2013 VCA General Discussions

[l33tmeatwad]

To many effects. Not some supernatural. Qwaqa not draws missing frames like Umika

http://www.amvnews.ru/images/news/Metam ... ing-Of.gif
http://www.amvnews.ru/images/news/Our-T ... ing-Of.jpg
http://www.amvnews.ru/images/news/Umika ... ing.of.gif

I will start off and say I'm not a fan of crossovers, and I have yet to see one that I really liked other than Paper Heart. While it's impressive and a lot of work to do what Umika did, I didn't find any of them to be really compelling or entertaining overall. I've noticed a huge trend with videos submitted to Akross or AMVnews that tend to put the emphasis on "wowing" other editors with difficult edits. While it is impressive, I watch AMVs to be entertained and most of these videos did not really do anything for me outside of being impressed with the effort. While Umika's videos do look seamless, I really dislike the overall washed out look these videos have, you lose the beauty and colors the original sources have and take the "cheap" route to making sure the color scheme of both characters match which tends to come across dream like and the characters don't seem real. That said, I do like the way these videos look as opposed to that crossover that won last year ("All That You Can't Leave Behind") which for a majority of the video the characters didn't look like they belonged together at all.

[Nya-chan Production]

To many effects. Not some supernatural. Qwaqa not draws missing frames like Umika

http://www.amvnews.ru/images/news/Metam ... ing-Of.gif
http://www.amvnews.ru/images/news/Our-T ... ing-Of.jpg
http://www.amvnews.ru/images/news/Umika ... ing.of.gif

I will start off and say I'm not a fan of crossovers, and I have yet to see one that I really liked other than Paper Heart. While it's impressive and a lot of work to do what Umika did, I didn't find any of them to be really compelling or entertaining overall. I've noticed a huge trend with videos submitted to Akross or AMVnews that tend to put the emphasis on "wowing" other editors with difficult edits. While it is impressive, I watch AMVs to be entertained and most of these videos did not really do anything for me outside of being impressed with the effort. While Umika's videos do look seamless, I really dislike the overall washed out look these videos have, you lose the beauty and colors the original sources have and take the "cheap" route to making sure the color scheme of both characters match which tends to come across dream like and the characters don't seem real. That said, I do like the way these videos look as opposed to that crossover that won last year ("All That You Can't Leave Behind") which for a majority of the video the characters didn't look like they belonged together at all.

You took the words out of my mouth!

[Bill Ein]

l33tmeatwad, I'm not understand you because my English is bad, but

[Solarius Scorch]

And I agree with l33tmeatwad too. Editing videos with making them as technically advanced as possible as the main goal is somewhat perverse and I don't take much pleasure from watching such things. I don't know Umika's portfolio well enough to see if her projects are like that (I actually liked Our Tapes, it was very well directed and told an engaging story), but I definitely agree with the general thought.

However, in my initial post I meant something else, though related. My point is that every domain of arts is defined by its external frames, or by a fine line that separates it from other kinds of human creativity. For example if you go to see a collection of stained-glass windows in a museum, ones like in medieval cathedrals, and among the exhibits you see one that is made not just of glass and lead but also of steel and wood, you are confused: it may be beautiful, but it's not not really a medieval-like stained glass window. Similarly, an AMV is supposed to be composed of fragments of anime; adding any other content in my opinion automatically kicks it out of orbit and into another medium. I'm not denying it may still be good art, but it's not an AMV any more, just like a flat sculpture of stained glass, lead, steel and wood is not a church window - it's a damn sculpture.

Of course it doesn't mean I do not tolerate special effects in AMV's; masking and even transferring characters between anime is fine, because no extra content is added. That's why I don't mind even heavily edited AMV's, like Our Tapes Kitty and Gallia's works (Saudade, In Terminis). Titles like Paper Heart or Andromeda are different though: they use sources other than anime, create new visual elements and adhere to different aesthetic rules. Not only are they incompatible with most AMV's (because it's different medium), I think they're sort of unfair, because otherwise the creators would have to work with limited, well-defined material that is original footage. That's why I'm not too fond of them as a viewer: they break the rules of what an AMV is.

[Bill Ein]

AMV have rules? I know one for contests: not more 50% original animation, live action or other not anime content. What I see in "Paper Heart": anime character and anime backgrounds + pancil effect + 10-30% of original content. Why it's not AMV? You say "It's not AMV, because it break the rules. I think so!" But where? Where these rules? Why this video not disqualified if it's not AMV? Maybe "Jihaku" or "Magic Pad" is not AMV too?
But now you can stop to shit bricks because "Paper Heart" is the last Qwaqa's AMV.

P.S. Sorry for my bad English

[Solarius Scorch]

AMV have rules? I know one for contests: not more 50% original animation, live action or other not anime content. What I see in "Paper Heart": anime character and anime backgrounds + pancil effect + 10-30% of original content. Why it's not AMV? You say "It's not AMV, because it break the rules. I think so!" But where? Where these rules? Why this video not disqualified if it's not AMV? Maybe "Jihaku" or "Magic Pad" is not AMV too?
But now you can stop to shit bricks because "Paper Heart" is the last Qwaqa's AMV.

P.S. Sorry for my bad English

I never said it broke any written rules. I said it broke some rules regarding aesthetics, related to the format of a medium. As for what these rules are, I think I have explained them in details in my previous post.
Also, as I also explained, it doesn't mean I don't like these clips (because I do, a lot). I just don't think they aren't strictly AMV's.

[l33tmeatwad]

l33tmeatwad, I'm not understand you because my English is bad, but

Perhaps you should get someone that speaks English to translate for you...also, seen that video, it was kinda meh...

[Radical_Yue]

Don't feel like getting into this conversation but I'll just drop this here and be on my way...




#34 Top 10% of all time

[BasharOfTheAges]

We have a weird double standard here for original work that runs counter to every other bit of rules regarding "what is anime" for upload/catalog purposes. It always has been the wrong call and it probably always will be the wrong call if we want to be consistent with the other bits of the rules that require the footage to be commercially produced.

[Solarius Scorch]

Don't feel like getting into this conversation but I'll just drop this here and be on my way...




#34 Top 10% of all time

Love it. Have been for many years.
Still, if it's an AMV, than anything can be...