2013 Videos, would like critiques and suggestions please

[arw01]

Had an absolute blast with the the Christmas display this year (still putting it away) and already planning next years bigger and better elements of course.

A link to my five shows I ran in the sequence this year in order of making them.  Of course we all see our flaws, and I aspired to higher levels than I achieved in timing and interest in a lot of spots in the videos, but it was FUN!

In the spirit of improving, I would enjoy some more critique comments, if you fell asleep and I owe you a new keyboard from the drool shorting it out, send the bill to North Pole warranty department.

But seriously, there are are few places in sequences where they just get boring and would love some ideas to jazz them up a bit.

For next year the plans to add into the display, provided budgets and such work out:

That big black hole on the left above the two red and green balls, will become the "mega" tree.  When you are sitting at the house watching the lights, not sure you will really see much of it, but I will get at least 600 rgb up there to a 1200, and another 16 or so strings of standard led's, and a few strobes.

Another 2-3 aether's on the house is planned, as I just cannot get very far back without being in the yard and projecting ON much of the elements there.  I may have to try a few of Ray's smaller floods instead of big aether II's.

The mini mega bush will get upgraded to at least 4 times the pixels there (200 to 800) and see if I cannot get some graphics on there next year.

Pixicles across the house roofline, likely roll my own as the commercial ones are spaced too far apart in my opinion and start with only 6 pixels instead of 8 that a proper text matrix would need.

I'm still on the hunt for Zwilluninaires substitutes and could use some help for where to place them.  Perhaps a large arch over the front of the driveway to share with the neighbor as they had expressed some interest in expanding onto their house.

Wife loved the mini-trees most of you have, so an idea of where to place them would be good, not sure if they will be the tomato cage variety, or the style that TheBarron and family came up with a bit of an addition.

The house outline will be expanded up the roof edges next year, give the show a little more depth and some additional height, thinking 2 coro stars on the garage roof, and 4 on the house for a little more interest there.

Anyways enough rambling and onto the show.

You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login  Space Odyssey (yeah not Christmas but a favorite clip of mine)

You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login  Blue Christmas, it's a slow one and I never got the first 10 seconds taped opps!

You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login  Thanks Pete and Venessa for The Fox song timing!  Chased many a senior bus off this year, and likely retired for next year for the next big "hit" for the kids

You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login Yea, I was a bit soft in focus and this is the LONG version, I like it more, but didn't think of  splitting it into two tracks or editing it down!  A mini mega would help in the long spots with some graphics of melting, fires etc..

You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login  The classic Mr. Grinch, timing marks shoutout to a generous LOR user, imported into LSP, cleaned up and my channels laid on top.  Be great if we could make a nice library of a simple 16 channel timing marks to share among us.

You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login And finally the WAY over done Wizards in Winter, gotta love the beaty track and great fun it is to play with this one.  I have looked at dozens of TSO WOW shows, I think Sam takes the cake, but I'm pretty happy for the first year.  Again a nice shout out for the kind LOR user with some timing marks to start from.

[caretaker]

First congratulations on your show and getting it on video this year. I really don't like criticizing someones display unless I have seen it in person but I will make a couple points. Viewing the video for Wizards, it seemed like you could have used a few more elements on in the beginning of the song it looked a little dark and I know you said you are adding more stuff for next year so I am sure next's year version will look different.

[scharbon]

Is that BBVD doing Mr. Heatmeister?  This past Christmas I did "Last Night I went out WIth Santa Claus" and plan on doing "Party For Santa" this year.  I have debated doing Mr. Heatmeister due to length and opportunities for transitions and effects.  Your sequence looks pretty good.  I may have to reconsider.  I agree however that is would benefit from an RGB mega tree, but I don't have plans for those yet.  Thanks for posting.  I enjoyed watching.

Steve

[arw01]

First congratulations on your show and getting it on video this year. I really don't like criticizing someones display unless I have seen it in person but I will make a couple points. Viewing the video for Wizards, it seemed like you could have used a few more elements on in the beginning of the song it looked a little dark and I know you said you are adding more stuff for next year so I am sure next's year version will look different.

Thank you for the pat on the back for the first year, it's quite a process learning the hardware the software, and then playing with the video software (wow is that stuff non-intuitive).  In general I like to build adding elements throughout the sequences, thinking that it keeps the viewer wondering what's next and not is that it?  Don't know if it translates that way.  I did pretty much keep those two middle arches dark on TSO.

My second issue might have been what I set the camera on, I pulled the exposure down 2 fstops if I recall, and it does cut back on the lightness of the show substantiall, but at the same time it still blows out on whites and other bright colors so you cannot tell the top of the arches are green/red like a candy cane stripe.

Anyone know how the go-pro's handle the high dynamic range?

Again thank you, and lets keep the critiques coming please.  I never learned as much about one of my hobbies as when I sent two of my best "people" photos of a lady that modeled for me to a New York Fashion photographer.  His critique of the two photos increased my ability to SEE the image I was after in a way I cannot even fathom when I liked the stamps and sent them off.

Alan

[arw01]

Is that BBVD doing Mr. Heatmeister?  This past Christmas I did "Last Night I went out WIth Santa Claus" and plan on doing "Party For Santa" this year.  I have debated doing Mr. Heatmeister due to length and opportunities for transitions and effects.  Your sequence looks pretty good.  I may have to reconsider.  I agree however that is would benefit from an RGB mega tree, but I don't have plans for those yet.  Thanks for posting.  I enjoyed watching.

Steve

Have to break out the BBVD for me, cannot un-encrypt the acronym.  I have Burl Ives in my brain.  Heatmiester was fun, but best to break that one up into a few nights!

[scharbon]

Big Bad Voodoo Daddy.

I was wondering if you were a fan too but my guess is you are not if you don't know the letters.

It sounds like them though.

Steve

[kiplorenzo]

First congratulations on your show and getting it on video this year. I really don't like criticizing someones display unless I have seen it in person but I will make a couple points. Viewing the video for Wizards, it seemed like you could have used a few more elements on in the beginning of the song it looked a little dark and I know you said you are adding more stuff for next year so I am sure next's year version will look different.

Thank you for the pat on the back for the first year, it's quite a process learning the hardware the software, and then playing with the video software (wow is that stuff non-intuitive).  In general I like to build adding elements throughout the sequences, thinking that it keeps the viewer wondering what's next and not is that it?  Don't know if it translates that way.  I did pretty much keep those two middle arches dark on TSO.

My second issue might have been what I set the camera on, I pulled the exposure down 2 fstops if I recall, and it does cut back on the lightness of the show substantiall, but at the same time it still blows out on whites and other bright colors so you cannot tell the top of the arches are green/red like a candy cane stripe.

Anyone know how the go-pro's handle the high dynamic range?

Again thank you, and lets keep the critiques coming please.  I never learned as much about one of my hobbies as when I sent two of my best "people" photos of a lady that modeled for me to a New York Fashion photographer.  His critique of the two photos increased my ability to SEE the image I was after in a way I cannot even fathom when I liked the stamps and sent them off.

Alan

I looked at the go-Pro line of camera and found out that they didn't have enough low light capability compared to one of the more expensive (under 1000.00) prosumer cameras (canon)


Kip
 

[arw01]

Big Bad Voodoo Daddy.

I was wondering if you were a fan too but my guess is you are not if you don't know the letters.

It sounds like them though.

Steve

AH, never would have went there.  I do like their christmas music, I was thinking a LOT of it was hilarious, but not all of it appropriate for children!