Muvizu

14/06/2016 08:20:12

clayster2012
Posts: 645

Well we all love to laugh, and laughter is the best medicine for the sole, so lets all join in for a competition to see how much laughter we all can whip up, the rules are simple and should be easier for everyone, so here how it goes.
1 .All videos must be at least 2 to 3 minutes long .
2. only use muvizu for the animation, but you can use any editing software you choose.
3. The theme is comedy, but you can use any concept you wish to use like sci fi, Action, Western, drama,music videos, you name it, but make sure the comedy stands out, after all this is what it's all about .
4. All videos can contain original material, and material from free royalty sites, no restrictions.
5. Videos must be submitted no later then midnight July 13th 2016, this should be enough time for everyone, and for submitting the videos, just send me a link to your video and me and my selected crew will judge each submission, no videos will be posted until a winner is declared.

6. when submitting a video for the competition please use the following format.

Title:
Director:
Running Time:
Link:
Poster (Optional):

----------------------PRIZES-----------------------------------

The prizes will be three different muvizu sets made by me, these set will also be submitted in the store up for sell, but for the lucky winners it will be their winnings, each set will be placed for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd, and the winners will also get a zip file of all of the attachment models for the charactes, and the models of the props.

1st place prize : A cartoon style western town that fits the muvizu format very well, this is also the same set i'm using in finger pistols are dangerous

2nd Place prize: is a desert set in the style of the road runner cartoon, but its far from being too much like it, its also another set that I'm using finger Pistol are dangerous.

3rd place prize: is a fantasy set that I have been working, and still adding to it,but by the time this competition is over it should be done.

that's for the prizes, and i hope who ever wins them will put them to good use, so lets start creating those videos and have fun!

GOOD LUCK EVERYONE!

edited by clayster2012 on 14/06/2016
edited by clayster2012 on 14/06/2016
edited by clayster2012 on 14/06/2016
edited by clayster2012 on 14/06/2016
edited by clayster2012 on 14/06/2016
edited by clayster2012 on 15/06/2016

14/06/2016 15:01:16

ziggy72
Posts: 1988

Nicely done layout there, but one quibble - 3 minute minimum? If you want to encourage people, especially noobs, that's rather a big requirement. 2 minutes seems more reasonable, I would say, but it's your contest I'm just giving feedback

14/06/2016 16:07:41

clayster2012
Posts: 645

ziggy72 wrote:

Nicely done layout there, but one quibble - 3 minute minimum? If you want to encourage people, especially noobs, that's rather a big requirement. 2 minutes seems more reasonable, I would say, but it's your contest I'm just giving feedback

No your right, I been thinking about that to, I changed it to 2 to 3 minutes

14/06/2016 17:22:32

PatMarrNC
Posts: 1738

awesome looking sets there Clayster! They are very desirable as prizes!
I like the rules you've defined for your contest, and the logo too!

It just so happens that I already have a couple of funny music videos (featuring original songs) in the pipeline, so I might actually be able to submit something. My average prep time is about a week for every minute of video, and I have other activities cutting into the time I can allocate to Muvizu for most of the summer... so the work I've already done will probably make up the difference.

I'm looking forward to seeing everybody's submissions! I hope we get a pretty good participation

14/06/2016 17:28:38

PatMarrNC
Posts: 1738

regarding the requirement of using all original stuff:
does that mean you can't use any of the sets from the store unless you're the one who submitted it?

14/06/2016 17:35:21

MrDrWho13
Posts: 2220

PatMarrNC wrote:

regarding the requirement of using all original stuff:
does that mean you can't use any of the sets from the store unless you're the one who submitted it?

How about royalty free assets like background music, sounds etc?

14/06/2016 17:38:24

clayster2012
Posts: 645

PatMarrNC wrote:

regarding the requirement of using all original stuff:
does that mean you can't use any of the sets from the store unless you're the one who submitted it?

yes you can use any material from any free royalty sites, no restrictions.
edited by clayster2012 on 15/06/2016

14/06/2016 17:41:55

clayster2012
Posts: 645

MrDrWho13 wrote:

PatMarrNC wrote:

regarding the requirement of using all original stuff:
does that mean you can't use any of the sets from the store unless you're the one who submitted it?

How about royalty free assets like background music, sounds etc?

anything if not your can be from the store, and royalty sites.
edited by clayster2012 on 14/06/2016
edited by clayster2012 on 15/06/2016

14/06/2016 17:59:59

clayster2012
Posts: 645

PatMarrNC wrote:

awesome looking sets there Clayster! They are very desirable as prizes!
I like the rules you've defined for your contest, and the logo too!

It just so happens that I already have a couple of funny music videos (featuring original songs) in the pipeline, so I might actually be able to submit something. My average prep time is about a week for every minute of video, and I have other activities cutting into the time I can allocate to Muvizu for most of the summer... so the work I've already done will probably make up the difference.

I'm looking forward to seeing everybody's submissions! I hope we get a pretty good participation

I can't wait to see what you have to submit, your music is really awsome!
edited by clayster2012 on 14/06/2016

14/06/2016 18:03:22

PatMarrNC
Posts: 1738

MrDrWho13 wrote:

PatMarrNC wrote:

regarding the requirement of using all original stuff:
does that mean you can't use any of the sets from the store unless you're the one who submitted it?

How about royalty free assets like background music, sounds etc?

as a musician with a recording studio, this rule gives me an unfair advantage. Not everybody is in the position to create the music that goes in their video. I can see limiting music videos to original music... but a monster video needs scary music, and the best source for that is royalty free sites.

The Moguls have traditionally used public domain music to great effect, and I'm afraid that if they aren't allowed to use royalty free assets, some of the best contributors might just bow out. We can't have that!

I hereby formally request that royalty free assets be allowed... but the use of anything that may be under a copyright that somebody else owns (pop music, movie or TV franchises etc) should be disallowed for legal reasons.

Having said all that, it's your contest and you get to make the final rules.
edited by PatMarrNC on 14/06/2016

14/06/2016 18:16:02

clayster2012
Posts: 645

PatMarrNC wrote:

MrDrWho13 wrote:

PatMarrNC wrote:

regarding the requirement of using all original stuff:
does that mean you can't use any of the sets from the store unless you're the one who submitted it?

How about royalty free assets like background music, sounds etc?

as a musician with a recording studio, this rule gives me an unfair advantage. Not everybody is in the position to create the music that goes in their video. I can see limiting music videos to original music... but a monster video needs scary music, and the best source for that is royalty free sites.

The Moguls have traditionally used public domain music to great effect, and I'm afraid that if they aren't allowed to use royalty free assets, some of the best contributors might just bow out. We can't have that!

I hereby formally request that royalty free assets be allowed... but the use of anything that may be under a copyright that somebody else owns (pop music, movie or TV franchises etc) should be disallowed for legal reasons.

Having said all that, it's your contest and you get to make the final rules.
edited by PatMarrNC on 14/06/2016

I see your point, I do want to be fair, I'm mostly looking out for any copyright violations to keep everyone out trouble, so I should change the rules
edited by clayster2012 on 14/06/2016
edited by clayster2012 on 14/06/2016
edited by clayster2012 on 14/06/2016

16/06/2016 01:16:37

AllClass
Posts: 68

Great idea!

Looking forward to seeing what everyone comes up with

16/06/2016 01:43:55

PatMarrNC
Posts: 1738

AllClass wrote:

Great idea!

Looking forward to seeing what everyone comes up with

hey, I see this was your first post... welcome to the forum, Allclass!
I hope you participate in the contest... what have you got to lose? No entry fee, and a chance to win something!! And you'll learn some stuff in the process of creating your entry, so it's a win-win-win!

Multiple prizes, and I bet at least one of them goes to a newbie to keep new users pumped!

But whether you participate actively or not, I hope you at least participate as an audience member!

16/06/2016 02:32:06

clayster2012
Posts: 645

Yes welcome Allclass,join in on the fun, everyone has fair chance of winning!

