Help make this section useful (tips for riffing)

[fireyf]

I've made a program for converting NTSC times to PAL and vice versa.  It's a windows program (sorry mac users) and you can use it for your readme files or for writing scripts for someone with the other format of the movie.  I have noticed that the time you get from a tempo change in Audacity is a few seconds off but when I do the math Audacity is actually not quite on the money.  Either way, this program will get you at least a very close time to what will be in the mp3.   Right now it's in my public dropbox folder at this link http://dl.dropbox.com/u/11687924/NtoPConverter.exe if you'd like to download it.  If anyone with a few kb of server space to spare would like to host it so it isn't cluttering up my dropbox feel free to put it there with a link.

[mikelesq]

Today only (Saturday, April 7th, 2012), Newegg has a 50% coupon code for Adobe Premiere Elements, Adobe Photoshop Elements, or both as a combo (so about $45ish apiece for each solo, or $70ish for both together):

Link to slickdeals forum post

Neither is my software of choice, but I've tried the Premiere Elements demo, and it's solid, and has narration recording.

Here's a link to the Premiere Elements demo (limited time, with a watermark):

premiere demo

[Riffman for Hire]

In readme files and riff openings, it helps to list the exact DVD version you'll be using.  Ex.: I'll be using the 1982 Theatrical Edition of Blade Runner from the 2007 4-disc DVD box set.  This way you avoid people putting on the wrong version of the movie and getting the timing thrown off.

Always put emotion into lines.  Even a bad joke can be somewhat redeemed if you deliver it well.  On the other hand, poor delivery can ruin a great joke.

In groups, I think it helps to try and balance who is talking.  I haven't done a group riff, but listening to them I find it's more enjoyable when riffers play off one another rather than having one dominate over the other(s).  Obviously one person will probably speak more than the others, but if one is doing too much talking the others tend to disappear into the background.  Cinester Theater does a really good job balancing between the two guys.  Also, don't overtalk if you can help it.  Talking over each other makes it harder to hear the jokes.

Shorter is typically better.  The longer a joke goes on, the less likely it is to be funny--and it has to have a great punchline, otherwise the time feels wasted.

I wouldn't suggest riffing a movie you really love or hate.  If you love it, you might hate it after having to watch it four or five times.  If you already hate it, you're gonna really detest it by the time you're done watching it the second or third time.  I'd suggest riffing films that amused you for better or worse, something you think you could tolerate watching a few times.  And I wouldn't riff a movie just because it's popular.  If you only riff a movie because it's popular and you think you'll get sales, the lack of enthusiasm will likely show through in the riff.

Personal preference: I wouldn't riff anything that's over two and a half hours and probably not even then.  Even two hours ten minutes would be pushing it.  It's hard to maintain energy and joke consistency for that long.  Again, shorter is typically better.

Don't feel bad if certain parts of the riff are thinner than others.  Some parts of films lend themselves better to riffs than others.  As long as there isn't too long of a silence (30 secs or more), you should be fine.

[mikelesq]

MS Skydrive just upped it's single file storage limit to 300mb:

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/skydrive/home?SignedIn=1

It's still 25gb total storage.

It's still too small for a movie VOD, but at 300mb, it's now a viable alternative to Dropbox if you want to back up your shorts, be able to access them remotely, etc.

[mr.b.natural]

MS Skydrive just upped it's single file storage limit to 300mb:

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/skydrive/home?SignedIn=1

It's still 25gb total storage.

It's still too small for a movie VOD, but at 300mb, it's now a viable alternative to Dropbox if you want to back up your shorts, be able to access them remotely, etc.

Pezdrake and I use 4shared to share files and for big VOD files we use a program called "hjSplit" to split the movies up into smaller bits that can accommodate file size restrictions and then later the same program can reassemble the pieces, works great.  However, 4shared recently changed their size limit so that I was able to upload a whole movie no problem.  This is all free by the way.  Only downside is that 4shared is Google.      

[mikelesq]

I got a Best Buy gift card for a work contest, and was going to be out of town for a week, so I got the Samson Go Mic, figuring I'd return it if the sound quality wasn't good.

It was on sale for $15 off, but even at $40, this is a really good mic.  The sound very closely rivals my Snowball, and it's literally pocket size.  The downside is that it doesn't come with a stand of any kind.  It's meant to clip to the side of a laptop screen (which is probably okay for a podcast, but I wanted it closer to eliminate any echo), and there is a hole that can be used to fasten it to a stand.  It can lay flat on a surface and adjust the angle (I ended up resting it on a flipped over ice bucket to get some height).

If portability is important, or if you want something of high quality without spending $70-100 on the Blue Snowball or Samson Meteor, this is definitely worth a look.

[LucasM]

A helpful resource link for some* films: Drew's Script-O-Rama.  There's quite a few film scripts there in HTML, PDF and other formats.  Some may find these helpful when creating their own riffing script.  [Though how to transfer text from these formats into your riffing script format is completely in your hands.]


