[Sashisuseso Postscript 13] If I were to give one answer - Tsukiyomi Kurage Performance Video -
It has been a very long time. How is everyone doing with the Hasunosora 4th Hyogo and graduation performances just around the corner?
"It's already the end of the fiscal year, and this song was the only one revealed early at the Fes×LIVE in late July 2024, so there's not much hope left..."
Just as I was thinking that, a Lyric Video suddenly appeared from the official channel, and I thought, "Ah, in terms of the note order, this is it!" so I dug up a draft I had been saving. There are so many things I want to write about, so I had hoped to put out one note a month, or so I thought at the beginning of 2025, but I was already discouraged by March and April. Too fast.
As long as I have so many things I want to do and need to do, including editing, it seems my writing will be slow again this fiscal year. At this rate, it seems like all the postscripts will be written long after the fact. If I manage to post within a week, consider it the result of my stockpiling.
This time, from Bloom Wind Orchestra, I have finally finished writing about the video editing and thumbnail for the Tsukiyomi Kurage Performance Video
. The reason why I might become a crying bomb with the 104th term Slive song might be here.
Sorry to have kept you waiting...! It seems like it's been about half a year. The passage of time is scary.
Now, the talk of this performance video came up on a certain day in the first half of August, during the lunch break of Bloom practice, shortly after the Aoku Haruka performance video was released.
"I want to do Tsukiyomi Kurage with the Aoku Haruka video members."
These words came from Crossly, who was eating lunch at the same table.
It seems it was also because it was a nice lineup, with 3 brass and 3 woodwind players, plus a rhythm section of 3 (piano, bass, and drums), which was quite good for something gathered on the spur of the moment back then. I am proud that that video turned out well personally, so I was excited just by the fact that the topic came up.
If you'd like, please take a look at Aoku Haruka as well.
No, I mean, Tsukiyomi Kurage has such a beautiful sound... Following Aoku Haruka, with the addition of Ginko-chan, the 104th term Cerise Bouquet has come to fully demonstrate its charm even in so-called cool colors. And I really love songs that wear such "colors" or "atmospheres" like blue, azure, or light blue, and have a sense of transparency, regardless of the context. That's why I was genuinely happy when this came up. Even while I was worrying about On your mark behind the scenes (details in that note), I had already said, "If it's officially decided, let's use the same members for the video! Please let me join you!."
Fast forward to autumn.
I decided on a 2.5-week period where I could fully dedicate myself to working on this video.
"decided" is exactly what I wrote, and while it's true that I had no choice but to fit it into this period due to other videos, I felt like I had gained a sense of editing, where I could complete 95% in 2.5 weeks after thoroughly planning the structure in advance, and have 3 weeks until release including feedback and corrections from the planning members, which would be enough to make something I was satisfied with. Also, if it's too long, I lose momentum, given my personality. So I judged at this time that 2.5 weeks would be best. My experience with "Ashita no Sora no Bokutachi e" where 9 of us had that much editing volume and time also contributed to this. Also, since I was editing something every day during this period, I was able to gauge the pace of working on the software without any problems, and I think I was at my peak.
I wrote earlier that I dedicated 2.5 weeks to it.
In the week before that, I brought Ijigen♥★BIGBANG to 70-80% completion (a level where I could share it with the members once) (the remaining editing including adjustments and corrections would be after late November when I finished editing Tsukiyomi Kurage) + started thinking about the structure and production of Tsukiyomi Kurage until I finished refining it.
I set up such a schedule. I was aware that I could only dedicate myself to one thing at a time, so I made sure to divide the periods strictly. My thought after listening to the original song was that I could refine the structure even in a short time. I thought that this kind of song style would suit my hands.
Regarding the composition
Now, the story after the sheet music was released. I read through it at the beginning of November (in real life). With the help of others and receiving various comments, I went through all the sheet music at once.
“Wait, it seems like one person each for Tsumasshi-san and Crossly-san isn't enough.”
Initially, I thought about using the same 3x3 composition as Aoku Haruka, but since it wouldn't be a square number, that wasn't possible.
