Not a virgin anymore

[gwyn]

At least with Final Cut Express: finished my La Femme Nikita vid last night. Or at least, finished in the sense of "I put enough clips to get from the beginning of the song to the end of the song." But it's not finished in terms of looking like what I thought it would look like or fixing the problem spots. There is still an entire segment in the middle that I don't understand how to make look like what I want it to (especially since, I suspect, it involves mathy things and that falls under the category of Never Gonna Happen), and I can't understand how to fade out the final clip to black (I do not get why such a sophisticated program doesn't have a simple fade in/ fade out effect, the way stupid little iMovie does -- it's a perfectly useful and valid thing to have, yet the only thing you can get close to it with is the fade in and out transition, but this isn't a transition). sdwolfpup, that pewling whiny sound you hear under all the wind and rain is me going, "I don't geeeet it."

I doubt I will ever be able to do much with this program, not the kinds of things I see my friends do. But I found at least one thing I liked -- I can mess around with clips in the different levels of video timelines, and match them up to the space where I already had a clip I wasn't sure about, and see which one I like better. That's cool. I just haven't figured out how to make everything not go wonky in timing when I swap things around, though. The worst part is the generators -- I am completely stumped by the text generators for making a title. I'm obviously missing something, I keep reading and re-reading it, but I don't understand and I can't seem to make even a simple title over black work.

Overall I like the vid. It's not great, but it's very bleak (no! the people who've seen most of my vids say) in some ways, darker than I was expecting it to be -- but I think it would be perceived that way mostly by people who know a little of the show. I will have to test it out on people to see if the story makes any kind of sense, though. I just wish I could figure out how to make a decent copy -- so far the copies of QT movies I've made have looked abysmal. (morgandawn, get ready for that phone call.) I haven't figured out yet whether I want to stick with FCE for making the next vid, which would be a very simple, perky Wonderfalls vid that wouldn't necessarily require the abilities of FCE. It's hard to say. I suppose like most people after their first times, I'm not sure yet what I think of the whole experience. It's been a change of pace being able to be pissed and miserable over something besides my sister's death, but I'm not sure if I want to be confronted with my stupidity and inabilities on a constant basis. And it's been easier to vid, for some reason, than it has been to write, something I can't seem to make myself do.

I feel a HUGE rant coming on about the enormous tech proficiencies being demanded of vidders these days, but I'm pretty sure no one would want to hear it, especially from an old-timer like me who has never quite fitted herself into the computer vidding world.

It hasn't helped that work has been rotten this week -- first there was the fixation and morbid one-upmanship at coming up with death headlines for Terri Schiavo's case, and then now it's the pope death-o-rama. Wed nights are just really hard, too -- I keep thinking of my sister waking up and asking me "Is it nine o'clock?" when she saw that Alias was on. So when I watch Alias now I have a tough time dissociating it from her. (Though, last week's, I think it was, with the guy who used to work with Nadia -- where has Cesar's actor been my whole life? Does anyone know anything about him? Phwoar!) And a co-worker has been really snotty to me all week, challenging and belitting and quibbling. I'm not used to it, she's normally really kind, so something else must be going on, but it's wearing me down a lot.

I guess that's always the good thing about doing La Femme Nikita vids: Nikita and Michael's lives were just infinitely more miserable than yours could ever be, so you are always reminded that things could be worse. You could work for Section One.

Comments

[morgandawn.livejournal.com]

oooh, call me call me. I can help with the titles and the exporting and the ....... boy am I bored here at home. so yes, call me!

[sdwolfpup.livejournal.com]

Congratulations on finishing! That's an important first step. And I actually couldn't hear you over the rain and wind because of all the *thunder*. We have blue skies up here right now but I'm expecting those to disappear any second.

I suppose like most people after their first times, I'm not sure yet what I think of the whole experience.

Heh. So true.

[kadymae.livejournal.com]

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<<I feel a HUGE rant coming on about the enormous tech proficiencies being demanded of vidders these days, but I'm pretty sure no one would want to hear it, especially from an old-timer like me who has never quite fitted herself into the computer vidding world.>>

Perhaps this has to do with your percieved LJ audience (because there's no such thing as writing without an audience, even if the audience is you).

To me, LJ is a giant flea-market of ideas. My LJ is *my* soapbox, and I post what I think is important and interesting and if somebody wants my wares they'll stop in.

So, if you think you've got a "rantifesto", it's *your* soapbox.

I mean, as I start dipping my toe into things vidding related, I think of the fact that, meep!, there's a huge technical leap to be a Lum or a Killa and how the hell am I ever going to be that good?

But then I think about the response that your vid got, about the response that Smutcutter's PoTC vid got, or how much I loved Janis Cortese's vid for 2001. None of those vids are super technical.

They're good because they display all the fundamentals of good vidding. Song choice, clip choice, clip timing -- the proper marriage of song/music to image.

Now, Killa and Hafital's use of color variation and filters add the extra "oomph!" to that video. Really brings out the mood of melencholy, alienation, pain, and regret, BUT, they do not make the vid.

Without "nice choice of clips" you've got nothing.

Or in writing, it can be a real joy to see flowery language from the person who really knows how to use it for style and panache, but at the same time, a well written piece that does not have the "special effects" can be just as incredible.

What it boils down to is style is not content, and I know that when I <i>finally</i> get my shit together and teach myself vidding, I'm not going to sink or swim on the virtue of crossfades and layers and color timing. I'm going to sink or swim on the basis of do I know what the heck I'm doing.

[kadymae.livejournal.com]

Oh, and DUH!!!

