New here, free ops...

Aedren · Post by **Aedren** » Mon Jun 09, 2008 5:52 am

Hey guys. New here at a-m-v.org. I'm in the process of setting up for my first AMV (planning to buy the Adobe CS3 Production Premium package, locating the boxed set of the anime I want to do, playing the song on repeat for days, etc). I've got a good majority of the video planned though.

So while I'm unable to start working on it, I figure I can acquaint myself with the community. I've already read most of the guides on this site and looked for videos of the band I've chosen, as well as videos of the anime I've chosen. Haven't found many. So I'm offering to watch your AMVs and give my opinion on them.

What I'm looking to get out of this is twofold:

1) A way to start getting to know a couple of the regulars around these parts. (Potentially a few friends to send intermediate clips for comments, though I'm very pessimistic about the amount of time this project will take me. Summer class and hanging with friends takes priority. Couple that with the fact that I'm additionally working on a different and unrelated project... and yeah. It may take me months before I have anything I'd like to be critiqued.)
2) An idea of what type of effects I like in different situations, and why. Granted, I am in the process of planning my own AMV, but am not looking for a set of effects to copy. I already have a pretty good idea of how I'm going to work my first video. Instead, I want to get more perspective of the theory of different effects/scene transitions/compositing/lip-sync/etc.

So anyway, enough about me. Link me some videos you'd like me to watch. There is one request I have though. I'd prefer to watch videos that only have English lyrics (or are completely instrumental). I'm not comfortable enough in other languages to understand cultural context, relevance, varied interpretations of words/phrases, etc.

I'll give opinions on AMVs on a first-come-first-served basis, and am going to start by accepting 3 videos, with a maximum of one per person. I'll finish at least one opinion per day, but may do more if I feel inspired. Once I complete these, I'll likely offer more free opinions. I just don't want to get bogged down by a massive swarm of videos to give opinions to.

Since I am new here, I don't have much basis for comparison and will try to be as objective as possible. After I've given an opinion, please respond so I can make subsequent opinions more useful.

And once again. Hi guys

jtGz · Post by **jtGz** » Mon Jun 09, 2008 6:20 am

Well, then hi :O! It looks like You are serious about your first amv... I wish I would be the same so my first vids would have been a way better. Anyway if You will need advice or betatester I will help of course if I will be free at the moment, just mail me. I myself am not any big expert :O but Im in making amvs for year now and I did video editing for four years before.

Best thing is to read guide how to leave an opinion for me it was useful for the first time. Lets get through this together xD.

Thanks in advance.

Funky-kun · Post by **Funky-kun** » Mon Jun 09, 2008 6:26 am

If you've read the guides and watched several good videos, you should have an idea what a good AMV looks like and how to do it. And yeah, take your time, slow editing ftw!

You can op this if you want to:

Ask if you have any questions.

Kevmaster · Post by **Kevmaster** » Mon Jun 09, 2008 6:47 am

And I second what the other 2 said, lol. In case you need any help, feel free to ask.

CodeZTM · Post by **CodeZTM** » Mon Jun 09, 2008 10:53 am

Please and thank you.

LIke the others said, I'd be happy to help you out. Sounds like you're doing pretty good so far.

Senvae · Post by **Senvae** » Mon Jun 09, 2008 1:20 pm

If you're still accepting videos, I have an interesting one for you. You seem to be taking this AMV thing seriously by reading the guides and acquiring fine softwares such as Adobe Premiere Pro CS3 (which I used myself). I made an experimental video here which could give you some interesting angles to look at before making an AMV.

At first you will notice that I use very few digital effects. I find that using too many will destroy the experience for viewers that are already fans of the anime. The images have to flow in a coherent form. In this video, the best asset was the scene selection. I picked the best scenes to convey the emotions the characters expressed during the show. I also did a mix of 4 instrumental songs. They are all from the soundtrack "The Island" composed by Steve Jablonsky, so they match really well and make a seemless blend.

