Post by dragonchic on Dec 28, 2011 14:35:25 GMT -5
If action-first vids are not in your comfort zone I think it can be helpful to start with a movie or otherwise limited source. Since movie narratives are more self-contained than sprawling TV series you already have a bit of help in keeping the narrative relatively simple. And I do think keeping the narrative simple is critical if you want to go action-first.
It's also helpful to link specific action sequences to specific parts of the song rather than going back to the same sequences throughout the vid. When deciding what goes where, think about what can be conveyed narrative-wise by looking at which characters are in the scene, what they're trying to accomplish, who's fighting who, etc. You can then try to build the overall narrative around that.
So for example, if you have a classic action hero origin story, use the first verse for their backstory, first chorus for those action sequences that set them on their journey ("AHHH WHY IS MY TOWN BLOWING UP / WHY ARE PEOPLE TRYING TO KILL ME"), second verse for them to figure out what's going on and start becoming a badass, second chorus for training and/or intermediate action sequences, bridge to build to the major confrontation(s), and final chorus for the most intense action sequences. Or if you have an ensemble, the first chorus can be them kicking ass individually while the second is focused on them as a team, with the verse in between covering the actual team formation. You're still telling a story but it's a story that uses the action sequences as tentpoles and does the heavy narrative lifting in the sections between them, if that makes any sense.
Of course when I really go action-first I tend to let the narrative fall by the wayside. I'll still block sequences thematically but whether or not I tell a coherent story isn't as important as the shiny.
But telling simple stories in action-heavy vids isn't too hard IMO. Achieving a degree of narrative sophistication combined with lots of action is a lot trickier and is something I've sorta given up on for the moment. 
It's also helpful to link specific action sequences to specific parts of the song rather than going back to the same sequences throughout the vid. When deciding what goes where, think about what can be conveyed narrative-wise by looking at which characters are in the scene, what they're trying to accomplish, who's fighting who, etc. You can then try to build the overall narrative around that.
So for example, if you have a classic action hero origin story, use the first verse for their backstory, first chorus for those action sequences that set them on their journey ("AHHH WHY IS MY TOWN BLOWING UP / WHY ARE PEOPLE TRYING TO KILL ME"), second verse for them to figure out what's going on and start becoming a badass, second chorus for training and/or intermediate action sequences, bridge to build to the major confrontation(s), and final chorus for the most intense action sequences. Or if you have an ensemble, the first chorus can be them kicking ass individually while the second is focused on them as a team, with the verse in between covering the actual team formation. You're still telling a story but it's a story that uses the action sequences as tentpoles and does the heavy narrative lifting in the sections between them, if that makes any sense.
Of course when I really go action-first I tend to let the narrative fall by the wayside. I'll still block sequences thematically but whether or not I tell a coherent story isn't as important as the shiny.
But telling simple stories in action-heavy vids isn't too hard IMO. Achieving a degree of narrative sophistication combined with lots of action is a lot trickier and is something I've sorta given up on for the moment. 