Thoughts on substance in AMVs

[Koopiskeva]

Ever get an opinion from someone saying things such as:

"I really liked the story that you showed etc..."

or vice versa

"I didn't see a story at all, it was just a bunch of random shots set to blah blah blah.."

?

It made me wonder... does a story even matter an in amv? A lot of people would argue for each side, but does having a story necessarily correlate to having substance? It seems to me that unless people want to see a story in the video or try to see a sort of substance in a video, only then will the video have any sort of meaning. Sure, plenty of videos do have very linear story lines (some so much that its not longer an AMV, but rather simply a video with music in the background), but does that mean that unless the story is clear, then the video is just there simply to sync to some part of the song?

I've had a lot of people give me opinions on my videos in these past few years telling me how such and such is just random and vice versa, with people saying that my videos do have substance and the like... these opinions mean almost nothing sadly.

To me, when I create a video, I create it to capture elements of the anime in context to the song that I'm using all the while using my knowledge of video editing techniques along with whatever emotions both the anime and the song create for me.

I do not make an AMV to show a story.

I'm gonna say that again, I do not make an AMV to show a story. It may have some semblance of a story, but that is simply becasue I am following the song, or the chronological order of events that unfold within the anime in certain parts of a song.

So, I'm saying that anyone whom has ever said that they 'followed the story' in any of videos did so using their own perception of what I had created. However, does that necessarily make all the videos I've created all just random syncage to whatever I pleased? Maybe. But that necessarily mean that it does not any substance? I'd like to think not. Every video I've created has some kind of feeling or emotion behind it, mostly a mix of what I had taken away from the anime itself in pertaining to the song.

To me, the amvs I create are about expressing those emotions, thoughts, and views, not about creating a story for which any onlooker can just quickly glance and realize what it is they are seeing. I've always said that I created videos for myself and creating non-linear story driven videos are proof of that. I watch my videos from time to time, I don't watch them to rewatch the story, I could just watch the anime again if I wanted to, but that would take too much time, I watch them to relive those emotions that I purposefully embedded in the videos that I created for myself.

This is why criticism on substance in AMVs is such a touchy subject to me in some ways. The term 'substance' has such a broad meaning in general AMV lingo, however, everyone has such a specific idea of what substance means in their mind, that they don't even question as why certain AMVs are created.

Everyone perceives every AMV in a different way, please don't go off stating your opinion as if it were fact.

Does anyone have any thoughts on my crazy ramblings here? |:

P.S.

[amvwizard]

There are 2 ways a story in an amv could be achieved I think. One is just having a song that has to deal with the overall idea behind the anime. And the second is having the clips that you sync up and make sense to what the song is saying. I think actually having a story makes your amv harder to make and requires more thought in the planning stage. If you look at music videos on mtv most of them have a centra idea that the video focuses around. I say if you can achieve a story then go for it more power to you.

[Metro]

I remember reading on the forums a long time ago that a video didn't need a story just progression. It is nice to let the audience know that they got somewhere at the end of a video and that it wasn't a waste of time.

To me, inducing an emotion in an audience is the most important part of a video. And while telling a narative may achieve your result, it is in the end only one way to get there.

[SnhKnives]

I do the exact same thing. I never create an AMV in which i start at point A and end at point B (not in a linear sense). Thats not to say that I dont take a viewer, and start them with one emotion, and end them with another, thats a totally different idea. But I know what you are talking about and I think 90% of the people on a-m-v.org do the same thing.

The word "story" is just one of those words that gets commonly misused, like osmosis.

[Koopiskeva]

To me, inducing an emotion in an audience is the most important part of a video. And while telling a narative may achieve your result, it is in the end only one way to get there.

Indeed.

[Mister Anderson]

Everyone perceives every AMV in a different way, please don't go off stating your opinion as if it were fact.

Indeed.

AMV's, like every other form of entertainment (movies, books, art, etc) is all purely subjective to each individuals tastes. One mans meat is another mans poison. People will either connect with your work or they won't.

And if theres one thing I've come to realize over the years is you'll never be able to please everyone all of the time.

[Flint the Dwarf]

So, basically, AMVs are whatever the creator or viewer envisions, and everything is relative.

Yes.

[Otohiko]

I play a lot of military simulation games, and everyone there always bitches about "realism". That's a lot like "substance" here. The fact of the matter is that while there is a common denominator, a lot of it is subjective.

AMVs are ultimately about structure and aesthetics. This structure can be expressed visually, expressed through implied underlying content, or best of all - expressed through both.

I like AMVs that are subtle and require you to sort of think to 'get to the point' of it all. But I won't deny that plainly-visual videos can be good to.

AMVers generally create neither the visuals nor the underlying context of them. They only create a structure which delivers one into the other. Ultimately, all that counts is how convincing/appropriate/original/interesting/effective that structure you (as an editor) create happens to be.

[Lyrs]

Kusoyaro: We don't need a [story]. We need to SHUT UP. Make what you want to make, don't make you what you don't want to make. If neither of those applies to you, then you need to SHUT UP MORE.

[Pwolf]

To me, inducing an emotion in an audience is the most important part of a video. And while telling a narative may achieve your result, it is in the end only one way to get there.

Indeed.

x2

Pwolf