Anime Boston 2009, A Go!

well another year for Anime Boston has come and gone. and i, for one, am glad i got to partake in the festivities and with my good friend stacey. first we managed to get through the registration line without too much stress, got our pass and swag bag, then we indulged in some lunch - what else, but Japanese - at Wagamama. after lunch we headed back into the con. our first stop was the dealer's room where we were overwhelled at how many more vernders there were this year than in past years all selling the same things, and few - if any - were selling hardly any video game music CD's.

what the hell? oh well.

following the dealer's room, we headed to the main event where a concert - perfromed by the Video Game Orchestra (VGO) - was taking place. we walked in while they were in the middle of playing the main theme to Chrono Trigger. following their performance, a female trio vocal group by the name Kalafina performed songs from their self-titled album.

stace and i left after three songs and made our way to the artist alley where stace wanted to check out the freelance artist. i personally founds a few pieces that i would have wanted, but i didn't have any cash available. i mean i had money to spend, but these guys weren't equiped to take plastic.

we left the convention and headed out to the food court of the Copley Mall to grab some dinner, and just take a breather.

we got back to the con just in time to attend the main event of the evening; the cos-player masquerade. the event was hosted by a "Justin Timberlake" look-a-like who did a well enough job entertaining the crowd with his comedic antics in the beginning, the end, and in between each cos-play walk-by and skits. the guy was charming and likable; a vast improvement from the hostess in past events.

as for the cos-players, my only comment is how dedicated these participants are when it comes to perfecting their costumes. talks about the attention to details. most of the skits performed were entertaining. some didn't make much sense to me, but then i don't follow anime that much anymore. i think the biggest kick i got was the homage to classic video games. seeing a cardboard cut-out of Pac-Man running across the stage was awesome.

following the masquerade was the announcements of the AMV contest winners. they replayed all the winning AMV's in every category. only one stood out for me that were very impressive, a little busy visually, but fun to watch. i came out of that with a re-found interest in continuing my AMV projects (which was taken a back seat).

the main event ended around 11:00pm. we decided to see what else to do. the only thing left was to visit the video game room and check out the games available to play. the video game rooms were in to separate locations. we spent a little over a half an hour in both rooms before we ultimately decided to call it quits and go home.

it was a long and tiresome day, but at least we got to attend and have some fun. i didn't get to take many pics of cos-player, but it's kinda hard to justify when i don't know what i'm taking a picture of, and little embarrassing when i have to ask what character they're dressed up as. but i did take an hour worth of videos of some of the main events. hopefully i'll get to post those and share in the experience. well, until next year.


peace,
@riel

Anime Boston 2009

anime boston is on the way, and i have to say that i'm kinda looking forward to it. it's been a while since i've attended, and after last year's fiasco with the registration line i decided to be forgiving and make another attempt. besides, it beats having to travel to another state to attend a con when you don't have the money to spare.i did not submit an AMV this year. partly due to a lack of motivation, but mostly because i don't have better equipment to do it with. i know i've bitched about not having a better machine, and perhaps some additional softwares, but it's all about progressing to the next level. i haven't abandoned the hobby, it's just taken a back seat for now. i'm still editing videos, they're just a little casual - perfect for my current setup. if or when i do get a new machine w/ better apps, or if i decide to suck it up and work with what i have, i'll begin work on the next AVM. until then i think i'll enjoy the this years entries and perhaps get some inspiration.

i'll be attending with my friend stacey, and only saturday. i was thinking of doing both friday and saturday, but at this moment i think i can only take just the one day for this year. i'm sure most of my time will be spent in the dealer's room looking for any Final Fantasy music, probably take in a few hours of the video room features, attend a few panel discussions, and finish the day with the main event.

i'll take along my camera for pics and vids. last time i was there i didn't take a whole lot. perhaps if i take enough video shots perhaps i'll edit something together.

well, i'll let you guys know how it went.

peace,
@riel

Dyson's Revelation, The Final Cut, The Final Word.

a good deal of time, energy, effort, emotion, and money was spent to edit the final cut version of Dyson's Revelation, but i'm happy to say that, not only is it finished, it is ready to retire. i have entered my AMV in two contest - both Anime Boston 08', and Otakon 08' - and though it never made it to either finals, i'd like to believe those who attended the overflow video rooms did enjoy it.

