Friday, August 3, 2012

vMotivational Going Out of Business


vMotivational Going Out of Business 120803

Siani Janus alerted me to an animation store I did not know about called vMotivational. Unfortunately, the store is going out of business, but has everythihng at 50% off. The store sells static poses, individual animated poses and cuddles for couples.

Thursday, August 2, 2012

MyAnimation Offers August Gift Dance


MyAnimation Offers August Gift Dance

Angelik Levecchia of MyAnimations sent this note to the Group ...

========================

** AUGUST GIFT ** Latest RELEASES ** Couple Pose CONTEST **
Thu, Aug 02 2012 12:07:08 PM PDT


▶  AUGUST GROUP GIFT -- EXCLUSIVE Dance ANIMATION
Come and GET it before is too late !!!


▶ Check our LATEST RELEASES █ MC HAMMER DANCES █  , █ NOSSA DANCES █ , █ SHAKIRA DANCES █  & █ RUMBA DANCES █

▶ WEEK 8 CONTEST--- WINNERS: We will announce the winners later! 

Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Storage Box for Inventory


Storage Box for Inventory 120731

Susie Chaffe sent us a specialized storage box for holding inventory items in response to the post on Managing Your Dances. It features buttons for looking through your inventory and when you click on it, you get the highlighted item.



Here is our conversation about the box (slightly edited):

[05:27:34] Susie Chaffe: on the subject on inventory, might I suggest something like the box I am dropping on you to keep your fantastic Dance Queen Freebies organised
[05:31:19] Nottoo Wise: hi susie xxx
[05:32:27] Susie Chaffe: hi Nottoo.....inventory is something i get paranoid about...so I have boxes and boxes.....
[05:32:36] Nottoo Wise: i have a box that contains the sequences but this box has a feature ive not seen with the search capability
[05:33:20] Susie Chaffe: it was scripted by Ordinal Malaprop years ago...I touched it up a bit...but it has always been available
[05:33:41] Nottoo Wise: can i offer it to the dance queens group noting that u provided it?
[05:34:08] Susie Chaffe: customise...put your texture on....its a genuine freebie for the community...
[05:34:14] Nottoo Wise: ok, i will do so
[05:43:50] Nottoo Wise: will this box work if someone else uses mine, for example is it a giver to anyone
[05:44:40] Susie Chaffe: yes as long as the item is transfer....
[05:45:16] Nottoo Wise: ok :-)
[05:45:17] Susie Chaffe: if it is copy and has transfer perms.........the toucher gets it and you lose it....so be careful what you offer in there
[05:45:35] Nottoo Wise: ok
[05:45:59] Nottoo Wise: may i use an edited version of our conversation on the blog
[05:47:29] Susie Chaffe: feel free.....I am searching to see if I can fine the original
[05:47:34] Second Life:

[05:48:01] Susie Chaffe: there is a blank one to play with...it also contains a help card
[05:48:10] Nottoo Wise: ty xxx

[05:48:51] Susie Chaffe: ooh .. one mod I made....when you rename it....and then touch it...it puts the new name in the floating text
[05:49:14] Susie Chaffe: handy if you have a bunch scattered around :)
[05:49:22] Nottoo Wise: hahaha
[05:49:28] Nottoo Wise: u r an inventory fanatic
[05:50:22] Susie Chaffe: I used to teach at one of the colleges here........and my inventory exploded with bits and pieces....so it was born out of necessity
[05:50:35] Nottoo Wise: makes sense im over 50000 in my inventory
[05:51:18] Susie Chaffe: I am probably much higher than that......but so much is boxed that mine stays under 10K
[05:51:47] Nottoo Wise: wow


I put a copy of a blank box in the Free Stuff Box at Dance Central. It's called the SBX - [No Transfer] - Blank.

xxx
Nottoo

Monday, July 30, 2012

The Chicks' Video from the Dance Festival


The Chicks' Video from the Dance Festival 120730

VikkiLynn Caproni of the Chicks sent us this video that she had made at the Dance Festival V of the Chicks dancing. I love it.

====================

https://vimeo.com/46590202

 or

 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DlYHYeuaQZM&feature=youtu.be

Same video ~ choice of locations.

The first song does not show the choreography at all, but it features the set design, the FX, and the Performers.   The 2nd song has the music a few seconds behind the choreography (the music was added later), but this is a very professionally done video.

 Hope you like it.

VikkiLynn

Managing Your Dances


Managing Your Dances 120730

Usually I take pretty good control of my inventory in SL. After five plus years in SL I have at least the top level almost in control and a few of the second level folders too. Since I was away from SL for a month and then devoted for a couple of weeks exclusively to the Dance Festival V, I haven't paid much attention to inventory. So, today I started cleaning up. It got me thinking about some of the special things I do with inventory because I dance. Let me share these with you.

