First AMV : Suggestions before I begin?

Daeowan · Post by **Daeowan** » Sun Jul 10, 2005 11:44 pm

Good day. I have recently become interested in creating and submitting my own AMV to a-m-v.org and to do this I have nothing but Windows Movie Maker. I have heard that creating decent AMV's with this program is possible, since it has all the basic functions I require to do so. The debate here isn't whether or not I should be using WMM (since I'll be using it no matter what you say), it's the fact that I would like to get some pointers from those of you who have made these things before. I'd like tips, like the usual process you undergo before ever opening the program and editing video. I'd also like to hear from those of you who have used WMM and can share your experiences with it so I can be prepares. I hear it crashes a lot, for instance, so I will certainly be saving my work often.

Thank you in advance for responding to this thread. I deeply appreciate any sort of advice or suggestions the lot of you have. If you would like me to be more specific about something don't hesitate to ask. I seek clarity in your responses, so if I missed mentioning an important bit of information please ask.

Thanks again. Ja ne.

leenarutogaara · Post by **leenarutogaara** » Mon Jul 11, 2005 4:21 am

I use WMM, and really the only tip I can give you is to be very precise about where you put your footage, and for every couple clips you add, you should save your movie in the lowest quality, just to see how well those clips fit together. This method allows you to change something if you don't like it, without having to re-save the entire movie. This also replaces playing the clips back in WMM, since it is very jerky.

If you want to see a some decent AMVs made on WMM, check out sexy_no_justsu's Hot-blooded Nindo, or my own Sasuke's Revenge.

dj_ultima_the_great · Post by **dj_ultima_the_great** » Mon Jul 11, 2005 9:30 am

First off, try this! If nothing else, it's a great place for beginners to start. ^_^

http://www.animemusicvideos.org/guides/

Even if you don't understand some of the technical guides, the ones about mood and beat sync, as well as song choice can still really be a help.

Beyond that, there isn't much to tell. A little technical note on WMM...if you have the original version, I suggest that you upgrade to version two, but it's really not necessary. All it really has is more effects you can play with, and for your first video you probably won't want to mess with that stuff anyway. So, it's your choice on that one.

As for my own personal experiences with Windows Movie Maker...it's really not so bad. Yeah, it crashes. Yeah, the video quality isn't the best. Yeah, I can't do as much as I'd like to do with it. Still, it is a great place to start and a great place to build from. I've already made my tenth video and I'm still using that program. If you want to see some quality WMM work, check out arigatomina's profile. That program practically bows to her will at this point. ^_~

Just one more thing. Don't be upset if your first video sucks or others seem not to like it. About 95% of this site suffered the same thing with their first videos. Most of all, just have fun and enjoy the process. If it feels like too much work, then you'll never want to edit again.

I hope that some of this helps you, and I hope to see a video from you, too! ^_^

As always, Farewell, Good Luck, and Happy AMV-ing!

- dj_ultima_the_great

Cheesemaster · Post by **Cheesemaster** » Mon Jul 11, 2005 2:50 pm

Well, for one thing your right. WMM does have a habit of crashing and going very slowly, so you should save as often as possible. Basically to use WMM you just have to make sure the timing's good, it doesn't matter so much about everything else. Even though you can't really use effects in WMM, yo can sort of create your own. Like for instance, put frames of color that are extremely short in between a consecutive amount of clips. This adds for a neat effect because of the quick flashes of color in between the clips. It's really good fro fast paced rock songs. Another cool effect is to fade clips into and on top of each other. It's usually harder though to try and create a vid with graphics and effects on WMM, so you are probably better off just getting the timing and message of the video right. Effects don't nessecarily make a good video. And one more thing, try to get clips of the footage you are using without subtitles if possible. Subtitles can take a good and well-thought-out video and just murder it. i can't wait to see your vid, Good luck!!

