Site Search
Join Muvizu
Messages in this topic - RSS

Home ? Your Videos ? Sixteen Sandbags-My first Muvizu video

Please log in or register, then complete your details to create a post.
28/04/2016 03:09:09

Rocque
Rocque
Posts: 359 		Well, here it is. I might redo it because I know it is not perfect. However, I wanted to get some suggestions.



I used a lot of different editors to join the parts, including Windows Movie Maker, Camtasia, HitFilm 3 Express to use sequenced scenes, and Audacity for the sounds.

The artist is a friend of mine and we were talking about the drought and he was telling me that he had 16 sandbags on his patio. I said, "That sounds like a country song, Sixteen Sandbags On My Patio." We started making up lyrics, and that night he wrote the song. I told him I would make a video for it, so here it is in the first release.
edited by Rocque on 28/04/2016
permalink
28/04/2016 20:45:32

ziggy72Muvizu mogulExperimental user
ziggy72
Posts: 1988 		Not bad, but yeah, redoing it might be wise... The singer's hair is poking through is hat - change the hair to a 'bald guy with sideburns' type and it'll look good with the hat. Also the shots of the sandbags look strangely out of focus. You could also consider changing the lighting to make it look like hotter weather.
permalink
29/04/2016 00:36:43

Rocque
Rocque
Posts: 359 		ziggy72 wrote:
Not bad, but yeah, redoing it might be wise... The singer's hair is poking through is hat - change the hair to a 'bald guy with sideburns' type and it'll look good with the hat. Also the shots of the sandbags look strangely out of focus. You could also consider changing the lighting to make it look like hotter weather.


Thanks ziggy72. I just thought the hat had a hole in it, and I agree about the sandbags. I was not sure if that was just my computer or not. I like the song enough to work on it some more. I appreciate you taking the time to comment.

I started remaking the animation tonight, and there will be some changes. I am going to give the sequence filming a try.
edited by Rocque on 29/04/2016
permalink
02/05/2016 03:35:14

PatMarrNCMuvizu mogul
PatMarrNC
Posts: 1738 		Hi Rocque,

I think this is an excellent first video! Keep in mind that this forum accommodates users with a wide range of experience, and nobody expects a new user 's first attempts at getting to know the software to shine at the same degree of proficiency as the videos being produced by veteran Muvizu directors! (in the same sense that if you were a teacher, you would expect more from a graduate student than you would from a 5th grade student)

I'm impressed that you not only got the Muvizu software to do what you wanted, but you also had to learn how to use several others pieces of software to get this project from concept to real live animation!

I'm also impressed that you used original music in your animation. That automatically bumps the cool factor up a notch for me! I thought it was a cool song, and I identify with it, having been to California in the middle of the drought, seeing lakes and reservoirs that were almost empty!

This is a hobby that requires multiple learning curves, and you are well on your way to overcoming the first round of them. Next comes the learning curve that goes with learning how all the options on each dialog box can change the scene, then getting proficient with managing those changes

Another learning curve will be the key frames... yet another will be modelling your own attachments and creating your own sets. Don't rush it, or you might get discouraged and lose interest. I suggest just playing with the software and posting the results of your experiments. The more you play the more you learn. And there are no tests, so it doesn't matter how fast you learn.. really the only thing that matters is that you are having fun! And based on what I see in this video, you are indeed having fun with Muvizu!

