House of Leaves

So I tried veoh for my vids and got two copyright-infrightment emails for 'To be a ghost' within minutes, so scratch that service. Man, I miss stage6 -

Snagged from charmax:

1.)When did you first start vidding?

Around the beginning of 2002, maybe even the end of 2001. It’s hard to remember how long it took me to finish my first vid.

2) What would you say was your inspiration or motivation to start doing it?

The inspiration? I watched obsessively X-files-vids as soon as I got internet at the end of 1999. Some of these vids were just too mind-blowing to comprehend or even attempt my own. Then I got my hands on Premiere and was busy figuring it out. I also slipped into a new fandom with AtS/BtVS and to be completely honest the quality of the first vids I encountered there wasn’t so intimidating compared with the experienced XF-vidders, so I tried to make my own. The inspirations were other vids and the motivation was a song, I wanted to tell the story of. A pretty simple one at that.

3) What do you or have you vidded?

For a long time just AtS/BtVS, then a movie vid for ‘Interview with the vampire’ shortly followed by Alias, Lost, more movies, Veronica Mars, SPN, Haunted, The X Files, more movies and finally Deadwood. I probably should mention that I bought an external hard drive with one terabyte last week, which makes me confident, that I will revisit old fandoms soonish and rip everything on my DVD shelves just because I CAN. I think my main fandoms are SPN, TXF and Deadwood at the moment, I have countless ideas in my head of stories I want to tell in them. But sometimes an idea just grabs you and you produce one vid for a fandom and have the feeling that you have said everything you wanted to say for the moment.

4) Where do you draw your inspiration from for vids? Is it the song? An idea? Someone else?

It is easier, if a song inspires a video idea or fits a character arc – You mind instantly flashes through scenes and shots you can use. But I have done plenty of vids by now, in which I searched the longest time for a fitting song for a concept, theme or subject I wanted to explore. I always go the extra mile for finding some subject I know Charmax will love. Challenges are also fun in shaking up your vidding routine or recently Xandra’s cracktastic ideas on IM.

5) What was your favorite video to make or do?

This is a tie between the ones that were technically challenging and therefore gave me a tingly accomplished feeling like ‘To be a ghost’, ‘Feeling Good’ or even ‘Damaged’ back then and the ones that fell effortlessly into place like ‘My Girl’, ‘Around the corner’ or ‘Move’.

6) What was your least favorite video to make or do?

I remember the headaches ‘Haunted’ and ‘Hey Pretty’ gave me too well, but it was more in regards, if I could translate my concept into visuals. Plus – points to answer #5 – the gratification when they finally came together was well worth it. I wouldn’t vid a song, if there is nothing in it for me and therefore I chose them pretty carefully by now. Sometimes listening for days and days, before I make up my decision to vid it and so I rarely scratch an idea once I have the song on the timeline.

7) Which video are you most proud of?

I’m proud of every single one, even when it just means in what I learned by creating them. You will probably noticing most of the new things heavily featured in the ones I discovered them. It doesn’t matter, if its something simple as cross dissolves in ‘Shades of Grey’, overlays in ‘Ice’, colour correction in ‘Feeling good’ or in-depth post-processing in avisynth with ‘Jesus Christ’.

8) What's the best feedback or comment you've ever gotten?

Something on top of my head, that came down to, ’This is the video I turn on when I search for inspiration for my Sam fic.’ Because inspiring other people and being so close to their vision of a character that they can drawn some spark from my vid is made of fucking win. I also love to make Charmax glow and she is really a constant inspiration to get better, try harder and never get lazy and oh, I love her and her shiny vids and clever ways to push my buttons. Xandra is my perfect soundboard for ideas and she will cut me, if I dare to waste her time with a shitty concept. I had so many wonderful an in-depth comments over the years, that I cherish which made me rethink my own vids and what I intended to say with them and what these people perceived, it’s refreshing and beautiful to read, even when I fail at answering it coherently.

9.)What is your opinion on clip theft?

It’s too pathetic to even bother me and I hate the senseless drama it creates.

10) Favorite genre to vid to (comedy, angst, romance, drama, AU)?

Character-driven vids are my favourites. I’m drawn to the darker sides of characters, their PoVs of relationships and it shows through the years. But I also recently started vidding lighter vids, which probably only I find amusing.

11) Favorite pairing(s)?

I’m a shipper at heart, even when that means I have to make pairings up as I go. Seriously, you should hear the on-going IM conversations, when Xandra and I are watching a show together. Usually I love unconventional couples, but it seems like I vid more common pairings since I came back from my nine month hiatus. Note to self: Change that. I think I will still be fascinated ten years from now with Scully/Mulder, Cordelia/Angel, Angel/Wes and Sam’n’Dean.

12) What just drives you up the wall when it comes to vidding?

Actually I’m very mellow nowadays – nothing can faze me. Most of my serious tech problems are for now solved with avisynth, so if I run into a tech issue, I take the time to figure it out. If the source doesn’t show what I want the scene to show I crop or manipulate or take a different scene. If the song is too long, I cut it beforehand, because I know I will find the footage to fill a six minute song and that is not really my goal. I can do straight cuts without compromising my artistic ambitions. I can do pretty much anything I want. I love vidding nowadays. Oh, and I love my new external 1 TB hard drive and avisynth. *pets and glows*

13) Is vidding a pastime, hobby or something to help gain experience to do more later in life?

To steal Millys words of wisdom, vidding is a passion and to quote Charmax: ‘I can't imagine ever giving up.’

14) What is your latest project or idea for your next vid if your muse isn't dead?

I’m stuck at the last quarter of an XF-vid, which is okay. My writing muse is currently in the driver seat and probably will be for two or three more weeks. Once I finished that, I have my to-do-list with 15 very intriguing concepts, but I’m very tempted to go back to AtS for one simple idea, which I’m playing around in my head for a week or so and then back to Deadwood and some crossover-action. I have enough ideas on the back burner to keep me eternally busy.

15) Finally, what kind of words of wisdom would you offer someone who wants to vid/ is a newbie?

The learning curve is the key - Never expect your first vid to be the IT vid of the moment. There will be set-backs, frustration and hair-pulling, if you’re not ready to face that for your own shiny vid, stick to watching them. In the meantime watch other vids from a wide range of vidders with different styles. Then learn why your favourites work for you, more importantly analyse why some vids don’t work for you – What turns you off? Keep an eye on professional music videos and adds. And then try to convert this newfound knowledge into your own style. Oh, and embrace your tech – there is so much theory you have to understand – but not everything at once.