Oh, this time the woodwinds and brass are also divided by member, even if the distribution is different! Yes, yes, yes, yes!! If so, I want to follow the form of the previous Aoku Haruka to some extent... after all, we have the same members gathered together. Since percussion and keyboards have been added, and 12 screens is the maximum, a 4x3 grid seems safe. Then, instead of vertical, should I align them by the same member's part (Kozue, Kaho, Ginko) horizontally? But if I do that, the visual balance will be off, right? The unit members are divided into two wind instruments each, and I can't forgive a horizontal 4 for that, or rather, I just can't.
Hmm... keeping the same shape as Aoku Haruka and just changing the left and right of the members is the best, but where do I add the percussion and keyboard (equivalent to glockenspiel and chimes)? Percussion is one thing, but the keyboard plays almost the entire time, so do I just overlay it somewhere the whole time? Isn't that too lopsided for a 3x3 grid?? Should I subtract from a 4x4? If so, I have to think about the background thoroughly, right? Or rather, if I do that, isn't there no way to express the three unit members well??
......I don't know!!!!!!
In the end, I decided to make 10 screens, including the keyboard, the basic layout for now. I settled on a form where Tsumasshi-san's ambient percussion (tambourine, wind chimes, sashin) would be overlaid on top as needed. No, maybe it's more accurate to say that I threw everything else to my future self rather than settled on it. I remember worrying, 'I managed to get this far, but is this really okay?'
All 10 screens have the same area. The 6 parts for brass and woodwinds and the 4 parts on the bottom row have the same aspect ratio. I'm the type who wants to align things properly when I do. I guess you could say I'm meticulous about these things.
This time, Kozue's part is Cl and Hr, Kaho's part is Fl and Trb, and Ginko's part is Trp and B.Cl, so I followed that and determined the positions by referring to Fes×LIVE. I used the same filter I used for Aoku Haruka this time as well, making it a little smaller and blurred compared to last time to give it an underwater bubble feel. After thinking about this and that, I ended up back here. It has the comfort of my parents' home.
The background has a gradient; I was conscious of the jacket photo here. I added an orange color like a sunset at an earlier time only for the falling chorus to match the 104th Term 1st Term Fes×LIVE ~TWINKLE STAR FESTIVAL!!~ in July. Since I put a lot of color in the background, I outlined only the keyboard in gold and silver (though I intended it to be white and yellow) so that the difference between the glockenspiel and chimes could be understood. Other than that, I finished it cleanly without outlines. I didn't add them because I intended for people to understand the wind instrument parts by their placement!
The outline color of Tsumasshi-san's inserted percussion should be the member color according to the singing part in that area. I think things like that are hard to notice or understand without outlines, so I added them because I thought I might as well.
This time, Yuzuru-san from Ginko's part also submitted a video with a different angle for the second verse, and when I first saw it, I was like, 'Is that how you did it!?' Thank you for the very easy-to-see and wonderful video material. You can never have too much material. And it's a screen overflowing with love for Ginko-chan. The part 'Because it's my own way' is where Ginko-chan comes to the front, pushed by the choreography. I set it to be slightly larger than 1/3 of the other parts, being conscious of that.
(Going off-topic a bit, but our woodwind low-end members have that kind of thing during performance videos, don't they)
(Moya-san dances while holding an instrument, wears motifs, and also costumes)
(Uomomi-san is a super sport who drew and showed me a picture even though I gave a rough request for her first video project. I also like the costume from that time, which was 103 Dolche colors)
(Yuzuru-san is this time's case) (The way I put it)
(Tsurumigawa-san, I am moved every time I watch the videos you submit. The way you film the bird is a genius. In the example I edited myself, I was thrilled when the focus finally hit the photo of Utatsuyama in the Bass sky.)
Regarding the percussion, the timing of the insertions varies and it wouldn't work to display them the whole time, so I decided on an approach of inserting them section by section. This was a point that had me scratching my head, wondering if this was really the right way to do it, but once I actually rendered it, it fit surprisingly well. Initially, the shapes were much more angular. The flipping, split-screen effect I used for the transitions was also a first for me in terms of editing techniques. My usual rule of "incorporate something new in terms of editing" is represented here this time.incorporate something new in terms of editing is represented here this time.