i have uploaded the final cut to my alternate YouTube channel, Arielistix, which includes the new animated logo tagged in the beginning. with this addition, i have removed the version i submitted to the Anime Boston 2008 AMV contest from my YouTube channel aclion; no need to flood the site with multiple copies of the same video.


soon i will upload the video to my account in AnimeMusicVideo.org after i add the credits at the end. once this is complete it will mark the end of this chapter, but not the book (i know, its cheesy).

i have started on my new project. its not anime related, but it is something that i thought i'd try out. hopefully i'll have a rough cut ready within the next couple of months. i may decide instead to place it on hold and work on a anime related AMV in time for next years Anime Boston 2009 as the event will fall on the same week as my birthday, and i always take that week off from work. its not too far away so i better get planning. until then i hope you will and continue to enjoy the final cut of my first AMV,
Dyson's Revelation.

peace,
@riel

Otakon 2008: A "No Go".

last minute update - i wont be attending Otakon this year. i know it seems to close to bail, but due to some unfortunate circumstance the trip will not come to fruition. oh well, my AMV didn't make it as a finalist, so there's no real incentive to attend. to be honest i was mostly looking forward to leaving the state for a little while. sometimes it's not enough to just take time away from work.

fortunately i got another vacation coming up in october. i'm looking at florida for my destination. YOU HERE ME BILLY? I"M TALKING TO YOU!!!

peace,
@riel

Otakon 2008 AMV [no] Contest.

it is with a heavy heart that i must inform to all of you that my AMV, Dyson's Revelation, did not make it as a finalist in this years Otakon AMV contest. follow this link to the result page.

well it was fun and a little nerve racking anticipating for the results - i must admit i had thought i had a really good shot at it - but now that the wait it over, i can just look forward to watching my AMV during the overflow. plus there's the rest of the con to enjoy. oh, and the dealer's room. **salivating**

mucho congrats to the winners, and for the rest of us lets keep contributing.

peace,
@riel

....Otakon has received the following video from you.

***********************************************
Hi Ariel,

This email is to inform you that Otakon has received the following video from you:
ARIELISTIX - Dyson's Revelation

It has been tested and confirmed to be working fine. Good luck in the contest! There will be a post on AnimeMusicVideo.org and the Otakon forum shortly after July 18th, listing the finalists for the AMV contest.

While the exact schedule remains unknown, the AMV contest will play at least twice at the convention. Videos that do not make the final cut will be shown during overflow screenings throughout the weekend.

Thank you for your submission and best of luck!

~VicBond007
Otakon AMV Contest Coordinator

***********************************************

they have my entry - i got my confirmation.
now it's a waiting game to see if it makes it through to the finals.
wish me luck everyone.

peace,
@riel

It Is Finished!!!

here it is; my entry to Otakon 2008 AMV contest - the second (and quite possibly final) edition to my Macross Plus AMV, "Dyson's Revelation". this edition feature some new enhancements to the existing video. along with the changes mentioned earlier, i managed to learn how to use to the Motion Keyframe feature in Final Cut Express 4 (FCE4) to add movements to the most of the still video sequences; which i think helps to add some much needed "flow" to the video. i mean there were scenes containing motion and some that were at a stand still. it kept bothering me that whenever the video transitioned from a motionless scene to one with movement, i felt like i was in a car that kept stopping and going, stopping and going, stopping and going.

my other problem was trying to get the video to the specification required by Otakon. they "STRONGLY encourage" all participants to enter their video as a 720x480 MPEG2 video with AC3 or mp2 audio. and though they are willing to convert the video for you if you can't, i didn't want to take any chances on my video looking bad. so i decided to tackle this myself. it took me over a week to get my video to conform to MPEG2. i did eventually find a solution; it is as follows:

01. exported my project from FCE4 as an uncompressed 10-bit 4:2:2 quicktime movie.

02. imported the quicktime movie into iDVD, authored a quick and simple DVD image, but saved it using the "Save As VIDEO_TS folder..." option.

03. opened the saved VIDEO_TS folder with Handbrake (HB) to remaster the video using it's deblocking & denoising features along with other advanced settings. the resulting video file would then be MPEG4, cleaned and polished.

