vidding, effects, and KC's big fat mouth
May. 6th, 2008 11:44 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kricketsThis is in response to various vidding discussions that have been circulating about use of effects.
I don't believe that you're looking far enough if the only videos you're seeing recced and getting recognition are full of effects. To see this, you just have to check the last few of my recent recs. Or, for that matter, the recs over at veni, vidi, vids! Clearly, if you just look, you'll find something completely different.
I won't name names, but I know the two (non-lj) communities that are the basis for such opinions, and those are not, are quite far from, the beginning and the ending of the vidding community. And if you aren't looking outside of those very narrow boxes? Then you're just not looking hard enough.
And in regards to the question of whether or not vidding with effects is better or worse than vidding without? It's a completely bogus one. It's not even a question at all.
There are crappy videos with effects and without. Just as there are great videos with both. It's not a measure of what's good or bad. The vid itself is the measure of that. And you've just got to accept that sometimes videos that you don't like are going to get a lot of questionable praise from various corners. *cough*YouTube*cough* And sometimes the fact is that maybe that vid just isn't for you? You can't please everybody.
And you know what? Whether it's on LJ or YouTube or anywhere else? You just have to stop looking at the numbers and stop comparing yourself to other people. There will always be somebody better than you. There will always be somebody smarter, more tech savvy, more artistic, and braver than you. That's not a judgment on anyone's skills, but a simple fact based on the history of the world since... I dunno, ever.
My point is, if you're trying to quantify success by comment count? This will always be a competition.
For me, and I think for a lot of vidders out there, it's just not. When you're putting yourself up to be judged, then yes, there is that element of "will I be accepted?" And when someone is quite literally judging your work, it's hard not to take that personally.
But the action of vidding itself? Doesn't have to be that way.
This thing we do, sharing and commenting and creating and learning from each other? Does not have to be a competition. If you are on my flist and you have made even one vid? Then I have probably learned something from you. And I don't say that arbitrarily, so if you think I can't possibly mean you, you're definitely wrong.
A kind of side note: I also want to say that much of what has been said, putting down vids that use effects? Has struck me as incredibly condescending to everyone who uses effects in their vids and everyone who's ever liked a vid with effects. I'm sure no one said that any vid that uses effects is pure trash, but that's the overwhelming impression that has been given.
Feel free to disagree. Or not. I know this isn't going to sit well with several on my flist and I'm willing to accept that responsibility. If you're on my flist, you know that I am usually pretty opinionated but that it's also totally okay with me if you don't agree with me.
ETA: I'm not saying we don't strive for greatness (or even just a reflection of truth) or that we don't vid with some kind of audience in mind. If you think about it, that's what all artists do. But the process does not have to be a painful one.
I don't believe that you're looking far enough if the only videos you're seeing recced and getting recognition are full of effects. To see this, you just have to check the last few of my recent recs. Or, for that matter, the recs over at veni, vidi, vids! Clearly, if you just look, you'll find something completely different.
I won't name names, but I know the two (non-lj) communities that are the basis for such opinions, and those are not, are quite far from, the beginning and the ending of the vidding community. And if you aren't looking outside of those very narrow boxes? Then you're just not looking hard enough.
And in regards to the question of whether or not vidding with effects is better or worse than vidding without? It's a completely bogus one. It's not even a question at all.
There are crappy videos with effects and without. Just as there are great videos with both. It's not a measure of what's good or bad. The vid itself is the measure of that. And you've just got to accept that sometimes videos that you don't like are going to get a lot of questionable praise from various corners. *cough*YouTube*cough* And sometimes the fact is that maybe that vid just isn't for you? You can't please everybody.
And you know what? Whether it's on LJ or YouTube or anywhere else? You just have to stop looking at the numbers and stop comparing yourself to other people. There will always be somebody better than you. There will always be somebody smarter, more tech savvy, more artistic, and braver than you. That's not a judgment on anyone's skills, but a simple fact based on the history of the world since... I dunno, ever.