As for the mechanism:
Temporarily create a video fitted into a shape in a different location
↓
Drag it to the output location and split it into a set number of vertical and horizontal pieces
↓
Add animation with staggered timing
It seems it was possible to do it with this structure. I had an image in my head of what I wanted to do, but I remember it taking a lot of time to break down how to use what to get the splitting and the temporal offset. If I couldn't verbalize this, I wouldn't even know what to search for (even searching for things like "flipping" didn't yield any results).
Being able to take this approach for the percussion that is inserted in parts was the biggest takeaway from editing this video, and it's something I feel confident I can apply in the future as well. It seems like it will come up again.
At this point, it was about 80% complete, so I shared it with the participating members. It was the exact date I had declared to a certain member, saying, "Kick my butt if I go past this day." I don't dislike pushing myself by making declarations like this.
From there, I spent the remaining 2-3 days on the percussion shapes, overall color correction, and creating the thumbnail I had left for later.
Ame-san from Fl suggested, "Wouldn't it look more like a jellyfish if you rounded the corners of the shapes?" and I thought, "Genius!?"
......but this actually took quite a bit of time. You can make angular shapes by cutting parts of a regular rectangle, but when it comes to rounded corners, you have to change the shape itself to one for rounded corners (this might be a bad point of Aviutl. Even if it's on the static side, in Photoshop, you can set rounded corners at the same time). And then I wondered, can I even make arbitrary quadrilaterals other than rectangles...? Does such an object even exist in the first place...? As a result, I found another object that had been included, and I was saved because I could create it just by swapping it out.
Color correction is actually something I haven't messed with much until now. However, because I'm applying a blue filter to evoke the image of being underwater, if the base has a strong yellow tint, it ends up looking greenish, so I made a few adjustments this time. It was a case of "thank goodness for photography experts."
For the thumbnail and credit section, I added the moon jellyfish from the Big Petri Dish at Sumida Aquarium. I had wanted to go see them one more time right before releasing this video, but I was too busy for that. I went at the beginning of September, but nothing came to mind, so I wanted to go during the editing period if possible (in honor of Kozue-senpai). Let's just say it was good that I was able to go right after. There are moments when the lights in the Big Petri Dish become close to the member colors of the beautiful 104th term SLiB trio, so I aim for those moments.Sumida Aquarium is great.
As for the font, I used a Mincho-based one because I wanted to give it a sharper impression than Aoku Haruka. As usual, I have the three member colors added for the song title, unit name, and Bloom. To express the instability of the jellyfish, I finished by slightly shifting the size and position of the song title part. Regarding the thumbnail, while I try to make it a template, I always make it with the hope that it conveys the essence of the song, that I don't forget to make the text easy to read, and that it communicates that it is a multi-track recording.
And so, it was completed safely. I was so stuck at one point that I really wondered what would happen, so I felt relieved for a moment. I truly believe that this video wouldn't have been possible without the members who checked the draft and gave me improvement suggestions while I was really pressed for time, and the members who helped me in various other ways. No, I always think that, but even now, after the completion and release, and even as time has passed, I feel that it is a video made with a lot of support.
Things I wanted to include but gave up on after much deliberation
In the intro, the part with the half note x 2 -> whole note (fp). An idea to link it with the three people's part distribution, distribute the rhythm section well, and fit the video into a frame like bubbles rising up.
The reasons I stopped were:
・It looks grand, but I couldn't create the background
・Prioritized ambient percussion due to time constraints
・Even if I made this, I couldn't come up with a plan to connect it cleanly to the subsequent intro
That's roughly it. If I had two more weeks, I might have made it. I guess this can't be helped.
Miscellaneous notes + postscript
I personally considered October to be the cutoff point until I started working on this edit in earnest (once I had received all the videos from everyone), so I extended October to about the 41st. By the way, when I looked back, I realized that the October production work (the bass part) started around September 28th, so I've been living in October for about 44 days.Scary.
That said, November won't stretch. Or rather, I can't stretch it myself (I don't have the authority to). That's about when the submission deadlines for various videos were. The inverted song, Tsukiyomi Kurage. Ijigen BIGBANG is at the beginning of December, but there are a lot of people, so it's practically like that...