As you read this think about the kind of person you are with your inventory. I'll describe it in jigsaw puzzle terms. You know, the puzzles that are in a thousand pieces all cut to look alike with a picture on one side. If you pour all the pieces on the table and immediately start putting the puzzle together without further organization, you are at one extreme. If you pour out the puzzle pieces, then organize the pieces by turning them all face up, putting the edge pieces in four groups depending on the orientation, then order the non-edge pieces by shape and color, then start working on the corners followed by the top edge, you are at the other extreme. If you are at the extremes these ideas won't help you much. If you are somewhere in between, here is what I do. If you have some ideas to help, add a comment to this blog post.
  1. Inventory Your Dance HUD - About once every three months I make a list of all the dances that I have in my HUD. Right now I have 5041 dances in mine. You probably don't have as many, but, if you are a dancing addict, you frequently add new dances to your HUD. Your HUD is growing. Having a list helps you know what you have. When you pass about 500 dances, you will find you can't remember them all. Think about dance shopping. Hmmm, do I have that dance or not? A list helps. Think about that IM from a friend, "do you have ___ dance?" I put a lot of animated poses in my HUD too and these are even more challenging to remember. To make a list follow the instructions for your HUD to get an alphabetized print out in chat. Copy the print out and at a minimum paste it into a notecard. Some of the HUDs give you added info, so you may want to put the list in a spreadsheet and remove the unnecessary info, then paste the list into a notecard. I don't go so far as to noting whether the dances are copy or transfer, but more extreme organizers may. The list is also good if you lose your HUD. After the crocodile tears stop, you know what you had when you are ready to get another HUD.
     
  2. Organize Your Copy Dances - Copy dances usually cost more than transfer dances and can never be resold, but when you lose your HUD or want to use the dances in more than one device, copy dances are the answer. I've posted about this before. I make a separate HUD from my main HUD and put the copy dances in the second HUD. The loaded HUD remains all copy so I even go so far as to make a copy of the loaded second HUD. I also put the copy dances in my inventory in a special folder called Dances - good. Since I collect all sorts of animations and dances, I also have folders for the not so good dances, like the ones in the Free Stuff Box at Dance Central. If you are a more extreme organizer you can further order your copy dances into categories such as dance categories and styles or by maker. If you are a real fanatic put your copy dances in a box and store the box on a sim. The dance database can help you with organizing dances because it contains information about maker, category, style and other ways you may choose to organize your inventory.
     
  3. Organize Your Animated Poses - When you first start dancing you may have a few animated poses to look sexy while standing, but you probably don't think about the thousands of animated poses that exist. Over time your animated pose list grows. Take a trip to Kuso, for example, where you can get 10 L animated poses and you come home with more than you expected. Or when you buy an AO you get all those animated poses. These are things like stands, sits, fly up, etc. Most animated poses have names only a programmer can understand. I never (almost never) rename dances or animated poses. A name like SLCST(30)58muri(P4) or D2663-Stand.U (185cm) or ao_drunk_stand_4 doesn't tell you much about what an animated pose does. You can check in the dance database if you need to, but you should think about organizing your poses as you get them. Most poses are copy, so you have a copy for your inventory. The database has animated poses divided into categories of the type of action. You can use this or devise your own category. If you don't, you will soon have hundreds of animated poses and you will have no idea what they do. Although I put a lot of animated poses in my HUD, most I do not. That is because with animated poses there are often not a lot of differences. How many ways can you put your hand on your hip for example. However, I do organize the ones I don't have in my HUD. This is because I like to make plays and use a lot of animated poses for this aspect of dancing.
     
  4. Organize your HUDs and AOs - I buy a lot of AOs and dance HUDs to get the dances and animated poses inside. I remove the animations I want, but since the AOs and HUDs are usually copy, I have a fully functioning HUD or AO. Rather than toss it out, I keep a copy of each one in a folder. Occasionally, I have found a special use for a weird HUD or AO.
     
  5. Organize your special animations - Most of us do not make animations. I thought I never would, but I do now. I have described the process for making dances previously. What I have found is that when I make a dance show, sometimes I cannot find a special turn or move. Usually it is something simple. So I have made anims and imported them into SL. As long as it's simple you can learn to do it too. Forget about making a sexy dance without the right equipment, but a simple move you can do. These are anims that are full perm, so I put them in a special folder also. Similarly, I have uploaded some of the Linden internal anims because I wanted to use them in a show. I have a special folder for them too. 
Since I run Dance Queens, I have even more organization of my dance inventory. You may choose to organize dance folders for your dance shows, for example. You spend a lot of money on dances and animated poses, so why throw away some of the benefits by poor inventory management.

xxx
Nottoo

Friday, July 27, 2012

New Couples Dances at Henmations

New Couples Dances at Henmations 120728

Hendrik Schroader sent this to the Henmations Group today ...

====================

Dear Customers,

we are proud to announce the first part of our new Couples Dance Series.

Enjoy the new Rumba Slowdances!

A wonderful set of 7 Rumba Dance Styles, very slow and smooth, performed by our professional real life dancers. Watch the short "making of" teaser clip on youtube: 
http://youtu.be/Tkl_lCkXtJc

Each new couples dance is available as...
- Synced Poseball Animation  
- Club Control Autoloader Pack  
- Intan Compatible Package  


Our new Couples Dance Series comes with 50 Animations in total.
Other new Packs will be released these days...

