unforum

[AbyssalRubberNecker]

Hey guys and gals, just doing some research

[AbyssalRubberNecker]

Just as a kick off, I have a flip cam and gl2, however both tile extremely bad in low light, I am definitely going to use more practical effects than digital, but I could do some really nice added things without all the grain, is there a good way around this without having to go buy another camera (not an option at the moment any way)

[Gimme20dollaz]

Personally, I think you should wait until you get better equipment.

[AbyssalRubberNecker]

I get that, but at the same time the normal quality on a gl2 is fantastic, its just the low light sorting, I know the other series I have seen just live with it most of the time, but my budget is eaten up by props and transport and things like that.

It's not a deal breaking problem, just one that I found annoying.

edit: also, I was planning on getting better cams with whatever profit gets generated whenever it is affordable, I try to have my projects self fund. that is, if it is ever profitable, not really the point, but this is a pet project and done out of love so I dont want to get deep into financially relying on passive income, gotta eat ya know

[TheFallenenvoy]

Frankly...with a first person deal such as this, camera quality doesn't matter...in fact I don't mind mediocre cameras at all, being slendercreator myself, as it makes rendering and uploading so much quicker

Just avoid throwing in too many proxies or other entities for the sake of jumping on a bandwagon and avoid symbols...especially the operator symbol unless you've got some legitimate reason such as "oh we did our research online and they said operator symbols could help" or if you've got a character trying to attract slenderfan attention by throwing in things they'll recognise, as I'm pretty sure CaughtNotSleeping did towards the start.

[AbyssalRubberNecker]

I was allready planning on avoiding a lot of the marble hornets and sticking with the raw something awful description as much as I can, kind of a reconstruction of the mythos, not that i have any beef with marble hornets, just trying to freshen things up try to carve a different path, I figure even if it turns out horrible it might give a little variance.

I was just frustrated cause I actually had to learn a bunch of digital fx editing and stuff and grain matching is nowhere near worth the work vs the end result. I get the upload and rendering times for sure. That and I just feel better asking you guys with some experience for tips and warnings, theres a lot of talent on here and I am sure a lot of you have figured things out I haven't even considered.

thank you so much for your reply and being supportive

edit:

Also for the record, I have read this entire subforum (the non spoiler ones for me so far), some reviews, and watched the big three, plus a few others (dark harvest, mla, watching caughtnotsleeping now, planning on watching and taking notes on a lot of others I can find.) I am just saying it so that this isnt confused with being lazy or not wanting to look it up myself, I am just trying to get more insights and refine this project the best I can.

[AbyssalRubberNecker]

oh one other question, once I do have some content up, I can contact a mod or older member to check it out for a trail head right? I know I can't self promote, and I wouldn't just spam everyone, like ask one or two, but I wasn't sure if that was frowned upon or not, and I really don't want to break any rules here.

[Lumine]

Yes, but it shouldn't be an obstacle for you.




Another thing you should try is to bring something new to the platter, or reinvent something for the sake of fresh content. Sometimes good vlogs are washed away simply because it's "nothing really new" to the audience.

[Lucas Auraelius]

Yes, you can absolutely ask someone to put up the series for you. That's how I got a thread for mine.

And I'd take the advice of not retreading things for the sake of retreading them to heart. The difference between a cliche and a trope is presentation, so be sure to have a purpose and meaning behind every element of your story. If you feature the Operator symbol, make it mean something other than "hey guys, this is a Slenderseries!" If you have a proxy, try to not make it a ToTheArk clone, or at least do something new with it. Good luck with the series, and I can't wait to see what you've worked on!

[Eldest K]

My number one tip? Don't overdo Slendy. Seriously, if he shows up in a video (I'd say it should only be anywhere between every third and seventh entry) we the audience should be able to see as little of him as possible. Fear of the unknown is your ally here. The audience will fill in the gaps and as a result the final 'encounter' will be far scarier than having our tall friend suddenly appearing in a burst of static.

Number two: Menace. Slendy just doesn't do anything remotely threatening anymore. (No, standing still fifty feet away doesn't count). Look up Victor's original stuff for ideas. The stranger, the creepier.

Number three: Proxies. Unless you've got something radically different, I'd suggest staying away from Totheark Clone #236457. Its stale bread my friend. People come for Slendy, and that's what they want to see (well, that's what they want to know that the protagonist is up against, don't forget Rule 1).

[AbyssalRubberNecker]

Thank you so much for the replies, I will keep these things in mind when I am writing, I had planned on making sledny a little more menacing, and avoiding the proxies, the not over doing him is a great tip. I think from testing the waters the consensus of my slendy story not fitting in too directly (different story type, more menacing slendy) wouldn't get me tarred and feathered, this gives me a lot of hope.

[nesferatuzero]

Don't be afraid to explore. Watch the series, read the original stories. Make it you own, try to differ from the rest, but don't alienate the already fanbase and mythos. I sound too contracting, but thats art i guess.

[C.K.DexterHaven]

I love the idea of a Slendy based more off the Something Awful thread. My advice, from one Slender Series Creator to another; use Slendy sparingly. Focus more on the effect he has on the world around him, and the characters lives.

Try not to use proxies and notes too much or even at all, as it's starting to become a cliche. Also, try experimenting with a new look for Slendy. Maybe a different kind of suit, a patterned tie or cravat (that hasn't been done yet!) and maybe even experiment with giving him a face like in this picture:



Best of luck to you!

[lachesis]

Exciting!
My advice is plot flexibility. Flexibility leads to longevity- I couldn't even count the number of things we've shot but haven't been able to use because they aren't up to snuff. And you never know when an interesting location opens up a new opportunity.
Best of luck!

[AbyssalRubberNecker]

thank you so much guys, me and my writing partner just finished taking notes on 4 more series, I think that is great advice nes, one of the main things I was looking for is what the main stays of slendy are and what I could kind of play around with. I can see how plot flexibility would go a long way, I was toying with a more love craftian setting in general just to be able to throw a few cool things in there (I can pull off some pretty neat practicals from prior experience, they just dont fit the mythos exactly), I am really heartened about being able to do my own take on slendy, I always pictured him a little more than a really tall faceless guy in a suit, not that that isn't enough, just in my head some of things ive seen him do where pretty heart stopping.

You are all so helpful and supportive, I love it, what a great community, I will try to pay you all back with a really great and scary series if I can. All this advice is gold, I will be sure to give you guys a big shout out as to why it all worked so well if it does. Thank you all again for taking the time, I go on bouts of research and compiling and writing for days at a time, that is why the response is late, but I have written everything down, and I am noting everything. If you have any other insights I would love to hear them.