At this forth H4L Exclusive Interview, Hoops4Life mix legend Mixtapelive had an interview with one of the biggest name in mix-world - LD2K. Q: Any chances for us to see you do more non-Lakers related mixes?
I think you will in the future. But the Lakers are my team, my passion, my heart. I believe the story of the Lakers as a franchise is compelling enough; let alone the story of their current team. I enjoy doing Lakers videos because I can capture ALL of their games, have all of their footage, and tell all of their stories as the seasons’ progress. The Lakers is where my passion resides and was the stimulus that started me creating and producing videos. I don’t like to limit myself – but at the same time, I hope to have some surprises coming in the near future...
Q: LD2K, you've been mixing and putting out videos for a few years now, when did this whole thing start, and what got you into mixing?
I’ve been doing this for about four years. Originally, I wanted to be in journalism and wanted to be a sports writer/broadcaster for the longest time. In high school, I had my own column in the school and in the local newspaper – both covering sports. When I was a freshman however, I saw a Lakers video released online. I loved the idea of creating videos and telling stories visually as opposed to writing them. When I figured out how to use my first editing program and get VCR footage to my computer, I started to play around and figure out my craft. In late 2002, I released my first video – “LAL/POR – 2000 Game 7 WCF’s”. I had been blessed to be at the miraculous and legendary Game 7 with my father where the Lakers historically came back from 15 points down in the fourth quarter. The energy that I felt as a young kid was amazing. My father and I have been sharing many special sports moments together since I was born – literally. My dad even arranged for some b-ball shooting time on the Staples Center floor itself one night which pushed my Lakers motivation up even higher. I think when I was born he was checking the score of the Lakers game when my mother was in labor, (ha-ha), but in all seriousness, my entire family is extremely sports driven, and it plays a big role in my passion for mixing. You have to find something you love to do, and creating videos was not only what I found I loved to do, but it allowed me to express myself in more ways; I believe; than writing ever could have.
Q: You've had some of the most original and unique ideas in your mixes, where do you get some of your ideas and what inspires you?
I think I’m one of the most cynical people you’ll ever meet. I mean, with my graphics and long-time partner hZm, if something doesn’t get our attention in the first couple minutes, we’re ready to move on to watch another video. I believe my inspiration comes from my love for the Lakers and the game of basketball itself. I’ve been an insulin dependant diabetic nearly my entire life and basketball has been my outlet whether that’s playing it, watching, writing about it or creating videos. The challenge then comes from being able to find fun concepts that will “work,” meaning ones that I can parallel to the current Lakers’ or sports’ stories that I wish to tell. Besides, I’m sure you’ve always wondered “what if,” and mix making allows us to translate those imagination-filled thoughts into reality. My Dad gave me the advice that I still follow to this day, “send a chill up people's spine with every release.”
For instance, I believe Kobe Bryant had one of the most incredible seasons’ last year. For the number change to #24, I wanted to set a tone of a hero evolving. I felt the “Spiderman/Fighting the darkness” theme would be very effective if I could pull it off. Base it around a number change and you have a concept for a video. I believe if you can really invest time into thinking, you can ride your imagination into a process of creativity you would never know existed. It’s passion that produces creativity; not the other way around. The pre-production stages of my videos are some of the best. I seem to have an ability to sit in a classroom, at work, or anywhere for that matter and just brainstorm and knock out multiple ideas in a matter of moments. When they come, they burn in until I can get my fingers to my keyboard. From there, I decide which one I want to approach and I study all the angles of it. After that, I visualize the entire video in my head before I even sit down to edit. Then when it does come time to edit, it’s already finished in my head. Some people say it’s my creativity, but I really can’t explain it. It’s what allows me to create concepts very quickly. I see the video before it’s made; I see the “Vision of the Fans”.
Q: How do you think mixmaking has changed since you started?
I remember when in Lakers land there were two main mixers; LakeShow09 and myself. I remember the days when people like Vincent Da, Shai and Yinka Dare were mixing. It’s grown into numbers I would’ve never imagined. The fun aspect about the growth is since day one, the Lakers fans have been supportive of all my work. I’ve taken the constructive criticism as well as the praise and love and have always used that as building blocks for my videos. I was pretty much raised by the fans. We have the slogan, “by the fans, for the fans.” And it’s pretty accurate. I love the fact that I’ve been able to release my work on Lakers forums, which then evolved to NBA forums, which then was able to reach millions of people around the world. Mix Making has grown enormously and I believe it is all sparked from the love for basketball. The number of people participating today is pretty amazing when you think about it. I couldn’t be more happy to be apart of such a creative group as I see “us” as the next-generation of creators and story telling. I believe “we” are the tomorrow.
Q: Well if you haven't heard yet all LD2K videos will be 1st released on Kobe’s official website before anywhere else. How did this whole thing happen?
Well I don’t want to get into the specifics, but I will say to date, it is the biggest honor I’ve ever received. I kind of validated all my hard work and dedication to a certain extent. I believe this is the start of something truly special, and I feel like I have the ability to really reach out to Lakers fans more so than ever before. EXCLUSIVELY releasing videos on Kobe Bryant’s website is simply the best platform to showcase my work to the fans of basketball! This opportunity now blends the “playmaker” with the “vidmaker” to give back and prove that we really,”Do It for the Fans!”