22/06/2016 00:52:24

ziggy72
Posts: 1988

Working on a little something to enter...

22/06/2016 02:31:53

PatMarrNC
Posts: 1738

Looks interesting so far, Ziggy!

23/06/2016 22:49:53

ecintransigente
Posts: 15

Title: Chiste cubano.EL borracho dichoso
Director: Pedro Alfonso
Running Time: 2:39
Link: wJnltDlxolg
Poster (Optional):
edited by ecintransigente on 23/06/2016
edited by ecintransigente on 23/06/2016

23/06/2016 22:51:13

ecintransigente
Posts: 15

Donde hay que enviar la información para la competencia?
edited by ecintransigente on 23/06/2016

24/06/2016 00:40:15

clayster2012
Posts: 645

ziggy72 wrote:

Working on a little something to enter...

You got me wondering, can't wait to see it!

24/06/2016 00:41:13

clayster2012
Posts: 645

ecintransigente wrote:

Donde hay que enviar la información para la competencia?
edited by ecintransigente on 23/06/2016

Not sure what is said, can anyone translate?

24/06/2016 01:19:33

PatMarrNC
Posts: 1738

clayster2012 wrote:

ecintransigente wrote:

Donde hay que enviar la información para la competencia?
edited by ecintransigente on 23/06/2016

Not sure what is said, can anyone translate?

it says (paraphrased) "Where do I send my information (video?) for the competition?"

Google translate is a good way to get a fair translation: https://translate.google.com/

24/06/2016 01:41:28

clayster2012
Posts: 645

ok thanks

24/06/2016 01:43:55

clayster2012
Posts: 645

ecintransigente wrote:

Title: Chiste cubano.EL borracho dichoso
Director: Pedro Alfonso
Running Time: 2:39
Link: wJnltDlxolg
Poster (Optional):
edited by ecintransigente on 23/06/2016
edited by ecintransigente on 23/06/2016

you can just message me a link to the video, and me and my selected judges will review it.

24/06/2016 02:00:12

ecintransigente
Posts: 15

my question is, where video is sent for competition.
regards

24/06/2016 02:03:25

ziggy72
Posts: 1988

You just post/upload your video through your Muvizu account (which should be linked to your YouTube account).

24/06/2016 02:07:48

ziggy72
Posts: 1988

clayster2012 wrote:

ziggy72 wrote:

Working on a little something to enter...

You got me wondering, can't wait to see it!

I'm just having fun now

24/06/2016 02:24:25

clayster2012
Posts: 645

Wow, that looks great, but don't give too much out, lets us see it when your done and be surprised....Lol!

24/06/2016 02:35:37

ziggy72
Posts: 1988

Oh yeah, it's a competition, I forgot

Not posting nothing more till it's done. It's just so nice to work on something that doesn't involve death and maggots...

24/06/2016 04:31:23

clayster2012
Posts: 645

ziggy72 wrote:

Oh yeah, it's a competition, I forgot

Not posting nothing more till it's done. It's just so nice to work on something that doesn't involve death and maggots...

I understand...Lol!

30/06/2016 01:16:32

PatMarrNC
Posts: 1738

5. Videos must be submitted no later than midnight July 13th 2016,

just a reminder... this is two weeks away

30/06/2016 02:19:09

Rocque
Posts: 359

PatMarrNC wrote:

5. Videos must be submitted no later than midnight July 13th 2016,

just a reminder... this is two weeks away

No Pressure! Right? I will have something, but need about a month more. I wanted to enter so I could learn more about how to use Muvizu, and I am learning a whole lot, so glad I decided to enter or I might not be using Muvizu at all right now. It is summer time, and NO WORK right now. YAY. So I am hoping to finish before I go back to work on July 11. Like I said. No Pressure.

30/06/2016 03:02:20

clayster2012
Posts: 645

Rocque wrote:

PatMarrNC wrote:

5. Videos must be submitted no later than midnight July 13th 2016,

just a reminder... this is two weeks away

No Pressure! Right? I will have something, but need about a month more. I wanted to enter so I could learn more about how to use Muvizu, and I am learning a whole lot, so glad I decided to enter or I might not be using Muvizu at all right now. It is summer time, and NO WORK right now. YAY. So I am hoping to finish before I go back to work on July 11. Like I said. No Pressure.

If there isn't more then one video submitted by at least July 10th, I may consider extending the due date another thee weeks, I understand that not everyone can whip up a good video at most expected time given dates, I know that there are new users that are learning Muvizu, so I'm easing the pressure just a little to give everyone a chance to submit their work, but just remember, the video doesn't have to be a Wow popping master peace, and don't have to look like a Hit block buster, this is more about Making Me Laugh, that"s the only quality I'm looking for in your video, I'm not saying don't go all out to make it look good, that's up to you, just meet the submit date.

30/06/2016 03:23:52

clayster2012
Posts: 645

Just want to let everyone know that I released my new fantasy pack in the store, this is the pack that I'm giving for 3rd place in this competition, I started it at a low price, but it will go up before this competition ends.

https://www.muvizu.com/Set/46401/Fantasy-Pack
edited by clayster2012 on 30/06/2016

30/06/2016 07:06:55

ukBerty
Posts: 975

clayster2012 wrote:

Just want to let everyone know that I released my new fantasy pack in the store

That is looking so good and a great contribution.

03/07/2016 19:42:01

Rocque
Posts: 359

The deadline is fast approaching and I have some questions about video lengths. Does the 3 minute time limit include the final credits?
I will have something to enter hopefully, and it is about 1/2 full, so I think the worst part is over (being optimistic here). I am at about the 1:30 minute limit or maybe closer to 2 right now, and have not even started my final "tie it all together" ending, so now time is becoming a crucial factor.

This contest has definitely increased my knowledge of Muvizu and HitFilm4 Express, so I thank you for hosting it Clayster, and all those who encouraged him.

03/07/2016 21:48:57

ziggy72
Posts: 1988

Normally length of film refers to the whole thing including titles front and back.

03/07/2016 22:17:53

PatMarrNC
Posts: 1738

Maybe in a formal contest the time frames would be enforced strictly because there might be thousands of entries and they'd need a way to weed out some entries... but I think it's safe to say that for this contest the time constraints could easily be taken as a guideline more than as a rule.

With only a handful of potential submissions I doubt seriously that the Clayster would reject somebody's video because it was over or under the time he recommended in his project definition.

Speaking for myself, I'm going to execute my idea, and however long that takes is how long the video will be.

04/07/2016 00:06:55

Rocque
Posts: 359

I have spent most of the day fine tuning the first part and it comes to 2 minutes and 12 seconds without a title clip or credits. I still wanted to add a lot, so am rethinking what I can do. I could end it there, and maybe I will. I could always add more parts to it later. The main thing is to enter, right?

04/07/2016 01:08:42

clayster2012
Posts: 645

PatMarrNC wrote:

Maybe in a formal contest the time frames would be enforced strictly because there might be thousands of entries and they'd need a way to weed out some entries... but I think it's safe to say that for this contest the time constraints could easily be taken as a guideline more than as a rule.

With only a handful of potential submissions I doubt seriously that the Clayster would reject somebody's video because it was over or under the time he recommended in his project definition.

Speaking for myself, I'm going to execute my idea, and however long that takes is how long the video will be.

I have mentioned that I would extend the due date if i have to, I wont settle with just three submissions or less, so if its more time we need, then I will add another three weeks, this should give everybody a chance to enter.
edited by clayster2012 on 04/07/2016

04/07/2016 13:40:11

Rocque
Posts: 359

Clayster2012 wrote:

I have mentioned that I would extend the due date if i have to, I wont settle with just three submissions or less, so if its more time we need, then I will add another three weeks, this should give everybody a chance to enter.

Thanks for adding more time to the deadline, but I need to finish what I am working on this week, so that I can prepare for going back to work. However it is still great that you are allowing more time.I have decided to change the last part of my entry so that the title and ending credits fit into the allotted 3 minute time rule. Later on I will make a follow up using the characters, and hope that it will be funny, too.

