Dark_Respite

Oh yeah, one more thing:

YOUTUBE VERSION IS AVAILABLE!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MY6g0G93LtM

For those of you who do not want to download the high res version off the Samuraiko Productions website...

Michelle
aka
Samuraiko/Dark_Respite

Okay, let's set the record straight here - I am neither the best videographer for this game nor the destined winner of the contest. Don't see me as an obstacle - see me as inspiration. Don't look at my stuff and go, "Hell, I can't come near that." Look at it and go, "Hey, how can I incorporate something like that [some element you like] into MY video and do it MY way?"

Second: General notice after getting another email from the folks over at GameTrailers...

Me: "I saw that we're not allowed to have 'logos' in the video. I would just like a quick clarification about how this applies to the following:
1) NCSoft's logo (animated or static)"

Them: YES

Me: "2) The Cryptic logo (animated or static)"

Them: "If this is part of the game, yes"

Me: "3) My studio logo (animated or static)"

Them: "NO"

Me: "And peripherally, if a title appears in the video, if my studio's name (no graphic) is allowed, such as:
"REALLY AWESOME VIDEO TITLE"
by
Samuraiko Productions"

Them: "No"

So word to the entrants - you may have, if you wish, the NCSoft and Cryptic logos, but nothing of your own in there, be it as logo, title, whatever.

Michelle
aka
Samuraiko/Dark_Respite

Okay, I JUST got home from work so now I can see everyone's responses (stupid filters at work block the forums so I couldn't come on here). So here's one post to address the six pages of posts here!

First off:

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU to everyone who has been praising the video (and to Lighthouse for the original post!). Your responses are EXACTLY the kind I was hoping to get (not just the positive thing, but the chills and the "ooh wow" factor). That tells me I hit the emotional tone I was going for.

Second:

Yes, Dark_Respite is female. Very much so.

Third:

I love my new intro, too, and barring messing with filters or whatnot to make it look more stylized, that's the official Samuraiko Productions intro for all my future videos.

Fourth:

I am going for the car, fear not. However, there are a lot of other great CoX videographers who are going for it, too. Don't ignore their efforts just in favor of mine - I want the best person to win. If it happens to be me, fantastic. If I win, show, or place, I'd be thrilled.

Fifth:

Re: NCNorCal hiring me. Those of you on here who are lobbying for the devs to add me to the roster aren't the only ones who think that. But the devs know where to find me if they ever change their minds.

Sixth:

What some call 'fluff' and I call my 'credits' are there for a reason. After a long, protacted, and UGLY online battle after several people swiped videos of mine and were entering them into AMV contests (and in at least one instance, winning them with MY work), every single video of mine has credits on them. (There is currently ONE exception, and ONLY one - the CoX video I did for the P.E.R.C. contest because to have my credits in it would have disqualified me.) I credit most people with the ability of being able to click just a bit further in on the Play bar to skip ahead, or to stop watching when they see my end credits start. FOR THE RECORD, my end credits are 39 seconds long (the part where the music starts and the pan-down shot of the scroll and ink and the relevant text). My opening credits vary depending on whether I'm incorporating the NCSoft, Cryptic, and SP logos into the music or not. And my credits exist for a reason - I want people to know EXACTLY what goes into any video I make - what music, what footage, who helped me, all of it. If you ever go see a film that doesn't have credits on the end, the filmmaker either did it all him/herself, or s/he's a selfish twit who doesn't acknowledge sources.

As for lengthening the video, I'm constrained by the music I use - although, thanks to some wildly unexpected generosity from one of my fans, I was able to invest in Sony AcidPro, and will soon be composing my OWN music, which means I can add/edit it as needed.

Seventh:

I use the following programs: the /demorecord feature, Notepad, Zloth's Demo Player, FRAPS, Sony Vegas Movie Studio Platinum, Adobe PhotoShop, Creative Smart Recorder, Nero Wave Editor/Sony SoundForge.

And in closing:

THANK YOU ALL AGAIN. I well and truly mean it. There are times when I sit at my desk working on a video and occasionally succumb to moments of depression and despair, and think to myself, "Why the hell am I knocking myself out on this video?" Then I get responses like yours and know why. And it keeps me going for the next one. Thank you.

Michelle
aka
Samuraiko

The Justice-based SG "Star Patrol" founders all managed to get most of double XP weekend off (or at least permission to leave early on Friday), and we will be leading almost non-stop Task Forces all weekend long for our newer members who want to complete them. We also want to finish the push to get the four 'founders' all the way to level 50 (the group's primary founder is lvl 50, time to bring the other three up to speed).

One big massive gaming/semi-role-playing fest all weekend, and more footage for our group's video! Woot!

Michelle
aka
Samuraiko/Dark_Respite

I've wondered that myself, and not yet been able to come up with an answer. Although God knows if I win, I'll be giving them all the free publicity I can manage because I'll be posting pictures of me with that car, holding up a sign that says in BIG letters:

"BITE ME, WoW, PLAYING CoX WON ME A CAR!"

