The Fandom Snowflake Challenge Day 4

[kate]

In your own space, create a list of at least three fannish things you'd love to receive, something you've wanted but were afraid to ask for - a fannish wish-list of sorts. Leave a comment in this post saying you did it. Include a link to your wish-list if you feel comfortable doing so. Maybe someone will grant a wish. Check out other people's posts. Maybe you will grant a wish. If any wishes are granted, we'd love it if you link them to this post.

Oh boy. I love this one! I love wandering around and giving gifts, as well as getting awesome things.

Well, my first wish is for folks to stuff fandom_stockings. I've written a few treats and I'll try for a few more over the next few days, and I would just like everyone's stockings stuffed full by the time they go live (around the evening of Sunday, January 5th). You can sign up here to help fill stockings that are in need of a little love or just check the tags for particular fandoms that you're feeling right now. If you want to look for a particular person's stocking, you can use the search function. One of my favorite things about fandom is the way we all give to each other all the time, we create things that make other people happy for no other reason than to make them happy. How great is that?

Secondly, I'd love to have people grant things on the wishlists of the Fandom Snowlake Challenge Day 4. Ditto all the reasons above. Fandom is my happy place, most of all when people share the love.

For myself, I'd really, really love advice on where to go as a 100% complete newbie vidder. I've got vid ideas bursting out my ears, and I want to get my feet wet. If you know of a newbie vidder comm or a resources post or just... anything that will help someone who has never touched vidding anything before, that would be super great.

Comments

[torachan]

I browsed the fandom tags for fandom_stocking, but at least in the fandoms I felt like I could write, all the requests were just lists of fandoms and maybe pairings, which is just not enough inspiration for me, especially writing something for someone (and a stranger at that). I like the idea of the fest, but I wish people would write a bit more in their request posts. :-/

[kate]

Yeah - that's my problem too! Without more prompty ideas, I'm stuck on such vague likes and dislikes (this is why my own entry is about a million miles long and includes specific prompts). I appreciate you looking, though! Maybe there's be new stuff for your fandoms on reveals! :D :D :D

[tree]

if you're vidding in iMovie, i can give you some more specific links. these are just general ones. some of these are quite old now, too.

vidding for newbies
vidding newbie cheatsheet
vidding 101: how to get started
vidding: the creative process (discussion in the comments)
vidding workshop

having made my first (and only, so far) vid last year for festivids, i can say that for me the best process was to learn how to use the vidding program, learn how to make clips, and then just mess around and see what happened. it's not an intuitive process for me at all, which is why i haven't managed to finish any of the three other vids i've started. but i keep hoping it'll get easier. :)

[ardyforshort]

There's a website that legoline linked me to called Foolish Passion, which has tons of info. Also the Vidding Tech community at LJ is super helpful.

Now off to check out fandom_stocking!

[kate]

Yay, thank you! And I hope something tickles your fancy at fandom_stocking!

[kate]

Awesome, thank you so much! :D

[china_shop]

Yay vidding!

There's a vidding forum here:, vidpub, which I keep meaning to spend more time on, but looks friendly and helpful, and was set up by obsessive24, who is a vidding god. Also viddingnewbies. :-)

I don't know if you have a vidding program yet, but I found mine by downloading a series of different programs until I clicked with one. Most of the big names have 30-day free trials. For what that's worth.

Good luck!

[wenchpixie]

Via Snowflake,

What a lovely post! I'll go and take a wee look at fandom stocking now

[kate]

\o/ Thank you!

[kate]

Oh, thanks so much! :D

[sharpiefan]

Hi, newbie vidder! I ended up doing a load of hunting around myself when I was in this position late last year.

Ermac and AbsoluteDestiny's Guides to All Things Audio and Video

Getting Your Footage

Basement Level General Info

I use VideoPad from NCH Software myself for the actual putting-together process, but it's a fortnight's trial and then you have to buy the software (approx $40 or £25 for the basic software, which is all you need). I asked someone else recently what she uses and was told MPEG Video Wizard 5.0 from womble.com

I like VideoPad, it's really really easy to use, as a beginner - easy to add the music, clips, transitions and all that. I've not figured out scrolling titles yet, though...

Good luck with your search and may you go forth and create some wonderful fanvids!

[kate]

That's terrific, thank you so much! :D

[sharpiefan]

You're very welcome! Hope you find something that you like and get on with! There can't be too many good fanvids, after all.

(PS. If you're wondering how a total stranger found this post, I stumbled across it on snowflake_challenge.)