The largest fear when making a comedy is that no one will laugh, or have your same sense of humor. It will be interesting to see the humor in my entry. There, that was my trailer.

The edited part: I did some changing around and got up super early to finish my entry. It looks good on a smaller viewer, but when I have it full size certain parts need some adjusting, so it looks like I will make the time that it is due and be about 4 seconds short of the 3 minute mark. Woo Hoo.
edited by Rocque on 05/07/2016

09/07/2016 02:49:51

clayster2012
Posts: 645

Ok everyone, Rocque Has just made the first entry with her submission,and she did a wonderful job, let's more submissions everyone!

09/07/2016 04:34:46

PatMarrNC
Posts: 1738

clayster2012 wrote:

Ok everyone, Rocque Has just made the first entry with her submission,and she did a wonderful job, let's more submissions everyone!

I should wrap mine up this weekend.

09/07/2016 04:44:46

Rocque
Posts: 359

Thanks for the kind words, Clayster. I learned so much from this competition. I have probably said that more than once, but I am not sure if I would have another animation finished if it was not for this event. Thanks for hosting it. I look forward to seeing what everyone enters. It will be fun to see the different takes on humor.

09/07/2016 15:45:27

PatMarrNC
Posts: 1738

Rocque wrote:

Thanks for the kind words, Clayster. I learned so much from this competition. I have probably said that more than once, but I am not sure if I would have another animation finished if it was not for this event. Thanks for hosting it. I look forward to seeing what everyone enters. It will be fun to see the different takes on humor.

I'm a member of a bunch of different creative forums, and a common theme among creative types is the difficulty of getting inspired enough to continue making projects and honing production skills.

To that end, contests and challenges create a reason for people to create new content by a specific deadline. Some contests go so far as to require the completion of many projects in a short period of time, which forces artists to abandon the fear of releasing something that isn't perfect in every way. Such contests are about keeping up momentum, which leads to more familiarity with the creative process and the software being used in it.

It's like the photographer who takes a thousand pictures to get one award-winning shot, most artists of all kinds benefit from practice. They can always go back later and refine the ideas that "worked" as a rushed contest entry

All of my videos so far have been exercises along those line... and there are mistakes and flaws in all of them... but I see that as being a necessary part of keeping up my momentum in order to learn how all this stuff works.

I look forward to seeing all the videos that get submitted for the Clayster's contest

(there should be an exclamation point at the end of that last sentence, but my keyboard won't make it... must be toast crumbs...)

09/07/2016 16:07:19

clayster2012
Posts: 645

PatMarrNC wrote:

Rocque wrote:

Thanks for the kind words, Clayster. I learned so much from this competition. I have probably said that more than once, but I am not sure if I would have another animation finished if it was not for this event. Thanks for hosting it. I look forward to seeing what everyone enters. It will be fun to see the different takes on humor.

I'm a member of a bunch of different creative forums, and a common theme among creative types is the difficulty of getting inspired enough to continue making projects and honing production skills.

To that end, contests and challenges create a reason for people to create new content by a specific deadline. Some contests go so far as to require the completion of many projects in a short period of time, which forces artists to abandon the fear of releasing something that isn't perfect in every way. Such contests are about keeping up momentum, which leads to more familiarity with the creative process and the software being used in it.

It's like the photographer who takes a thousand pictures to get one award-winning shot, most artists of all kinds benefit from practice. They can always go back later and refine the ideas that "worked" as a rushed contest entry

All of my videos so far have been exercises along those line... and there are mistakes and flaws in all of them... but I see that as being a necessary part of keeping up my momentum in order to learn how all this stuff works.

I look forward to seeing all the videos that get submitted for the Clayster's contest

(there should be an exclamation point at the end of that last sentence, but my keyboard won't make it... must be toast crumbs...)

no you must of spilled your coffee...lol!

09/07/2016 16:49:24

PatMarrNC
Posts: 1738

no you must of spilled your coffee...lol!

uh... that's probably true Clayster... I'm always drinking coffee when I'm on the computer, and I'm very clumsy
:-)

on a different topic:
there's a contest for song writers every February that requires participants to write a new song every day for the month... 28 songs in 28 days. Most song writers labor over their babies forever, never feeling like it's finished yet. This contest forces them to create the HABIT of creativity, and people swear that the contest helps to get over the fear of releasing their songs.

This doesn't mean that we should encourage people to submit inferior work by rushing them with deadlines... rather it means that we agree to differentiate between EXERCISES (which help us to learn in a friendly and less-critical environment) and FINISHED PRODUCTS (which might be submitted to a customer, and need to be free from obvious flaws)

It has been my observation that people who are afraid to take risks and learn from their mistakes tend to give up before they ever reach the degree of proficiency they are capable of achieving. For that reason, anything we can do to encourage one another to take creative risks on a regular basis is good for all of us. If we practice regularly, expertise will inevitably follow in time.

09/07/2016 17:52:28

clayster2012
Posts: 645

PatMarrNC wrote:

no you must of spilled your coffee...lol!

uh... that's probably true Clayster... I'm always drinking coffee when I'm on the computer, and I'm very clumsy
:-)

on a different topic:
there's a contest for song writers every February that requires participants to write a new song every day for the month... 28 songs in 28 days. Most song writers labor over their babies forever, never feeling like it's finished yet. This contest forces them to create the HABIT of creativity, and people swear that the contest helps to get over the fear of releasing their songs.

This doesn't mean that we should encourage people to submit inferior work by rushing them with deadlines... rather it means that we agree to differentiate between EXERCISES (which help us to learn in a friendly and less-critical environment) and FINISHED PRODUCTS (which might be submitted to a customer, and need to be free from obvious flaws)

It has been my observation that people who are afraid to take risks and learn from their mistakes tend to give up before they ever reach the degree of proficiency they are capable of achieving. For that reason, anything we can do to encourage one another to take creative risks on a regular basis is good for all of us. If we practice regularly, expertise will inevitably follow in time.

True that its why I stated if there needs to be more time, then I'll add it, I don't want everyone to rush, i'm a second chance person, and I also mention that the videos don't have to look like a blockbuster Hit, it's imagination and their way of telling stories that I'm looking for, and this contest is to see what kind of humor everyone has, me I love to laugh, Im always telling jokes everywhere I go, and hearing jokes from others even puts more of a smile on my face, and I'm just wondering who here on the forum or anyone can make me laugh the hardest!

09/07/2016 22:24:30

ikes
Posts: 282

Hi Clayster,

I have a movie ready for the competition, but where to upload it?
Do I upload the movie through my account so it ends up in the gallery for everyone to see, or do I have to upload the movie somewhere else only for you to see it?

Like to hear from you..

Ikes

09/07/2016 22:33:39

MrDrWho13
Posts: 2220

ikes wrote:

Hi Clayster,

I have a movie ready for the competition, but where to upload it?
Do I upload the movie through my account so it ends up in the gallery for everyone to see, or do I have to upload the movie somewhere else only for you to see it?

Like to hear from you..

Ikes

Clayster wrote:

5. Videos must be submitted no later then midnight July 13th 2016, this should be enough time for everyone, and for submitting the videos, just send me a link to your video and me and my selected crew will judge each submission, no videos will be posted until a winner is declared.

Hopefully you can upload it via the site once the judging process has taken place.
edited by MrDrWho13 on 09/07/2016

10/07/2016 00:59:58

clayster2012
Posts: 645

I'm not really sure but I think on youtube you can set the video to privet, and then maybe you can give me the link.

10/07/2016 01:36:00

Rocque
Posts: 359

ikes wrote:

Hi Clayster,

I have a movie ready for the competition, but where to upload it?
Do I upload the movie through my account so it ends up in the gallery for everyone to see, or do I have to upload the movie somewhere else only for you to see it?

Like to hear from you..

