Best Instrumental Video

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theocide
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Post by theocide » Sat Feb 05, 2005 3:20 pm

theocide wrote:Wow. I'm really surprised that I Love The Matrix made semifinals. I really didn't think that many people saw it. Thanks!
edit: I wonder how many nom's it takes to make it to semifinals. anyone know?
Veldrin: I agree. Man this wedding was like having sex with theocide. Fast and makes you cry.

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Otohiko
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Post by Otohiko » Sat Feb 05, 2005 3:32 pm

Depends on the category. I believe they take the top 20 most nominated vids. I'm sure only the admins know the exact number.

I'm still going through some of the nominees in this category. I'm already sensing more than 5 very worthy candidates for final here...
The Birds are using humanity in order to throw something terrifying at this green pig. And then what happens to us all later, that’s simply not important to them…

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pen-pen2002
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Post by pen-pen2002 » Sun Feb 06, 2005 12:35 pm

Otohiko wrote:Depends on the category. I believe they take the top 20 most nominated vids. I'm sure only the admins know the exact number.

I'm still going through some of the nominees in this category. I'm already sensing more than 5 very worthy candidates for final here...
X2, This category has the highest level of compitition in my book. There are a lot of really good videos.
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Otohiko
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Post by Otohiko » Thu Feb 10, 2005 3:35 pm

Alright, since I usually try to open up my views on the nominations and voting, and this category is particularly of value to me, I shall do a run through the nominees with my quick thoughts/impressions on them.

Arigatomyna - Melody
A medley of shoujo/'fanservice' (by the author's admission) to trance focused on piano notes.
It's well-edited and nice to watch. I don't know to what extent this is fanservice, but it's really all about the shoujo here. "Shoujo Bushidou" without the fancy cutouts? :lol:

bakadeshi - Angel's Redemption
Dramatic and at times scary video to OC remix of classic Doom tracks.
Very much concept-driven, but the editing here is really very finely-cut. Perhaps too finely, taking account flashiness. It's been nominated for 'horror', and it's rather close to that in some respects - or at least it's unsettling, at times violent, and certainly depressing.

bakadeshi - Eternal SKY
Dream-like Escaflowne video.
Smooth indeed. It's very well-made. Blurry, sometimes pastel-colored, and still violent/action filled at times. The mood seems at the forefront here.

Corran - The Last Transmission
Interesting idea, again gives a very blurry (though not dream-like) impression once you get out of the 'Memories' segment and to the 'last message' from Last Exile. I did think (and you may hear it often from me) that it was somewhat off-balance conceptually though. Not that it didn't work.

flint_the_dwarf - Delicate Beauty
Interesting, moody, character-driven idea composed of stills. A good portrait - if only the text were more readable...

FoxJones - the Little While that We Are Here
Hey, where's the guns?... :wink:
Another mood/athmosphere-driven video. Nice European-cityscape visuals, blurred characterizations in mild tones, even old-film effect to boot. It doesn't seem to have a driving direction though, and feels somewhat off-center...

Janzki - The Bird Who Flew Too Far
Classical orchestral music finally makes its' appearance!
And what an appearance at that. Powerful mood/characterization, excellent concept; sad, thoughtful, beautiful. I applaud the idea and execution alike.

Jasper-Isis - Absolution
One among several very well-presented AMG vids here. To its' advantage, it focuses on a secondary character. And I've always been sympathetic to Jasper-Isis' editing style. Although I'll note that, while this one is tightly-edited, I somewhat prefer Forbidden Memories and Surrealism (too bad it didn't make it here).

Jasper-Isis - Forbidden Memories
Mild piano notes, guy and a pretty girl fall in love, romance and all that - what could possibly come of this?
Apparently, a very unsettling and even (to me) disturbing video. Despite the lack of major musical contrasts, there's a very marked contrast between early and late sections of the vid which, in my mind, works out fabulously well.

JCD - Fight For Justice
Well, I've discovered someone I'll surely vote for in action. Fast girls, superpowers, guitars - you can't go wrong. It's a video full of well-edited eye-candy.
But I will tend to keep it aside in Instrumental, perhaps in favour of stronger concept-driven vids...

LCY84 - Supermoves
This one I would tend to place more into the technical category. It's fast, and it has some neat effects and edits. It lacks any semblance of strong concept, but has visuals to boot.

MeriC - Enter the Dragon: DDR Project 4, Track 11
Now... I'm not entirely sold on having funky project videos with techno music in this category. Especially when there's lip sync involved :P
DBZ goes DDR done just right - fun, and not much else.

norskotaku - Illuminations I: Reflections of a Goddess
This one seems to be mentioned often, and praising its' grace doesn't even seem neccesary - it's long, it's meticulously edited, and keeps up a great deal of pace variation and contrast. Mood, action and flow - all there.
But I will pull my old card and again call this conceptually off-balance. Visually, it's stunning. But it doesn't have the artistic/conceptual power of several other candidates here.

Otohiko - The Wasteland
.......do I have to say something?
Actually, I will. I'd like to again thank those who nominated it, and those who brought me pages upon pages of insightful and interesting feedback, which consistently keeps telling me things about this video I didn't know.
As a viewer, I'm partial to viewing this often. That should suffice.

pen-pen2002 - Requiem for a Nightmare
In the words of Drngd, 'Powerful'.
It is indeed a very strong, very athmospheric video that has some really amazing moments, and delivers visual grandeur throughout it's hefty length. All the while, it's edited simply and without any bells-and-whistles, and draws on the anime for both the strength of visuals and the concept.
...yes, I'd call this a very balanced video with a strong center.

requiett - Phantasmagoria
Techno! Flashes! Lip-Sync. ...lip-sync?
It's a finely-cut piece, flashy delusions of a dying man. It'll be well-fit among effects vids.
But I think it's out of place in this category.

