Today’s update is going to be quick and dirty, folks. Let’s just dive right into my thought processes about how I’m
Last week I tried to put together a video supplement for my preview of Star Trek Online. Since Flash is the ‘new media’ platform with which I’m most familiar, I figured that the least time-consuming method for achieving my goal would be to use that platform. Sadly, I was mistaken, and I ended up burning a lot more time on the project than I probably should have. And the end result wasn’t even in a video format easily disseminated to other formats or venues.
With some measure of disgust, I filed that project away and got back to work. I have a day job, after all, no real time for dilly-dallying or rumination upon how to improve upon something that, to me, didn’t turn out very well at all. But as time went on and I thought more about the various tools at my disposal and efforts I’ve made in the past to branch out beyond static text, I thought back to Powerless.
Remember that? Powerless, my attempt to break into the high-profile world of the Escapist’s video elite? The concept of talking about things gamers can do to amuse themselves without relying entirely on electricity still strikes me as solid, I think my effort got bogged down with trying to add a story element to what is essentially a vlog. That’s “video blog” for those not up on the lingo.
Anyway, Powerless was assembled using Adobe AfterEffects. For some reason, I had filed that program away as something to only be used when actually recorded video is involved. But, au contraire! A video is images matched with sounds along a timeline, right? And my Star Trek Online preview is – anyone? anyone? – images matched with sound along a timeline. So why not use AfterEffects, reassemble the video portion of the preview, and plop it on YouTube as per my original thought?
This opens the door for other possible projects, as well. Perhaps some images to go along with the soundtracks for IT CAME FROM NETFLIX! or a revamped and more focused Powerless series solely about the tabletop games without any major trappings. Except maybe the bursts of static for transitions. I’m not sure. All I know for certain is that this can’t detract from The Project, my work for Polymancer or any other writing gigs that come my way. Or the day job either. Insert weary sigh here.
What do you all out there think? What would you like to see me vlog (if anything)?
