#cmv advice

[opperationpecan]

So me and my friends started a small cosplay group, and we plan to hopefully start a youtube channel with cosplay videos, so I just wanted to know, how do you get ideas for your videos?

From many sources!

- It either starts with us swapping headcanons:

The German Bro’s Mein Sandwich video was a conversation me and Rowan had while on our Eurotrip. I think it started with us talking about how the bread was so good in Europe and because we were in Berlin we were talking about how Prussia would react if someone dissed his bread or something like that.

- Or parodying videos that exist:

The “If I were a Cat video” we did with Greece and Japan was a parody of “I’m a stupid cat” and “I am Maru”

- Sometimes we find text posts off of tumblr or funny artwork:

The video “from Belarus with Love” was based off of someone else’s headcanon, we asked permission and they said yes :D

PruHun Trash Wars was based off of a fanart (and credit for that is in the end credits for the video as well as the description)

- CMV’s are self-explanatory, 

Listen to the lyrics and find a character or situation that suits the music

So yeah, just get creative

- Emmark

[opperationpecan]

Hey! Maybe you've answered a question like this before, but how did you guys start off? Was it just casual and then it became more organized?

Ridiculously casual.

I needed an excuse to hangout with strangers (who I wanted to become friends with) but we didn’t really have anything in common…..in highschool I got 110% in media arts and edited many videos so I figured “hey, Cosplay videos are a thing - I could invite people to do that”

Thus, I wandered around with a sign (I’ll put up a picture if I can find it) looking for people on Hetalia Day.

- then I started Facebook messaging people I kinda knew about

- Emmark

PS: we’re still not organized.

[opperationpecan]

Hey, just wanted to let you know that I've been a major fan of the opperation for a long time, you've brought many a-smile to my face!! I wanted to ask how you guys script your skits?? Like what's the process, do have all the lines down on paper or is it more like a general idea thing?? I'm thinking of starting a cosplay channel so just wanted to know how you guys did it. Thanks!!

HIIIIIII

SO. It actually depends on what sort of video it is.

I’m infamous for improvising….like, I have a general idea but then I call in the troops and roll with whatever we can come up with on the spot.

However, if I’m using newer cosplayers I’ll write out a script using quotations and parentheses to indicate who is talking or if there’s a specific action taking place….

CMV’s are different. In order to tell a story without dialogue a lot more planning has to go into it. We will print out lyrics and then break up everything into pieces

- Three different pens to indicate

a) location

b) which characters

c) specific content or necessary shots.

- Em (Denmark)

[opperationpecan]

Hi,I'm a big fan of your guy's youtube channel and wanted to know if you guys had any advice for someone wanting to make their first cmv?

HI! and THANK YOU :)

That….is actually something we should do a livestream (picarto) workshop for.

If Em manages to replace her laptop battery that is….

Here is what we recommend:

1. Choose a song which you can follow the lyrics or mood to.

2. Asses which characters fit in it and ALSO which cosplays you actually have.

3. Print out the lyrics and break the song into paragraphs…in the margins of your paper write who is doing what (point form) in the section you grouped off. With a different pen colour write down the location, and in yet a third colour write any interesting “must-see’ moments (ex: a “twirls” here or maybe “picks up rose” etc.)

Additionally:

Start planning out places where you want to film. If you’re not filming in a house or your property, I would suggest going out to the location and see if it’s fitting to what you want. Sometimes you have the idea in your head and then when you go to that place to film, something happens or it was not quite how you imagined it to be. So, plan ahead! If you are doing it in private property, get in contact with the owner or someone who can give you permission. It’s no fun getting in trouble to do something that’s supposed to be fun.

4. Get everyone’s availability two weeks in advance…MAKE SURE YOU GIVE THE JOB to someone who is good at socializing or will keep track of everyone.

- Follow up with everyone two days before and then a couple hours before the film date/time.

5. Make sure you have your shit ready. I mean have your camera AND it’s extra battery charged, have your wig, makeup, contacts next to each other and have your Cosplay (hats, belts, gloves, etc. included) and binder all together. So that you are not forgetting anything before you start filming.

6. Download or get familiar with your editing program. Youtube is awesome - all you really need to know is which key words to use while searching Example: “how to edit lighting” “how to split clips” “how to fix colour”

GOOD LUCK! MAKING A CMV IS DIFFICULT!

- Denmark and Finland 

[opperationpecan]

Hi there! My friends and I are very new to the whole cosplay scene, and we were wondering if you could recommend some cameras for us to use?

Hi there!

Honestly we use whatever camera we can find -

Try and look for something that records audio well and captures movement. Go with a digital camera or invest in a video camera if you plan on using it often.

Stay away from “’snap-shot” cameras unless they come with “HD video”

- We’re not really professional camera-people, a lot of the lighting and sound are tweaked and edited AFTER we’’ve filmed something.