Tips on starting an abridged project?

[chomper94]

Recently I was thinking about starting an abridged project on a specific cartoon episode, but I’m not sure where to start working as although I have my idea of what to do my abridged project on, I feel like I can’t get it start as I’m confused where to start.

Do you guys have any tips on how I can get this project rolling?  I’m asking because this is the first time I’m hosting something like this, and I don’t know where to start.

[aabicus (LettuceBacon&Tomato)]

So, correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe an abridged project involves taking a pre-existing piece of content and redubbing it with all-new dialogue, likely with large parts of the footage cut or shuffled around to accomodate the new script?

If so, here's the steps I'd take:

• Write the script for the first episode. Send to your beta readers/edit it/finish it before moving onto any other steps.
• Voice-act the entire script yourself to create a production demo. Don't worry about quality, this won't be in the final product at all
• Obtain a high-quality mp4 of the show footage you'll be editing, plus any additional needed assets like a transparent PNG of the show logo.
• Contact any voice actors you're hoping to get involved in the project, confirm their availability and any steps like auditions or contract negotiations.
• Edit the footage so that it matches the production demo while waiting for the voice actors to get their lines to you.
• Once you have all the lines, edit them into the video project until every line from the production demo has been replaced.
• Add an intro, outro, end-credits etc, and upload the export to YouTube.

[chomper94]

So, correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe an abridged project involves taking a pre-existing piece of content and redubbing it with all-new dialogue, likely with large parts of the footage cut or shuffled around to accomodate the new script?

If so, here's the steps I'd take:

• Write the script for the first episode. Send to your beta readers/edit it/finish it before moving onto any other steps.
• Voice-act the entire script yourself to create a production demo. Don't worry about quality, this won't be in the final product at all
• Obtain a high-quality mp4 of the show footage you'll be editing, plus any additional needed assets like a transparent PNG of the show logo.
• Contact any voice actors you're hoping to get involved in the project, confirm their availability and any steps like auditions or contract negotiations.
• Edit the footage so that it matches the production demo while waiting for the voice actors to get their lines to you.
• Once you have all the lines, edit them into the video project until every line from the production demo has been replaced.
• Add an intro, outro, end-credits etc, and upload the export to YouTube.

Thanks for the tips!  This will really help a lot!

All of the tips will be helpful, but I’m a little confused about the voice actor part?  What if I’m just doing this for fun?  Should I just ask for the audition and the availability only then?  Because I’m thinking of this project being an one-episode only thing (sorta like a TV special).

[aabicus (LettuceBacon&Tomato)]

You can skip the voice actors, but unless you voice all the characters yourselves, I'm not sure how an abridged series can function without voice acting. Were you planning on keeping the original VO/dialogue from the source material, or borrowing unrelated VO from another source?

[chomper94]

You can skip the voice actors, but unless you voice all the characters yourselves, I'm not sure how an abridged series can function without voice acting. Were you planning on keeping the original VO/dialogue from the source material, or borrowing unrelated VO from another source?

I wanted to record new dialogue.

[aabicus (LettuceBacon&Tomato)]

Purchase yourself a good microphone, a pop filter, and download Audacity or Reaper. I recommend exporting in WAV, it's a more versatile audio format than MP3 and guarentees your video-editing software of choice will be able to import it without requiring any third-party plugins

[chomper94]

Purchase yourself a good microphone, a pop filter, and download Audacity or Reaper. I recommend exporting in WAV, it's a more versatile audio format than MP3 and guarentees your video-editing software of choice will be able to import it without requiring any third-party plugins

These tips have been very helpful!  Thank you!

[aabicus (LettuceBacon&Tomato)]

For sure! I run a YouTube channel so I'm happy to give advice on SEO/thumbnail/marketing elements in that arena as well, once you've reached that point