Lost Video Island

[LVI Council]

This month's featured member is one of our new LVI talents, Vidstep (Andy)!



Andy joined the LVI in October 2012 and has been an active member ever since. Andy has been enhancing our repertoire of music and fandom genres with lesser-vidded genres such as dubstep music or video game fandoms.

1) What got you interested in vidding?

I used to play a lot of computer games. I used a program called "Fraps" to record my gameplay as a video file, and I would then add music to it. This is how I first started messing around with editing using Windows Movie Maker. I've always loved watching music videos both professional and fan made and often wished I knew how to make my own. I'm very glad I taught myself how to do so. Few things are quite as rewarding as watching a video you've just created for the first time.

2) Do you have a tip, trick, or technique to share?

One tip that I often have a hard time remembering myself is to always remember that vidding is supposed to be fun and enjoyable. Vidding should never feel like a chore and you should never feel like you are forcing yourself to edit. When I find myself feeling this way I know it's time for a break and I find something else to do until my heart is back in it.

3) What are your favorite current fandoms?

My favorite fandom to vid to is Red vs Blue (Web series by Rooster Teeth, loosely based on the Halo video games) I love vidding to RvB because the animation and choreography of the fight scenes is really amazing. I find that synchronizing the action sequences to music is quite fun and very enjoyable to watch. Another fandom I really enjoyed editing was The Walking Dead. I've only done one TWD video so far but I really enjoyed it and plan to do more soon.

4) What was your first vid and what is your favorite vid you've done?

While it technically wasn't my first vid ever, my Archer "Danger Zone" video is one of my earliest and was the first upload to my YouTube channel. It's really hard to pick a favorite, but I think the video I'm most proud of is "The End Is Coming" (The Walking Dead). I spent significantly more time on this video than I have on any other video so far.

5) Do you have any goals as far as skill improvement or dream projects?

My goal is to become as familiar with Sony Vegas as I am now with Cyberlink Power Director. I have lots of unfinished projects, and lots of project ideas that I haven't started yet, my dream is to finish them all some day!

6) You vid a lot to dubstep music. Vidding-wise, what makes this type of music so interesting for you?

Syncing to the beat has always been first and foremost for me when editing. I like editing to dubstep because it has such a unique variety of sounds. For me it's just the right tempo and fits well with what I like to edit, which is primarily action footage. I like that dubstep generally starts out somewhat calm and gradually builds up to what is refered to as the "drop" and then gets crazy. It's just fun to mimic what is going on the music using video footage and visual effects.

7) You also seem to enjoy making vids about video games. How do you go about making this type of vid and what would you say the difference is between vidding video games and vidding TV shows/movies?

I'd say the biggest difference between editing TV shows/movies and editing a video game is what the video focuses on. When editing to a TV show or movie you are likely to focus on a character or a relationship between characters. When editing to a video game you are likely to focus on the gameplay and how you (the player) are interacting with the game or other players within the game.

Featured Videos:
The End is Coming - an awesome recap to S1-S3.1 of the TV show The Walking Dead with brilliant editing throughout almost 7 minutes!
Project Freelancer - an action-packed and fast-paced vid to the video game fandom Halo. Amazing beat use and edits!
Skyfall - a tribute to the newest James Bond movie with the editing flowing smoothly with the beat

Thank you, Andy, for all your wonderful contributions!

[Im1oftheOceanic6]

Congrats Andy! Great interview!

I really enjoy your vids. Your musical use is always fantastic. I like that you use alot of lesser vidded fandoms.

Macaila

[HobbitRockGod]

Congratulations, Andy! Your vids are always so fun to watch!

[KajaM]

Congrats, Andy!
I love your answers, especially to the second question. Having fun is a really important part of vidding. I think you're the first one to mention it in the interview, but it's really important!

[Uruviel]

Congrats, Andy!

[Brooke]

A really interesting read. I am terrifed of beat-use. Lol because I can't 'spot it' so it make sit more diffifcult so your vids really interest me how you can hit every note.

"One tip that I often have a hard time remembering myself is to always remember that vidding is supposed to be fun and enjoyable. Vidding should never feel like a chore and you should never feel like you are forcing yourself to edit. When I find myself feeling this way I know it's time for a break and I find something else to do until my heart is back in it. "

This was REALLY a great tip, and I think you are right. Often times I feel like "I HAVE to get this done before I can work on the one I really want to work on."

Great read, and congratulations!!

[eloramoon]

Congratulations, Andy!

I loved reading your interview!