* [It did not, for instance, have the script I would have liked: for my own 'on-hold-until-I-can-function-well' iRiff for the 1931 Frankenstein.  My iRiff was probably more than 1/2-written by the time I had to temporarily-to-permanently abandon it.  I do hope, someday to get back to it.]

[the amazing zero]

bratpop thank you for posting the last thing you did on this thread.. i shall aply this knowldge when i get a chance.
p.s. sorry i read the first page and thought it was the last

[LucasM]

Just found a site that may be QUITE helpful in creating scripts.  It is a searchable film subtitle database, that basically has all the dialogue (and some of the more 'important' sound effects and noises) for numerous films.

The site is OpenSubtitles.org.  For each film searched for, there is a column with country maps representing different languages for each subtitle set, click on the British flag for English and a zip file downloads with two files in it.  Change the ending of the one that is ".srt" to ".txt" and the film script - with timecodes - will open in any text editor.

Finding a way to enter the info (easily) into your iRiff script form may take a little work, but should be possible.

From what I can figure out, it is probably also possible to create a 'read-along' on-screen iRiff script by basically doing what's present in the subtitle file backwards (i.e. enter timecodes and your riffs into a .txt file, change the filename suffix to '.srt', then burn a copy of your riffing film with forced subtitles).

Of course, unless you own a copy of the film, it is probably illegal to access these.

[k1]

We did that with G.I. Joe.  It worked really well (except for a 10 minute chunk where there was missing subtitles).

[mikelesq]

Until October 19th, iWonderSky is giving away 3 products, a DVD Ripper, a Video Converter, and a Watermark program:

http://www.dvd-to-flash.com/giveaway/get-three-products-for-free.html

You have to download them and enter the activation code on that webpage for the activation to be permanent before October 19th.

I haven't had the chance to try the watermark or ripping program yet, but I used the converter to make an mp2 into an mp4, and it did a better job than Freemake, so it may be worth trying if you're looking for a way to convert between formats.

[mikelesq]

The Giveaway of the Day is the latest version of Inpaint:

http://www.giveawayoftheday.com/

Basically, this can take a picture and remove an object from it (results can vary).  Useful for making cover art, thumbnails, etc., if you don't have Photoshop.  Most freeware doesn't have an object removal function, and this can fill in that gap.

Like all software at giveawayoftheday, it's free only if you download it and activate it today.

[mikelesq]

Question for Mac users:

I got a used Mac Mini (for a few different reasons), which I'm using side by side with my Windows desktop, so if nothing else I'll have two screens to work with, so I can have my script on one screen and the movie on the other.  A question for Mac users: 

I have been playing around with iMovie 11, and I just want to be sure I'm understanding a few things (basically to decide whether to use it for riffing).

1)  The ducking feature only ducks based on clips, not based on sounds, right?  So if you want to have ducking like Audacity does (triggering based on sound of a dominant track), you need to use GarageBand?
2)  If you set up the iMovie project to be able to import into GarageBand, it'll import your video audio and commentary audio as one track?  So there's no way to duck the original audio to the commentary without exporting video, and importing your commentary as a separate audio track?

Thanks.

[Darth Geek]

Here's some tips for iRiffs:

1. You CAN talk over dialog if you have to, so that space between riffs isn't too high. Just make sure it's not plot dependant dialog.

2. If you are going to do a sparse riff, you better make sure that nearly EVERY joke is really good. Have others preview it, get extra writers to make suggestions, whatever. If the audience is deliberately watching a movie to enjoy it WITH riffs, it sucks to have to wait a long time and then when a riff comes it's a dud.

3. In your text file, have the sync times of whatever system you use. That is THE WHOLE POINT of having a text file for riffs!

[k1]

Question for Mac users:

I got a used Mac Mini (for a few different reasons), which I'm using side by side with my Windows desktop, so if nothing else I'll have two screens to work with, so I can have my script on one screen and the movie on the other.  A question for Mac users: 

I have been playing around with iMovie 11, and I just want to be sure I'm understanding a few things (basically to decide whether to use it for riffing).

1)  The ducking feature only ducks based on clips, not based on sounds, right?  So if you want to have ducking like Audacity does (triggering based on sound of a dominant track), you need to use GarageBand?
2)  If you set up the iMovie project to be able to import into GarageBand, it'll import your video audio and commentary audio as one track?  So there's no way to duck the original audio to the commentary without exporting video, and importing your commentary as a separate audio track?

Thanks.

Quickest way to do it is use Handbrake to make an mp4.
Create a video project in GarageBand
Import video, import riff
Adjust the riff so it syncs up and turn on ducking
Cut out sync audio if you choose
Export the project. Sometimes the project crashes on full quality but using the Apple TV setting works too.

Done.

The ducking isn't as good as you can do with Goldwave and other programs but it does the trick for a quick reauthor.