JOURNAL: CrackTheSky (Ben S)

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  • 2007-01-26 16:48:38 I see what you did there, Timelord.

    >_>
    <_< 
  • Personal VCAs 2007-01-25 19:25:32 I got VCA fever! I figure it'd be cool (for me at least) to go through the videos I've seen that have come out this year and choose the best, as far as I'M concerned. A lot of these probably won't win in the actual VCAs, but here are my own personal picks, as of right now (because you can bet I'll be downloading a lot of the nominations that I haven't seen for myself; VCA nominees > Top 10%):

    BEST ACTION VIDEO:
    Video: Dive
    Editor: evilspider
    Anime: Xenosaga Episode II
    Song: "Look To The Sky"
    Artist: Yoshiko
    Link: http://www.animemusicvideos.org/members/members_videoinfo.php?v=135223

    I'll get to this one later in the list, so I'll describe its greatness there...

    BEST COMEDY VIDEO:
    Video: Llama Llama!...Duck?
    Editor: kikai_saigono
    Anime: Various
    Song: "The Llama Song"
    Artist: Burton Earney
    Link: http://www.animemusicvideos.org/members/members_videoinfo.php?v=124576

    I'm not a huge comedy fan, and when it comes to comedy videos I only have a few on my computer, most of which aren't from 2006. Ileia's The Office Is Closed. Due To Zombies. was pretty funny, but only kikai's Llama Llama!...Duck? really made me laugh out loud, just for the sheer weirdness of it. Gooo Kiki!

    BEST DANCE VIDEO:
    Video: Hold Me Now
    Editor: alkampfer81
    Anime: Princess Tutu
    Song: "Håll Om Mig"
    Artist: Nanne Grönvall
    Link: http://www.animemusicvideos.org/members/members_videoinfo.php?v=118208

    This is just a fun video to watch. Even though this isn't exactly my favorite type of AMV, it's hard to deny how well this video flows. This video really does make you want to dance.

    BEST DRAMATIC VIDEO:
    Video: Raging Sorrow
    Editor: aerialesque
    Anime: Elfen Lied
    Song: "Innocent Greed"
    Artist: Guano Apes
    Link: http://www.animemusicvideos.org/members/members_videoinfo.php?v=134019

    Aahh...since drama is my specialty, at least when it comes to what I prefer, it's really hard to pick the best of the year. But aerialesque's wins out in the end, if only very slightly over Night800's We Are Not Alone. The editing in this video is hairpin accurate, artistic and more or less just flawless. It's a video that makes you angry, that makes you sad, that keeps you watching and wanting more. In a word, this video is win.

    BEST FIRST VIDEO:
    Video: Last Action Hero
    Editor: The_Patient
    Anime: Full Metal Panic: Fumoffu
    Song: "Boom"
    Artist: P.O.D.
    Link: http://www.animemusicvideos.org/members/members_videoinfo.php?v=127205

    No competition here, save maybe aerialesque's Weight of the World. In fact, that was the first video that came to my mind, but in the end I do like this video better just because of the way everything in it is handled. As far as pure action goes, few videos stand out as much as this one, and the editing is impressively accurate for a first video. This is about as intense and purely entertaining as AMVs get.

    BEST FUN VIDEO:
    Video: Interstellar cataclysm Weighs Heavy On My Mind
    Editor: opalarmor
    Anime: Various (6)
    Song: "Hold Up"
    Artist: Girl Talk
    Link: http://www.animemusicvideos.org/members/members_videoinfo.php?v=128856

    This video is sick. I mean, sick in a good way. The effects work is pretty astounding, and...I really don't know of a good way to describe it. It's weird, it's fast, it's crazy, but above all, it's FUN. Whenever I fire up this video I know the next ~3 minutes of my life will be a-ok.

