The Weekly Video Critique Thread

[Omnigamer]

The purpose of this thread is exactly as it sounds. Each week, I'll post a new combo video or otherwise of a game for people to examine and give criticisms of the editing technique and methods. However, an important thing to note is that a great majority of these videos will not be smash or smash-related. The main reason is that this thread is supposed to give others some inspiration about music and editing techniques through picking specific techniques out of high-calibur videos for criticism. I do not feel that there are enough smash videos of such calibur to make this thread worthwhile, and thus I will be pulling videos from a variety of games and systems. Remember, understanding the content of a vid is not what's important with respect to this thread; realizing the potential of video production is.

Also, I would like to discourage others from making similar threads as this. My reasoning for this is that multiple threads will spread the attention thin and overall the desired effect would not be acheived nearly as well, among other things. However, I do not mean to block others out from contributing videos that they feel should be criticized. If you wish for a video to be put up for criticism, PM me with a link or means to find the video and I will review it for quality. If it passes, I will see about putting it into the weekly lineup.

And finally, "criticism" can be both positive and negative. If you'd like to praise a certain sequence or method used by the editor(s), that's just as much criticism as saying that you feel this-or-that should have been done differently or would have been better with something different. This also is not a place for one-liners. I'm not asking for full-out reviews of the videos, but at least put a small amount of thought into it.

Whew. That said, enjoy!

*Note: The first week of every month will be a smash video. This is so that we can get some cross-critiquing going on now that there's a decent sample space of other videos. As before, don't be afraid to PM me suggestions.
===============================================

Week 1 (3/19/06-3/25/06)
Title: 2Bad
Game: King of Fighters '99
Editor: KyoreX
Length: 9:35
Mirrors:
Rapidshare (http://rapidshare.de/files/15909968/kofd_cmv_2bad.rmvb.html)
FileFront (http://files.filefront.com/kofd_cmv_2badrmvb/;4896159;;/fileinfo.html)
YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5bDn-DleN_o)
*Note: This video is in realmovie format. You may have to find a codec to play it in windows media player, or most computers come standard with a version of Real player.

Week 2 (3/26/06-4/1/06)
Title: The Final Another Side
Game: Guilty Gear XX#Reload
Editor: Ethereal S
Length: 4:48
Mirrors:
RapidShare (http://rapidshare.de/files/16513625/The_Final_Another_Side-JohnnyGG-_ComboVideos.avi.html)
FileFront (http://files.filefront.com/The_Final_Another_Side_JohnnyGG__ComboVideosavi/;4918513;;/fileinfo.html)
YouTube (http://youtube.com/watch?v=nqbJRAMt8xw)

Week 3 (4/2/06-4/8/06)
Title: The Last Prophecy
Game: Garou: Mark of the Wolves
Editor: Shishin
Length: 13:12
Mirrors:
Google Video (http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-4617132920518085825)
YouTube (http://youtube.com/watch?v=hm6SRUVrSJU)

Week 4 (4/9/06-4/15/06)
Title: Jojo's Bizarre Adventure - Meikyousisui
Game: Jojo's Bizarre Adventure
Editor: Masala
Length: 6:03
Mirrors:
Google Video (http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-8784520477130199752)
Rapidshare (http://rapidshare.de/files/17702736/JoJo_Combo_Vid_Meikyousisui.mpg.html)
YouTube (http://youtube.com/watch?v=E982eTb5R4k)

Week 5 (4/16/06-4/22/06)
Title: Let's Get it Started
Game: King of Fighters 2003
Editor: KyoreX
Length: 8:12
Mirrors:
Google Video (http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=3689998463797391807)
YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aPD7MHJJ3J4)

Week 6 (4/23/06-4/29/06)
-*No video this week*-

Week 7 (4/30/06-5/6/06)
Title: Shined Blind
Game: Super Smash Bros. Melee
Editor: DBR (unspecified)
Length: 6:56
Mirrors:
Google Video (http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=6909696159399073915)
FileFront (http://files.filefront.com/Shined+Blindwmv/;4415854;;/fileinfo.html)

[ender]

I cant wait for this sounds, like a good idea.

[Nigzel]

ender, you're right. This might be a very ood idea.

[UchihaJP]

a very interesting idea :)
looking forward to it!

[Omnigamer]

First mirror is up. I'll be adding more as they finish uploading, which could take a while, as I don't have the greatest connection.

And what came as a bit of a shock to me, it seems that a good portion of my combo video collection has disappeared from my hard drive. My main few sources for the missing videos have also long since gone, but I think I can replenish things given a bit of time. But I still have plenty of videos to last at least a few months, so there won't be a problem with this thread even if nobody sends other videos to me. Just needed to vent a little on my part.

[Bakuryu]

I hope we get some guilty gear combos going.

