Quarantine Dreams

[AllyKatAVR]

I don't really like announcing my videos, but I'm so overwhelmed by the response I've gotten from its premiere at Otakon.

This started as just a cathartic edit. 2020 was such a bad year and this song hit home with how I was feeling during the pandemic. It went on the back burner for a while because work started up again with a vengeance. Then I lost my beloved grandmother and was filled with so much regret for not seeing her during her final year due to COVID. I came back to this video with a new reason for why I was making it.

This is the first video I've submitted to Otakon that has made it as a finalist and I was ecstatic about that, let alone that it actually won!

[SilkAMV]

I really don't feel sufficiently capable of talking about this video. It's just too overwhelming. I haven't experienced this much feeling in an AMV since...I don't know. Best of You, maybe? I can definitely say this is the first AMV I wish I could have seen live and given a standing ovation along with everyone else. It is a mystery to me how this merely won the 1st place in the Sentimental category and not Best in Show.

[vivafruit]

I'm also speechless. I think this is my favorite amv in years.

[ShadeTheNovice]

Wow, this was absolutely incredible. So much about this is excellent, but I have to say, this is some truly remarkable scene selection. Not only do the scenes feel very relevant with the overall message of the video, but are also visually striking and interesting even without much serious editing. It really shows how far you can go if you pick good scenes to work with.

Notable parts I really liked, the opening Erased scenes used to convey the quarantine (0:00), the framing on this part with Shoya and Shouko (0:47 to 0:54), the fade to colour with Your Lie in April at the first chorus (0:54), this entire buildup section (1:41 to 2:09) (probably my favourite part), this section where you hold the tension with Kaori about to air-play, then use a neat trick to drop "masks" off of people in the A Silent Voice clip, only to return to Kaori with new vigor (3:53 to 4:02), and the defiant shouting children at the end here (4:10).

Parts that I didn't like so much:
(0:04) I understand why you overlaid those virus images to convey the before and after, but to me it felt cheap looking, and I have to wonder if there was a better way to convey that. Not sure what the solution here is, but the images did detract a bit from the scenes they were in.
(0:27, 1:14, 2:09, 2:18, 2:48) I think the lyric sync in the video is overall pretty good, but these were some moments I felt a bit too on the nose, or perhaps they lingered too long on the lyric sync, or perhaps it just didn't fit well within the context of where the song was at.
(2:21 to 2:27) The first instance of this part in the song I felt you did particularly well (it's even above in the notable parts I liked (0:47 to 0:54)) because the quick fades there almost flowed into one another in terms of movement and framing. The same is not true of this part, where the fades seemingly interrupt each other, and overall it makes for a fairly confusing section. I see what you were going for, but I think the end result is a bit too chaotic.

That said, I absolutely love this AMV. This message really speaks to me, and despite it dating itself with references to the pandemic, I think this conveys a feeling I've had from way before I was ever stuck at home. I hope you can experience the masterpiece of life despite your seemingly busy work-life. Thank you.

[TnAdct1]

It is a mystery to me how this merely won the 1st place in the Sentimental category and not Best in Show.

The reason for that can be summed up in three simple words: DEKU VS. GOKU.

[Megamom]

Master Piece

I liked everything, the atmosphere, the feeling it makes me feel, it is an exciting journey

[AllyKatAVR]

I really don't feel sufficiently capable of talking about this video. It's just too overwhelming. I haven't experienced this much feeling in an AMV since...I don't know. Best of You, maybe? I can definitely say this is the first AMV I wish I could have seen live and given a standing ovation along with everyone else. It is a mystery to me how this merely won the 1st place in the Sentimental category and not Best in Show.

It was overwhelming making it and having to reflect on my own experiences. A fear I had was that I was going to pour my heart and soul into it only to find out it wasn't necessary, but it seems it was worth it! I'm just surprised that Best in Show wasn't a video that placed in any category. That completely came out of left field lol

I'm also speechless. I think this is my favorite amv in years.

That's quite an honor, thanks!

