JOURNAL: Chamera

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  • PROTOCOL. type Message. Subject: Metaphorical house cleaning 2007-03-27 02:06:20 Message, type Read:

    The resolutions.
    1) Haven't bought any video-editting software. I had to spend money on replacing a fried computer. My pocketbook is still hurting.
    2) Didn't create AMV. Partly due to no true vid-edit software, partly due to little source material, and mostly because WMM (Windows Movie Maker) crashes every time.
    3) Did not make AMVad every month, which dictates that no AMVad of mine was voted worthy. I'm burned out on these because I have to work pretty much with MS Paint alone. :(
    4) Yays! As posted previously, I wrote and published online the Transformers fanfic one-shot "Ante est Mortalitas" on Fanfiction.net (that site has truly gone to the dogs) and on Tranformersfanfics.com (a much better site, but only hosts Tranformers stuff).
    5) Began drawing a mini-comic. Had to stop when I realized the story I was attempting to draw would be several manga volumes in length. I am working on narrowing the scope to what could be considered a preview-length (about 4 to 6 pages) comic book.
    6) As previously posted, picture is colored and scanned. I'm going to cop out and simply post it on DeviantArt.com.

    The other stuff.
    On the upside, I have downloaded many AMVs recently due to the VCA 2007. I never voted in them before though I have been a member of the Org for years. I wanted to change that. Here are some of the ones you should see: "Anime Academy Heroes" by InfinitySquared; "Memoria" by aerialesque; "The Wedding Rings" by suberunker; and "The World Moved On" by AtomX.

    Message, subtype End:
    I bid the Org sweet dreams and upon the morn a beautiful sunrise. 
  • PROTOCOL. type Message. Subject: Resolutions, update one 2006-09-12 13:42:44 Message, type Read:
    Crikes. It is so easy to forget this journal.

    Message, type Digression:
    Anymore, I only come to the Org to vote on AMVads (kinda sad that I haven't downloaded a new AMV for soooooo long). Which, by the way, aren't very good. (Yeah, this coming from me, but shush for a moment.) It is not the image quality that bothers me, but the message. Too many of them have fancy girly font type and wussy statements with words like 'dream' 'reality' 'love' and variants of 'beauty'. There is one that especially made me gag - "Our Little secret". Good grief, the point of an ad is so that it _won't_ be a secret! We _want_ anime fans to know about this site.

    I'm going to do something about it. I am going to make a bunch of pull-you-along-by-the-seat-of-your-pants AMVads. It will make a nice break for one who qualifies the ads for voting, at least.

    END DIGRESSION, RETURNING TO SUBJECT

    So, here is where I stand on my resolutions for the year.

    1) Haven't done this one - yet.
    2) Mmmm, nope, haven't accomplished this one yet.
    3) Oops, forgot about this one. Well, maybe I still will get a "worthy" ad, but I'll have to get off my rear.
    4) I did this one! You can read the one-shot story, "Ante est Mortalitas", at FanFiction.com under my penname, Morncreek. It is a based on Transformers.
    5) Erm, still in the process of drawing...
    6) This one isn't done either. But the picture is colored and scanned. Still figuring out how I will send/post it.

    Message, type End:
    One out of six isn't too bad... is it? *shrugs* I hope y'all are doing better on your resolutions than I am. If not, we still have 3.7 months left! I will post a second update at the end of December. Hopefully I will have more than one-sixth accomplished...

    Have a great September everyone. Ja! 
  • PROTOCOL. type Message. Subject: Resolutions 2006-01-13 17:50:20 Message, type Read:
    Wow, been awhile since I last posted a journal entry. Moving on...

    I have been thinking hard and doing some soul-searching. For the last five months I have been feeling very dissatisfied with my life, and I wanted to know why. There were a lot of factors, but once I got through to the very center I found the problem to be simple (and not simple, if you follow): I am very imaginative but don't have a way to express my imagination's creations. So I am forced to live in others' dreams, which makes for a poor second no matter how excellent their dreams. Thusly, I have set myself resolutions for the year, for which I will not make any excuses.