    BEST HORROR VIDEO:
    Video: Zweite Existenz
    Editor: Requiett
    Anime: Neon Genesis Evangelion
    Song: "Thoughts of a Dying Atheist"
    Artist: Muse
    Link: http://www.animemusicvideos.org/members/members_videoinfo.php?v=113772

    This one was tough. REALLY tough. Bauzi's Type of Negative is *right* behind this one. But in the end this video won out because it really does a lot of things different, and is a very original take on one of the most overused and boring sources in all of AMVs. Another one that, if you haven't seen it yet, you really, really should.

    BEST INSTRUMENTAL VIDEO:
    Video: Memoria
    Editor: aerialesque
    Anime: Naruto
    Song: "Until It Sleeps"
    Artist: Apocolyptica
    Link: http://www.animemusicvideos.org/members/members_videoinfo.php?v=135401

    I'll admit my knowledge of instrumental videos is quite limited, but this one would win anyway, I'm confident. If we're going to include videos like Bleach Technique Beat, I'd STILL choose this one over that because of the way the story (no matter how overdone) progresses and compliments the feelings generated by the music itself. This is a masterpiece that grows on you with each successive viewing, and that's what makes it the best of the category.

    BEST PARODY VIDEO:
    I don't know if I've seen any parody videos :/ Unless you count like, DTSEM or Buttsecks, both of which sucked so hard that they'd both own this category, and we can't have two winners and thus I can't choose.

    BEST ROMANTIC VIDEO:
    Video: Good Enough
    Editor: AtomX
    Anime: REC
    Song: "Heartbeats"
    Artist: Jose Gonzales
    Link: http://www.animemusicvideos.org/members/members_videoinfo.php?v=129610

    This is what I wish my REC video could be. Romance videos like this come along like, once a year...and this year, the best in my opinion would have to be Good Enough. It's short, it's touching, it's everything a sweet love story should be, and it portrayed so well that it gets my vote.

    BEST SENTIMENTAL VIDEO:
    Video: Paleness
    Editor: Kaxi
    Anime: Pale Cocoon
    Song: "My Medea"
    Artist: Vienna Teng
    Link: http://www.animemusicvideos.org/members/members_videoinfo.php?v=124940

    No competition, at ALL. Well, I take that back; Reflections comes pretty DARN close, but this one touched me so much more than Reflections ever could, and the way it's edited is so perfect, the message so unique, the emotion so powerful...it's art, pure and simple. If you haven't seen this video yet, you're freakin' crazy, and you need to get on that. This year's best sentimental video, and one of the best ever.

    BEST USE OF VISUAL EFFECTS:
    Video: Silencio
    Editor: Plain of the Shepherd
    Anime: Various (2)
    Song: "Things Stay The Same"
    Artist: Halou
    Link: http://www.animemusicvideos.org/members/members_videoinfo.php?v=135399

    The only video that even came close to wowing me on the technical side of things is another video by Shepherd, Emptiness Inwardly, which you'll see below. This is pure eye candy, from start to finish. Not only that, it's eye candy done incredibly tastefully. There are so many things to look at in this video that one watch won't do, and neither will the next few. The thing that catches my eye every time I watch this video, though, is the colors, and how beautifully they integrate with the rest of the video. This is a video that is, by all means, worth the download, and one of the few videos on my HDD that has really, truly appreciated over time.

    MOST ARTISTIC VIDEO:
    Video: Emptiness Inwardly
    Editor: Plain of the Shepherd
    Anime: Technolyze
    Song: "50cc"
    Artist: Journeyman
    Link: http://www.animemusicvideos.org/members/members_videoinfo.php?v=120326

    Again, Shepherd has this category covered, as Silencio is probably just as artistic as this one. And again, the visuals in this video are absolutely jaw-dropping, and the presentation is simply immaculate. This is the kind of thing that belongs in art museums. Few videos deserve this award more than this one does, and it pains me to see that this video, as of this writing, only has 109 hits. If you want a gorgeous, artsy video with an interesting plot and logical progression...look no further than Emptiness Inwardly, and be amazed.

