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Information

• Member: Second Element
• Studio: Second Element Video
• Title: Heirloom
• Premiered: 2005-10-06
• Categories:
  • Action
  • Drama
  • Serious
• Song:
  • Nightwish End of all hope
• Anime:
  • Inu Yasha (TV)
  • Inu Yasha: Swords of an Honorable Ruler (Movie 3)
  • Inuyasha Movie 3 - The Sword of World Conquest
• Comments: Inu Yasha asks that you watch this AMV in a brightly lit room, and sit far back from the monitor.
  
  
  No, seriously.
  
  After 1 year and 3 months, this video is finally DONE. I have to say, it is by far one of the most intimidating projects we have ever had, which we found kicking our asses as opposed to just kicking ass. There are a number of reasons why we struggled with this video. Firstly, it was very much in the same vein as "Ever Dream" and thus, we faced similar problems. This video is extremely high action, and the footage alone couldn't keep up with the pace of the song. So not only was most of the source footage speeded up several percentages, but siezure-inducing strobe effects had to be incorporated into the video as well. The footage itself just could not stand alone at such a pace. This video also follows a linear format- a Point A-Z style, if you will. When doing videos like that, continuity is a constant must, and everything has to be paced just right so that everything can be fit in. Our biggest problem was the fact that the final battle sequence is one of the longest battles in Inu Yasha history, and to keep from squashing all the footage in to a limited amount of space on the video timeline, we had to extend the song by 3 verses. Normally, I hate making songs longer to accomodate footage, but there was no other way around it. This isn't one of our usual symbolic, thematic videos where all we need is what we need to tell a story through motifs. This is a story told through action and sound, so edits to the song had to be made. Even then, we still cut out a good half of the final battle.
  
  The title for the video itself presented problems. We wanted a title that basicaly said that there was an heirloom sword, that whether it was asleep or out for destruction, it was the constant responsibility of one family. However, there was no possible way we could write that meaning into a title of a few words; rather, it would be a title of a paragraph! So the video was simply titled "Heirloom" and left at that. Even without all the deep meanings attached, I like it's simplicity.
  
  We wanted the title of the story to basicaly emphasize it was the story of a family, who, like it or not, are responsible for the actions of a powerful sword. Unfortunately, it becomes hell-bent, and both brothers find themselves involved, as well as their loved ones. The reason why this marriage of music and anime stood out was because of the idea that this sword was "the end of all hope" if allowed to continue with it's agenda, and also because the opening verses speaking of "deathbeds covered in snow" and lines such as "another black rose born" and "someone like me" made us instantly think of Inu Yasha- as he is the black sheep of his Dai Youkai line.
  
  Either way, I hope the video emphasizes it- whether we have a paragraph-long title or not ^_~x
  
  This is actually one of LIT's favorite projects to work on as of late out of our videos, and same goes for Robert. And me, as much as I think the final product turned out a little more than just okay- I'm in no hurry to tackle one of these types of videos again.
  
  The file size for this video is a little large ( if I had my way, I would make it larger ), simply because I wanted to try and retain as much of the original visual quality of this video as possible.
  
  
  ***You will need a proper XVID codec to view this AMV***
  
  
  
  Additional Commentary & Musings:
  
  
  :37 A small scene that is a personal favorite of mine- simply because the inversions simulate lightning flashes reflecting off of Inu no Taisho's body.
  
  :51 - :52 For this scene of the Inu no Taisho running, I wanted to have a desperate, erratic apperance to the footage. So aside from the strobe-lights, I did haphazard zooms on him to the beat. I made sure that it never zoomed in on him in the same exact area twice, to help give it that "all-over-the-place" look.
  
  :53 - :56 This scene of Inu Yasha is actually at sunset, so he and the countryside are awash in red and orange colors. However, we felt that was too contrasting and jarring when it comes to all the twilight footage that surrounds this footage. So we tweaked it to make it look more like twilight itself.
  
  1:34 - 1:58 I think of all the "battle scenes" in the video, this one is my personal favorite. I like how it's orchestrated, and how it plays out in relationship to the music. Plus, there is the whole "this life, unforgiven" with Sesshoumaru's stern face- a very accurate way to describe Sesshoumaru's feelings towards the "dirty blood" that Inu Yasha has brought to their family line.
  
  2:16 - 2:27 and 2:40 - 2:51 Probably our two other favorite spots of editing, simply for the action to the music. In the second set we purposely edited the footage so that one character begins to do one thing, and in the next scene another character appears to be finishing the action started by the first character. Come to think of it- this is the first time the rest of the main Inu Yasha cast have ever appeared in one of our distributed "Inu Yasha" videos ( they show up plenty in our unfinished, sometimes buried projects ).
  
  Lyrics:
  
  "It is the end of all hope
  To lose the child, the faith
  To end all the innocence
  To be someone like me
  This is the birth of all hope
  To have what I once had
  This life unforgiven
  It will end with a birth
  
  No will to wake for this morn
  To see another black rose born
  Deathbed is slowly covered with snow
  
  Angels, they fell first but I'm still here
  Alone as they are drawing near
  In heaven my masterpiece will finally be sung
  
  Wounded is the deer that leaps highest
  And my wound it cuts so deep
  Turn off the light and let me pull the plug
  
  Mandylion without a face
  Deathwish without a prayer
  End of hope
  End of love
  End of time
  The rest is silence"