04. used Burn.app to create the final MPEG2. set Burn.app to write video to DVD, then imported the MPEG4 file. Burn.app automatically converted the MPEG4 video to MPEG2.

with MPEG Streamclip i was able to confirm the specs on the final video using its "Show Stream Info" feature.


unfortunately FCE4 does not export video to MPEG2. i was hoping that MPEG Streamclip would easily convert MPEG4 video to MPEG2, but it doesn't work that way. i tried using FFmpegx to transcode it. it worked, but for some reason the resulting video didn't playback well enough. it was jumpy and contained weird anomalies like distortions and pixelations. i wasted a great deal of time re-encoding my video over and over again - hence why it took me over a week - until i figured out what the problem was; it turned out the MPEG4 video was encoded @ 23fps (frames per second) instead of 30fps. that was my fault. apparently i didn't force HB to encode the VIDEO_TS files to MPEG4 @ 30fps as one of its compression parameters.

a quick comment about FFmpegx: it took a while to get used to using the app due to its multitude of features and settings. at first use it seemed a little overwhelming. at every attempt to convert my MPEG4 to MPEG2 i experimented with different features enabled/disabled, and settings at different adjustments. and though in the end i went with using Burn.app, FFmpegx is a really good tool to have in my arsenal. i honestly like it, and will most likely make further use of it for future projects.

this was a rough road to travel on cause it led me to so many dead-ends. but this is a good thing for me. at least now i know how to over come this problem for my next project. in any case it'll be on its way to Edison, NJ soon enough. i just hope it make it by the 7th as that is the deadline.


i'll be attending Otakon 2008 with some friends. i'm looking forward to seeing my video on display. perhaps with the changes i have made it'll make a better impression this time around. if it doesn't make it as a finalist, i'm hoping that it'll still get showcased somewhere along the weekend. i plan on taking video of the crowd's reaction to my AMV. this is going to be sooooooo cool.

one more thing, i plan on posting this final edition of Dyson's Revelation on my alternate YouTube site Arielistix along with a video of the project through the eyes of FCE4. also seeing is that this is the final edition, i'm finally going to post my final video on AnimeMusicVideo.org, finally. it's long overdue.

peace,
@riel

Things to come - Dyson's Revelation, Part 1

the following is NOT a review or tutorial of Apple's Final Cut Express 4.


i'm working on my second revision of "Dyson's Revelation" prior to my submission to the AMV contest held by Otakon this year, and i have learned, and still learning, some of the options offered in Apple's Final Cut Express 4 (FCE4). one of the coolest things i discovered was a simple effect called "Light Rays" which seems to give this glowing aura around the subject. observe, the following clips show the progression of this cool effect starting with the base stock video pulled off the DVD.




now here is the same clip but with the Light Rays filter added to it.




and again, but with a second Light Rays filter added. this one, however has a little movement to it. check out how the second light source moves as if it's behind the logo.




cool, ain't it?

A New Destination.

it's kinda cool to achieve something that you never though you could, or that you has it in you to accomplish. and in the midst of your accomplishments you come to realize the fun and enjoyment you got, not from the finish product, but from the process you went through to get to the final product. it's like that saying, "it's not the destination, it's the journey." which is why i'm getting that moist feeling about engaging on my next video project.

this feeling has also transfered over to my PS2. it took me a long time to get one, but after my disappointment from Anime Boston (AB) this past weekend, i decided to treat myself to a new toy. after all, what the point of having Final Fantasy and Kingdom Heart games on the shelf and no system to play them on. but that's for another post.

getting back to the original track - one of the feelings i kept getting during the making of "Dyson's Revelation" was the feeling of wanting to share my video with my friends, and with perfect stranger on YouTube and AB. the comments i get helps to motivate me; get me excited to move forward with the next. it's too bad that i couldn't have been there to experience sharing it with a larger crowd of attendees.

my good friend stacey has made an interesting suggestion - why not submit the video to Otakon this year?

i haven't been to Otakon since 1998. stacey missed out on AB this year due to her new job working at a call center. but she seems to think she'll be able to attend Otakon this august.

anyway, in the interest and desire to attend an anime con, and to share my video with others, i have decided to make the effort to attend Otakon. i'll be submitting my video in the next couple of months, but not before i make a few improvements. i have learned a few interesting functions of Final Cut Express 4. some that may enhance the aesthetics of the video. though i think "Dyson's Revelation" is something to be judged on substance than style. i just don't have the talent and/or equipment to make it look mind-blowing like some of these pro-tool video editing jockies.

i may not win some AMV contest, or even be finalist, but to share with others my hard work, and feel proud about it is all i need to take next the journey.


peace,
@riel

Anime Boston 2008: A Bust!

