The Idea:
For those of you who didn't pay attention to the interest gauge thread and want to know what this MEP is all about, here's a general overview. The idea is to have everyone that's signed up edit a video to an audio segment that they have no control over. This is executed in a ladder fashion, and I'll go into more detail about this below. Basically there's a list of the editors involved, and whoever's number one on the list chooses an audio segment for number two to edit. Editor number two cannot say no or request a different audio source. He or she has about a week to edit something, turn it in to me, and then give editor number three an audio segment that he has chosen. The process continues like this until the last person on the list gives something to the first person on the list. All the videos are then compiled into a final distributable version for the .org. That's the cut-and-dry version.
The Purpose:
I just need to make sure everyone understands exactly WHY they signed up for this in the first place. I know I went over this before, in the interest gauge thread, but I feel like I should do it once more just so everyone's clear. The purpose of this MEP is to challenge yourself into possibly (probably) editing something you've never edited before.
The purpose of this MEP is NOT to screw someone else over with audio that's really difficult to edit. If that's your sole purpose in joining this MEP, I ask that you please drop out now because you're missing the point entirely.
If you want to challenge yourself and see what you're made of, then you've come to the right place. You do not know what kind of audio you'll be editing, and as such you have no way to prepare for what you'll be handed. You must be willing to edit ANYthing. If that doesn't sound like something you can do, then please reconsider your place in this project.
Execution:
This is an important part, and everyone needs to read over this VERY CAREFULLY, multiple times if necessary.
I already explained the ladder system above in brief. Here it is in more detail. First of all, everyone who entered this MEP in the interest gauge thread was placed in a random order on a list. Then, Kiki (kikai_saigono) gave me random numbers between 1 and 28 and I went down the list and applied these numbers in order (she did not have access to the list herself). The number you were given is your number on the list. This was the best way to make the listing as random as possible, and barring a few exceptions who needed to be placed at certain areas on the list due to requests they made because of scheduling conflicts, the order is completely random, I assure you.
I will not post the order here. I am the ONLY person who has access to the order at all, and to keep this project as "improv" as possible, warnings about when you start editing etc. will all be handled via PM. You will not know when you start editing, you will not know who your audio segment will come from, you will not know who you'll be giving your audio segment to, period. If for some reason you feel you need to know one of these things, PM me and we can discuss it.
Here is the final editor list (note that this is not the final ORDER by any means):
1. code_chrono
2. kisanzi
3. NerdStrudel
4. Flint the Dwarf
5. Arashinome
6. Kaxi
7. meleechampion
8. Kitsuner
9. omegaevolution
10. `Eclipse
11. Orwell
12. wurpess
13. Bauzi
14. Otohiko
15. Rapture**
16. WC Annihilus
17. CerebralAssamite
18. Bakadeshi
19. jonnkakarotto
20. Greggus1
21. kikai_saigono
22. CrackTheSky
23. Kristyrat
24. Ingow
25. Copycat_Revolver
26. Hagaren Viper
27. godix
28. Fall_Child42
Now, I have chosen this ladder system over a simultaneous "pair system" for several reasons, most of which I spelled out in the interest gauge thread but will spell out again here for the record:
-This way there is no way for anyone to give somebody crap audio and then drop out without editing anything. You must edit before you can pass on audio.
-As selfish as it may seem, the ladder system will be much, MUCH easier on me, as I won't be bombarded with a ton of lossless videos I have to download all at once. This way I can pretty much put the MEP together as we go, minimizing the amount of time before the last editor turns in his track and the time this will be uploaded to the .org, which will be nice given how long this will take.
-It will be much, MUCH easier this way to avoid audio and/or anime repeats - more on this later.
Ok, so this is how this MEP will progress. Editor #1 will choose an audio source (parameters spelled out below) to hand to Editor #2. Editor #1 will NOT be in contact with Editor #2, at all. All audio will be handed to ME, and I will then give the audio to Editor #2. IF YOU DO NOT GET AUDIO DIRECTLY FROM ME, YOU MAY NOT USE IT. Please remember this, although it'll be kind of hard to break this rule since you won't know who you're passing off to.
