year-end wrap-up: vids!
I can say confidently that I won't be vidding between now and January, so it's as good a time as any to reflect on my year.
Looking back at last year's post, I'm really proud of what I accomplished when I didn't know if I'd be able to vid at all in 2010. What transpired was a deep desire to vid during my breaks from school, and as a result I had higher output this year than in any year previous -- eight songs in six vids. I love these vids dearly, and yet again I feel I was consistent in both the quality of and my love for my work. That's a good feeling.
My 2010 vids (in order completed)
1) Lucky (21)
2) Narrow Escape (disaster films)
3) Tandemonium (Battlestar Galactica)
4) Who's Watching Me? (Supernatural)
5) Songs for a Girl (Friday Night Lights)
6) Critical Hit (Big Bang Theory)
Last year I was a little disappointed in myself for not pushing beyond my comfort zone. It wasn't a conscious choice to make that this year's theme, but looking back on this list, this is the furthest I have pushed myself yet, and I'm proud of that. I made a Club Vivid vid without any dancing in it. I criticized a show-runner by throwing his own words in his face. I did an AU by crossing real advertising into a fannish universe. I released a vid trio. I know these things may seem pretty mundane compared to the cutting edge work of my friends, but these were big steps for me to take.
I think part of why I was able to have this higher level of output is because I'm now so very comfortable with myself as a vidder. I crossed the 20 vids mark this year, and I have established my vidding identity (both with myself and my community). I know what I'm capable of, and that helps me know what I can achieve when I envision a project. I'm vidding a lot faster than I used to; my average time for a vid from start to finish is 4-5 days. I've been refining my critical eye for timing and have spent more time tweaking final drafts to make them what I want. I'm settling less and pushing myself more. I'm a lot more fluent in my vidding rhythms; I know what I want my vids to look and feel like rhythmically, and that helps me get the clips down faster and tighten up the rough spots. While my vids may not always have the same look to them, I suspect they have the same feel to them. At least, they do to me.
And now, have a meme.
My favorite video this year (of my own):
This is always tough. I have to go with Songs for a Girl, as it's the vid of my heart and I'm still so very happy with how it turned out. A very close second is Tandemonium for everything that came with that vid, in particular the moment of reveal at the VVC Challenge show.
My least favourite video this year:
You may be surprised, but it's probably Narrow Escape. I like it, and it was incredibly fun to make, but it doesn't hold me the same way my other vids do when I watch it back now. I have the fewest emotional ties to it, and I don't think it pushed me in the same ways the other vids did. It was pure candy, which is part of why it's been my most downloaded vid of the year.
Most successful video:
Narrow Escape had the biggest audience, but Tandemonium had the most passionate feedback and "critical acclaim," if you will, for being featured at politicalremixvideo.com. I think this will be my best remembered vid of the year.
Video most underappreciated by the universe, in my opinion:
I admit I was a bit surprised that Lucky was so invisible, considering how well my Club Vivid vids have done in the past. I do think from a technical standpoint it's my tightest vid of the year, but that only gets you so far. It was a movie vid up against an absolutely incredible CV lineup this year, and it certainly got overshadowed by Pure Awesomeness in more popular fandoms. That will happen! I was also surprised that Who's Watching Me didn't get any attention from the SPN fandom at large, but there are so many SPN vids and I'm not in the fandom, so that's understandable as well.
Most fun video:
Critical Hit! Though, Lucky is pretty fun, and seeing Dean scared of the Geico money always makes me smile.
Video with single sexiest moment:
Lucky has some sexy times in it, but I'm partial to one of fifty moments in Songs for a Girl.
Biggest vid fail:
There are several sections in Tandemonium that I'm not happy with, but that ship has sailed and ain't coming back now.
Hardest video to make:
You know, nothing this year was tough to make, per se. The vid tech in Who's Watching Me was very time-consuming, but that vid fell together fairly well considering. Lucky is the one I spent the most time on, going over and over and over it with a fine-toothed comb for several months to perfect the timing.
Most unintentionally telling video:
Oh, I think all the vids speak pretty clearly about who I am, heh.
The things I've learned this year:
- There is no use in making a vid out to be some big scary thing in your head when you know by now that vids aren't scary. Just sit down and do it.
- The riskier the vid, the more rewarding it is. Push boundaries more often, dude.
- It's okay to make a vid that nobody but you will watch, it's okay to love it, and it's okay to not apologize for it.
- You never know what will be popular, and it shouldn't matter. Make vids to make vids.
- The more you love an idea, the more you will enjoy vidding it. It's okay to wait for ideas that really grab you.
For 2011:
I'm currently in a new and scary place of having a viable vid queue of exactly 0 at the moment. My FNL vid is now pushed back until the S5 dvds are available, and my Farscape and SCC ideas don't hold any interest to me anymore. I have a collab in the works with laurashapiro, but nothing on my own in progress. So, hmm. 2011 is an empty canvas, and I'm very curious to see what I end up producing. A year from now I will look back and smile at the vids that I ended up making and loving, having no idea who they are now. Bring it on.
