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Ning.com, the platform for streaming sites like Vidders.net and BAM Vid Vault, is no longer offering free streaming of videos.  The communities will now have to pay to continue using Ning.  As a result, BAM is closing when Ning makes the official announcement, expected to be tomorrow.  BAM had over 13,000 members, so the vidding community is once again displaced.  Vidders.net is going to try to stay open, and you can find other streaming sites and info on an auction which will benefit the OTW Here.

But the good news is that the OTW has posted their Vidding Roadmap!!!!  They expect to have a vidding resources site, a Dark Archive and a bittorrent tracking site up very soon!  They won't be streaming vids yet, because they don't feel they have the infrastructure or money to do so at this time.  But it's in the works!  In the mean time, torrents offer an inexpensive way to distribute our vids from one centralized location that won't go down in a year's time because somebody decided that user generated content doesn't suit their business model!! 

I didn't upload my videos anywhere besides YouTube for this very reason.  So far they haven't been booted from YT, and as long as that's the case I'll be leaving them there until the OTW has something to offer us.

I've just discovered Festivids and it's so much fun!  Like Yuletide for vids.  Here are a few of the entries I liked, though I haven't watched everything by far.  So far the vidders are still anonymous, I'm not sure when names will be revealed.

Treat Me Like A Villain for Milly, Dark Angel:
This was dark and complex and filled with so much pain. I've only seen a few Dark Angel episodes, but this makes me want to see more to really understand what was done here. Gorgeous editing though, with all the back and forth between strong and weak, triumph and despair.

Open Up for wyomingnot, The Fifth Element:
Really active editing and pretty source! Great beat, a lot of fun.

Body and Soul for hollywoodgrrl, Legend of the Seeker:
Another gorgeous vid, with fantastic, quick editing and beautiful source.  And a hot song with hot actors!

The OTW is having their second annual Donations Drive this week, it ends the 19th of October.  Now is a great time to support them with the money they need to build and maintain the beautiful Archive of our Own, which goes into open Beta next month!  They are also looking for volunteers for all types of jobs within the OTW. 

So this was my first Vividcon and I was so excited about it; apparently my excitement showed! Someone said I had the look of a con first-timer and I totally did. I’m sure I was grinning at everyone. It was awesome to meet all of you, people whose names I’ve been seeing for a few years now and people whose vids I’ve adored. It was really a one of a kind experience, and I hope to go again. Here are some of the highlights for me, now that I‘m starting to have time to get them together.

1. Club Vivid rocks! Someone said that it’s surprisingly easy to dance to awesome vids in a dark room with glow sticks and other enthusiastic fans and they were totally right. I'm glad that I decided to go in costume, too. I mean, where else am I going to rock the Starfleet uniform? I wasn’t really sure what to expect, and I didn’t think I would really dance, but I did. I pretty much danced all night, and it was so much fun. I think this was one of my favorite parts of the con.

2. Premieres and Nearly New were awesome; the movie atmosphere with the huge screen was neat. My husband Neo and I saw Nearly New in the big room, and premieres in the overflow room. The overflow room was neat because it was more casual, and I got to talk with (ie: fangirl at) luminosity  about Ecstatic Drum Trip and Farscape. Lots of really awesome vids, it was cool to see them back to back, like a best of the best for the year. Vid review the next day was neat. I didn’t actually realize what it was going to consist of, but after seeing so many vids they all ran together and I wasn’t able to always remember each vid entirely, or what I thought about them. I think I’ll be able to give better reviews on second re-watches. Yay for the Con DVD! I think I’ll get into it this weekend. Is there any way to get DVD's or booklets for past cons?

3. Meeting people was awesome. Luminosity, Elynross, and kassrachel were all wonderfully welcoming to me right off the bat, and I really appreciated that. Millylicious was also very nice, and I appreciated the time she spent with me talking about Photoshop. I had a fantastic time talking with Vlad during the buffet, and dancing with Nora Bombay, Frostfire, Millylicious and Shinetheway at Club Vivid. And it was so cool to meet Here’s Luck, BradCPU, AbsoluteDestiny, hollywoodgrrl, Jarrow and Dragonchic. I really admire their vidding skills, so it was neat just to be around them. I know that’s not everyone I met and talked with (Neo and I talked with someone quite a bit during the buffet before Club Vivid, but I can't remember her name), I know I’ve forgotten some people’s names now, so let me just say that everyone there made my experience really fun. Everywhere I went people were discussing vids or fic and saying totally fannish stuff that made me smile.

