Skin - Claymore AMV (Otakon Finalist) & My First AMV

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irriadin
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Skin - Claymore AMV (Otakon Finalist) & My First AMV

Post by irriadin » Sun Aug 01, 2010 10:06 pm

Image



This video contains a LOT of spoilers for Claymore, so be warned.

Finalist in Otakon's Action section, which was very competitive this year.

This is my first AMV. It was partly inspired by the efforts put forth in last year's Otakon AMV contest; you guys are all awesome.

LONG DESCRIPTION:
It took a long while to get the video to this point, but I am proud of it, in the end. Because of the nature of the song, I approached my video with a very definite structure in mind... two parts. The first part would be more dramatic in nature and timed slower to match the pace of the song. The second half would be a balls-to-the-wall action piece.

Picking such a song for my first AMV presented a considerable challenge, and I'll freely admit I struggled to find my bearings in the first half. I must have spent a month and a half scrapping and reworking it until I got it to the point it's at now. The first version of part 1 was truly dreadful and almost made me lose hope in my ability to get this video done competently. Six versions later I decided that it was good enough for me to press on to part 2.

There was a lapse of time between parts 1 and 2 where I tried to refocus my creative energies to the entirely different feel of the second half of the song "Skin." I really wanted the first verse of part 2 to blow the viewer's minds, particularly since I feel the dramatic SHIFT is the greatest strength of the song itself, and I wanted the video to reflect that feeling back at the viewer. ANYWAY, I found part 2 far easier to work with than part 1, and feel it came out very well indeed.

The inspiration for this video simply came from Claymore itself; I've attempted to paint a broader picture of what I believe encompasses the story of Claymore. It's not just about death and vengeance; it's also a depiction of single-minded obsession and self-destruction wrought by loss of innocence.

Now despite all those lofty principles in mind, I also just wanted to make an AWSM Claymore vid, so I hope you enjoy it!
TL;DR VERSION:
My main goal with this AMV was to tell a story; I've attempted to paint a broader picture of what I believe encompasses the story of Claymore. It's not just about death and vengeance; it's also a depiction of single-minded obsession and self-destruction wrought by loss of innocence. There are two parts to this video, each representing a different state of mind.
Please leave constructive criticism... and enjoy!
Last edited by irriadin on Thu Aug 05, 2010 7:52 pm, edited 5 times in total.

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irriadin
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Re: Skin - Claymore AMV (Otakon Action Finalist)

Post by irriadin » Tue Aug 03, 2010 6:45 am

Bump. Come on, can I get some feedback here? :/

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Re: Skin - Claymore AMV (Otakon Action Finalist)

Post by LeX » Tue Aug 03, 2010 6:46 am

Machinae Supremacy :ying:

*WATCHING

Video was overall really good i liked it.
The Only think looked random/unneeded was the slide on 01:08-01:09.
Fucking love this Song
Good Work
4,6789+/5+

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Re: Skin - Claymore AMV (Otakon Action Finalist)

Post by irriadin » Tue Aug 03, 2010 2:29 pm

LeXxX wrote:Machinae Supremacy :ying:

*WATCHING

Video was overall really good i liked it.
The Only think looked random/unneeded was the slide on 01:08-01:09.
Fucking love this Song
Good Work
4,6789+/5+
Thanks for the comment! I agree that Machinae Supremacy is pure unadulterated awesome (just look at my avatar, haha). Skin is a great song, and I'm pretty sure I was the first to use it to make an AMV. MaSu needs more exposure! :wink:

Hmm... yea, I suppose the slide does kind of break the flow a little bit. I honestly can't remember what I was thinking when I added that in. I revised the first half of the AMV like over a dozen times, so it all kinda blurs together at this point. But I'm glad you liked it!

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Re: Skin - Claymore AMV (Otakon Finalist) & My First AMV

Post by irriadin » Fri Aug 06, 2010 6:41 am

Final bump. Please leave any criticism or comments, I want to know what I need to improve upon or what I did right :)

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Re: Skin - Claymore AMV (Otakon Finalist) & My First AMV

Post by Kireblue » Fri Aug 06, 2010 12:23 pm

Is this really your first AMV? You didn't make any of the mistakes typically associated with first AMVs, so I don't really have much criticism for you. When I saw this at Otakon, I felt that it could have been in both the Action and Drama category, and it does a good job at being both. There aren't any problems in it worth complaining about, and it was a nice watch. This AMV isn't very spectacular, but it's one of the most flawless first AMVs that I've seen. :up: Sorry, but I don't really have a lot to say about this one. So congrats on making it to Otakon's finals :beer: and I'll give this a 3.8 / 5

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Re: Skin - Claymore AMV (Otakon Finalist) & My First AMV

