Excessive use of AE....a new trend?

ANTDrakko · Post by **ANTDrakko** » Sat Jun 19, 2004 11:51 pm

Every now and then I'll pop up on the org and start downloading some new videos like a madman. I've noticed that ever since Euphoria came out, a whooole lot more people have been using Adobe After Effects to add a plethora of effects to their video.....

However, like many I've seen (I won't name any specific ones), the use of effects are just plain aweful. Boxes every 5 seconds, moving bars in between those with rotating text that blows away like sand for no reason! The biggest realization, however, is when I saw the AnimeNext 2004 AMV contest. I'de say a good 70% of the videos that competed were a sloppy mix of AE effects done to a random action song/ anime.

Enough aboot me jabbering, my point and question is, does anyone else see this trend happening? If so, whats yer 2 cents on it, I haven't seen any threads aboot this, so I figure I might as well bring it up.

~Seen

angelx03 · Post by **angelx03** » Sat Jun 19, 2004 11:56 pm

It's kinda of funny since Koop didn't even use After Effects in order to create Euphoria.

ANTDrakko · Post by **ANTDrakko** » Sun Jun 20, 2004 12:01 am

Right, he used Magix, but still, the use of effects like that are generally associated with AE, considering that the majority of creators use Premiere or WMM.

Castor Troy · Post by **Castor Troy** » Sun Jun 20, 2004 12:23 am

It's now a matter of how many scenes you can put inside one screen nowadays.

Me = Can't compare.

Castor Troy · Post by **Castor Troy** » Sun Jun 20, 2004 12:25 am

Castor Troy wrote:It's now a matter of how many scenes you can put inside one screen nowadays.

Me = Can't compare.

I meant I can't keep up

Too braindead tonight...

burntoast · Post by **burntoast** » Sun Jun 20, 2004 12:33 am

I do happen to notice a few videos that are similar to Euphoria's style after it was made.. But I guess when viewers watch an effects-intense video like that, they might deem other "effectsy" vids as being unoriginal.. I don't see any harm in making these types of videos though. Some people like to explore new areas of editing, where they experiment with effects, syncing, other types of AMVs (such as romance or action), or whatever the case may be. However, I do see your point of view on this subject. These "AE videos" have been appearing out of nowhere, with messy editing and execution.. Oh well. People are sometimes influenced by what they watch, so when Kewp made his vid, it opened some people's eyes to a new light. They may have thought, "Wow, I want to try that," or "That effect looks really good." Unfortunately, originality is sometimes replaced by the wanting to create an AMV as good as what the creators just saw..

Anyways, I realize there are a lot of contradictions in my statements on this matter. I just wanted to point out both the good and bad things that are involved here.. Sorry if it's confusing or whatever.

DrngdKreationz · Post by **DrngdKreationz** » Sun Jun 20, 2004 12:34 am

I use After effects basically because It's what I want to do in life. not just in the AMV world. sure I apply it here for my studies. But the Trend.... you mention it like it's a bad thing and im not sure how to respond to that? I mean sure alot of people are going to be doing basic things like overlays and high end drag and drop effects that are available through AE and alot of people are going to be doing an awful job with it. but hopefully with time. people are going to get better at it than just the garbage your seeing now. Alot of these users don't even realize how powerful after effects really is. or the types of things that can be done with a good knowledge of the program. not just a tutorial they read on the COW.

AquaSky · Post by **AquaSky** » Sun Jun 20, 2004 12:37 am

I'd like to say that I don't add in flashy effects simply because I don't care for them, but that's not entriely the case, I'm just not good with that sort of thing. However, when it's fitting, the use of effects can really enhance a video. But when they're added in just for the sake of novelty, it shows inexperience and makes any other shortcoming the video might have (most likely a lack of story, in the case of a number of effects-based vids) all the more glaring. Overall, I prefer substance over style, and would sooner watch something plain and insightful than flashy and vapid.

DrngdKreationz · Post by **DrngdKreationz** » Sun Jun 20, 2004 12:54 am

IcyCloud wrote:I'd like to say that I don't add in flashy effects simply because I don't care for them, but that's not entriely the case, I'm just not good with that sort of thing. However, when it's fitting, the use of effects can really enhance a video. But when they're added in just for the sake of novelty, it shows inexperience and makes any other shortcoming the video might have (most likely a lack of story, in the case of a number of effects-based vids) all the more glaring. Overall, I prefer substance over style, and would sooner watch something plain and insightful than flashy and vapid.

How come this is the typical response from someone who isn't good with effects?

No offence ICY just curiosity since it was mentioned in this post.

Arigatomina · Post by **Arigatomina** » Sun Jun 20, 2004 1:15 am

DrngdKreationz wrote:How come this is the typical response from someone who isn't good with effects?

Maybe those who work with effects appreciate them more in videos they watch. Maybe those who don't know how hard some effects are to do, see only lights and movements and complicated quadrupled scenes that kill the untrained eye. Maybe those who don't like effects never bother to get good at them - not wanting to add any to their own vids since they don't like them to begin with. Lots of reasons why a person who doesn't like effects might not be good at doing effects (or why a person who isn't good at doing effects might not like effects).

I'm a little both myself. I like some effects that I'll never be able to do (don't want to get the program needed for them), but I still prefer to see them in moderation. I dislike things that aren't anime shots (having tiny screens so I can barely see the anime that's shifting around behind other tiny screens, or boxes and lines that make it hard to see what scenes they're trying to enhance) - that makes me prefer effects that take place between scenes, or in a small part of the scenes (so they don't block out the anime). As for effects I know how to do - I like them when *I* do them, but I can see those same 'types' of effects in other videos and hate the way it's done. I'm just overly picky about effects. It's not because I'm bad at them (though I am), it's because I have a pet peeve about distractions. I could theoretically practice and learn to 'work' certain effects, but I wouldn't want to use them since they'd distract me. o.o At best, it would allow me to help others coat their vids so that I'd never want to watch them. Not much point in that. So...yeah, I dislike effects and I'm bad at using effects - I expect to remain that way since I have no reason to get 'good' at something I dislike.