4. There were some really cool panels. Milly’s Photoshop and Jescaflown’s AE and Premiere gave me a good idea of what more I can do with my vids, and how to use the software programs together to maximize time and effectiveness. I still have a lot to learn, but at least I feel like I know where to start. Here’s Luck is an awesome vidder and gave me lots to think about when timing my vids. The challenge is not cutting on every single beat, but using the beats and various instrumental aspects of music to emphasize movement and visual significance of clips. I think I’ll have to study her vids further to learn that lesson better ;) Motion Roller Coaster by anoel was really cool too, lots of amazing vids that I totally want to review again. In-Depth vid review with Milly and Absolutedestiny was awesome. The vids reviewed were incredible, and it was so cool to hear other people's thoughts about them.

5. The Star Trek party was a blast. There is nothing like watching vids and parts of Trek with a bunch of loud, enthusiastic fans. It was really fun.

6. The Town Hall on Vidding and Visibility was really cool. It was so awesome to meet Astolat, Francesca Coppa, Rebecca Tushnet and everyone else who is so involved with the OTW. I really believe in the OTW’s mission and how they are making it happen, and it was really cool to get a progress review in person. Kassrachel has an in depth con report here that has a very detailed section of the Town Hall.

I only wish I had more days before and after the con to meet people and see the city. Neo and I were going to see downtown on Sunday afternoon after the challenge show but it was pouring rain. Since we weren’t likely to see much or want to get out of the car we decided to hang out for a while longer at the con. I think the con was really well run. Everything was very organized and it was really cool to have the whole second floor to ourselves. The buffet before Club Vivid was amazing, too. I'd love to go again. Maybe not next year, but when I have the time and money again. Thanks everyone for an amazing first time!

A few more fun Star Trek recs.  For the most part these are general or Kirk vids:

Trip Like I Do by un4scene:  So far as I can tell, this is a vid about how awesome the crew of the Enterprise is.  Really tight editing to a pretty hard core song.  Great vid.

A Million Miles From Here by nel-ani:  All he wants to be is a million miles from here. Kirk finds home on the Enterprise.  She really captures Jim's restlessness and his experience on the Enterprise.

I'm On A Boat by kiki-miserychic:  Kirk's got his nautical themed pashmina afghan. DON'T YOU EVER FORGET.  Major Crack vid, so much fun.

On the Dance Floor by sloanesomething:  Too many men, not enough ladies in Star Trek!  Another crack vid, but also very true.  Very funny.



I also recently saw several Stargate Atlantis vids that were just wonderful.

Liquid Bird by hollywoodgrrl:  A final farewell to the Team and the City that changed them all forever. Gorgeous editing, really made me want to see even more of the series.

Language by newkidfan:  A gorgeous look at all the things John doesn't or can't say. Very emotional and moving, beautiful and simple effects to accentuate the lyrics.

I've just set up an account with http://fanlore.org/ and edited my fannish history in my profile.  It was pretty easy to do, though it involved a little more formatting than I expected.  You can find an editing cheat sheet here.  I did it mostly on a whim to have a record of myself in the fannish world, but also because I may edit the wiki eventually.  I've really enjoyed reading through the glossary and all the terms fans have come up with to describe the things we do and how we do it.  It really makes deciphering people's posts a lot easier!  If I ever edit the wiki I would do it to include Gerard Butler and the fan video section of GerardButler.net.  It was where I found vids in the first place, along with a whole lot of other fans, so I think it deserves a mention for that.

Some vids lately that I've enjoyed for Battlestar Galactica.  The end is almost here!

Clint Eastwood by Bob-radar:  The circus that is Baltar, Music by The Gorillaz. Shows all the ways that Baltar is crazy and full of himself and insecure all at once. Supurb and funny editing.

So What by Taragel:  Starbuck and Sam.  Pink rocks and fits so well with Starbuck. Everything that's wrong with the end of their relationship. Funny, sad, very well done.

You've Got A Friend by Taragel:  A fun, fast paced vid for Starbuck and Helo's friendship.

RD