The Nature Of AMV Making

[Wheee_It's_Me!]

I'm doing a research paper on the art of AMV making and I'm wondering if some of you can answer some questions for me:

1. What motivates you to make AMVs?

2. Everywhere I look I see contests, opinion boards and various AMV critiquing, would you say that the growth of the AMV community is built primarily upon competition and if so, why?

3. Does the wider availability of video editing software account for the large amount of growth in cutting edge AMVs or is it rather a product of the competitive nature of making AMVs?

4. What are the most popular video editing techniques and how have they developed over the past 5 years?

5. When you make AMVs and use such video editing techniques, are they achieved simply by the video editing software or are the basis and execution of them derived and evolved from other AMVs that you have seen?

6. Who do YOU think is ONE of THE BEST AMV creators and why?
(it can be for any reason, maybe one of their AMVs really touched you, maybe you think they're very devoted to the art, etc, etc)

Thanks for taking the time to answer my questions. Remember, none of these questions has a "right" or "wrong" answer, they are YOUR opinions on how YOU view things.

[Kalium]

I'm doing a research paper on the art of AMV making and I'm wondering if some of you can answer some questions for me:

1. What motivates you to make AMVs?

Initially, because they seemed like fun. Now, because I'm bored.

2. Everywhere I look I see contests, opinion boards and various AMV critiquing, would you say that the growth of the AMV community is built primarily upon competition and if so, why?

To a great degree, yes. Primarily? I'm none too certain about that. A lot of us here make videos because we want to express something, or because they're fun.

3. Does the wider availability of video editing software account for the large amount of growth in cutting edge AMVs or is it rather a product of the competitive nature of making AMVs?

Careful. You're asking some rather leading questions here. I'd say it's due heavily to the way that anime is becoming more mainstream.

4. What are the most popular video editing techniques and how have they developed over the past 5 years?

Nonlinear editing has been big, I think. Effects, too.

5. When you make AMVs and use such video editing techniques, are they achieved simply by the video editing software or are the basis and execution of them derived and evolved from other AMVs that you have seen?

Most everyone has some major personal influences. Personally, when I wanted to make a trailer, I watched a fair bit of Izumi's work, among others (like Hitori's Soldier trailer).

6. Who do YOU think is ONE of THE BEST AMV creators and why?
(it can be for any reason, maybe one of their AMVs really touched you, maybe you think they're very devoted to the art, etc, etc)

Uh oh. This is a can of worms. Anyway, I'm going to list a few: Doki, AD, Koop, Pwolf, Flint, trythil, Sierra Lorna, Kusoyaro, JCD, mckeed, and others I'm sure I'm forgetting.

Thanks for taking the time to answer my questions. Remember, none of these questions has a "right" or "wrong" answer, they are YOUR opinions on how YOU view things.

Not a problem, for me.

[Zarxrax]

1. A combination of things. Of course I enjoy entertaining others with my work, like most people. But what drives me is probably the same thing that drives other artists--you get a good idea and you feel like your life won't be complete until its carried out.

2. No. While it may be for some people, I think most people just strive to carry out their visions, as stated above. After that is done, then the contests offer a nice way to find out how your work stacks up against others in the field. I personally strive to work to the utmost of my ability, to prove to myself that I can accomplish the goal that I have set.

3. Quite possibly. But on the other hand the ammount of people creating AMVs has absolutely exploded in recent years. So you've always got new people coming in that have the potentioal to bring with them amazing talent. You also have the older editors, who have increased their skill since years past.

4. I'm not quite sure of any "techniques" that I have... One thing I have started doing a lot is learning to "create" my own scenes through the use of effects and similar, as opposed to just cutting up and editing the source video.

5. I think everything we make has been influenced by the other videos that we have seen. The way you learn to create a video is by watching videos. If you took a man who had never seen any sort of video in his life, sat him down in front of an editing program and taught him how to use it, he wouldn't be able to make good videos, because he doesnt know what a video needs in order to be good. Likewise I believe the way we edit was influenced by the videos we have watched and that had an effect on us. While its entirely possible to create "original" things, it will still always tie back into SOMETHING that you have seen before, even if only slightly.

6. Hmm, I dunno. My favorite editors don't post their videos here :p

[Zarxrax]

I misread the question to number 4... I thought you asked about *my* techniques...
Umm... I'll agree with what Kalium wrote.

[VegettoEX]

Gonna be rather short answers, 'cuz I'm exhausted, but this is fun...