Before I send the audio to Editor #2, I will PM him/her making sure s/he is ready to edit. Once I send out the PM containing the link from which Editor #2 may download the audio, the clock starts ticking for Editor #2. He has exactly one week to grab that audio, rip some scenes and edit a video to that source. If he or she does not PM me a link to download a lossless copy of the video within that week period, he or she is OUT of the MEP and the audio source will be handed to the next person in line.
If he or she needs a day extension based on real life issues that are preventing him or her from finishing in time, he or she can PM me and request such an extension. If you're going to be a few hours late because you're exporting/uploading, exceptions can be made in those cases as well. PLEASE DO NOT ASK FOR BULLSHIT EXTENSIONS BECAUSE YOU'RE TOO LAZY. Although there's no real way for me to verify the truth in such requests, we are all on the Honor System here and I trust all of you not to lie to me (except godix, who I know will lie to me and as such I will not grant any extensions no matter what
).If you finish early, please send me a link to download it! The fewer days it takes you to complete your segment, the faster the project will be finished.
If your segment clearly lacks any effort, it will be tossed and you will essentially be dropped from the project unless you can give me a really good reason why your segment lacks effort. If you plan on using an excuse like, "There wasn't enough time" don't even bother. That's what you signed up for, if you can't edit quickly this probably isn't the best project for you. Please know that just because I don't like a track, doesn't mean I will toss it. The track will have to be REALLY shitty for me to throw it out, and I really don't anticipate this being a problem. If it is, I will contact you and we can discuss it. Don't stress over trying to impress me, because the point of this project isn't to make a really well-edited MEP. If I can tell you put a lot of work into your track, that's good enough for me.
After Editor #2 turns in his track to me, I will PM him back asking for audio, and I will pass that on to Editor #3. And so on, until I say we're all done. And you'll all just have to trust me on that
The projected end date for this project is going to be sometime in April or May of 2008 (seems like a ways off, but if you consider one week per editor at 28 editors, that's a whole seven months right there).Unfortunately, no one but me will be able to know who edited what until the final thing is released, but I hope that will just make the final viewing all that much more fun for everybody.
Audio Parameters:
Ah yes, what we're probably all excited to hear about. First of all note that this entire time I've been saying "audio segment" instead of "song" or "song segment". The audio handed out throughout this MEP does not have to be from songs in the traditional sense. If it's just sound, that's perfectly fine. HOWEVER, there are a few things that will disqualify your audio:
-Three or more consecutive seconds of silence (and if you try to get around this by making a 30-second track of silence interspersed with split-second bursts of sound every two-and-a-half seconds, that also does not count). Use your common sense people.
-Mono/dialogue. If you're planning on using a clip that's nothing but someone or multiple people talking, don't. As lip synching takes time, and we only have a week to edit each, even just 30 seconds of lip sync would probably be hard on some of the editors. I know there could be other ways to edit to mono/dialogue, but I'd rather just avoid this completely for the sake of simplicity.
-Audio that's been obviously spliced together. An example of this would be someone taking a bunch of five-second portions from different songs and styles of music and putting one after the other so there's no coherency or rhythm. If you can edit your audio and I can't tell the difference, fine, but if you're clearly just trying to throw someone off by putting a bunch of nonsenscial musical/audio portions together, I will ask you to choose something else.
-This MEP must be able to be hosted on the .org. As such, if you feel that your audio choice has the potential to facilitate the use of explicit violence or sex scenes, don't send it to me. I may be lenient on this, as some good comedy videos can be made from explicit audio, but I'd rather not have to make the final call at all if it can be avoided.
...That's all I can think of at the moment, but those limitations are subject to change without notice if I think of something else. I may be willing to negotiate the above terms, so if you REALLY want to send me something that breaks one of the above guidelines, PM me the segment, state your case, and I'll see who's editing after you and make the final call. If you want to make your own audio, have at it, though I wouldn't put too much time into that.
