Dark_Respite

Which server? If you're on Liberty, send a /tell to @Bloodspeaker2 and say that his wife asked him to help PL you a bit. John's got a lvl 50 MM and probably wouldn't be averse to helping a friend of mine.

My way of PLing? (Depending on the character) I do virtually non-stop radio mishes.

But here's a slightly better option for you:

1) Get your character to 14 somehow (which will at least give you Flight).
2) Lackey to a higher level character and explain you need to look around and film.
3) Open ANOTHER character of yours and give him/her the kind of cape you WANT.
4) Demorecord that character.
5) Modify whatever one you will be using (the demorecord of you in flight, etc etc etc) so that the toon now has the same cape. I forget the exact line in a character code, but you'll be able to tell.

Bingo, you're done.

Michelle
aka
Samuraiko/Dark_Respite

[ QUOTE ]
DR: I got you a mention in the next column, and S&L i'll probably feature in a couple weeks =) (btw, did you get my PM back about your revised credits sequence?)

Keep the ideas flowin', folks!

[/ QUOTE ]

Yes, I did, and thanks.

Michelle
aka
Samuraiko/Dark_Respite

The hitch with the first suggestion is that in general, only I know how I want stuff to look when I film it. Even explaining it to my husband (who also plays, and who knows how I think) doesn't get me the stuff that I want, just "well, it's close, so maybe I can get away with it." But it's not me. Don't get me wrong - my friends who play DO save me some time when I say "Can you get me the code for such-and-such power, or so-and-so NPC", but not doing tracking shots or action or whatever.

The hitch with the second suggestion? I've applied to NCSoft. Got turned down. Drat.

But don't knock being oblivious to current events - I don't read the news for a single pressing reason - it's usually depressing as hell.

Michelle
aka
Samuraiko/Dark_Respite

Ashcraft:
Actually, I've had several people ask me to do videos for commission. Small problem - I know what my time is worth, and I know roughly how long it takes to make one of my videos. So either I undercharge and pull in more business because more people can afford to pay me, or I charge what my time is worth, and potentially make less because most players can't afford it. (Or so I believe.)

Will NCSoft get a cut? Only if they get one off every fan artist who does work for a character. As it is, they get a ton of free advertising for their game from me.

Star_Dancer:
I'm the same way. I write, I draw, I paint, I dance, I make the absolutely best darn brownies on the face of the planet. (Which reminds me - since I'll be off my diet for the weekend of the meet and greet, I should make a tray or three and take them to Santa Clara...) But my big source of do-this-do-this-do-this frustration is my writing. Unreal how many stories I've begun and not finished for lack of time (or switch of interest). Nowhere near retirement age, though.

It's just annoying, and I know, it's me grousing in public. But sometimes it helps to know I'm not the only one with a frustration.

And I REALLY need to get my tail in gear on my machinima entry... I finally finished editing my music! Now it's time to film! (Or will be once double XP weekend is over.)

Michelle
aka
Samuraiko/Dark_Respite

There are times when I wonder if it's a blessing or a curse that almost every other day, I have an idea for a video I want to make. Small problem - that eight-hour-a-day thing called WORK.

Man, I so wish there was money in this video-making gig... I think I could cheerfully spend all day making various and sundry videos. Some for the game itself (like my commercials), others for fun, and a handful just for me.

Does anyone else know how this feels? To be frustrated not because of lack of inspiration or money or whatnot, but because there just isn't enough TIME?

Michelle
aka
Samuraiko/Dark_Respite

*rueful smile*

Too many people already know who *I* am (especially after Lighthouse did that announcement thing). Hmmmm... actually, have Stan and Lou been featured in the Scoop before? Because if they haven't, they should be.

Michelle
aka
Samuraiko/Dark_Respite

I might... and I think I sound fairly camp, too. Not sure yet, though.

Michelle
aka
Samuraiko/Dark_Respite

Thank you for totally making my day, Star.

Hell, I wish I could even afford to do this freelance as a living, but the uncertainty of income from week to week is not something for me at this time.

As for me having this as a steady job... wellllllll... let's just say I have ulterior motives for going to the Bay Area Meet n Greet.

Michelle
aka
Samuraiko/Dark_Respite

PS - stay tuned, Star_Dancer - there are NINE videos in progress to go up on the Samuraiko Productions website.

Give me a bit and I should be able to get the name of it for you. I've got quite a bit of Pfeifer Bros. music saved.

