AMV Salad 5: Happy Meal (Nekocon 14, here we come!)

[Gaelstrom]

A theme for something like an AMV Hell style project is counter intuitive to its purpose I feel. It is a collection of random clips that are from many different perspectives that go after many parts of the minds of the audience whether they know it or not. No theme we've ever put forth has ever been a continuous idea that landed. Ironically if I remember correctly, the idea for AMVS3 was commercials, and it wasn't until AMVS4 that the running gag for Geico Money stole the show and trounced Head On like no tomorrow. It's because a theme does nothing but limit the creators initially in this style. It should create a setting for a fun set of ideas, but this year you tried to force it, and it didn't work, because you cannot force random humor. Hell, even random humor isn't really random, it's actually one of the most complex forms of humor in existence, and requires a lot, and I mean a LOT of understanding to know why it works (Explosions proved that to me), but to the observer it just seems pointless and is funny because it's pointless. The best part is, many times you don't need to know why it works to come up with good random humor, it just helps to know because then you can make it less of an accident.

I am an adamant believer that comedy will come with time and intent when you don't try to force it. This year, every one of us was focussed on other things, sadly, so we understandably lacked collective focus and have weak points that will hurt us a bit because of it. Like the credits and the slow start. I was focussed on survival, and didn't get to some of the clips I really wanted to do, however my career restarted again, and quite frankly I want to make my money animating, so that took precedence ^^ If I'm not mistaken, Miko got married, and of course that takes distraction to a whole new level for a hobby project like this. I'm sure everyone else had certain things come up that stopped focus as well.

Basically, as long as we have intent, then we'll have the things come to us with time. Geico Money proved that well I think (I keep using it because I think we all know how it ended up being more brilliant than either of us imagined). I believe that Energizer Bunny, while a fine idea, didn't come to fruition because it really didn't offer much with the current existing footage, but it did get us rolling in the right direction. Fluffy and explosions ended up working well in a spiraling inward on one another, and then that wonderful FMA final clip came from the conversations and brought it together. In fact happily proving me wrong that two running gags wouldn't work. However it was because they weren't forced.

That said, I believe a theme can and should act as a guide. If you say 'what about children's shows' and someone gets inspired, that's what should be happening. If you say 'only children's shows' then it's like the creator's mind is a child and the parent is saying 'don't take the chocolate chip cookie.' It doesn't work. If this project were a specific context and not disjointed clips, it would be different and our minds would adapt accordingly (like how mine has to for the parody I want to make), but I don't do AMVS to feel limited, I do it to be insane and take an audience with me And then the best part is how my humor style mixes with everyone else's, and when we carefully consider the layout, all of us end up being funnier because we became each others' variety.

A lesson I am more and more happy I learned the more I keep trying to write this script.

[moonbunnychan]

Back to meeting up...I forgot to mention that I have a Hard Rock all access card, which lets me get first available seating, no matter how long a wait they have...which may be useful if you guys wanted to go that route (they ARE a lot more expensive then say, 5 Guys). I jumped an hour long wait at the Washington DC one July 4th.


And ya...only a few of my clips this year were really on theme before I just gave up and submitted whatever. I just couldn't think of much in such a narrow confine of material.

[Gaelstrom]

Back to meeting up...I forgot to mention that I have a Hard Rock all access card, which lets me get first available seating, no matter how long a wait they have...which may be useful if you guys wanted to go that route (they ARE a lot more expensive then say, 5 Guys). I jumped an hour long wait at the Washington DC one July 4th.


And ya...only a few of my clips this year were really on theme before I just gave up and submitted whatever. I just couldn't think of much in such a narrow confine of material.

Well hot damn! Will that work for a group of like 20? ^^ That'll be amazing if you could use that! I know I'm going to be there with three other friends (or they may be lazy and not come...) so I guess it depends who's coming if it still makes sense. Hope it's not too many people actually, because then how the hell will we all talk? ^^ And how expensive is expensive? Like say... a burger and fries, is it the typical 9 bucks type deal, or do they pull that 'gourmet' bullshit so they can charge in the teens? I don't remember Hard Rock being like the stupid Rainforest Cafe and pretending that its gimmick was actually worth a damn. I don't know if any of you have ever been to the Rainforest Cafe, but... don't.

[moonbunnychan]

lol I think they may kill me for a group that big.

Though I'm still not 100 percent sure I can even MAKE Thursday, but I'm hoping to.