All audio will be screened by me. If I find it unacceptable, I will PM you back and ask that you please choose something else. Use common sense and we should all be fine here.
Audio length is going to be completely variable. I will allow audio ranging from a length of, say, 30 seconds to about a minute or so. This is where, again, your common sense comes in. If you're choosing a really beat-heavy electronica piece, PLEASE try and limit the length to something within 40 seconds. If you're choosing a slow song with few beats, you can go much longer as it won't be as subjectively difficult to edit to. Again, I can ask you to cut the audio if I find it unacceptable for some reason based on length, or extend it if I feel it could be drawn out a little longer. The general rule of thumb here is: If you couldn't see yourself editing a good piece to a certain length of audio, make it shorter until you can.
Please, PLEASE send me your audio in .wav format. I will not accept audio in anything but uncompressed .wav, and if this requires you to uncompress an MP3, DO NOT SEND IT TO ME. I want the highest quality available here, so make sure you're editing the sources in .wav to begin with before you send them to me. Also, when you send me your audio, please let me know the name of the artist (if any) and the name of the title of the piece (if any). I'd prefer you name the audio file itself as follows: "Artist - title.wav". If I receive the same audio (which I understand is VERY unlikely) I will ask that you choose something else.
As a final note to editors, you absolutely, positively may NOT alter the audio source you're given in any way, shape or form. I am going to keep all audio that gets distributed, and if I cannot match up your video with my copy of the audio source I gave you, we are going to have problems. Make sure you edit your video from the first nanosecond of the audio, so I can just plop your video onto my Vegas timeline and have the video match up with the audio perfectly. I don't want to have to screw around to get this right.
If your audio is in another language and you have access to a translation, please RAR or ZIP your audio with a .txt file containing the translation. If you can't find a translation, it's not a huge deal so don't worry too much about it.
...Actually, come to think of it, if your audio has any lyrics at all, please ZIP/RAR a .txt file with the lyrics to the portion of the song you have chosen. If you don't know them and can't find them online, no sweat, I just know that some editors are going to want the lyrics if they're available, and this will be easier on everyone.
Video Parameters:
I care very much about quality, so PLEASE try to make sure that whatever source you use is DVD quality. If that means taking RAWs and doing some heavy AviSynth work on them, then fine, but if the video you send me ends up looking like crap, I have the right to disqualify it. Absolutely NO fansubs, PERIOD. If you're worried that your video quality is not up to snuff, you can send me a portion of what you plan on using and I'll let you know. Please realize that I am not online 24/7, though, and I DO have a real life, so it may be up to a whole day before I get around to looking at it - and that's time you've lost.
Frame Size: 640x480 (1.0 PAR) (letterboxed for 16:9 sources)
Frame rate: 29.97 fps (please note that this means you have to change the framerate BEFORE you start editing; read about how to do this here)
Codec: Lagarith is preferred, but if you can't compress with Lagarith (because you're using a Mac, or something) use HuffYUV
Please AviSynth all your footage before handing it to me. If you cannot do this for whatever reason, I'll take care of it, but I'm going to have enough on my plate already so I'd prefer not having to do this.
I don't want to see any Naruto or Final Fantasy (unless, perhaps, you make fun of them >_>). Sorry if that's a bit limiting, but I think we're all just so damn sick of both sources.
I'd also very much prefer that we keep anime repetition to an absolute minimum. As I receive videos, I will post the anime usage. Please do your absolute best not to repeat anything that's already been used. If you have no other choice or you just have such a kickass idea that you have to repeat footage, fine, but I'd really, REALLY like for this to happen as little as possible. If you plan on using the same anime as either of the first two people that edited directly before you, don't. Period.
A question was brought up in the interest gauge as to whether ot not we can use live-action footage instead of anime...I'm going to say no. Sorry, I just don't think it'd fit with the project and I prefer to keep this to all anime. Addendum: if you want to use self-shot live action footage in conjunction with anime, I will allow that. But your track cannot be pure live action, and you must shoot the footage yourself (i.e. NO MOVIES).
No gratuitous violence or sex. This MEP must be .org-able.