Great editing nice music, only complaint the long download =P

Edit: Sorry for the short review I really liked the transitions they fit really well with the video, im not much of a video editor (yet) so I can't comment much.

[Omnigamer]

Well, being the spoilt smash community that we are with small filesizes, it's still not too bad. And you can be assured some GGX2 stuff will be in the lineup somewhere along the way.

I also have a small amendment to make to the format. Every first Sunday of a month will be a smash video. We need some pieces of both worlds, just so we can have some comparison going.

Also, sorry to single out Bakuryu for this, but that was more or less what I meant by one-liner reviews. Go into some specifics with what you liked. As I already said, I will only be putting up high-quality videos, so it's a given that they will all have "great editing nice music". Go into some of the particulars, like "I especially liked how..." or "the transition was very well done at xx:xx". Just pick out some things you did or didn't like and expand on that a bit.

Working on more mirrors, and eventually video google too for all you lazy people out there. IM/PM me if you have a fast connection and would like to help with the uploading process.

[Ryan_RF]

Although I'm unfamiliar with this game, I am quite familiar with video editing (primarily Final Cut Pro), so here it goes:

This is a great example of professional level editing. The music is fitting; the transitions are varied but not too gaudy. I really liked the zoom-in during some of the combos, and the style and placement of the title overlays. The opening title screen at 0:17 really blew me away: the perspective view of the video frame on the left contrasing with the still picture on the right and the slight blur on the edges... wow! It really demonstrates what happens when you combine editing ability with artistic vision. As far as any criticisms I could make, this video did nothing wrong (but maybe a little too long). The best I can do is say how the video could better fit my own personal tastes.

Possible Improvements (very minor):
-Whenever the names of the players were shown at the top of the frame, they stood out well. When the names were at the bottom of the frame however, I often missed them. Why have them appear in different spots?
-I tried to pay close attention to the timing of the transitions to see if they lined up with the music. Sometimes they did, sometimes they didn't, although I realize this is hard to do when your clips have fairly specific lengths.
-I liked the clips where the in game sound was used. Why not use it more often, or even have it throughout the vid?
-The zoom-in at the end of some of the clips did a good job of adding emphasis. I might try fading to black and white or adding some other color filter (and adding the game sound) on top of this for an even stronger effect.
-Number one criticism: too long. Maybe this is just because I'm unfamiliar with the game. It's hard to keep interested in something you dont understand... although when I'm watching smash combo vids, anything past five minutes begins to feel long..



Omni, I hope this is what you were lookin for :ohwell:

[Omnigamer]

Very nice, Ryan. This is exactly the kind of thing that I'm looking for. It doesn't even need to be as drawn out... just a few particular things that you did/didn't like is all I'm asking for. But still, there is the part of me that hopes at least a few people will give these kinds of reviews. Once again, excellent review.

Edit: Links for FileShare and YouTube have been added. Google Video does not allow the realmovie format, so I had to go with YouTube.

[Eggz]

Umm GGX2 stuff? I am seriously looking forward to that. PM me when you post plzkthx.

[Omnigamer]

I will probably do a GGX2#R one next week because the demand is high, but until then focus on the matters at hand. And it is not my responsibility to inform people of when something they want arrives... if you're interested in this sort of thing, just check the thread periodically and you might find yourself surprised.

[ender]

-I liked the effects he put on some of the attacks to make them look more powerful than they originally were in the game.
-When he zoomed in on the fight so you could only see the fighters with no life bars, but you had seen the beggining of the combo so you knew who was gonna win.

-I didnt like the fade in and fade out of "2BAD". It seemed tacky, we get it, thats the song name and the combo vid.

There were a couple other things I liked and didnt like but I forget, and I gotta get ready so cya next week.

[FastFox]

Yea, this is a really good idea. It'll be so much help when it comes to making videos. Right now I'm stuck in the process of getting a cheap capture card..

[Omnigamer]

I'll be at a tournament for most of the weekend, so don't expect the new vid until late Sunday, or possibly even Monday.

[Omnigamer]

Week 2 is up. Enjoy.

[ender]

hmmm

Im not sure if i remember inccorectly, but if the game actually stops for a second after each one of his attacks, then i have to say. it makes for pretty bad combo vids, becuase it seems to destroy any fluidity to the combos, with a background song.

I liked when they changed backgrounds during a specific move, the first when he was doing an uptilt it changed backgrounds and he was doing the same move on all of them (and in the same place, important) and the other was duing a slash.

I also liked one part where they changed the color values to the beat of the song, they did it about three times, which was just enough, I felt the limit of my enjoying it and if they had done one more it wouldnt have worked, but i think it was pretty cool.