Q: There were some rumors going around about a possible collaboration between LD2K, HZM, SVR15, & Mixtapelive, could we still expect a mix by these mixers? Also what are other collaborations we should be looking out for?
Rumors eh? Well I can assure you that myself and the other mixers/graphics artists mentioned have definitely been in talks. That’s where I will leave that. As for other collaborations, you can definitely expect work with me and LakeShow09, OdoM7, & Mixtapelive.
I think collaborations are one of the beautiful aspects about mixmaking. I think the ability to produce and collaborate successfully is a major accomplishment for a couple of reasons. Most significantly, whenever you coordinate mixers from sometimes other cities or states and even other foreign countries, it can cause issues that are difficult in terms of communication. So naturally, I feel mixmaking collaborations can sometimes pose more problems and challenges than a regular mix by one creator.
As I mentioned earlier I have a lot of collaboration ideas and concepts ready to go. However, I will say this; I have one idea so grand, that I believe it would take efforts from me, U.P. (Mixmakers.net’s Mixing Group), LS09, NBA Evolution, and H4L just to pull off. Do I think it could be done? Yes. However, it would take a lot of commitment and one day hopefully in the near future, I could begin coordinating and producing this idea. For the rare few mixers who have discussed it with me, the reaction was the same, “you’re nuts LD2k.” It would be unlike anything ever seen before!
Q: What do you think are some of the important elements needed to make a great mix?
First off, story telling. The whole point of editing is to tell stories. However, with sports, you CAN get away with highlights to music because it is what we love to watch as fans. On the flipside, I believe story driven mixes are very successful and entertaining ones. For me, it is about emotions. If you can get me to watch a video and it can pull an emotion out of me – it’s going to determine the difference between a mediocre and a great video. The story telling of the “EMOTIONS” is key and the most important element.
After emotions I would say the technical side of the editing needs to be clean. There are so many variables to editing where there is no “right” or “wrong” way to doing things. You are open to edit however you want. I believe finding a style which suits you best is the best way to go not only for your video, but all of your future work. You should try to always improve as well. Study other videos, find out styles which you like and try and incorporate them into your videos.
I’m not too big on effects. I feel there are too many effects applied to videos… just because they can be. I believe effects should be motivated and applied for a reason. However, everybody has different philosophies on this so the best way to determine it is by trial and error. Put it this way, effects are like the crazy dunk ideas at the NBA’s dunk contests. They’re either going to bring people off their feet screaming, “what did I just see,” or they are going to become a distraction and make people dislike the attempt.
Q: There's new mixmakers coming around all the time, what advice would you give them that you think is important for them to know?
Be confident, take constructive criticism and stay level headed. You are going to have different opinions on everything. At times, you could hate what you might hear, but always push to improve. Listen to your viewers and work towards improving. As with anything in life, learn from experience. Try to find a style which is comfortable with you and pursue it. I think too many times new mix makers try to get in and don’t get attention right off the bat since they aren’t a well known name yet and get down. Just keep working and improving your skills, and use your imagination.
Also find online websites and forums so that you can narrow down your target audience. I’m sure if I was on the Sacramento Kings forums posting videos of Kobe dominating them, they wouldn’t be too happy… then again, they’re “Queens” fans so I guess there’s not to much to be happy with.
Q: Every time you make a mix, is there something you want to achieve/accomplish or is it for pure enjoyment?
Yes, definitely. I want to achieve emotional responses. I want people to want to watch it again and again. It’s about being able to tell stories and have people connect to them. With basketball, it’s always more challenging to achieve responses like that. The challenge of this is where the fun is for me. The goal for me is can I get people when they are having a lousy day at work to throw up one of my vids to pump ‘em up and clear .0the head and have 2, 3 or 5 minutes of fun.
Q: Well obviously you've been mixing for a few years now, and it seems to be something that you love to do, can you see yourself making a living off of making mixes and editing in other words is this something you want to do as a living?
Yes. I’m in college right now – completing my A.A. and as of now I have just completed my Post Production Certificate from Pasadena City College and am working toward my AVID certification. I’m trying to gain as much editing knowledge as possible. I think post-production is one of the most unique aspects to the entertainment business. I can easily see myself editing the rest of my life as well as moving into other areas to being able to be creative and express and tell stories. I try not to limit myself to editing alone, but I really enjoy it. Especially with the sports productions; it is so enjoyable and we are able to reach out to millions of people worldwide. It’s quite a special opportunity in my life.
Well thanks for spending these few moments with us, once again congrats on the KB24.com thing. Do you have anything to say to your fans?
Thanks for conducting the interview, I feel like being able to showcase my work on KB24.com really is the beginning of things to come. I love doing this and the fans are the best in the world. Sports and NBA fans are by far the most passionate fans in my opinion. I’m very blessed to be able to reach out to others and I want to say thank you to all of you who have supported me and my work over the years. As long as they’ll have me, I’ll strive to be the “Vision of the Fans”.
We appreciate LD2K on spending precious time for completing this interview. LD2K mixes can be download here at H4L Premium Mix section or here at H4L Mixes section and please do leave your comments and ask any questions here too
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