New Year's Eve!

Today is New Year's EVE!  Guess what that means?  I made the announcement a long time ago and it's finally time - time for a YOUTUBE channel!  Get ready because in a few hours or so, I'll create the channel.  All of the videos will be in HD!  I'm excited for New Year's but also for this HD quality!  So this was just a quick update/reminder.  Search Youtube for "KDstopsmotion" (the poll is pretty much over!  KDstopsmotion was the favorite option for the Youtube channel name.).  HAPPY NEW YEAR'S!

KD

Notes on "Lesson to Be Learned: Don't Be Wasteful"

If you haven't seen the video yet... Here's a link to the post: Lesson to Be Learned: Don't Be Wasteful
Alright, since I haven't really said anything about this video yet... I'll do so now!

• Number of pictures?
• 119!  Much less than the last video (but also much shorter video)
• Any food this time?  Unfortunately... No - although I was drinking tons of water because I was still a little sick when I was taking the pictures.  
• Music?
• Eh, just sound effects and a little random playing I recorded on the piano.  
• My microphone doesn't pick up soft sounds...
• Yeah... that light switch noise?  It was my fingers snapping.  
• And the footsteps?  I was banging my laptop charger against a water bottle cap.  Woo!
• Yippee for compromising with crappy technology.  Haha
• TAPE SITUATION
• So I found this roll of tape and used it to hold the paper on the wall.  As I set up the last picture, I noticed that I ran out of tape... but it didn't matter because it was the last picture!  HA.  
• It was a magnificent moment of triumph.  I conquered the task of taking pictures with exactly the right amount of tape.  It felt so good.  
• Time spent on video?
• I should probably keep track of this next time...  I spent 3, probably 4 hours total.  I think it was half and half - 2 hours picture taking and 2 hours editing/adding sound effects.  
• Hm... what else do you want to know?  Leave a comment and I'll reply!

KD

Little Late, But IF You Are Bored... The Effects of Studying Part 1

Alright, so now that I'm on the road, I've had a copious amount of time to edit videos and cut unnecessary parts out.  It's four and a half minutes...  WARNING, WARNING: Only watch the video IF you are bored... because... I feel like it'd only be entertaining if you're bored.  Have fun with it.  This was one of our study breaks between exams.

We were being so productive!  Don't worry; we ended up doing work... eventually.

KD

"Lesson to Be Learned: Don't Be Wasteful"

Here is the video!  I hope you laugh a little, learn the lesson, and... share to laugh again?  Hahaha, well, watch the video now and tell me what you think!  You don't need a username/account to comment!  ANYONE can comment woo!

ENJOY IT!

KD

(P.S. I did fit monkeys into a 37 second video not about monkeys.  They have wands, but they're quick!  See if you can catch them.)

Picture-taking is DONE!

Look for the video tomorrow.  I'll edit it while I'm in the car (road trip! woo!).  I finished taking pictures finally!  You WILL  be entertained.  Trust me.  It's simple and comical.  Here's a sneak preview (one photo hehe):

KD

Being Sick is Not Fun

Alright, here's the deal.  I'm sick right now.  My head is just pounding.  This makes it very difficult for me to complete the video i started planning yesterday.  I was so relieved that exams were over, but now I'm sick.  Sorry, guys.

I'll try my best to finish the video.  I need to finish filling in some of the plot, take all of the pictures, and add sound... so we'll just see what happens.  If I'm not done by Friday... I might not be able to put the video up by New Years'... D :  I'm going to take a nap and rest right now, but I will definitely try and finish planning tonight.

I hope you all are enjoying the holiday season!
KD

Revolver Maps!

So the other day, a friend showed me this cool gadget called the Revolver Map.  Basically, the map shows where views are coming from.  I added the Revolver Map way down at the very bottom of the blog.  I may move it up higher so more people can see it, but for now, it's located at the end of the page.  Check it out.  Green dots show cities where views have come from since the map was placed on the blog.  If the name of the city pops up, the name signifies that a person from that city is currently viewing the blog.  Neatness! 

You can also zoom in and out.  It's such a cool map!

KD

Role Animals?

So I was just reflecting on my videos so far and the majority of them (two out of three haha) are about animals.  In the future (probably around summertime), how would you all like for me to produce videos about animals (fake animals) and whatever they do (whether they are eating me, eating other things, or just anything else)?

Albeit I say "series", I am not planning for this series to be something where the plot is continuous from one video in the series to the next.  Rather, I plan for an animal to be the subject of each video in the series. 