Ikes

I uploaded mine on YouTube as Unlisted. I chose that over Private, since it would not even show up in search results, and I wanted it to be only seen by Clayster and who he shares the link with.

I am enjoying the added threads to this topic about entering for the opportunity to go out of our comfort zones and just create something for the sake of creating something. I am happy to be finished and thinking about the next one, but my available time is shrinking fast, however animating is such a nice escape from the real world where laughing seems to be more difficult these days without offending someone. (Hopefully I did not offend someone by saying that....see what I mean?)

10/07/2016 05:59:58

PatMarrNC
Posts: 1738

PatMarrNC wrote:

clayster2012 wrote:

Ok everyone, Rocque Has just made the first entry with her submission,and she did a wonderful job, let's more submissions everyone!

I should wrap mine up this weekend.

update:
check your messages, Clayster, I've sent you the link to my entry...

10/07/2016 06:13:14

clayster2012
Posts: 645

Got It pat, My judges are scoping it out now, but when all of the other submissions are in at the end, we are going to watch then again to decide the winner.

10/07/2016 06:15:33

clayster2012
Posts: 645

Rocque wrote:

ikes wrote:

Hi Clayster,

I have a movie ready for the competition, but where to upload it?
Do I upload the movie through my account so it ends up in the gallery for everyone to see, or do I have to upload the movie somewhere else only for you to see it?

Like to hear from you..

Ikes

I uploaded mine on YouTube as Unlisted. I chose that over Private, since it would not even show up in search results, and I wanted it to be only seen by Clayster and who he shares the link with.

I am enjoying the added threads to this topic about entering for the opportunity to go out of our comfort zones and just create something for the sake of creating something. I am happy to be finished and thinking about the next one, but my available time is shrinking fast, however animating is such a nice escape from the real world where laughing seems to be more difficult these days without offending someone. (Hopefully I did not offend someone by saying that....see what I mean?)

Thanks for that Rocque, i was wondering weather it was privet or unlisted, but yea submit it that was and message me the link.
edited by clayster2012 on 10/07/2016

10/07/2016 09:14:12

MrDrWho13
Posts: 2220

A word of warning to those uploading as unlisted: I think YouTube still publishes the video to your subscribers unless you untick the "notify subscribers" option in the advanced tab.

10/07/2016 09:23:40

ikes
Posts: 282

Thanks all for the replies and advise. I'm putting the video on youtube as unlisted and send you the link Clay.

Ikes

10/07/2016 16:39:23

clayster2012
Posts: 645

Ok everyone, I now have three entries to the contest, three more days left, if you think you need more time then let me know, and i'll extend it, got to at least have 5 or more entries.

10/07/2016 17:55:01

clayster2012
Posts: 645

Now I have Four entries, anymore let's bring them!

10/07/2016 18:03:13

clayster2012
Posts: 645

UPDATE: ok if I get up to Five or more entries then the contest will not need to be extended, in this case on the last day I need everyone who entered the contest to reset their videos on public view in youtube, this way i can post all of the winners here on the forum, this will prevent any violations with youtube.

thank You!

10/07/2016 23:01:04

Rocque
Posts: 359

MrDrWho13 wrote:

A word of warning to those uploading as unlisted: I think YouTube still publishes the video to your subscribers unless you untick the "notify subscribers" option in the advanced tab.

I will have to go look then change it to private. I do not have that many subscribers so should be safe for a while. Thanks for the information MDW12. Here is more information quoted from a YT Help search. It seems with private viewers need a Google account. After reading this I kept mine Unlisted for now.

Bern Rexer ~ Live Streaming Producer said:

YouTube live events are treated just like YouTube uploaded videos - regarding privacy.

Here is more info from the YouTube guides:
https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/157177?hl=en

And here is more info from another organization that uses YouTube privacy:
http://learn.maine.edu/faculty/2014/06/17/private-live-events-on-youtube/#privacy-settings

Private events can only be seen by those who you have invited - and who have a Google account. They only need a Google account - not specifically Gmail, YouTube or Google+

1) The URL to pass along would initially be the YouTube Watch page URL. This is the base page which anyone can drill down to. It follows the naming convention /watch?v='your-video-id'. You can also share this in a shortened URL by selecting 'Share' from that Watch page.

If you enable 'Embedding' then you can embed the video on a web page - and share the web page URL.

2) Correct - If anyone sends out a link for a private video - no one else can watch the video unless their email or G+ has been included in your event private list.

3) Unlisted is a non-searchable event which anyone can see. If no one knows about the link then it is considered secure by obscurity. Public is a searchable event.

:o)
best,
-B

edited by Rocque on 10/07/2016
edited by Rocque on 10/07/2016

12/07/2016 12:52:14

PatMarrNC
Posts: 1738

do we have 5 contest entries yet?

if not, is there anyone out there who is still working on an entry? As I recall, from the beginning when the topic came up there were only 7 people who expressed an interest in a contest if the prize consisted of assets

12/07/2016 14:52:46

bigwally
Posts: 399

PatMarrNC wrote:

do we have 5 contest entries yet?

if not, is there anyone out there who is still working on an entry? As I recall, from the beginning when the topic came up there were only 7 people who expressed an interest in a contest if the prize consisted of assets

For me, I had to move my family to another state, so I knew I wouldn't have time to finish any entry. So, raise that number from 7 to 8. I just didn't respond knowing full well I couldn't complete it.

On the bright side, at least I'm no longer living in the Steekin' Desert. Woo Hoo!

edited by bigwally on 12/07/2016

12/07/2016 14:55:43

ziggy72
Posts: 1988

Mine should be finished tomorrow...night...probably.

12/07/2016 16:11:27

clayster2012
Posts: 645

PatMarrNC wrote:

do we have 5 contest entries yet?

if not, is there anyone out there who is still working on an entry? As I recall, from the beginning when the topic came up there were only 7 people who expressed an interest in a contest if the prize consisted of assets

We only have 4 entries so for.

12/07/2016 16:14:24

clayster2012
Posts: 645

if Ziggy gets his in time tomorrow then we should have a fair amount of entries to judge.

13/07/2016 15:16:47

clayster2012
Posts: 645

Ok everyone we still only have 4 entries, we need at least one or more by 12 midnight, as you know we do have 1st, 2snd, and 3rd place prizes, if yaw feel we need to extend the contest a few more days, then post your comment, my judges from other forums are waiting for more entries.

14/07/2016 01:30:52

clayster2012
Posts: 645

Ok everyone, we now have 5 entries, me and my judges will be looking over all of the entries tonight, but we wont start til after midnight, so if anyone out there still has an entry you still have time to submit it, we will reveal the winners tomorrow at 1:00 pm central Time, also I may need everyone who entered the contest to message me their email address so I can email who ever wins the download link to their prizes.

Thank you.

14/07/2016 03:13:39

PatMarrNC
Posts: 1738

I'm really looking forward to having a big belly laugh as I watch everybody's submissions!

14/07/2016 05:16:02

Rocque
Posts: 359

If Ziggy did not finish we should wait for his entry. He was doing a lot of work on it, and I really want to see how it turns out.

14/07/2016 06:02:15

clayster2012
Posts: 645

Rocque wrote:

If Ziggy did not finish we should wait for his entry. He was doing a lot of work on it, and I really want to see how it turns out.

ziggy already submit his, and I already have it

14/07/2016 06:20:59

clayster2012
Posts: 645

since nobody els came forward with anymore entries, the time is over, I will be posting the winners on this topic about 1:pm central time, the reason for that time is because two of my other judges are late sleepers..lol, but the rest of the judges have already made their judgment on the entries,

On another note, I have sent a ticket to Jamie to see if there was anyway they could make it possible to give my winners the download button to the sets in the store, that way they could have unlimited access to the set, sad to say that it couldn't be possible,
He told me that I would have to send my winners a download link to the sets, so this is what i need from all of the people who entered the contest, i will need your email address so I send the link to the prizes to the winners, just message me.

thanks everyone.

