or simply e-mail me at: codechrono@gmail.com
Thanks,
CodeChrono
First Review: Eternal InfernoCodeChrono *Zack* says:
So let's start things off. ^_^ We'll begin with Eternal Inferno.
Steven `џ´ says:
Amber, what's your org username?
Steven `џ´ says:
mine's SF_Phoenix
Amber says:
I'm Amo-chan
Steven `џ´ says:
ok
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
Let's begin talking about the technical aspects of Eternal Inferno, then we'll move on to concept and then followed by editing and special effects and ect.
Steven `џ´ says:
sure
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
Personally, I really didn't find anything overly wrong with the technical aspects. I think some of the fanart pictures were streched a little out of proportion, but that's just a minor nitpikc.
Steven `џ´ says:
by technical stuff, do we talk about choice of scenes and how they synced/ didn't sync stuff too?
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
Actually, technical stuff is more based on video quality, compression and other stuff similarly. AR too. Sync falls under editing I guess.
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
Though I guess we could throw sync in there.
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
It's not there's some strict guideline
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
^_^
Steven `џ´ says:
well, it just depends when we decide to talk about it
Steven `џ´ says:
since I have things to mention about sync, but that can wait
Steven `џ´ says:
I remember there were effects that I found that were a bit cheesy or unnecessary, dunno where that falls under either though =/
Amber says:
Well, I didn't really see anything to complain about, technically. That video was pretty much light years ahead of where I am. XD
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
ACtually, how about we just talk about things we did/didn't like.
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
And Amo, you're vastly improving with every video.
Amber says:
With this video, I was pretty surprised I liked it actually. I'm not much for action-y vids.
Amber says:
But, it kept my attention.
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
Actually, the thing that bugged me without exception was the idiotic pac-man segment. Totally took away from the feeling of the video. Then the stupid guitar riffs.
Amber says:
The pac man part...yeah. I agree.
Steven `џ´ says:
what I liked about this video, besides that it used FSN, was that it gives me a good feel of action, and it matches up with the fast pace of the song for the most part
Amber says:
I kind of liked the guitar part though.
Steven `џ´ says:
he removed the guitar stuff in the new version
Steven `џ´ says:
umm.. well I'm assuming the editor is a 'he'...
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
I agree Pheo. That's what kept my attention for so long. It has such nice action with breaks for the slower parts. And Yea, I liked the new version better, but it still had the retarded pacman.
Amber says:
Pacman seemed just...out of place with the rest of it.
Steven `џ´ says:
lol, well if they like it, then theres nothing we can do. imo it felt lke the naruto lipsync in Unbreakable
Amber says:
Sure, it was fun and cute, but didn't seem to fit
Steven `џ´ says:
yeah, in an action video, comedy doesn't really find its place well
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
When I asked about it in the thread, "he" said that it was due mostly in part to the fact that the guitarist meant it to portray the pacman music at that part.
Amber says:
Well, I can see that. It did sound like pac man
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
But if that was the case, why rip out that audio segment and replace it with a really bad-sound quality segment.
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
Was that actually part of the song?
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
I assumed it was just thown in.
Steven `џ´ says:
hmm that's a good question, I haven't heard the real version of this song, so I can't answer if it was really part of it
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
Blah. Now I'm giong to have to go buy Dragonforce's album (though this song wasn't bad, so it's not like it's a bad thing). Though from my perspective it looked like a audio clip was thrown into the audio timeline when that segment came on, as if to make it more obvious.
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
Straying slightly, whad did you think about the special effects?
Steven `џ´ says:
for the most part, I liked how the effects were used, but some of them didn't match to me in terms of artistic style of the video
Amber says:
I also liked how the effects were used. I'm usually a "less is more" type when it comes to video effects. But, I think if this video hadn't used as many as it did...I wouldn't have been able to watch it.
Amber says:
But, that could also be because I'm not much into too many action videos.
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
The ones I thought were nifty was the flames-based ones. Those actually helped into the concept. I could even go so far as to say that the opening sequence was well intergrated.
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
Some of the others ones looked just a tad too gimicky. For lack of a overly technical term, they looked "Spoily"
Steven `џ´ says:
the thing about the flames though, it bothered me a bit since they felt too realistic compared to the anime, like they felt like real fire, which didn't match too perfectly
Steven `џ´ says:
it was like one or two cases, i can't seem to find them right now =/
Amber says:
Oh...that's what I liked about the flames. XD
Steven `џ´ says:
lol, well everyone has their preferences
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
Though the little explosions of fire I couldn't stand.