You may use multiple anime for your segment, and if someone used multiple anime for their segment before you I may be a bit more lenient in terms of allowing you to use what they already did. If this is the case, please PM me before you start editing just to make absolutely sure.
When you send me your final video, please include a list of all the anime you used in it. I haven't seen enough anime myself to be able to recognize everything, so help me out a little there.
And if you feel the need to do betas for your segment, PLEASE, PLEASE don't send any betas to people involved in the project. Also, when you finish editing, I ask that you don't post in the thread letting everyone know you're done. Don't give any indication that you have or have not yet edited. As such, I don't expect this thread to be very busy and it may well drop off the first page. If this thread doesn't get a lot of posts during the MEP, don't freak out because due to the nature of the project, the vast majority of it will be handled through PMs.
As a final note on the video segments, PLEASE keep the lossless copy you send me on your own computer until the MEP is uploaded to the .org in the unlikely case that something happens to my hard drive, or I forget to download your segment, or I lose it and you have to upload it again. I don't anticipate any of this happening, but I'd hate for worse to come to worse and have you without your own video. This would, quite obviously, result in your video not being put into the final MEP.
Backup Editors:
I need backup editors. There is a possibility people in this project will drop out before their turn comes around, so I can use as many people as would like to join. Realize though that by signing up to be backup, you don't know when you'll be editing so make sure you can do it pretty much any time.
Current backup editors:
-deuceloosely
-Osakaisthebomb
-ReligionX
-Topstar Productions
-Scott Green
Intro/Credits:
If ANYone, involved in this project or not, would like to make the intro and/or credits, PLEASE let me know! I'm not very creative with things like that, so I'd be more than willing to let anyone else handle it. Post in the thread or PM me if you're interested (and I really hope someone is).
If someone would like to make the intro/credits in improv fashion, I can find some audio segments to give you. That might be fun, and it'd be a way for people who didn't get on the list (like deuceloosely or ReligionX, both of whom posted after I said I was not accepting any more editors) to still be involved in the same way everyone else was.
Intro and credits will be done by the following editors:
Intro: Osakaisthebomb
Credits: Brightlight88
Ok, so, I'm pretty sure that's all for now. If you need to contact me directly, my AIM is wayAway2419 and when school starts up near the end of August I will be in IRC almost 24/7. Please note, though, that I often forget I have AIM/IRC open, and if it takes me several minutes or even hours to answer you, that's completely normal. Usually I'm pretty reliable though.
If you have any questions pertaining to the rules I've set out, please post them in here. I will give everyone a week to read this over and ask any questions, then the first PM will go out to the first person on the list. They will actually be the last person to edit, but the first to give out a song. Don't worry though, I'll make sure this person won't drop
Oh, and that reminds me, to anyone who does drop - godix and I will make you feel like total shit for doing so.
If I think of anything else to add here, or if I feel I need to append something, I will add it here in red and will make a post about it. Please check back here every so often just to make sure nothing has changed.
List of anime used:
Editor 1:
Tales of Phantasia (OVA)
Editor 2:
The Venus Wars
Editor 3:
Angel Tales
Editor 4:
Full Metal Panic
Editor 5:
Origins: Spirits of the Past
Editor 6:
Real Bout High School
Editor 7:
Great Teacher Onizuka
Editor 8:
Hello Kitty Animation Theater
Editor 9:
Mahoromatic: Automatic Maiden
Editor 10:
Read or Die (OAV)
Editor 11:
Catnapped
Editor 12:
Chobits
Editor 13:
Ruroni Kenshin: Trust and Betrayal
Editor 14:
Air Gear
Editor 15:
Alien Nine
Editor 16:
Eureka Seven
Azumanga Daioh
Editor 17:
Excel Saga
Editor 18:
Samurai Champloo
Editor 19:
Eureka Seven
Editor 20:
Wolf's Rain
Editor 21:
Akira
Editor 22:
Ouran High School Host Club
There's no pictures,and as much as I can see there's mostly text everywhere 
I like laughter ;DD