After the series of animal videos are completed, I will simply make a video to reminisce all of the animal videos.  I am about to post a poll on the right side so vote for whether or not you want to see this happen.  Also, please comment any suggestions for what these "Role Animals" could be doing.  And although I want to call this series "Role Animals", they are not necessarily going to be role models.  I hope you agree that eating me is not what animals should always do   : P

KD

STRESS

Hey!  Okay, I'm sorry to do this, but I must warn anyone who looks at this blog.  I will not be making another video until after December 17.  This is due to exams and such.  Please forgive me!  However, do check back before the end of December because hopefully the break will allow me to put together a nice video.

Also, remember... 1/1/11 is COMING which means... KDstopsmotion is COMING to YOUTUBE.  Be on the lookout for that.  Just for fun, I will try to create my Youtube channel at 1:11:11 A.M. on 1/1/11.  So... if you take out the colons and add slashes: 1/11/11/1/1/11!  Anyway, exams and stress are delaying more videos, but please know that they have not stopped. 

KD

(P.S. Note that I said KDstopsmotion.  That will be the name of my Youtube channel.  If you would like to vote for the best name, vote on the poll to the right side of the posts, above the blog archives.  Thanks!)

*Added* Veni vidi vici SAT (I think.  Now all I can do is hope and study for upcoming exams - exams... uhhh)

"A Big Dinner for a Big Snake" Video and Notes

WOW!  That was stressful.  I know I put a deadline for Friday night so I knew I had to get this video done.  I only had 18 seconds to fill and I had the pictures planned, but my camera kept losing battery so that's why it took a little longer than I wanted it to tonight.  My apologies.  Anyway, here is the video.  ENJOY!

Notes:

• GUESS how many animals (fake animals) can be seen in this video.  Leave a comment!
• Time spent on video?
• I really have no clue.  I used parts of several nights to take the pictures and I did a little editing during the day.  I took pictures at night so I could keep the lighting consistent.  However, I did learn that different cameras give you different lighting haha
• Food?  Drinks?
• Just one Gatorade bottle.  That was the last scene I shot pictures for.  I have to go to the bathroom now.  
• Camera angles
• Success!  I actually really like this video and I think the changing camera angles turned out well.  I experimented with like fifty gazillion of them, but anyway, it was fun and I think successful.  
• If you have any comments on the camera angles I used, please let me hear them.  I would be glad to receive any feedback from viewers.  
• Pictures?
• I forgot the number now, but I think it was 475, maybe 474?
• A lot more this time.  I wanted the animation to be a little smoother
• Music
• "An Omen to Ruin" by Joe Hisaishi

And since I just realized that I forgot the last picture, I will upload just the picture right now and re-upload the video later (it takes a while to save the file cause its humongous!).

KD

The Snake is Coming!

"A Big Dinner for a Big Snake" is my next video and it will be posted on the blog sometime on Friday.  Be on the lookout for it!  The video is still in progress, but I am confident that it will be completed by or on Friday.  I am receiving a little assistance from a friend for the first time.  I simply need an extra hand to hold the camera.  Get pumped!  By the way, there is a cool chase scene being made right now. 

You will recognize one of the characters from a previous video.  Actually, if you watch carefully, many things reappear in this video.  When it comes, comment to guess how many animals were on the video at any point and time (zero is not going to be the answer). 

KD

Future Idea - Falling?

Quick!  Okay, you don't have to do this quickly - sorry.  Comment and tell me something that falls.  I am thinking about a future video and I want to include something that falls repetitively.  What is something that falls?  Ex.: rain, snow, leaves. Almost anything!  But please comment.  THANKS!

KD

Developing Idea: A Big Dinner for a Big Snake

Hi!

Although I have posted a video two days in a row, I am almost positive that it is not possible for me to continue doing that.  The reason is that the video-making process will be getting more advanced and complex (that is my goal).  I am forcing myself to plan the videos on paper (I am making a journal for it).  Here is a chance for you to influence my videos.  If you think of something that you would like to see in one of my videos, just tell me and I will try to incorporate your idea into a video.  Just leave a comment or click one of the check boxes below (Interesting, COOL!, BAD, etc.).  Any feedback, positive or negative, is better than no feedback!

So I have started two more videos.  These will be tougher projects and I want to experiment with more ideas.  So far, I have mostly fooled around with basic stop-motion ideas.  I have used a few effects.  Now, I want to change camera angles which has not really happened in my previous videos. In addition, I want to make the animation cleaner and smoother.  Most likely, the only correction would be to make smaller changes between pictures. 

