EPTOn August 09 2012 21:53 Kickboxer wrote:
Are those babies real?
Are those babies real?
Sit down man.
There's something I need to tell you about the world
Tara Babcock Casting Practice #1! - Page 3
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Dandel Ion
Austria17960 Posts
Sit down man. There's something I need to tell you about the world | ||
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Sinensis
United States2513 Posts
Overall just left me feeling confused. I mean obviously you're advertizing but it's a pretty weird way to do it. | ||
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cari-kira
Germany655 Posts
dont exspect it to be easy, much work and effort is needed to get far, and the rage of some inhibited nerds and jealous girls will always be louder than the positive feedback from the majority, thats the way internet is. so just do it if you want, if you have enough passion and try to learn, you will advance. 5/5 to compensate for the haters | ||
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KawaiiRice
United States2914 Posts
good luck with commentating~~ | ||
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TaraBabcock
United States391 Posts
On August 09 2012 22:08 Sinensis wrote: I like that we could see your boobs in two different places on screen at once, pretty clever. Also clever covering the poster with a Steelseries ad. Overall just left me feeling confused. I mean obviously you're advertizing but it's a pretty weird way to do it. Yep, advertising a career in eSports with the help of my assets/unique-ness and an already established name in modeling. Everyone wants to work in a field they love. It'd be great to play video games all day, just like it is great to be creative and sexy all day as a model, but we all gotta pay bills and eat. The Steelseries thing is because TwitchTV required I cover the underboob. I actually strongly prefer Razer. I'm sponsored by NOS Gaming as well, which is the reason for the NOS cans in the back. I may be business-minded and good at marketing, but I assure you, I have nothing but passion for gaming and eSports. And I can easily back it up and prove it. I mean, I've had my Mario Bros tattoo since it was legal, and an Atari since I could hold a joystick. The eSports field just helps it all come together! | ||
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TaraBabcock
United States391 Posts
On August 09 2012 22:21 KawaiiRice wrote: reading all these stupid hate comments is seriously depressing especially the one saying Tara doesn't play sc lol good luck with commentating~~ Aww, thanks Kawaii. You the best. Terran power! ^^ | ||
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MyLastSerenade
Germany710 Posts
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dellesh1ruH
Denmark509 Posts
On August 09 2012 22:21 KawaiiRice wrote: reading all these stupid hate comments is seriously depressing especially the one saying Tara doesn't play sc lol good luck with commentating~~ I totally agree! Good luck with your cast journey! | ||
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Cubu
1171 Posts
On August 09 2012 20:54 yeint wrote: You don't say? It's almost as if your casting is a way to promote your career as a "glamour model", what with the address to your paid site being plastered all over your youtube page, along with "glamour photos". That's what you wear to funerals? That's what you wear at the library? No one is criticizing how you dress when doing your day job as a model, or in your private life. What we're criticizing is that you're purporting to be interested in casting SC2, when you're obviously selling a "glamour" brand and paysite. If you're attempting to create a one-stop shop for SC2 casts and casual masturbation, more power to you, but don't get all huffy when women gamers everywhere roll their eyes something fierce. This basically sums it all up. God it's been a while since i've seen such a decent post (a post with common sense) in TL. | ||
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Saechiis
Netherlands4989 Posts
It's impressive that you've been able to combine a career as glamour model whilst being a genuine girl gamer, but it still puts you in a position where people are going to question the person behind the boobs. Casting isn't about the casters at all, it's about telling the stories of the people that play the game, the pictures they paint with their mouse and keyboard, their efforts, quirks, rivalries, expectations, emotions. The brand you've created depends heavily on yourself being spotlighted, whereas high level SC2 casting requires you to tone yourself down to make others shine bright. For a majority of the time you'd just be the sum of your words, totally reliant on your knowledge of the game, its players and your ability to convey these things eloquently. I'm not doubting that you could handle that intellectually, but it does really conflict with your current image. | ||
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Rannasha
Netherlands2398 Posts
- The menu in the top left should be hidden, it just takes up space. There's an option for that somewhere. All you need to remember is that F10 = Menu and you won't need the visible menu bar anymore.. The achievements and help hotkeys aren't really needed. - The replay timer should be hidden, so that the viewer doesn't know how long is left in the game. You can collapse it or put an overlay in front of it. To make sure that a game-time-clock remains visible, enable the game-clock that appears above the minimap in the options. - General observing was very jittery. There were quite a few small screen movements that weren't very smooth and the mouse cursor bounced all over the place. This is a natural thing to do when watching a replay, but during a cast it can be distracting. Aim for slower, decisive mouse movements to locations where you can indicate something and find out which scrolling method gives you the smoothest screen scrolling. The observing from ST_Legend in the GSL is pretty much the gold standard to aim for, so make sure to check it out. | ||
