New Kid

[Tribel]

Hello.
I'm kinda new to making AMV's. As in, I suck really bad at it and I'm well aware of this. Up until now I really didn't care since I just did it for fun anyway. But I would kinda like to get better at it now after seeing some of the amazing videos around here. What I would like is, if instead of people telling me my content sucks (which it does and I know), they could show me what I could do differently to make my content better. If you just want to leave a quick comment about something in my videos or want to help me learn new skills and how to use tools better, any feedback at all would be greatly appreciated.

Here are links for my last two videos.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l5m623sRkno

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F4v5yc_kSGw

[TritioAFB]

Dont worry man you'll improve in the future

[seasons]

Enter those in the database and then we can talk!

http://www.animemusicvideos.org/members ... _step0.php

[Tribel]

Enter those in the database and then we can talk!

http://www.animemusicvideos.org/members ... _step0.php

Done!

[seasons]

The first minute of Duality gets off to a good start. There's a variety of scenes, there's characters and the possible beginning of a story, the song lyrics reflect what's going on visually and the scenes build in intensity along with the music. The scene from 1:00 to 1:15 was upbeat and matched the song in that regard but something about it didn't really flow for me. I like the scenes on the porch and in the house, those are quiet and pairs with the quiet part of the song in a way that feels natural. When the chorus comes in at 1:47, I like that you're shifting back into an action scene. There's a big musical moment at 1:47 that would have been great for a high-impact scene or cut but after that passes it feels like you're still winding up for it. The final battle scene was appropriately dramatic but just kind of played out. I'm not saying you need to cut this scene into tiny pieces like she's doing to this dude but I was left just kind of watching the last part but never really getting into it.

Firefight starts off with some very striking and action-packed scenes. Really intense fighting scenes. Establishes the conflict and the theme and the song expands on that. Not a bad way to start the video, heck this is how the anime starts, right? By the end of this sequence I was really ready to move on because the first minute was really busy from beginning to end, and the beginning of this song is actually kind of quiet (I think we all like quiet-loud-quiet-loud songs to edit with). Good lyric sync in the 2nd verse. The chorus and the "rap" part are the heaviest part of the song and you pile on some appropriate clips here. They play out and look good together but there's a few too many shots that go on longer than they should. Not because they don't look cool, but because there's no bounce in the visual rhythm you've grabbed on to here. I don't know, that's a terrible way to explain it. I just think there's more opportunities the sync to the music than you're taking advantage of.

My biggest problem with both videos is the lip flap in a couple of scenes. I know it's going to get in to videos one way or another and that there are a lot of scenes where it's impossible to remove. But there are a few instances of lip flap in this that are very distracting because it looks like they could have been removed rather easily. Some people don't care about this but I think you'll find that the less lip flap you have in a video, the more natural the scenes "feel" and the stronger their emotional impact is.

Your videos both look very good, your footage is clean and technically you're off to a good start. I enjoyed watching both of these, I like Kill la Kill but haven't seen the anime you used in Duality. Have you watched a lot of other action AMVs? It's good to watch videos and notice things in them that you really like. You can imitate those or let them inspire you in other ways. Thinking about why you like those things about them can be interesting.

Maybe this thread will get moved to AMV announcements?

[Tribel]

The first minute of Duality gets off to a good start. There's a variety of scenes, there's characters and the possible beginning of a story, the song lyrics reflect what's going on visually and the scenes build in intensity along with the music. The scene from 1:00 to 1:15 was upbeat and matched the song in that regard but something about it didn't really flow for me. I like the scenes on the porch and in the house, those are quiet and pairs with the quiet part of the song in a way that feels natural. When the chorus comes in at 1:47, I like that you're shifting back into an action scene. There's a big musical moment at 1:47 that would have been great for a high-impact scene or cut but after that passes it feels like you're still winding up for it. The final battle scene was appropriately dramatic but just kind of played out. I'm not saying you need to cut this scene into tiny pieces like she's doing to this dude but I was left just kind of watching the last part but never really getting into it.

Firefight starts off with some very striking and action-packed scenes. Really intense fighting scenes. Establishes the conflict and the theme and the song expands on that. Not a bad way to start the video, heck this is how the anime starts, right? By the end of this sequence I was really ready to move on because the first minute was really busy from beginning to end, and the beginning of this song is actually kind of quiet (I think we all like quiet-loud-quiet-loud songs to edit with). Good lyric sync in the 2nd verse. The chorus and the "rap" part are the heaviest part of the song and you pile on some appropriate clips here. They play out and look good together but there's a few too many shots that go on longer than they should. Not because they don't look cool, but because there's no bounce in the visual rhythm you've grabbed on to here. I don't know, that's a terrible way to explain it. I just think there's more opportunities the sync to the music than you're taking advantage of.

