“But I Digress…”
Hosted by Nathan Marchand
I receive a mysterious letter from a fan named “G. Mithrandir” requesting that I review the new “Hobbit” movie. Get ready for my first ever video review for a film!
What are your thoughts about the film? Leave me some comments and let me know. I’d love to discuss it with you.
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Undoubtedly, you’ve read enough “technology is wonderful until it stops working” articles and blogs to keep you reading from now until we land on Mars. Well, I’ve decided to throw one of my own out there. I promise it’ll be honest and entertaining.
I assume many of you True Believers have watched the latest episode of my vlog, “But I Digress….” While it’s normally instructional with some entertainment elements for seasoning, this episode was pure entertainment. I did a “sequel” to a series of Batman videos I made with a college buddy. This one was a spoof of the newest Batman film, the Dark Knight Rises. I’m very proud of it. I worked long and hard making it. It turned out great, in my opinion–except for one little thing.
The credits.
And it bugged me.
A lot.
Yes, my perfectionistic side reared its ugly head over the part of a movie that people ignore, skip, or wait through for a stinger (watch any Marvel Comic movie). While putting out the best product I can for everyone to see is important to me, what bugs me most about this is there were important people who helped make this video possible, most of whom served in multiple roles, and I wanted to make sure they were acknowledged for it. That’s the point of credits, isn’t it? Mentioning the unsung heroes of a film production.
But Windows Movie Maker keeps giving me problems. Whether I make the credits in the video or by themselves, at least the last third of them won’t be displayed. The music still plays and the background is still there, but the text is gone. Or it has this ugly line smeared down the screen where text should be. My only guess is the program keeps corrupting the files for whatever reason. It didn’t do this before. Maybe it was because I was using a different computer.
Some have told me I should use something better than Windows Movie Maker. I have tried. I first used Adobe Final Cut Pro (I think), but it was so extensive and complicated, I couldn’t figure out how to use it quickly. I’m not a viral filmmaker like James Rolfe (aka The Angry Video Game Nerd) or Doug Walker (aka The Nostalgia Critic). These videos are intended to be supplements to my writing; another means of building an audience. I will admit that sometimes I do get more ambitious and want to do more with my videos, but I then realize I have to real myself in and keep my priorities straight. Perhaps in the future, I’ll upgrade–or at least find a computer that won’t screw it up.
Anyway, I posted new credits. You can watch them here.
“But I Digress…”
Hosted by Nathan Marchand
I was going to do a video review of the highly anticipated “Dark Knight Rises” Blu-Ray–until this obsessive goofball of a fanboy hijacked my show! He goes on a rant dressed as Bane. He has a grudge against my friend and fellow YouTuber, Jeremy Sheer–his whole diatribe is a message for Jeremy.
Finally, epic saga of battling fanboys continues in this hilarious sequel to the wannabe YouTube sensations “The Dark Knight Premiere Trilogy” and “Batman: Fatal Fun”!
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“But I Digress…”
Hosted by Nathan Marchand
Are you a struggling writer who keeps getting rejected by publishers? Been in the writing business for a while and sick of how it works? Then self-publishing is for you! It’s an exciting avenue to distribute stories, but it’s also a hard path to take. In this week’s episode, I discuss those perils and privileges as someone who has worked with a real publisher and ventured into self-publishing.
And I battle fine print in nerdy fashion. (Watch and see!)
Here’s a link to Mark Coker’s PowerPoint presentation on eBook self-publishing.
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“But I Digress…”
Hosted by Nathan Marchand
My apologies for the delay in posting this. Slow internet + large video = YouTube hates me.
Anyway…
Ah, Halloween. The season of costumes, candy, and horror movies. It seems like such flicks (and literature) are a dime a dozen these days. Unfortunately, many of them are, well, horrible. Why is that? In this week’s episode, I discuss a lot of the those reasons, including idiotic characters, overused jump scares, and gratuitous gore.
No black outline this time. That’s because I edited the video on one program instead of two. That’s good because I looked a bit “claustrophobic” in the last one.
Please rate, comment, and share. I’d love to get feedback and discuss this topic with you.
After over a week of figuring out video editing programs (and finding the time to use them), my long-awaited first vlog is done!
In the first episode, I give eight tips on how to sell books at conventions to aspiring writers. These were based on my experiences at Gen-Con.
This is my first vlog and my first time using video editing programs, so it didn’t turn out as well as I would’ve liked. I expect they will improve as time goes on. I have to resist the urge to nitpick my own video and performance.
Please leave me comments, especially if you have ideas for topics for future episodes. I’d love to make this interactive.
Until next time, True Believers!
Wondering where the first episode of “But I Digress…” is? Well, it’s been filmed, but editing it has been n exercise in thwarted plans.
At first, I was going to use the website www.WeVideo.com to edit it, but the video was too large an upload for it. I would still like to use the site in the future. It’s highly recommended and user-friendly. So, I’ve been trying to use my brother Josiah’s Abobe Premiere programs to edit it. However, trying to coordinate schedules so I can go over there and he can advise me on how to use the programs (and remember how to use them himself) has proven difficult. But I shall not give up, True Believers! It will get done, and soon. This all started because I filmed the video in HD for the highest possible quality and to maximize the entertainment and instructional value for you, my readers. I promise it will be worth the wait.
So tune in again, same bat-time, same bat-channel.
I realize I’m kinda breaking one of the rules I learned about digital publishing t a seminar at Gen-Con, but I want to apologize for not updating my website for a while. Life has kept me busy. I finished writing a novella that will be serialized on a webfiction website some writer friends and I are starting (more on that later), and I’ve started writing more regularly on Examiner. I may also post a new story on this site.
However, this post isn’t about any of those.
I mentioned that I was going to do a vlog (or video podcast or whatever people call it now) about what I learned about selling books at conventions. I fully intend to do that. In fact, I’d like to make the vlog a recurring feature of this website and my Youtube channel. It would be interactive and yet another way to get myself out there to promote my work and the works of others. Plus, it’d be fun. I learned about an online video editing program called WeVideo that would be perfect for this.
I plan to call the show “But I Digress…”. I’m going to film the first episode this week.
Stay tuned for more details. I don’t want to promise too much right now.