A Reply to a comment : tips on casting?

i received a comment on my previous blog post, which i'd like to reply as a standalone entry, because, i think its something i can elaborate on.


Hermit said...
Ah, more insight into the illustrious FurryFish. Just to ask, are there any videos of you casting matches? And secondly, what sort of advice would you give to someone who wants to get into commentating but is still schooling.

Any response, even one telling me to sod off, would be much appreciated.

Cheers!

11:29 PM

 My Reply :
hmm... yeah i have a few videos of LAN casting, which are too long for youtube. i do have a recent one which i did as a stream. it was sprung upon me very suddenly, 5 years after i stopped shoutcasting. you can view it here, in 3 parts.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pSyxHfI74BU&list=UUl99WlVGRkCXmAznyTm2JDw&index=9&feature=plcp
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6U3Nf8axyxk&list=UUl99WlVGRkCXmAznyTm2JDw&index=7&feature=plcp
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OJMVlhpRU7A&list=UUl99WlVGRkCXmAznyTm2JDw&index=8&feature=plcp
according to some people on stream either myself or one of my 2 co-casters let out a burp at the end. and i apologise for that.




i categorise casting into 2 kinda - online and LAN
Online casting is less forgiving because people can hear and watch everything very clearly, without being disturbed by cheering crowds, and because VODs can be re-watched.
more analysis is also expected, as are insights into the game, gameplay, gamers etc
lan/live casting, imo, is infinitely more fun because i thrive on audience feedback, and its more about the excitement as opposed to the analysis.

if you want to start casting, i suggest you familiarise yourself with online casting first:

set up a stream over at twitch.tv or own3d.tv hook up a mic, get a replay and start on a replay.
of course you'll need to feel your way around software like xsplit, photoshop etc as well.
you will discover that you're more partial towards either analysis, or play by play casting.
optimally, casters cast in pairs, with each person taking one of the roles. i myself prefer to do play by plays.

additional tips if you're casting dota :
- work on your map awareness, make sure you don't miss kills and engages
- keep checking items in stash/chick
- in huge engages, its normal to not be able to talk about everything that's happening at once. you can instead focus on one important hero and track its movements until its dead or out of engagement, then move on to another hero.