WOW – Thank you for this incredible feedback, I’m actually working against my speechlessness here trying to come up with a good response. Last night when I watched the final export I had this ridiculous thought of, ‘Oh, they are the real deal of star-crossed lovers.’ Literally. That was before I decided it was time for another coffee.
Still, they have so much rich history and unanticipated discoveries between them, it’s a joy to vid them and focus on their strength. On the obstacles they have overcome instead of the losses. Especially with Scully. I love to portray her as smart, strong and confident, because there is no reason to dilute her skills as Special Agent or doubt her dedication and devotion to Mulder and his search for the truth. She overcomes the problems life throws at her and as viewer this is what I want to see. The conflict and the solution.
About vidding, it is intimidating and you always learn something new with each and every project. But it is also utter bliss when the story you want to tell comes alive before your eyes. For me writing is about world-building and breaking out of canon and run wild with an idea to places my shows could never go. Vidding is a way to remember what I loved about characters or relationships and what moved me in the beginning. I think that is the reason why I always go back and forth between vidding and writing. So you should unpack that Pandora’s Box and enjoy the rollercoaster ride vidding brings.
You're very welcome! When I left it realized, "Damn, I love her vids, but something tells me I've never commented before..." I'm really terrible about that, it's probably one of my worse habits.
So true, though. I still view XF as, ultimately, a tragedy, but the overarching theme is still, at the end of the day (or the season, or the series; however you'd rather view it) hope. I think that's why this vid works so well; you don't lose sight of that, even while focusing on the hardships Scully faces, and the events which test her strength. I think that's also why straight-up ANGST vids rarely work; the show is tragic, yes, but it never gets entirely swept away by futility. If it did, Mulder and Scully wouldn't be the tragic heroes they are. And now I'm rambling. (Dammit, that's probably Bad Habit #1.)
I've been vidding in my head for months now, and I've probably got at least two or three nearly fully realized up in there, but have yet to actually tackle the technical process. I think it's probably because I'm incredibly picky about what I watch (I like aspect ratio to look right, for example, and with XF -- where you can be stuck working with up to THREE different ratios -- that's a pain in the ass, right out of the gate), so I imagine I'll drive myself crazy attempting to realize any of my ideas. But I really do appreciate the encouragement, so thank you. I'm sure I'll kick my own ass into doing it one of these days. ;)
We obviously share two bad habits already – very good start. I’m so happy to hear you loved the other xf vids as well and I completely agree about the importance of hope. I love angsty vids and made my fair share of them, but I always try to balance out the pain with hope and their inner resolve to not fight a losing battle. Because as it is the triumphs are hard-earned and far in between, but worth remembering.
If you are tackling the technical process there is no better start point then here (http://www.animemusicvideos.org/guides/avtech/). Everything there is to know about vidding is in that guide – so it might not be an easy read, but it will pay off. Even when the details of it are intimidating and hazy at first once you work your way through you really understand the theory behind the pretty pictures. I wished I had encountered this guide earlier in my vidding years to answer some of my questions, but remember you don’t have to understand everything. Things get clearer once you start playing around with Premiere and Avisynth is the best way to edit. It solves all the aspect ratio issues with a simple command line.
One thing I remember from when I started vidding was how I was unable to cut scenes down, they just went on forever, because I was mesmerized by my beloved show to the score of my favourite song. But having talked to several vidders this was my unique newbie experience. Heh. So yeah, check out the link and it should cover the technical process in a way you might not have imagined. Good luck and have fun playing around, because vidding is fun and so addictive.
Because as it is the triumphs are hard-earned and far in between, but worth remembering. Exactly! The same thing can happen with writing, of course; too much angst, not enough hope. There should always be a balance I think, even if it's skewed. That is, if you really want to do justice to the source material.
Thank you so much for that link! Oh man, memories... I haven't seen much anime back in my time, but the first fanvid I ever saw was this one, and to this day I'm astounded by it. I'm sure that guide will be really useful for me to start from though, so I really appreciate it! And thanks as well for the rec for Avisynth; the one thing I've gotten most confused about while trying to learn where to begin is by all the conflicting reports about which software to use. I figure anything that can fix the aspect ratio issues has got to be what I'm looking for.
