Here we go, this is pretty much exactly what I'll submit to the admins:
Ok, so you just found out about AMVs and you love them. You've looked at just about every AMV on that site that shall not be named that you could find and you still want more. Well here's a list to highlight videos that were very influential or seem to be overlooked these days. The videos here are some of the best videos the org has to offer regardless of genre or age. This covers many different types of videos so chances are you won't like everything listed. If you just want the videos that are currently popular then I'd suggest the <a href="
http://www.animemusicvideos.org/members ... t.php">top 10%</a> list instead. If you're just looking for a specific type of video or anime used then check out the <a href="
http://www.animemusicvideos.org/phpBB/v ... ecommended AMV forum</a>. For most of these I will link to the org but not all are available for download from there. In that case I link to Umbrella Video's <a href="
http://www.umbrellavideo.com/vault/">vault</a> if it's there. Also of note, the vault is largely older videos so you want to see where the hobby came from you may want to browse around it.
<a href="
http://www.animemusicvideos.org/members ... >Shameless Rock Video</a> by Absolute Destiny - A homage (or perhaps a mockery) of sex, drugs, and rock n roll. Very well done and probably AD's most known video.
<a href="
http://www.animemusicvideos.org/members ... 83">Dreams of Red</a> by Aluminum Studios - A sailor moon video that even people who hate Sailor Moon usually like. Who would have thought it possible?
<a href="
http://www.animemusicvideos.org/members ... rikuruu</a> by Aokakesu - One of the early dance videos and for quite a long time it was *THE* dance video. It's style and effects have had a large influence on how people view the genre.
<a href="
http://www.animemusicvideos.org/members ... >Anthem</a> by Atvaark - There are some videos that try something experimental or conceptual. Usually they don't get much attention since not many are fans of the experimental. This is one of the better examples of that type of video though.
<a href="
http://www.animemusicvideos.org/members ... 65">Failed Experiments In Video Editing</a> by Big Big Truck - If only my failures were this funny.
<a href="
http://www.animemusicvideos.org/members ... 7794">It's Tricky to Make a Music Video</a> by BogoSort - It's meant to be a parody of all the things that were overdone in AMVs (at the time) but even if you don't get the parody it's still a fun upbeat video. I consider it proof that you can violate all the 'rules' of AMVs and the result is still pretty damn good if the editor is competent.
<a href="
http://www.animemusicvideos.org/members ... ">Engel</a> by Kevin Caldwell - If you ask people who've been in the hobby for awhile what is the best video ever they'll most likely say this one. Kevin Caldwell had an unbelievable influence on AMVs and this is probably his best.
<a href="
http://www.animemusicvideos.org/members ... 671">Anime Couch Potato</a> by chief gooley - Weird Al songs seem to be perfect for AMV parodies and many have been done. This is one of the best.
Fields of Gold by C-Ko - Before the org and computer editing people were making AMVs using <a href="
http://www.animemusicvideos.org/guides/ ... t.htm">two vcrs</a>. Not many videos from that time period made it into digital form but a few have. So sit back and marvel at what the hobby was like in the early 90's. Available from <a href="
http://www.umbrellavideo.com/vault/c-ko/fields.zip">the vault</a>.
Daicon III opening and Daicon IV opening by Gainax - Ever wonder how the makers of Evangelion started? The first thing they produced were some music videos with original animation for Daicon (a Japanese con) in the 80's. Somewhat hard to find because they did not license the audio and the animation is copyrighted. It'll take some searching to find them but it's worth it, especially the Daicon IV opening.
The DDR projects by various editors - There were several of these projects and the basic idea was the same for all of them. Take the music track from a Dance Dance Revolution game, get some of the best editors around to do a segment, then release the entire thing as an hour long dance video. The effects and style of these projects are probably the single biggest influence of current dance videos. Unfortunately it's somewhat difficult to find all the projects these days. A <a href="
http://www.animemusicvideos.org/search/ ... lts">super search</a> for DDR in the song title will find lots of the individual tracks though.
<a href="
http://www.animemusicvideos.org/members ... 684">Right Now Someone Is Reading This Title</a> by dokidoki - A very close emulation of the official music video for this song. Brilliantly funny and a good example of using effects to enhance the video instead of just pointless flashing to the beat.
