Vid chat: effects and personal blocks
This is a speculative vid chat. Or a pre-vid-chat post. I feel a bit sheepish calling it a proper vid chat because it's a very personal post, but at the same time, I'd love other vidders to feel they could share their own experiences with these issues, and since I want to start vid chats up again this year, I thought I may as well just leap in.
I've come to the conclusion that my block with effects is mental/emotional as much as anything else. It stems from certain core beliefs I hold about myself:
1. I'm not good at tech. (I'm a vidder despite tech, not because of it.)
2. I don't have as sophisticated a visual mind as some vidders.
3. I don't have a natural instinct for where to use effects and am quite happy to just use hardcuts a lot of the time.
I'm also very conscious of the 'less is more' rule with effects and terrified of breaking it clumsily in my first attempts to do things.
I've been envious not only of experienced vidders who use effects in a sophisticated way, but also of newer vidders who confidently try out effects, even if they're not perfect.
The more I thought about this the worse it got. Sure, I may not have a natural aptitude for effects, but I also don't necessarily have a natural aptitude for vidding! I work hard at vidding, and I should therefore work hard at effects too. But I've noticed that when I go and try and read tutorials or watch demonstration videos on YouTube, all sorts of internal self-talk comes up: 'this is boring', 'I don't understand this', 'is this even useful, anyway?' 'why the hell am I wasting my time on this, I could just be vidding!' Which often leads me back to vidding the same way I always have.
Recently, daybreak777, taragel, chaila43 and I have decided to have an 'Insane February Vidding Project'. My intention with it is to push myself out of my comfort zone and for me that means: effects. But already the worries are setting in. My biggest issue is: how do vidders know when to use the effects they do? So many vidders have said to me something along the lines of 'oh, I just find out about effects when the vid demands it' or 'I learn effects when I want to do something new in a vid'. To me that approach is unfathomable because I don't picture my vids with effects in them. I feel like I need to a) learn an effect, b) find out why it's useful, c) think of ways to apply it. In that order. That seems to be back to front for many vidders.
Talking it over with daybreak777, something else came to light. I am scared--yes, actually scared--to look closely at the way other vidders use effects. Now that I've realised that, I'm already embarrassed. That's so SILLY! Of course I should be using other vids as examples and looking at what works and doesn't work. So what's holding me back?
1. Inferiority complex. When I examine other vidders' work, I invariably freak out about my own (in)abilities and shut down emotionally.
2. A feeling that it's 'cheating'. The idea that I should do it all the hard way, learn from manuals, discover things for myself, not look at a vid and think 'hey, that's nifty, I could apply that somewhere else...'
3. Anxiety that I won't be able to see the effects or know what they are, let alone how to recreate them. (Well how will I know until I try?)
I'm hoping that acknowledging my block will be the first step to overcoming it. Because it's starting to really annoy me! ;) At the same time, I'm still not sure where to start. So I wanted to ask other vidders:
- how did you learn about effects? did you learn by doing? by reading/watching tutorials? by studying other vids?
- how do you know when to apply effects? do you see them in your mind's eye when you are imagining your vid? or do you find out where to use them only once you get into the editing? has your awareness of where to use them improved over time?
- do you have or have you ever had a creative/emotional 'block' of the kind I described (not necessarily about effects)? how did you overcome that?
What I REALLY want to ask is: what are your favourite effects? how do you use them and why? what are the most useful effects/tricks you have learnt? how did you learn them?
But that would be cheating. Or would it? How do other vidders feel about effects? Do they stress you out or do you love them? Would you like to have a vid chat about effects, and if so, what sort of questions would you pose to people? (I'm worried that my lack of effects know-how would be a drawback in hosting it.) Any/all responses welcome.
I've come to the conclusion that my block with effects is mental/emotional as much as anything else. It stems from certain core beliefs I hold about myself:
1. I'm not good at tech. (I'm a vidder despite tech, not because of it.)
2. I don't have as sophisticated a visual mind as some vidders.
3. I don't have a natural instinct for where to use effects and am quite happy to just use hardcuts a lot of the time.
I'm also very conscious of the 'less is more' rule with effects and terrified of breaking it clumsily in my first attempts to do things.
I've been envious not only of experienced vidders who use effects in a sophisticated way, but also of newer vidders who confidently try out effects, even if they're not perfect.
The more I thought about this the worse it got. Sure, I may not have a natural aptitude for effects, but I also don't necessarily have a natural aptitude for vidding! I work hard at vidding, and I should therefore work hard at effects too. But I've noticed that when I go and try and read tutorials or watch demonstration videos on YouTube, all sorts of internal self-talk comes up: 'this is boring', 'I don't understand this', 'is this even useful, anyway?' 'why the hell am I wasting my time on this, I could just be vidding!' Which often leads me back to vidding the same way I always have.
Recently, daybreak777, taragel, chaila43 and I have decided to have an 'Insane February Vidding Project'. My intention with it is to push myself out of my comfort zone and for me that means: effects. But already the worries are setting in. My biggest issue is: how do vidders know when to use the effects they do? So many vidders have said to me something along the lines of 'oh, I just find out about effects when the vid demands it' or 'I learn effects when I want to do something new in a vid'. To me that approach is unfathomable because I don't picture my vids with effects in them. I feel like I need to a) learn an effect, b) find out why it's useful, c) think of ways to apply it. In that order. That seems to be back to front for many vidders.
Talking it over with daybreak777, something else came to light. I am scared--yes, actually scared--to look closely at the way other vidders use effects. Now that I've realised that, I'm already embarrassed. That's so SILLY! Of course I should be using other vids as examples and looking at what works and doesn't work. So what's holding me back?
1. Inferiority complex. When I examine other vidders' work, I invariably freak out about my own (in)abilities and shut down emotionally.
2. A feeling that it's 'cheating'. The idea that I should do it all the hard way, learn from manuals, discover things for myself, not look at a vid and think 'hey, that's nifty, I could apply that somewhere else...'
3. Anxiety that I won't be able to see the effects or know what they are, let alone how to recreate them. (Well how will I know until I try?)
I'm hoping that acknowledging my block will be the first step to overcoming it. Because it's starting to really annoy me! ;) At the same time, I'm still not sure where to start. So I wanted to ask other vidders:
- how did you learn about effects? did you learn by doing? by reading/watching tutorials? by studying other vids?
- how do you know when to apply effects? do you see them in your mind's eye when you are imagining your vid? or do you find out where to use them only once you get into the editing? has your awareness of where to use them improved over time?
- do you have or have you ever had a creative/emotional 'block' of the kind I described (not necessarily about effects)? how did you overcome that?
What I REALLY want to ask is: what are your favourite effects? how do you use them and why? what are the most useful effects/tricks you have learnt? how did you learn them?
But that would be cheating. Or would it? How do other vidders feel about effects? Do they stress you out or do you love them? Would you like to have a vid chat about effects, and if so, what sort of questions would you pose to people? (I'm worried that my lack of effects know-how would be a drawback in hosting it.) Any/all responses welcome.