And should I win, there's gonna be a Phoenix Meet n Greet so all the forum folks can pose around the DR-mobile.

Michelle
aka
Samuraiko/Dark_Respite

Ha, the only times I've been on the game this weekend and these last two days is to finish up filming... my "oh please God let this come out right" video is just about finished (we're finishing the voice acting recordings tonight), and then with luck, Thursday it goes live!

THEN I can start on the CoX Machinima contest thingy.

Michelle
aka
Samuraiko/Dark_Respite

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
"Should I even BOTHER with this contest, since it's not like I'm going to win?"

[/ QUOTE ]
First off, because you do have a good shot at winning. Second off, because even third place will net you something like thirty VERY fancy pizzas. Third off, because you do good stuff and we want to see it, even if it doesn't win.

[/ QUOTE ]

*sniffles and then gives Zloth a hug*

Thank you. I very much needed to hear that.

Michelle
aka
Samuraiko/Dark_Respite

Like I'm going to have time to create more than one entry...

/em sigh

And unfortunatiely since I started my new medical regime last Monday, I've been in a strange bout of depression and fatigue and thinking, "Should I even BOTHER with this contest, since it's not like I'm going to win?" But I have to try... I just can't get a clear enough head to think of what to do and how to do it...

Michelle
aka
Samurai_ko

Good, so between us, it appears that we've gotten clarification on the biggest problems:

Music - only if it's EITHER a) WHOLLY ORIGINAL, or b) music from the game.

Violence/profanity/etc - if it can happen in the game, fine. If you hack the code so you're recreating Grand Theft Auto, not fine.

And I will be starting this video just as soon as I finish the one I'm working on, which has to be done this week! AGH!

Michelle
aka
Samuraiko/Dark_Respite

There is a demorecord code for having the war walls down, but I don't remember offhand if that's also directly tied to having the sky turn green.

My preferred cheat (when I can get away with it and I'm too lazy to bluescreen) is to film in certain zones that are large enough to not HAVE visible war walls (aka Talos, Bloody Bay, Peregrine Island, most of the Rogue Isles, etc).

Michelle
aka
Samuraiko/Dark_Respite

Variety in music is always good... I tend to vary between well-known stuff (the SPIDERMAN main theme) and the obscure (how many people here know the computer game CHAOS OVERLORDS?). It helps keep me on my creative toes.

Michelle
aka
Samuraiko/Dark_Respite

[ QUOTE ]
Actually, the real reson is I did a quick scan through the 'Misc' ones before I posted it last, looking for any with three or more, and there were only two of your there. Another one should put you over the top.

Edit: I'm editing the list now, so post links to anything new you all would like to see added.

I'm also adding some category text at the end of each line - if you can help categorize yours, it would be much appreciated. I'm doing: Teaser/Trailer, Music Video, Story, Instructional, Humor, and Gameplay (for now).

Thanks!

[/ QUOTE ]

Most of mine are right, but "Time to Start" = Music Video. The others are good.

And yet another nod of thanks for going through all this effort.

Re: Aralcox's latest video... I both love and hate watching these. I love them because they inspire me... and I hate them because I get so depressed that I can't do a video like that. :S I just do NOT have the patience to code camera angles like that - the creative part is easy! It's the nitpicky perfectionist stuff that just drives me up a wall, across a ceiling, and out the nearest window.

Michelle
aka
Samuraiko/Dark_Respite

Michelle
aka
Samuraiko/Dark_Respite

Just for myself, I include them on virtually every video I do, as a nod to whose game I'm doing a video for. Nine videos in, they've not yet told me to stop.

Michelle
aka
Samuraiko

Well, they seemed to reply pretty quickly to me, so hopefully they'll do the same for you, Vorac.

I know that when they responded to my email re: the music, I also mentioned that some of you guys had started a thread on their forums, and asked if someone would respond to the questions brought up there as well.

Michelle
aka
Samurai_ko

UPDATE:

The good folks over at GameTrailers.com were kind enough to answer about the music thing.

Here's my initial email:

To whom it may concern:

One question that troubles many of the potential entrants to this contest is directly related to our use of audio. Are we allowed to use music that a) we have received copyright permission to use, or b) is royalty-free music that we have access to?

A video with no music tends to be rather lacking, and a lot of us are wanting to know exactly what we can and cannot do. Please do not just point us to the rules and go, "Look there." We have - if we are misunderstanding what is there, please rephrase it - don't just tell us to re-read it.

Thank you on behalf of the CoX Forums (Multimedia community),

Their response:

No, you cannot use that music. Per the rules, if you are using anything other than what was provided as part of the game (music included) it must be wholly original:
"...no element of the Video is copied, derived, translated, adapted or otherwise obtained or copied from anyone or anywhere else, regardless of the source, format or medium..."
If you want to use music, it must be totally original to you.

Thanks.

So now it's official. If you didn't write the music, or you're not using CoX's music, don't use it.

