[Video] Sword of Sorrow Series and other stuff I do

[Castle Pokemetroid]

I think I would've enjoyed it more if I had played Order of Ecclesia... (Heck, I never finished Dawn of Sorrow! SHAME BE UNTO ME!)

Yeah, playing Ecclesia would help. You would get a bit more of the "inside" jokes. By that, I mean, it's terrible plot. Both Ecclesia and Portrait, while having exalent game play, have simply horrible plots.

In the game, I feel like Barlow dosen't just explain the plot, but spoils it. Majorly, as the things he says are end game plot reviels. It might be just me, but that's what it seems like.

Albus is a retard who has crap for plans, and in the game, Barlow would sacrifice his life to awaken Dracula, but dosen't, and insteads sends Shanoa on some retard quest with a missing memory, and without a map as well, when he could awaken Dracula the whole time by sacrificing his own life. How the hell Shanoa survives in a monster infested land without any battle memory is beyond me. You might as well send a teenager on a quest to save the world, but that dosen't happen in video games. *Aria of Sorrow, cough*

As another note, Graham and Dario coming back to life isn't something that happens in the games. It's something I added for my own series. I guess I'm not finished with them yet.

As for the graphics thing, I'll just slap together what I can, and put it on youtube later. As long as you can read the pixalated text, I'm all good.

[Castle Pokemetroid]

I asked a friend at school about the windows movie maker quaility thing, and he said that there might be something to change that. It's also been a few years since he'd use it, so I'll search the internet on info about that. If I don't get anything, I'll just slap the clips together and call it a video.

On another note, my school has Adobe Premeir CS4. However, when I import the clip, it says it can't do that, which really pisses me off. What the hell? It's a video file, not a .WMV file! Mac hates anything that was created on a windows. Premier would have perfect, if not more than, if I could use it. There's still iMovie, so I'll look into that too.

If all that fails, the text is still readable, so meh. But, here's the thing . . . If I can get iMovie or Premier to work with my crap, I'll be able to scrap and actually use the pics and clips I made for the court case episode, and I won't have to do the WHOLE thing from scratch all over again. All my work from before won't be for naught. I'll just have to work on it at school.

There was a DMFA comic were Mab answered a question from the readers. It was about Artist's vision, on how anything they make themselves, no matter how good or impressive, they're never satisfyed with what they've made. I think perhaps I may have this artist's vision. Just a random paragraph in a random location. Heh.

After I finnally get this damn thing done, I think I'll take a break from animating. If you hadn't noticed, I released the "draft" version of episode nine days after uploading episode eight. It's true that I extended the deadline for that project three to four months, and I was animating in that time, but still, you must admit that I did quite a bit in that time.

I'll start some other animation, perhaps the court case episode, within a month or more.

[WhiteFox]

On another note, my school has Adobe Premeir CS4. However, when I import the clip, it says it can't do that, which really pisses me off. What the hell? It's a video file, not a .WMV file!

...And that's why I hate computers.

There was a DMFA comic were Mab answered a question from the readers. It was about Artist's vision, on how anything they make themselves, no matter how good or impressive, they're never satisfyed with what they've made.

Actually, that's a good sign. Any artist that isn't satisfied with their own work will continue trying to improve it.
   The trick is to like making stuff, not the stuff you make. This requires a very special kind of crazy.
   Love to work. Hate the work.

[Drayco84]

I asked a friend at school about the windows movie maker quality thing, and he said that there might be something to change that. It's also been a few years since he'd use it, so I'll search the internet on info about that. If I don't get anything, I'll just slap the clips together and call it a video.

On another note, my school has Adobe Premier CS4. However, when I import the clip, it says it can't do that, which really pisses me off. What the hell? It's a video file, not a .WMV file! Mac hates anything that was created on a windows. Premier would have perfect, if not more than, if I could use it. There's still iMovie, so I'll look into that too.