In my next video, "A Big Dinner for a Big Snake", I am thinking about featuring a snake (fake) that I have.  It will consume its unfortunate victims (smaller stuff animals).  I plan for the first to notice the snake much too late and it will be unable to run.  The second, however, will be chased.  And after that, I have a surprise ending for you!

If you have any suggestions on a scene/victim to add or tips for camera angles, please leave a comment! I would greatly appreciate it!

KD

"Magic Circle" and Notes

Hello!

So yesterday, I uploaded my first stop-motion video "MONKEYS" and made a few notes about the video.  Here is my second video, titled "Magic Circle".

Notes:

• What is up with the quality of the pictures??
• I think the blog video uploader won't accept HD videos.  When I view the video using the file on my computer, it is much clearer than when I view it on the blog.  When the videos go on Youtube, I am pretty sure it will actually have the HD option.  Get pumped!
• Hours spent working on this project = about 10 to 13 hours (I can't remember)
• There were 3 or 4 days where I spent a lot of time working on this video.  
• On the night of November 7, 2010, I spent over six hours working on this video.  I went to sleep at 4:30 A.M. the next day.  I was really determined to finish the video that night hahaha
• Number of pictures? 222
• All were taken using my webcam
• About the first half were taken with a program with lower quality than the program I used to take the second half of the pictures (I'll reveal more about this in January)
• What does that square thingy say near the end?
• "I'm Square" is supposed to be actually in the middle of the square
• "I HEAR U R MAGIC?" is supposed to be in the dialogue box first.  
• "Argh" is what the dialogue box changes to.  
• Sorry about the quality.  I will be learning from these mistakes
• Food required to make this video:
• Three Gatorade bottles (I chugged the pink one so I could quickly proceed with the photos)
• Two cookies
• Many small pieces of chocolate and maybe a bag of chips!  (These were not in the video.  I just got hungry)

ENJOY!  I hope that you can see improvements with each video that I make.  I am constantly making mistakes, learning, and correcting. 

KD

"MONKEYS" Video and Notes

Notes:

• Originally completed October 9, 2010 just in one night (a long night)
• (I touched up on a few things and added a little later.)
• This was just a first attempt to experiment with the greatness of stop-motion which is basically running countless photos one after another to create a video.  
• 93 frames (48 pictures taken by web cam, 45 made using Paint application)
• Took a little over an hour to take pictures and a good while longer to do the pictures on Paint.  
• Editing took around an hour and a half or so for this video since there were little effects and most of the editing was changing length of each picture.  
• The reason why I made this video:
• I found a stuffed animal in the form of a fat monkey (awesome!)
• My favorite expletive is "Monkeys!" so I figured why not call my video "MONKEYS"

ENJOY the video, please.  I realize that it is a little strange, but keep in mind that it was my first experiment with stop-motion - I just wanted to make something relatively entertaining!  So watch it, laugh, cry (because you're laughing so hard), and enjoy!

KD

Announcement

I will be creating a Youtube channel on 1/1/11!  There are several reasons why I want to put it up on January 1:
1) New Years!  Woo!
2) 1/1/11!  Awesome looking date, right?
3) I'll be posting a New Years' Resolution video. 
4) Exams in December
5) More

Anyway, so get pumped for 1/1/11!  Also, a quick update, I am working on two videos as of now.  One is titled, "A Big Dinner for a Big Snake" and the other is "Class Distractions".  The first goes along with the animal theme along with my "MONKEYS".  "Class Distractions" is a video about how people may be distracted in class. 

What is the Purpose of This Blog?

I don't know about you, but when I click on a blog, I always want to know what type of content the blog will contain as soon as possible.  Well, here's the answer in the very first blog post of this blog!  Convenient?  Anyway, I wanted to create a blog about my videos for several reasons:
1) to share my ideas for videos so I can allow any viewers to comment and actually influence (to a certain extent) some aspect of a video in progress whether it is plot, tools, characters, etc. 
2) Allow viewers to suggest ideas - I try to be as creative as I can, but I don't always have the best ideas - so they can see their ideas made into video. 
3) Receive feedback. 
4) Give some extra information about the making of a video (although I will probably come out with video(s) for this). 
5) Give fans a fun page to look at!  Woo!  But, that is, if I have any fans.  So if you're out there, leave a comment or something.  Let me know you're existent! 

Anyway, I'll be sharing some planning for videos and some undeveloped ideas so please respond in the future!  So far, I have finished two videos, titled "MONKEYS" and "Magic Circle".  I will release them on this blog shortly.  For now, I'm going to get some sleep.  I hope everyone enjoys my videos when they see them since my goal with these videos is primarily to entertain people.