My biggest problem with both videos is the lip flap in a couple of scenes. I know it's going to get in to videos one way or another and that there are a lot of scenes where it's impossible to remove. But there are a few instances of lip flap in this that are very distracting because it looks like they could have been removed rather easily. Some people don't care about this but I think you'll find that the less lip flap you have in a video, the more natural the scenes "feel" and the stronger their emotional impact is.

Your videos both look very good, your footage is clean and technically you're off to a good start. I enjoyed watching both of these, I like Kill la Kill but haven't seen the anime you used in Duality. Have you watched a lot of other action AMVs? It's good to watch videos and notice things in them that you really like. You can imitate those or let them inspire you in other ways. Thinking about why you like those things about them can be interesting.

Maybe this thread will get moved to AMV announcements?

Hey, first of all, thank you very much for the constructive and detailed analysis. It's always great when people can break down what they like and dislike about the components of a video and be specific about it.

I agree with pretty much everything you covered here. A lot of what you mentioned, I didn't even notice until I had finished the videos and showed them to some friends. Specifically the lip flap. When you're "in the zone", cutting clips and listening to the audio, it's harder to notice stuff like that I guess.

The biggest challenge I find myself facing though is striking a balance between action sync and linear storytelling. I prefer my videos to evoke emotion rather than feel tight and responsive though so I end up with scenes going on way longer than they should and visuals not matching audio a lot of the time. Not to mention I'm terrible with effects in case you didn't notice. xD I make minimal use of transitions and don't use any filters because whenever I attempt to, it never feels right so I try to make do without them.

Another issue I have is when I start working on a project, I don't like to stop until it's done. So I end up pulling 16 hours straight on my days off to do a video and the end usually looks half-assed, because it probably is, being so tired.

What impressed me most about other people's work is the detail that goes in to every clip. It looks like other people put as much effort into every 10 seconds of their videos as I put into my entire projects.

I feel like if I could improve my technical skills and not try to rush a project, I could do a lot better. As it is I spend 10 times longer looking for the right anime and audio to use than I do making the actual content.

Thx again for the feedback!

[seasons]

What impressed me most about other people's work is the detail that goes in to every clip. It looks like other people put as much effort into every 10 seconds of their videos as I put into my entire projects.

I've been editing for a little while now and I still feel this way when I watch a lot of people's AMVs.

Transitions don't have to be fancy or complicated. It's important not to overuse them, or rather, to start to understand the difference between using a transition and using a "normal" cut and how that affects what people see and feel when they're watching a video. I'd say definitely experiment with them and try them out some more, you'll have another tool to use and your videos will have a little more visual variety as a result.

Being able to work for 16 (or even just 6!) hours straight shows you've got a lot of patience and a willingness to see things through that's really good, and if you can apply that to other parts of your life then you'll have a leg up on everyone else in whatever you're doing. If you've got other ideas, it's okay to work on multiple projects at once and to focus on whatever you're interested in in the moment. That's also a terrible trap to fall into in the long run if you let it get out of control, but that doesn't sound like a problem you'll have any time soon.

Effects aren't anywhere near as important as editing skills in themselves. You'll pick up on those as you go along. If you see something cool and actually take the time to learn how to use it and make it on your own, that's awesome. But those are advanced techniques, not because they're better but because they're secondary to just getting a feel for how an AMV can flow without them. Just my opinion.

[Tribel]

What impressed me most about other people's work is the detail that goes in to every clip. It looks like other people put as much effort into every 10 seconds of their videos as I put into my entire projects.

I've been editing for a little while now and I still feel this way when I watch a lot of people's AMVs.

Does it ever feel like you actually know what you're doing? Like you're not just a toddler trying to put together a 10,000 piece puzzle? Because that's how daunting it is for me sometimes. It took me a long time before I was even confident enough to show my work to friends and family, let alone post it for all the world to see. I'd just like to get to a point where I can take pride in my work and be excited to show people rather than afraid and nervous of what they will think about it. The responses I get from you guys is very encouraging though. I can't tell you how much it helps to be able to receive guidance from those who have been doing it for awhile.

[exkcal]

make and evangelion amv. Evangelion amvs are by default the best. By doing so you will become the amv editor. This site needs more eva. Eva plz.

[seasons]

Does it ever feel like you actually know what you're doing? Like you're not just a toddler trying to put together a 10,000 piece puzzle?

I'm finally turning a corner towards actually finishing a video for the first time in a year and a half. But this is exactly how I felt last night.

Some days everything clicks together perfectly. On other days it just feels like nothing is going to work together at all, and on days like that, only once in a while am I able to "work through it" and make something happen.

So I think frustration is inevitable but you've got to find something in the process that you enjoy, it can't be about making the perfect video that everyone is going to love because that's probably not going to happen. But that's okay.