I totally sympathize with that, especially with such a visually stunning show like XF. That's one thing I've noticed, and that I love, about your vids, though; they move so quickly that it's almost too much to take in, which means multiple viewings are required to really appreciate the patterns and the clip choices. This also works best, I think, with the rhythms of the songs you've chosen. Anyway, thanks again so much for the lovely discussion and helpful recommendations and advice. :)
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Still, they have so much rich history and unanticipated discoveries between them, it’s a joy to vid them and focus on their strength. On the obstacles they have overcome instead of the losses. Especially with Scully. I love to portray her as smart, strong and confident, because there is no reason to dilute her skills as Special Agent or doubt her dedication and devotion to Mulder and his search for the truth. She overcomes the problems life throws at her and as viewer this is what I want to see. The conflict and the solution.
About vidding, it is intimidating and you always learn something new with each and every project. But it is also utter bliss when the story you want to tell comes alive before your eyes. For me writing is about world-building and breaking out of canon and run wild with an idea to places my shows could never go. Vidding is a way to remember what I loved about characters or relationships and what moved me in the beginning. I think that is the reason why I always go back and forth between vidding and writing. So you should unpack that Pandora’s Box and enjoy the rollercoaster ride vidding brings.
(no subject)
So true, though. I still view XF as, ultimately, a tragedy, but the overarching theme is still, at the end of the day (or the season, or the series; however you'd rather view it) hope. I think that's why this vid works so well; you don't lose sight of that, even while focusing on the hardships Scully faces, and the events which test her strength. I think that's also why straight-up ANGST vids rarely work; the show is tragic, yes, but it never gets entirely swept away by futility. If it did, Mulder and Scully wouldn't be the tragic heroes they are. And now I'm rambling. (Dammit, that's probably Bad Habit #1.)
I've been vidding in my head for months now, and I've probably got at least two or three nearly fully realized up in there, but have yet to actually tackle the technical process. I think it's probably because I'm incredibly picky about what I watch (I like aspect ratio to look right, for example, and with XF -- where you can be stuck working with up to THREE different ratios -- that's a pain in the ass, right out of the gate), so I imagine I'll drive myself crazy attempting to realize any of my ideas. But I really do appreciate the encouragement, so thank you. I'm sure I'll kick my own ass into doing it one of these days. ;)
(no subject)
If you are tackling the technical process there is no better start point then here (http://www.animemusicvideos.org/guides/avtech/). Everything there is to know about vidding is in that guide – so it might not be an easy read, but it will pay off. Even when the details of it are intimidating and hazy at first once you work your way through you really understand the theory behind the pretty pictures. I wished I had encountered this guide earlier in my vidding years to answer some of my questions, but remember you don’t have to understand everything. Things get clearer once you start playing around with Premiere and Avisynth is the best way to edit. It solves all the aspect ratio issues with a simple command line.
One thing I remember from when I started vidding was how I was unable to cut scenes down, they just went on forever, because I was mesmerized by my beloved show to the score of my favourite song. But having talked to several vidders this was my unique newbie experience. Heh. So yeah, check out the link and it should cover the technical process in a way you might not have imagined. Good luck and have fun playing around, because vidding is fun and so addictive.
(no subject)
Exactly! The same thing can happen with writing, of course; too much angst, not enough hope. There should always be a balance I think, even if it's skewed. That is, if you really want to do justice to the source material.
Thank you so much for that link! Oh man, memories... I haven't seen much anime back in my time, but the first fanvid I ever saw was this one, and to this day I'm astounded by it. I'm sure that guide will be really useful for me to start from though, so I really appreciate it! And thanks as well for the rec for Avisynth; the one thing I've gotten most confused about while trying to learn where to begin is by all the conflicting reports about which software to use. I figure anything that can fix the aspect ratio issues has got to be what I'm looking for.
I totally sympathize with that, especially with such a visually stunning show like XF. That's one thing I've noticed, and that I love, about your vids, though; they move so quickly that it's almost too much to take in, which means multiple viewings are required to really appreciate the patterns and the clip choices. This also works best, I think, with the rhythms of the songs you've chosen. Anyway, thanks again so much for the lovely discussion and helpful recommendations and advice. :)