You know, I don't know how many people here get MTV2, but if you ever come across a show called "Video Mods", watch it!
Not because it's a good video, but because there are some truly GOD AWFUL attempts to mesh video games with music. What kind? The mediocre popular music.
From what I gather from Knowname, you got TWO kinds of popular music:
1) The music that's popular, but sucks and is ridiculed on multiple sketches or "Sold out" in one way or another. (I still have issues with Evanescense that I can't put my finger on).
2) The music that's popular because it's GOOD!
Now while video mods seems to use nothing but popular songs, they DO however mix in GOOD songs along with the mediocre ones.
Franz Ferdinand's "Take Me Out", while sold out to PSP for use in their commercials, is STILL a good song. There's also Black Eyes Peas and their "Let's Get It Started" which sold out to the NBA Finals 2004.
Now in video mods, they took these songs, which are good STAND ALONG songs, and made videos for them using video game characters. The funny thing is that the companies that made the games helped make these "professional" grade music videos, but I can't help but get over the feeling that this IS THE EXACT SAME THING THAT AMV MAKERS DO, BUT WITH GAMES!
Okay, maybe not exactly since they can actually TAILOR the graphical footage to the song, but you can CLEARLY see that some of these videos are boring as HELL! The direction is just terrible in some of these, or the song just DOES NOT match the game, or other things which are THE SAME PROBLEMS AMV MAKERS ARE FACED WITH!
Now I cited "Take Me Out" and "Let's Get It Started" for two main reasons. They, for the most part, are GOOD VGMV's (we have a new type of video, people!
).
Seeing Anakin Skywalker singing "Take Me Out" with an army of dancing Storm Troopers is just fun to watch and fits the groove, and even edited the vidoe so it had a theme that Anakin was "Taken Out" by Darth Vader. Before that vid was made, there was another one for "Let's Get It Started" which featured several game characters moving around and singing, but here's the thing:
The choreography, mood, and theme made for a good FUN video! It was VERY well done! I watch it again just when I feel like getting funky!
Now some of you may think that these songs are mediocre. Black Eyed Peas and Franz Ferdinand's songs may seem mediocre to you. But the blend of editing techniques and DIRECTION made for some kick-ass vids!
The AMV maker has an even GREATER challenge as a director to take already made, NOT customized footage, and put it together in a video.
You CAN in fact take a mediocre song and put it to good use using good editing, but as Knowname says, it's even better if you use a GOOD song! Believe me, I would love to see some AMVs with the Grateful Dead, Janis Joplin (not a single one of her songs has been used in an AMV! Not ONE! Not even Bobby McGee!), The Doors, The Who, Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin... oh man does the list go on. Hey, even some Rush and songs by Styx OTHER than Mr. Robotto! (Why has no one used "Blue Collar Man" before?!)
There's lots of good music out there, and most of the current stuff is mediocre at best.
Weird Al is good, but you can only use his stuff so many times and still be original. The best one I've seen so far is TECHNICALLY an AMV, but not entirely. Watch it and you'll see what I mean:
http://www.animemusicvideos.org/members ... hp?v=50439
I nearly peed myself when I found this vid because this has been one of my favorite Weird Al songs of all time, and it's VERY under appreciated!
So we got the music and the anime. You need to have:
1) A good video idea
2) A good song that is directly related with the idea.
3) An anime based from the song AND the idea, that works well
4) A good eye for editing
That's about it for my rant now, but one more thing I wanted to chip in:
OtakuMan22 wrote:
I'm trying to say that by making it public, you are inviting anyone and everyone to criticize and comment on your vid, whether it be good or bad. If you really don't care what people say, then why put it out there where people will know it exists and most likely comment on it?
Sharing.
Okay, I'll buy that, but if you're going to do that, USE A FREAKING FILE SHARING PROGRAM! I REALLY don't want to see people using the org to submit AMVs that they only want 2 or 3 people to watch seriously. For CRIPES SAKE, EVERYONE is going to see your video and it will take up space because you didn't care if it was really good, and only wanted your friends to see it. If that's the case, DON'T MAKE IT PUBLIC!
GEEZ!
I mean it too, if you just want 2 to 3 close friends to see the video, JUST SEND IT TO THEM! Even AIM or Yahoo Messenger can do that for you!
If you really want to make good vids and are working hard at it, AND are willing to put up with ANY criticism that comes your way, then the org is for you. But if you're just going around doing the same ole thing on your own just to brag to your friends, DON'T PUT IT HERE!
Man, the thought just makes me so ANGRY! I better go watch Nature Bears From Hell now.
~Otaku-Man