Post by irriadin » Fri Aug 06, 2010 9:04 pm

kireblue wrote:Is this really your first AMV?
Yes. I've made videos before (since 2007), but they were PvP videos in various mmorpg's that I played. Working with anime as my source was initially very frustrating to me, as I had to adjust to the fact that my footage is already edited to a certain degree.
kireblue wrote:You didn't make any of the mistakes typically associated with first AMVs, so I don't really have much criticism for you. When I saw this at Otakon, I felt that it could have been in both the Action and Drama category, and it does a good job at being both. There aren't any problems in it worth complaining about, and it was a nice watch. This AMV isn't very spectacular, but it's one of the most flawless first AMVs that I've seen. :up: Sorry, but I don't really have a lot to say about this one. So congrats on making it to Otakon's finals :beer: and I'll give this a 3.8 / 5
Thanks! I did spend a long time observing how some of my favorite AMV's were put together and attempted to emulate them. I wish you knew what could have made my AMV "spectacular" but I can surmise it's probably the flow. Or something... :|

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Re: Skin - Claymore AMV (Otakon Finalist) & My First AMV

Post by Cross/fade » Sun Aug 08, 2010 3:15 am

I agree with most things Kireblue said. It's a good AMV especially since it's your first. And like Kireblue I felt a strong drama vibe from this amv (even stronger than the action lol). As for more detailed criticism ..... I have none. It's a simple AMV that doesn't stand out but also it's not an AMV that after the years you will think "OMG this is so wrong ..." (and I believe most people tend to feel that way about their first work lol).

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Re: Skin - Claymore AMV (Otakon Finalist) & My First AMV

Post by EvaFan » Sun Aug 08, 2010 6:54 am

Not bad, Liked a few spots. If I were to give you any advice for future works it would be to work on scene choice a bit and try to internal sync some more. All so when there is a big change in the music (pace/pitch/tone) even if it's abrupt, try to do something with it. Don't just ignore it, example would be 1:18 (if the swords hitting each other were at that time instead of slightly before it, It would have looked better IMO). Simple things like that can make the amv flow alot better and have more of an impact like you did at 2:01.

Actually If I were to rate this amv from 2:01 onwards I'd give it a 4/5 but the stuff before it I didn't like as much. Only complaints from 2:01 onwards is working on motion and blending of scenes a bit better.

For a first work, it puts most to shame so atleast be proud of that.
Cross/fade wrote:(and I believe most people tend to feel that way about their first work lol)
I do :uhoh:
"The people cannot be [...] always, well informed. The part which is wrong will be discontented, in proportion to [...] the facts they misconceive. If they remain quiet under such misconceptions, it is lethargy, the forerunner of death to public liberty. What country can preserve its liberties, if it's rulers are not warned [...] that this people preserve the spirit of resistance? The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time, with the blood of patriots and tyrants."-Thomas Jefferson

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Re: Skin - Claymore AMV (Otakon Finalist) & My First AMV

Post by irriadin » Sun Aug 08, 2010 4:38 pm

Cross/fade wrote:I agree with most things Kireblue said. It's a good AMV especially since it's your first. And like Kireblue I felt a strong drama vibe from this amv (even stronger than the action lol). As for more detailed criticism ..... I have none. It's a simple AMV that doesn't stand out but also it's not an AMV that after the years you will think "OMG this is so wrong ..." (and I believe most people tend to feel that way about their first work lol).
Thanks for the comment. Yes, the first half is very drama-ish, but the second half is action-ish. As suits the song, in my opinion. Anyway as far as looking back at this later on... well...I really don't like watching parts of my video (especially the first half) because I know I can do a lot better. I literally closed my eyes during certain parts when it debuted at Otakon... :lol:
EvaFan wrote:Not bad, Liked a few spots. If I were to give you any advice for future works it would be to work on scene choice a bit and try to internal sync some more. All so when there is a big change in the music (pace/pitch/tone) even if it's abrupt, try to do something with it. Don't just ignore it, example would be 1:18 (if the swords hitting each other were at that time instead of slightly before it, It would have looked better IMO). Simple things like that can make the amv flow alot better and have more of an impact like you did at 2:01.

Actually If I were to rate this amv from 2:01 onwards I'd give it a 4/5 but the stuff before it I didn't like as much. Only complaints from 2:01 onwards is working on motion and blending of scenes a bit better.

For a first work, it puts most to shame so atleast be proud of that.
Thanks for leaving some advice! I'm glad you liked the second part better, because that part "clicked" far better for me. Part 1 I revised over and over and over again, but it just didn't turn out as well as it could have. :? Cohesion and flow are two things I'm looking to address in my next work.

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