<a href="
http://www.animemusicvideos.org/members ... 3">Tainted Donuts</a> by E-Ko - The crew of Cowboy Bebop attempt to capture the notorious criminal Vash the Stampede. One of the earlier examples of rotoing two different animes together and the result came out very well.
<a href="
http://www.animemusicvideos.org/members ... 1781">Soul of an Angel</a> by ErMaC - You want flashy? We know flashy. Uses a fairly simple effect but achieves a look that is pretty unique even years later.
<a href="
http://www.animemusicvideos.org/members ... 150">Souls of Rage and Sorrow</a> by Fluxmeister - Here's something you don't see often. An action video that starts off with a slow dramatic start and an editor who actually handles it well.
<a href="
http://www.animemusicvideos.org/members ... 20573">OMG STANGER CAN THIS BE WHAT IS THE MEANING OF LIFE WHEN NOTHING SAYS LOVIN LIKE SEX WITH AN OVEN????????????????????</a> by HungryCrackPot -The videos profile says all that needs to be said about this.
<a href="
http://www.animemusicvideos.org/members ... 612">Urban Ragnarok</a> by Jbone - This video looks so good that I went out and got the anime. That's one of the highest praises I can give a video. Just for the record, the anime isn't nearly as good as the video makes it appear.
<a href="
http://www.animemusicvideos.org/members ... pectacular Anime</a> by jescaflowne - It's just an all around fun video. It's so exciting the audience will stop and cheer.
<a href="
http://www.animemusicvideos.org/members ... =35420">is that you </a> by Kamoc - Not everything here uses anime. This video used original animation instead. Looks almost like something made in Flash actually. Effective matching of the mood and tone of the song.
<a href="
http://www.animemusicvideos.org/members ... uphoria</a> by Koopiskeva - There were videos that combined strong story with in your face effects before this video but none is as known or as influential as Euphoria. He doesn't mention it in the video description but it should be noted that he did not use expensive editors like After Effects or Premiere. This was done in MSPaint and Magix, an inexpensive and not very powerful editor.
<a href="
http://www.animemusicvideos.org/members ... 203">Sappy Self Indulgence</a> by Kusoyaro - A multi-anime video with a theme. It didn't go the route of 'lets throw as many animes as we can find in here' and remains fairly unique because of it.
<a href="
http://www.animemusicvideos.org/members ... 78">Rhythm Animation</a> by Lostboy - It's a fun dance video but it also has a great sense of flow. One of the best uses of motion around.
<a href="
http://www.animemusicvideos.org/members ... v=94">Lain | Sleep Now</a> by MaboroshiStudio - One of the earliest videos using Lain and it captured the feel of the anime very well. If you don't know Lain to begin with then it's actually difficult to tell what effects he added as opposed to what was already there. It's not available on the org but can be downloaded from <a href="
http://www.umbrellavideo.com/vault/mabo ... ).zip">the vault</a>.
<a href="
http://www.animemusicvideos.org/members ... 1813">True Fiction</a> by Metro - Metro says he wanted to bring effects to a new level. He did. This one is fairly recent, unlike the rest of this list. However it has already influenced some AMVs that followed and I can easily see it becoming a large influence in the future.
<a href="
http://www.animemusicvideos.org/members ... 6959">Stop the Rock</a> by Nappy - I actually interrupted typing this because as soon as I thought of it the song popped in my head and I just had to watch the video again right away. Sometimes pointless effects are just good fun.
<a href="
http://www.animemusicvideos.org/members ... 12663">Mad World</a> by Nightowl and gambitt - One of the most effective videos at carrying it's mood. Also serves a great mix of anime and real life footage.
<a href="
http://www.animemusicvideos.org/members ... 4516">This is Otakudom</a> by NoNDE studios - A 52 minute fan parody. Doesn't really belong in an AMV list I know but trust me, this thing actually had a lot of influence with AMV editors. Besides, it's funny as hell. Available on <a href="
http://www.umbrellavideo.com/vault/Fand ... m.zip">the vault</a>. If you prefer VHS copy you can check into the <a href="
http://welcome.to/otakudom">otakudom website</a>. Look in the faq part for info.
On Your Mark by Hayao Miyazaki (Studio Ghibli) - Another music video using original animation by an actually anime producer. It was produced at the request of the musicians and is somewhat unusual in that it actually tells a complete, although short, story. Since it is a copyrighted product I'm not able to provide a link. It is on a DVD titled 'Studio Ghibli Shorts' although that was a Japan only release. It also isn't that difficult to find with a little searching.
