JOURNAL: yprbest (Yann Best)

  • The secret diaries of an idiot - Part 1 in a series of 9 2005-03-04 19:49:37 Well, as anyone who (for some bizarre reason) has been following this journal has probably guessed, I haven't finished my initially planned AMV.

    Why?

    It sucked. And more importantly, I feel like it could actually be good - the music and video suit each other perfectly in mood, so with the right level of skill, hardware/software and effort I feel it could make a really good AMV. Unfortunately, I lack the skill, hardware or software (though given enough free time - like the upcoming Easter holidays - I could certainly muster the effort required), so I've decided to put it on hold until I've developed some level of proficiency, as well as a system capable of complicated editing.

    Instead, I've begun cataloguing all the frames I think I might need from a certain series, and am currently deciding on music, for a different sort of AMV entirely. I'm sure that if and when it's done it'll prove to be mediocre at best, and completely unimpressive, but at least it should give me some much-needed experience, as well as a nice catalogue of useful frame numbers. (It actually made me think of a little idea that I popped onto the forum - but of course, with my lack of technical know-how I failed to realise just how stupid it was, and it was mercilessly pooh-poohed by Ian Roberts (I've proven myself to be an idiot in front of my AMV creating hero *sobs*)

    Ach well, best just get my head down and work on my new AMV I suppose. There's frames need cataloguing! 
  • Update 2005-02-12 22:15:12 Well, after consulting the fine forum here, I've come to the conclusion that using just TMPGEnc for editing is going to be too slow for the second half - the thought of spending three hours of my life sitting at the computer watching a progress bar, and changing frame number values once every three-five minutes (increasing as the editing goes on - and I'm not exaggerating either, I've measured the length of time to bring up the frame screen for the end end of the clips, and know how many times I'll need to do so - answer: too many), so following advice from said forum I'm going to use Windows Movie Maker (may the Lord have mercy on my soul...) for the second half of my AMV. Well, it should be interesting to see how it compares to the first half at least! 
  • Two and a half years in the making... 2005-02-07 13:11:40 ...yes, it's my first journal entry!

    So why have I been so silent up until now? Simple; I've had nothing to write about. As a pure viewer of AMV's I didn't feel I had any particular insights to offer, and certainly nothing of my own to talk about, so I kept schtum.

    So what's different? Simply enough, I've finally entered the wonderful world of AMV development. Armed with amazing software (er... TMPGEnc 2.5) and a powerhouse computer (erm, an Athlon 2000+ laptop) I have set out to carve my way into AMV history!

    I wish. As given above, my hardware is fairly outmoded and my software could hardly be called extensive, and I live in an area that still doesn't offer broadband connections, meaning I'm stuck with a 56k modem for the time being. While my laptop can read *some* DVD's the drive's fairly picky, and I lack any DVD Ripping software (unless of course TMPGEnc can do the job; as far as I'm concerned many of its abilities remain confusing and unchartered).

    Nonetheless, I've taken what I have, and have forced my way into AMV development. Due to my lack of DVD-ripping capability I had to edit from a fansub of Gatekeepers 21 (believe-it-or-not this is the only licensed show I have fansubbed; unfortunately it also happens to be the only anime I have to hand to edit, at least until I get some DVD-ripping software or fetch my old PC from home, containing as it does the joys of fansubbed Sexy Commando Gaiden)


    As I'm writing this I'm halfway through the AMV - having gone through my music libraries in search of music that would fit with Gatekeepers 21's mood I settled on the Killers' music, and eventually decided on the song Smile Like You Mean It.

    Even at only halfway through the AMV (i.e. just over two minutes of it, for a 3:59 minute song) I can alread see differences between the groping in the dark that is the 'first section' (which basically covers the first minute or so of the first episode of GK21, containing a few cuts and very basic lip-synching, just the once), the coming to terms with TMPGEnc that is the 'second section', which contains quite a few cuts, but only diverts from the original flow of the scene, continuing on chronologically from the first section, but including more advanced (if still shoddy) lip-synching, and a (badly implemented) repeated scene, and my current level of proficiency with the 'third section', that is taken from the fourth episode, and contains far more extensive use of cuts as well as more developed lip-synching and more messing with the composition of the scene. It still has flaws that even I can see, however; I just lack the ability to see what I can do about them. As a purely technical exercise, though, I'm quite pleased with the third section, as it really does seem a lot more polished than the earlier two sections.


    Aaaanyway, it's still very much a rough cut, and I'm having difficulty re-doing it at its original resolution (ah, the joy of my mis-written notation of frame-numbers; still, the later sections are easier to convert, as my notes become more extensive and more accurate), made all the more annoying by the fact that it takes TMPGEnc around 2 minutes to load *every time* I go in to change frame numbers; if only it didn't insist on loading the preview window every time!

    But I'm going to stick with it - it's taken me around fifteen hours to churn out my current work (Low-Res first three sections, Original[640x480]-Res first two), and I've enjoyed the actual construction of the AMV, and I'd like to see what it looks like once I've completed the second half of it - and hopefully, so will some of the kind souls on this site!

    Anyway, anyone (so, that'll be nobody then ^_^) who's reading this can look forward to the release of my first AMV towards the end of the week - of course, how I'm going to upload it with a 1p a minute 56k modem remains to be seen... 
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