Sadly Rio took her life on 6th Feb. The funeral was on the 17th. Her father read a piece of writing from Suzette H Elgin's 'Native Tongues" for both   her and her younger brother Pierre.If anyone wants any information please feel free to contact me (mother) at behaviourclm@hotmail.com

Two and a bit more vids, none of which I was planning on.  All three just started as exercises in trying out a technique, and grew.  Although, in the case of the first one, not by much.

Falling.  There's an easy explanation for this: I don't have Photoshop.  Or any image-manipulation software other than the very basic freeware Paintbrush.  I just wanted to see if it would be at all practical to attempt frame-by-frame alterations with that.  To which the answer was, only if I intend to irritate myself, which is why only the opening sequence uses that technique.   It's... somewhat simplistic.  I'm glad I tried, though, it was educational.  When I have a clearer idea of what I want to achieve with it, I intend to try it again.

I Am The Hawk (which is getting the not-globally-viewable warning on it).  Which is sad because I think that this vid could be polished into something sparkly with the help of a beta, once I find one.  I like Fakir's character a lot, and I appreciate the way he moves.  His more aggressive ballet technique looks much better to my eye than the rather same-y way the other main characters of Princess Tutu dance.

The Ballet of Rue and Hope.  I finally found out how to activate the advanced toolbar in iMovie Preferences, and the abuse of cutaways ensued.  This is a technique which is used frequently in the series itself, however, so it's about time I worked out how to use it.  I really enjoyed making this one; I got a much better idea of the sort of visual style I want to work towards.

A few things have begun to gel, with these vids.  I'm starting to train myself to see the techniques used in other people's vids, which doesn't come naturally to me.  I basically need to be bashed around the head with a visual metaphor before I spot it, I don't parse visual arguments very well, and why exactly do I want to vid?

*pause*    *shrugs*

It is something of a puzzle that I have not figured out yet.  Maybe because it does not come naturally, as I am just that contrary sometimes.

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I plead ignorance - not only had I not read anything by Dana Gioia until today, I had not heard of him.  I'm pleased Jonathan Carroll has educated me on this point.  I'm asking for one of Gioia's collections from one of the family members who have not bought me a Christmas present yet.

Reading the poems on Gioia's site is like walking in on a discourse on the reason for poetry; a joyful and lucid paean to meaning and memory and the gestalt nature of being.   Both his poetry and prose are glorious, his ideas expressed with a clarity that lets the meaning glow through the simple beauty of the structure and word choice. 

This - this says it all, from the note on his poem "The Litany":
I think I want to be Dana Gioia when I grow up!

This is lovely.   I am glad of these words today.

More vidding links.

Vidding to rap.  

Cutting and synching.

VVC 2004 panel notes: the aesthetics of movement and illustrating relationships.

Vidding technique is theatre (plus good stuff in other comments).

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Best surprise Christmas present.  Ever. 

A Labyrinth fanvid, courtesy of Amanda Palmer's email updates.  It has a sock puppet, and Neil Gaiman in a wig.

This makes me happy.

Vidding links, before I slip up and close a tab I haven't bookmarked.

The Language of Vidding.  (VVC 2004 notes from heresluck)

Creating Mood.  (Panel notes from laurashapiro)

One and two: posts on clip choice and context.

How To Make a Gut-Wrenching Video In Five Easy Steps or Less...   Particularly the section on song choice. 

Princess Tutu vid  #5.  Youtube hasn't identified the song this time, so it ought to be visible to all.  Comedy again, and inspired by one particular snippet from Episode three which made me think of the corresponding song from Labyrinth when I rewatched it.

As usual, I think there are issues with cutting on the beat: ie, the lack thereof.  I don't have any ideas for getting past my inability to hear/identify underpinning rhythms.

I am happy with the trimming of most of the long intro, though, and some of the more ironic contrasts between the lyics and clips - which is a note quite appropriate to the original context of the song.

It is encouraging that as a complete novice at vidding, I can see an improvement between every successive attempt.

For my own reference, a vidding list in chronological order, earliest first.


Princess Tutu:

I Want To Believe In Dreams (AKA: Make Up Your Mind, Dammit, No One Really Needs Three Different Songs In One Vid)

Ordinary Miracle (AKA: I Fail At Cutting On The Beat Because I Am Rhymically Challenged)

The Masochism Tango (AKA: ...Possibly I Have A Warped Sense Of Humour)

On My Own (AKA: Ooh, Look, It's Got A Plot!  And pointless pretty pictures with the song intro.  Oops.)

Chilly Down! (AKA: I Think I'm Funny)

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Another Princess Tutu vid: On My Own.  I'm pleased with this one - particularly figuring out ways to interpret the more awkward visually-oriented parts of the lyric without distracting from the story I wanted to tell.  "The trees are full of starlight" makes me happy; Fakir's transformation sequence is one of my favourite bits of the entire series, and getting to use images from that is a bonus.

New skills mastered: I've succeeded in changing the speed of clips, playing them in reverse, and worked out how to tweak the colour balance.  Just as well iMovie is intuitive, because the help files are not.  Anyway, the next time I'll need to remember that the clips for this series come out paler in the vids, and adjust the colour of all of the clips, not just the sections where I want a particular effect.

There are still twenty+ songs in my Princess Tutu Vid playlist.  I don't expect to use them all, but I reckon I can get through at least another three or four before I need some variety. 

I may have to make a vidding icon.