I started back at college and this is my last semester before I graduate with my Bachelor's Degree (yay accomplishment). It pretty much means the only thing I'm going to be doing for a while is going to classes and student teaching.

I've been meaning to make a post about vid_commentary, but never actually did it. I posted commentary for charmax's multifandom (Battlestar Galactica, Terminator: Sarah Connor, Terminator movies) vid, Unnatural Selection. Also, thuviaptarth posted commentary for my Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles vid, Ding! Dong!

I'm considering participating in Challenge 2: Combined Vidder & Viewer, but I can't figure out what I want to do for it. The idea is a comparison of point of view from creator and audience on a vid, which sounds like it could be incredible and enlightening.

Thanks to everyone for the birthday wishes and the super cute virtual gifts (nursedarry, bop_radar, talitha78, and sol_se).

nightchik and I complied the Understanding Meta Vids (I C WHUT U DID THAR) vidshow (she ran the panel at VVC) for 2009 vividcon.

Vids that exist on a meta level, working in more ways than one, often suggesting a basis beyond the individual fandoms of the source andmore about a larger concept and/or fandom itself. Vids that go beyond the narrative of their source, commenting on the nature of that narrative, connecting with outside meanings, or placing the story in alarger culture context.

Everytime I thought we had a good description I'd realize it was excluding some type of meta or possibility for meta. I had no idea how tediously difficult it would be a write a definition for what meta vids are. We went for a wide range of meta topics, so I hope people didn't look at it and reject the vidshow in the basis that it's not what they consider to be meta. Meta has a wide variety of possibilities and these vids are some of them:

( On to the playlist! )

Questions? Comments? Suggestions? While this was the playlist for meta vids used in the vidshow, I encourage others to drop links in the comments to other meta vids. Feel free to spark discussions as well. I'm sure they'll be notes coming from the meta panel and I'd love for online discussion as well.

I'm over at halcyon_shift's 2000 comments for her 2000th post offering some minivids, so head over there and help it get to 2000 comments. All things welcome, like drive by hi comments, meta, random poetry, jokes, comment fic offering, teh eye candy, recs, links, recipes, guess the song, quotes, etc.

Do you want to see something cool?

The BAMF bradcpu has started creating monthly vidder profiles featuring an audio interview with the vidder over excerpts from his or her vids. I'm the August Vidder Profile, so watch if it so pleases you. I discuss my frequent use of sexual or violent source material, my take on vidding as an art form, my concepts, my influences and more. After watching the profile I realized how much a giggle when I talk. Weird.

In conclusion, I am a Disney Princess.

August Vidder Profile (kiki_miserychic)

The universe doesn't want me to go to VVC. I'm convinced of this. I'm nearly broke from all the hospital bills I've been getting. My dad said that the insurance company is going to pay me back for everything once the claim is settled, but in the meantime I have no money. I'm getting worried because I got three more bills in the mail this week. I thought I'd finished getting billed, but there are still more coming. It makes my head want to explode. I've talked to so many people at the hospital, in the billing department, and so on. They did something to cut my bills down, but it's still so much. I'm starting to think I'm not on my dad's second insurance and he's stalling me. The primary insurance paid out, but the second one that he got just in case hasn't. I keep asking my dad about it, but he never wants to talk and dances around it, which makes me think I'm screwed. I've been making my plans for Chicago and VVC, but it's feeling financially irresponsible to go on a trip when I'm not sure I'll have the money. But I didn't get to go last year and I really want to go. I'll face reality next week. If the insurance company pays out, then I'll get to go, but I can't go if I'm broke. Would sacrificing a goat help?

Is there someone willing to upload 2 files (187mb and 53mb) to the VVC FTP? I've given up on connecting to the server, I'd rather keep my sanity for the moment.

Is there someone willing to upload 2 files (187mb and 53mb) to the VVC FTP? I've given up on connecting to the server, I'd rather keep my sanity for the moment.

