My COH/COV music video
Heres my critique of the video:
1) When recording coh footage (unless it's a pvp video), the interface can be a distraction. I suggest trying to demorecord it, then record the playback. To record a demo, simply type /demorecord filename. To stop recording, type /demostop.. I think.. I've done it so many times I don't even think about it. Anyways, to play it back, create a shortcut to City of Heroes.exe, then edit the shortcut to add -demoplay at the end. Drag and drop the demofile onto the shortcut and voila! To end the demo, just hit escape.
2) Reusing footage is generally a bad idea. I saw several clips in the video that were reused from earlier in the video. NOTE: It can be done, and sometimes to very good effect. As a rule of thumb, however, I don't recommend this.
3) Err... this is a CoX video... so why add WoW dancing near the end?
4) I did like your intro to the video. The first minute or two were pretty good. After that, however, seeing the same thing over and over got a little repetitious. This is a problem with dance videos in general though.
5) I did like the song you chose! It fit the whole "heroes and villains are bored" type setting... time does seem to slow down when bored.
I hope you don't take this post as anything other than friendly advice as it was meant. I do envy the video makers out there who can actually sit down and make a video. I've been meaning to make one for ages, but I always end up putting it off / procrastinating. Maybe I should just buckle down and do it. Hmm... inspiration... *looks at time* Work tomorrow... Bah!
I agree with the assessments made over this production.
Lose the UI stuff. Use /Demo-edit for recording principle-footage as suggested. Better still, lose the Fraps.com logo as well. You know the proper way to do that: REGISTER THE THING!
If you title it as a Co* Video... it should BE all Co* material. Give all those WoW dancers their walking-papers. CoH and CoV footage intermixed should be okay. We are all one big happy Co* family here, despite what the game-seperatists would have us believe.
Why call it a "Remix" if is it all one Madonna song and all her singing it? I would say it's an EP: "Extended Play."
Now another thing.
There is a scarce visual element in this production that is evident throughout the piece: Action-Cam(tm). Not many basement-producers use it and it is nice to see. The fly-by sweeps, vertical dips, dramatic-angles and panoramic-shots should be encouraged for most all in-game music-productions such as this. But many still rely *only* on static-camera framing and hoping that the character(s) in the middle of the picture can pull off all the moves to put the viewer into the immersion.
Uh uh. Commercial Music Video producers long ago realized that they need total 'visual involvement' with the beat-timing and pace of the music and on-screen activity. THIS is one of the only CoH music-videos so far I see doing it consistantly inbetween the usual static-shots... and it adds up to a better, overall psychological 'feel' to this mix for having been done that way. Good job.
The WoW really threw me at the end. Looks completely different.
Otherwise, demorecord is the best way to eliminate the graphics, plus then you can refine your camera movements a bit as well.
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3) Err... this is a CoX video... so why add WoW dancing near the end?
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That would probably be because they.... <deep breath, this is gonna hurt> dance better than we do. There, I said it.
The interface actually didn't bug me much through most of the video. However, if you are looking for demo stuff, check my sig. You need not resort to Sarrate's method!
You actually don't need FRAPS, either. Do a demodump with my demo launcher at 8fps then load the pictures into Microsoft Movie Maker with no transition and 0.125 for time to show picture.
Yeah the WoW stuff i just added for fun, they are my brothers toons. (he doesnt like COH) :O i know i dont understand it either. And thanks for the critiques. I pretty much just threw this together. the reason i called it a remix is cause i made a video before this and i didnt think it was as good. I will strive to do better next time. just dont know how lol not many songs fit with this idea.
Oh come on now. The world is filled with music that moves to the beat. I bet some new ideas will come to mind when listening to iPod or even old-fashioed radio in the days ahead. When your mind starts 'visualizing' such CoH scenes while the tune is playing, you'll KNOW it is time to get out the Sony Vegas!
Likes WoW but not CoH? You did smite him, right?
Moving to the beat isn't enough - it has to move to the SAME beat CoH dancers do! That or you have to cut away real fast.
I made this video in about 3 hours, using FRAPS. Hope you all enjoy it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LJZkTJR83G8