Fix'd. "I" before "E" and all that crap...

What are you importing it with and what's the file extension? Some programs are better at importing different file types than others, and it sounds like you're using two different proprietary programs which tout their (often incredibly different) encoding processes.
But, to repeat the important part here, are you still using Windows Movie Maker and what's the extension you're saving the file as when using CS4?
Heck, it could even be a result of using different versions of the same software... I ran into that once when trying to work on a database with MS office once. My College had the latest version, 2000. For me, still 97. And for some bizarre reason, it wouldn't open.

[Castle Pokemetroid]

I got a program at my school to work. Final cut, I believe is what it's called.

I can import, and I can edit. The only basterd problem is that the school year is drawing to a close. I DON'T HAVE THE TIME! I finnaly got something to work, but then life slaps me in the face.

My computer class, I won't have next year. I also have to focus during the next few, yes, few, classes left in the four or five weeks left of this school year.

I think I'll just cut my loss and just finish the movie maker version. You can still read the text at least, so there shouldn't be too much problem.

I hope, anyways.

The only problem with Movie Maker is that is resizes my video files. For my next project, which I'll start during the summer, I'll experiment on window size. If I can get it to be the perfect dimensions, it won't strech or shrink. Maybe.

The court case episode deal still pisses me off a bit. I think I'll igore that project for a little more. Given time, I'll forget about it. I mean, I sometimes forget episodes I made earlier. I have to rewatch episodes to remember what happened in them.

My short term memory is exalent, but my long term memory is a bit loose.

[Castle Pokemetroid]

Windows Movie Maker is being a dick again. The vid should of been uploaded yesterday, but WMM won't cooperate.

I finished all the editing and crap, then I select "Save to Computer". It takes like two hours to save, but that's not the shitty part. It saves, but the files says 0 KB and 0:00 as the time and won't play, so I have to save to computer like seven times in order for it to finally pop up as a playable vid.

That's with only one part. It also gets worse, since WMM dosen't have multiple layers to put in music and sound at the same time, I have to put in music, then after sound effects, which makes it a total of four times I need to "Save to Computer", while WMM is being a dick.

On the plus side, I screwed around with the options and program hardware, and the quality is slightly better, to the point where I don't really notice how bad it is, which is quite good. The character portraits are still pixalated, but at least the text is completely readable.

I'll upload the episode next week. I need to rest after bashing my head against my desk in pure fustration.

[Castle Pokemetroid]

Hey, hey! My pain and fustration has paid off! The quality turned out in a HQ level on youtube. I messed with it enough that it decided to finnally work.

Episode nine part one
Part two

I can't believe how perfect it turned out. Maybe I can savage the court case episode? Who knows!

Anyways, this episode has really tired me out. I'll start working on more stuff when summer break comes around.

I also have just finished an AP US History Exam on friday. Real hard stuff, but I feel if I got at least 60% of it right. I sure hope I got a good grade on it. Cost me like ninety bucks just to take a test.

[Castle Pokemetroid]

Well, I'm back from my who-the-hell-knows-how-long break, and I also finished writing the script for episode ten.

Unfortunately, it's a peice of garbage. The plot dosen't flow, there's unnessary things, and it's not funny or entertaining in the least.

It's about Rosenkreuzstilette, a video game that I doubt any of you heard of. I also plan for it to be a two or three part single episode.

Unfortunately (again), it dosen't have much plot, so it's high difficult to make a parady of it.

There's obviously things in it that needs serious fixing, but I don't have the mental capacity to make those changes. I even got rid of that "Crazy, mad animator and script writer" thing in my sig, since obviously, I'm not a good script writer.

Anyways, this is the script I'm sure I've mentioned:

I didn't do anything to it except add a charater list in the front and some character descriptions.

Here:

(Script has been removed, it's an outdated version)

[Castle Pokemetroid]

I'm not asking for anybody to rewrite the script. I only want ideas.

