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Where's AMVing going? Where will the crazy effects and sync stop? We could always regress!
2010-02-02 21:12:11
There's a well-known trend that occurs in most human behavior, namely swings in extremity which ricochet back and forth like ping-pong balls. I find this most easy to explain in terms of generational changes: my parents generation were the rebellious hippies, their parents were conformist non-extremists, THEIR parents were Prohibition-dodging swingers, THEIR parents were Victorian tightwads, THEIR parents, etc. etc.
It will be interesting to see if AMVing reaches a point where it suddenly becomes the hot new thing to create "old" school videos or, perhaps more appropriately, videos which glorify some of the most basic principles of animation.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=240Vq6tIxio&feature=player_embedded
I watched. I was riveted. That's so cool, but, even better, it was entertaining. My paranoid and skeptical nature finds it highly suspect, but I don't even really care that much because of how thoroughly I enjoyed watching it. And now I have the song stuck in my head. :| -
And now I think I'm getting too old for this.
2010-01-31 08:19:57
I've a habit, in my life, of thinking constantly about things. One might say obsessively, which a medical-type person once told me wasn't normal. Too bad for him.
It's kind of a vicious circle, though, a learned and reinforced habit, because when I think about things long and hard enough, I eventually arrive at some kind of epiphany which allows me to say "Ah, so THAT's the way it is/THAT explains it" and move on. Perhaps this is similar to what meditation does for some folks, reaching a level of mental equilibrium that allows them to feel they understand something so thoroughly that they can feel at ease with the knowledge that they have gained this understanding.
Which is a long-winded way of saying that I decided yesterday I'm too old for this stuff. I was considering what type of video I could make for a con (key concept being "I could make") that would do well. Then I considered what type of AMV I could make that would do well here, and THEN I considered what type of AMV I currently appreciate, what type (dare I say) impresses me to the point where it is my goal to make something of that nature. These types of AMVs, in terms of being what most editors these days seem to a) be creating and their audience b) appreciating, are not really my cup of tea. Why? After some thought, I've decided it's because of the relative maturity level found in the vast majority of AMVs, which by no coincidence reflects the maturity of their creators and/or viewers. We're talking young whipper-snappers, here, or at least mentally/emotionally delayed individuals.
So yeah. The best video, IMO, that I watched this year was "Time." I still remember it, I viewed it repeatedly just so I could get caught up in it over and over, while still appreciating at several more cerebral levels what the editor was up to. But it doesn't have flash, it doesn't have short-attention-span synch, it doesn't even have a song rooted it today's popular culture. It's a good thing this hobby isn't filled exclusively with whipper-snappers, but it does seem to be a young person's game. A few "grown up" folks have the ability to make AMVs which appeal to that type of audience. people, but I don't believe that ability is something (in this hobby) which can be learned or otherwise achieved simply through hard work. You've either got it or you don't, and there's nothing WRONG with not having it.
Hrm. Anyways, even if I think I'm too old for this, all that results is acceptance that it's really an uphill battle for me to develop an AMV that has mass appeal. Takeout's a good example - it didn't make the finals at Anime Boston last year because, even if they "got it," the judges felt it was too cerebral and didn't fit into their idea of a convention comedy video, which is apparently something that elicits a lot of guffawing. And yet Takeout won Best Comedy in last year's JCAs. What the hell? Age. Maturity level. Intended audience. Takeout is not and was never meant to be a con video. It was made for people who appreciate that sort of thing, first person being me, of course. I got lucky and wound up with a group of JCA judges who felt the same.
Point being, creativity is ALL subjective. You get 10 people in a room and they're split evenly on whether your AMV is a masterpiece or a pile of rubbish, who are you going to "believe?" NO ONE. That's why you should believe in yourself.
Wait, what did I post this journal entry for? Oh yes, I'm too old for this, but that probably won't stop me. Unless I get distracted by something else. Like my furnace not working. Again. (no heat yesterday, 3 degrees out, fun). Except this time I can't get the heat to go down. SIGH Making a journal entry killed some time while I wait for it to be late enough in the morning to call my landlord. Again. -
*sobs* I am succumbing to social media
2010-01-28 19:28:37
Signed up for a twitter account today. No particular reason except two: I want a shot at the DVDs ANN is giving away and I'm shortly going to be responsible for my company's twitter posts, so it's about time I got up to speed. I can't believe I'll ever twitter about anything, though. It's like talking to myself, b/c who the heck cares what the heck I'm doing/thinking?