14/07/2016 14:35:42

Rocque
Posts: 359

When should we add our contest entries to the site? Should we put them in this topic? Or, since you have the links do you want to add them, Clayster? Not that I am lazy or anything....cough cough.

14/07/2016 15:12:32

ziggy72
Posts: 1988

I think we have to re-upload them through our Muvizu accounts to have them show up here. That's what I'll be doing anyway.

14/07/2016 15:27:04

clayster2012
Posts: 645

Rocque wrote:

When should we add our contest entries to the site? Should we put them in this topic? Or, since you have the links do you want to add them, Clayster? Not that I am lazy or anything....cough cough.

No I'll be adding the links to the videos, I'm just waiting the other. Judges decisons.

14/07/2016 15:27:50

MrDrWho13
Posts: 2220

clayster2012 wrote:

Rocque wrote:

When should we add our contest entries to the site? Should we put them in this topic? Or, since you have the links do you want to add them, Clayster? Not that I am lazy or anything....cough cough.

No I'll be adding the links to the videos, I'm just waiting the other. Judges decisons.

Maybe wait for people to upload through the site so the videos will be the official public ones.

14/07/2016 15:42:29

clayster2012
Posts: 645

MrDrWho13 wrote:

clayster2012 wrote:

Rocque wrote:

When should we add our contest entries to the site? Should we put them in this topic? Or, since you have the links do you want to add them, Clayster? Not that I am lazy or anything....cough cough.

No I'll be adding the links to the videos, I'm just waiting the other. Judges decisons.

Maybe wait for people to upload through the site so the videos will be the official public ones.

No its ok, I tested the link here on the forum and it seems to work good, but still if everyone will go back and change from privet to public to your videos before 1:00 pm central time, just to make sure every thing goes well.

14/07/2016 15:43:54

MrDrWho13
Posts: 2220

clayster2012 wrote:

MrDrWho13 wrote:

clayster2012 wrote:

Rocque wrote:

When should we add our contest entries to the site? Should we put them in this topic? Or, since you have the links do you want to add them, Clayster? Not that I am lazy or anything....cough cough.

No I'll be adding the links to the videos, I'm just waiting the other. Judges decisons.

Maybe wait for people to upload through the site so the videos will be the official public ones.

No its ok, I tested the link here on the forum and it seems to work good, but still if everyone will go back and change from privet to public to your videos before 1:00 pm central time, just to make sure every thing goes well.

Yeah but they won't show in the Gallery unless they're re-uploaded via this site. (And then if you posted the current ones here there would be duplicates)

14/07/2016 15:50:14

clayster2012
Posts: 645

MrDrWho13 wrote:

clayster2012 wrote:

MrDrWho13 wrote:

clayster2012 wrote:

Rocque wrote:

When should we add our contest entries to the site? Should we put them in this topic? Or, since you have the links do you want to add them, Clayster? Not that I am lazy or anything....cough cough.

No I'll be adding the links to the videos, I'm just waiting the other. Judges decisons.

Maybe wait for people to upload through the site so the videos will be the official public ones.

No its ok, I tested the link here on the forum and it seems to work good, but still if everyone will go back and change from privet to public to your videos before 1:00 pm central time, just to make sure every thing goes well.

Yeah but they won't show in the Gallery unless they're re-uploaded via this site. (And then if you posted the current ones here there would be duplicates)

true that, hmmm..Ok then if everyone feels that they should upload their videos videos though the muvizu site then feel free to do so, or we could delete this post of videos after posting the winners, and everyone watches them, or I could be creative and do something different...lol!

14/07/2016 16:37:50

ziggy72
Posts: 1988

Yeah, just put the links up here until they get uploaded properly into the gallery, that should be agreeable to everyone, no?

14/07/2016 16:41:44

MrDrWho13
Posts: 2220

ziggy72 wrote:

Yeah, just put the links up here until they get uploaded properly into the gallery, that should be agreeable to everyone, no?

Sounds good.

14/07/2016 16:53:17

PatMarrNC
Posts: 1738

works for me

especially since it's been so long that I've posted a video thru my Muvizu account that I'll have re-learn how to do it. At my age, that could delay the conclusion of the contest by WEEKS

14/07/2016 17:13:25

eugenecheese
Posts: 30

I've Just Made mine Public. Is That OK?

14/07/2016 18:55:19

clayster2012
Posts: 645

Ok everyone the time has come to post the winners, now before we begin, I'm going to explain how the judges made their decision on the winners, they first used a 5 star rating to narrowed it down to three videos, then out of those three videos they made a votefor the 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winners, I didn't do the deciding, I just watch and laughed..lol! so lets start off by show the other entries that didn't make it to the winning positions, and I want everyone to give them a hand for their creativity and determination to do their best.

the first video is by Rocque, she did an excellent on her video and I think it was well worth the time she spent doing, keep up the good work and never give up my friend!

she titles it A peaceful day at the park.

The second Video is by Ziggy72, now he did really fantastic work on this entry and I loved how he put it all together, but my judges said the entry was a little late and the votes have already been made, me I didn't care about that, but it was their decision, all i can say is ziggy, you did make me laugh...well done my friend, well done!

He Titled it Twilight's Last Gleamings

Now for the winners of the Make me Laugh comedy competition...............................Drum roll please!

for 3rd Place!

eugenecheese for his version of Eugene Cheese: Monster Mash, He did an excellent job on singing this his self, and the judges counted that for most of it, good job Buddy you won the Fantasy Pack, congratulations

For 2nd Place!

Patt Marr for his 50 Shades of stray, we all loved how you put this together, we couldn't stop Laughing, we loved the song, and we all loved your voice, I would of mistaken you as one of my kin if you called me on the phone using that voice...lol! anyways Patt you won the desert Pack, congratulations

Now for the moment we all been waiting for!

For 1st place

Ikes for his Finding Money Video, we loved it, we waited to see the outcome on this, but it threw us off when it didn't happen for the guy, we laughed, it was well put together, the story was really good, it was funny we loved it, good job you won the west town pack,congratulations

Thats it everyone it was really fun and I'm sure we all had a great time, thanks competing and lets do this again next year!

to all of the winters as soon as i get everyone email address ill send you the links to your wiinings!
edited by clayster2012 on 14/07/2016
edited by clayster2012 on 14/07/2016

14/07/2016 19:25:21

eugenecheese
Posts: 30

Thank You ! I too, enjoyed the other entries ! Well Done !

14/07/2016 19:46:47

ziggy72
Posts: 1988

Rocque, nice job on getting it together - you learn a lot when you have a deadline...

I learned tons of stuff about Hitfilm doing mine, I know that for certain.

Eugenecheese - cheesy as ever, congrats!

PattMarrNC - I liked that, using the screen to partly tell the story is well done here. And the guy covered in cats - LOL!

Ikes - The old jokes still work

So cleanly done, a deserving winner Applause

And Clayster - thanks for holding this.
edited by ziggy72 on 14/07/2016

14/07/2016 19:47:19

PatMarrNC
Posts: 1738

let's do this again next year

Let's not wait that long!

Thanks to...
...MrDrWho13 for starting the idea of a competition...
...Clayster, for taking the idea and running with it...
...Clayster again for creating such awesome prizes! (thanks!)
...everyone who participated in it
...Muvizu, for creating the software that made it all possible

In individual follow-up posts I'll comment on each of the videos... but here I want to say that I really enjoyed all of them! They all brought a smile to my face, and each of them reveals differing creative strengths in the project's author/director!

Great job everybody, I am very impressed by the display of talent here, and I am inspired by the various techniques used in these videos!

14/07/2016 20:10:34

MrDrWho13
Posts: 2220

Excellent work, everyone!

Rocque: I can see you've learned a massive amount. Especially with that editing and the special effects!

Ziggy: Great work as always.

eugenecheese: I love the heads in the jars and the perfectly framed shots.