<B>ANSWER 01:</B>
I'm motivated to continue making AMVs when a couple things happen. The best is when I finish a video I'm working on and truly enjoy the final product; that makes me want to create more art! Another time can be when I see a really damn good video, generally of the drama category; those types of videos are what can really move you, and when I see an amazing one, it really inspires me. Best example was when Kusoyaro played "<B><A HREF="http://www.animemusicvideos.org/members ... 203">Sappy Self-Indulgence</A></B>" at his panel two AWAs ago. Kinda drama/comedy, but same idea in theory.

<B>ANSWER 02:</B>
I guess it would be built upon competition. Even if you're just competiting with yourself to better yourself and your art, that's still competition.

<B>ANSWER 03:</B>
"Cutting edge" is really reliant upon the viewer. There's always going to be "cutting edge" techniques and styles, and I think it has little to do with the types of software; software is just a type of tool that we use to express what we see in our imagination. I think we really just all play off of each other and continue to expand upon what we see each other do. It's a different type of competition.

<B>ANSWER 04:</B>
Editing techniques are really tough to give a name to. One of the biggest ones I saw explode was the "jump-cut." It really started getting popular after Scott Melzer based a video off the technique ("<B><A HREF="http://www.animemusicvideos.org/members ... 4492">This is DBZ Life</A></B>"); it hardly originated with him, though (there's some good examples of it in Kevin Caldwell's "<B><A HREF="http://www.animemusicvideos.org/members ... gel</A></B>", and mainstream rap videos these days are notorious for abusing it). Back in the 2-VCR day, though, the most impressive "technique" you could do was really a cross-dissolve! Compositing with putting different characters into different situations had been done before, but never in a huge way until Eric Kobet's "<B><A HREF="http://www.animemusicvideos.org/members ... 3">Tainted Donuts</B></A>" (and then done in another totally different way in Vlad Pohnert's "<B><A HREF="http://www.animemusicvideos.org/members ... anscending Love</B></A>"); it's another one that people are picking up and leeching on ^^;;.

<B>ANSWER 05:</B>
The software can do nothing unless you've got the imagination to create it from. I've been using the same version of Premiere for a couple years now, but I use it in totally different ways to produce completely different things than I could when I began. It's a combintion of growing and evolution of skill, and a boost in imagination once I learned what I <I>could</I> do with the program. Kinda hard to put into words.

<B>ANSWER 06:</B>
Very subjective... people will feel left out... and a terrible answer... but my favorite AMV editor is myself. I have a huge attachment to the art I create, and I feel a deeper connection to my own work than I do to anyone else's.

[Joykiller]

I'm doing a research paper on the art of AMV making and I'm wondering if some of you can answer some questions for me:

1. What motivates you to make AMVs?

I love music, and I love anime. There couldn't be a more perfect combination. I see AMVs as a musical instrument of sorts. It's a perfect 5th in a four-man band so to speak.

2. Everywhere I look I see contests, opinion boards and various AMV critiquing, would you say that the growth of the AMV community is built primarily upon competition and if so, why?

I don't think competition would nessesarily be the primary reason that the community has developed. But really that's a subjecvtive question. There is not a one of us that can accurately represnt or speak for the masses.

3. Does the wider availability of video editing software account for the large amount of growth in cutting edge AMVs or is it rather a product of the competitive nature of making AMVs?

I agree, that is a leading question I'd say that there are several things that attribute to the growth in 'cutting edge' AMVs. For one there is more awareness of what is really possible due to massive communities such as this one where people can exchange ideas, and display their execution, and secondly the software has certainly evolved into a more developed and user-friendly animal through the years.

4. What are the most popular video editing techniques and how have they developed over the past 5 years?

Most popular? Hell I don't know, crossfades? fades to black? those are prolly the 2 most popular techniques... And I don't think they've changed much if at all in the past 5 years.

5. When you make AMVs and use such video editing techniques, are they achieved simply by the video editing software or are the basis and execution of them derived and evolved from other AMVs that you have seen?

I'd say that most of it is evolutionary to a degree derived not only from AMV's, but any sort of visual stimulus. Expecially if you include dreams in that.

6. Who do YOU think is ONE of THE BEST AMV creators and why?
(it can be for any reason, maybe one of their AMVs really touched you, maybe you think they're very devoted to the art, etc, etc)

This is a rediulously unscientific question for a 'research paper'. I'll pass. I'd rather not contribute OR detract from anyone's ego here.

Thanks for taking the time to answer my questions. Remember, none of these questions has a "right" or "wrong" answer, they are YOUR opinions on how YOU view things.