[kate]

Thanks so much! And you're not a total stranger to me, anyway - I know your username from Aubrey/Maturin fandom! I'm only on the very fringes, but I've definitely seen you around. :)

[sharpiefan]

Crumbs! I'm hardly a BNF or anything, though it is a relatively small fandom. But it's a very friendly small fandom - there's always room for one more! :D

[swordznsorcery]

I wanted to have a go at making videos a while back, and ended up downloading Virtual Dub, which is a free video editing program, that allows very precise editing of clips. It also allows you to stitch clips together, and add an mp3 soundtrack of your choice. (I also played with Windows Movie Maker quite a bit, but that was the XP version. Can't get on with the Windows 7 version at all).

Virtual Dub isn't something that will let you create some of the fabulous masterpieces that we see on YouTube, but it is a great way to get started. Does tend to create videos of huge size though, as it defaults to hi-res to preserve quality during processing (a good thing!). You'd want something like X Media Recode (another free program) for post-processing.

[kate]

Awesome - thanks so much for the tip!

[nagasvoice]

Looks like you've got some great things to start with. I think morgandawn posted resources on vidding awhile ago, she was helping with shows etc., you could look at tags on her old entries or contact her if you have questions about vid conventions or standards so yours will work in with other vids etc. (MediaWest and others.) I understand feedback at these events is really helpful, but I'm not into it enough myself to be able to give direct advice.

[kate]

Awesome, thank you! :D

Vidding

[sian1359]

Lots of fannish folk I know use Sony Vegas as the end product vidding software -- for PCs at least. At least a couple of years ago, they offered a basic software on a 30-day trial. And I bought my initial version right as the new one was coming out, so got a rebate on the previous rev and paid under %50. So far, bought Vegas has not had any problems ripping audio for the vids from commercial cds, but I don't think I've tried a Sony cd that had all the hyper encryption, so I don't know if that would screw everything up or not (since Sony is pretty draconic about "bootlegging"). I usually end up dl'ing the audio from a youtube vid anyway, even if I own the commercial cd music I want to use.

I second the recommendation on vdub for cutting clips; I'm not too neat in grabbing the clips here -- grabbing more than I think I'll need from a section, then trim in Vegas.

http://www.dvddecrypter.org.uk/

works for ripping from commercial dvds, but I've not yet found a stitch back together program for the ripping I'm happy with -- Auto Gordian Knot was recommended, but it's trashed my computer three times when I tried to install and, like dvddecrypter, it was C&D'd years ago so is frozen code that may not be compatible with newer systems. Mostly, I just vid from .avi versions of the shows or movies and if I don't find an .avi version, I move on to something else.

vidders.net is a site that AO3 recommends for hosting vids to then embed on AO3 -- nice people if a small time operation (for now?). They have a policy against very explicit vids, but slash in general is allowed. The biggest drawback is their limitations on how many vids they will host unless you buy an account.

Re: Vidding

[kate]

Wow, thank you so much! This is awesome. :D

[lbilover]

I wasn't familiar with fandom_stockings, but I signed up to volunteer. Question: if we see a fandom request we want to write, can we just do it without signing up?

[kate]

Oh, yeah, the volunteer is just to stuff particular stockings that need a little more love (meaning they don't have too much in them yet). You can do anything that inspires you, from making treats (and if you're AO3 savvy, you can post them to the Fandom Stocking - 2012 collection and they'll stay unrevealed until the stocking goes live) to writing hellos or cheer or... whatever! Anything. :D

[florahart]

I can't look at the fandom stocking page long enough to figure out whether there's anything I could write. For me, the font color of the tags against the white background? Yeah, no. I don't even have any known visual disability issues, and I can't read them without either inducing a headache or highlighting the whole page (also obnoxious). Dammit.

[kate]

?style=mine?

Yeah, I agree, it's not really my cuppa, but it doesn't bother to that extent, lucky for me. Sorry, hon, and thanks for the good thoughts, anyway!

[medie]

too dark or too light? I've darkened them up a bit, but I can go the other way if that would be better?

[florahart]

Too light, so that should help. I'm willing to write in fandoms I know, btw.

[papryka]

Hi! Just wanted to let you know I stuffed my first stocking (here) a moment ago and I plan to draw at least one more fanart/create some icons :D

[kate]

Hahahahahaha, AWESOME! :D :D :D

[nathaniel_hp]

Will have a look at fandom_stockings and am browsing through the snowflake wishes now, so two of your wishes in the process of being granted. :)

[kate]

Awesome, thank you! :D

[kate]

Another link, found elsewhere.

And more advice given elsewhere.

cupidsbow's Gumby vidding tutorial

thingswithwings on vid structures.