Adapting AMV theme to song lyrics

[JediNight]

I was wondering what advice or stories people have about adapting their AMV source to fit song lyrics that don't match up perfectly thematically? Do the full lyrics matter that much to you when planning an AMV? How do you feel about using a song in a way that really isn't the original intention of the song (lyrics)?

I heard the song "One Way Road" by the John Butler Trio recently, and based on the refrain and a bit of the other lyrics I could hear, immediately had Working!! pop into my head since the song is upbeat and "colorful" sounding. But after looking up the full lyrics (he sings rather fast/indistinct) it's actually about like ... anti-big business, corrupt gov't, etc....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n5f3gfFtHY8
http://www.lyricsreg.com/lyrics/the+joh ... +Way+Road/

(My apologies if this is better posted in AMV Suggestions, etc)

[Ileia]

It really depends on how you feel about bending the source, really. Sometimes if you have seen and liked an anime, it's hard to twist it to work with what you want. Personally, I don't often watch the anime I'm editing with, so I just see the scenes and nothing else beyond that. I have nothing invested in the characters or story, so I can do as a please with it.

[JediNight]

Well, it's more that I'm setting out to make more of a comedic backdrop of all the dysfunctional character interactions/relationships there are in the show. Not looking to make a pseudo-anti-establishment AMV if you go strictly by the lyrics. Although unless I subtitled the AMV, I doubt most people would hear most of them other than the refain like happened with me

[Ileia]

I misunderstood. Working a song to fit a source can be done, I've seen a few good examples. For one, think of all the Non-English AMVs that the author didn't know what the lyrics meant and still made a good AMV out of it. You could always go the ironic route, of course. Shiny, happy, colourful scenes atop a song about anti-establishment seems to be able to fit that bill rather well.

[Qyot27]

In a case like that one (which I was familiar with from it being an Amazon freebie a few weeks ago), how much of the audience is going to understand what's being said without looking it up later? Heck, I didn't even know everything [read: most of what] they were saying until looking at the lyrics a minute ago, and I'd had it on fairly heavy rotation after I snagged it back at the beginning of April.

[Infinity Squared]

The song is about abortion (apparently), but I suppose it's not as clear so it wasn't as big of an issue. But yes, it can be done. It's all a matter of subtlety and probably asking people whether what you're doing makes sense first

[JediNight]

Well the loose thematic idea is to run with the "Wrong Way Road" that they try to progress their relationships, but it always seems to go off course or not happen as intended for whatever reason.

[godix]

For a lot of songs, the lyrics are immaterial. In many cases, no one can tell what the damned lyrics are. The song you link to doesn't have easy to understand lyrics; unless I make an effort to pay attention to the lyrics most of them are just random noise. You already know this, that's why you linked to the lyrics. In some cases, even if you know exactly what the lyrics are, they still make no sense - any Jpop song for example.

If your source doesn't match the lyrics well, consider just ignoring the lyrics. Treat it as just another instrument to sync to. Alternately, try mood syncing to the overall tone. That song has a rather upbeat and happy feel to it, even though reading the lyrics it's not just a mindless fun song. But hey, it's hard to make out the lyrics as I said, so edit it as mindless fun to match the mood. If anyone calls you on it, claim it was intentional juxtaposition of opposites for irony.

[Pie Row Maniac]

Other times, people use creativity to get around the lyrics.

[JaddziaDax]

Lyrics are a type of poetry... Oftentimes you have to interpret poetry to get wtf they are actually saying... I guess it's all on how you interpret your lyrics. Musicians often use metaphor instead of singing what they really mean in simple language.

What I'd suggest is that if lyrics are really what's holding you back, then create a metaphor for what you think the lyrics could mean according to your theme, and then work the amv off of that. You don't always have to take lyrics at face value.

PS. Mood Sync FTW

It's what I did for This video, as it seems to me that the song is about recycling/taking care of the earth if you look at it at face value