So without further adieu, here is my artwork:

Vivaldi · Post by **Vivaldi** » Mon Jun 09, 2008 1:24 pm

I see you're three limit is already exceded,

However, while I don't have a vid to post, I will recomend that you check the "top 10% amvs" (though you may have already) videos, some real good stuff, and you can see the progression of styles over the years.

JaddziaDax · Post by **JaddziaDax** » Mon Jun 09, 2008 1:38 pm

interesting O.o

NS · Post by NS » Mon Jun 09, 2008 1:44 pm

You seem very dedicated and I like that. when you are in the process of making your vid you can hit me up any time you are on and send me betas of it for feedback along the way, I have quite a bit of expereince betaing videos and whatnot. My MSN is Nerd_Person@hotmail.com

Or you can go the the zirc, download the client here if you don't already and go to #amv-review and you're sure to find people willing to help.

I suggest watching that if you'd like to get acquainted with a lot of different editing styles at one time. I'd also suggest browsing the MEP forum and going to The List of Known Projects and check out the finished projects. Doing this will be a quicker way to check out a lot of different editing styles and people at one time.

I look forward to your first video as you seem dedicated and that's always good.

Aedren · Post by **Aedren** » Tue Jun 10, 2008 3:23 am

includeownage wrote:Well, then hi :O! It looks like You are serious about your first amv... I wish I would be the same so my first vids would have been a way better. Anyway if You will need advice or betatester I will help of course if I will be free at the moment, just mail me. I myself am not any big expert :O but Im in making amvs for year now and I did video editing for four years before.

Best thing is to read guide how to leave an opinion for me it was useful for the first time. Lets get through this together xD.

Thanks in advance.

@includeownage: My opinion is posted. I hope you find benefit from it. I'll keep you in mind for when I need a beta tester, thanks! XD (And I actually read the opinion-guide before posting here... It's where I got the idea to post in this forum).

@Funky-kun: You're up next. I've already watched your video a few times and have a general idea what I'm going to say, but don't have time to write it out tonight.

@Kevmaster: Downloaded your vid. Opinion coming soon

@CodeChrono: You're the 4th, so I'm going to put you on hold for now. You'll be first for my next set of opinions, but at this point I don't want to guarantee a time-line. The only thing I'm comfortable promising at this point is: after Funky-kun and Kevmaster. XD. Don't worry though, I'll give you an opinion eventually.

@Senvae: And you're the 5th. Like CodeChrono, I don't want to guarantee a time that I'll have your opinion done. Instead I'll just guarantee that I will do an opinion for you. I do find it interesting that you've spliced four songs together, so I am interested in your video. (Just a small recommendation: "without further ado." Adieu is a word synonymous with goodbye, whereas ado means "commotion" or "bustle." Grammatically you aren't wrong, but conceptually it doesn't quite make sense: "So without further goodbyes, here is..." And sorry, I'm an English major... XD)

@vivaldiscool: Yeah. To be honest, I wasn't expecting my limit to fill (and overflow) as quickly as it has... As for the top 10% AMVs, I'll have to watch them. I watched many of the VCAs and saw many things that I liked. Of the few that I watched, I also saw things that I would have done differently. The top 10% was a bit intimidating for me though, because the site advertises a large number of videos. I didn't even click on the link to see which videos are considered top 10%.

@JaddziaDax: Care to expand? Was there something that I said that you found particularly insightful? I'm just having difficulty understanding the motivation of your reply...

@NerdStrudel: Thanks for the information. After I get done giving opinions for the next two videos, I'll give that Improv Project a look (I'm assuming that you are not asking for an opinion on it? Otherwise, I'll have to place it as #6 after Senvae's video). I just added you to MSN. And while the list of known projects may familiarize me with the community, I'd still just be a lurker. I'll likely take a look there, but don't mind this method (even though it may be slower).