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Deleted User 101379
4849 Posts
You also have to know what you are good at. From what i read in this thread you are gold league, so don't go for analysis, don't try to give hints to viewers, you'll end up being wrong most of the time. Just cast the game and focus on what you know. A caster like TotalBiscuit is a good example for that, he can convey great excitement and only does the exact amount of analysis he is actually capable off. Also, preparation key combo whenever you open a replay for casting: P (Pause) T (Back to start) Ctrl-T (Hide replay timer) Ctrl-N (Names. You already did that) D (Production tab) After a hundred casted games i started doing that as a reflex whenever i opened any replay :p On a personal note, for the overall video - while i in general don't have a problem with women showing their "attributes", i work in the adult industry after all - when i want to watch a game of starcraft i want to watch a game of starcraft, not a woman "shoving her breasts into the camera". I know you want to market the Tara Babcock brand, not just the caster/esports person, but in the future it would be nice if you would just leave the parts before and after the casted games out. If you want to tell people something you can do it in the first minutes of the game where you usually end up grasping for anything to talk about anyways. Maybe just add an overlay with your cam into the unit portrait field on the bottom if you want people to see you. | ||
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TaraBabcock
United States391 Posts
On August 09 2012 23:25 Rannasha wrote: Regarding the cast. People have already commented on the actual talking part of it, I want to give a few comments on what was visible on the screen (DURING THE GAME!). - The menu in the top left should be hidden, it just takes up space. There's an option for that somewhere. All you need to remember is that F10 = Menu and you won't need the visible menu bar anymore.. The achievements and help hotkeys aren't really needed. - The replay timer should be hidden, so that the viewer doesn't know how long is left in the game. You can collapse it or put an overlay in front of it. To make sure that a game-time-clock remains visible, enable the game-clock that appears above the minimap in the options. - General observing was very jittery. There were quite a few small screen movements that weren't very smooth and the mouse cursor bounced all over the place. This is a natural thing to do when watching a replay, but during a cast it can be distracting. Aim for slower, decisive mouse movements to locations where you can indicate something and find out which scrolling method gives you the smoothest screen scrolling. The observing from ST_Legend in the GSL is pretty much the gold standard to aim for, so make sure to check it out. Thanks! The replay loaded on to an offline mode since the patch just came out, so things were weird. When I play I have the bar at the top hidden and I have a timer on as well. I definitely didn't know about hiding the replay time thingy until a friend mentioned it to me. I agree about my camera control. It was doing some weird lagging/skipping around a bit. I was rendering video at the time so it was probably my maxing out of my CPU that caused it, but I am also not too great with scroll dragging. I am sure that will come with time, and a lot of events don't even have a caster doing that anymore, anyway!  Great suggestions, thank you! Love the technical input. I also love the cam control for GSL! | ||
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meteorskunk
Canada546 Posts
I did a commentary just to myself once and I was so bad, so I can say youre decent. I agree with most of the people who have offered constructive criticism. - I dig the voice. Nice tones. Kinda sexy and expressive sometimes. Could be used better if you are less sc2 roboty/parroty and show more personality (I think goofing would make you more comfortable and less serious but I don’t know you) -You’re aware of what player decisions to talk about ( like the somewhat unusual thor) but you do not expand on it enough sometimes. 2 examples: 1. “his opponent is zerg so the wall is safe” can expand to “early zergling play is easily defended with a wall that keeps lings out, but stephano fast expanded so this does not matter. 2.“Foreigner hope” – to some, stephano represents the chance that non-koreans may one day compete at the highest level that is currently dominated by Koreans, as he’s been defeating Korean players like MC in tourneys. - talk about the threat of attack. The baneling attack was a growing threat like a storm on the ocean and it kept getting worse. You didn’t talk about it even when keen was screwed. -goodjob talking about the scary economy of stephano but you need to talk about the army advantage it affords him. -the decisive battle for keen’s fourth at the center you called an “interaction”. Interaction is a cool word to use.. like if the armies both decide not to fully engage, but they engaged.. so its an engagement. -during the battle you said there were fungals but I think they were infested terrans. You gotta make fungals epic when they do happen(search playgu on youtube for a Korean workshop). also attention to detail during battles is important especially during battles. klazartsc from the BW days used to shout like every unit being picked off.. -I don’t see why you did not present the best work you're capable of by trying out multiple commentaries first. Anyways, I am a noob so dont listen too much. I could critique any caster like this so don’t take it too hard either. Gg gl yo | ||