Steven `џ´ says:
oh, that's what i meant by flames
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
Like at 1:37
Steven `џ´ says:
yeah, that's the one
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
Ok, now I'm on the same wavelength.
Steven `џ´ says:
if you were mentioning flames around that 0:59 area, those were fit really well, since those flames were from the anime
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
I probably would help if I had actually seen the anime. X_X
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
Another thing that bothered me was the massive use of fanart.
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
I could see it practical in some parts, but towards the end and during the pac man part they just looked awefule and out of place. X_X
Steven `џ´ says:
yeah, i have to agree that the fan art was used too much near the end, and the sync didn't feel as strong there either
Amber says:
I liked the fanart for the most part. But, there was one pic I thought just looked awkward. The one with the girl with pony tails agains the wall all bloody. But, she's sticking her tounge out like she's happy...it just felt out of place. But, the others I liked.
Steven `џ´ says:
that's actually from the anime, its not fan art =
Steven `џ´ says:
=P
Amber says:
Really?
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
Reall?
Steven `џ´ says:
can you give me a timestamp?
Steven `џ´ says:
just so i can be sure
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
2:37
Steven `џ´ says:
yeah thats from the series
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
Wow. Looked like fanart. =O
Steven `џ´ says:
heh, maybe the producers overdid the blood
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
Though there was some really good intergration of fanart though. Like at 3:59 with that big thing and the little girl. I liked that.
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
Thoughafter 4:41, it got trashy, IMO.
Steven `џ´ says:
yeah at 4:41 is where I find the sync is weakest
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
Speaking of sync, let's get on that topic. =O
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
I think this song/anime made a gorgeous combo.
Amber says:
I did too. And I've never seen the anime or heard the song before.
Steven `џ´ says:
yes, that's for certain, the lyric sync is really good
Steven `џ´ says:
the fast paced action matches it well too
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
Ya. The lyric sync nearly made me go *squee*. It's so hard to find good lyric sync these days. What made me really "respect" the video was that they refrained from a seizurific beat sync.
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
Yet still kep the beat sync nice and classy.
Steven `џ´ says:
yeah, definitely, its not a seizurific video
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
That is what makes me hate nearly 90% of action videos.
Amber says:
Which is why I don't watch them usually. XD
Steven `џ´ says:
I have to particularily mention 3:24, I really like how he/she changed the scene to match the change in the beats
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
Yes! I was distracted the first time through with the stupid guitar, yet when the new version came out, it ws really nice.
Amber says:
I really liked the part at uh...3:54 (I think) where the beat changed again.
Steven `џ´ says:
where it slowed down?
Amber says:
Yes
Steven `џ´ says:
yeah, that was pretty good, though the transitiion to it I didn't like too much
Steven `џ´ says:
with the three overlays
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
Ooh. I liked that part too. The littlegirl/giant scene looked really cute, IMO.
Steven `џ´ says:
yeah that scene actually if you have seen the series it really works with the mood
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
Okies, I think that about wraps this video up. What do you guys give it on a score scale of 1-10? For me, it's a nice and solid 7.
Steven `џ´ says:
hmmm, I think I'd give this an 8, I might be biased because I love this series though
Amber says:
Hmm...I'm so bad at scoring things. I think I'd have to go with an 8.
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
So about a 7.75 average?
Steven `џ´ says:
sure, sounds good
Amber says:
yupScore For Eternal Inferno: 7.75/10.00
-------------------------------------------------------------------CodeChrono *Zack* says:
Blah. Typo.
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
;P
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
Let's get your first reactions Phoenix.
Steven `џ´ says:
something i have to make sure first: Ouran is a comedy anime right?
Amber says:
Yep
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
Kind of a mix, IMO.
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
But it's 3/4 comedy.
Amber says:
It's really lighthearted.
Steven `џ´ says:
ah ok
Steven `џ´ says:
well, if you hadn't told me that, i would have truly thought that there were deep emotions in this anime
Steven `џ´ says:
i think thats worth mentioning
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
Those are kind of crammed into the backstories, which usally encompass about the last five minutes of the episode. X_D
Steven `џ´ says:
the mood is also captured pretty nicely
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
I wouldn't be lying if I said I'm pretty sure Amo has the best skill in that regard. Probably more so than at least 75% of the editors I know.
Amber says:
Well, thank you. XD....
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
But!