Pat: You've come a long way with Muvizu and it really shows! I like the slowly panning camera, and the song's pretty good too.

Ikes: Now that's a classic comedy! A simple plot with a hilarious twist at the end. Brilliant!

Thanks to Clayster being the first to run a small community competition with such great prizes. (You even made small touches like images of trophies with names on them). I'm sure everyone had some fun making these videos and hope to see more stuff like this in the future!
edited by MrDrWho13 on 14/07/2016

14/07/2016 20:22:43

PatMarrNC
Posts: 1738

Rocque, here are my thoughts on your video:

I just loved the way you whole-heartedly experimented with a variety of techniques! Whereas in a different kind of project the author would probably have been fixated on making all the balloons look the same, with same shape and font etc, you tried a BUNCH of different approaches and in the process I'm sure you learned a lot. In fact, right now it's safe to say that you know a LOT more about using thought bubbles than I do!

Likewise, I enjoyed the fact that you experimented with a variety of transitions too.

Good use of ambient noise (birds in the park) and mood music.

I thought it was an interesting stylized choice to make the male character's dialog happen via dialog bubble. The fact that his mouth moves shows that you took time to insert details that you replaced later in order to achieve a special effect. To me, the absence of a real voice made the scene somewhat surreal, and emphasized that we were watching the female character's thoughts more than we were watching a real world scenario. In fact, it made the guy seem more annoying, and that appears to have been your intent

Interesting use of the greytone when she first launched into remembering mode

I really like the floating smoke background at 1:41 and 2:09 ... is that in HitFilm, or did you get it elsewhere?

I like the use of a thought bubble as a mask at 1:43

I interpreted the lightning to be an indicator of anxiety and/or danger

I interpret the green monster to be a flashback to another time when the character actually said what was on her mind and it had an adverse effect on the situation

In that light, I thought your title was a bit tongue-in-cheek, because what was going on inside the female character's head was anything but peaceful

I like the background that starts at 1:49

at 2:13 when the 2nd female character enters the story, I interpreted her to be the first character's alter-ego... the perky, beautiful, health conscious, outgoing, confident person she really is, but which was overshadowed up until that point in the story by her annoyance with the male character

"I better run..." caught me totally off-guard, and that's where you scored my laughter! I interpret that to mean that Alpha Kristie is about to be suppressed by Omega Kristy again... which, if any of my interpretation is true, strikes me as a very clever way to portray the crazy stuff that goes on inside our heads.

So.... how'd I do? Did I get ANY of it right? Or have I been like the archeologist who imagined every detail about an ancient civilization based on one shard of pottery he discovered in the jungle?

One thing I'm pretty sure is right: this was a good experience for you, and you learned a lot! Now I look forward to seeing more!

14/07/2016 20:47:26

clayster2012
Posts: 645

14/07/2016 20:48:56

clayster2012
Posts: 645

Ok winners I just sent you your prizes, check your emails and messages!

let me know if everything goes well
if not then message me

14/07/2016 20:59:34

ikes
Posts: 282

wow! I just got home and see that I won the contest

Many thanks! I don't know what to say... It's allways difficult to hold competitions in the creative realm, because everybody has his own tastes. But competitions like this can give you just the push to go on and finnish it, where you otherwise sometimes loose the interest and put it aside. I do hope we get more competitions here and hopefully lots of participants.

Great job everybody that participated!

Ikes

14/07/2016 21:21:39

PatMarrNC
Posts: 1738

Here are my thoughts on ZIGGY's entry:

You must have disqualified yourself from winning, because this was by FAR the best of the 5 (judged solely on my own sensibilities). I thought it was a totally pro presentation from start to finish... full of all those subtle details and use of techniques that make all of your videos sooooo good!

One second into the video, and I love your splash screen. Pro. You already da man at 00:01 on the timeline...

Loved the Burroughs set and use of Sinister as character. Your sense of lighting is very appropriate to the types of videos you make

Some of the details have already been discussed on the forum, and that could dilute the impact when watching.. but I want to point out all over again just how cool the sheet draped over the patient's body is. There is a tendency to watch videos and just take everything for granted... but at the production level somebody has to envision every detail and figure out a way to actualize it, and then do it in a way that is technically proficient. Those are just a few of your strengths. Well done!

Am I correct in believing that at 1:44 marker, the ziggy arms are wielding the scalpel? The positioning is a bit too perfect for a built-in action ... Likewise when he puts the cigarette in his mouth at 1:38

Loved the boiler room scene and the ship model in general

The smoke by the loudspeaker at 34:00... is that from Muvizu or Hitfilm? It looked great.. it added movement and texture to a scene that otherwise would have been static and less interesting

I liked the sea-sky environment at 00:42 ... that water texture is about as seamless over that large area as an I've ever seen in a Muvizu project!!

I take it the splattered blood at 1:44 is HitFilm? Very cool! What I'm seeing is that hitFilm is very good at providing all sorts of things that are not otherwise possible in Muvizu, and it reinforces my belief that the creative toolbox needs to have a variety of tools to provide solutions that will never be available in one piece of software. Your closing credits indicate that you feel the same way.

I like the way the scene is framed at 1:47

When the ship is sinking, I guess you tilted the camera to make the operating room look sloped?

I really liked the animated colors behind the closing credits, and I'd like to know where it came from. I'm finding that HitFilm makes it very easy to generate backgrounds like that by taking just about any video that contains movement and then stacking a variety of effects on the clip, ending with a pretty steep blur.

All of your sets are top-notch. You are very good at taking an existing story and turning it into a visual smorgasbord. Based on what I've seen of your work so far, your key strength is visual awareness. You naturally know what LOOKS interesting to the eye and captivating to the imagination. You have built on that awareness by acquiring software skills that allow you to self-actualize the images you intuitively know will work. I predict that as your familiarity with HitFilm grows, you will be exploiting its strengths to make your images even better than they have been up until now, hard as it may be to imagine that you could possibly get better than you are already.

Two enthusiastic thumbs up, in conjunction with a standing ovation!

14/07/2016 21:29:09

PatMarrNC
Posts: 1738

clayster2012 wrote:

Ok winners I just sent you your prizes, check your emails and messages!

let me know if everything goes well
if not then message me

I'd like to surrender my prize to Rocque in appreciation for her diligence and willingness to take risks in this contest!

But don't worry, I'll get all 3 sets in the store. I don't mind supporting the arts. ;-)

(I'll forward the DL link to her)

14/07/2016 21:51:57

ziggy72
Posts: 1988

PatMarrNC wrote:

Here are my thoughts on ZIGGY's entry : You must have disqualified yourself from winning,

Yeah

PatMarrNC wrote:

Am I correct in believing that at 1:44 marker, the ziggy arms are wielding the scalpel? The positioning is a bit too perfect for a built-in action ... Likewise when he puts the cigarette in his mouth at 1:38

Yes again.

PatMarrNC wrote:

The smoke by the loudspeaker at 34:00... is that from Muvizu or Hitfilm? It looked great.. it added movement and texture to a scene that otherwise would have been static and less interesting

Standard Muvizu fire effect with some light tweaking in HF. Also, I think you mean 00:34...

PatMarrNC wrote:

I take it the splattered blood at 1:44 is HitFilm? Very cool!

Yup - anything really cool looking is HF

PatMarrNC wrote:

When the ship is sinking, I guess you tilted the camera to make the operating room look sloped?

Yeah, Muvizu characters don't like working on sloped floors or anything, so you have to suggest stuff like that with the camera.

PatMarrNC wrote:

I really liked the animated colors behind the closing credits, and I'd like to know where it came from.

It's the standard lightning effect from HF, but I upped the number of branches, added a motion blur, then messed around with the colour and glow values. Discovered that setting it to 50 branches is only for those with a HAL 9000 computer and a month spare to wait for it to render...