a very disappointing day for me. i got out bed, took a refreshing shower, got dressed, headed out to Boston for the con, picked up a McGriddle from Micky D's, and proceeded to Anime Boston (AB). when i got there it was about just before 11:00am; about the same time i arrived last year. back then it only took 2 hours on the registration line to get my badge w/ swag bag, and admittance to the con. this year i stood in line for almost 4 and 1/2 hours, and i was just past the half-way point of the line. i was able to get a hold of the weekend schedule and found that the AMV Drama overflow (the video room to show off all the entries that didn't make it into the contest) wasn't to be until Sunday. i left sometime around 4:30pm, and went home.

i left feeling pissed cause i was really hoping to see my video played, and i wasn't going to be around to see it. i would have stayed to watch the main event with the finalists, but most of my day was spent waiting to get registered. i wasn't going to spend $30 and enjoy only a 1/3 of the day. i spend that much time at the dealer's room alone. another thing that pissed me off was that Digital Disc was there; i was so looking forward to buying some Final Fantasy music.

i probably should have check the AB site more often, if they posted the schedule, i would have planned my weekend a little better. probably wouldn't have mattered. if i knew that the AMV Drama overflow was to held on Sunday, i still wouldn't have been able to make it.

there's always next year.

peace,
@riel

Anime Boston 2008: A Must!

well tomorrow is the big day. Anime Boston(AB) 2008. my sole interest this year is going to be my entry of my amv, Macross Plus AMV - Dyson's Revelation. unfortunately my video did not make it to the finals. i was a little disappointed at first, but its not gonna stop me from heading out to AB. i'll be taking my camera there to snaps pics of all the cos-players, and take video of my amv being played in one of the video rooms along with all this years entries. i'm looking forward to the main event when AB will premier the amv finalists. unfortunately friday is the only day i'll be attending so i'm gonna try to make the most of it.

i have seen some of the entries on YouTube and must say that i can see why i was pushed off. most of these videos are awesome. it blows my mind how anyone can take stock video off a DVD and add special effects with great editing over music.

now i'm just a guy who took up editing video as a new hobby. my amv was first project, and hope it not to be my last. considering my lack of prior training and knowledge of this type of work, i think i did a pretty good job on it. at the very least i pick an high-flying anime and mashed it up with a good song that worked very well together.

it was weird during the rough-cut process how uncanny both of these medias fit. i only half-kid when i ask the question about Phil Collins predicting the coming of Marcoss Plus. originally i wanted to joke and dare ask a more relevant question as to whether or not Phil Collins is a closet Macross Plus fan-boy. i mean he says that the lyrics of the song "in the air tonight" came to him during the recording of his first solo album, but it's too coincidental after watching Macross Plus. i don't care if there is 10 years separating them.

i was hoping to blog my experience of my amv over the past 5 months when i started this blog, however, i have learned that blogging is really not my thing. and its too bad, cause over the course of the past 5 months i wanted to write a newbe's review of all the apps that helped make this amv possible; iMove HD 6, Handbrake, MPEG Streamclip, Quicktime Pro, and Final Cut Express 4. and perhaps i will as i have ideas of other amv's.

until i commit to my next project i first have to get a bigger external HDD. editing videos take up a lot of space for production and storage. also i really need to get a better system to edit my projects. my mac mini was under the "little train that could" mode. i'm surprised how well it manged Final Cut Express 4 with the use of a adequate video processor using shared memory. good thing i got mine built with 2GB. i'm thinking however getting a refurb MacBook Pro. now that the new MBP have come out with the fancy mutli-touch pad, the refurbs are at really great deals.

down below is the final cut version of my amv. enjoy




peace,
@riel

Oh, I can certainly feel it in the air.

we are getting closer to Anime Boston (A.B.) 2008, and quite possible the big premier of my AMV. it’s been almost 9 months since i engaged on this project to make this AMV, and it’s been a great hobby to get into; so much so that i’m looking forward to the next project. i won’t go into any details about my next project until i know for sure that it has yet to be done by anyone else. but just in case, i did start it up. perhaps in the coming months i’ll have a rough cut ready to post on YouTube. until then, i’m continuously looking at my current AMV (Macross Plus AMV, In The Air Tonight) under a microscope – looking to see if there’s any required fine tuning, or perhaps scenes that could be altered. i’m not a perfectionist by any stretch, but if this AMV is to be uploaded to AnimeMusicVideo.org, i want it to be at its best. i still need to give it a title.

peace,
@riel