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
The most crippling aspect of the video, IMO, is that to truely grasp the full effect of the video, you really need to have seen ouran. Plus, I think your concept was REALLY quite broad. I respect your attempt at trying to capture all of the characters, but it could have used a little trimming here and there.
Steven `џ´ says:
I should also mention, that as well as the mood was captured here, it probably isn't something I'd watch often
Steven `џ´ says:
it doesn't 'pull' me in very well
Steven `џ´ says:
it might be because I haven't seen the series though
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
That's my point. I don't think you've seen ouran. If you had, you would be watching this 24/7.
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
It is probably one of the best videos that captures the well hidden emotions of Ouran.
Amber says:
I think, in this case, it really isn't meant to be watched over and over. Cause I think it's depressing as all get out...and it was just a challenge to myself in a lot of respects.
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
In any case, I'd like to move on to editing.
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
Because that's where the heart of this video lies, IMO.
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
Here's my perspective of the video. I felt that the scenes that were chosen were BEAUTIFUL. Howeve,r sometimes you had fades and quick cuts. I really enoyed the fades, though would have liked fades in some places. I also think that the black bar beat sync have better been replaced by something else. It didn't take away from the video, I just probably would have liked something a little more..
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
fitting to the theme.
Amber says:
I was very torn about the piano bars. I know that sometimes, they're a cheesy kind of thing.
Steven `џ´ says:
yes, the bars I would agree that they should have been replaced with something else. The quick cuts didn't bother me so much, since for me this was kind of like an overall nice feel for the video, and the scenes chosen seeme to match that
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
Maybe piano bars with a little light feathering effect on the edges, so it wasn't so sharp.
Amber says:
Except I don't know how to do that XD
Steven `џ´ says:
mmm, for me, I would have prefered if they were replaced with scene changes
Steven `џ´ says:
but of course its always down to each person's preference
Amber says:
That's what the betas said
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
On the whole, they weren't all that bad, I just think that it could have been better.
Steven `џ´ says:
the thing with the bars is that they aren't consistent throughout the video, they're used only a few times and then you forget about them. This way, when you watch it again you go 'oh right there were bars'
Steven `џ´ says:
and since the rest of the video didn't focus on anything like that and just focused on scene selection, i feel that it would have been more effective with scene changes
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
Hmm.. I can see that.
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
Changing pace slightly, I felt that some of the lip flap scenes were a little out of place as well.
Amber says:
me and lip flap=mortal enemies.
Steven `џ´ says:
yeah, I have to agree with that, the flow was a bit broken at times because of those scenes
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
One moment, what editing program do you use?
Amber says:
Me? Vegas.
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
I think Vegas can make motion paths. In that case, just take a still-shot of the character when his mouth is closed, then crop out everything BUT the mouth, then put it over the character's mouth and make a motion path that follows where the character moves.
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
Though it works best when the character doesn't move.
Steven `џ´ says:
you have to be extra careful though, it looks even worse then lip flap if the speeds are different
Steven `џ´ says:
oh and Chrono, if the character doesn't move you can just use a still
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
Blah. Moot point.
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
=P
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
Let's see... I'm not one to usually point out video quality, but I think that the video has nice quality that doesn't take away from the video, yet I will acknoledge that it oculd have been encoded better.
Steven `џ´ says:
yep, quality is decent, but not perfect, so to me its not an issue
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
That's pretty much what I think. In that regard, we can move on to something else.
Amber says:
I was actually pretty unhappy with the quality.
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
Let's see.... I'm not sure what to talk about. Anything you two would like to talk about particularly?
Steven `џ´ says:
i'd like to mention that i like the segment from 4:02 to 4:19
Steven `џ´ says:
I think that was probably one of the most compelling sections of the video for me
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
Agreed. I mean, it ecompasses almost ALL of the most emotional parts of the series.
Amber says:
Oddly enough, that was my favorite part.
Steven `џ´ says:
=)
Steven `џ´ says:
well, i don't think I have anything else to mention about this video, i think it's pretty much all been said
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
Yep. Let's score this baby. I give it 8/10, without a doubt.
Steven `џ´ says:
I'd give this a 7/10, mainly because of the reviewability
Amber says:
Is it even fair for me to score this one XD? But, I think I'd give it a 7 too.
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
In that case, 7.35 average?
Steven `џ´ says:
yeah, sounds good
Amber says:
yup.
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
All righty then, I guess we're done for the night. I'll try and schedule something like this again, hopefully we can get more people next time. =OScore For Not Pretending: 7.35/10.00
