***LCC IX BEGINS***

I haven't been chest thumping at all, I don't know where you get that. I don't care if your "stunt friends" have never heard of me, I'm still working regardless. It's a big world out there. In terms of my last entry, your opinion is certainly valid, and you're welcome to it. Why should you listen to my opinion? Well, you shouldn't, because my advice is lost on you, obviously.

 

My mistake.

Looking back, I can't believe it got forth, but the wirework was novelty, so there you go, another example of something other than fight choreography being considered.

 

THERE. Right there. You invoke an automatic assumption that your opinion or advice is so valid that it should clearly influence anyone who has the privilege of laying eyes upon your words, and if it does not, then there is something wrong with that person.

 

Nate triangle choked the correct. When you say, "my advice is lost on you," you're operating from an assumption that your advice is somehow desired or relevant. It's not. It just boils down to basic social graces, sir. You lack them.

 

You don't have to take my advice, but you also don't have to attack it just because you don't like it. Scroll up and see how this started, I supported taking this contest to the next level for it's 10th anniversary, I even suggested I could provide a pretty sweet prize. I got rudely shot down because one guy would rather have a machined piece of aluminum that he can buy instead of a high end computer. I'll defend my opinions and you can take them or leave them, I've said it before. What you should try to do is stop getting so butthurt that I offer them. Have a discussion, start an argument, I don't care, what I say isn;t invalid because you don't agree or yes, don't know enough to respectfully disagree.

 

There you go again at the end calling peoples' intelligence into question. I believe it started with you claiming anyone who wants a lightsaber prop over a MacBook Pro is an idiot, and then when I presented why I personally would want a saber over a MBP, you called me one. Then you called me an idiot again and said I was full of ****. Sure, maybe in general, most people would prefer a MacBook Pro, but you can't call me an idiot because I don't want something I already own. In fact, mine is on eBay right now because I straight up don't need it for what I'm doing these days. That's my personal reason for my stance on the matter. The other I would present (again) is that a lightsaber prop (or in the case of last year, a pair of them) is extremely fitting for a lightsaber choreography contest, particularly when you consider the props in question are specially designed for dueling.

I think next year's contest could be kicked up a notch by encouraging more emphasis on the overall films than strictly choreography, not by more expensive material prizes. The idea of a screening of past winners and making it a big celebration would also be of far greater value to many here, particularly in getting so many former entrants under one roof. An experience like that would far outweigh bigger and better prizes.

I apologize for things getting out of hand. I tend to be fairly sarcastic about things and I wasn't so much attacking your opinion directly as I was your attitude in holding it above everyone else's.

 

*sigh* Irony being the film was nearly banned because of ?too much story?.

Look, Choreography = Story. They?re not separate things, they?re both functions of the same intent.

 

You seem very caught up in your opinion that other factors of production value outweigh the choreography itself. I think if you listened to the judge's discussions on the last LCC (which were broadcast live and recorded, and are still available for viewing on YouTube) you will observe a very deliberate mandate of not evaluating the films based on those other aspects in terms of the contest, while still acknowledging those aspects. Great care was taken not to discriminate against entries with, for example, poor cinematography and editing, or a lack of visual effects. Listen tot he discussion and you will see that it's all about the fight itself, and what works or doesn't.

To your comment about wire work. I think I probably speak for the other judges I joined last year when I say that if you think simply having wire work affects the consideration of your entry, you are missing the point. If the wire work is used inventively in such a way that it benefits the choreography and affords new opportunities to explore moves that you otherwise couldn't, then it would help your entry because it helps your choreography. Conversely, if you (the non-specific "you", mind you) uses wires just to use wires and it doesn't really do anything for your choreography, then it's a distraction and a wasted gimmick that will likely hinder your chances. It's a risk you take when you choose to add that dimension to your fight. It really does all come down to the choreography. Does it improve it or distract from it? Or neither?

You seem to be missing the important fact that the choreography itself was telling a lot of story, and that's good choreography. It wasn't just two evenly-matched fighters bashing and running, comprised of hundreds of dull moves. It was doing much more than that, with much less. You call it "simplistic", I might call it "minimalistic". Each move counted, and was relevant to the "story" of the fight. We haven't had a whole lot of other entries that utilize choreography that way, which was novel and refreshing, and for how "economic" the fight is, it's more sophisticated than many/most entries that get submitted.

Just going to point out that you seem to be the one getting butt-hurt by someone else's opinion on what they would like for a prize.
And if you feel like you were "rudely shot down" for offering it, you forgot the part where you immediately called that person an "idiot" for having his opinion.
You seem to have a lot of trouble with other people's opinions. I encourage you to learn to take them or leave them.


Edit: By the way, tumblemoster, I think your idea of donating a MacBook as a prize for the contest is fabulous. There's nothing to stop you from doing that if you like, just as the saber

 

In the end, the point of choreography is to tell a story. If it doesn't do that, it's just moves...

I'm still happy with Eclipse in terms of lightsaber choreography. I also think the costumes rocked. As for the rest of the film making and performances I see lots of places where things could be improved. The main bottleneck was time.

This year, Phi, my friend and I put in a lot more time in to what we were doing. The consequence is that the techniques are substantially more complicated. The more we practiced, the better we got, to the extent that we cut out a full 15 seconds from one take. The result of all that effort is a much shorter running time.

My hope is that people realize a 1 minute short they enjoy watching 5 times in a row is better than 5 minute short they watch once and never need to revisit.

-Spiff

 

Unrelated: I'm gonna start saving versions of my entry, but is the opening bumper for LCCIX ready? Or should I just make a crappy one with me imitating the Star Wars theme with armpit farts?

 

Please please please please PLEASE don't do that. The bumper is coming along nicely, and SHOULD be up this weekend.

 

Aw, man.

 

Post it anyway. I'm watchin it.

 

The sound effects for the rest of his entry ought to be interesting.

 

We toyed with the idea of initially releasing Duel of the Dorks with all the sound and music done by Tim and myself. Oh, the possibilities... you guys don't know what you missed

 

I'm just going to read that as though it was a major spoiler for your next duel. So, don't let me down.

 

So who all is entering this year? I think this is the first contest when we haven't had a running list. Two of our group's girls have been putting together a duel, so I think I'm going to help them a little with the choreography and film it. Maybe a silly light-hearted story to boot. Doubt it will be a contender, but they are having fun with it.

 

I'm cutting it close, as always. I've got a solid idea, just trying to align peoples' schedules.

 

Gotta finish the audio for my team's entry.

-Spiff

 

I tried to pull something together but just had no time. My focus these past months has been in preparing our house for our third child. We only have a three bedroom house so it took a lot rearranging. And now, here I am typing this while sitting on a small couch in a hospital room next to my recovering wife and baby girl who was born this morning. Unfortunately, no entry for me this year. But I can bring a note from the doctor to excuse me

 

Many congrats on that!

 

Seconded. I didn't even know you were married dude, much less that you're raising the Solo children. Congratulations indeed!

 

Oh, he's not married.

</totally kidding, congrats.>

 

Well, I have no intention to hijack this thread but just to update, things have drastically changed since I last posted. I am now here at UCLA. It turns out that my baby girl was born with a congenital heart defect that will require open-heart surgery next week. The doctors are confident that everything will be ok so we are not too worried. But still, it's open-heart surgery.

So though I don't get to participate this year I'm looking forward to being distracted a bit by watching some good lightsaber choreography. I really wanted to make one this year with my young boys. I was going to make the "carpet lava" video that was discussed here on the forums last year. Maybe next year...

 

Oh boy, luck in your direction, mate.



Chickens for BabyPastor.