My point is, if you're trying to quantify success by comment count? This will always be a competition.
For me, and I think for a lot of vidders out there, it's just not. When you're putting yourself up to be judged, then yes, there is that element of "will I be accepted?" And when someone is quite literally judging your work, it's hard not to take that personally.
But the action of vidding itself? Doesn't have to be that way.
This thing we do, sharing and commenting and creating and learning from each other? Does not have to be a competition. If you are on my flist and you have made even one vid? Then I have probably learned something from you. And I don't say that arbitrarily, so if you think I can't possibly mean you, you're definitely wrong.
A kind of side note: I also want to say that much of what has been said, putting down vids that use effects? Has struck me as incredibly condescending to everyone who uses effects in their vids and everyone who's ever liked a vid with effects. I'm sure no one said that any vid that uses effects is pure trash, but that's the overwhelming impression that has been given.
Feel free to disagree. Or not. I know this isn't going to sit well with several on my flist and I'm willing to accept that responsibility. If you're on my flist, you know that I am usually pretty opinionated but that it's also totally okay with me if you don't agree with me.
ETA: I'm not saying we don't strive for greatness (or even just a reflection of truth) or that we don't vid with some kind of audience in mind. If you think about it, that's what all artists do. But the process does not have to be a painful one.
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no subject
Date: 2008-05-07 06:13 am (UTC)Seriously, if any of what you said about putting down vids that use effects was directed at me, I added on an extra little bit at the end of my post, trying to clarify what I meant. That whole thing I wrote? Was meant for me, not pointing fingers at anybody else, mainly because I realized I was NOT doing a vid I wanted to do just because I was worried it wouldn't be "flashy" enough for them. You know, the "them" that everybody wants to please? o_O ;)
And it dawned on me that I could make it flashy but that wouldn't mean I was making it good, you know? :S And also, it started to bug me that I felt like I just wasn't "allowed" to make a simple, low-effects vid because fandom in general wouldn't like it. :S And I just read an article about the way vidders used to have to do the whole 2 VCR thing to vid and it made me think I really needed to get myself back to basics when it comes to vidding, not worrying about "How flashy can I make this?" but instead "Where's the heart in this vid? How can I best tell the story I want to tell?" So that was what I was talking about. Just unfortunately I said it on Big Fandom Wank Day. And I forgot to even get my commemorative T-shirt. :( ;)
Blargh. Anyway, with the amount of vids I see on a daily basis, I think I can safely say I've seen a ton of bad and good vids with no effects and a ton of bad and good vids with lots of effects. I have a lot of criteria that I use to judge vids and not one of them involves a snap judgment of "Oh, it has effects, therefore it is bad/good."
That said, I'm now going to go hop in my time machine and rewind this day. ;)
PS - Don't actually worry about seeing that extra bit I added onto my post because that post is about to go bye-bye. I know I didn't mean it in an inflammatory way but in the light of everything else that's going on here, I don't think it's appropriate to leave it.
no subject
Date: 2008-05-07 06:52 am (UTC)I honestly think you should just go with your gut when it comes to what you want to vid. It's the only way you'll ever be happy with what you're doing. If you think something would look nice and enhance your vid? Then do it. But don't do something just because you think other people expect it of you. Cause that's just nuts. And I totally agree with you there.
This post didn't really come from a place of anger, but rather of just wanting to throw in my two cents, my experiences. Because they seem to be categorically different.
no subject
Date: 2008-05-07 07:39 am (UTC)Anyway, hopefully y'all know me well enough to know I'd never presume to tell somebody that they can't/can use effects in their vids or their vids will be bad/good. That's just crazy talk, man! ;)
And like I said, if I'm going to take a hard stand and offend a bunch of people, then I'll do it when I have all the facts, not because I tripped and fell into a big puddle of fandom wank. ;) I wrote up a new entry because it was bugging me, so if you read the first one, I hope you'll read the second, where I tried to clarify what I meant.
And now, let us all eat cookies and forget this foolishness. *offers cookies* ;)