First Time with LOR

[Mike G]

This my first time trying my hand at anything but a small static display. My yard is a limited size and my video skills are limited. I would like some ideas on what I can do to improve for next year!

[smjosephrn]

Mike,

The YouTube clip looked good your video skills are great.

As far as a suggestion for next year. Here's my personal plan for improvement. Your small yard may work well for this type of display as well.

The videos that I have seen that I liked the best, told some kind of story. Like Marty's winner last year with the singing reindeer, the Jazz band etc. It was visually interesting.

I plan on picking two peices of music that will be the cornerstone of my display. Fun tunes, like I saw Mommy Kissing Santa, or tunes that paint a musical picture like Blue Christmas. Then I will plan my lights and displays around that theme. (Think Blue Christmas Mega-tree or a wireframe woman planting a smootch on the Jolly ol' elf) Other peices of music will just use the same lights but in a fashion that is more rhytmic, like you did.

[Mike G]

Here's a couple of more beginner efforts. I still have a little trouble syncing my audio to the video, but I thik I got it close. It's amazing how many things you see that are different "live" compared to the animation window in the sequence editor.

[smjosephrn]

I'll agree with you there. I learned a lot about how the mega-tree looks IRL rather than the animation window. I'll do a few things there differently. And I thought that the bushes in the yard would add a bit to show but they really don't. Because the NOEL sign on my roof, the mega-tree and the lights on the grass looks so good, the other animated features such as the bushes and trees just fade into the background. I'll be better served using the channels for effects.