I look forward to seeing more from you!
permalink
02/05/2016 05:22:22

Rocque
Rocque
Posts: 359 		PatMarrNC,
Thanks for the kind and encouraging words. I am experimenting with a remake and changing things around somewhat. I am experimenting with effects and different colors this time, and some other goofy things (not Mickey's Goofy, though for Disney fans).
You mentioned Key Framing and I was going to attempt that but have to send in a ticket since it says I have to be a + member and I am, but it won't accept that fact or let me add the Key Code. So I might wait on the Key Framing.
PatMarrNC wrote:
it doesn't matter how fast you learn.. really the only thing that matters is that you are having fun! And based on what I see in this video, you are indeed having fun with Muvizu!
You are right I am having a lot of fun learning this site and everything that goes with it. I went through the first HitMovie tutorial and found with the free account you do not get everything for the tutorial, but I still learned a whole lot.
There is no end to what you can do with Muvizu and the other tools out there. I look forward to learning as long as my brain will let me.
permalink
02/05/2016 15:12:25

PatMarrNCMuvizu mogul
PatMarrNC
Posts: 1738
There is no end to what you can do with Muvizu and the other tools out there. I look forward to learning as long as my brain will let me.

and I look forward to seeing what you come up with!
permalink
22/05/2016 00:40:45

Rocque
Rocque
Posts: 359 		Well, I remade the Sixteen Sandbags, and put it on YouTube and the sound it a bit messed up at the very end. I have been working on it almost daily since the beginning of May. It seems a lot longer. I made some changes as suggested, but still have some problems with getting the voices right, even after saving as images and loading them into HitFilm 4 (the free one).

It is definitely a challenge for a beginner to get this right. I think I need to move forward from here and maybe one day come back to it again.



Let me know which one you like better.

On May 24, I added yet another one, with more edits. I think this is it for now.
edited by Rocque on 25/05/2016
permalink
22/05/2016 16:23:49

PatMarrNCMuvizu mogul
PatMarrNC
Posts: 1738 		Hi Rocque,

I haven't been using Muvizu long enough to know all the ins and outs, so You'll probably have to rely on somebody else's explanation of what caused the noise at the end. I can only say that I've experienced something similar if I exported a clip to AVI that was too long (much more than a minute seems to be problematic)

If that was the problem, It doesn't happen when you choose the option to save to a sequence of individual PNG or TGA files.

Regarding your video: you seem to have fixed the "hole in the hat" problem and everything else that was mentioned. I'll mention again that I like the song your friend write and recorded.

For some crazy reason, I counted the sandbags in your video and there are more than 16. My head exploded. ;-)
permalink
22/05/2016 17:09:31

Rocque
Rocque
Posts: 359 		PatMarrNC wrote:
For some crazy reason, I counted the sandbags in your video and there are more than 16. My head exploded. ;-)


Haha, yes I had to use what was available as far as sandbags. I was wondering who would count. Maybe that is part of the "cartoon feature". If you are watching a cartoon you expect some surprises, right?

I did the final production on HitFilm4 Express, and maybe I should see if I can un-link the audio from the video and redo it, but I think for now I will let it go. I doubt if that many will view it on YouTube or here. If it continues to bother me, which it probably will, I will see if I can fix that part only.


Thank you for your reply, Pat. Dizzy Jazz has a lot of musical talent. He says he has more songs, and we will be working in the same room next year, so maybe I will be able to "borrow" some. He does a great Elvis impersonation, too.
edited by Rocque on 22/05/2016
permalink
25/05/2016 00:41:05

Rocque
Rocque
Posts: 359 		Well I edited once more and this time redid the sound track and the rain sound at the end sounds more like rain. I hope you like it.
permalink
25/05/2016 02:52:43

PatMarrNCMuvizu mogul
PatMarrNC
Posts: 1738 		if you reposted it to Youtube, the link probably changed... but there's no new link provided!
permalink
25/05/2016 14:14:32

Rocque
Rocque
Posts: 359 		PatMarrNC wrote:
if you reposted it to Youtube, the link probably changed... but there's no new link provided!


I edited the link in the post above. I did not want to have too many in here. However I can add it again. Views never hurt....

When I make another video I will have more of an idea how long it takes and won't be in such a hurry for feedback (hopefully).

This should be the same as the video above.

permalink
25/05/2016 18:11:05

PatMarrNCMuvizu mogul
PatMarrNC
Posts: 1738 		Since you asked for feedback, here are my thoughts. Please don't hear any of this as criticism... my view of ART is that anything goes, and the artist gets to make all the creative choices. There are no right and wrong ways in art.

