How long did it take to define and master your style?

[Bakadeshi]

An odd side note, I can easily and accurately tell who edited a video without seeing the credits for a fair number of the people who say they don't have a style or that it's always changing.

I think it's undeniable that everyone has their own little quirks in editing which, if you follow through enough videos, become rather obvious to others...

This is probably true, as people have accurately guessed my entries on pro based on same logic in the past. ofcourse there has been people who couldn't guess aswell, so I'm guessing these things are probably subtle. It is true that I don't particularly try to do anything any one way to stick to any one style, but there are probably editing quirks unique to me that may give me away to the observant viewer without me even knowing I am doing them.

[Otohiko]

Oh you're probably right next to jasper-isis on my list in terms of people whose editing style I can recognize most easily

And you definitely have a very consistent approach to editing. Even Eiken won't fool me

[dj_ultima_the_great]

Hmm... style, eh? I'm not exactly known for my videos... more for my excessive forum use. In a MEP, I doubt that many - if any - would recognize my editing without the aid of the credits.

However, that said, if I have any style at all, it would probably be the use of videogames in serious videos. Why? Well, they were the most accessible to me. When I was lacking a DVD drive, I could still rip PS1 games, so they wormed their way into my videos. Even after getting my drive, the first thing I went to rip was a PS2 game (which ultimately ended up turning into my most recent and technically best video).

Basically, my first three videos were just n00bish effort at beat sync and video editing in general. My fourth video had a concept and beat sync. The fifth had a concept and direction, but regressed in editing. The sixth, while it has a fond place in my heart, is really just a mish-mash of experimental videos and an overuse of simple effects - however, the beat sync is good and many of the sections had a decent concept. Several other videos I wish would never see the light of day again. The tenth looks like it should have been edited by someone completely different.

***note: save yourself some trouble and don't download ANYTHING in that paragraph

So. That leaves us with seven and twelve. Old and new. The seventh video, which I often reference, is basically what made me think like the editor I am now. Although it's riddled with flaws, it's the first video that I've looked at and thought, "Wow. I made something with a concept like that?" It motivates me, and it's definitely one of the things that made me keep at it on the occasions when I've basically given up on being an editor. Well, I make it sound more dramatic than it sounds, but you get the gist. As for the twelfth... it took what I learned from the seventh, as well as the year hiatus I spent trying to learn technical points, and combined them into one. Still many flaws, but now those things are more clearly defined.

While I don't think I'll ever be able to master my style, I do believe that someday I will finish a video that I think is "perfect." This does not mean that every video after that will be perfect. It's more the situation where the ideal song with come together with the ideal anime, and my editing timeline will match them up exactly the way that my mental timeline put them together.

And isn't that always the case? As editors, we're trying to lay down what we see in our mind's eye. Only when I successfully do that one hundred percent will I say that I have made a perfect video. However, I still will not have mastered my style - and quite frankly, I hope I never do.


- Jen

[CrackTheSky]

***note: save yourself some trouble and don't download ANYTHING in that paragraph

Myself, I'm too new to AMVs to have a real "style", but I tend to stay on the simple side when making my videos...I actually think my first video, which I made in Windows Movie Maker and lacks any effects at all, is my favorite. Ever since I started using Vegas I've felt the need to add effects to my videos, and in the end even though they look cool I end up wishing I'd kept it simple :/

Basically, because I prefer simplicity, I think my AMVs end up looking inconsistent due to the fact that I try to include too many effects where I shouldn't. I don't know how to describe it, but I haven't quite defined my style yet. I'm thinking of going back to WMM for a video or two so I won't be tempted to overdo them.

It's a learning process.

[Flint the Dwarf]

An odd side note, I can easily and accurately tell who edited a video without seeing the credits for a fair number of the people who say they don't have a style or that it's always changing.

Bingo. It's the same with me. Sometimes even when the video is contrary to what the creator has done previously, I still recognize something. For most I don't actually understand what that 'something' is.

Me?

I sure as hell can recognize your vids, man. Usually by music alone.

As for myself, some people have said I have a faily distinctive style, in that I don't sync consistently, really. I sync with what I think should be dominant right then. It's hard for a lot of people to follow my sync, it seems. Ultimately it's lyrics first, guided by whatever instrument I think should be dominant at whatever point I think I should change scenes.

And piano bars. Oh yeah.

I have at leats one more video up my sleeve, and I'll see if that finally solidifies my style.

[Otohiko]

I would recognize them more easily if you actually made more videos, bastard :-*

Well music is kind of a giveaway for a lot of people. I'd probably raise my eyebrows in a funny way if you made an R&B video or something. I think it's fair to say that there are groups of people who are very loyal to certain bands or genres. Less so with anime, but there are some cases of that.

Then there's video genres. I would personally be very surprised if I ever found myself making an upbeat romance video, dance video, or a proper comedy vid (a la doki, for instance).

[Ileia]

If I have a defined style, I'm not sure what it is. I try to do something different every time. I've tried a little of most everything. All I really know is that I lean heavily on internal sync, prefer not to use effects, and I like to punctuate with black screens.

As for people recognizing other people's styles a mile away....I recall a blind Iron chef judging where mine and Kitsuner's videos were mistaken for each other's.

[guy07]

my style: trial and error, something new everytime
My sense of humor: Drugs

[Kitsuner]

As for people recognizing other people's styles a mile away....I recall a blind Iron chef judging where mine and Kitsuner's videos were mistaken for each other's.

Not only that, but godix was one of the main people I remember confusing the two.

Well, since I'm posting here anyway, I may as well reply to the OP while I'm here. A solid majority of my videos are AMV Hell-based, in that the only reason I actually made them was because of a small portion of the actual video getting stuck in my head, with the rest of the video pretty much being filler. I have a tendency to rush through my videos, because oftentimes when I try to take my time with a video, I end up getting bored with the idea after not editing it often enough, which is what usually ends up happening when I don't binge edit.

When it comes to editing, I tend to avoid effects, because... well, up until recently I didn't know what most of them did. I find it somewhat difficult to visualize effects, so I generally end up not bothering to include them. Most of the time, I fall back onto lyric sync to keep the video going, often to the point of being ridiculously literal. Video concepts usually end up being whatever pops into my head that won't go away. The primary exceptions to this are videos made solely for contests, such as One Day at a Time or Pokematrix. I suppose Emily could also fall into that catergory on account of it was made as a visual aid for a book report.

On the other hand, I've noticed that I'm beginning to shift towards using more effects, though the next few videos I have planned are still basically the same stupid comedies as I've been doing since AMV Hell. :/

[Moonlight Soldier]

If I have a defined style, I'm not sure what it is. I try to do something different every time. I've tried a little of most everything. All I really know is that I lean heavily on internal sync, prefer not to use effects...

Ditto.

I just keep trying out new things as I figure them out. @o