Also, what's the HTML code to change font size? If I make the text on the above message smaller, it may shorten it by a bit.

[llearch n'n'daCorna]

The html code is font size="<num>", but I suspect you're looking for bbcode. In which case, it's [ font size="<num>" ] text [ /font ], if I remember correctly.

It's a "if I remember" because it got disabled after people started faffing about with font = 1, and the mods took the easy option and removed the problem. Nice how one stupid person ruins it for everyone, isn't it? But i digress...

[WhiteFox]

You could upload it somewhere as a text file, and post a link to it from here.

I read the script over, but it's very far out of my style. Any ideas I might have would probably take it in a completely different direction. I could do a critique, but I only have a general idea of what you were going for to begin with. If I don't know where you're trying to go, I can't make any suggestions on how to get there.

When I run into a situation like this, where I'm at a dead end and a script or drawing just isn't doing it for me, I look back and try to remember what it was that made me start it. It might be some other piece of art that inspired me (In which case, I go read comics for a day), or an idea I had (which means staring out a window and getting all nostalgic).  Whatever it is, I try get it firmly in mind.

Then I get a new piece of paper, and start over from scratch.

[Castle Pokemetroid]

I put the tags in but they didn't do anything. What I wanted to do was make the text small, then put words that said "start" and "stop" at the beggining and end. You know, copy and paste from one end to the other.

I really hate this script, so perhaps I WILL have to rewrite it. There wasn't a real reason why I wanted to write it in the first place. I just wanted to use the sprites, so there wasn't any inspiration with the story to begin with.

I think I'm either going to go find and rip off a fanfic or go to a forum board about this peticular game and ask for ideas. Unfortunately, both will be hard to find, since it's such an unheard of and hard to spell game.

In the mean time, I still have that court case battle episode that I still need to animate from scratch. I don't mind rewriting scripts, I sometimes do that throughout the animation process, but when it come to redoing animation itself, it really gets to me, since so much time has been invested.

I'll get that episode done sooner or later. My FF SoS won't continue without it.

[WhiteFox]

There wasn't a real reason why I wanted to write it in the first place. I just wanted to use the sprites, so there wasn't any inspiration with the story to begin with.

I saw Kate Beaton give a talk once. She took questions afterwards, and I stuck my hand up and asked, "What's more important for a comic, the writing or the art?"

She had the best answer ever: (paraphrased) "Neither is more important then the other, they depend on each other. The art needs to do what the writing needs it to do, and the writing needs to do what the writing needs it to do."

So, if the animation is the important part, the writing doesn't have to do a whole lot. All you need the script to be is an outline for the animation. Sort out choreography, timing, imagery, all that stuff. Don't worry about dialog any more then necessary.

[llearch n'n'daCorna]

I put the tags in but they didn't do anything. What I wanted to do was make the text small, then put words that said "start" and "stop" at the beggining and end. You know, copy and paste from one end to the other.

Correct. I said: They Have Been Disabled.

This means, they won't work, even if you get them right.

[Castle Pokemetroid]

I put the tags in but they didn't do anything. What I wanted to do was make the text small, then put words that said "start" and "stop" at the beggining and end. You know, copy and paste from one end to the other.

Correct. I said: They Have Been Disabled.

This means, they won't work, even if you get them right.

I just said what I wanted them to do. You also said before "if I remember", so I was also confirming that it didn't work.

Also, WhiteFox, that is true. If the dialoge dosen't work, I shouldn't give a damn. It's the story that's hampering the work, not the art. I shouldn't focus so much on the story, since Rosenkreuzstilette dosen't have much story to begin with. It's like trying to turn a turkey drum stick into a thanksgiving dinner for a family of four. It just won't work, no matter how much you strech it.

Learch and WhiteFox, you both help me so much that you guys probably don't even know. Learch gives technical support and WhiteFox gives art and moral support. Thanks guys.

