it may be.
The Ugly: Things are getting ugly. I keep having to toss more balls in the air, and they've all got to come down and be caught. I am trying desperately to avoid this video becoming a sequence of good scene/bad scene/good scene/bag scene, but that's still how it's turning out. No one is ever going to know that I did NOT take the easy route out, that I tried like crazy to be very creative and experimented with tons of different options for each and every scene..all they're going to see is me apparently taking the easy way out. [See journal post title for finishing thought.] I did not, I took what I consider the BEST way out, just like I always do.
I'm really looking forward to writing the comments for L.F.S. Basically, I'm going to tell any would-be critics to "shove it." If they can do better, they need to do it because I'd love to see it (seriously, I would...I would love it if someone could do this better than me, because I'm not happy with it!). <----- Clearly I'm a wee bit aggravated at the moment. I've never told anyone to "shove it" in my life. -
Oh ******* Hell!!
2011-08-24 21:28:32
This is a belated response to the appalling situation I recently found myself in due to usage of the AMV.org Google App account and YouTube. Yes, I know, YT is a bad word around here, but we all (mostly) do it. Long story short, due to Google maneuverings I got locked out of my YT account and was staring down the gullet of never being able to access my channel or my videos ever again. I finally managed to extricate myself from this situation, but it took about a week of trial and error and cursing Google.
Anyways. If anyone else is using an AMV.org Google Apps account, be advised that there is the potential for complications. Also be advised that the information in those accounts is owned by AMV.org, is not private and can be accessed/deleted at any time without your permission. Not saying anything unfortunate like that would ever happen, but I personally had no idea it even COULD happen...just never thought about it that much (clearly). I've asked that a general notice be issued to all users about the accounts, but I have no idea if the admins feel it's warranted or would do such a thing.
It's sad how I write stuff in my journal and seem to assume it's being read by the entire AMV.org community. Yeesh... -_- If I really wanted something read by everyone, it would be posted somewhere else! -
grrrrr
2011-08-22 22:09:32
The Kingdom of L.F.S.
Pre-edit: 2 hours
Edit: 27 hours
I threw several alternative sequences at the AMV today, all in an attempt to forestall boredom which I now fear is going to set in. Like I said before...
...wait, I deleted that whole rant. Well, I guess it bears repeating! I am not usually of the mindset to go with cheap laughs at the expense of logic, it's not my first choice, anyways. I could, believe me I COULD, but I really don't want to. I guess I've done enough with L.F.S. to feel that, while a two-minute progression of mindless cheap shots is possible to construct,* the cheapness only highlights the inescapable problems behind what I'm doing. ANYONE can throw together cheap shots (ok, not anyone, but definitely not just me), and I don't want to be "anyone." Deliberately crafting some very nicely set up scenes, on the other hand, seems to make it very clear that I'm avoiding the cheap shot route in favor of a "higher" purpose...but meanwhile I can almost picture the audience snoring in their seats. This is a con video; this is not supposed to pull any punches. I just haven't figured out which fight is best to wage, yet: the hardcore comedy fight or the authentic trailer fight. I don't care so much about winning an award as getting into the finals, and it's the picky picky judges who choose what gets to the finals! It has crossed my mind to make two videos: one trailer and one comedy. Who says I can't?
In sum: the longer I work on this video, the harder it seems to make. :| Very strange.
*This avoidance of cheap shots seems justified until I remember all those enjoyable My Little Pony videos out there and how many of them are built entirely on lame jokes. This also applies to most AMV Hell rip-offs, a staple of many an AMV competition. -
Gotta keep track of this stuff, otherwise what's the point of keeping track?
2011-08-17 18:04:45
The Kingdom of L.F.S.
Pre-edit: 2 hours
Edit: 25 hours
The Good: One thing I am rather pleased with about this video is that, while I still don't feel I have any natural knack for editing, I am learning and getting better. It may not "show" as much as some people might like in the final product (I will just never blow anyone away with my editing, ever), but 25 hours for a minute of footage I can probably live with? This is HUGE for me, HUGE!!
The Bad: Going away for a long weekend to help a family member pack up their life and move on. No AMV work will be done until next weekend, which presents me with a challenge: finish this AMV in time to submit it to the local con, which has Oct. 1 as the deadline for AMV entries. This means I have exactly four weekends left in which to log as many hours as are necessary for finishing this. I have precisely one minute of the video (mostly) done so far, but not perfected, and there are some seriously scary things I'm about to have to deal with which I've so far somehow avoided (see aforementioned journal entries referencing murder).
The Ugly: Unfortunately, I just don't see Oct. 1 happening. At least not without some serious back pain from sitting in my chair for hours and hours (not to mention doggy guilt trips for neglecting my canine companion). -
Murder isn't necessarily funny, though.
2011-08-14 20:53:18
The Kingdom of L.F.S.
Pre-edit: 2 hours
Edit: 23 hours
You know how some hilarious jokes, the fiftieth time you heard them, feel stale and "ugh...?" Same thing happens to me when I make an AMV - I start out with a passion, but in the end wind up pretty much destroying any original affection I had for the song/concept/anime. This one's being destroyed really fast, all around. I am really losing my normally rock-solid ability to be objective and critical about what I'm making because, I suspect, I no longer find the "joke" very funny. Last weekend I was (literally) cackling with glee, this weekend I'm glumly watching the scenes play out with less and less excitement.
[deletes long rant about using humor at the expense of logic in AMVs being not her style]
Aaannnyways, I am quite happy to continue working on this. It can be finished, it just won't necessarily be something I'm as pleased with as I originally wanted to be. I blame it all on my source video, too. Totally and completely. I cannot heap enough blame upon it, and normally I am quite willing to share blame heaping with my own skills/motivation.
JOURNAL: DriftRoot (Lauren C.)
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