Editor Questionnaire

[Qyot27]

1. Why did you start making AMVs?
It seemed interesting. I already had an interest in digital video, so it was kind of an outcropping of that.

2. How long do you think it was before you got "good"?
I didn't feel like I hit any sort of stride until the end of 2003, or early 2004. Realistically, there's a world of difference between the videos I edited during that first year (with VirtualDub), and the ones starting in June/July 2003, when I switched to Premiere.

3. Are you associated with any studios? If so, how and when did you join them?
No. I carried around a studio 'name' for a few years, but it was only there because of the tendency to identify with studios in the early days, even if they were one-editor outings. It eventually got to be embarrassing, but I kept it around for a couple more years regardless. It was only after Eien that I officially dropped it.

4. Where did you learn the techniques you use most often in your videos? (i.e. Youtube tutorials, articles on the org, trial and error)
Trial and error for the actual editing techniques. For the technical stuff, that was the AVTech guides, browsing the forum here and at Doom9, and more trial and error.

5. What do you consider to be your style/niche when it comes to AMV editing?
It's a bit of a personal lampshade that I need to get back to editing action, since most of the recent videos I've done are drama/sentimental/romance. Although comedy-wise, I did submit entries to multiple incarnations of AMV Hell.

6. What is your favorite video that you made, and why? (I would love to watch it and comment, so you may include a link if you wish)
Either Eien, as already mentioned, or Daybreak, which is the most recent.

Eien took an entire year (not in dedicated time; there were months-long stretches where I didn't even touch Premiere) to edit, so it currently has the longest development time of any video I've edited thus far. After Eien, I had so much pent-up frustration with my cramped hardware resources that I basically went on hiatus until the end of 2012. Daybreak was the first full-length video I edited after the hiatus ended, and has clear similarities to the way I edited Eien, but was completed in a much shorter amount of time. Daybreak is also a commemoration of sorts; it was released on the 10-year anniversary of the premiere date of the first video I edited in Premiere (and had more in-references than just that; the music and video footage have connections to it also).

7. Do you have other hobbies similar to AMV editing, such as writing or art?
Software development, although for the most part I'm more involved in the build side. A good part of the hiatus between Eien and Daybreak involved my understanding of that side of the process evolving. It did/does have some impact on the editing, as I can't imagine having to cut clips manually anymore instead of just using a single for-loop in bash to do it automatically.

8. When did you win your first contest?
Never have, unless you count being one of the five(?) winners of the last round of AMV Hell CE. I've rarely entered any contest, for that matter.

9. What are some of your suggestions for a brand new AMV editor?
Give yourself time if you want to improve. It takes a while to get it all absorbed and applied.

10. Where do you usually find creative inspiration?
Usually from music.

[Obsidian Zero]

Thank you everyone for your responses! I'm really happy to be getting so much feedback from everyone! And I've already had about 3 of my videos make it into cons, which is really great, but you're all right: I can't get caught up in the competitive aspect. It's all about having fun.

Best of luck to everybody. Message me on the org or Youtube if you have more advice, or you want to do a project, need beta testing, whatever. I'd love to help.

~Obsidian Zero

[irriadin]

1. Why did you start making AMVs?

In 2009, I went to my first anime convention. Otakon 2009. Out of all the events, panels and activities offered, the AMV contest without a doubt was my favorite. That, combined with my previous positive experience in editing, led me to go in with a goal of making the finalists the next year with my first video, which I did

2. How long do you think it was before you got "good"?

Not until around Farewell to Tomorrow / Put Ya Guns On... so like my fourth / fifth video. It differs from person to person, and I like my earlier videos despite them being flawed (some of them won contests and stuff, but that doesn't really mean anything. It just makes me feel good, haha)

3. Are you associated with any studios? If so, how and when did you join them?

I'm in PixelBlended Studios. I was invited to join sometime before Otakon 2012, and Put Ya Guns On was my first video to go on the PixelBlended brand.

4. Where did you learn the techniques you use most often in your videos? (i.e. Youtube tutorials, articles on the org, trial and error)

I learn by doing. I reverse-engineer. So basically, about 45% of my technique was learned by examining other talented editors' work. Another 45% can be attributed to simple trial and error as I attempt to match my ideal vision of the video I'm working on.

5. What do you consider to be your style/niche when it comes to AMV editing?

I'm mostly known for my action editing style, and I've seen the best success for my action videos as well (though my most popular video on youtube is decidedly sentimental and not at all action, haha). I also have a soft spot for avant-garde, artistic videos that are very abstract.

6. What is your favorite video that you made, and why? (I would love to watch it and comment, so you may include a link if you wish)

This is hard to answer. I'm just going to go with my two newest videos in both of the styles I like to edit:

Action:


In this video, I incorporate a lot of the new techniques and skills I've learned while still attempting to stay true to the visceral action style I'm known for. It's not perfect, and I readily acknowledge my implementation of the story is somewhat flawed... but I'm still happy with it.

Drama / Prententious Artistic Snobbery:


This video took such a long time to make. It has some of the most complex compositions and effects I've ever attempted. It's also replete with graphic collage overlays, split-screens, rough texture overlays, high contrast gradients, and copious color correction. Out of all the videos I've made, I think this one is easily the prettiest. I'm very happy with how it turned out, though in the end, I made this video as a form of emotional exorcism. Thus, it's rather impenetrable and difficult to follow. This is not the ideal, as I'd want everybody to get something out of watching... but I'm going on at length.

