A Thousand Words

Feedback on cataloged Anime Music Videos

Moderators: Mol, seasons

Forum rules
Please observe the following unique rules for this forum:
  • Please limit your new threads (not replies) to one per week. If you have several new videos to announce, create one thread for all the videos. (Note: if you forget one you can edit your post!)
  • Offsite links are allowed, but you are required to have a catalog entry for that video as well. Threads announcing videos that do not contain a catalog entry will be moved to the Awaiting Catalog Entry sub-forum and will be deleted in 2 weeks if an entry is not created.
  • When posting announcements, it is recommended that you include links to the catalog entries (using the video ID) in your post.
  • Videos that do not contain anime are allowed to be announced in the Other Videos section and are not required to have catalog entries.
Locked
User avatar
Mysunsai
Joined: Sat Aug 27, 2016 10:44 am
Location: Probably in the lab
Org Profile

A Thousand Words

Post by Mysunsai » Sat Aug 18, 2018 8:20 pm


User avatar
Kionon
I ♥ the 80's
Joined: Fri Mar 02, 2001 10:13 pm
Status: Ayukawa MODoka.
Location: I wonder if you know how they live in Tokyo... DRIFT, DRIFT, DRIFT
Contact:
Org Profile

Re: A Thousand Words

Post by Kionon » Sat Aug 18, 2018 9:04 pm

This is a good example of what I call a "single-watch video." It's a good video, and it kept my attention (I liked Made in Abyss and these characters specifically), but I wouldn't say I "enjoyed" it. This is not a negative, as many sad, depressing pieces of media keep my attention and are worth watching the fist time. However, as I don't seek to increase my sadness or unhappiness, I don't tend to rewatch such series, movies, or AMVs.

I liked the video, I think it had a very subtle, understated style, although in many ways the audio was used more as a soundtrack to the flow of scenes rather than fully integrated. The editing flow did not seem strongly synched to any particular part of the audio, but it didn't really matter to my emotional state. This is likely the advantage of using instrumental music over lyrical music.
ImageImage
That YouTube Thing.

User avatar
Mysunsai
Joined: Sat Aug 27, 2016 10:44 am
Location: Probably in the lab
Org Profile

Re: A Thousand Words

Post by Mysunsai » Sat Aug 18, 2018 10:05 pm

Kionon wrote:I liked the video, I think it had a very subtle, understated style, although in many ways the audio was used more as a soundtrack to the flow of scenes rather than fully integrated. The editing flow did not seem strongly synched to any particular part of the audio, but it didn't really matter to my emotional state. This is likely the advantage of using instrumental music over lyrical music.
I was somewhat concerned about the music integration from the beginning, and I'm still not too happy about the result. It worked out well enough, but it does seem like I could substitute in a dozen other songs from my computer without needing to change much, which isn't really what I wanted to do.

User avatar
Kionon
I ♥ the 80's
Joined: Fri Mar 02, 2001 10:13 pm
Status: Ayukawa MODoka.
Location: I wonder if you know how they live in Tokyo... DRIFT, DRIFT, DRIFT
Contact:
Org Profile

Re: A Thousand Words

Post by Kionon » Sat Aug 18, 2018 10:11 pm

Mysunsai wrote:I was somewhat concerned about the music integration from the beginning, and I'm still not too happy about the result. It worked out well enough, but it does seem like I could substitute in a dozen other songs from my computer without needing to change much, which isn't really what I wanted to do.
Yes, it does seem like the strength of the video relies on your scene choices, not on your musical integration. I can well imagine you could substitute similar instrumental tracks and evoke the same emotional response. There are some who would argue this lack of musical integration either means this isn't "really" an anime music video, they would be saying that it is merely inherent that the anime and music must be integrated to get to the popular conceptualisation of AMV going back about 20 years or so, or that you were merely a "bad" editor (which is not only false, it's not useful). However, I think many early AMVs were far more similar to yours because of the difficulty of precise editing. You know, given the lack of digital editing and non-linear systems.

What music would you consider substituting for better integration? Would you consider lyrical music instead? Plenty of depressing songs with words out there about the pain of losing a loved one, of broken friendship, etc.
ImageImage
That YouTube Thing.

User avatar
Mysunsai
Joined: Sat Aug 27, 2016 10:44 am
Location: Probably in the lab
Org Profile

Re: A Thousand Words

Post by Mysunsai » Sat Aug 18, 2018 10:31 pm

Kionon wrote:What music would you consider substituting for better integration? Would you consider lyrical music instead? Plenty of depressing songs with words out there about the pain of losing a loved one, of broken friendship, etc.
I'd probably have to go with lyrical music, I can't think of how I would go about improving the integration for anything instrumental (at least in the near future, maybe eventually I'll be good enough to do that). I don't know what song I would use though. I was actually looking for a song for this anime for a couple months before I decided on this one, and nothing else particularly stuck out during that time.

