Disclaimer: These interviews are not associated with A-M-V.org or its administration. The Lip Flapper is not meant for consumption. Sugary dancing may occur if ingested.
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Description
Welcome to the Lip Flapper! Each week, we delve deep into the community and get a look into both individual members as well as group discussions on various issues that surround our hobby.
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This Week in "The Lip Flapper"
This week, we return from a ridiculously long hiatus and talk with Chiikaboom!
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Interview Spotlight
It's freaking Chiikaboom. She makes lots of really cool AMVs and is a very popular editor on YouTube and a past active member of a-m-v.org. :3
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The Interview
Q: Thanks for chatting with me this weekend Chii. How about you introduce yourself to the editors at home that might now know who you are?
Hiii~ o/ my name is Chii and i'm a full time graphic designer. I've been making amvs for almost a decade now (since 2004) but I also do fanart/doujinshi, write fanfiction and remixes. AKA i'm a giant weeaboo at heart.
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Q: So what got you involved in editing?
My sisters started a year or 2 before me - I wasn't even into anime at the time but watching their amvs eventually got me hooked. If it wasn't for them, I dont know if I would've ever made amvs, or even been into anime.
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Q: What motivates you to edit? You edit very polished and entertaining videos, and I'd love to know the rhyme behind the reason.
I'm an anime fan! If I watch an anime and fall in love with it theres a 99.9% chance i'll edit with it. I'm a pretty big music geek too - I get lots of inspiration just going for walks with my mp3 player at full blast. Thanks for the comment ^^
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Q: How'd you find a-m-v.org?
Again, my sisters. They introduced me to everything amv-related hah.
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Q: A while back, you "left" a-m-v.org to follow a more YouTube focused activity. What was the primay reason behind this?
Ehhh ;; its complicated, so i'd really rather not go into all the dramas.
Honestly though, regardless of my opinion of the community's attitude, I probably would've left either way, because from what I can see the org is focused more so from a technical/video editing perspective rather than that of an anime fan's. The org is good I guess if you really want to learn how to create conceptual videos, see it as a form of art, or just really want to improve, etc. I dont see amvs as an art though (and im totally ok with people who do) and I honestly can't get into any amv that is supposedly artsy or ~deep~ or different. And personally, im no longer striving to improve. I'm perfectly happy with my editing style. Honestly, I just want to see anime I like to good music. I'm that cosplayer in the back of the amv contest theatre squealing over half naked Vash from Trigun to "i'm too sexy for my shirt". Thats the kind of fan I am - and it feels like i'm in the minority in this community. Its a lot less about the anime, and more focused on the editing perspective. A lot of people edit with anime they havent even seen just because the footage looks nice. Imo that totally takes the point out of making amvs for me. It feels like anime has just become stock footage now... its no longer about being an anime fan and embracing that, its about wanting to be a video editor, or an artist. I guess theres nothing wrong with that if thats what you like to do, but I guess it kinda feels like people like me are isolated out. And then theres those awkward moments when an editor edits a kick ass vid using an anime you love, and you're like "OMG HELLS YEAH SOUL EATER YAYYY" and the editor is just like "i havent even seen the show i just edited with it lol". Ummm.
A big reason I moved to youtube instead is because its chock full of something the org lacks - anime fans and weeaboos alike. When I make a hitman reborn video, its for the hitman reborn fans. It brings a smile to my face when I get comments like "FUCK YEAH REBORN IS AWESOME!" Thats really all I want to hear. Receiving compliments on my videos are nice, but all that matters to me is that myself and the fandom enjoys it. I dont need comments like "you should've used a different/better anime" or "this idea is overdone" etc etc. Im totally ok with people disliking my videos and all, but I dont need people telling me to not edit with series I enjoy. Because we all know thats a clever mentality. "i'm going to stop editing with a series i love because a stranger on the internet told me to!"
So it really boils down to the fact that i'm hardly an editor. I'm just an anime fan who happens to make fanvids. The org views amvs too technical for me, and i'm no longer striving to improve so I rarely take criticism I receive here, so whats the point? Thats why I find youtube to be a better community for a fan like myself.
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Q: Since you're more active on YouTube than a-m-v.org, can you tell us a little bit about what the community there is like when compared to a-m-v.org's? Maybe things that are better/worse than at a-m-v.org.
Thats pretty much answered in the previous question, but I still remember, years ago, when I first met the editors from Re-evolution (back when the original members were still together). Ghet had introduced me to them in a skype chat one day, and I remember thinking "oh my god where have these people been all my life?" Don't get me wrong, I have made quite a few awesome friends from the org and i'm still friends with them to this day. But honestly after meeting the people from Re-evo it really pushed me to leave the org and move to youtube. They are so my kind of people and I regret not talking to them sooner. I dont know what it was exactly but the videos they made really brought me back.