Daeowan · Post by **Daeowan** » Mon Jul 11, 2005 2:59 pm

Excellent advice so far. I must admit, I didn't think WMM had timing issues so bad that I'd have to save my work to see if it was actually coordinated the way I wanted it to be. I'll make sure I do that periodically throughout my viedo's development.

Also, and this is more of a newbie to a-m-v.org question, I noticed that videos submitted to the site had to be the product of video you yourself own. Yet despite this, much of the top videos on this website use Naruto, which has yet to even be released in the west. Is Naruto an exception to this rule? Or is it possible to obtain the series on DVD and I simlpy did not know it? Thanks.

dj_ultima_the_great · Post by **dj_ultima_the_great** » Mon Jul 11, 2005 3:11 pm

Daeowan wrote:much of the top videos on this website use Naruto, which has yet to even be released in the west. Is Naruto an exception to this rule? Or is it possible to obtain the series on DVD and I simlpy did not know it? Thanks.

Well, there are a few things you should know.

1. Half of those people are using fansubs, which is strongly looked down on here.
2. One quarter of them are using "raw" footage, which, if I'm correct, means fansubs before they get the subtitles. Don't quote me to it, though. And don't ask where to get it, because that's not allowed on this site.
3. The last quarter of those people are using imported DVDs from Japan, I'm sure. Since I know nothing about Naruto and its release over in Japan, though, I couldn't tell you for sure.

So, that's about how it breaks down. There are no exceptions to the rules. Also, and I'm saying this again for emphasis, make sure you don't ask where to get footage or you'll just get this from most of the members:

The Forum Rules wrote:There shall be no posts containing or on how to obtain warez, crackz, serialz, emulators, porn/hentai, bootlegs, or illegally obtain downloadable anime episodes, music, or any other sort of copyrighted material. You will be banned without warning for such posts.

Just to let you know, so you don't make that n00b mistake like many others.

That's all I have for now.

- dj_ultima_the_great

leenarutogaara · Post by **leenarutogaara** » Mon Jul 11, 2005 4:04 pm

I get my Naruto dvds from my aunt, who teaches japanese in japan.

Daeowan · Post by **Daeowan** » Mon Jul 11, 2005 5:14 pm

1. Half of those people are using fansubs, which is strongly looked down on here.
2. One quarter of them are using "raw" footage, which, if I'm correct, means fansubs before they get the subtitles. Don't quote me to it, though. And don't ask where to get it, because that's not allowed on this site.
3. The last quarter of those people are using imported DVDs from Japan, I'm sure. Since I know nothing about Naruto and its release over in Japan, though, I couldn't tell you for sure.

1) I thought so. It was strange how there were so many Naruto videos on a-m-v.org, yet no one should really have it save for those who can obtain them straight from japan. Are inquiries done to check the validity of Naruto footage around here? Or does a-m-v.org simply plead the fifth and have the video removed if something comes up?

2) You are correct, raw footage is pirated directly off of japanese television and made available on the internet without subtitles or translations of any sort. I assumed this fell under the same catagory as fansubs, so I didn't bother asking.

3) I'm sure there are DVD's available in japan. There has to be. No way they could go this many seasons without doing so.

Zaphod_Beeblebrox · Post by **Zaphod_Beeblebrox** » Mon Jul 11, 2005 7:49 pm

Daeowan wrote:1) I thought so. It was strange how there were so many Naruto videos on a-m-v.org, yet no one should really have it save for those who can obtain them straight from japan. Are inquiries done to check the validity of Naruto footage around here? Or does a-m-v.org simply plead the fifth and have the video removed if something comes up?

yeah i think thats pretty much it, in theory fansubs etc arent allowed but because so many people use them theyre generally ignored.

leenarutogaara · Post by **leenarutogaara** » Tue Jul 12, 2005 2:38 am

I think the site pretty much ignores the use of Naruto fansubs because the 2nd highest rated video on the site uses Naruto fansubs and I'm pretty sure some of the other high-rated videos do to.