We highly recommend to try out Club Control, our new Couples Dance Machine.
Learn more about Club Control:   
http://henmations.com/hp/?p=3437
Enjoy your Weekend and have a nice Dance :)

Regards
YOUR HENMATIONS TEAM

Friday, July 20, 2012

NOYA Sensual Girl AO


NOYA Sensual Girl AO 120720

We received an announcement about the release of the NOYA Sensual Girl AO

======================

https://marketplace.secondlife.com/stores/68414: *NOYA* releases *NEW* AO called SENSUAL AO for only 249L, you can test the animations at the landmark in my profile but you can only buy it here=> https://marketplace.secondlife.com/p/NOYA-SENSUAL-girl-AO-Animation-Overrider/3698708

YUMMY - #5 - Falling thru the Cracks

TASTE


Festival related: SIM BORDER CROSSING



You will fall thru the border between the STAGE and the AUDIENCE sims to the next level below it when walking across it.

So here is a solution:

Add a prim BELOW the platform surface that is 63 x 10 x 0.5 along the length of the crossing. You will dip just slightly but not fall thru.  And remember to take it with you when you clean up, or if you leave it, know that it may be auto-returned by security. I am not sure what the policy will be.

And that's Yummy's *taste of things


YUMMY




Wednesday, July 18, 2012

YUMMY #4 - Restore to Last Position

TASTE

- #4  RESTORE TO LAST POSITION.


Wow. I heard from a few people about how devastated they were when the latest SL release broke the must reverred and depended-upon "Restore to Last Position". Well it looks it IS working again, and a lot of people including me were not aware that it is working again. And I am NOT an owner of the parcel located at Region (0,0), nor do I belong to a group deeded to Region(0,0)...which was a caveat.

I hope its not something unique to my settings or viewer or anything else.

UPDATE 7/19: Ok it is now NOT WORKING again on my parcel so I assume it is not working for others. Must have been some quirk. Am exploring it. Sorry. Seems unpredictable.

And if it turns out that it is still not working for you, I do have a fall-back solution, IF your set is MODIFY ...AND if you can stand within 10 meters of where it was rezzed before...then I have a free script (copy/no mod/no trans) for you that I just wrote as a backup plan. Place it in the set and click on the set before taking it into memory. Then stand close to where it was before and rez it from your inventory and it will remember and reposition itself.

And that's YUMMY's taste of things

YUMMY

Saturday, July 14, 2012

YUMMY - #3 - Texture Dragging and Lag Monsters

===============================

 TEXTURE DRAGGING



News you can maybe use for dancer-builders:

(If this is too off topic, I will remove it quickly and I   apologize in advance to Nottoo. I just needed a reason to show an image.)

Save 30 Lindens.

Take 4 textures you want to upload to SL and make 1 image using your favorite photo/image editor.


Now load it as 1 image and pay the 10 L instead of 40 L for 4 separate images.

With the latest texture-drag feature of the newest viewer release in Firestorm/Phoenix, change Repeats per Face to 0.5 for both horizontal and vertical.

Now you must have Stretch Both Sides checked or Stretch Textures checked.

Now check Select Face.


You can now click on the prim face and select the one you want by dragging the texture around.




*********************************************************
*********************************************************

THE LAG MONSTER


Ok I had a lot of topics formed in my head to write about and was having trouble deciding on which ones when THIS one just jumped up and "yelled" and "screamed" at me. Seeing as how the festival is near, this information seemed like it would help newbies and new venues when it comes to handling LAG. This information comes from the "big boys and girls who look down on us from above".

 And if you are an old-timer or veteran, you can skip this article.

Please note that my use of CAPS is NOT meant to YELL at anyone but only to emphasize key points so they are more easily remembered.

The short of it...

Lag caused by physics (primarily avatar movement) is the number one cause of region lag



 ========================================


1)  SERVER SIDE LAG


The BIGGEST IMPACT on server side lag is NUMBER OF AVATARS. 

Second is UNSEATED avatars. Long-story short, PROVIDE SEATING at your venue and ask that people be seated and maybe explain why. This will heavily reduce lag moreso than number of scripted attachments worn.

 I think that in your own club, where you provide passive entertainment as in burlesque, cabaret or live concerts, if you see people standing because there are not enough seats, then provide more seats and ask them to sit. A person standing who is wearing no scripts can impact sim lag as much, if not more,  as the person seated who is wearing a lot of scripts.

So a LIGHTBULB turns on in my head. If this be the case then any performer who is standing around during another performer(s) act is also conributing to unneeded lag. So ideally, they should be seated as well. So add seats backstage or below stage to help strangle this lag monster even more.

Lag caused by physics (primarily avatar movement) is the number one cause of region lag. If physics lag is bad enough, scripts simply will stop running; avatar movement is considered more important than scipts. If there are 40 people at an event, and many are moving about, it will be laggy even if none of those people are wearing scripts.

Moving away from a scripted prim will not do anything to reduce the “lag” it may be causing you. Scripts all run on the region server, and therefore, they are “global” to the server. No matter where you are in the region, the effect of that script running - that is, the time taken to run it, and the memory it consumes - will be felt on the entire region.