    1) I WILL buy a decent video-editting software - no more of Windows Movie Maker crap.
    2) I WILL create an AMV. It does not have to be long, or perfect, or amaze everybody - though that last would be a definite plus.
    3) I WILL create one AMV ad every month, minimum. By the end of the year I WILL have at least one "worthy" ad.
    4) I WILL have one entire fanfiction or original story written and posted online where others are sure to read it. It does not have to be long, or perfect, but it WILL be complete.
    5) I WILL have one mini-comic drawn and posted online where others are sure to see it. It does not have to be perfect, but the story must be solid.
    6) I WILL send one fan-drawing or fan-colored drawing, minimum, to the appropriate person.

    Message, type End:
    Thanks for bearing with me. My reasoning for putting this up here is to help myself stick to it.

    Have a good one, everyone. Ja mata.  
  • (Figurative) House Cleaning 2005-03-21 00:35:40 I had forgotten that the AMV site had a journal function. Moving on.

    In two days it will be a year since I set down some goals in a previous journal entry. The first two, well, er, are very long term. That's how I excuse myself from not completing them. The rest? Still haven't gotten an AMV ad voted worthy, though I did come pretty close with the "Computer does not allow cruelty toward humanity" one (75 worthy votes). I have yet to buy any video editing software or image editing software, but I think I can mooch those off of a family member.

    Right now, the RIAA could ownz my derriere. 'Nough said.

    I have not bought anime, but on the plus side I am making a nice dent into my goal of having a small manga collection. As for the goal of finishing leaving opinions and ratings... I got through that particular back-log. Now I have a nice, new and shiny back-log to wade through.

    I have a system for that. Curious? You aren't? Too bad. A member is only allowed to download ten (10) amvs before they must rate them. Rating can be done without leaving an opinion. I could just rate them, then. However, I use the list of needs-to-be-rated to keep track of videos that need opinions. Thus, when I reach that maximum of ten I don't just rate to clear up space, I give an opinion or two AND THEN rate the appropiate vid(s). The system has worked well for me so far.

    Note: In three cases I have made exceptions to this rule. Only thrice. That is because they have run completely against my tastes (the scenes and/or the accompanying music) and I would not denigrate myself by watching them through. Since I couldn't leave opinions that would accurately reflect my opinion of their content (example: How well was the lip-sync? I don't know because I only saw a few seconds of the thing!), I rate them with three stars (a.k.a. "average") to be fair; then I am done with them.

    Upon these happy thoughts, I bid AMV Org good night. 
  • Woot! SNAP is done! 2004-09-21 02:49:28 Cue the maniacal laughter, for I have created something from absolutely nothing! I am a goddess! (Just kidding about that last part. ^^;) SNAP has been completed after hours of intense, sometimes-frustrating work.

    What is SNAP? It is Studio Name Animation Project. I decided it was high-time I make something which proclaims "Xanadu made this! Tremble in awe of Xanadu!" Or tried to, anyways. Here is a diary format of the process.

    Day 1
    ~~~~~
    0.01 hrs into SNAP:
    Decide to have four frames be the compass angles, and three frames between those. That's 17 frames.

    1 hr into SNAP:
    MS Word being uncooperative. Must figure out another way to rotate the word. Making good progress on this.

    2.3 hrs into SNAP:
    Ready to put my hands into the monitor and throttle Word. All that work into rotating the word, copying & pasting back into MS Paint, making sure the word's center is in the same spot as all the rest; finally realized that Word shrinked the text from the size it was in Paint. GRRRRRRRRRR...

    2.31 hrs into SNAP:
    Took a break. During break I realized that not all my work had gone to waste. Went back to computer and wrote down the degree of rotation for each frame; then used WordArt to create "Xanadu", shade it, and rotate. All is (mostly) right with the world again.

    3.2 hrs into SNAP:
    Had other issues, but only the kind which makes work tedious.

    4.5 hrs into SNAP:
    %*#$^$^!! Got kicked off the computer. Got it back about four hours later.

    6 hrs into SNAP:
    Discovered that Windows Movie Maker (WMM) does not recognize .PNG images. No one had better make a crack at how this is "a real snap. :P" One-word retort: DIE!

    6.3 hrs into SNAP:
    YAY! ^_^ Everything is touched up, where it is suppose to be, converted to .JPEG, imported to WMM. Need only to edit in proper timing and effects... $%)*#@$!! Have to go to bed. :(

    7 hrs -- My masterpiece is done!! Asked family what they thought of it. Was given two thumbs up all around.


    Hope that wasn't too much info. Aw, heck -- if it was then you stopped reading the entry already. Which means you aren't reading this because you don' even know it exists. *pauses* Bedtime for me. 
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