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image quality
2006-11-30 17:00:25
I've had a couple of nice responses to Space Aura. However they all pointed out the low quality of the video image, which I can not dispute. I'm going to use a different source for footage to my next video and this time I'm going to take whatever steps are necessary to preserve the highest quality image. I am doing this because it is of course absolutely necessary if I were to want to show these videos on a big screen or in a public venue.
The image quality though was always secondary to my interest in the montage of the video itself, and my experiments with assigning footage to different strings of notes in the music. I've learned enough making Space Aura and Plutonian Nights that I think I can apply those techniques with the compositing that I have planned for the next series of videos.
Now what is that video going to be? Probably Ginza Lights by the Ventures, the original instrumental version, but I'm not sure of what to use as footage. I'd like it to thematically have something to do with the song, which from the title I presume is about a night in Ginza. If anyone knows a translation of the Japanese lyrics, let me know. -
Space Aura now up on amv.org
2006-11-27 16:51:58
Been some time since I contributed to this site. Today I uploaded my last (for now) GE999/Sun Ra amv, Space Aura.
Since May, Plutonian Nights has generated over 10,000 hits on you_tube but only a couple hundred here. I'm going to post an annoucement for Space Aura on the forums and hope that might generate some comments.
I'm satisfied with Space Aura, but to do what I'd like to do next I'm going to have to branch out and try some new editing software.
Particularly, I'd like to see if I can lay out multiple video tracks on top of one another. Perhaps one loop to the beat of the drums, one to the bass or rhythm, and one to the solo instrument.
I'll probably try this with a Ventures song next, either something from 'Live in Japan 65, or probably more likely "Ginza Lights" - the lyrical version of which is the all time most popular keraoke song in Japan. Seriously. Now if only I can find an anime that would suit it... -
over 3000 hits
2006-07-23 17:10:06
...on you tube, that is. In fact, if searching on "jazz" and "amv" on you tube, Plutionian Nights will come up as the video with the most hits. Not that there's a lot of other jazz amvs out there! I think there's maybe 3 or 4 on yt that could be consdiered such, a couple more here. It also looks like Sun Ra's own following are the ones who are really watching it there, as both blogs that have linked to the clip went there for the Sun Ra aspect rather than GE999 or amvs.
I've stalled work on Space Aura while work dominates more and more of my time. hopefully it will be done by end of summer. Its turning out nicely with a 12 second sequence of a about six or seven frames from an explosion scene, repeated over and over to a furious trumpet solo. Maetel and Tetsuro in sillouette against a white background in the center of the screen running in place while bright primary color flash in and out. Sometimes I wish I could just make that the whole video is so surreal and beautiful. -
four ratings but no comments
2006-06-03 18:00:11
The other day, one person had rated my video and appreantly rated it 5 stars becaus that was my average. Alas, after 4 ratings I'm down to 2.5 stars.
I'd love to hear some comments but please do consider that I may have some different goals than most of the editors on here.
I'm most interested in using images - both abstract and solid - to convey a feeling or a sentiment. Thats why, if taken linerally, the video doesn't make sense as a story. With this video at least, I'm not interestd in doing a detailed story or a parody and I only want to convey a vague outline of a story.
What little story there is in this video can be summarized thusly:
Tetsuro and Maetel are on the Three-Nine and Tetsuro attacks the Queen Emeraldus. From this point of danger we see images conveying threats and chaos, mostly away from the Three-Nine, culminating in Tetsuo and Maetel's escape back to the train.
As rare as GE999 amvs are, it seems that amv with any kind of jazz music are almost non-existant. Not that I'm surprised or complaining about that fact at all - I know that being over 30 on here probably makes me a minority among contributors.
The composed and peroformer of the piece, Sun Ra, is probably one of the most out-there experimental jazz players ever. He played "free jazz", which involves a lot of free-form improvisation. The untrained ear might just think he was making it all up on the spot or just couldn't play! Besides claiming to be from Saturn, he and his band dressed in costumes that were half Egyptian, half Martian, and his music contains equal parts big band, hard bop, and dissonent noise.
Outer space is a frequent theme but it was one song in particular, "Rocket Number 9 Take Off From the Planet Venus" from the album "Sun Ra Visits Planet Earth" that made me connect his music with Matsumotos philosophical tone-poem.
I am working on a video now for the song "Space Aura" from the album "Interstellar Low Ways" and once finished with that, I'll experiment with some surf/instrumental/eleki Ventures music - probably one or two from their 'Live In Japan 65' album, and a couple of their Japanese hits ("Ginza Lights" is a must).
When I finish those I'll work on completing my Sun Ra/GE999 obsession, by doing the entirety of "rocket number 9" - including the 4 minute nearly imperceptable violin solo! -
looks like its working
2006-05-30 01:26:08
it was probably just my computer when i downloaded the initial test. The downloadable version seems to be working fine now.
I'm into my second full amv now, and of course its going to be another Sun Ra with GE999 footage. I think I'll do this one and move on to doing two Ventures tunes, "Slaughter on Tenth Avenue" and "Ginza Lights" (which is, strangely enough, the most popular song in the history of Japanese pop music. Seriously.), probably with footage from Castle of Cagliostro or Metropolis for the former, and I'm not sure what footage to use for the latter. Suggestions are welcome.
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