========================================

2)  CLIENT SIDE LAG

 

  • reduce your draw distance (do you really need to see 512m away?);
  • turn on avatar impostors (this makes drawing of distant avatars much faster);
  • disable atmospheric shaders (which serves to drastically reduce how much your computer has to render, as the sky alone is very graphics-intensive); (this is under Graphics-General)
  • if need be, inhibit the rendering of other avatars: using Phoenix: Advanced → Rendering → Types → Character; using Firestorm: Advanced → Rendering Types → Avatar - or derender them
  •  

========================================

3)  SCRIPT LAG



Yes, the less scripts worn and running, the better SL will perform for all.  (Excerpted: There is no good reason whatsoever for anyone to be carrying around more than 200 scripts on a human avatar, even when in full RP attire, with combat HUDs)

AO's have an insignificant impact so it is ok to continue using them

Ok a cool new convenient feature of the latest release of the Firestorm/Phoenix viewers is that you can easily STOP scripts from RUNNING on attached items in cases where the item allows it. This would be handy when you dont want to remove (delete) a script but reduce its impact when attending a lag-sensitive performance

Right-Click and EDIT then choose from menu,  Build-->Scripts-->Set Scripts to Not Running.  You can set them to running again, after the event is over,  using the same path and choose Set Scrips to Running.


========================================

4) PRIM LAG


Prims (as is number of) effect on lag is minuscule.

Contrary to popular belief, particles do not “lag a SIM'. Their effect on a SIM, on the servers, is in fact close to zero


========================================

5)  PARTICLE LAG

Don't be overly concerned about particles and their impact on a sim's performance. It''s a client-side thing. Also  you can turn down particle count on your client machine to reduce lag on your client.


========================================

5)  NETWORK  LAG


This is when you have connectivity issues. There are problems somewhere in the network between your computer and the LL servers. This usually can be noticed when you start to experience packet loss. Press Shift-Ctrl-1 (or View → Statistics Bar) and look at the top, packet loss; ideally this should be 0%; if it isn't you have a connectivity issue and are losing data, Also, check Ping SIM. Ideally, this should be under 200.

Symptoms of a poor connection include (but are not limited to):

  • failure of your avatar or textures to rez.
  • object information not display in hover tips when you mouse over them
  • Teleport failure
  • random crashes

You can try to mitigate network lag by playing with your bandwidth. Too high, or too low, a value will result in network lag.

Aside from the network issues mentioned above, some programs may inhibit or interfere with a good connection. Some firewall software and anti virus programs are known to do this. You may want to temporarily disable them and see if the situation improves.

 
 
**********************************************
 

BANDWITH


Recmmendation

 

Based on our experience, we strongly recommend the following maximum settings for bandwidth - unless the calculations above suggest lower values:
  • Any type of wireless connection, including home wireless: 500
  • Hardwired DSL: 1000
  • Hardwired cable or better: 1500.

===================


And that's Yummy's *taste* of things

 Yummy

 


 




Friday, June 29, 2012

YUMMY - More bang for the buck

TASTE



Feedback


All I can say is WOW! The response from my first blog was very positive with almost 100 direct link hits. I received over 14 unsolicited positve feedback from people, most of whom I had never met before along with offers to judge, consult, and guest-speak  . The only real negative feedback was that it was too long. I agree and intend to keep future blogs shorter. (ok this one is about 500 words shorter, about a 12% decrease...will try harder next time).  I had planned to break the 1st blog into 2 parts but at the last minute saw a very long post, and so I got curious as to what would happen if i did post it. More curious than anything else.

Also got blindsided in the face hard with a giant tomato so now I wear a hockey mask along with my aligator skin.

Ok so when they told me to "Go BIG or go home..I was always the first one to go home". While others were giving 110 percent, I gave  85 to  87 percent...88 on a good day. So when I do finally see a prime opening to go BIG if not HUGE...well then  Its a new dawn, its a new day, its a new life for me yeah, and thus my continued interest in developing a suite of products to allow SL animations to be edited ...in a virtual sense.

But first I feel the need to address a couple of concerns raised with regards to 'more huds to wear', 'number of scripts' and 'channel usage'.

 First off my tools use less than half the number of scripts that the smallest dance HUD uses. Second that huds with menus (channel usage) challenge sim resources noticebly*  and are a concern at showtimes. Well first of all I have 3 platforms of tools. The 1st is designed to be used in the privacy of your own home or development studio as this is where you select criterium to direct future scripted actions so this is about as a low-lag of a condition as you could expect and so there should be no concern of performance lag ...since there is no performance But even so, I did an ad-hoc comparison, not super-valid and maybe apples-to-oranges comparison, and my most function-heavy tool weighs in at about 10% of the resources of what is, arguably, the top resource-performance-related HUD.  Ok noone was more shocked than I. I expected my baby to relly PIG out on resources. And even, so I do agree I can make it lighter.


The 2nd will be a lighter and less demanding show version with simple icon-based triggered actions. And 3rd will be an even lighter version that is macro-driven so that it embeds into HUDs that you are already using so that you won't have to have yet another HUD on your screen. My device(s) can also be worn on the body as an attachment or rezzed ....if  HUD screen space is a concern.


Well thats the plan, anyways. Of course it will take time to create these extra lighter versions so don't expect them to all be released at the same time.