Thanks for your kind appraisal Pat, and what a gentleman giving up your prize like that!

edited by ziggy72 on 14/07/2016

14/07/2016 21:54:00

PatMarrNC
Posts: 1738

Here's my review of Eugene Cheese's entry "MONSTER MASH"

First of all, what a great program for the task! I can't think of any other animation package that would come to mind if somebody said "I want you to animate the song MONSTER MASH

Clayster says you sang the song... true? If so, that was awesome! Great reproduction of the original voice!. Did you use a backing track to sing along with? If so, may I ask where you got it?

I liked the green glow in the laboratory

HA! At 00:44 the background singer skeleton chicks made me laugh because they were wearing bikini tops to support boobs that were long gone. Nice touch. Man, you ain't right to have thought that up! LOL!

The next time I laughed is when the heads in the jars started singing backup vocals. You should definitely seek help. LOL! The stuff that you think up is just nuts!

All of your characters are cool, but I especially liked frankenstien's monster and Dracula. I kept expecting wolfman to get on the Milennium falcon. ;-)

All in all, a great visual portrayal of a classic... but not so classic that it's public domain:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Bobby_Pickett_-_Monster_Mash.ogg

Congratulations on making a very entertaining and well-done video!! Lots of good stuff going on there!

14/07/2016 21:55:27

MrDrWho13
Posts: 2220

Wow Ziggy I never noticed the difference between the prop arm and real arm. Seamless! Well done!

14/07/2016 22:02:37

clayster2012
Posts: 645

PatMarrNC wrote:

clayster2012 wrote:

Ok winners I just sent you your prizes, check your emails and messages!

let me know if everything goes well
if not then message me

I'd like to surrender my prize to Rocque in appreciation for her diligence and willingness to take risks in this contest!

But don't worry, I'll get all 3 sets in the store. I don't mind supporting the arts. ;-)

(I'll forward the DL link to her)

Your a good man Patt, thanks, because she really deserves it, Hey Rocque your going to be in my Finger Pistols Video, yep we'r
going to make some people smile together!

14/07/2016 22:09:05

clayster2012
Posts: 645

Hey Rocque remember my flipbook I made on finger pistol the next issue will have all of the voice acters name in it, if you want to look at it again hers a link http://online.flipbuilder.com/rzjo/bmog/

14/07/2016 22:37:29

PatMarrNC
Posts: 1738

My review of IKES' video:

First of all, thanks for all of the cool threads you've started on the forum in the last month or two! You are clearly one of those people who has the ability to delve into technology and figure out things, and I'm so glad we have a person with that discovery mindset on the forum! And I'm extra glad that you aren't selfish with the knowledge you acquire... many people keep knowledge to themselves as a strategic ace, but you've shown yourself to be a team player. I respect that.

Regarding the story, I think it is an absolutely brilliant premise, an interesting study in human behaviour, and a totally unexpected ending! I was very impressed to watch it unfold! I must ask: is this your own story, or is it based on one that was professionally written? I ask because its just so well developed! From the moment hes sees the money, it's so easy to identify with all of his choices

Your sets are very good... as Ziggy has said in the past, you didn't just build a SET, you built a PLACE, and it totally works as a busy city street occupied by random people and shops. Did you build the sets or are they from the user assets? I don't recognize the coffee shop as being a store asset,so I'm guessing you made it.. and it looks great!

You threw me a curve within the first few seconds by focusing on a character, then having him turn down a side street as the main character enters the scene unexpectedly from around the corner. Stuff like that really makes a video interesting to watch. Set the audiences expectation, then change it abruptly. Very good.

Oftentimes the set of programmed actions isn't close enough to what we want in order to create believable character responses and actions... but I thought that ALL of the behaviours of your character were amazingly believable. Good job on taking the time to search and discover just the right ones! We sometimes complain about the lack of actions, but when you're looking through all of them to find one in particular, it serves as a reminder that Muvizu does have a large set of actions from which to choose.

The car pulling up to the intersection at 1:02... is that a 2d graphic on a backdrop? It looks too realistic to be a model

When the waitress takes the main character's order, I don't know if you planned it this way or not, but I interpreted the low volume of the exchange to be "just enough" to imply what was happening, without drawing the viewer's attention away from the story by suggesting that the dialog had significance (Its the only dialog in the video, and normally dialog in an otherwise silent script WOULD be significant)

The wait in the cafe heightens the interest in the story... you did a great job of framing everything to keep us wondering what will happen next. I also like the way the car (and, by association, the money under it) takes on a 3rd person presence as the man watches it.

Again, I don't know if it was planned or if it just worked out that way... but at the 2:02 marker when the woman comes out of the building , she looks down, creating the question in the viewer's mind "did she see it?" If it was intended, great suspense building device!

What action did you use to make the car owner get his keys out of his pocket?

I laughed when the main character's final expletive was bleeped out! The timing in this was extraordinary... not one scene was too long or too short. Your sense of "enough-ness" is very good.

Final analysis is that especially if this is a totally original story and an equally original animation, then you are a born story teller! My hat is off to you, and you really have something to be proud of in this story! Congratulations!

14/07/2016 22:45:18

PatMarrNC
Posts: 1738

There are enough of us using Hitfilm (and learning it at the same time) that we should probably start a thread to share things we've discovered... like how to create the color effect behind Ziggy's closing credits. It's so powerful, but the sheer abundance of options is a bit daunting, so shared discoveries might be useful to us all

14/07/2016 23:16:52

ziggy72
Posts: 1988

MrDrWho13 wrote:

Wow Ziggy I never noticed the difference between the prop arm and real arm

Yer not supposda

14/07/2016 23:24:22

PatMarrNC
Posts: 1738

a few observations about my own entry:

I started thinking about this idea way before I even knew about Muvizu. At first, all the thoughts pertained to creating an original song that would work as a takeoff on the book 50 SHADES OF GREY (which had just been released).

Even at that point, I intuitively knew that the song needed to be animated in order to achieve its maximum impact. Subsequently I started buying and trying a variety of different animation solutions, but got bogged down in one learning curve after another. As soon as I learned about Muvizu and realized I could understand it and develop animations fairly quickly with it (weeks instead of months) I knew I had the tool that would finally make this project possible. I'm very happy with Muvizu and the other creative tools I use with it.

The cats hanging from his head, arms, legs and back would not have been practical without the OBJ models that IKEs provided and Ziggy refined. The ability to bring a right-sized character into my modelling environment and then model a cat around the exact geometry it will mate with in a story is just PRICELESS! It's amazing we got it for free.. thanks again to IKES and ZIGGY for making such a complete set of models available to the people making models and attachments for Muvizu.

I know the blob-based cats don't walk like real cats, but I like the stylized goofiness they bring to the equation. The ability to add animals to my stories really pleases me, and the long range planning for this story s what led me to create the blobcats in the first place.

Creative endeavors like this require a lot of different skills. You already know how many different learning curves you've had to claw thru in order to do what you do in Muvizu.

There is no doubt that sharing some of the workload with professionals results in a far superior product. A script written and recorded by a pro (like the Burroughs dialog in Ziggy's entry, or the Firesign Theater shows) automatically leverages the pro's skillset to elevate the whole project. Likewise, using the original Star Wars soundtrack in a video automatically inspires the same anticipation as the original movie.

Anybody who is serious about film making at any level would be nuts not to use professionally created props, music, scripts, voice acting etc. to whatever extent possible in accordance with the law.

But for my purposes, the music is the noun and the video is just the adjective that modifies it. Given those creative guidelines, I think it's fair to conclude that I will never hold a candle to any of you as an animator. And I'm OK with that. As long as I'm learning new stuff and having fun while I do it, I'm a happy man.

Great and fun contest... kudos to everyone who participated!

14/07/2016 23:34:38

ikes
Posts: 282

Hey Pat,

Thanks for all your kind words. I wish I wrote the story myself, but as I mentioned in the credits at the end, the sketch was made by Dave Allen. You can see the original on youtube:

I will reply to some of your questions.

