Remasters of old Media Cannibals vids

[gwyn]

I posted about this to the Vividcon mailing list, but I realize not everyone may read or get mail from the list (and no, I didn't post to the LJ because... um, I'm not a member of the community, I just have it bookmarked). I've been working with justacat to get some workable, iDVD-ready copies of some of our older Professionals vids for a Media Cannibals digital remasters disc.

As it stands, it looks like we will definitely have A Fire is Burning, Detachable Penis, 500 Miles, and Tender Comrade. We may or may not be able to pull off one more. I'd hoped to get the Wiseguy vid Lives in the Balance, but I can't seem to get a copy of it; if I do, I would love to include it. There will also be some of my older vids, though I realize those aren't selling points like the Pros vids: There's No Way Out of Here (mm), Fall in the Light (XF), and Do What You Have to Do (BtVS). It's a WIP disc, with more adding as we go along.

I'm asking people if they think they might want to get a copy at the con. I don't want to even think about mail order right now, because after the thankless, bitter hell of doing the mail order for the #$%!@$# MCs last tape, I never ever want to do large-scale orders that way again. But I may have to consider it; I just don't want to right now. I need to know how many I have to make, because I might have to enlist help on it. They'll run in the same price range as my usual on discs at cons -- $3-5 depending on quantity. I've heard from only about 10 people so far. I'm really serious when I say: If I don't know if you might (you're not under obligation at all, I'm just getting a head count) want one, you probably won't get one. I'm only going to make enough to cover the general count I get from responses (give or take a couple), though you can certainly have a friend claim one for you if you're not going. You can drop me a comment here or at gwynethr at gmail dot com. Again, you're not under any obligation, I just need a sense of whether I can burn these myself or if I have to scramble a way to get more made.

(Also, does anyone know if the hotel allows us to ship things to it in advance? Have you done this?)

***

In other vid news: I hate capturing clips. I just hate it. In the olden days, adding clips was part of the whole process -- you sat there with your box o' tapes and looked for clips as you laid them in. It's a lot nicer to do it on a computer, but... goddamn, I hate it. It takes forever, even for a little eight-ep series like Life on Mars. I just want to viiiiid... /whine

Comments

[morgandawn.livejournal.com]

Me!!! I want one. At the con.

This time on my vid - I captured as I went. Scrolled through the avi file, scanned for the image that worked, exported it (took less than 1-2 min - good bio break). Tried it out and then moved on. Just like the olden days. And just as annoying. Vidders who capture *all* the possible clips before they start boggle me.

[gwyn-r.livejournal.com]

I wish I could do that, but I can't with my setup. I have to capture everything ahead of time... which means that I always grotesquely over-capture. I usually end up with like 150 clips and use about 60-70, if I'm lucky. It's redonkulous, as they say on Cute Overload.

[marycrawford.livejournal.com]

I'd love to have a copy, and I'm sure I can find a kind congoer to take one for me. So please count me in. :-)

A Fire Is Burning is and

[cattraine.livejournal.com]

remains one of my favorite vids. Will be delighted to see it on dvd. Did you guys do Stray Cat Strut as well?

Re: A Fire Is Burning is and

[gwyn-r.livejournal.com]

No, we have that on the list, but there are a lot of vids and only so much time before the con. The disc is going to be a WIP so I can add to it as I go -- like, if I ever get the Wiseguy files, or other of my older vids that I recut when they become available digitally.

[unovis.livejournal.com]

I'd ask a friend to get one for me at the con.

MC remastered vids

[taverymate.livejournal.com]

I would kill for a copy of the DVD, but I won't be at VVC (it's a physical impossibility these days even if the con didn't sell out so quickly due to the small attendee cap). However, I am trying to find someone who will be at VVC and willing to pick up the VVC DVD set for me. If I can find someone, I'll definitely ask if they can pick up the MC remastered vids DVD, too. So, not so helpful a response as it all depends on if I can find a kind VVC attendee who's willing to help out. Fingers crossed, but no sureity.

I know that there a number of Pros fans on the Pros-Lit list who'd be extremely interested in the MC vids DVD (vids have been a hot topic lately and the MC vids were spoken of longingly). Would you be OK with me posting this info to the list so that if anyone is going to be at VVC - or if they've a friend attending - they can add their "Yes, please!" to your count?

Re: MC remastered vids

[gwyn-r.livejournal.com]

At the risk of seeming churlish, I'd rather not make this too public right now. My DVD burner can't handle doing large scale runs, and I have to make copies of other discs as well for the con. The last thing I want is a bunch of maybes and then breaking my burner for nothing (I find people to be increasingly unreliable in fandom these days, and it's really embittering me).