Parts that I didn't like so much:
(0:04) I understand why you overlaid those virus images to convey the before and after, but to me it felt cheap looking, and I have to wonder if there was a better way to convey that. Not sure what the solution here is, but the images did detract a bit from the scenes they were in.
(0:27, 1:14, 2:09, 2:18, 2:48) I think the lyric sync in the video is overall pretty good, but these were some moments I felt a bit too on the nose, or perhaps they lingered too long on the lyric sync, or perhaps it just didn't fit well within the context of where the song was at.
(2:21 to 2:27) The first instance of this part in the song I felt you did particularly well (it's even above in the notable parts I liked (0:47 to 0:54)) because the quick fades there almost flowed into one another in terms of movement and framing. The same is not true of this part, where the fades seemingly interrupt each other, and overall it makes for a fairly confusing section. I see what you were going for, but I think the end result is a bit too chaotic.

:04 - They did their job then, yay! I was hoping someone would bring them up so I can go deep into why these tacky things are there aside from the obvious: I wanted them to just disrupt anything I was placing them over. I think I can say with certainty that no one likes the virus, but it's here. Disrupting our lives. It's ugly and it's terrible. With anything it touches, we end up focusing on the virus and we hate it. When my grandmother passed, it was tragic, but I still couldn't go to her place of death or even go to her funeral because it was still out there and I hadn't gotten vaccinated yet. That's just what they're meant to do in the video as well. They're ugly and not pleasant to look at, and distract from the matter at hand. You can skip over it in the comfort of your home, but if you're seeing this at a convention, there's no avoiding it, similarly with the actual virus.

:27 - I agree. I didn't want this one to be so literal and there were other shots I wanted to use that weren't, but I just couldn't get them to time well to this part of the song. It was like fitting a square peg into a round hole. I brought in Barakamon as a source knowing that the opening had something I could use, although it did involve paint, and it fit better than anything else I tried so I just left it :/ but I'm not crazy about it. On top of it being too literal, I didn't want to use anything that may include abstract imagery, which these shots also have.
2:09 - this was the moment I was returning to focus on actual people after the nature montage, so I got carried away lol Although I am impressed with myself to have found shots about ears
2:18 - mm, yeah. This entire section was just so focused on lyrics it felt like it'd be really abrupt to suddenly...not. That and I was using Weathering with You as a source. I was sure if I didn't put emphasis on the mentioned rain, someone would definitely get on my case about it lol
1:14 and 2:48 - Trees, man. What can ya do.
2:21 - 2:27 - I didn't even have to look up the timestamp to know what you were referring to. That's honestly my least favorite part of the video because I rushed through trying to fill my timeline at this point. When I was making revisions after my first version, I never got around to this section unfortunately :/

Thank you for your feedback! I'm happy that you liked the things I personally liked as well.

It is a mystery to me how this merely won the 1st place in the Sentimental category and not Best in Show.

The reason for that can be summed up in three simple words: DEKU VS. GOKU.

Well, that explains the Best in Show choice lol How does something like that NOT place at all within its own category though?

Master Piece

I liked everything, the atmosphere, the feeling it makes me feel, it is an exciting journey

Thank you!

[TnAdct1]

It is a mystery to me how this merely won the 1st place in the Sentimental category and not Best in Show.

The reason for that can be summed up in three simple words: DEKU VS. GOKU.

Well, that explains the Best in Show choice lol How does something like that NOT place at all within its own category though?

The way Otakon works since 2012 is that the Best in Show award supersedes the category awards. What that means is that if a video that receives the most votes in a category ends up winning Best in Show, then said video forfeits the category award, and the video that receives the next highest amount of votes in the category takes the award instead.

Personally, that' s how I've been voting the Otakon AMV Contest for years once Best in Show was introduced: I don't vote for my Best in Show pick when choosing my votes for each category.

[seasons]

Most of my feelings about this have already been expressed by others. This was quite good.

[Zeonic Freak]

That did bring some tears to my eyes watching it. Incredibly well done video!