On another note, I totally screwed up beyond belief. An epic fail moment, if you will.

Rosenkreuzstilette was never released offically in the states, or even in Noth America, for that matter. That would mean that it'd be quite an unheard of game in english speaking contries, which would mean that not many people have heard of it. (Note: IT DOSEN'T EVEN HAVE AN OFFICAL TRANSLATION! You'd either have to get a Japanese copy, or get an illegal rom just to play it. Don't ask how I know so much about the storyline on a game that shouldn't exist, and even a game I've never played for that matter. It's sorta like the way that I know soooooo many 300 quotes, but have never seen the movie even once.)

Trying to ask help on writing a parady script on it won't get me any farther then bashing my face against the key board until an idea comes out. It isn't like Megaman, where it's so popular that there's hundreds of fanfics to rip off. Trying to find a Rosenkreuzstilette fanfic in english is near non exisitant.

[WhiteFox]

Moral Support? Exsqueeze me? Pffft, you don't need that from me.

Make stuff because you like making stuff. You can hate the stuff you make, as long as you love making it. Since you'll spend more time making things than you will looking at the stuff you made, this is a pretty good deal. Show it here, and I'll say whatever occurs to me. I'll do what I can to make it useful, too.

As for the Epic Fail explanation, well... there isn't really anything there for me to comment on. You have my sympathies, that's how it goes sometimes, and good luck with whatever you decide to do now. Post the results, and I'll say whatever there is to say.

[Castle Pokemetroid]

Now I'm looking for war sound effects. You know, like two medieval armies clashing.

I'm having trouble trying to find them, who the hell knows why, but I am.

One of the troubles might be because I need it to be at least half a minute long. A minute would be better, since I'll need to repeat it as background noise.

As another note, I think life just threw me a bonus. I have a seinor project, which is a project where I can choose anything I want to do, and I chose animation. Not only that, I think I'll use this project as well. Heh.

The only thing stopping me is copyright issues. I can't exactly make graphics or sprites myself. I could, but that would practically triple (or even quadruple) the production time. I don't exactly have 2 or so years to finish this.

I only need to find out if rosen-whatever sprites are copyrighted or not. It didn't come out in the states, so who knows.

If it dose turn out that I need a new project, then I'm screwed. I can't really do anything else than this.

As for the script, I'm going to remove all sexual references, and to tell the truth, I can't exactly pull those off at all. I'm not like Darkmoon. It'll turn out MUCH better this way.

[WhiteFox]

Would it qualify as derivative work?

[Castle Pokemetroid]

Would it qualify as derivative work?

HOLY CRAP, YOU'RE RIGHT! I hadn't even known about that! By that law description on Wikipedia, technically, what I'm doing is completely legal. I doubt I can copyright it, but that dosen't mean that I can't make these.

Nobody can legally do anything about it. That is a simply amasing find, and has totally blown all my previous doubts out of the water.

All that's stopping me now is finding the proper sound effects.

In another unrelated note, you may not believe this, but I asked my school counciler and the digetal media teacher, and they've pulled aside a spot in my scheldual for me to work on my seinor project.

I have an entire period to work on something in school that I'll do at home anyways, and not only that, but I'll be getting an entire credit for it, since it's my seinor project. I'll also have full access to Adobe programs like Photoshop and Flash. On top of that, I have a friend in the class as well (he's in his own period, not my special period) that can help by giving his opinion about my work in progress. He's a fan of the series, so he's glad to help.

But still, they made up a non existant class just for me to take. It's called Digetal Media Tech 2. I'm the only student in the school taking Tech 2.

I'm not sure how better this can get.

[WhiteFox]

I'm pretty sure you can copyright your work, as long as you give credit where credit is due. For example; if I'm drawing someone elses character, I'll add "CharacterName Copyright So-and-So, Art C. Myself."

I'm not sure how well that holds up legally, mind you, but it's worth mentioning at least.