Besides the videos, multiple deadlines for other things, including my main job, were also set around this time. There was also the dress rehearsal for Grateful at the beginning of December, so I suppose there was preparation for that too.
Yes, November was a super short, decisive battle of 20 days (in the late-night department spacetime). Even though there are only 30 days in the first place (). In the midst of all this, Street, 3rd Osaka, and an academic conference presentation the next day... At first, I was genuinely panicked. Especially when I got an email at the end of October saying, "Please go on a business trip to Tohoku in late November!", I thought, There's too little time for the weekend at the end of the month!?. I was definitely anxious, both mentally and physically, about whether I could properly make it to Kanazawa during the week of Street.
It's easy to write "I was very worried" in text, but in reality, I actually felt much more lost than I did with Ijigen BIGBANG, which I was working on around the same time. Even though I had decided on a period to focus on it, and even though I was spending time on it on the train, not being able to come up with anything beyond the bass video draft was an experience I hadn't had with the performance videos I'd made up to this point.
Both my main job and the content of this video hit a dead end on the weekdays of the week of Street. Even though I was looking forward to it, I was so desperate that I genuinely thought, "It's Street and 3rd Dolche Osaka this weekend!? Please don't come yet!!!"
While placing the bass parts as decided, I repeatedly watched the Aoku Haruka video myself for reference, and while recognizing that "months have passed and I have to make something better than that" was my goal and the minimum requirement for my work...
Since Aoku Haruka was a video that clicked perfectly in an instant, I wondered, "Can I surpass this...?", and even while I was working on the editing I could do at the current stage while playing it on the side, I didn't know if this was okay, or if this was the best I could think of right now. Honestly, I couldn't organize my thoughts at all. I'll just keep moving forward on the path I decided on. But I know there are places where the fog suddenly gets thick and I can't see ahead. But time-wise, I have to move forward. There's nothing scarier than this.
As a result of worrying like this, there was a period (?) where I couldn't listen to Aoku Haruka and Tsukiyomi Kurage without tears. There's the original context, and memories of the Aoku Haruka performance video alone, but remembering this makes my heart ache. They hit me with a surprise attack of Aoku Haruka -> Tsukiyomi Kurage right from the start of the live part of the Ryogoku Fan Meeting, and I was leaning back and crying my eyes out. Even at the 3rd finale Kanagawa Day 2, which was the third time I heard Aoku Haruka live, even though it was a confirmed production, I couldn't hold back during Aoku Haruka. The person sitting next to me said, "Something other than just tears is flowing."
As expected, I don't need tears for the video I edited myself, but I think this might be the reason why I still unexpectedly tear up at Aoku Haruka... Also, the lyrics hit too hard. It hurts. But at the same time, it's good that it makes me want to look forward.
Although I'm writing like this, I said "I'll do it!" and took it on, and I was able to make something good, so it's not like I only have regrets.
Having come this far with Aoku Haruka and Tsukiyomi Kurage, I have developed huge feelings for the 104th term SLiB, so I'm looking forward to bathing in Yumewazurai live now. I've put my thoughts on the moment I saw the Yumewazurai lyric video somewhere, but I hope I can write about it after chewing on it even more. The frame-by-frame video analysis was fun, wasn't it?
Bonus
The day after the November Street Fes x LIVE, it was the day of the DOLLCHESTRA Osaka performance. When 'Aoku Haruka' followed by 'Tsukiyomi Kurage' played on shuffle in the car on the way to the Ishikawa Prefectural Library. Why did it have to be this on shuffle? It's the day of the Dolche performance!!
I laughed so hard when Uni-tentei and Yuzuru-san started singing their own parts out of nowhere. (Bloom performers are like this, aren't they? Wait, they aren't??)
During the editing period, I often play demos and rough mixes on repeat to immerse myself in them, so while I laughed thinking, 'I know these sounds so well...', I was actually feeling a knot in my stomach because the progress wasn't as good as I'd hoped given the time remaining. I remember thinking, 'I'll... do my best with the editing... (whisper)'. I had also declared my personal deadline to the project members the day before to cut off any path of retreat...
These kinds of things are memories, but I really wish I could do something about how my memory storage is used.