Welcome to another thrilling addition of "Me vs. Technology" where I battle my own stupidity and beg for smarter people to help me. I'm trying to upload my CVV vid to the VVC server. I'm using SmartFTP, but it won't connect. I tried to work my google-fu, but I didn't find anything to help. This is a copy the log that I've been getting everytime I try:

[15:24:33] SmartFTP v3.0.1026.32
[15:24:45] Resolving host name "www.vividcon.com"
[15:24:46] Connecting to 208.113.233.195 Port: 22
[15:24:46] Connected to www.vividcon.com.
[15:24:46] SSH-2.0-OpenSSH_4.3p2 Debian-9etch2
[15:24:46] SSH server detected. Change the protocol to SFTP over SSH and try again.
[15:25:47] Timeout (60s).
[15:25:47] Active Help: http://www.smartftp.com/support/kb/74
[15:25:47] Client closed the connection.
[15:25:47] Connect failed. Waiting to retry (30s)...
[15:26:18] Connection attempt 2...
[15:26:18] Resolving host name "www.vividcon.com"
[15:26:18] Connecting to 208.113.233.195 Port: 22
[15:26:18] Connected to www.vividcon.com.
[15:26:18] SSH-2.0-OpenSSH_4.3p2 Debian-9etch2
[15:27:18] Timeout (60s).
[15:27:18] Active Help: http://www.smartftp.com/support/kb/74
[15:27:18] Client closed the connection.
[15:27:18] Connect failed. Waiting to retry (30s)...
[15:27:50] Connection attempt 3...
[15:27:50] Resolving host name "www.vividcon.com"
[15:27:50] Connecting to 208.113.233.195 Port: 22
[15:27:50] Connected to www.vividcon.com.
[15:27:50] SSH-2.0-OpenSSH_4.3p2 Debian-9etch2
[15:28:13] QUIT
[15:28:13] Protocol mismatch.
[15:28:13] The operation has been added to the Transfer Queue. Check the Transfer Queue for the status.
[15:28:13] Server closed connection

Did everyone else get their BasCon DVD? I remember a couple people on my flist mentioning it, but I never got mine. Were they all sent?

VividCon 2009 is open for suggestions on vidshows. nightchik and I are running Understanding Meta Vids (I C WHUT U DID THAR):

Vids that exist on a meta level, working in more ways than one, oftensuggesting a basis beyond the individual fandoms of the source andmore about a larger concept and/or fandom itself. Vids that go beyondthe narrative of their source, commenting on the nature of thatnarrative, connecting with outside meanings, or placing the story in alarger culture context.

That's a big long way of saying meta. As most of you know, I'm not good with words. Most of us know what meta is even if we can't fully explain it. That being said, I think nightchik and I wrote a pretty good blurb. ;)

SUGGEST AWAY!

Vid is now fixed. I changed the project setting to DV Widescreen and told all the clips to not maintain the aspect ratio. I render as Default Template (uncompressed). I customized the frame size of the rendered video to 720x400, the field order to none (progressive scan), and the pixel aspect ratio to 1.0000. And it looks perfect! Many thanks to crickets, dualbunny, mranderson71, gigglemonster, and hollywoodgrrl.

I finished my first CVV vid. Who wants to touch me?

ETA: Fixed.

My aspect ratio is coming out wonky and I have no clue how to fix it. My source is 720x400:


but when I render it from Vegas as DV Widescreen and the dimensions 720x400 it looks like this:


I tried rendering as DV with the dimensions set to 720x400, but it looks like this:


I also tried DV and DV Widescreen under 720x480, but the come out with the letterboxing at the top and bottom.

Does anyone have thoughts as to how I'm made of FAIL when it comes to rendering? Or a way to fix it?

(I'm going to cross post to comms later if no one on my flist can help.)

ETA: Fixed.

( Where I ramble and relate vidding to Twyla Tharp's The Creative Habit Learn It and Use It for Life )

( Where I relate the book to The 5 Obstructions (with trailer) and vidding )

All of this has brought me to a vidding idea. I would like people to leave me "obstructions", restrictions like having at least one clip that plays for 10 seconds without cut, not using effects, or anything. I'll pick out some and complete a vid according to the specifications.