Also, this was a jonny combo video? im not used to a combo vid being about a char, more used to them for specific players, but whatever.

what i didnt like, besides just how the motion was just so stop and go, was that the video seemed as long as the opening and closing credits if they were combined. I think content should outweigh the credit. also during one combo they had an overlay of jonny, which was distracting.

besides that pretty good, song was ok, but I might have used something faster.

[Bakuryu]

I liked when they changed backgrounds during a specific move, the first when he was doing an uptilt it changed backgrounds and he was doing the same move on all of them (and in the same place, important) and the other was duing a slash.

I also liked one part where they changed the color values to the beat of the song, they did it about three times, which was just enough, I felt the limit of my enjoying it and if they had done one more it wouldnt have worked, but i think it was pretty cool.

I didn't notice the changes to much it blent in with the game a little to much if you ask me, but I did notice the way the matched the video to the beat at sometimes, other than that I really didn't think the song with the video to well, but thats just me. I feel they should have add some more stuff the combo part of the video it just felt like the same thing over and over again


what i didnt like, besides just how the motion was just so stop and go, was that the video seemed as long as the opening and closing credits if they were combined. I think content should outweigh the credit. also during one combo they had an overlay of jonny, which was distracting.
I feel they should have add some more stuff the combo part of the video it just felt like the same thing over and over again. I actually liked the overlay of johnny it made it feel different from all the other parts.

[Omnigamer]

Just some of my opinions on this:

-I didn't mind the song so much. The editor did a good job of matching up effects with the right parts of the beat. The opening had a nice touch with showing the various pics of Johnny's endings with the short rhythmic intervals.
-I didn't see too much point in the occasional slo-mo sequences. It didn't really serve a purpose to match with the music, and it wasn't exactly at the highlight of a combo either.
-I liked the syncing of the "slash" screen clips played out with the drumline around 2:13 and again with his slash move (the name currently escapes me) at 2:46.
-The ending pose with the flashes according to the beat was a nice touch at about 2:17, but it felt a little redundant the second time it was used.
-The inversion and slowing at 3:00 also didn't make a whole lot of sense with respect to the music or the combos.
-The "grayscale to color" effect was nicely done at 3:34, but would have been better if a slightly longer combo were chosen at that point and the effect dragged on a little longer.
-The image overlay at 4:04 was a nice choice, but IMO a better picture of Johnny could have been chosen and the white background changed to transparency with photoshop.
-From a technical standpoint, all of the combos in the videos would actually work, with the exception of the one at 4:12 because of the obvious overuse of False Roman Cancels. But all the rest seemed to be within limits.

And that about covers things.

*Stickied in an attempt to gain more interest*

[Omnigamer]

Week 3 is up. Enjoy.

[Gimpyfish62]

omni double posts... what a jerk... ;)

this is a GREAT idea omni! i'll comment after i've watched and stuff like that

[masterwumpus]

I watched Garou: The Last Prophecy.

Music: 10/10. Great sounding, very epic, fit with the clips well, flowed well.

Combos: I don't know how skilled the player is (I assume quite skilled) but the fact that most combos started on an opponent who was just standing there made it feel soft. They didn't feel like clips from actual matches, which is pretty important to me in determining if a combo is good or not. Of course, that may just be a SSBM thing.

Other clips: There were some pretty drawn out cut scenes. They were probably too long, but the music was so good I didn't mind. Also, they were interesting to me, but it seems that for somebody who has played the game they would either be boring or spoilers. I would compare it to, say, showing the scene where Giga Bowser shows up in SSBM. Only, showing it for a few minutes. It just seems that people familiar with the story would get bored, but I could very well be wrong since I know nothing of the story in that game.

Editing: Intro and outro looked good and professional. The clips were spliced together well and had good flow. I liked the transition from black and white to color, that was very well done.

Random: It was pretty long. I think if you're going to make a video longer than 10 minutes, you had better have a very good reason. In this one, since a lot of the combos looked pretty similar, I think they could have cut down, or maybe cut down on the cutscenes.
They used some complicated transitions between some of the clips which normally I'm against. However, because of the pace of the combos, it actually worked quite well in this video.
I really liked the blocking to reversals. I don't know how hard they are to do, but they were much more impressive to me than the other combos.


That's about it. It is a well made video with great music that is perhaps a few minutes too long for my taste, but a good video regardless.

[Omnigamer]

Combos: I don't know how skilled the player is (I assume quite skilled) but the fact that most combos started on an opponent who was just standing there made it feel soft. They didn't feel like clips from actual matches, which is pretty important to me in determining if a combo is good or not. Of course, that may just be a SSBM thing.