Scintilla - Alternate Eva Opening: Eva Bebop
Let's face it, one of the better videos of the year. But given its' direction and focus, I wouldn't go for it here. Just because it's really all about imitating the visuals of the original intro - and not about the music.

SephirothJenova - Elysium
I won't hide it, it sort of reminds me of my own video, in some aspects.
It has an interesting mood and athmosphere, nicely edited. What I feel it lacks is a real intensity (which hurts somewhat in the more aggressive EoE scenes), and a strong conceptual centre.

Sivis - It takes three to tango
Funky old-schoo romance with mecha. Old film to boot.
It has that nice in-story to it, and the choice of music is unusual to say the least. But even with the funkyness, I didn't find a real 'hook' in it.

theocide - I Love The Matrix
Story? Forget that, the video is a tribute to the coolness of the Matrix. And coolness it is.
By and far, the smoothest-edited, most aesthetically pleasing (IMHO) vid of the bunch. Just as the guitar playing is light, fast and effortless - the editing matches it in every possible way, without using any super-duper effects and flying boxes.

Vlad G Pohnert - Slayer Princess
Fun idea. Decently executed and synched, and there's some nice action moments. It tends to feel a lot like a trailer. And thusly, I would lean more to that category as a more appropriate placement for the vid.

Zarxrax - RVG Project 2004 - Track 34 - Surfing on the Blocks
Funky tekknikal with best use of Pikachu evar. It's all about the funky visuals and, duh, the blocks. I don't think it's particularly fitting in this category.

***

So, who do I vote for? Not quite decided.

My top recommendations would be:

-either of bakadeshi's vids
-either of Jasper-Isis' vids (I lean a bit to Forbidden Memories, myself)
-Janzki's masterpiece
-the Wasteland (I say that as a viewer)
-Reflections of a Goddess
-Requiem for a Nightmare
-I Love the Matrix

It'll honestly break my heart to not see one of them in the finals, so I'll probably end up keeping my vote hidden for now, and/or vote for the perceived underdogs.

***

But enjoy. I hope everyone gets a chance to go through this excellent nominee list. I've seen 'em all, and they're all worth the download here - even those I feel to be mis-categorized. :roll:
The Birds are using humanity in order to throw something terrifying at this green pig. And then what happens to us all later, that’s simply not important to them…

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krzT
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Post by krzT » Thu Feb 10, 2005 11:24 pm

Thanks, Otohiko. That list definitely helps me out, especially since I have yet to watch most of the vids in this category :oops:.
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pen-pen2002
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Post by pen-pen2002 » Fri Feb 11, 2005 12:42 am

Personally the ones I think really stand out are:

The Wasteland
I Love the Matrix
Forbidden Memories
(in no particular order)

Last Transmision I really liked. I think it fits best in most artistic and most original (Which it didn't make :( ) due to it's completly uniqe editing style.
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Knowname
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Post by Knowname » Sat Feb 12, 2005 3:46 am

I personally beleive your own deserves to be up there, and I would add Eva Bebop no matter what naysayers say, it's still a moving experience regardless if Zarxrax made it or simply copied Yokko Kano (or whoever choreographed the vid). There's beauty in imitation ;p.

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Post by AMVfreak » Sat Feb 12, 2005 10:10 am

Knowname wrote:I personally beleive your own deserves to be up there, and I would add Eva Bebop no matter what naysayers say, it's still a moving experience regardless if Zarxrax made it or simply copied Yokko Kano (or whoever choreographed the vid). There's beauty in imitation ;p.
Scintilla =Alternate Eva Opening: Eva Bebop
Lurid Enchantment - ICYCLOUD
urban suite - TRYTHIL
大切な思い - BAKADESHI
Expansion - RESK

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Knowname
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Post by Knowname » Mon Feb 14, 2005 2:01 am

AMVfreak wrote:
Knowname wrote:I personally beleive your own deserves to be up there, and I would add Eva Bebop no matter what naysayers say, it's still a moving experience regardless if Zarxrax made it or simply copied Yokko Kano (or whoever choreographed the vid). There's beauty in imitation ;p.
Scintilla =Alternate Eva Opening: Eva Bebop
:? or if Scintilla made it, whatever, it's a good video! and incadently it's and instramental! So what ya gonna do? not vote for it? lmao -_-

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Post by pen-pen2002 » Mon Feb 14, 2005 10:15 am

Knowname wrote:
AMVfreak wrote:
Knowname wrote:I personally beleive your own deserves to be up there, and I would add Eva Bebop no matter what naysayers say, it's still a moving experience regardless if Zarxrax made it or simply copied Yokko Kano (or whoever choreographed the vid). There's beauty in imitation ;p.
Scintilla =Alternate Eva Opening: Eva Bebop
:? or if Scintilla made it, whatever, it's a good video! and incadently it's and instramental! So what ya gonna do? not vote for it? lmao -_-
The key word here is incidentally, meaning "by chance." It is a wonderful parody video and, I would argue, very original and one of the top videos of the year. However, consider this:
category wrote:The focus of the editing shifts from lyrics-matching to pure musical flow and concept.
The original is a great instrumental vid, but the beauty of EvaBebop is in the visual matching, so, while I think it deserved the nomination, I did not vote for it because I think that there are a number of truly excelent videos that more truly represent the reason for this categories existance.

But that is just my personal oppinion... :wink:
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