And now for the FREE prize in the cracker-jack box. This time I decided to put the freebie at the beginning since many missed it at the end last time due to the obscene length...they lied when they said size matters 

 Someone told me that easiest way to create images for my blogs is to create new products, give them away, and take screen shots. Hmmmm.  There has to be an easier way...but maybe they're right. I am so trusting. So without further ado, because you've had more ado than any person should have to take...I present to you....TADA!!!...


DanceTimer





The DanceTimer I just created was inspired by Nottoo's post on song-timing. (Choreography of a Show).  And yes I am offering it FREE for a limited time to DQ members. If I haven't met you then all I ask in return is a face-2-face meeting with you for about 59 seconds and breathe the air you breathe.


The DanceTimer..what is it?:

It saves you from having to watch a timer with a second-hand AND THEN  write down the times at precise moments AND THEN calculate the length of each song section, AND THEN time the song 2 more times, AND THEN  add the 3 times of each section AND THEN divide by 3 to get an average.


What this timer does is offer a stopwatch face that is toggle start/stop. So simply click on it at the beginning of the song, then click on the RED SQUARE each time you hear a section change. It will remember the times. Then STOP the stopwatch by clicking on the stopwatch face again...and then, if you are happy with your times, click the BLACK UP ARROW to accept and STORE that round of times. (If not then redo it without storing).


Then START the stopwatch again and repeat the process 2 more times.  There is an option to RESET when you press the RED SQUARE while the stopwatch is in the STOPPED condition


 And there is a PLAY button to play the song using your averaged times. In the future it will be easy to add the ability to trigger other devices at these precise times to say communicate with a HUD, start a dance sequence, trigger a wardrobe-function, fx trigger or ???. You can also name the song sections using a notecard in the HUD. That way the timed sections have more meaning by having a title.

Here is the chat results of 3 sample runs thru 1 of Notoo's 3 SongChange exercises called: Mack the Knife.  Ok after going thru it, I could have picked a better song to demo but..hey...this is what ya get.

Most likely I would start a dance about every other section but it was easier for me to click off each section this way.

Averages - Section 1 (Section1) ends at --> 11.0 seconds and is 11.0 seconds long
Averages - Section 2 (Section2) ends at --> 22.0 seconds and is 11.0 seconds long
Averages - Section 3 (Section3) ends at --> 32.7 seconds and is 10.7 seconds long
Averages - Section 4 (Section4) ends at --> 43.7 seconds and is 11.0 seconds long
Averages - Section 5 (Vocals1) ends at --> 54.7 seconds and is 11.0 seconds long
Averages - Section 6 (Section6) ends at --> 65.3 seconds and is 10.7 seconds long
Averages - Section 7 (Section7) ends at --> 76.3 seconds and is 11.0 seconds long
Averages - Section 8 (Section8) ends at --> 87.0 seconds and is 10.7 seconds long
Averages - Section 9 (Solo1) ends at --> 97.3 seconds and is 10.3 seconds long
Averages - Section 10 (Section10) ends at --> 108.3 seconds and is 11.0 seconds long
Averages - Section 11 (Section11) ends at --> 119.0 seconds and is 10.7 seconds long
Averages - Section 12 (Section12) ends at --> 130.0 seconds and is 11.0 seconds long
Averages - Section 13 (Vocals2) ends at --> 140.3 seconds and is 10.3 seconds long
Averages - Section 14 (Section14) ends at --> 151.0 seconds and is 10.7 seconds long
Averages - Section 15 (Section15) ends at --> 161.7 seconds and is 10.7 seconds long
Averages - Section 16 (Section16) ends at --> 172.3 seconds and is 10.7 seconds long
Averages - Section 17 (Solo2) ends at --> 183.3 seconds and is 11.0 seconds long
Averages - Section 18 (Section18) ends at --> 192.7 seconds and is 9.3 seconds long


Below is the results of pressing the PLAY button after you have completed 3 sample entries.

[17:19:07] TPT - DanceTimer v1.8: ***********************************
[17:19:07] TPT - DanceTimer v1.8: Playing Started ! 18 stages
[17:19:07] TPT - DanceTimer v1.8: Section1 Time Start: 0
[17:19:18] TPT - DanceTimer v1.8: Section1 Time End: 11.0
[17:19:18] TPT - DanceTimer v1.8: Clock: 11 seconds
[17:19:18] TPT - DanceTimer v1.8: 
[17:19:18] TPT - DanceTimer v1.8: 
[17:19:18] TPT - DanceTimer v1.8: Section2 Time Start: 11.0
[17:19:29] TPT - DanceTimer v1.8: Section2 Time End: 22.0
[17:19:29] TPT - DanceTimer v1.8: Clock: 23 seconds
[17:19:29] TPT - DanceTimer v1.8: 
[17:19:29] TPT - DanceTimer v1.8: 
[17:19:29] TPT - DanceTimer v1.8: Section3 Time Start: 22.0
[17:19:40] TPT - DanceTimer v1.8: Section3 Time End: 32.7
[17:19:40] TPT - DanceTimer v1.8: Clock: 33 seconds
[17:19:40] TPT - DanceTimer v1.8: 
[17:19:40] TPT - DanceTimer v1.8: 
.

.