Looking forward very much to your LFN vid.

[gwyn-r.livejournal.com]

It's not somuch about the effects and things, but about the technical knowledge of computers and codecs and software proficiencies. I mean, effects and things are in there, definitely, but one of the things I've noticed a lot lately is that the fannish help network seems to be by and large disappearing, and there's a prevailing attitude of "do it yourself/learn it yourself" and that not only discourages people like me from seeking help when they need it (so the creative product might never be made), but it also is a huge shift in how fandom has always interacted since generations ago, and it means that the onus of an extreme amount of technological know-how is now completely on the producer, with no one there to help them or back them up. So we expect this one segment of fandom -- the vidder -- to be as technically proficient as an IT expert, as a hardware manufacurer, as a developer of software -- as well as for them to spend thousands of dollars in costs associated to create the fannish product and distribute it, free of charge, to anyone who asks.

And the demans are increasing all the time. I just saw someone anguishing about not having the video codecs for lazy Windows users becuase she works on a Mac and how she was going to all these lengths to try to appease some asshat who won't DL her vids because they're too crappy to get the right player. Why? Becuase we now expect the vidder to not only provide us with the vids, to spend all that $$ to make the vids and use their time and energy, but to also have all the bases covered technically so that lazy, crappy people don't have to do any work.

To me, this is an enormous disparity and I think the unfairness of vidding has reached almost comical proportions. Whenever I get criticized for having a password on my site, or when people bitch at me because QT files won't load on their computer, or whatever, I'm like... when did this become my responsibility to make everything easy for you? And part of that is that most of these folks might not know anyone who can help them (I can't) and woe betide the person who asks becuase all they'll get is a link from someone for something they may not understand or be able to use; or they may be just those fans I hate who think they are entitled to everything and you are their fucking fannish product slave.

Vidders used to be a pretty small group, and there was an appreciation in the audience for the expense and effort people went to. Now it's this "you better understand every tech aspect of vidding, don't fucking ask anyone to help you if you can't understand/do it yourself, and give it to me now free of charge in the way I demand it." I am frustrated by the expectations placed on vidders (especially those of us who want to submit to cons, which are becoming increasingly hostile to the low-tech vidder) and the level of knowledge being demanded of them, when they're already struggling to produce some art. Writers don't get asked this level of expense and knowledge. Why are vidders -- and for so little reward, since almost no one supports them the way they suport fic?

[varina8.livejournal.com]

Congrats on wrapping up the La Femme Nikita vid. Can't wait to see it. As for the rest, I hope work and all gets easier. Maybe things will calm down and go back to the usual Michael Jackson coverage.

[elz.livejournal.com]

Ooh, looking forward to seeing the vid!

I feel a HUGE rant coming on about the enormous tech proficiencies being demanded of vidders these days, but I'm pretty sure no one would want to hear it, especially from an old-timer like me who has never quite fitted herself into the computer vidding world.

Well, I've been working on a vid using embarrassingly low-tech means, so I'd definitely be interested. *g* I mean, obviously once you have Final Cut or Premiere and you know how to use it, you can do all sorts of nifty things, but I think it's still true that what makes a vid good is the choice of clips and the pacing and how well the story/message/emotion comes through, and cutting edge software still can't make those choices for you any more than a VCR could. If my vid sucks (and currently, it kind of does - onward to revisions!), it won't be because lots of fancy effects would have made it any better. ;)

I guess that's always the good thing about doing La Femme Nikita vids: Nikita and Michael's lives were just infinitely more miserable than yours could ever be, so you are always reminded that things could be worse. You could work for Section One.

So true.

[gwyn-r.livejournal.com]

I am anxious to see your work.

As I explained in my rant above to kadymae (stop me before I rant again!), it's more about the level of technical knowledge that people are demanding, especially of showing at cons, or of how to make files for DLing, and what kinds of additional sofware and programs you have to know how to use and get before you can share a vid with anyone these days. Before, people appreciated you for your work; now, they demand that you not only make the vids and spend the money for the stuff to make it with, but that you go to enormous lengths to make it they way they want, to distribute, etc.

And you can't ask for help when you're like me -- I have a few people I know who can help me, but only one person lives nearby, and I'm not sure some of this can be learned over the phone. I feel an incredible pressure to learn all these fancy ass codecs, and I don't want to becuase the vidding is pressure enough. It really depresses and angers me sometimes.

[elz.livejournal.com]

I am anxious to see your work.

I'm in over my head, but the goal is to keep working on it until it stops sucking, no matter how long that takes. ;)

Before, people appreciated you for your work; now, they demand that you not only make the vids and spend the money for the stuff to make it with, but that you go to enormous lengths to make it they way they want, to distribute, etc.

Ah - gotcha. It always blows my mind when fans whine (to the vidder) about not being able to watch a vid because it's in [whatever] format - it takes five minutes to download a Quicktime player or a DivX codec (especially if you have a PC), and they can't really expect vidders to post twelve different versions of every vid, can they? And really, who would turn to a writer and say, "You wrote this story in the third person, but I'd really prefer a first person POV. Could you go back and rewrite it for me?" That's a little rude.

(What sort of codec problems are you having? I know very little about Final Cut Express, but I've had a fair amount of practical experience with capturing and converting video. Chances are slim that I could help, but if I can, I'd be happy to.)

[ms-artisan.livejournal.com]

Sorry you've had making-it-work stress, but a new LFN vid sounds very exciting. *g*

Fingers crossed for you that you have one of those lovely software 'discovery' moments when you figure out one thing and whole stack of previous irritations sort themselves out.

di