Whether either community is better or worse really depends on the editor, because both communities have their fair share of trolls and dickery (any community does. Its pretty much a given). I think it just really boils down to whether you make amvs because you love anime, or because you love video editing and want to get better. If you enjoy both, then you can easily be a part of both communities.
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Q: How come you don't upload your AMVs on a-m-v.org anymore? As somebody that wants a full copy of a lot of your YouTube AMVs (GAH. Make It Rock), this saddens me greatly.
Because the org isn't my audience, lol. If you want a copy of any of my videos, just drop me a message! I'll
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Q: Ever think that you might come back to being "active" on a-m-v.org again?
No. I'll post here every now and then if a topic interests me or if I find a video I like on the announcements board, but besides that I dont really have much of a reason to be active here again.
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Q: Let's talk a little about your editing. So what's your "process"? How do you get started, how do you work on it, and how do you finish up?
Oh gosh ummm it pretty much always start with me either discovering a new anime or a new song and I immediately start thinking how to edit with it LOL. I have a hard time listening to good music nowadays without thinking "omg what anime would work with this". If i'm motivated enough i'll normally get right into preparing the footage. I dont write storyboards or anything because for the most part the storyboard is already in my head. Normally once I get the footage ready I just open vegas and see what happens, very rarely do I actually have an amv where I know exactly how it will go and what scenes to use, etc (Devil's Game, Against All Odds, and Imagica were like that). Unfortunately there have been a lot of times when I spend hours getting footage, open vegas, and absolutely nothing clicks
so a lot of awesome ideas I have go un-edited. But I dont tell other people about those ideas because I dont want them editing them before me. Which is just dickery because I wont be editing them anyway ;;
/asshole
I dont really have a method for finishing up.. i'm just done when i'm done! I tend to have a lot of ideas for credits but once im finished the actual video I tend to rush them >>;;
One rule of thumb though. Chii cannot edit when there is no pepsi.
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Q: Any AMV "theories" that you like to follow more than others?
Unless its for a friend, I only edit with anime and music I like. I personally think thats how it should be, though I know there are a lot of people who will disagree.
Another thing, and I know im going to be stepping on a lot of toes here and i know im going to offend some editors saying this, but I really, really do not believe in an amv being artistic and ~deep~ or whatever when all it is, is random opening theme footage with pretty girls with giant ughuu eyes with their hair blowing in the wind to some boring trance music. I mean ok if you like using random op footage to make random fun videos, ok fine, i'm bored of them but if you enjoy editing with it, its fine by me. But im so, so SO sick of these videos in particular, esp when theyre supposed to represent like, "nostalgia" or whatever. Too fucking easy, takes 5 minutes to torrent the footage and anyone can do it. Whenever I see someone upload a video like that it drives me friggen apeshit. Seriously, use the exact same song you wanted to ~convey your feelings~, but use it with old Yu Yu Hakusho fansubs instead. To a trance song with the same kind of 'leave any scene that is somewhat atmospheric playing for 3 seconds or longer because not synching to every beat is super artsy' style. I dare somebody to do it.
(not only because itd be awesome to see someone try but it would also be awesome to see someone edit with Yu Yu Hakusho again on here)
(or Hunter X Hunter that would kick ass)
/rant
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Q: So out of all the AMV's you've made in 2011, which one are you most proud of, and what you would want others to watch? Maybe also explain the reason behind editing that particular AMV?
Probably Imagica. I had a lot of fun making the story in there (though a lot of people didnt pick up on it, lol) and that I was able to use a lot of old school stuff with the new. The biggest reason I made that video was because I love magical girl series and wanted to show the dark side of it (and to prove that Madoka Magica wasnt the series that introduced the idea -.-;; )
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Q: Thank you very much for taking the time to answer my questions. Let's finish up by perhaps asking you what advice you would give for newer editors wanting to become more active in the hobby?
LIVE LONG AND PROSPER-DESU!
ok im sorry that was bad.
Honestly though, edit whatever the hell you want. Dont let people tell you how you should edit. When people offer advice, dont ignore it, but dont take what anyone says about your videos to heart. Dont stress about trying to be a good editor, just edit what you love and you will naturally improve over time.
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Past Interviews/Discussions
Check the Main Thread for all relevant information about future Lip Flappers, as well as past/future interviews!
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Next Time on "The Lip Flapper"
Next week, we have a long talk with Pink Haze!
.Good interview!
I still watch it from time to time!
