Ideas.

[marthwmaster]

I'll think of a series I really want to do an AMV for, or a song I can work into making sense in the context of a character or series. In either case, I try to stay away from overused songs and themes, and focus on ideas that have rarely if ever been explored for a given anime. It's not that hard, really. One simply has to take a sampling of the better videos for the anime in question, decide what they all have in common, and then deviate from that in a way that doesn't result in a crappier video.

[gotegenks]

i have a basement where i lock my slave up with a computer and every month or two i upload the first .mp4 i find

[macchinainterna]

It works three ways for me.

1. I see a source I really like (Be it anime or otherwise) and make plans to make a video to it in the future once I find the right song.

2. I hear a song I really like and make plans to make a video to it in the future once I find the right source.

3. I pay somebody else to do it for me.

[OtakuGray]

music x5
though I can get ideas from anything that I see/hear/touch/taste/smell.

Music x6 + what he said

+

Any life experience or anything I encounter that inspires an idea

Same.

[GH]

i will usually be inspired by other's amvs. then decide to steal their source, watch the series, then edit to it with a song i think pairs nicely. i rarely ever hear the song first and decide to think up ideas for it.

[SQ]

Music or ripping off another video, sorry to say.

There was ONE time where I saw an anime and was like "OMG XXX SONG WOULD SUIT THIS PERFECTLY!! I HAVE TO MAKE IT!!" and honestly that video didn't turn out the best (Liar's Remorse in case anyone cared).

So normally I listen to a song, then based on how the song flows, I'll get a pretty good idea of a music video in my head. Some songs have fully laid out AMVs in my head before I even look at the source footage. Most of the ideas I've jotted down have never even seen a timeline. I used to keep a book of them. Actually I think I filled two books with them. Maybe one day I'll go through storage, try to find them, and pick out some of the better ones and actually make them. Or put them in the AMV Suggestions forum or something.

As for ripping off another video, it's not like a straight rip. For instance, MeriC made some great Utena videos. So I wanted to make some Utena videos. My "Poltergeist" was GREATLY influenced by her Utena videos, specifically her one to Castles in the Sky, which I can't remember the name of the AMV itself right now (It probably had something to do with ghosts too. Oshiii--).

But there's other videos that have a certain song, and I think "Oh I want to do a video to this song" or maybe "I want to do a video to this artist". Like Koop's Euphoria got me really into Frou Frou/Imogen Heap. I might do an AMV to one of her songs, eventually.

I don't think I've straight out just stolen an idea and redid it. And if I did, it wasn't intentional.

Edit:
It was Meri's "Liberation of Memories Past".

[OtakuGray]

There was ONE time where I saw an anime and was like "OMG XXX SONG WOULD SUIT THIS PERFECTLY!! I HAVE TO MAKE IT!!" and honestly that video didn't turn out the best.

OMG THE BEGINNING OF LUCKY STAR WITH SO FAME SO FAME *O*

...fail.

[Kionon]

1. Song First Approach

Most commonly, the song first approach is defined by ideas the come about while listening to the audio source. It need not actually be a song, it can be any audio source; the idea here is that an editor hears the song and imagines an idea that matches. In many ways, the song first approach provides a storyboard for the video in the editor's head long before he or she begins to actually edit.

This.

[Zarxrax]

I am imbued with divine inspiration from on high.

[Kionon]

I am imbued with divine inspiration from being high.

I fixed that for you.