For the most part, it is just an SSBM thing ^_^

There's this demand from SSBM players for combos to be live and not against CPUs, and that demand is well-justified by the fact that DI is present in the game. However, as of right now, SSBM is the only game that has such a device. Thus, for other fighters, a combo is something that can be done every time so long as certain conditions are met, no matter what the opposing player does. Thus, so long as the combos are amusing, it is irrelevent whether they were performed in a match or not. There's a big thing with the smash community about wanting to show off one's own skill, so only the competitive match combo clips are considered "worthy". I'm hoping that one day people can ascend this barrier and make combo videos not because they need to prove themselves, but out of appreciation for the game and for a little fun.

This message isn't to reply to masterwumpus, but to people in general. Sorry if it comes off as preachy ^_^;

I'll have my review for it up tomorrow or in a few days.

[ender]

cool video, pretty long. The music was pretty good, and I guess the video was fun to watch. The only thing I didnt liike was that the cut scenes seemed like they were trying to tell a story but I didnt understand what it was, which was kind of disappointing, also the ripple transition. besides that, a unique video, pretty cool. so is next week a smash vid? I think someone said something about every 4th vid or something.

[Sir Roy]

I watched the Garou Vid.

Having played the game, I'd say this guy is the king of the **** crop. That's the best play I've ever seen and alot of those combo's are generally outrageous. Very, very good crap. Not to mention the Instant KO combo's. Friggen wonderful. I just wished that the game had a sequel.

[J-Prep]

WOW what a crazy guilty gear video. johnny is not to be taken lightly in my eyes anymore. great job

[Omnigamer]

Erg, things were busy today. I'll have the next one up tomorrow after I get home from school. Sorry 'bout that.

[Omnigamer]

Week 4 is up... the game itself is a bit of an oddity, but it's a fun one. For those interested, it's based off an anime/manga series of the same name. Enjoy.

Edit: It's currently being processed by both YouTube and Google Video. It'll be up on YouTube very shortly, and google video before too long. I'll also put it up on Rapidshare before too long.

[Bakuryu]

Video doesnt work I think Youtube took it down or something.

[Omnigamer]

Rapidshare link is up, and YouTube appears to be working again.

[Sinz]

DLS week 4

prepare to edit this post!

[Omnigamer]

Google Video mirror for week 4 is up. Traffic seems a bit slow this week...

[Omnigamer]

Week 5 is up. It seems last week was a bit of a flop, but hopefully more people will give reviews for this week.

Also, I found a source for restoring all of the combo videos that disappeared from my hard drive, so soon enough I'll be able to put up some of the truly great stuff, and everybody will be able to see the wonder that is aRT.

[J-Prep]

question..what console is JoJo's Bizzare played on?

[Omnigamer]

It's available on Dreamcast and PS2, as well as in Arcades. For this particular one, I'm not sure, but probably Dreamcast.

[J-Prep]

do you think that it is still sold in stores?

[Omnigamer]

For the DC version, I would very much doubt it. You might be able to find the PS2 version, but you'd probably have to check some specialty shops for it.

[masterwumpus]

I watched "Lets Get It Started."

Some of the visual effects were impressive, but most of them were just annoying. Rapidfire clips (consecutive clips that last a fraction of a second each) can be done well I suppose, but I don't think I've ever seen it done in a way that wasn't merely disorienting. Showing the words to the first song was cool at first, but it lost its novelty quickly and just became another distraction on the screen. The pictures were probably cool, but they were moving too quickly to get a good look at them. I think that was my biggest problem with this video: the overall pace was way too fast. I understand why the creator made it that way, and I am sure that that style will apeal to some, but for me I just couldn't get interested because as soon as I got into one clip it had already moved on to the next.

The music was pretty good, although I really disliked the clips that had the audio from the game. There is a reason why most people mute it; hearing punching noises and grunts for extended periods of time gets irritating. I don't think the ending credits came across the way they were supposed to, because I had no idea what he trying to say. Combo Makers...?

Overall, I didn't like it as much as some of the past ones, and I wasn't as impressed with the combos themselves (although I have no idea what I'm talking about there).

Weren't there going to be some smash vids? ;) Even though I've probably seen them before, it would be cool to critique one that I understood better. :)

[Omnigamer]

I'm going to put the first smash vid up for review in roughly two weeks (the week of April 30th), so that we get some cross-referencing. Just to leave this a bit more open, PM me suggestions of which video should be put up for critique first.

[ender]

awesome cant wait.

I liked the jojo's adventure one, becuase that was the only other game besides guilty gear that I've played.

The "lets get it started" one was unwatchable due to the high quantity of black eyed peas. I didnt feel like watching the video on mute either.

[Omnigamer]

Sorry about this week's being late, I was at MLG New York and am just otherwise busy tonight. I'll have one up tomorrow sure thing.

Also, PM me suggestions for the first smash video to critique. It'll go up this coming week, and after that we'll do a smash vid on the first Sunday of every month.