They will be going up on the Circuit archive in online form as soon as Justacat and I get everything together. I'm doing this kind of on my own because I never get any responses from other people about making the disc, and Justacat is recutting them all under my aegis, so there's a lot of work involved right now and we don't have much time to do it in. So, I guess what I'm saying is that I want people to get the disc if they want it, but I don't want to have people rustling up one of the other 125 attendees or whatever the number is, because I really can't handle that kind of traffic right now. Maybe after the con, Justacat and I will be able to figure out some way to distribute them on a larger scale without me becoming a raving lunatic again.

Re: MC remastered vids

[taverymate.livejournal.com]

OK. I know that you're feeling stessed at the moment, so offering a suggestion for AFTER the con, when things calm down and you have a chance to catch your breath. I think it would be worth asking on the Pros list if someone, or a couple of someones, would be willing to help out with duplicating the vid DVD. As you know, Pros fen have a long history of working together to make fannish items available to other Pros fen. And while duping and mailing out DVDs is quite a project for any one person, spreading the workload would help save your sanity *g*. And since the list is international, finding someone willing to dup the DVD who lives in Europe would greatly simply postage and currency issues.

This worked out rather well recently with getting DVD copies of Judge John Deed out to Pros fen - and the genesis was quite informal. Both American and European fen (German and British, IIRC) helped out.

As I've said before, several times, I'm thrilled that you are remastering your vids and the MC vids. I do think there is most definitely an audience for them, and the effort is much appreciated.

Re: MC remastered vids

[gwyn-r.livejournal.com]

Yes, I think that sounds good. And I think some of my stress is that I work on a Mac, and I don't know what capabilities Windows machines have for duplicating a disc created in iDVD. In Macland, we can make what's called a Disc Image Copy and it not only takes up less space, all you have to do is open the Utility program, and click burn, and it uses the stored "image" copy of that disc (a read-only, so you can't make changes to it) to create a new disc. I have no idea if Windows has anything compatible, or if they, in their shitty "Microsoft products only" narrowness, will allow something created on a Mac to be copied this way. I will have to find out afterwards so that I can see what can be done.

I'll have to rely on you and Jessica to point me toward the reliable fans. ;-) I've really lost a lot of touch with people in the Pros world, sad to say. Well, everyone except my flist, these days.

Re: MC remastered vids

[taverymate.livejournal.com]

Wanted to let you know that there shouldn't be a problem with a PC being able to copy a Mac-created DVD. Bill Gates must be furious *g*. Emailing you with details.

Re: MC remastered vids

[(Anonymous)]

Hi there--

Hijacking Gwyn's comments to say that I would be willing to pick up both the VVC DVD set and the MC one for you, TaVeryMate -- and Gwyn, I'd like one of the latter for myself too, absolutely! I'm so very glad this is being undertaken, despite all the aggravations.

Re: MC remastered vids

[katallison.livejournal.com]

Arrrgghhh --- and damn, that's me with the anonymous comment above. I KEEEL LJ now for automatically logging me out all the goddamn time . . .

Re: MC remastered vids

[taverymate.livejournal.com]

Excuse the deleted comment; I started it before your identity was revealed *g* and when it posted, I found your reply which made it moot. I'll email you to find out the best way to get you the money for the DVDs and postage. Words cannot express how happy you've made me - really!

[anoel.livejournal.com]

I'd definitely want one and would pick it up at the con. Getting to see all the vids that aren't online is one of the reasons I'm looking forward to going so much.

And I totally agree that capturing clips sucks. I say the "I just want to vid" all the time. Just keep reminding yourself that when you're done with the clip capturing, you'll be able to vid happily. Taking breaks are good too.

[jackiekjono.livejournal.com]

*Raises hand. jumps up and down*

Me! Me! Me!

[keiko-kirin.livejournal.com]

I think you'll be swamped with orders, but if you can do one for me, I'd *love* one. If the pressure of burning so many copies is too much (and believe me, I've been there!) don't worry about it, and after the con, if you have a chance to burn more, I'll be there with bells on. I really, really want a copy, but I don't want to be Miss Greedy McDemandyPants!

I remain in awe of your zeal for remastering! That is so wonderful.

[gwyn-r.livejournal.com]

Not swamped, definitely. (I think a lot of people are assuming that since they know me, I'll just make enough for them, too, but they assume wrong! Ha ha!) For friends I'm hoping I can just trade with them for their own discs or new vids.

