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Information

• Member: Big Big Truck
• Studio: Big Big Truck Productions
• Title: At The End of the Day
• Premiered: 2001-09-22
• Categories:
  • Drama
  • Other
• Songs:
  • Fury in the Slaughterhouse The Brainsong
  • Joe Cocker (I Get By) With A Little Help From My Friends
• Anime:
  • Cowboy Bebop
• Participation:
  • Anime Weekend Atlanta 7, Anime Weekend Atlanta 7 (2001-09-21)
• Comments: This video is currently available for download at www.jazzmess.com.
  
  GENRE: Tribute/Homage/Sentimental
  EQUIPMENT: Adobe Premiere 6, Matrox G400
  WORKING DATES: Aug 11, 2001 - Sept 3, 2001
  CONS/AWARDS: AWA 7 Masters, no award
  
  PRODUCTION NOTES:
  * Record player scratches/static and lo-fi sound are intentional.
  * Font used for titles is called "Basket Case" and can be downloaded at www.grungefonts.com
  * Titles created in Adobe Photoshop 6.0 and placed into Premiere as single frame JPEGs for "jittery old film" effect.
  * Record-player sounds come from "The Brainsong" by Fury in the Slaughterhouse, off their album "Mono". (I recommend "Mono" and "The Hearing and the Sense of Balance" to anyone who likes late 80's/early 90's pre-grunge rock. "Radio Orchid" is a great song...)
  
  WHAT IT'S ALL ABOUT:
  This video is unabashedly sentimental. OK, it's sappy.
  "Cowboy Bebop" is my second favorite anime, and I wanted to make a video that would pay tribute to some of my favorite characters and the unique way they interacted with each other. Each character acts on his or her own throughout the series, but they still have an unspoken rapport or camaraderie.
  I also wanted to show some thematic contrast: fast action vs. slower motions, togetherness vs. solitude, etc.
  This was the first video I'd done where the music was in 3/4 or 6/8 time rather than 2/4 or 4/4, and the editing took a little getting used to.
  I realize that the song choice is rather obvious and unoriginal, but the gravelly vocals, backing gospel chorus, old lo-fi sound, and even the lyrics just said "Cowboy Bebop" to me.
  
  REGARDING THE MUSIC:
  TJ asked me why I chose to edit the last verse out. It was a very tough decision, but I did so because of three factors:
  1. There was NOTHING I could do, footage-wise, to match the frenzied, jumbled, LONG coda without having the video die or lose steam.
  2. After the second "do you need anybody", Joe Cocker lets loose this totally heartbreaking "AAAAAUUUAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH", which I just love. However, I had no footage to pair with it that wouldn't prompt unwanted giggles/snickering. Also, I felt that including that part of the song, and attempting to put anime to it, would have made the video way too maudlin. (I do love that last verse, though... T_T)
  3. I knew this video didn't stand the slightest chance of winning the Masters, so I decided to forsake any pretense of artistic integrity **coughcoughwhichisbullshitanywaycough** and just make a video that was tight, short, and sweet - like a cinnamon roll.
  Mmmm, cinnamon roll...
  
  This was the video I made after junking all those other ones (some of which can be seen in "Failed Experiments"), and is the only serious/drama video I've made in the past 2 years.
  This will also be my last Bebop video. Three (well, two and a half) is more than enough.
  
  ----------
  PLEASE NOTE: I did put a spoiler warning at the beginning of this video, but this AMV is *loaded* with them. Nearly every spoiler is here except The Big One. So please download at your own risk!
  ----------
  
  THE GOOD...
  * The titles. I like the pairing of the visual style with the sound of an old LP. Title sequence took about 3 hours to do, music and all.
  * I like the pairing of the 2 clips where it looks like Spike's walking away from Faye. (In fact, Faye was looking at Jet in that shot. Why do I know this? I'm a NERD.)
  * Like the fire on Swordfish over the snare roll. Totally unintentional - just editor's luck I guess.
  * Spike's lighter flaring on the high-hat tap. Again, editor's luck.
  * Favorite part of the video: "I need someone to love." ;_;
  * Spike rushing towards camera on drumroll - as he "hits" camera, gospel singers come in & burst to bright footage of Julia.
  
  THE BAD...
  * Tough to get the fade from "...my love is away ~ does it worry you..." to work. I must have spent an hour on that fade alone. I'm still not satisified with it -_-
  * Second chorus feels thematically disjointed to me. One of the toughest sections of the video to put together. Still not satisfied. I tried to go with a gun/pistol theme for the first 4 lines and body actions/running for the next 4 lines, but I don't think it came through.
  * Not satisfied with much about the last chorus & ending. Just... I... I don't know what else I would have done with it. I'm not displeased with it, I just feel like it's missing something. I tried cutting to black, I tried different shots, I tried character still shots, and this was the only thing that really worked for me. I like the laughter but I don't know if anyone's going to "get" that.
  
  ...AND THE UGLY
  * THE DAY BEFORE I was going to burn this video to CD and send it out to AWA, Brett installed WMP 7.1 on his computer. It blew, so we uninstalled it - and it took the Matrox drivers and sound card drivers with it. Let this be a warning to you all! Just because it's 7.1, it doesn't mean it's an improvement over 7.0! Oh man, the panic, the stress... eeesh.