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TaraBabcock
United States391 Posts
On August 09 2012 23:39 Morfildur wrote: I skimmed through it and the casting wasn't as bad as i expected it to be, though the general tempo was off several times. As an example you tried to do analysis when there was an exciting attack, e.g. when Stephanos banelings were breaking into Keens mainbase. The timing and tempo will come with more practice. You also have to know what you are good at. From what i read in this thread you are gold league, so don't go for analysis, don't try to give hints to viewers, you'll end up being wrong most of the time. Just cast the game and focus on what you know. A caster like TotalBiscuit is a good example for that, he can convey great excitement and only does the exact amount of analysis he is actually capable off. Also, preparation key combo whenever you open a replay for casting: P (Pause) T (Back to start) Ctrl-T (Hide replay timer) Ctrl-N (Names. You already did that) D (Production tab) After a hundred casted games i started doing that as a reflex whenever i opened any replay :p On a personal note, for the overall video - while i in general don't have a problem with women showing their "attributes", i work in the adult industry after all - when i want to watch a game of starcraft i want to watch a game of starcraft, not a woman "shoving her breasts into the camera". I know you want to market the Tara Babcock brand, not just the caster/esports person, but in the future it would be nice if you would just leave the parts before and after the casted games out. If you want to tell people something you can do it in the first minutes of the game where you usually end up grasping for anything to talk about anyways. Maybe just add an overlay with your cam into the unit portrait field on the bottom if you want people to see you. Thanks! Great advice, and I'll definitely write down and make those commands reflex. I understand where you are coming from, but I like the way I do the practices, and it feels more personal. It also shows off my edge and gets people interested. Hell, not only am I marketing myself, I am bringing crossover fans into StarCraft, and that is very important. People can just skip to the game if they want. If they are watching for interest in seeing this game for the first time, they are doing it wrong anyway, as my analysis is not going to be good and it's not about the replay as much as it is my attempt at casting a pro game and improving. Obviously it's a totally different story if I am casting it for a company or event.  | ||
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TaraBabcock
United States391 Posts
On August 09 2012 22:53 Saechiis wrote: On one hand I respect that you've got your own style and aren't afraid to show just that. On the other it conflicts with your goal of getting serious casting gigs in the future. It's impressive that you've been able to combine a career as glamour model whilst being a genuine girl gamer, but it still puts you in a position where people are going to question the person behind the boobs. Casting isn't about the casters at all, it's about telling the stories of the people that play the game, the pictures they paint with their mouse and keyboard, their efforts, quirks, rivalries, expectations, emotions. The brand you've created depends heavily on yourself being spotlighted, whereas high level SC2 casting requires you to tone yourself down to make others shine bright. For a majority of the time you'd just be the sum of your words, totally reliant on your knowledge of the game, its players and your ability to convey these things eloquently. I'm not doubting that you could handle that intellectually, but it does really conflict with your current image. I agree with you somewhat, but at the same time, I disagree that part of eSports is not the caster's personality and celebrity... because it totally is. People look for certain casters sometimes because they like their niche or their particular personality, voice, or even their jokes--all things that have nothing to do with StarCraft. It bring people in to be interested in the people behind the cast. In some cases, it can even be just as important as the analysis itself. Casters like Day9, Total Biscuit, Husky, and most others all have a sort of "celebrity" about them outside the casting, and people love to see them do other stuff, and talk about other things as well. That being said, I agree that I need the knowledge and skill to back up that personality and look. I believe both are very important in standing out in a crowd of people who play at a higher level and know a lot more about it than you. | ||
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TaraBabcock
United States391 Posts
On August 09 2012 23:47 meteorskunk wrote: I remember you from livinpink’s stream! I did a commentary just to myself once and I was so bad, so I can say youre decent. I agree with most of the people who have offered constructive criticism. - I dig the voice. Nice tones. Kinda sexy and expressive sometimes. Could be used better if you are less sc2 roboty/parroty and show more personality (I think goofing would make you more comfortable and less serious but I don’t know you) -You’re aware of what player decisions to talk about ( like the somewhat unusual thor) but you do not expand on it enough sometimes. 2 examples: 1. “his opponent is zerg so the wall is safe” can expand to “early zergling play is easily defended with a wall that keeps lings out, but stephano fast expanded so this does not matter. 2.