    MOST ORIGINAL VIDEO:
    Video: Reflections
    Editor: ukms[z]
    Anime: Various (2)
    Song: "Do You Know"
    Artist: Maksim
    Link: http://www.animemusicvideos.org/members/members_videoinfo.php?v=135186

    I HAVE to give this video an award somewhere along the line, and this is the one I feel it most deserves. As a crossover vid it'd win in originality anyway, but the fact that ukms[z] created several very impressive 3D scenes from scratch (the scene with the ambulance, and the forest in the second half of the video is his as well) puts it over the top. It's emotional, and it conveys those emotions in a very profound and unique way. This one came outta NOwhere, and if you want a simply astounding video in pretty much every respect, this one really deserves your attention.

    MEP OF THE YEAR:
    Video: Reflections of Style 3
    Editor: SnhKnives and others
    Anime: Various (19)
    Song: Various (6)
    Artist: Various (6)
    Link: http://www.animemusicvideos.org/members/members_videoinfo.php?v=130647

    No MEP even comes close, not even Alternate Dimensions. As an MEP this proves that effects aren't necessarily key to making a video good, in dramatic fashion as within the first few tracks you see simple editing matched up perfectly with the song to make it one of the most poignant moments in all of AMVing (I'm talking about Tyler's track). This video grabs you by the balls and doesn't let go for a solid 17 minutes, and every single one of those minutes is glorious bliss.


    EDITOR OF THE YEAR:
    aerialesque

    And no one deserves it more. Every single video she's put out since she started has been absolutely spectacular in one way or another, and she's only improved since she started. They say you can only get better, but I really wonder how much better aerialesque can get.

    VIDEO OF THE YEAR:
    Video: Dive
    Editor: evilspider
    Anime: Xenosaga Episode II
    Song: "Look To The Sky"
    Artist: Yoshiko
    Link: http://www.animemusicvideos.org/members/members_videoinfo.php?v=135223

    I have not watched any video I've downloaded as much as this one, and it's only gotten more and more enjoyable with each successive viewing. Simply put, it's probably the best video of the year, and one of my all-time favorites ever. It's action-packed, manages to toy with the viewer's emotions, and is very tightly synched, with lots of subtleties that make re-viewing it all the more enjoyable. It's original, it's slick, it's seven minutes of gooey goodness. I'd recommend this to anyone who really wants to see creativity and editing flair in action. It only gets better.


    Remember, these are only my opinions, you don't have to agree if you don't want (and I'm sure the final votes for the real VCAs will reflect that). In any case I recommend you check out all the videos I've listed if you haven't already, because they're all pretty darn amazing in one way or another (or several).

    Now for the REAL VCAs...

    -sKy- 
  • VCA categories > j00 2007-01-25 13:18:28 Hahahaha! I suppose this probably happens every years when the VCAs roll around, but some of the rejected categories for VCA nominations are simply hilarious. Like, this one:

    Best Use Of Excessive Eclipses
    This is kind of like the ellipse category, except it's even cool when the moon blocks out the sun. I mean, that is SO COOL when the moon is like, "FUCK YOU SUN, I'MA TAKE OVA YO SHIT." Then the sun's just like "OH NO YOU DIDN'T." Yeah, this should be a VCA category too, bitches.

    ...and this one:

    Best Dinosaur
    So basically, dinosaurs are totally sweet. The problem is, which one is THE sweet? I believe only the 2006 VCAs can decide. Possible nominations include the T Rex, the triceratops, and Requiett. Fuck brontosauri, though. Those things are pussies.

    I lol'ed at both of 'em. I feel sorry for whoever has to sift through this shit...

    -sKy- 
  • Woot! 2007-01-25 01:29:28 VCAs!!!! 
  • 2007-01-23 17:44:19 Happy birthday Rina :D

    I'm all about the bandwagon. 
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