'concept' videos |:>

godix · Post by **godix** » Thu May 24, 2007 8:23 pm

Personally I like concept videos. I view it as a kind of maturity of sorts. Most AMVs are the music video version of American Pie where you stick as many sex jokes as possible in and if you deal with emotions it ends up with as much depth as a Beavis & Butthead episode. Which is ok, I mean obviously I like the immaturity since I'm still around. Especially since I'm guilty of some of the most immature crap here. But occasionally you get an urge to watch PBS or the Discovery Channel yah know. Something with some intelligence and depth to it. Something that requires more thought than 'look at those titties'. Something that isn't aimed squarely at the most base and common human emotions like lust, immature comedy, or violence just for the sake of violence.

To put it another way, consider this. Most of us on the forums are old enough we've been involved in at least one real relationship if not more. I don't mean the high school infatuation crap, but a genuine relationship. Now how many videos has any of us seen that actually captures aspects of a REAL relationship instead of the high school girl fantasy of what romance is like?

Concept videos try to do something beyond the contrite shallow things most AMVS focus on, although not all succeed. I at least admire the attempt even if I don't always like the results.

Koopiskeva · Post by **Koopiskeva** » Thu May 24, 2007 9:18 pm

godix wrote: Concept videos try to do something beyond the contrite shallow things most AMVS focus on, although not all succeed. I at least admire the attempt even if I don't always like the results.

Shallow as they may be, at least most AMVs do have a focus. The 'concept' videos I'm talking about have very vague, if any, focus at all. I suppose I'm talking about a smaller sect of videos which try to make something new with high concept, but achieve even less than most AMVs, in my mind, because it lacks something tangible to the AMV audience.

shumira_chan · Post by **shumira_chan** » Thu May 24, 2007 9:44 pm

I would rather see simpler AMVs which actually convey a story.
I've nothing against concept or FX AMVs, but there's a certain
predictable sameness to them all. I'd like to see more editors
tackle mature, complex storylines, to me that's a more interesting
(and much harder) challenge.

godix · Post by **godix** » Thu May 24, 2007 9:51 pm

Koopiskeva wrote:
godix wrote: Concept videos try to do something beyond the contrite shallow things most AMVS focus on, although <b>not all succeed. I at least admire the attempt even if I don't always like the results.</b>
Shallow as they may be, at least most AMVs do have a focus. The 'concept' videos I'm talking about have very vague, if any, focus at all. I suppose I'm talking about a smaller sect of videos which try to make something new with high concept, but achieve even less than most AMVs, in my mind, because it lacks something tangible to the AMV audience.

Not every experiment works. The majority don't actually. But I like to see someone at least trying something more than 'amv hell clone #9204'. In general I'd rather see a failed attempt at something new than a successful attempt to emulate a style we've all seen hundreds of time. Although you do have to keep an eye out, there's a fine line between 'creative concept' and 'pretentious piece of shit'. AMVs tend not to attack the type of person who does that so it's fairly rare to see it around here though.

Also as I said, I'm not trying to insult the videos that aren't innovative. The way this type of thing usually works is that one person tries something new and mostly fails. It's not until others, with more talent than vision, pick up the idea that you see something truly successful. WoTB didn't invent the emo video but it certainly took it to a whole new level. NTB and True Fiction weren't the first effects for effects sake videos but they are far better than the ones that came before. AMV Hell wasn't the first short compilation project but it did the idea far better than anyone else. Some people innovate new ideas, some people refine the ideas into something great. And thus the hobby evolves. If it wasn't that way we'd all still be using a couple VCRs and Engels would be the greatest AMV ever.

Moonlight Soldier · Post by **Moonlight Soldier** » Thu May 24, 2007 9:56 pm

I only like concept videos when I "get it."

If the video is done well, the creator won't have to tell me what I "should be seeing." I can't think of many that have actually successfully done this.

The problem with concept, for me, is purely interpretation. On one hand, I might get something completely different out of a video than the creator intended. There's nothing wrong with that. That if anything, demonstrates how this hobby can be art.

On the other hand, if I know a series really well, that knowledge might impede the concept I'm supposed to be ingesting.

Generally though, I really have a hard time naming a concept video that doesn't somehow directly relate to the audio source. A purely conceptual video, I think, wouldn't depend on the footage or audio, it would just use both to create and convey a message to the viewer.

But I find most videos depend on one or the other as a driving force to get that message across.

godix · Post by **godix** » Thu May 24, 2007 9:58 pm

Ok, disregard what I wrote before. I just got around to watching the two videos Koop linked to in the first post. We're clearly in 'pretentious piece of shit' territory here. I withdraw my comments.

Koopiskeva · Post by **Koopiskeva** » Thu May 24, 2007 10:05 pm

Godix,

I didn't disregard what you said, I was just focusing on the line

"Concept videos try to do something beyond the contrite shallow things most AMVS focus on,"

I don't believe they are going 'beyond' anything at all, just simply taking a different direction. A direction, to me at least, isn't what an AMV is anymore, but simply just a video using anime as a medium to help showcase the concept. The connection isn't there as an Anime, but just a visual artpiece.

I'm with you there on trying to discern 'creative concept' and 'pretentious videos.' And I feel that many of these 'concept' videos are reaching for that latter, if not already there. I guess I'm having a hard time describing what I meant by 'concept' videos other than the two examples I linked to, because NTB and True Fiction are not what I meant. Those two videos do go overboard on effects, but they aren't pretentious in the way they are presented. The idea behind the videos are clear and direct (maybe not so much with True Fiction, save for the little tidbit of text at the end), it wasn't trying to show this vague concept or theme, and they had connection with the anime.

Koopiskeva · Post by **Koopiskeva** » Thu May 24, 2007 10:06 pm

godix wrote:Ok, disregard what I wrote before. I just got around to watching the two videos Koop linked to in the first post. We're clearly in 'pretentious piece of shit' territory here. I withdraw my comments.

mmk

Sub0 · Post by **Sub0** » Thu May 24, 2007 10:23 pm

I don't know, but I suppose I agree with you.... cuz I absolutely can't STAND any of the videos linked to in this thread.

trythil · Post by **trythil** » Thu May 24, 2007 10:33 pm

I see what you're doing here!

This is all just candy-coated xenophobia!