So far, the vids are looking just lovely. Justacat and I are working on trying to futz with my third-gen tape copy of a clip of older Martin Shaw in The Investigation so that we can use it in 500 Miles -- it's definitely different (she's using the new cleaned up Pros discs that came out this year) from the other clips, but I think it's acceptable with the filters we've used. It's just one clip, anyway. It's kind of fun watching these things over and over to make sure everything's the same. I haven't revisited a lot of them in so long.

[mlyn.livejournal.com]

Count me in!

[gwyn-r.livejournal.com]

Ha! You are local, so I can deal with you later! (Speaking of which, someone told me about a cool shoe store in Bham... I may need to head up there to check it out, because I adored her shoes.

[mlyn.livejournal.com]

Right Foot Left Foot?

I want to check out that store anyway. The owner is a graphic design graduate who took a class project and made it into her business. Friends say all of her design work in the store is awesome.

[elynross.livejournal.com]

I'd love a copy -- I hadn't gotten around to answering your vidder email! I got to see the remaster of Detachable Penis at con.txt, and it was both v. nostalgic, and all shiny new!

re: mailing early to the hotel, we do it with the con dvds, so my answer is yes, they will take stuff that gets mailed early and hold it for you.

[gwyn-r.livejournal.com]

It really is so shiny, isn't it? It's kind of thrilling to see things that I can barely actually *see* coming to new life.

Thank you so much for info on the hotel -- that will solve a lot of my stress right there, I think. I don't have enough room in my new suitcase for that many discs!

[destina.livejournal.com]

I'm asking people if they think they might want to get a copy at the con.

OMG, YES. Yes, yes, yes. For Detachable Penis and Fall in the Light alone, if nothing else! :D *is very excited*

[mmapmaker.livejournal.com]

I'd like to be added to your list, but I had to give up my membership slot.

When do you need a firm commitment? I don't want you to make one for me and then drag it all the way out there if I'm unable to find a volunteer. -g-

Thanks for asking about this! MC vids -- how fabulous!

[gwyn-r.livejournal.com]

I'll probably start burning toward the middle-end of July. I'm hoping that we'll have all the vids we can get by then, but it could get pushed back a bit. It's a slow process for me in that I have to kind of let the burner cool off for a bit between bouts. And gah, I have so many other discs to do as well. So, there's a bit of time. And Taverymate suggested that we might be able to build a network of fans who could help with the mailing, so maybe mail order won't be too onerous. Here's hoping. ;-)

[mmapmaker.livejournal.com]

I'm in luck -- anoel has offered to pick up a copy of your vids for me. Woohoo! If you'd add me to your headcount, I'd appreciate it.

Thanks!

[phantomas.livejournal.com]

I am ecstatic that you're working with Jessica so that we will get digital copies of the MC. Ecstatic, grateful, excited. It's hard work, and you and Jessica are stars. I'll wait patiently until they're up on the Archive. Thank you so much for considering doing this at all (and yes, Jessica knows I adore her for doing this as well :)

A Fire is Burning, Detachable Penis, 500 Miles,
my top Pros vid to date. Can I be happier? :D

[gwyn-r.livejournal.com]

Well, at least we'll have a few of them. THere are some that we'd talked about rejiggering because we need to fix some problems that we couldn't back then, but people have pretty much stopped talking to me about it, so... who knows if they'll ever happen. I'm happy to at least have a few, though. I'm bummed about the Wiseguy stuff, but I'm tired of nagging and asking and being refused help, so I'm just going ahead with what I can. And Jo and I are excited about the prospect of remaking our Mag 7 vid Showdown at Big Sky if the S2 discs ever come out, so for me, that's something to take away the bitter taste.

Justacat has been indispensible. She has never given up in the face of extreme rudeness and apathy (not from me, but I have not always been energetic about it when it seems really impossible) and she's doing all the hard work, frankly.

[barkley.livejournal.com]

YEs please! I'd love one!

[tzikeh.livejournal.com]

I'm sorry I didn't answer this before - but

a) yes, you can ship in advance to the hotel - just put the guest's name on it somewhere and put "arriving on:" and the date.

b) I have a remastered copy of "Lives in the Balance" from last year's Hi-Def show, so if you can get permission from Sandy and Rache, I can get it to you.

[gwyn-r.livejournal.com]

Thank you -- I think Sandy and Rache changed a few things on Lives, and that was why I was trying to get the new file, but I will check with her about that. With so much going on for her right now, maybe she won't care if I just use the one from VVC last year as a kind of placeholder, and when things get better, we can swap it out later. It would be wonderful to have that, and I really appreciate the offer.

[tzikeh.livejournal.com]

I haven't heard back from you - do you still want this file, and if so, how shall I deliver it to you?