First thought: It's good to see the idea of more in-depth reasons for votes have become more common in the tournaments
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I'm going to cover my thoughts on my match first. Yes, it seems we both did use the same rims, but the Legacy's rims really suit the mean character of TVR's. I tried to give my shot the same attitude of an old Griffith shot from GT1's menus, as I felt that seemed a bit more suited to their brand. I also knew that while I had a lot of positive responses about the Z at the same location Krame's used, I didn't want to do a re-shoot with a different car... and it's a good thing I never submitted it, because it was the same car as Krame's, same wheels, but the Reflex Orange! I do really like Krame's shot, but I don't feel it is his best (the extreme close-up of the side of the S2000, for example). The cleanup is great except for the bottom third of the car, and while I'm not sure about the background desaturation as a whole, I can't argue it does bring the focus further onto the car, so it is a success in that way. I find the reflections wavy, but I do know exactly how hard those things are to clean
. It's funny though; the more satisfied I am with my entries in the tournament, the less well they do, but the reverse is also true, haha. I even tried that crazy dodge/spotlight thing I see on so many other people's shots
.
So, onto my choices:
Speedster502 - Honestly, if it were based on previews I'd probably vote the other, but because it was untouched in full-view the vote went to Speedy. It's not a bad shot by any means, it's just that the curved turn feels at odds with the blur and the placement of the car in the shot isn't doing anything for me. The street Rex just reminds me so much of GT1 (hello Normal Car Series), I'd even forgive the paper rims. Though, I do remember that the Rally Car was possibly the fastest around Autumn Ring Mini back in GT1. I think I may have to revisit my GT1 themed sets because of this
.
Moglet - Tapetape had a shot to the stomach here. He's a new guy with a lot of promise, but to be thrown against one of the strongest guys around is a toughie any way you look at it. His 300 is very nice, very 80's with the BBS', but the cleanup can't compete with the smooth work of the Pug. I'm slightly jealous; that's one of three cars I still can't drive in GT4. I love how Mog has taken a page from Evo and turned El Cappy into a far more... Welsh-looking setting. And maybe it's just my eyes, but it seems like the car's squatting a bit, which just hints at the power and weight distribution of this mutant. His cleanup isn't as high as some of his others, but it is still to a very high standard, it's the more exciting shot, and nothing says 80's more than crazy air vents and decals!
Revolution - I knew, going in, this would be the hardest one to decide on. Rev's been out for a while, but he's a cleanup wiz, and Jacoja's right there with him. Some of the most well-done shots in the comps have come from these two, and I've gotta pick between them! The Vanquish took me by surprise because I didn't know it came in that colour, and the cleanup is best appreciated full-size. Yeah, the Performance Pack rims used in GT4 aren't the greatest, but who cares? A fitting tribute to the recently retired car, in my eyes. The Cobra though just nips it for the absolutely smooth, subtle changes in colour in the reflections, and the pin-sharp cleanup of the lines. Rev knows how to use those bricks to his advantage, and while this isn't the first time, he's proven why they're so effective
.
Franz - Venari nailed it. The TVR is straight outta a movie scene. This is such a mis-matched, er, match, but Jay was the surprise of the round for me and really had me guessing. Yeah, the wheels should be moving, but I love the... swagger, for lack of a better term, of the shot. It's like that movie Swordfish... if it didn't suck. Franz on the other hand makes us oldies remember Div is back, though this Ford product ain't no pony. While any other time the blur would be heavy-handed and ill-fitting, for something with "Stormer" in the name, it seems bang-on. Not a huge fan of the saturation split, but the thing that has really got me wondering; where's the roof?
NTX - Heh. "I'm in Delaware". So uh, with that... Mouser, good idea, but I believe if you would've zoomed out a bit, we could've better seen the car's surroundings, which would've been ideal given the theme. The S2000 also doesn't seem to be nestled into its surroundings like the BMW. Maybe it's because the shadow is so light underneath the nose, but it almost looks like it was just dropped there, while the BMW is concievably "squatting" there. NTX' placement is perfect, it's very moody, and we see the car's surroundings a lot more. Those rims still suck, though!
Beerzy - I've recently started paying a lot more attention to Beerzy's work. Streetz' is good, but it feels like a lot less thought was put into it. That came out wrong; I'm sure there was a lot, but I can't help but thinking when people see that theme, the first thing to pop into their minds would be the GV bridge, because the sucker's huge! I do agree that it seems on very fine form in the shot, and the sunlight is a very welcome bonus, but I like that Beerzy picked out something we normally wouldn't look at and forced us to examine it. That sexy, post-apocolyptic, 12-Monkeys kinda tone doesn't hurt either.
Tangled Web - The Z's a better angle, the Vette's a more quality post-production. Now watch me contradict myself. While it technically is a better angle, the problem with the Z is that the dark background conflicts with a dull-coloured car, and the eye is instead drawn to the bright patch of road. The Vette is a dark shape surrounded by light, so our mind tells us to inspect that dark patch inspite of our instincts to be drawn to large, bright, blank spaces. It's too bad, as the Nissan's reflections are very well resolved, as too are the Vette's, with the added bonus that they are used in TW's shot to trace the curves of the car. Very hot. While I am voting TW, I do not understand why the divide is as great as it is.
Good shots all! I might as well admit defeat now, though I know I can expect great things in the next round from all of you!
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but, it still got my vote over the s2000.
. Crazy blur and half-desaturation you used man... what did you consume before doing this!
That blur is immense! The car looks clean but I wouldn't say that it was your normal clean standard but thats understnadable as the blur gets the most attention. The blur is as I said mind blowing. It got my vote.
aaaah, if you would have chosen a set of aftermarket rims, it would have been tougher still! Clean up of both shots is nice, but after a closer look at Revolution's Cobra, although it is a 'simpler' shot, it just struck me as the cleaner and more 'pleasing' shot. Nice work both. 