[Warlike Swans]

I'm no longer sure if I know when the talk of meet up is for.... but if it's when I can make it there will probably be either 2 or 3 of us.... I think that we need to compile an estimate of numbers and then call the restaurants to see what they can accommodate and how much notice they need for large parties.

[Gaelstrom]

The time I put forward initially (which was open for discussion but nobody seemed to have another time in mind ^^) was for 7 PM on Thursday for those of us that arrive on Thursday.

Any other time would have to be decided by those NOT here on Thursday I'd imagine, so if you're not going to be here thursday, please think of a time you could meet that wouldn't interrupt the con too much.

I could meet after fanparodies Friday or Saturday at 1 AM for a little bit for all I care, I just don't want to miss too much of the con itself if I can. There are fewer things I feel the need to see as I go each year, so I try to see what things I've never been to, but of course there are always the guaranteed ones, like AMV Contest, Fanparodies, things of that nature. For some reason I'm no longer as interested with masquerades as much unless I were involved in it.

Anyway:

7:00 PM Thursday at the Hard Rock Cafe is the current time on the table.

Open for bids ^^ And I agree about the calling ahead idea. Letting them know they'll have a large group around a certain time will probably be much appreciated, and give us a stronger chance of even getting in.

As a Backup Plan:

8:00 PM at the Hilton lobby? If things don't work out for the Hard Rock, and we still haven't met as a group, we can choose like... North Entrance of Hilton or something at 8:00 PM so we can at least tell who we are more easily.

Other than that, we'll again probably need to exchange pictures or have some identifying aspects like our names and our production names on our badges or something.

[Gaelstrom]

Message from Scott for us:

For all parody creators in the Otakon 2011 show this year:

I just heard back from Jeff, our publications guy. As you know, we're
working hard on having a lot of press about fan parodies this year, so
we should completely pack that immense room for the two showings. The
schedule is in the handheld guide, the descriptions are formatted up,
the poster board for the room has been put together, but we've got
another opportunity!

"In an interesting twist we are under our page count for the program
book. This means if you are able to procure logos or images or any
additional content by the end of this week for the fan parodies I may
be able to make a quick spread and get them in the program book! I
know this is rather sudden and there is no guarantee it will actually
make it but I wanted to let you know the earliest I could."

Wouldn't it be amazingly cool to have a spread with our logos and
promo stuff for our films? If you've got 'em (or can put them
together quickly), please get me what you can right away. I have some
logos or graphics for some of you guys (Leet Street Boys, Team Four
Star, Studio Sokodei), but let's get something amazingly cool together
for our films. If we can, I think this'll be the first time fan
parodies have had something like this.

I don't have guidelines for what we'll need or what will work. I'm
thinking either company or show logos (such as "Dragonball Z
Abridged"), or any logos for the films specifically. If you have a
title screen, movie poster, logo, etc., for your film or show that
would be even better.

Please send me what you've got right away. I already sent in my promo
poster for "Fanboy Soze" (my group's premier in the show) and NoN.D.E.
Fanfilms' logo. We won't be able to do much of a "spread" if we only
have two or three, so please jump on this and send me everything you
can.

Thank you very much! This is definitely shaping up to be the biggest
and best year for fan parodies. Thank you for being a part of it, and
getting me all your info quickly so we could get this bonus.

-Scott A Melzer
Otakon 2011 Fan Produced Videos

I don't want to send in a screencap of the title sequence, because it'll give away the joke. Does anyone have any ideas? I have the 3D modeled title of course, I can do something with that and our tags in photoshop potentially?

[Squancho]

Wow...here's where my creative prowess goes out the window.
I have no idea what our lasting impression should be.
All I can think of is the title in "Star Wars" type.
I don't want my tag to be up front since so many have helped build this project.
Gah...I just don't know.

[Warlike Swans]

This is my concept...

...the "AMV" is meal to mimic the Mc Donald's "M" font... I had no real idea of a font for "Salad V"... the wavy blobs are lettuce.

I'm not sure the best way of refining it... probably with about the best level of refinement I can do it would be equal to my production logo... maybe with less cheesy of gradients (and with real fonts instead of my handwriting)... I'd be happy to refine it, refine it with alterations, pass it off to someone with better art skills/equipment, or scrap it for a better idea.

[SammySamaProductions]

Omg that's super cute!!!! I could totally render that and make it our amvs5 badge . Very cute warlikesawans