A bunch of people, actually. Witness your amv.org journal which was never viewed as anything more than a personal punching bag to vent about the cruelty of the AMV Gods.
Well yeesss, but I'm not talking to myself here for other people's benefit. I don't have a lot of opportunities for convivial conversation, unless you count discussions about the weather with my dog. It's some kind of weird cathartic thing I've always done, writing stuff down. AMV.org unfortunately enabled this condition.
Oh, fine. Whatever.
Hey, the privacy option is there for a reason. I use it as I feel necessary. Why bother if what's here is intended for an audience? Nope, someone (Phade?) understood many nerds' need to purge personal issues in private, but also in public supported by other nerds, utilizing (what was once) kind of nerdy technology. This was a wise decision.
Also: I've been making some progress on the AMV Hell video situation. Hopefully I'll have my old PC refurbished this weekend so I can convert my DoC footage into usable AVI files and transfer them to my new PC. If it doesn't work... *leaves threat hanging* -
Nothing personal, I'm just feeling philosophical.
2010-01-24 21:29:00
The reason for that is because of the fact all ive heard on the org is that editing is such a chore and the only thing worth it is the audience response. That gives me the impression everyone here edits to impress strangers on the internet.
Editing is more than a chore for some of us: it's a huge leap of faith that, at the end of the day, only sometimes achieves our desired end. This may be audience response, but what makes audience response = impressing strangers on the Internet? What about showing people a good time? Making them laugh or cry or say "YEAH!!"? You don't have to impress people to do those things; extraordinarily simple videos can receive huge audience enjoyment. While simple videos may "impress" people who appreciate that sort of thing, most would argue that, by today's popular standards of an "impressive" AMV (which seem to involve some kind of effects extravaganza and tight sync) they fall very short.
It's a seductive thing, "impressing" people. At some point one is usually harassed by the nagging idea that other people appreciating your creativity has something to do with the value of such creativity. I don't care if you call it "art" or not - EVERY AMV represents some type of creativity, and in my book, creativity itself is something to be valued.
I'd like to make another video that demonstrates a desire to impress people as well as my creativity, but I don't know if I have what it takes. I would hope I do, but I just don't know if it's worth the effort. It used to be...but not so much anymore. I did what I set out to do, and as far as that goes, I'm done.
In other news, I have a cable modem again for the first time in almost four years and I am quite impressed by how fast I can now download other people's creativity! :D -
I think I'm still all here.
2010-01-22 19:49:14
I just survived the worst moving experience of my life...barely. What I got out of the experience, having to do with AMVs, is the following:
* The base to my new, widescreen monitor is missing, forcing me to return to my old 19" screen. Good part is I can view things a little more normally now, since I'm back to a more normal screen resolution. Bad news is that I, um, really was looking forward to more screen real estate in my editing programs.
* I figured out, I think, how to make XII without driving myself excessively insane. I used to be fixated on presenting the real story in the anime, which about a year ago I decided was impossible because there simply was not enough footage to do things the way I wanted. This AMV concept was a lot like my new apartment: really shiny and cool on the surface, but incredibly unrealistic and badly designed underneath, and in struggling to figure out how to make the best of a bad living situation, I happened upon the blatantly obvious fact that I do not have to present the story of the anime in my AMV. I would hope I'm capable of such, since most of my videos twist reality almost beyond belief (some would argue they do, period).
* My new job, which is far less graphically inclined than my last, looks like it will include video editing/animation of some kind, specifically 3D. This will not be the first time my AMV hobby has aided and abetted my professional career, but it is a first that what I'd learn on the job could potentially benefit my hobby. We'll see. I suspect the horror-show that it my video editing ability is about to be put under extreme strain in a professional environment. I even warned my new boss, today, that even though I've DONE editing...I basically have no knack for it whatsoever. :|
Erm...once I get my apartment organized, I figure I'll start working on my AMV Hell entries. One is going to be a royal pain in the butt, the other is much easier...IF I can get the footage to cooperate. It figures that I have obsessively hoarded rare DoC source files that my new computer totally screws up. Another reason to get my old PC into working condition!
JOURNAL: DriftRoot (Lauren C.)
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