The pleasure was all yours.

[downwithpants]

1. I listen to music. Then sometimes I see pictures and feel stuff in my head. Making AMVs helps me get the sensations out of my head on to a real medium.

2. The contests, opinions, and critiques, though they do build some good relationships, are too limited to explain they bulk of the growth of the AMV community. Most of sense of community is built on just chatting on the forums, chat rooms, or meeting at conventions.

3. The availability of NLE software probably does account for a large amount of growth in ... AMVs in general, I'm not so sure about cutting edge AMVs. Years ago, AMVs themselves were pretty much cutting edge. Many popular AMVs are ones released at conventions...for contests, so competition does seem to play a factor, but I think the creators could produce just as good videos even if they weren't competing.

4. In terms of popularity among editors, fades are probably the most common "effect," layering has also been fairly popular, and Lip synch, if you consider it an effect, is easier with NLEs. In terms of popularity among viewers, floating triangles, crossing animes like vegettoex mentioned, lens flares, piano keys...

5. What Zarxzax said.

6. I'll jus say Kevin Caldwell. This doesn't mean I don't like any other editors.

[madbunny]

1. What motivates you to make AMVs?

I like to make stuff. I prefer if it has a tecnical component, for example before I started making these I used to do CG animation in Lightwave as a hobby. If I didn't have a computer I'd probably make birdhouses, or trebuchets or something.
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2. Everywhere I look I see contests, opinion boards and various AMV critiquing, would you say that the growth of the AMV community is built primarily upon competition and if so, why?

No, I'd say that a lasting community is built upon sharing. In a competitive environment, everyone wants to have the secrets and skills to beat the others. On the .org I see some great editors and programers like Corran taking time everyday to answer questions, even though those same questions get asked a hundred or more times. People like AD take the time to update and maintain comprehensive guides that ostensibly have no value other than sharing.
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3. Does the wider availability of video editing software account for the large amount of growth in cutting edge AMVs or is it rather a product of the competitive nature of making AMVs?

Does the greater availability of the automobile account for the increasing number of drivers on the road? As our software gets more and more sophisticated, people can do effects and creations that would have been virtually impossible years ago, but so what. Just because you can click on a button does not make you skilled. Just the opposite. If you look at videos like Elvis vs Anime, or Playground love you see effects that are at first staggering, but eventually it'll be old hat.
Cutting edge is doing something that nobody thought of yet. If I could use a hammer to nail nails in a new better way I'd be a cutting edge carpenter, right?
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4. What are the most popular video editing techniques and how have they developed over the past 5 years?

Five years is too long of a time span for this question. Five years ago, if you wanted to do non-linear editing you were in for a substantial sticker shock. Now, you can get the same stuff for free. Look at the morphing technique used in T2, two years later you could download free software that let you do your own morphs, now it's considered passe' .

If I had to say anything, I'm going to say that it is the inclusion of self created items seamlessly into the editing pipline, from mattes, to CG mock ups to backgrounds.
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5. When you make AMVs and use such video editing techniques, are they achieved simply by the video editing software or are the basis and execution of them derived and evolved from other AMVs that you have seen?

We are all a cumulative of everyone that we've met. This goes for videos as well. If you have a great idea that involves a buttload of flying squares all over the place... a certain other video comes to mind for example. While we like to think that we are all unique and wonderful snowflakes, we are in fact, not. Everytime I hear an E-nomine song, I'm now reminded of a certain video done to mitternacht.
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6. Who do YOU think is ONE of THE BEST AMV creators and why?
(it can be for any reason, maybe one of their AMVs really touched you, maybe you think they're very devoted to the art, etc, etc)

Pass.
I'll only say that I prefer those who take videos beyond the logical boundaries of the source.
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Thanks for taking the time to answer my questions. Remember, none of these questions has a "right" or "wrong" answer.

Not true. I'm always right, except when I'm not.

[burntoast]

1. What motivates you to make AMVs?
In order to enjoy a hobby, to express myself, and to put my ideas to work.

2. Everywhere I look I see contests, opinion boards and various AMV critiquing, would you say that the growth of the AMV community is built primarily upon competition and if so, why?
I think this varies greatly for the members of the AMV community. A lot of people seem to make videos for the hell of it, yet not to overcome other videos and/or creators. But then again, many others enter contests to see how their AMVs do against each other. Therefore I think competition adds to the growth of an AMV creator, but it's not a completely necessary thing to have.