The set is mostly build out of flat 2d backdrops with textures, as well as the roads and trees and indeed did I use some for the cars and scooters too. There are not so many cars available for muvizu. I have tried to import existing car models, but most come in all distorted or not at all.

With the actions you have to be very creative sometimes with combining parts of actions. The part where he tries to pick up the money I filmed only his hand and arm of an action and inserted and animated it in Hitfilm.

The car owner action for getting his keys out is the mobile phone action.

If you watch the original sketch you understand why I did things as I did.

Thanks again and good luck with the next competition, if there will be more...

14/07/2016 23:42:05

eugenecheese
Posts: 30

Hi Pat
Yes, It's My voice alright! The backing track was a Karaoke I got From the Net. Thanks for your kind words.

14/07/2016 23:46:42

PatMarrNC
Posts: 1738

Ikes, I'd never seen that clip... wonderful skit.... But I like yours better, I think you did a better job of capturing the essence of it.

I really like your idea of using backdrops with 2d graphics... that opens a lot of creative territory!!

<steal> IDEA</steal>

;-)
edited by PatMarrNC on 14/07/2016

14/07/2016 23:47:44

PatMarrNC
Posts: 1738

eugenecheese wrote:

Hi Pat
Yes, It's My voice alright! The backing track was a Karaoke I got From the Net. Thanks for your kind words.

wonderful wonderful job! downright amazing in fact!

15/07/2016 00:01:25

ikes
Posts: 282

PatMarrNC wrote:

Ikes, I'd never seen that clip... wonderful skit.... But I like yours better, I think you did a better job of capturing the essence of it.

Thanks very much! I must say I'm happy with people like you, who take the time and effort to motivate and compliment others. If you or this forum did not exist I think I did a lot less with muvizu than I do now. The last couple of months I'm almost constantly thinking and searching for stories to make an animation off, because it's so much fun!

15/07/2016 00:12:20

PatMarrNC
Posts: 1738

I think enthusiasm is like an echo... the more you proclaim it, the more it comes back to you. I'm glad you're on a creative high, and I hope it continues for a long time!

15/07/2016 00:23:56

Rocque
Posts: 359

I just got home from work where I have the highly creative but tedious task of creating math tests for our new curriculum. Yes, I get to torture young minds! Actually, I hope the majority do well on the tests.

I have not had a chance to view all the contest entries yet, but I wanted to post before doing that, and then will add more as time allows, and address your "take" on the video, Pat. You spent a lot of time making your comment about my animation, and I really appreciate that. I also appreciate everyone's kind words of support. I feel I won the contest because of all those who took the time to recognize my effort, and that is awesome. So far no one has said keep the day job, but I will.

I will return to comment on all the great entries I am going to watch now.

15/07/2016 02:14:20

Rocque
Posts: 359

PatMarrNC wrote:

clayster2012 wrote:

Ok winners I just sent you your prizes, check your emails and messages!

let me know if everything goes well
if not then message me

I'd like to surrender my prize to Rocque in appreciation for her diligence and willingness to take risks in this contest!

But don't worry, I'll get all 3 sets in the store. I don't mind supporting the arts. ;-)

(I'll forward the DL link to her)

Thank you Pat, I received the DL link to the prize and it is safely on my computer. I think you are more deserving of the prize since you have been around here a lot longer than I have, and your video was really funny. I loved what you did with the cats, and am not sure at all how you made them, or how you came up with the idea. Your original song must have been inspired by your recent trip to California. I definitely appreciate your generosity.

Clayster please be sure to thank the judges for their outstanding job. Judging can never be an easy task. Thank you for being so enthusiastic throughout the contest.

Ziggy, I had no clue how all those screen shots you were sharing could lead to something so funny in a morbid sort of way. Everyone has said something about your creative process and mastery of lighting, props, and all else, and I agree. It gives me something to strive for knowing that time and imagination are the only limits to using Muvizu.

The Monster Mash will always be a graveyard smash, and Cheesy's interpretation and singing were excellent. I loved the characters, and appreciated all the time to view them during the song. The heads in the jars were a great addition to your set, especially when they could sing, too. You will have to remind us of this animation in October.

The winner is IKES! Flawless animation. I loved the reflection on the walls through the windows in the cafe. I have no idea how you did that but it was amazing. Your timing on everything was great, and the build up of suspense played out well. I loved the designs on the car, too. The coffee was a bit too strong for me, but other than that the realism was there, even for animation. Thanks for entering.

Pat, I won't bore everyone by going into the details of my animation, but you might see the Kristies again. I paid too much for her outfit (just kidding, only a lot of hours to paint it and erase all the mistakes). The whole animation was going to be different and have a different ending, but as I started making it the whole thing shifted over. I am not sure how many of us want that "peaceful day in the park" or at some other spot only to have someone take it away. Think of all the places you go where you end up being that captive audience, and then think of Omega Kristie, or is it Alpha Kristie....I love the hulk.

Hit Film Pro was at perfect timing for the price reduction to help me finish this animation. It is amazing. The smoke was from another creative commons site, and I am not sure if I listed it in the credits. I think I left it out. The 3 minute deadline was difficult.

15/07/2016 02:42:54

PatMarrNC
Posts: 1738

Hit Film Pro was at perfect timing for the price reduction to help me finish this animation. It is amazing.

Eugenecheese didn't list his software at the end... but apparently the rest of us all used HitFilm! I'm guessing we all bought in at the sale price, which puts us all smack dab in the middle of the learning curve at the same time and during a competition!

I'm curious to hear others' take on HitFilm.... I haven't scratched the surface of its capability yet, but I REALLY like it so far. A lot of video editors are sluggish (pet peeve) but HitFilm seems fairly responsive on my computer.

I like the way they've rolled a compositing solution and a 3D modelling scene arranger right into a video editor.

And its ability to keyframe 2d and 3d graphics opens up a whole bunch of new territory

15/07/2016 06:05:22

ukBerty
Posts: 975

Congrats to everyone who entered the competition, and to Ikes for taking the crown - it's always fascinating to see what everyone comes up with.

PatMarrNC wrote:

I'm curious to hear others' take on HitFilm....

I've said it before, but HitFilm has revolutionised my production. Once you get your head round layers it's just the perfect companion to Muvizu. It's the subtle things you can do with it as much as the flashy. I have installed some screen capture software now on my PC and intend to share a few things that I'm using it for in the next couple of months - although this may get overtaken when we start our course in a few weeks.

15/07/2016 06:51:29

eugenecheese
Posts: 30

HitFilm ? What is it, and what is it used for ? I just Googled it, and still I don't know !
I didn't say what I used at the end, because I just used Muvizu. I rarely use anything else, unless a 3D object is needed, then I mostly use Sculptris.
This competition is such a good idea, it is great to read all the positive comments from everybody, and especially to read the tips and secrets as to how people managed to get around the limitations of Muvizu.
Would it be possible, from today, that instead of posting our videos to the Gallery, we post them here ?
It's great to belong to a small but caring community !

15/07/2016 08:12:33

MrDrWho13
Posts: 2220

People already post videos to the"my videos" section on the forum to get feedback and whatnot (I think you should still upload to the gallery though so your videos can be showcased your profile).

Hitfilm a powerful video editor with a load of particle effects and other professional grade features.
edited by MrDrWho13 on 15/07/2016

15/07/2016 10:25:50

drewi
Posts: 298

Congratulations to everyone Winners or not

. I enjoyed them all, such a lot of dedicated work.
Just sorry i couldn't join you due to my badly organised time management and laziness.
hopefully next time.

16/07/2016 00:33:16

Rocque
Posts: 359

drewi wrote:

Congratulations to everyone Winners or not

. I enjoyed them all, such a lot of dedicated work.
Just sorry i couldn't join you due to my badly organised time management and laziness.
hopefully next time.

We look forward to seeing you in the next one Drewi. It does take some dedication to get an entry in when there is a time limit. Start on a few ideas now and then maybe something you are doing will be appropriate for a future contest and you will be motivated to finish it.

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