The purpose of anime music videos

[akitoamasawa]

so i've made two vids so far, but i'm not quite sure what the purpose of amvs are. yeah, i know they're about entertainment for others and how people like to make them...but what's the purpose? the message behind it all? is it like an essay where you revolve everything around a thesis statement?
i just want to know what other people try to "say" in their amvs. that's all.

for me, basically, my amvs all revolve around some sort of thesis...is that suppose to be normal?

[dj_ultima_the_great]

Sure it's normal. Everyone has their own approach, and nothing is right or wrong. Just make what you like, try to improve with each new video, and you'll do fine. Don't worry so much about a purpose. That will come naturally as you make more videos.

That's pretty much what any non-sarcastic person will tell you. This has already been tossed around a few times since I've been here, so trust me, I know.

That help any?


- Jen

[akitoamasawa]

so...do i just put random clips here and there?
how do i structure an amv? the difficulty is that i don't know what clip to put where.
what do you suggest?

[Malificus]

I suggest a Hello Kitty Action vid to Holy Orders (Be Just or Be Dead) by S.S.R.

[dj_ultima_the_great]

Well, of course the clips shouldn't be random. If your song has lyrics, you can try following them literally or interpretively. For example, let's take something relatively well-known - Trigun. Let's say I'm using the song "Fallen Angels" by Ra, which is very much an idea I'd like to do. (To be honest, most of this video would be interpretive.)

"I see fallen angels"
scene: all of the people that have died because of Vash's presence (interpretive)

"as I'm walking in the street"
scene: Vash walking past some of the dead bodies (literal)

However, if your song does not have lyrics, try to think of what kind of feeling it evokes in you. Again, let's take something popular: "Moonlight Sonata" (first movement). Most know this sorrowful-sounding tune, and would make a depressing and/or serious video to it because of that.

There is much more on this creative process in Phade's helpful guide.

My last advice is this: if you just can't think of scenes to use with a specific song, then maybe you're pairing it with the wrong anime. Your anime/song combo should feel like they go together. You should be able to pick several individual lyrics of the song and say "this goes with this part of the series." Again, if this just doesn't seem to happen, try a different song...or a different anime.

It's just trial and error. Once you find a really workable idea, you'll probably find the clips falling into place before you even realize it.

Good luck.


- Jen

[BCplayer]

I usually try to tell a story when I make amv's. For example, if you have seen samurai 7, my latest amv "Samurai of Doom" tells a story of the struggle between the villagers and those that ruled them.

[akitoamasawa]

thanks for all the ideas.

[downwithpants]

creators' motivations for creating anime music videos include, to name a few: self-entertainment, self-actualization, expression, impression, experimentation, anime interpretation, music interpretation, commentary, parody, homage, provocation, getting recognition, competition, socialization, and mind-altering substances.

you can "say" whatever you want in an amv. or you can "say" nothing at all. what is "said" in amvs more or less can be classified into genres: romance, drama, fun, horror, comedy, etc.

[pinky75910]

You might tell the story of an event, say a particularly interesting story arc. Or tell the evolution of a character. Or do a "trailer" for the entire series. Or you could do an Action or Dance type video that focuses more on the art, editing, and special effects of the video. Then there's comedy videos which can focus on different ways of interpreting lyrics or scenes, (Though there's a million ways to do a comedy vid, sometimes it's hard to make one work if you're not good! I've tried!) Or you can make Parodies, using unusual sounds and matching it up with an anime - like real movie trailers or movie quotes and soundbytes.

As it suggests in the guides, try to plan a big exciting opening, quiet down in the middle, then big finish! Think, what's the main idea of your vid? What do you want your vid to say? What do you want your viewers to come away with? To remember afterwards? Do you want to show off how cool the show is? Do you want to focus on a few characters? Tell a story? Keep your timing and balance. Try something, make it look cool, practice practice practice. The more amvs you watch and make the better you become. I try to try something new or learn something new with every amv I do. Dare to be different.

Other than that, ditto everyone else.

[RamonesFan2020204]

Hmmm, well I usually turn whatever good ideas come to me naturally into AMVs. Personally, I don't think the lyrics have to match 100%, but as long as the music still suits the kind of video I'm trying to make, everything's A-OK. Ever since I first discovered AMVs back in 2000, I've always wanted to make ones of my own. I finally did in late 2001, but it was originally with two VCRs at the high school I used to go to (I graduated), and then in 2002, I found out a way to make AMVs at home using an individual VCR and a DVD player. Then this year, someone taught me how to do it on the computer, and now my vids have never looked better. In some of my AMVs (like character profile vids), the song I use is told from the POV of the character(s) that the video is about, like some of my Steam Detectives videos, or my Speed Racer video with "Two Steps Behind" by Def Leppard. But I don't try to tell any kind of story in particular with my videos. I just want to make sure the song and the footage goes with the kind of video I'm aiming to make.