Michelle
aka
Samuraiko/Dark_Respite

EDIT: The music was composed specifically by Pfeifer Broz. for that trailer. Supposedly the music is floating around on the Internet, but I've not been able to find a download site for it (and I know where to look for most of this stuff). I will keep an eye out for it and nab it for you, but sadly, most of the best trailer music is done just for one job and that's it.

Other thing to consider...

When you changed yourself into Manticore, did you still leave a line like:

0 30 NEW Player

(Or whatever number was assigned to you that you later changed to Manticore?)

Because you need to have at least one Player on the map. I usually get around that by positioning "myself" either directly behind the camera or about 2 feet below it (which often hides me in the floor while still allowing me to record).

Michelle
aka
Samuraiko/Dark_Respite

Thanks very much! For that matter, then...

Kudos to the folks who HELP me reel stuff in.

Kudos to my viewers, for reminding me why I keep fishing.

I make the occasional joke that I want a t-shirt that says "Will Fish for Compliment" or "Will Work for Affirmation."

Michelle
aka
Samuraiko/Dark_Respite

I've got a character that might fit this...

She's fifth in command of our Justice-based SG, Dr. Sorina Tavarisch (aka Agent Tavarisch in-game, grav/kin tech-origin controller). She's our group's liaison to Vanguard, having served in the first Rikti War as a civilian consultant brilliant in field-adapting Rikti technology. After the war, she formally joined the Freedom Corps (but not specifically Longbow - she works with any and all divisions of FC that need her assistance), and worked with both the FC and Vanguard to coordinate the flow of information regarding Rikti technology (and how to fight it).

As Vanguard was pretty much 'cut off at the knees' in your timeline, I can easily see that Tava (her nickname) would have continued to do all that she could, fixing, stealing, and adapting whatever Rikti technology she could get her hands on to help the beleaguered humans.

I can send you her full backstory if you'd like it at some point...

Michelle
aka
Samuraiko/Dark_Respite

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
...although if I can scrounge the extra money, picking up the World Music soundscape stuff for AcidPro might be a good place to start

[/ QUOTE ]
Whosee whatnow? You've got a microphone, you've got a voice. Sing it yourself! You'll be done in 10 minutes and won't spend a dime.

[/ QUOTE ]

Yeah, but I can't hum background music worth a damn. Singing, I can do.

Michelle
aka
Samuraiko/Dark_Respite

[ QUOTE ]
Kranny, your video was wonderful. Very nice work. What music were you using? I loved it and would like to try and find some if possible.

[/ QUOTE ]

If memory serves, the music Kranny is using is "The Poet and the Pendulum" by Nightwish, off the "Dark Passion Play" CD.

Michelle
aka
Samuraiko/Dark_Respite

FWIW, I've been tinkering with the end credits, and while still using their original source, I've got them down in length by half (from 39 seconds to 21). As for composing my own credits music, I don't quite have the resource material for doing that yet, although if I can scrounge the extra money, picking up the World Music soundscape stuff for AcidPro might be a good place to start.

Michelle
aka
Samuraiko/Dark_Respite

Yep! And we've currently got enough material for "CoVideo Hell", "CoVideo Hell Version 2.0", and "Revenge of CoVideo Hell". Should be quite amusing. Even got my own website for it (COVIDEOHELL.COM) - although that's still in the construction phase.

Michelle
aka
Samuraiko/Dark_Respite

Hooray for seeing video creators getting some lovin'! And cheers to Emperorsteele for starting the column... should be good to see the up-and-comers getting the notice they deserve!

Michelle
aka
Samuraiko/Dark_Respite

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]

Quick amusing story about the voice acting from the guys... I recorded @Dust Raven first, so that John (my husband) would know the timing against which he'd have to say "We've become gods, Marcus." So DR sits next to me at the computer, puts on the headset/mike, I cue him to tell him to start, and he does a take of, "My God..."

John, sitting at HIS computer (and playing COH with the sound off while we're working), without looking up, immediately follows that with, "... it's full of stars!"

And all three of us promptly lose it laughing, thus ruining the take.

Michelle
aka
Samuraiko/Dark_Respite

[/ QUOTE ]

Ironik demands out takes.

[/ QUOTE ]

We do actually have some... however, we've agreed that we're saving the outtakes for our next major GROUP project (not the Machinima contest thing, but our delightful little endeavour called... "CoVideo Hell").

That project, by the way, will be a series of roughly 10-minute non-stop hilarity segments chock full of CoX goodness (and badness).

Michelle
aka
Samuraiko/Dark_Respite

[ QUOTE ]
Well it would seem only proper to include the names of the people involved in the production and their role (like voices, music, etc). Wouldn't I be safe doing that?
No company logos or organizations mentioned. I guess I won't even mention supergroup plugs to be on the safe side.