Michelle
aka
Samuraiko/Dark_Respite

[ QUOTE ]
EDIT: Actually your post depressed me so much I'm deleting the video. I feel like such a moron. Maybe another time I can get it right.

[/ QUOTE ]

Word of advice then (and I am frantically trying to make sure this doesn't sound patronizing)...

Take an hour or so to grouse, pout, mope, and beat yourself up. Then STOP. Flat out STOP. It serves no use other than getting it out of your system.

Just like the first time you jumped into a situation in the game where you thought you knew what you were doing ("I'm level 3, I can fight 12 Hellions at once and they all... con... yellow... oops"), you lie there for a bit, you feel stupid for a bit, then you pick yourself up and try again.

Don't throw your whole video out the window. Look at what others have said and think about it truthfully. Are they right? Can this still be improved? How can you reflect what they said if you were to make any changes?

Every single video you make will be a learning experience. Few people, if any, get it 100% right on their first attempt - including me.

So yeah, take a bit of time to collect your thoughts and pluck your ego up off the floor after it got knocked down, and then TRY AGAIN. Others have pointed out the things your video had going for it... make sure you keep that in!

(Sorry, I know how it feels to have people stomp on your work - it can be extremely disheartening. But I've also been fortunate enough to have people tell me they like my work, so I keep at it. Hopefully this gives you the extra "oomph" to get up and take a second swing at it.)

Michelle
aka
Samuraiko/Dark_Respite

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Open to US Residents Only

[/ QUOTE ]

One day I would like to see a competition for NON US and NON EU players. ie all the International Players who dont fall into the US/EU catagory.

[/ QUOTE ]

There was one a few months ago. City of Commercials. I know because I won and I have the swag to prove it

[/ QUOTE ]

And now he's the target for all the rest of us... Or rather, he will be once we can figure out what we're all allowed to do.

Michelle
aka
Samuraiko/Dark_Respite

It means above and beyond the normal scope of the game.

Heroes beating up villains is fine.
Heroes throwing children out the window is not.

Michelle
aka
Samuraiko/Dark_Respite

So no Creative Commons music or royalty free music?

That bites...

Michelle
aka
Samuraiko/Dark_Respite

PS - Incidentally, I just sent an email to GameTrailers asking them for clarification on the music stuff. Let's see if we get an answer...

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
IMO Demorecording actually is "in-game". It is just the game running with a different set of arguments.

[/ QUOTE ]

Creating a video using the game engine is part of the Machinima definition.

So, everyone BUT DR can use demorecord.......... /e plot


But, ya, I would really like a clarification on to the whole violence and use only in game material.......

[/ QUOTE ]

Hey, I didn't even WIN the last video contest, so everyone has to gang up on Leandro!

Re: the violence thing - violence (to some degree) is part of the scope of the game. I think it's more about not messing with the game to have characters going above and beyond the game's normal constraints (this is not, after all, Grand Theft Auto).

What I really want is an answer to the music thing.

Michelle
aka
Samuraiko/Dark_Respite

This is going to ROCK!

I doubt I stand a snowball's chance in hell of even placing in the top three, but I'm going to try!

Michelle
aka
Samuraiko/Dark_Respite

One of my questions is the same as Star_Dancer's:

Are we allowed to use either a) royalty-free music, or b) music that we have received copyright permission to use?

Other question:

In-game footage? Does this mean demo-recording is out?

Michelle
aka
Samuraiko/Dark_Respite

[ QUOTE ]
First, thanks for the positive comments. I was a bit nervous about releasing this because I didnt let anyone see anything I was doing until after it was completed. After watching it at least 100 times, I was sure I had seen it too many times to really tell how it looked.

I am thinking about re-rendering the credits. I noticed several errors that I cant believe I missed.

I had an absolute blast making this one and I have alreday gotten a few ideas for my next video.

[/ QUOTE ]

Outstanding for a first effort! (And kudos for using the new Nightwish stuff... have you heard the orchestral version of "Poet and the Pendulum"?) And cool that you show several locations in the game. There are a few in there that I didn't quite recognize so I'll have to go back and look at them again...

I agree about the credits but if you're using WMM, you tend to be a bit limited in how well you can do them.

Re: wanting to go back and fix it - that's a trait we all share. I go back to my earlier stuff (heck even my LATER stuff) and think, "Could fix that... could fix that... could fix that..."

And congrats on new ideas... don't forget to post them here so we can see!

Michelle
aka
Samuraiko/Dark_Respite

[ QUOTE ]
Watch out, DR is a zombie now that the suspense killed her!

[/ QUOTE ]

Nah, I'll just be a ghost like War Witch, hovering around near the statue of Atlas, explaining to people about the Videographer Origin of Power...

Michelle
aka
Samuraiko/Dark_Respite

Okay, it's official - Lighthouse says the post comes tomorrow!

AGH! The suspense is killing me...

Michelle
aka
Samuraiko/Dark_Respite