.
[17:21:50] TPT - DanceTimer v1.8: 
[17:21:50] TPT - DanceTimer v1.8: 
[17:21:50] TPT - DanceTimer v1.8: Section16 Time Start: 161.7
[17:22:01] TPT - DanceTimer v1.8: Section16 Time End: 172.3
[17:22:01] TPT - DanceTimer v1.8: Clock: 174 seconds
[17:22:01] TPT - DanceTimer v1.8: 
[17:22:01] TPT - DanceTimer v1.8: 
[17:22:01] TPT - DanceTimer v1.8: Solo2 Time Start: 172.3
[17:22:12] TPT - DanceTimer v1.8: Solo2 Time End: 183.3
[17:22:12] TPT - DanceTimer v1.8: Clock: 185 seconds
[17:22:12] TPT - DanceTimer v1.8: 
[17:22:12] TPT - DanceTimer v1.8: 
[17:22:12] TPT - DanceTimer v1.8: Section18 Time Start: 183.3
[17:22:21] TPT - DanceTimer v1.8: Section18 Time End: 192.7
[17:22:21] TPT - DanceTimer v1.8: Clock: 194 seconds
[17:22:21] TPT - DanceTimer v1.8: 
[17:22:21] TPT - DanceTimer v1.8: Last Song Section has played

 

Production Classifications

I have found two ways of classifying a production. Vertical and horizontal. Vertical is where one person is in charge of one specialty. Example: One person builds all the sets. Another person choreographs all the routines, another selects all the costumes, while still another is responsible for all of the musical selections. 

Horizontal production means that each person is responsible for their own music, set, choreography, and costume, and anything else.

Horizontal productions seem better suited for multiple short acts,  while vertical productions seem geared towards a single, longer, act.

Production Reuse


It occurred to me that all the many hours spent preparing for a 3-minute routine with lavish sets...seemed to be wasted if only performed once.  (I heard that you may see them again in 6 months or so but...) I think that any opportunity to reuse the production, say at another venue in a different time-slot, would give wider exposure to the venue, troupe, and entertainment offering. Many are not aware that this type of media offering exists outside of our circle.  But yes, a problem could exist whereby a larger venue is offered a chance to perform away from their home venue...but at a smaller venue. Some sets/shows could adapt and others might not. But for those who could create a 2nd smaller road-show production, there would be more potential playdates....my 2 cents...and I have already seen a move in this direction.

Resource Exchange

Then I got the idea...well about venues offering to swap or exchange resources. Where applicable, 2 venues could agree to exchange sets, dancers, choreography or whatever else has exchangeable value and practicality. The idea being to offer exposure and widen your viewing audience by presenting to a different locality and time-slot. I have seen some of this happening already. Kudos.


Bring in the Substitute


I've seen and been a part of troupes where one or more members crash during the performance. This is seemingly normal in laggy situations. So I had an idea. How about having an extra troupe member on stand-by to fill-in after some agreed upon time? Good for the show without a doubt, but maybe not so good for egos, pride, and morale. But its an idea worth mulling. I have a device that  (in my head), could automatially connect the substitute to the empty dance pad or pose ball after x-seconds of being empty. Hmmmm....

What's the Score?



I have been hearing a lot of comments about what people like and dont like as well as paying attention to what and when people openly applaud parts of an act. Current audiences are so respectful, supportive, positive, uplifting and encouraging, that seldom will you, as performers,  hear a discouraging word from audience members, especially if they are not performers themselves.

So a couple people have asked me recently what criterion I used to value a performance. Well I had never stopped to analyze it. After all who gives a .....what what I think?

 But...then with due respect, I sat down, slowed down my thought process, and went thru things that stood out that made an impact on me both positive or negative in conjunction with what I've heard others say in private. I tried to look at it  using my easy-going-audience hat as opposed to seeing it from the point of a more critical-performer hat, since I think the goal eventually is to play to a higher concentration of non-performing audience members.  

So I came up with the following very onofficial, rough, scoring system that is meant to be helpful to those looking for some sort of baseline in determining how well your offering will be or has been received in comparison to an average baseline:


SET


1 - Background
1 - Walls
1 - Floor
2 - Convergent set (3D depth)
1 - BG,Floors,Walls coordinated
1 - Has Props
1 - One animated set of props
1 - Two or more animated props
1 - Breaks 4th wall
1 - Uses particle effects
1 - Parts of actual set structure animate
1 - Higher level platform
2 - Noticeably colorful set


MUSIC


1 - Has Lyrics
2 - Popular
1 - Syncopated Rhythm
1 - Humorous


CHOREOGRAPHY
 

1 - At least 1 unique dance
1 - At least 2 dances of distinquishably different tempos
2 - Dances change when song sections change
1 - Static opening pose
1 - Static finishing pose
1 - A funny dance
1 - A sexy dance
1 - A dance that shows your backside (a turn)
1 - A dance that uses the floor
1 - A dance that seems airborne for a brief time


WARDROBE FUNCTIONING


-2  - Removal of items in 1st 10 seconds
-2  - Waiting until last 5 seconds before removing any items
-1  - Only 1 round of wardrobe removal


COSTUMES


-1 - Plain undergarments
-1 - X-shaped Pasties


EMOTING


1 - Emotes  (any type)
1 - Emotes (spontaneously)
2 - Addresses at least 1 member of the audience with a response
-1 - No emoting


GROUPING


1 - More than 1 person dancing
1 - Dancing in Sync
2 - Use of changing formations
2 - Smooth transitions
1 - Same costumes
1 - All emoting
2 - Two different routines performed at same time by 2 different troupe groupings
1 - Allowing part of troupe to freeze while other part continues dancing.


