Introductory Video

[deathstar99x]

Well im in kind of a tough situation, in school i have to do a talk on anime, now im going to be talking to a bunch of people who haven't made contact with anime in the slightest way. Instead of me going on about it, ive decided to show them some anime however, there really isnt any point in me showing clips from a series as it wouldn't make much sense. All i really want to do is illustrate the quality and depth of the animation and the things that anime contain, so ive decided to show the class an AMV. However, i have no idea what to show, so can some one reccomend an AMV which would be suitable and enjoyable for a bunch of Anime noobs?

[MovieMarc]

use amvs of sailor moon, ranma 1/2, dbz, trigun, cowboy bebop and full metal alchemist.

[MovieMarc]

that is use multiple clips from one or two amvs that use those animes.

one clip is alright but the multiple clips will work as good segways inbetween topics.

[Kalium]

There's It's Tricky to Make a Music Video. There's also Shameless Rock Video and Jihaku.

The first is just a classic. The second is just fun to watch. The third should be easier for them to connect with, since it doesn't have a strong internal structure of the sort that requires close watching; it's also stylistically a closer cousin to MTV-style videos than most AMVs.

[Mad_Cyric]

Depends on musical preference of your audience also.

Honestly, people who don't watch anime only ever find comedy videos without inside jokes entertaining, unless they are super-open-minded, which I doubt is true of a majority of your audience. If you really want to try a serious vid though...

I know everyone hates anyone who likes Euphoria anymore (how passe), but honestly if you want to show quality and depth, and have a really good song that everyone likes I would go with that. Also, if you have a pretty hardcore crowd Mine To Betrayal by SpPanda is good from an intellectual depth standpoint. Eden by Otaku Productions is a classic Trigun serious vid. Kisanzi's Tear Stained Hearts is a big emotional vid with several sources. I'm a big fan of In My Mind (Sierra Lorna), especially if you explain the theme of that video: I would go with that as choice #1 or 2. If you're around a lot of environmentalists maybe NHMK's Beautiful Earth would be right up your alley. Finally, VicBond's "This isn't what we meant" is easy to follow with a serious topic. Dunno how much time you have but IF you really want to go the serious route (which will undoubtedly be underappreciated anyway), my choices are Euphoria, In My Mind, Eden, and Tear Stained Hearts unless you have a niche crowd like people who like A Perfect Circle or are tree-huggers.

Buuuut most likely a comedy will entertain people unlike a serious vid. AbsoluteDestiny's Do It Right would be my first choice, because it bridges over to live action and is quite well made and comical. Also, Kevin Caldwell's Engel Video is a classic. Or perhaps the best choice of all videos might be "Right now someone is reading this title."

That's my 5 cents.

[JaddziaDax]

Jihaku.

X2

[x_rex30]

Jihaku.

X2

No

-x2

The first one Kalium mentioned might be a good one. The other two would appeal more to anime fanboys IMO.

[JaddziaDax]

I could argue the merits of jihaku, but it would be pointless

it uses ALOT of different anime and kinda gives the feeling of the human experience at the same time, which is why it has appealed to a larger audience, and the VCAs are proof of that...

i feel its a good choice for an intro vid to anime and what anime is about essentially: the human experience...

[x_rex30]

All i really want to do is illustrate the quality and depth of the animation and the things that anime contain, so ive decided to show the class an AMV.

If you want to really show off some of the great art and animation, I think Mitternacht may be good to show. It wont give away what all anime contains but there are soo many genres though and I don't know the perfect match for a presentation. I'll look around and see if I could think up something better.

I haven't seen Jihaku in a long time.. and I didn't like it that much when I first watched it. I'll check it out again though and maybe I'll see the point you try to make.

[Thorblitzer]

I think that lyric sync (lining up the action to what the song is saying) is easier for people to understand. So I usually try to go with a song most people know. That's half the battle. Find something with lyric sync, some comedy, and some simple action and at least people should understand it.

With my presentations on AMVs, I usually start out with this one. It's an old vid that not many people know about, but I think it at least it gets it's point across. Plus, the song is All Star by Smashmouth, which most people know at least a little of. But it was made in 2001, so it's got quite a bit of lip flap and the quality isn't great. Still, it's got excellent potential. I usually use the second verse. PM me if you want me to send it to you.

I'd also suggest This Video Sucks just because it's a really funny song and not bad at lyric sync itself. In fact, there's several things by Doki Doki that could work for you. Do It Right (Shake It)by AD isn't bad either and has great quality. It's Tricky to Make A Music Video is, like Kalium said, a classic and a good starter vid, although I think it sometimes goes too fast to be absorbed on the first viewing.

I don't know anything about Jihaku besides that it isn't on my computer, so I must not have liked it.

Anyway, I think the key is to find something that's simple, has good basic editing, a catchy song, easily understandable, and some comedy doesn't hurt. Try to stay away from stuff with extreme effects, very story-driven (either the anime's story or the AMV's), or inside jokes. It probably wouldn't hurt to find a friend with no anime knowledge and run through it with them before you present to make sure it's understandable (all my roommates have been subjected to my stuff at some point). Good luck!