Can't wait to see the results.

[Castle Pokemetroid]

Can't wait to see the results.

Yeah, especially seeing that I'm supposed to have a mentor help tutor and help me make my animation better. I don't know about you, but since I'm using sprites, I don't need help with art.

However, I'm not very good with sound, so I'll try to find a specialist in sound or sound effects to help mentor me for my seinor project. I may even find out how to get my war sound effects I want. Well, if I get lucky or perhaps, even more lucky.

I made a one minute prologue, and I love it. So far, it's turning out amasing. The only problem I have is that not all characters have waling sprites. I've edited entire parts of the script and changed things around just because of it.

I'm not sure if I should make an intro, you know, anime style. It may destroy the mood, or set one. Firstly, I'll have to find a song that sets a mood. It may take too long, so I'll do it last, and put the thing I finish last to the first part of the project.

[llearch n'n'daCorna]

*bump* The owner asked me to unlock and bump, since he's not on every day, and if it gets unlocked, the auto-locker will lock it again.

That is all.

[Castle Pokemetroid]

I guess I'm gonna haffa post "project updates" or what not. I don't really like posting the word "bump" over and over, but I guess I will if I have to.

Thanks for unlocking, learch. I guess I'll post something here every month, useful or not.

Anyways, I posted a test video on youtube.

Sky Battle Test.

There's some parts that is sped up. That's due to the limitations on my computer's hardware, and that of the recording program.

I need a better computer if I'm to properly record this stuff, especially for a high frame rate scene like this.

Good thing I have a seinor project mentor just for this problem. He's currently finding a better computer for me to use. He feels guilty that he knows nothing about animation and can't help me, so he wants to find that computer for me. That'll be nice.

On another note, I was also testing how effecive that peticular music track fits in the battle. It's Luste's stage theme, and this is the only time Luste shows up for an extended amount of time in my new script. I really want to use that track, so I think I might use it there, even if dosen't really fit.

[Castle Pokemetroid]

I decided to do something different.

Since no one knew what a bumper is, I decided to go for a music video. I'm also gonna post this here, rather than make a new topic, since it makes more sense to me to do it this way.

As for project updates, I got stuff and things. Nothing interesting.

[WhiteFox]

Well... I'll certainly admit it's different.

Otherwise, I'm not really sure what to say.

[Castle Pokemetroid]

Well, that was the entire intention. I didn't mean to make anything good.

Just different.

I also loosely use the term 'music video'. It's not really one, but what the heck would I call it other wise?

[Castle Pokemetroid]

In case you're wondering how you pronounce Rosenkreuzstilette, it's said like four times in the beginning of this video.

This is what I'm planning to emulate with the final battle.

It won't be exactly like that, but I'll be using the source game for ideas on it.

[Castle Pokemetroid]

I feel the need to post a progress report. There's no need for anyone to respond to this post.

I have just completed a major scene, which involves 6 1/2+ minutes of CONTINUOUS motion, something I've never done before. Just that single battle alone is longer than some of entire completed projects, and they weren't even half way animated. Just a bunch of text boxes on a screen.

As for the scene completion rate, I have now completed 9 out of thirteen scenes. There's one major battle and one minor battle left to animate. The final battle is the last scene, and that battle alone should be at least more than four minutes, but I'll see what I can do there.

In total, I had to cut out five or six battles I planned. There's just not enough time. But even with all this content I'm cutting, there's somehow enough to make up almost 40+ minutes of video.

I must say, I am really stepping up my game here. I'm pretty proud of myself.

[Castle Pokemetroid]

Hey, this is interesting. I seemed to of accidently made a four winged dragon. Didn't mean for it to turn out like this.

That looks pretty cool. I won't be able to use that, however.

[WhiteFox]

Wing-clipping errors can be fun like that.  Rimshot

I might point out: the dragon drops into the background. The window's colour pallet matches his, and the image is fairly busy.