Lost Video Island

[FrecklesPhoenix]

[littleton_pace]

i also found this, long list of effects very helpful
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[Aislynn]

I may have Vegas Movie Studio now (and I can totally recommend it as a lower-cost alternative to the full version of Vegas -- it can do everything that the "big" version can except for audio edit and do a precision mask), but I struggled for a loooooong time with WMM. In fact, I've still got more WMM vids in my profile than Vegas MS ones and the first bunch was done with WMM version 1 which had no effects at all (no slow down/speed up, no black and white or sepia tone or anything ) and just the basic fade transition. It just basically sucked big time!

Anyway, the little messy clip bits can be conquered with WMM (I had more of them in my first bunch of vids, then tried to make a point of getting rid of them in the last bunch), it just takes trimming off a little more than it seems like you're going to need. WMM is very tricksy sometimes because it doesn't preview the little stray bit...but it'll render it into your vid! So that just takes going back and recutting some of the clips even when you can't see that there's anything wrong with them in the preview.

As for adding in effects to WMM... here's my two cents for what it's worth. There's no denying that a sophisticated split-screen ability gives you the opportunity to tell more and varied stories than when you don't have that ability. And I said "sophisticated" because I added an XML pack to my WMM that let me split-screen but you couldn't "place" the footage like you can with Vegas (which lets you resize and slide the footage around) so a lot of times the split-screen didn't do me any good because I couldn't get people where you could see them both at the same time or it would be like half of somebody's head!

The bottom line is, just doing an effect for the effect's sake doesn't add much to a vid. Even if you have the full version of Vegas, if you just start lobbing effects and transitions into a vid without rhyme or reason, then that doesn't make it a "good" vid. A vid needs to have effects and transitions that make sense in and of the vid itself and that are used consistently through out the vid so it doesn't look like it was random effects button pushing. (I can say that because I've caught myself doing the exact same thing: "Hey, I've never used this effect!" *pushes button* "Hey, how about this one?" *pushes next button* )

My best advice for trying to improve your vidding (and believe me, I struggle with this all the time myself, which is why I have a mental list handy! ) is this: (list time! )

1. Know your program's strength and limitations. There are things that WMM just can't do like Vegas or whatever program but that doesn't mean it can't do other things. Look at pumpkin_heart's earlier vids for an example as to what can be done with WMM. You can get incredible beat use with WMM but you have to be patient with it and be willing to work around its quirks and neurotic twitches. I use this for myself because I know I can't precision mask so I have to find ways around that with the other tools that Vegas Movie Studio does have.

2. Tell a story. Don't just pick any old generic song and slap random clips to it. (Not saying that I'm saying that's what you've done by any means! I make my own songs pass the "is this a generic song that I'm slapping random clips to?" test on every single vid I do. I actually end up rejecting a lot of my ideas because I realize they're not going to pass that test.) When you find the right song for your vid, then you need to figure out what the story is.

Know what conclusion you're working towards so you'll choose clips that will help support that ending as a natural conclusion to your story. That helps me more than anything when I'm trying to find what clips to use. I also try to load the end of my vid with the stronger clips so that things seem to be progressing (if I was making a vid where Jack was sad, I'd have the "I'm just kinda bummed" looking clips at the start, then move to the "Geez, I'm totally EMO right now" ones in the middle and have the "ZOMG, I'm bawling my eyes out!" ones at the end so that the vid felt like it was getting sadder and sadder as it went along).

3. Beat use like there's no tomorrow. Nothing drags a vid down faster than ignoring the major beats in a song. Change the clip on the beat, use a white flash if that's what it "sounds" like to you, or even edit the clip so that the motion in the scene acknowledges the beat (such as Sawyer throwing down the Marshal's case when he was trying to break it open). Think about what certain sounds in the song would "look" like. There's a lot of WMM's basic effects and transitions that will work just as well as anything else.

4. Keep it clean. Keeping out the stray clips gives a vid a much more tidy, professional look. Also watch for "talkie" clips, where people's mouths are moving but there are no words to be heard. A few talkie clips are fine but if you end up with a large section where people's mouths are just flapping and flapping and flapping, after a while you realize you're just kinda staring at their mouths, wondering what they're saying and you've lost track of the vid's story.

*realizes she's writing a huge monster of a post* Geez, come for the comment and stay for the freakin' huge lecture! Sorry about that.

Anyway, making a long story -- well, still long but not as long as it could've been if I kept rambling! Don't give up just 'cause you haven't gotten the response you've been hoping for so far. Don't be afraid to get in there and try out some new things and see what you can put together. I mean, you've clearly got the imagination for the job so just try tweaking a few things here and there and I bet you'll see things going more the direction that you'd like in no time flat!

Disclaimer: The above sentiments are all just my opinion, so take them for whatever they're worth. They're by no means the "end all, be all" of vidding. It's just some of the things I try to do in my own vids so I thought I'd pass them along in case they might be useful to you in some way.

ETA: Geez, this thing really IS huge! Yep, I'm still the queen of the super-humongous posts! So sorry about that!

[FrecklesPhoenix]

Don't worry about the long post. I loved it!




I tend to get pretty lengthy with my posts too!

I ain't quittin. That's just not the Marine Corps. way! (My brother is a Marine, not me, btw.)

And I'd also like to take this opportunity to thank you, Aislynn, for replying to my silly little emo-rant and giving me your genuine thoughts and advice. I'm glad to hear it coming from any of the excellent vidders on LVI, such as yourself. And a council member to boot!!! I love your vids, and I'm sure that your advice on WMM will come in handy.

Thanks again for the comment (or lecture, not really sure which).


-Freckles
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Avi by Debbie Banner by CDS1...

[Aislynn]

Hopefully it fell to the side of "comment" more than "lecture," lol!

Anyway, I understand the emo-ranting (my LiveJournal is full of vidding angst rants! ) but it's certainly not silly in my book! Vidding can be really tough and all we vidders have to hang together! I always appreciate it when somebody passes stuff along to me that they've learned along the way so I try to do the same way, just in case it might come in handy.

Thanks bunches for the nice things you said! Much appreciated! ♥!

[FrecklesPhoenix]

[Aislynn]

There's a Multi-fandom clip request thread in the Technical Help section that should hopefully do the trick for you!

And woooo, Skaters gotta represent, ya know what I mean? Okay, so even I don't know what I mean... But it sounded good!

[FrecklesPhoenix]

[Aislynn]

[SassyLostie2]

Sorry, I definitely win this contest. I am so pale, I look dead...well, not that bad, but yeah. And I live in Sunny California! lol I'll get a pic eventually ta show ya'll.
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[Aislynn]

We'll have to have a "Who's the palest?" throwdown!

Or, uh, maybe not.

[SassyLostie2]

Yeah...maybe not...or maybe! Finally! Somewhere people are as crazy as I am, AND love Lost and vidding! This is perfect!
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[FrecklesPhoenix]

[Charmed_Charlee]

lol,

quick comment from me great vidder, loved her lost/buffy crossover and even said that sawyer and buffy sounded like a real ship and had to figure out what wrong with it i think it's because sawyer and spike are just so alike IMO and both spuffy and skate are anyways love your work can't wait for more

and i think i fit in the crazy/random person

[FrecklesPhoenix]