[/ QUOTE ]

I agree, but they say no. As many people as you want can contribute to helping you, but in the end, there's ONE person who will be awarded a prize (and yes I know there's three prizes).

Unless they tell me otherwise, however, after I submit my entry, I fully intend to put my entry up on my website WITH my credits to give credit where it's due. And if they have a problem with it, they can notify me directly, rather than having to go through YouTube and telling them to tell me to take it down from there.

Michelle
aka
Samuraiko/Dark_Respite

[ QUOTE ]
I suggest using a watermark. Something a little transparent and unobtrusive (probably a symbol instead of words so the viewer isn't tempted to read it), but it's THERE and would be a LOT harder to remove without butchering the video.

[/ QUOTE ]

A very interesting suggestion - way back when I first started doing videos, I didn't have a logo. Now I do. If I can figure out how to insert one in such a fashion that it doesn't obviously distract, I will certainly give it a go. I will also see about revamping my end credits (I still intend to keep them there, but I promise, I will see if I can tool them down).

The opening credits however (NCSoft's, Cryptic, and especially mine) are staying as-is.

[ QUOTE ]
... not to mention the "power manifestation" section was just amazing; the ressurecting soldier, the woman bursting into flames, the guy levitating cars (still trying to figure out how you pulled off that one ).

Something people didnt seem to talk about alot so far in this thread was the voice acting. I just want to give a quick props to that cause it's one of the things that really came out and "got me". The interaction between Stephan and Marcus was spot on, and their voices just sounded great, what I would imagine LR and States would sound like.

Keep up the good work!

[/ QUOTE ]

Re: the levitating cars... work, my friend. Lots and lots of work. And original coding. And the audacity to try it in the first place.

Re: the voice acting... @Dust Raven (one of my best friends) and @Bloodspeaker2 (hubby, and former Mr. Rogue Isles-Liberty!) both had a lot of fun voicing Marcus and Stefan, and regretted my video wasn't longer because they'd have liked to do more. Both of them (in fact, all five of us voicing) are avid role-players and GMs (Game Masters, Storytellers, Dungeon Masters, whatever you might call someone who RUNS the game), and are very good at using their voices to convey a scene. Hubby in particular is fantastic at it - people call him "Sound Effects Man" because he really does have this knack for using his voice for performance and for mimicry. I personally think he'd have made a terrific professional voice actor, but oh well. I hardly had to do any modification at all to the recordings of his voice, save deepening it just a tad and adding the echo effect - that deep, raspy laugh of Recluse's at the end is pretty much all him.

Quick amusing story about the voice acting from the guys... I recorded @Dust Raven first, so that John (my husband) would know the timing against which he'd have to say "We've become gods, Marcus." So DR sits next to me at the computer, puts on the headset/mike, I cue him to tell him to start, and he does a take of, "My God..."

John, sitting at HIS computer (and playing COH with the sound off while we're working), without looking up, immediately follows that with, "... it's full of stars!"

And all three of us promptly lose it laughing, thus ruining the take.

Michelle
aka
Samuraiko/Dark_Respite

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
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

[/ QUOTE ]

For the lazy, here's the embeded version


[/ QUOTE ]

Thanks, Lighthouse... always looking out for me. :P

Michelle
aka
Samuraiko/Dark_Respite

Except that Cryptic still owns the engine.

Michelle
aka
Samuraiko/Dark_Respite

You're right - I just found out that they removed the 10-minute exemption for directors. Which means that:

a) the short film has to be under 10 minutes max,
b) it's posted as a two parter, or
c) it's only made available in high resolution on my website for download

Michelle
aka
Samuraiko/Dark_Respite

Bah, go for it anyway.

Michelle
aka
Samuraiko/Dark_Respite

[ QUOTE ]
Yay! Thank you!
and WOW!
also, I would like to request maybe a short film at some point?
something with some plot!

[/ QUOTE ]

Well, my current YouTube limitation is 10 minutes unless I apply for Director's status.

Second... I'm always up for pushing my limits. Any ideas? Suggestions? If I were going to do a short film about the world of CoX, what it should be?

Hmmmmm... maybe I'll sponsor a contest of my own - make a suggestion for a short film (something game-related, not just highlighting an SG or somesuch), and the winning entry gets to have their idea made into a 10-minute film by Samuraiko Productions.

No, that's not arrogant sounding at all...

And I agree - long live Triumph, home of the Sinclair Syndicate and some of the coolest players I've had the pleasure of knowing.

Michelle
aka
Samuraiko/Dark_Respite