7. Do you have other hobbies similar to AMV editing, such as writing or art?

I'm a writer. And also a web designer. The latter being my day job.

8. When did you win your first contest?

My second video, Your Perfect World, won best action at Anime Boston in 2012.

9. What are some of your suggestions for a brand new AMV editor?

Don't get hung up on trying to do what everyone else is doing; find your own niche, find what makes you happy and is fulfilling to you. Watch the best videos you can find in your genre, examine them closely. Ask veteran editors for help or advice. Remember that winning contests is fun, but it should never be the end goal.

10. Where do you usually find creative inspiration?

The music I listen to. Books I read. Other AMVs, movies, TV Shows. Colors, photography, paintings, life. So yea, everywhere.

[hasteroth]

1. Why did you start making AMVs?
Fell into the community and felt like contributing. Everything I made sucked and I wouldn't upload it at first, first video I was satisfied with was something I made for Kenzichu back in the day.

2. How long do you think it was before you got "good"?
First video I released was well received, if anything I got worse after that.

3. Are you associated with any studios? If so, how and when did you join them?
Yes but it doesn't count.

4. Where did you learn the techniques you use most often in your videos? (i.e. Youtube tutorials, articles on the org, trial and error)
Trial by fire

5. What do you consider to be your style/niche when it comes to AMV editing?
Chaotic, I pick a song, pick some anime, start throwing clips that work onto the timeline and go from there.

6. What is your favorite video that you made, and why? (I would love to watch it and comment, so you may include a link if you wish)
The first one cause it's the only one that was really any good... well Kenzi's birthday one was good too.

7. Do you have other hobbies similar to AMV editing, such as writing or art?
I'm a freelance editor in indie film... so I suppose that counts.

8. When did you win your first contest?
I didn't.

9. What are some of your suggestions for a brand new AMV editor?
Uh... I wish I had something helpful but I'm drawing a blank.

10. Where do you usually find creative inspiration?
Porn

[Hagaren Viper]

1. Why did you start making AMVs?
I kept running into Kingdom Hearts AMVs while looking for cutscenes and thought they were really cool. I liked the idea so much that it's a huge part of the reason I got a computer. I remember planning my first vid for a few months before I actually got the computer. It was still terrible.

2. How long do you think it was before you got "good"?
It wasn't until the tail end of 2006 that I started making stuff that was decent, which is also when I moved from Windows Movie maker to Sony Vegas.

3. Are you associated with any studios? If so, how and when did you join them?
I technically have my own studio but it's meaningless and I don't use it anymore. I never found the idea of a studio appealing for whatever reason so i never actually joined any.

4. Where did you learn the techniques you use most often in your videos?
A little from everywhere, I think? I know Ive asked silly questions on the forums a lot , and I've had friends/fellow editors show me a few things off the forums too. There are some kinda basic things about Vegas that I've only learned in the past year or two, tbh.

5. What do you consider to be your style/niche when it comes to AMV editing?
I'm not sure I really have a 'style', but I think I'm sorta known for making Digimon and Soul Eater vids. Someone commented on my youtube about how much of a waste it was that I was always making Soul Eater videos even though I only had two at the time

6. What is your favorite video that you made, and why?


Most videos I make are because I want to show ___ concept or make an action vid to ____, but this one I made purely to show how much I love this dang series and I was honestly a little sad when I finished. Still the most fun Ive had editing so far.

7. Do you have other hobbies similar to AMV editing, such as writing or art?
I draw, and I'm hoping to make a career out of it.

8. When did you win your first contest?
Anime Expo 2010 with This is Halloween.

9. What are some of your suggestions for a brand new AMV editor?
Honestly 995Gabber probablly said it better than I would have

10. Where do you usually find creative inspiration?
For both AMVs and art I have a lot of works that I'll go back and visit, so if I'm feeling stuck I'll look at those and figure out what I like about them, then maybe I can apply those things to my video/picture and with my own twist on it.[/quote]

[Diegao]

1. Why did you start making AMVs?
It happened naturally. Once I discovered WMM I started changing songs to AMVs I had in my PC (because it was.. funny?), then a day I thought that I could cut those videos and rearrange the pieces. It was 2008.

2. How long do you think it was before you got "good"?
Probably in 2011, I was quite satisfied of my MEP tracks and then, after doing Downfall, I realized I had made the level up compared to everything I did before.

3. Are you associated with any studios? If so, how and when did you join them?
Yes, Rising Production. I founded it with a friend in 2008.

4. Where did you learn the techniques you use most often in your videos? (i.e. Youtube tutorials, articles on the org, trial and error)
Trial and error before, then friends advices, and then trial and error again. Fuck friends, you gave me the wrong advices..

5. What do you consider to be your style/niche when it comes to AMV editing?
I don't know honestly, I like doing internal sync and giving impact to the scenes (this is why I love action videos).

6. What is your favorite video that you made, and why? (I would love to watch it and comment, so you may include a link if you wish)
. As I've already said, it was the biggest breakthrough I did so far (maybe because it was more than a year that I hadn't edited something) and when I finished it I was really satisfied. I made ​​a video that was almost like I had imagined, something that never happened before and never happened after.

7. Do you have other hobbies similar to AMV editing, such as writing or art?
Nope. I mean, I like art and reading, but I don't like doing so.

8. When did you win your first contest?
I won a Judges' Choice Award at Spring Mondo Con AMV Contest in 2012.

9. What are some of your suggestions for a brand new AMV editor?
Stop editing, it will become annoying

10. Where do you usually find creative inspiration?
I don't find them, they find me randomly.