Quality or Quantity?

[Cyanna]

Truth be told, I wish I could make more. I have the potential to make more. But I am a horrible procrastinator. There really is no other excuse for it. AMVs isn't my only hobby.

I've got hobbies that help me procrastinate from other hobbies...that really sounds like I have too much free time.

*shrugs*

As far as quality goes, no single person can please everyone no matter how hard they try. I make videos for myself. Any desire to compete is an afterthought. I had to be talked into competing last year...no plans to do that at all. But just because I make them for me doesn't mean I don't put any effort into it. I have my own standard to reach...and I like to enjoy my work.

[Knowname]

you know, I just oped an amv and I complained about his QUANTITY of clips and edits. So call me pickey but I like both.

I hate ppl that spit out amvs like a stutterer on crack... it's horrible, especially when two videos 2 months and 10 videos apart have the SAME problems! If you actually have the time to spit polish each one and learn from your mistakes I'm all for it.

[Knowname]

I'd certainly hope this isn't the case. In fact, I usually see quite the opposite. Save for perhaps contests and the like, this site's based more on community than competition

Tell that to the people who invite their friends to give all 10 reviews, and the people who specicifically target top 10% videos just to give them bad reviews/stars. The 2nd example being the most prominent. I'm not saying I give a crap, but it's still disgusting how competitive the members here can be.

And especially tell that to the "well respected" editors who do nothing but post to talk about themselves or their videos. They contribute nothing but self promotion and self importance.

I don't notice any top editors pimping out their videos... except the 3 or so they can put in their sig... I'd take a second look, it's the noobs (aka under-respected in this respect, like me, I'm NOT new, I'm noo) that act more desperate at times (I would link my crap but I'm too lazy ;p).

[Arigatomina]

Quality according to whose standard? Professional amv makers who consider this a dedicated way of life? Informal viewers who see it as a fun hobby? Or me, the creator?

If it's the pros, then I'm quantity over quality. If it's me, then I'm quality over quantity. But see, my standards are so low compared to the professionals that I automatically fall into the group of people who "spit out amvs like a stutterer on crack". They don't see the ideas that never get made, or the ones that get started and scrapped a few minutes in. I don't finish a video unless it meets my standards, and even if I have a lot of videos compared to some, that's just a fraction of the vids I'd *like* to make. I'd love to have hundreds of videos made to please me, but if I can't get them to come out the way I want them (quality), they don't get finished. It's kind of sad. My idea of quality has risen gradually so it's a lot harder to surround myself with a happy quantity of things I like.

As for whether the quality over quantity people hurt the amv genre, I don't think so. We still have a nice collection of professionals who churn out a wonderful vid each year, or even multiple wonders every few months. If the number of great editors starts to drop off, we may want to lower our standards a little just so we'll have something to watch that is better than average. But I think we're okay right now. I haven't heard about the big cons having a drop-off on the number of quality submissions, so there's no need to worry about running out of great vids. And new professionals are rising up all the time, so they can pick up the slack for the one-hit-wonders and the retirees.

[Keeper of Hellfire]

Professional amv makers who consider this a dedicated way of life?

Does that mean there are people making their living with making AMV's?

Quantity? It's good to have as many different AMV's as possible from many different creators. But from one creator? Mostly they are either crappy or repetitive.

Quality? Of course I like high quality AMV's. But what counts for me more is the inner quality of an AMV then it's technical quality. An AMV which is too hard compressed or not perfect synched but can affect me I rate higher than one that is technical perfect but absolutly pointless.

As far as it goes for me, I try to make my AMV's both, high inner quality and technical quality. Therefore you never will see an inflation of vid's from me. But I consider myself as mediocre editor, and so the results are too even if I try hard.

[trythil]

Professional amv makers who consider this a dedicated way of life?

:shock: Does that mean there are people making their living with making AMV's?

That'd be sad.

IMNSHO.

Do people not realize that a Quality video should not try to fill in for a lack of Quantity?

Why not?

Your attempt to link low output rate with trolling is logically invalid, as you've simply cast aside many premises that actually do have a bearing on the final implication. Near the top of the omissions list is one's need for attention in a hobby of butchery.

...However, I don't need to expound much on that, because "a picture is worth a thousand words," and it so happens I have an appropriate picture at hand. Thus I shall use it.

[Infinity Squared]

An AMV which is too hard compressed or not perfect synched but can affect me I rate higher than one that is technical perfect but absolutly pointless.

My thoughts exactly when it comes to Naruto's Technique Beat... impressive? Yes... gets to me? not on most days...

It's an often said maxim around here, but truly great videos are when you enjoy something where the induced effects and beat syncs and whatever other fancy trick you can throw in there do not stick out like a sore thumb.

[staces]

I've seen some creators who have massive quantities of crap videos, and they've been making crap videos for years and will probably always make crap videos. But what gets me are the creators who have 5 or less videos, that they spent months making each one that are as equally crappy as the vids of the creators with lots. I mean, those "quality" over quantity people actually had to try to suck.

Likewise, there are some great editors who make a few, but really solid vids. Some make lots and lots of pretty solid vids. And hey, what are we considering quantitiy, because some of the top names around here seem to have quite a lot of vids.

I think that how MANY AMVs you have has little to no bearing on the quality of your vids. There are quantities of quality videos and large quantities of crappy videos. Also, as was mentioned by someone earlier, we don't all share the same likes and dislikes here. Some vids that I find to be quality may be hated by others, and vice versa.

[mikestrife]

I don't really see the whole quality vs quantity thing as do you always try to make "professional" amv's. I see it more as, do you work on an amv until it's exactly what you wanted, or is it the best you can do, as opposed to just making as many amv's as you can.

I think someone said it perfectly earlier where some creators crank out tons of amv's and they are all exactly the same, with no obvious pre-planing, and the creator isn't improving at all.

[Arcane Azmadi]

Speaking for our studio, quality is ALWAYS paramount. We once spent the best part of a year on one AMV (a good eight or nine months, although that includes a lengthy hiatus from any work on it) and our shortest ever AMV took us about 2-3 months. No, we aren't happy with that and desperately wish we were more productive, but we've never even considered doing a bodge job of an AMV to save time. And if you watch our AMVs, from our first to our most recent, you can clearly see the improvement over time. Mind you, we've really got burned this time- after much planning and discussion we've come up short an entry for this year's Animania AMV comp (3 entries max and we're only going to have 2) and we're cutting it very close for completing 'Ama Lamia' in time for the Manifest comp. But if the AMV isn't finished on time, we simply don't submit it- better to leave it for next year than put out an unfinished product. We've made something of a catchcry out of the opening to 'The Quest For Dokinium':

Nyaa-chan (quoting AluminumStudios): "We don't have THAT much time... It'll have to be something half-assed."
Arcane Azmadi (quoting d0k1d0k1): "No way! I want something full-assed!"
Nyaa-chan: "Full-assed it is!"

Speaking personally, I simply cannot justify anything less than total effort, although I have to increase my productivity somehow- I'm trying to make a career as a *&$#ing video editor for chrissakes! It isn't making AMVs for a living, but it's a similar principle. For example, an acquaintance of mine has asked me if I can edit together a professional music video for his band. This could go on public TV, so I'm gonna have to make it as full-assed as possible.

Quantity lasts, quality fades.

/devils advocate

Actually, wouldn't it be more accurate to say "Quality is remembered, quantity is ignored"?