3. Does the wider availability of video editing software account for the large amount of growth in cutting edge AMVs or is it rather a product of the competitive nature of making AMVs?
I think it's somewhat a mixture of both, but the availability of editing software contributes greatly to that "cutting-edge" style of AMVs. Back when technology wasn't as big as it is now and when people used to edit linearly, I don't think many of the editing techniques and video effects you see now were possible during that time. The technological advancements of editing software has steadily increased in the past years, which will most likely continue to provide a larger pallete of effects and whatnot in the future.

4. What are the most popular video editing techniques and how have they developed over the past 5 years?
I think the most popular editing techniques include direct cuts, transitions, color flashes, and video mattes. These techniques seem to make up the median of AMV creators' videos lately, and I predict more complicated uses of these techniques will be done later on.

5. When you make AMVs and use such video editing techniques, are they achieved simply by the video editing software or are the basis and execution of them derived and evolved from other AMVs that you have seen?
When I make vids, I try to be as original as possible, although I admit my editing style is not entirely original to say the least. While I'm working on a vid, I unknowingly think back on what makes one good or bad; such as beat syncing, the use of transitions, etc. The multiple AMVs I've viewed in the past provides some of this "judgement" of editing for me, but I mostly try to extract it from my own creativity.

6. Who do YOU think is ONE of THE BEST AMV creators and why?
(it can be for any reason, maybe one of their AMVs really touched you, maybe you think they're very devoted to the art, etc, etc)
I could list a bunch of editors who are very good at making AMVs, but a list of that sort would continuously change in time, with the release of more videos.

Good luck on your research paper btw.

[Bakadeshi [AuN Studios]]

I will answer this servey, but keep in mind I myself am fairly new to creating AMVs. (though I have been watching them for years) So Some of my answers are based more on observation than personal experience.

I'm doing a research paper on the art of AMV making and I'm wondering if some of you can answer some questions for me:

1. What motivates you to make AMVs?

Others wonderfull works in the begining. Now because they are fun to create, and an interesting media to express a particular emotion or feeling that I have at the time. That and I am artistically inclined, and love to experiment in using this inclination in my videos.

2. Everywhere I look I see contests, opinion boards and various AMV critiquing, would you say that the growth of the AMV community is built primarily upon competition and if so, why?

I would say it definately has an effect on it. Weather or not it is the primary influence is dificult to say. but for me, While I would love to win some competition, Its not the reason for submiting to cons. I just want it to be shown to the audience, to get the audience reaction to my effort to express the emotion and story behind my AMV. That and to get more exposure. The reaction from the audience to me is even more priceless than any trohpy you can win.

3. Does the wider availability of video editing software account for the large amount of growth in cutting edge AMVs or is it rather a product of the competitive nature of making AMVs?

I would say both. The software probably is one of the causes for the number of new editors, sicne they are getting easier and easier to use to create descent AMVs. The competition probably helps to hone those creators into better skilled editors.

4. What are the most popular video editing techniques and how have they developed over the past 5 years?

I am unsure of this question, Especially Since I have not been editing for 5 years. But I would suspect the guides may have a large impact on how the techniques have developed over the years. I myself use my own techniques, wich are infact effected by many other peoples techniques I see in vids, that just give me ideas of new ways to use certain effects in photoshop and primiere. Many of my videos are in some way influenced by a video I have seen before.

5. When you make AMVs and use such video editing techniques, are they achieved simply by the video editing software or are the basis and execution of them derived and evolved from other AMVs that you have seen?

I guess I somewhat answered this in my previous answer. For me its both. Sometimes I stumble across an interesting combination of filter effects in the software that just happen to look cool so I use it. Other times, an Idea is sparked by the use of a certain effect in a video I;ve seen previously, and I take it to the next level. As an example, Tainted donuts gave me the idea for creating the custom static noise effect I used in my "Angel's Redemtion" AMV. The final product looks nothing like the effect used in Tainted donuts, but the idea stemed from it. Many of my techniques are developed in this way.

6. Who do YOU think is ONE of THE BEST AMV creators and why?
(it can be for any reason, maybe one of their AMVs really touched you, maybe you think they're very devoted to the art, etc, etc)

I do not have favorite Editors, nor do I consider anyone person to be the best. I have favorite videos however, and the actual skill range of the editors for those videos vary greatly. Usually a video is a favorite of mine depending on the concept and execution. So I will not be naming any names, as they are none to name.

Thanks for taking the time to answer my questions. Remember, none of these questions has a "right" or "wrong" answer, they are YOUR opinions on how YOU view things.

Hope it helps.

BakaD