OVERALL PRODUCTION


1 - Live Voice MC
1 - Spontaneous unscripted Voice MCing
1 - Host or Hostess
1 - Program Offering
1 - Custom Light setting


How to use the above tabulation method:

Add or subtract points for your performance. The higher the score, the more the audience is likely to have enjoyed it and I am speaking more about audience members who are not performers themselves There is of course a ceiling at which point it can approach gimmickry if one tries to aim for the highest score by thowing everything into the mix.


 I think this scoring has more value in relative comparisons for the same show rather than comparing oferings from different venues. It is an indicator of how you will be received in comparison with others acts on the same program. I think the aim should not necessarily to be "the best of show" but to narrow the gap between "best and worst" so the show has a more consistent level of audience-satisfaction.


Active vs Passive 



I find I enjoy a show more when I am actively experiencing it as opposed to passively experiencing it. Active implies that I am more attentive and aware of what is going on. Passive implies that I am sort of zoning out, mind wandering, entranced, unfocused. I tend to drift from back and forth between the 2 modes. The more time I have spent actively viewing and listening, the more I enjoy the performance. Maybe I have mild ADHD? If you ask me what I remember about a performance, well the more atentive I was, the more I can recall. The higher the tally, the more "active" I have been. (And yes its possible to be "actively bad" though rare. You are sitting there going WTF and "..are you kidding me?" every minute or so. That only happened twice to me.  So kudos to all of you....even you WTFers for better days are ahead.


What's Coming?



All I can say is WOW again. I am privvy to seeing what new products and innovations are coming around the corner. When? It appears many new innovations are on target to be released to the public in the JULY-AUGUST 2012  framework. If you are a choreographer, dance troupe, or solo dancer, you will benefit the most. Second will be show producers and audience members who stand to gain the most from the coming enhancements.  I am sooo biting my tongue, chomping at the bit,  but am remaining hush and mum about what I see innovators  are about to unleash on the community.


Many of these new innovations'address and  offer solutions to existing problems' while others offer 'extra creative opportunities' for artists. Basically they end up making productons more interesting to view as well as create.

Something Old, Something New



Wow again! So many blog hits got me to wondering what motivates a person to view a blog link directly? It appears that those entries with the most views seem to answer the question "What's in it for me?".  That is understandable. It seems that blogs which sort of  answer the question "what does it all mean?", that summarizes, draws conclusions, provides survey results, or is a collective resource depository.....seem to garner the most interest. And while browsing, I discovered a trove of interesting articles along the way....so I humbly suggest that in your spare time, you browse some of the older articles at random as there seems to be a wealth of useful information buried in past blogs. Amazing the amount of valuable and varied content Nottoo and others have contributed.


Same Old same Old



I used to be a snob about seeing the same dance done more than once or twice in a routine. But now I find I enjoy any dance that is well placed and fitting for the song being played in that it fits the tempo and segues and transitions nicely and smoothly from and/or to a dance...regardless of how often it is used.

 The truth is there are only so many  "good dances" and it appears that secretly, unofficially, and unceremoniously "we" all seem to agree on which dances are the "good dances"...the "cool dances". We tend to see them more often than what I would call the  "fill dances"....that is, dances that offer variations of the 'stand out dance' that are not as good or noteworthy.  I have also seen the same sequence repeat and it totally worked for me because it matched so well with the music, following and changing in sync with song changes and thus accenting the delineation of the song sections. So I have shed my snobbiness since I am going with how the routine makes me feel and not what makes sense academically.


Short Programs and RL



We hear it all the time. Someone has to cancel a performance due to unforeseen Real-Life obligations and when several of these cancellations occur at the same time, it can prove problematic for show producers who feel they have an obligation to present a minimum show offering. So, for example, 6 acts are scheduled to perform and for some calamitous reason, 3 of them have to cancel or postpone, then show producers, feeling they are expected to offer a minimum of say 30 minutes to an hour of entertainment, end up cancelling the whole event.


Well I have heard that this is disheartening to the dancers who did prepare. So  I say put on a show with the 3 acts that CAN perform. Heed that  "the show must go on", as they say.


So I suggest that for any new clubs (I say new clubs, because I would expect stern resistance from existing clubs who feel they would be sending the wrong signal that their program was waning and dying out) that plan to open, that you consider offering "short programs" some of the time. These will be about 15 minutes long and consist of about 3 acts. Could be 2 or 4, and even include a performer performing twice. I am not implying that you ONLY offer short-programs but that you announce that sometimes you will as the situation arises.