Last week I posted the trailer and information for RiP: A remix manifesto. Web activist and filmmaker Brett Gaylor explores issues of copyright in the information age, mashing up the media landscape of the 20th century and shattering the wall between users and producers. Today I finally had a chunk of time to sit down and watch the film. Streaming video of RiP! A Remix Manifesto is available via NFB.ca, a web site produced by the National Film Board of Canada.

Chapter 1 - Meet Girl Talk. Today we're going to make a mash-up, find out who Girl Talk is, and why his music holds the key to the future of culture.


( chapter 2 - 13 embedded videos )

I was going to be humble vidder linking to the award site polls and encouraging everyone to vote however they saw fit... But then I remembered I have loose morals and I secretly covet shiny awards, so:

Art of Vidding Awards - Best of Best Round (The Return)

Driver Picks the Music - Second Annual Viewers' Choice Awards

The Fourth Wall 2008 winners were announced with their pretty awards and awesome reviews. I'm going to be pillaging the vids and such all week. I Want You (She's So Heavy) was winner for achievement in innovation. Wee! I has award and excuse to post this Ellen Tigh monologue from a cut Battlestar Galactica scene that Ronald Moore read on his podcast. Transcribed by beccatoria.

Self-awareness is not confined to the 'real world.' In theatre fictional characters are sometimes given a form of self-awareness. This is called breaking the fourth wall. The device is a form of metafiction, allowing characters to address the audience directly and comment on the narrative in which they themselves are participants. In doing so the characters transcend their fictive nature and enter into a dialectical relationship with the viewer, with each side seeking to persuade the other of the innate truth of their reality.

But does a character actually exist? Does it have form and shape beyond the page on which it is written? Can it ever truly break the fourth wall and address the unseen, undreamt of audience that watches its every move from the safety beyond the footlights?

The Lords of Kobol once felt that man could never break the fourth wall; could never look upon the gods with understanding and grasp the divine nature of life. They believed this until one day man stole their fire and created the first cylons the first artificial life.

And then man, in his arrogance, believed cylons could never break the fourth wall. And man believed that right up until the moment the first centurions rebelled and then the great exodus from paradise began. You see Boomer, we are not finite creations, we have the ability to evolve, you have so much more potential.

I should be vidding right now. Why aren't I vidding?

lim's Us is being shown as a single-channel work (which is a really interesting way to say vid) in the upcoming "Mediated" exhibit at the California Museum of Photography.

This is made of awesome.

( This end year's vid meme is behind a cut because I am wordy and I make too many vids )

And in addition:
If there is any question you would like to ask me about any one of my vids, then go ahead! What I meant by a particular clip or sequence, why I chose to highlight that characterization, why I chose that song, what crack I was taking and where you can get some...anything. Anything you might like to know about how I made a vid, I shall do my best to answer.

I've been soaking myself in fannish academia lately. Today Transformative Works and Cultures No. 1 was released online. To paraphrase, it's a Gold Open Access international peer-reviewed journal published by the Organization for Transformative Works edited by Kristina Busse and Karen Hellekson. I started reading a few of the papers while I waited for class to start today. My class ended up cancelled so I spent quite a bit of time reading the articles and basking in them. The focus of the journal is popular media, fan communities, and transformative works, broadly conceived. The papers will be from a wide range of topics including but not limited to fan fiction, fan vids, mashups, machinima, film, TV, anime, comic books, video games, and any and all aspects of the communities of practice that surround them. The aim of the journal is to provide a publishing outlet that welcomes fan-related topics, and to promote dialogue between the academic community and the fan community. I'm greatly enjoying this issue and I'm already awaiting the second.

If you want commentary on aspects of any vid I've made, post a comment. Let me know if there are particular questions you'd like me to answer, choices you'd like to talk about, or elements of the vid you'd like me to expound on (favorite moments, etc.).

Ganked from hollywoodgrrl