<a href="
http://www.animemusicvideos.org/members ... hp?v=32114"> The Wasteland</a> by Otohiko - An artistic mood video that sustains it's mood far longer than you would think an AMV could.
<a href="
http://www.animemusicvideos.org/members ... 63">Secret Waltz</a> by Pianos - AMVs aren't just a western hobby, Japanese make them as well. They're called M@D's or MADS if you don't like netspeak. To a large degree AMVs and MADs are considered separate and don't often influence one another. This is probably the best know MAD in the AMV community. If you like it you might want to check out <a href="
http://www.madmovie.org/">mad movie</a> which has torrents of MADs available.
<a href="
http://www.animemusicvideos.org/members ... 4598">Dark Legacy</a> by rubyeye - Metal music isn't used much in AMVs but there are some around and this is a great example.
My Euthanasia by Lorraine Savage - Another two vcr method video. It shows astounding timing considering how it was made and is still amusing to this day. Available from <a href="
http://www.umbrellavideo.com/vault/lorr ... a.zip">the vault</a>.
<a href="
http://www.animemusicvideos.org/members ... 935">Elvis vs Anime</a> by Sierra Lorna - A very close emulation to the songs official video. Has some technical flaws but still quite enjoyable. Just proof that if your concept is good then the video doesn't have to be perfect to be liked.
<a href="
http://www.animemusicvideos.org/members ... Evangelion Opus</a> by Shonen Productions - A video that does justice to the rock opera feel of the song. It isn't available on the org but can be found on <a href="
http://www.umbrellavideo.com/vault/shon ... y.zip">the vault</a>.
<a href="
http://www.animemusicvideos.org/members ... php?v=1889"> Jinnai and the Bugrom LIVE!</a> by Studio Hybrid - The most annoying laugh in all anime and the unlikeliest dancers ever stage a live show for you. What's not to enjoy?
Evangelion Redeath by Studio Sokodei - Not an AMV but instead a fan parody. A classic and if you ever get the chance to see it at an anime con then do so. Definitely the type of thing that's best seen with a crowd. Available on <a href="
http://www.umbrellavideo.com/vault/Fand ... h.zip">the vault</a>.
<a href="
http://www.animemusicvideos.org/members ... =324">This Isn't What We Meant</a> by VicBond007 - Of his videos this is my personal favorite. Others are more likely to suggest <a href="
http://www.animemusicvideos.org/members ... ">Charcoal Sketched Dreams</a> which is a very good drama video so you should check that one out as well.
<a href="
http://www.animemusicvideos.org/members ... ">Memories Dance</a> by Vlad Pohnert - A few years ago there were a fair number of Ghibli tributes made. This was the best of them.
<a href="
http://www.animemusicvideos.org/members ... ?v=6875">A Vampire Story</a> by Wonka - Has a pretty good dark mood going for it. If you pay attention you might also learn why knowing about aspect ratios is important.
Liberi Fatali in Motion by <a href="
http://www.animemusicvideos.org/members ... shi1013</a> - One of the most unusual, and funny, uses of text in an AMV ever. Although, technically, it's not an AMV but we'll overlook that part. It's available on <a href="
http://www.umbrellavideo.com/vault/Non- ... n.zip">the vault</a>.
<a href="
http://www.animemusicvideos.org/members ... 39704">AMV Hell</a> by Zarxrax and ssgwnbtd - What do you do when you have an idea for a comedy video but it's only funny for 30 seconds? Throw a whole bunch of them together. By now there are five AMV Hells and a sixth is on the way later this year. They've had a huge influence on other comedy videos, enough so that it's been seriously suggested that there should be an 'AMV Hell' category on the org. Not everyone thinks that influence is a good thing though but what the hell, the original is still very funny.
Part of the intention of this list is to highlight good videos and hope new editors just kind of pick up good editing through osmosis. Despite all the guides and help given on video editing that's still the most effective method of learning how to make AMVs. In that idea, let me toss one final recommendation out here: <a href="
http://www.animemusicvideos.org/members ... >AnimeNext 2004 AMV Panel Video</a> by VegettoEX - This video was made for a panel at AnimeNext to highlight common mistakes to avoid in AMVs. It's manages to make it's point perfectly clear in a rather funny way.