“Foreigner hope” – to some, stephano represents the chance that non-koreans may one day compete at the highest level that is currently dominated by Koreans, as he’s been defeating Korean players like MC in tourneys. - talk about the threat of attack. The baneling attack was a growing threat like a storm on the ocean and it kept getting worse. You didn’t talk about it even when keen was screwed. -goodjob talking about the scary economy of stephano but you need to talk about the army advantage it affords him. -the decisive battle for keen’s fourth at the center you called an “interaction”. Interaction is a cool word to use.. like if the armies both decide not to fully engage, but they engaged.. so its an engagement. -during the battle you said there were fungals but I think they were infested terrans. You gotta make fungals epic when they do happen(search playgu on youtube for a Korean workshop). also attention to detail during battles is important especially during battles. klazartsc from the BW days used to shout like every unit being picked off.. -I don’t see why you did not present the best work you're capable of by trying out multiple commentaries first. Anyways, I am a noob so dont listen too much. I could critique any caster like this so don’t take it too hard either. Gg gl yo Thank you! It was nice to hear some kind words as well as the criticism! I didn't present my "best work" because I am as popular as I am in the modeling world because I am open and honest and connect with my fans, I wanted to bring that over to my gaming work and let everyone in on it when I am not trying to show off, but genuinely trying to start out and improve. People appreciate that kind of bold honesty, and I want to start learning from everyone right away. I want to take the journey with everyone and I'm not afraid to admit I suck and ask for help! | ||
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TheRealNanMan
United States1471 Posts
On August 09 2012 16:18 MrBitter wrote: As a gamer who is a dude, I like boobs. Tara, Energy is very important to a good cast. You seem to lack it. A lot. Go watch a couple of Husky's casts. Seriously. He's one of the best in the world (maybe the best) at conveying excitement in his broadcasts. You ranted at the beginning about how much you love this stuff. Let it out in the cast. There's great weight, and great strength in silence... If used correctly. In your case, it just feels like a lot of down time. Best way to fix this is to improve on your knowledge of the game, so you've got more to talk about. This dead space is also a great time to fill with stories you have about interactions with different pros or people in e-sports you might know. Keep it up. People like you doing this kind of stuff is a great gateway for people who don't know Starcraft to get involved. I'll check back on practice cast #10 or so to see how far you've come.  So MrBitter made some really good points but I just wanted to add on to a few points ^_^ As a caster myself showing your passion is important. With your first cast you were doing well but it seemed you were just talking about what you saw. Which isn't bad but if you are passionate about this like you say let it show. When you normally watch Tournaments or Streams what is the most exciting part of the game for you? When I started casting I was doing it all solo style. Which I enjoyed it helped me to work on a lot of things with my speech and movement while observing a game. A few people have mentioned that it is more difficult to solo cast, which makes sense since you control the camera(need to pay attention to drops things like that) and cast. I would recommend maybe talking with some of your other friends about co-casting with you. It is much easier to fill space, especially at the start if you have someone to joke with or bring up different topics about the map or the players. Plus you can have someone else be the person in charge of the camera while you concentrate on just casting. A couple people have already touched on minimizing the replay timer. Also turn on the in game clock in your option menu. As you start to learn the game more you'll understand "normal" timings to expand or tech up. That way you can easily identify when someone is rushing to hive tech or something like that. You mentioned that you are better at writing then speaking currently. Why not try and write down a couple key things other casters talk about from the tournaments you watch. You could also write down some information about the players. For example with Keen vs Stephano if you casted them again you could point back to this game. Saying something about how Keen favored a bio-mech mixed army in previous TvZ games. Perhaps that will be something that we'll be seeing this game? Good filler info or topics to jump off of at the start and middle of the game while the players are power up or the game is more passive. Just a couple things to keep in mind(I hope this post made sense I'm not a very good writer) ^_^ Best of luck Tara, i'm looking forward to checking out your progress! | ||
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Lucumo
6850 Posts
On August 09 2012 20:41 BabyToss! wrote: This is exactly what is what gives women in SC2 community the bad name of attention seeking, wanting to sell themselves by the looks alone and the fact they are a hot female. I'm not going to say she can't be a good caster, if she persues the venture and genuinely learns her way around that, but I really think she needs to cut on selling her sex so much. Sure, it sells, but again, think of other women who work hard to try and bring something else, other than their sex(appeal), to the scene. She reminds me of Riku but worse and with a video instead of just pictures. I expect this to happen: On August 09 2012 21:01 Kleinmuuhg wrote: 2. This is some sort of marketing trick -> She will fade away , nobody has to care. | ||
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Rice
United States1332 Posts
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