User avatar
Kionon
I ♥ the 80's
Joined: Fri Mar 02, 2001 10:13 pm
Status: Ayukawa MODoka.
Location: I wonder if you know how they live in Tokyo... DRIFT, DRIFT, DRIFT
Contact:
Org Profile

Re: A Thousand Words

Post by Kionon » Sun Aug 19, 2018 12:12 am

Mysunsai wrote:I'd probably have to go with lyrical music, I can't think of how I would go about improving the integration for anything instrumental (at least in the near future, maybe eventually I'll be good enough to do that). I don't know what song I would use though. I was actually looking for a song for this anime for a couple months before I decided on this one, and nothing else particularly stuck out during that time.
This is the downside to "anime first" concepts, as in you have a source and narrative in mind and you try to find music which fits. I have had significantly more success as a "song first" editor, where I hear a song and my mind naturally tries to pair it up with an anime source. The more I think about it, and more familiar I am with a given source, the more likely I am to be able to storyboard in my head, which makes finding clips a lot easier and giving me a general lay out I can put down on the timeline to just tweak the editing on. The only downside to this method is if you think you remember a scene in the anime and it didn't really exist. It is just in your imagination. Then you either need to substitute or actually create the scene. This has happened to me several times and the goal is for the viewer to not be able to pick it out from the rest of the used scenes. Many modified scene videos exist, but most are pretty obvious about it (especially crossover videos). I try to hide it as much as possible, because that was what I thought was in the original source to begin with.
ImageImage
That YouTube Thing.

User avatar
lloyd9988
Joined: Sun May 15, 2011 4:57 pm
Location: AZ
Org Profile

Re: A Thousand Words

Post by lloyd9988 » Mon Aug 20, 2018 6:28 am

This video were featured in the August 2018 Edition for Monthly AMVs as "Must Watch"

User avatar
Kionon
I ♥ the 80's
Joined: Fri Mar 02, 2001 10:13 pm
Status: Ayukawa MODoka.
Location: I wonder if you know how they live in Tokyo... DRIFT, DRIFT, DRIFT
Contact:
Org Profile

Re: A Thousand Words

Post by Kionon » Tue Aug 21, 2018 6:52 am

YouTube appears to have taken the video down.

For future viewers, it's still available here on the Org as a Local download.
ImageImage
That YouTube Thing.

User avatar
seasons
Joined: Wed Jul 22, 2009 12:31 pm
Contact:
Org Profile

Re: A Thousand Words

Post by seasons » Tue Aug 21, 2018 1:59 pm

Even if someone isn't familiar with this anime, I feel like this video would still hold their attention because the visuals are as captivating as they are (though being as riddled with spoilers as it is, I would ask anyone to think twice about actually watching it unless they're certain they have no interest in this anime).

The editing cuts back and forth between a couple of different subplots in a way that, feels kind of random and doesn't really make immediate sense, although the video does succeed in establishing a certain tone and, basic as it is, achieves a sense of flow. I can see how this structure would make sense from an editor's point of view, and having seen this series, I think when you look at it as a video focused on one specific character, this back-and-forth in time narrative makes sense.

Technically, this is pretty much perfect. And even in terms of editing, this was pretty good. You have a good understanding of how long to hold a shot for, as nothing here felt especially rushed or painfully drawn out, but the general flow of the video never felt especially predictable or monotonous. Thank you for not loading it up with effects.

I am not sure if I can separate my enjoyment of this AMV from my enjoyment of Made In Abyss. This AMV was definitely true to the series...I'm not sure that I literally want a video that's not true to the series, but you're definitely ready to take some bigger risks and explore some less-conventional ideas in the future!

Sorry if this wasn't helpful, you've made a lot of videos and you probably need or want someone telling you what you need to do at this point! I am glad I watched this and I'll probably be looking through your older works when I get a chance.

User avatar
vkamv
Joined: Fri Mar 30, 2018 12:07 am
Status: Madoka is life.
Org Profile

Re: A Thousand Words

Post by vkamv » Tue Aug 21, 2018 2:25 pm

I believe you did an excellent job mixing in the backstory scenes with the present time scenes. I have seen this anime already so I know the story, and the scenes didn't surprise me. I think, however, it might have an even bigger impact on someone who hasn't seen the anime because you did a great job slowly unveiling the history of what's going on in the AMV. At first the viewer might not understand how the backstory and present story are related, but at the end everything is clear and becomes cohesive. I really believe this video could stand alone without knowing the anime itself.

Also, I actually think the AMV synced with the song. A few specific notes below:

0:21 - You did a good job matching the pace of the song with the scene right here.

2:21 - Another great sync of beat and scene.

Locked

Return to “AMV Announcements & Feedback”