PvP Videos - State of the Union

(warning: EXTREME random ranting ahead, this is being typed on the spot as I muse about it)

ISAP2 is done! Brb, ice skating around hell a few hours.

Ok, back. That was fun.

So yeah, the vid's done, and it's uploading right now. Given the original's popularity, I'm a little nervous about how this will go over. Have expectations gone through the roof? I feel like I can't even control that anymore. Ah well.

I'm not entirely happy with the actual visual quality of the vid, and it was an enormous pain to work on my old computer that's on its last feeble legs. And that brings me to the fun part...

So what's next?

ISAP3? I dunno. I have a bunch of new toys on my new computer, and now that I have a 1 terabyte drive and hardware that lets me fraps at 60 fps at full resolution, I feel like I have some breathing room. Maybe I'll do a "real" PvP video, though I still think that'll turn out as "just another mage vid". I'd like to try something more unique and experimental, though what that means exactly I'm not sure.

One thing I've been tossing around in my head is a sort of "I Suck at PvP Videos". There's a ton of movies out there, and I've seen more than I care to admit to. I've seen great vids, good vids, average vids, and vids that made me cry for humanity in their creation. I figure a basic "Here's what you can do to make your vid stand out and be enjoyable to the average viewer" would be fun to do, and I could get a chance to play with my fancy new editing tools as well.

A big question is "What do people want to see?" The short answer is that I seem to have hit on a solid piece of content that people want access to. I've seen a definite rise in "commentary" in vids, which is cool, and it's been well received all around.

The first PvP videos to arise were generally what most people would call "crit vids". Basically, "here's my character wrecking people with big numbers over and over." Let's be honest, the first one you saw was probably pretty damned fun. Hell, I still enjoy a "crit vid" from time to time when it's well done. They all generally followed the following formula:

Step 1: Dramatic shot of character walking and sheathing/unsheathing weapons Step 2: Heavy metal music with screaming Step 3: Clip after clip of things dieing to big numbers Step 4: Credits

A lot of vids today seem to follow that formula still, which is kind of disheartening. It was fun at first, sure, but when I see a rogue walking along somewhere going "HAY LOOK AT MY WEAPONS" in their 3 minute intro showing the same thing, I'm rolling my eyes and either closing the vid or clicking ahead to see some actual PvP.

I can only really think of one video that's followed that formula that people still remember today, and that would be Gegon. He basically blew the crap out of people with trinkets/AP, but he did it so stylishly that you can't help but grin at it. Pretty much everyone else has fallen away into WoW history.

Then there's editing, and the dreaded "overediting". If you haven't seen the Unknown series, go watch it now. It's a supreme example of "overediting" that actually works. The editing flows with the music, the images are suitably abstract and removed from normal WoW that they're interesting and sometimes a bit creepy, and the action just plain fits. If you simply put all the PvP clips side by side, "Unknown" would be more than its title. It's really the incredible editing this guy did that made them classics.

Finally, there's raw skill. This in itself doesn't sell a video in the slightest. Sure, you might be a "cult hit" among the more skilled mages that look for these things, but the average viewer can't really appreciate a focus CS on a heal while throwing a grenade at a resto shaman running up to clinch a kill unless you show it to them. For example, Affix is a solid mage. His 3v3 vid is a great example of how coordinated CC can absolutely wreck an opposing team. However, if you don't know what's going on, you just kind of sit there and go "Oh, they won. Yay." There were not many downloads, though it was a solid show of skill for sure.

Every PvP video tends to be a combination of these three aspects in my experience. There's Domination, Presentation, and Skill.

Gegon excelled in Domination and did well with Presentation, though (with zero insult to him) the vids generally weren't about his personal skill.

Unknown excelled in Presentation and Domination, though again had issues with skill.

Affix excelled in Skill, had some solid Domination, but lacked Presentation.

Then there's people that combine it all, like Vurtne. This is a very touchy subject for a lot of people. For example, if you want a 20 page thread on the mage forums, just post "Vurtne: Sucks or mage god?" Personally, I think he's a damned good mage, and he made damned good movies. The Vurtne phenomenon is really a combination of solid "holy crap he just wrecked that guy" clips interspersed with "Wow that was plain cool/funny/enjoyable to watch" combined with a copious amount of "wtf how did he juggle 4 people like that and come out on top".

I've heard before that people "should" like something and are disgusted with the top PvP movies because there's someone "better". Well, sure, that's true. But there's really nothing of what people "should" like, it's what they DO like. Maybe you think people SHOULD enjoy a display of pure skill, but that's irrelevant. If there's no Presentation to go with it, the average viewer won't appreciate it. And hell, we ALL like seeing someone get completely wrecked from time to time. If you don't you're a liar. Extremely close matchups are exciting, but just like if every match was completely one sided, every single match being extremely close can be just as bad sometimes.

I have absolutely no idea where I'm going with this or what I even just said, so I'm gonna stop here. Hopefully something coherent came out of it.

Anyway, ISAP2 is soon. ;)