However, when it comes to appealing to a wide audience, there are techniques that are more EFFECTIVE than other techniques. Highly Stylized artists may purposefully choose to violate a standard procedure in order to shock, please or intrigue their audience, but newbies typically haven't made the decision to do that yet, so constructive criticism begins with an emphasis on standard procedure (not rules... but the set of guidelines that works well for most people)

begin review:
ohhhh, I get it now! The noise at the end is RAIN! I thought it was an audio glitch! White noise is caused by waves of smaller particle based noises, (raindrops falling, water cascading, wind blowing, fire crackling, audio static, paper being crinkled) and it's often hard to differentiate between the sources of such sounds

In a video you can offset that by showing a visual representation of whatever is making the noise. With rain, you can also add a little thunder to get the point across. (Listening again I do hear a bit of rumble in your mix which I assume is distant thunder )

I notice that your scenes changed without transitions or fades. Doing that can be really effective (especially in music videos) if the scene changes exactly on the beat... even more so if it is always the same beat of the measure. In such a case the video helps to keep time with the song.

In the case of this video your scene changes were random, not synched to the music, which can come across as visually jarring... like hearing a song with two completely different drum beats in different time signatures.

Fading from scene to scene is a technique that eliminates the sudden change, and therefore removes the necessity of micro splicing your changes on the beat. Faded scene changes give you flexibility, but at the cost of also eliminating the visual impact you can get by changing scenes on the beat. Either approach (transitioning with fades or editing scene changes so they happen on the beat) would have helped your video flow more smoothly.

I liked the way you changed your scenes in unpredictable ways... the cactus in the living room, the bass player standing on the sandbags etc... they were really fun additions to the story. I think video is all about fantasy... seeing thing you just can't ever see in real life... and to whatever extent you can create fantasy scenes, your videos will be interesting.

Regarding the Wolfgirl newsgirl scene: Outside California where the drought isn't on the news every night, I think most viewers wouldn't get the connection. I could be wrong.

The ending credits looked VERY good! Touches like that make any video look better. If you plan to continue making videos, I recommend coming up with a standard intro that identifies your proprietary franchise. Maybe an original theme song from your friend who wrote 16 snadbags?

All in all, I thought this was a charming and innovative first video! My only suggestion for change is the timing and or transition effect between scenes. In the final analysis, first videos are exercises in learning a bunch of new technologies at once, and I think you really covered a lot of ground in a very short time with this video! My hat is off to you!
permalink
25/05/2016 21:30:26

ziggy72Muvizu mogulExperimental user
ziggy72
Posts: 1988 		What He Said

No one starts off as an expert, you learn by doing, and you're doing fine for a beginner. Now you might want to do something that makes you have to make choices about edits and timing, which is the next step I would say. I'm sure you'll be glad to move on
permalink
26/05/2016 04:23:41

Rocque
Rocque
Posts: 359 		Once again, thanks for the nice and helpful comments. I never thought about changing scenes on the beat. I will think of that next time.
The fade ins and outs, etc. I could do that on Go!Animate, and tried to do some of it here, but could not figure that part out on any editor.

As far as the next one? I have no clue about what to do right now. I am sure I will think of something. I am working on learning how to create with Anime Studio right now, but that might be another lifetime project. For the most part I am feeling a bit defeated here, because it is really difficult to learn.

I might just make a bunch of testing animations that no one sees to learn the studio better, and then when I am stuck on something I can ask for help.
permalink
Please log in or register, then complete your details to create a post.

Home ? Your Videos ? Sixteen Sandbags-My first Muvizu video

About

Media

Legal

Muvizu

Muvizu is easy to use 3D animation software that allows anyone to create high quality animations quickly and easily. Muvizu’s animation engine is ideal for storytellers, animators, teachers and businesses looking to engage, enchant and delight audiences with animated content.