How to select clips?

[RottenJesus]

Hi there all you veterans!
I returned to the site once again, as I'm doing since a couple of years. I started with one AMV back in 2004 and couldn't get my ass to finish a whole project since then. Every now and then, the ideas come back swirling in my head and I try to start once again. Lasts for a couple of days or weeks where I plan my video, rip the footage and so on, and then there comes the most annoying part for me: Selecting which clips to use for editing.
Until now, I rewatched the anime before starting with the whole process and wrote a few scenes down that I want to use. I end up watching the anime one more time when I import them into Vegas and throw all the interesting scenes on one timeline where I can select further when I start editing.
Usually that's the point where I lose my motivation and stop... Most of the time I want to edit right away, and all this work I have to do beforehand stops me from coming far enough to really do so.

Can someone give me a hint how to do better? Any method that you use and is easier/faster?

[Ileia]

Well, that's one of the less fun aspects of the hobby. The work beforehand is a necessary evil, unfortunately.

[Mastamind]

The first time I edited a full video I just threw all the vob files directly into my program and started editing immediately. I found this to be way easier and, obviously, less exhausting. Of course eventually I had to go through hell to sort out the problems this caused, but at least I didn't waste any time losing my motivation.
Many editors usually reach a similar stump; laziness, unfortunately, is one of the main factors preventing us from from editing everything we come up with.

[BasharOfTheAges]

1TB HDDs can be had for less than $100 (less than $80 if you're not picky about the speed they rotate at). Use full DVDs and dump the footage to discs and clip in your NLE as you're going. Most of it should be easy if you have a solid concept. If you don't, you shouldn't be editing the video in the first place.

[Castor Troy]

As an editor, you should have a feel for what you want to put at certain parts of the song.

99.9% of the time, the clips will be much different than you imagined and you'll have to improvise your video on the fly. You'll be surprised how much improvisation works in comparison to what you originally thought in your head.

If you're not willing to do the work, you shouldn't be an editor.

[Mol]

nach you can get used to cutting out scenes i would suggest playing some nice music in background while cutting out scenes i vdub ...or just use directshow.

[RottenJesus]

I'm already working with full dvd-clips and that, but from your answers I guess I just need a stricter concept what I really want to have on certain parts, so that I can better distinguish which scenes suit and which don't. Guess I have to work on that more. I only manage to get a tight concept on certain parts, the rest I normally leave up to improvisation when it comes up, and try different approaches how to do that. But that's not the hard part. Sometimes this is even the most enjoyable, when you just throw in one clip that COULD fit and it fits more perfectly than you could imagine.

Can be very discouraging though to search for the exact scene you have in mind, but you can't find it or it was different in the anime as you remembered.

[NS]

Either I remember that the scene exists in the anime, and the general location of it, or I have to scrub through episodes until I find the type of thing I want.

[LittleAtari]

A lot of times, I know that a source is perfect for a song. Most of the time, I cant remember or seem to find the clips I need for said song though. What I've started to get into the habit of doing, is making an extra sequence within premiere that I can just dump clips into that I think can go with the song. I throw any and every clip that can somehow go with the song. If I want to focus on a character, I give them their own sequence and put clips of them in it. I feel like my thought process has gotten a little jumbled when it comes to editing, so this allows me to brainstorm my clips.

Then, while editing, I'll end up taking most of my clips from that sequence. If I ever get completely stuck, I go back to dumping more clips into my little storage bin.

It kind of sucks that I'm no longer just jumping into editing, but considering that this process doesnt require me to actually listen to the song, I'll usual do it while sitting on skype with a friend or something. I also feel like this forces me to explore every opportunity that my source has available, making my work more thought out.

[Nya-chan Production]

Use full movies and file mounting (b^^)b