 Because there are so many entertainment time slots open in a given week and the viewing audience is at times starved for entertainment of any kind, I suspect that you will have support from at least those who also work  behind the scenes  to come and support your 'short program' as well as futhering their learning process. Sometimes I feel offerings are of less quality than what producers really want (as was told to me) to offer which could be due to time constaintsm RL interruptions, along with pressure to offer a full program.  I understand that and am totally ok with a mix of quality but also salute those who choose to offer less product but offer the same product more often,  in order to maintain a higher quality. There is room for both.



What's New?



Two more new clubs have opened. No more closings that I am aware of.

And now for the controversial part of this blog: (this will be an ongoing segment of this and future blogs where I remove the mask and skin and let you take your best shot..ala..taking one..ok several for the team and the spirit of lively debate).

I am seeing the hint of entrance-fees for shows as demand begins to outstrip supply with regards to performance seating. How much? Well the average donation for good shows seems to hover around 150 to 200 L to upwards of 300 L per....but thats just a ballpark guess. But $ 1 USD for 1 to 2 hours of entertainment is far from unreasonable. (The fee could be waved in favor of a special group membership, that way you dont offend your paying public by demanding a tithe, since you know will  most likely value your performances)

The first hint to me has been a recent increase in "shows by reservations'. It appears venues are starting to value their own productions by simply saying "what we do has value" and we want to control the quality of your experience and thus, reservations are in order.  

The idea being that you have begun identifying regular (or even semi-regular) conscientous and generous repeat patrons so if you know that say 20 out of 30 people regularly (or semi)  contribute and 10 people (not always the same 10 of course) who ALWAYS "fly free"... the thinking may be, why punish the regular 2/3 paying public with extra lag caused by a 1/3 who are saying that what you do consistently  has no value, yet continue to come back. (Of course they get a pass if they would.... if they could but have fallen on hard times...this being the age of  'hard times).

This model won't apply equally across the board as there are venues who have been and will continue to do well, priding themselves on having and keeping open doors, while bringing in very respectable donations....so why rock the boat? Granted.

 It works well with clubs offering new entetainment often enough to make it practical, but a person might show up and pay the 1st or 2nd time they see a repeated-performance yet bulk at paying beyond that to see the same performance additonal times and in this case you would rather see seats filled than benefit from any type of lag-free-benefit by fee-based attendance.

It only makes sense if you see and feel numbers of avatars are a factor , and you have a hi-powered in-demand offering. accompanied by an identifiable, loyal, and generous fanbase.

 You could offer a special type of performance for those who have voted their approval with ther pocketbooks.

I hear an argument coming of  "then how do we grow our fan base". Well because you still offer free shows as well. So you ask, 'well then why pay for a show that you could see for free?". Well because you offer a different or special or hi-caliber show to those who feel you are 'worth-a-buck'? Many of us are ardent followers craving this type of entertainment and would not want ot feel we had missed "somehing special".

 Expect to see side-by-side 2nd tier special offerings but at a small entrance fee or group-restricted attendance to test the market without alienating the existing fanbase. Don't expect to see this evolution overnight but in the long run..it may be the wave.

 I see productions taking a huge leap forward in the near future as far as seeming more TV/movie like....with more control by show producers and the emergence of a new position called show "director" with real directorial responsibilities as they tackle the challenge and opportunities of up-and-coming innovations..


And that's Yummy's *taste* of things.

 

Yummy





Saturday, June 23, 2012

Henmations Releases Second Industrial Dance Series


Henmations Releases Second Industrial Dance Series 120623

Hendrik Schroder sent this to the Henmations Group today ...

====================

Dear Customers,

the second Part of our famous Industrial Dance Series has just been released.
This comes with 20 additional Animations (31 in total now), real life performed by the "worlds best Industrial Dancer 2011/2012"...!!!

Please watch the Promo Video to learn more about the Dancer and the Production at Henmations Studios.
Youtube:  
http://youtu.be/Ye8JWnRxaqY

As usual each Animations comes with the HENMATIONS QUALITY PROMISE, no sliding Feeds, no slowdowns at the Loop-points, broked Arms or other Issues you may know from other Creators.

There is even a group exclusive FREE INDUSTRIAL DANCE (new one) available at the landing spot area in our Mainstore.. Go.. Get It!

INDUSTRIAL DANCE
Enjoy your Weekend and have a nice Dance :)

Regards
YOUR HENMATIONS TEAM

New Male AO at SEmotion


New Male AO at SEmotion 120623

Marie Sims sent this to the SEmotion Group today ...

======================

New male AO at SEmotion!Sat, Jun 23 2012 7:13:53 AM PDT

Hello everybody!

I am pleased to inform you that we just released some new male AOs!
SEmotion Tough AO HUD and 3  combo AOs of our latest male AOs. So... feel free to try them at SEmotion!


All AOs are available on Marketplace.

More info - http://se-motion.blogspot.com/

Thank you,
Marie Sims

Shoulder Surgery Needed


Shoulder Surgery Needed 120622

Yes it's true!

Here is a pic Zed sent me of a bad MOCAP dance that needs shoulder adjustment. We are beginning to see a lot of these, so be careful when you purchase.


If you get a bad one, complain to Hendrik.

xxx
Nottoo

Friday, June 22, 2012

New Video from Guerilla Burlesque


New Video from Guerilla Burlesque 120622

Diawa Bellic sent us the URL for the new Guerilla Burlesque video ...

===================