Looking back at last year's post, I'm really proud of what I accomplished when I didn't know if I'd be able to vid at all in 2010. What transpired was a deep desire to vid during my breaks from school, and as a result I had higher output this year than in any year previous -- eight songs in six vids. I love these vids dearly, and yet again I feel I was consistent in both the quality of and my love for my work. That's a good feeling.
My 2010 vids (in order completed)
1) Lucky (21)
2) Narrow Escape (disaster films)
3) Tandemonium (Battlestar Galactica)
4) Who's Watching Me? (Supernatural)
5) Songs for a Girl (Friday Night Lights)
6) Critical Hit (Big Bang Theory)
Last year I was a little disappointed in myself for not pushing beyond my comfort zone. It wasn't a conscious choice to make that this year's theme, but looking back on this list, this is the furthest I have pushed myself yet, and I'm proud of that. I made a Club Vivid vid without any dancing in it. I criticized a show-runner by throwing his own words in his face. I did an AU by crossing real advertising into a fannish universe. I released a vid trio. I know these things may seem pretty mundane compared to the cutting edge work of my friends, but these were big steps for me to take.
I think part of why I was able to have this higher level of output is because I'm now so very comfortable with myself as a vidder. I crossed the 20 vids mark this year, and I have established my vidding identity (both with myself and my community). I know what I'm capable of, and that helps me know what I can achieve when I envision a project. I'm vidding a lot faster than I used to; my average time for a vid from start to finish is 4-5 days. I've been refining my critical eye for timing and have spent more time tweaking final drafts to make them what I want. I'm settling less and pushing myself more. I'm a lot more fluent in my vidding rhythms; I know what I want my vids to look and feel like rhythmically, and that helps me get the clips down faster and tighten up the rough spots. While my vids may not always have the same look to them, I suspect they have the same feel to them. At least, they do to me.
And now, have a meme.
My favorite video this year (of my own):
This is always tough. I have to go with Songs for a Girl, as it's the vid of my heart and I'm still so very happy with how it turned out. A very close second is Tandemonium for everything that came with that vid, in particular the moment of reveal at the VVC Challenge show.
My least favourite video this year:
You may be surprised, but it's probably Narrow Escape. I like it, and it was incredibly fun to make, but it doesn't hold me the same way my other vids do when I watch it back now. I have the fewest emotional ties to it, and I don't think it pushed me in the same ways the other vids did. It was pure candy, which is part of why it's been my most downloaded vid of the year.
Most successful video:
Narrow Escape had the biggest audience, but Tandemonium had the most passionate feedback and "critical acclaim," if you will, for being featured at politicalremixvideo.com. I think this will be my best remembered vid of the year.
Video most underappreciated by the universe, in my opinion:
I admit I was a bit surprised that Lucky was so invisible, considering how well my Club Vivid vids have done in the past. I do think from a technical standpoint it's my tightest vid of the year, but that only gets you so far. It was a movie vid up against an absolutely incredible CV lineup this year, and it certainly got overshadowed by Pure Awesomeness in more popular fandoms. That will happen! I was also surprised that Who's Watching Me didn't get any attention from the SPN fandom at large, but there are so many SPN vids and I'm not in the fandom, so that's understandable as well.
Most fun video:
Critical Hit! Though, Lucky is pretty fun, and seeing Dean scared of the Geico money always makes me smile.
Video with single sexiest moment:
Lucky has some sexy times in it, but I'm partial to one of fifty moments in Songs for a Girl.
Biggest vid fail:
There are several sections in Tandemonium that I'm not happy with, but that ship has sailed and ain't coming back now.
Hardest video to make:
You know, nothing this year was tough to make, per se. The vid tech in Who's Watching Me was very time-consuming, but that vid fell together fairly well considering. Lucky is the one I spent the most time on, going over and over and over it with a fine-toothed comb for several months to perfect the timing.
Most unintentionally telling video:
Oh, I think all the vids speak pretty clearly about who I am, heh.
The things I've learned this year:
- There is no use in making a vid out to be some big scary thing in your head when you know by now that vids aren't scary. Just sit down and do it.
- The riskier the vid, the more rewarding it is. Push boundaries more often, dude.
- It's okay to make a vid that nobody but you will watch, it's okay to love it, and it's okay to not apologize for it.
- You never know what will be popular, and it shouldn't matter. Make vids to make vids.
- The more you love an idea, the more you will enjoy vidding it. It's okay to wait for ideas that really grab you.
For 2011:
I'm currently in a new and scary place of having a viable vid queue of exactly 0 at the moment. My FNL vid is now pushed back until the S5 dvds are available, and my Farscape and SCC ideas don't hold any interest to me anymore. I have a collab in the works with laurashapiro, but nothing on my own in progress. So, hmm. 2011 is an empty canvas, and I'm very curious to see what I end up producing. A year from now I will look back and smile at the vids that I ended up making and loving, having no idea who they are now. Bring it on.