AMV Salad 5: Happy Meal (Nekocon 14, here we come!)

[Warlike Swans]

Character who disappears to central vanishing point: Kusanagi in Ghost in the Shell (movie) when she goes swimming (my dvd player doesn't have any display on it, so I have no idea where in the movie it is besides middle-ish)

Character who may fit "cool" profile for spaceballs: Eyebrow guy from FLCL. I haven't seen FLCL in a long time, so he may not work...
...Not so much "cool", but gets a control room: Keroro from Sgt Frog, esp episode 8, Base: The Final Frontier. Sgt Frog also has a children's aesthetic, so yeah...

On the energizer bunny... What can I do to help? Should I make a youtube playlist of the different commercials I can find? Should I try to make a vid of the energizer bunny over of green screen to put on mega upload (I think I saw one where he was over a black background that could probably be prepared without too much trouble [I say as I question my optimism.])

[Gaelstrom]

Kusanagi could work, I also thought of Keitaro from Love Hina when he gets smashed toward the camera. I realized someone coming from the background could work just as well. I'll have to breeze through several things... maybe Strike Witches has something. Honestly, ANYTHING you think of where someone comes towards or flies away from the camera, I'll be willing to look at.

As for the Energizer Bunny one, if you could do the energizer bunny template if you'd be willing, that'd probably help us all out if we end up doing it. Or at least finding the one with him over a black background. Don't forget the Hot Shots Part Deux version as well ^^ I'm sure that has some use, even if there is gunfire in the audio. Or maybe just the "OH!!" the voice does when it explodes. Oh well.

Anyway, based on the basic ideas I listed, does anyone else have any other running gag focuses? Or should we default to Energizer for this year?

[Warlike Swans]

This is a link to the energizer bunny passing across the screen with a blue-screen background. Keys out decently, but the "energizer" sign doesn't key out quite as well. It's an Mpeg 2
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=MISY37YR

[Gaelstrom]

Not bad. If you still have the file available, can you make a DV or uncompressed or something better than mpeg2? Mpeg2 is pure crap for anything but when it's actually on a DVD... and even then it's crap as far as I'm concerned ^^ One other thing you could do is actually key it out and render as a targa sequence with alpha. Any decent editing software will import that just fine. The Energizer logo is fine as well, that's just some easy masking to remove it.

I randomly looked up running gag on Youtube, and one thing that came up was the scene from Monty Python and the Holy Grail where Lancelot is constantly running toward the camera. I'm not entirely sure how it could be used, but I figured I'd mention it in case it gives anyone an idea, go ahead and post if it does. And also I encourage everyone to look up 'running gag' on youtube and just look around a bit. Consider what you see in terms of what worked with Geico Money and what you see and maybe we might get some last-minute inspiration.

Edit:

All right, I looked at one of my favorite things, Youtube poops, to get some ideas, and remembered one of my favorites. And it gave me some potential ideas.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hGRKpQ7YpH4

FIRST: The part I'm talking about starts around 2:20 with the explosions. I actually used this audio for my Gundam Wing one in AMVS3, but I don't think it'd be bad to re-use it. I think this could be a really really fun running gag, and relatively simple. Basically choose scenes that surreptitiously involve someone clicking something or stepping somewhere and then we choose a really funny explosion. The audio from that movie I think has great timing and impact. I'd prefer not to use the "WTF *BOOOOM*" since it's overdone, but it could be used ironically. This one I think could really work well for some good slapstick running gag comedy, and it has all the elements of what the Geico Money had. Even if the explosion changed, we could use the same sound effect and it unifies the audio.

SECOND: The other thing I thought of is, as it appears in this youtube poop, is Bell Air. We could Bell Air various anime. It doesn't have to be done more than a few times, but it'd be like Head On. And like Head On, we could do variants on it to have even anime characters get angry at it. I had Excel shot in the head with head on, and there was also the Big O one where it couldn't get through with the record scratch. We could do similar things. I've seen it work before where you have a serious scene going on for a bit and the character goes "But then... then I got scared - cut - And said yer movin' with yah auntie and uncle in Bell Air!" We could even choose a certain anime character as the one who sings Bell Air if a good one were chosen.

I personally think the explosion idea could be a strong one. It's very simple, slapstick, looney toonsish comedy that offers a wide range of possibilities, and also a wide range of footage. Like I could already see a scene of a shoujo anime where a girl gives another one a gift and she rips the wrapping and a building explodes or something. Or Spike in Cowboy Bebop going off for a mission, flips a switch in his little fighter and another explosion. Like Geico Money, we can have long and short build-ups to mix it up.

[Warlike Cygnet]

hi, I'm one of the Warlike Swans (there are two of us).

Here is the energizer bunny as a DV
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=WV66Q6YV
I can put it as an MOV but the targa sequence with alpha I just don't get

I came up with another possible idea for a running gag that pays into the theme, doing the alphabet like they do on Sesame Street, and starting off innocently like A is Apple and perhaps showing Ryuk from Death note, B is for baka and as it goes on it gets progressively insulting/indecent. We wouldn't have to do much of the alphabet and since we'd be mixing the audio we can end it with a bang ( though I don't actually have an idea for the last one)

I hope the theme runs. I like it ^^

[Gaelstrom]

Not a bad idea, but there'd have to be be an ending to it, since the running gag only works for a certain amount of time unless it really flows well. I don't know if we could get to Z without it getting predictable. Like I mentioned before, Geico Money's survival was how each clip was different length and style of impact, catching them off guard each time. With the alphabet, it'd be set clips with a few variations, and after two or three clips of it, it could get old if we weren't careful.

The big problem is we need to get a discussion going with everyone and have these ideas up for a vote based on which of them cause the most inspiration for people. You like the alphabet idea, I like the explosion idea, energizer and this alphabet one has some potential as long as we make it have a bit of a story. Deuce needs to e-mail everyone again so they can come here and check out the potentials

[Squancho]

Deuce needs to e-mail everyone again so they can come here and check out the potentials

Yes, it's about that time that I spammed everyone again.
I'm also gonna list those who have contributed / are known as dedicated to submitting.
Maybe I can guilt the rest of the others to follow through.

[Angelyco]

I have my idea, I have the audio and I have the episode I need...just have to sit down and do it. Once I have time, it won't take me more than a few hours to finish.

[Gaelstrom]

I don't know if energizer will work with the footage we've got now that I've tried to use it. The quality is problematic when we're looking at really hazy, pixelated footage on top of crisp anime lines and colors. But there really is no better place I can think of besides youtube to get it. Plus, you pretty much have the best footage available, and no matter what we have that obvious edit of the bunny changing perspective. That's going to distract the audience I think. I don't know... anyone have any possibilities for it?

[moonbunnychan]

I've been busy and totally not paying attention to this. I swear I'm still alive. o_o
(also since I don't wanna take the credit for it, the Tenchi Geico money was the only one that wasn't mine)
Although whatever the running joke ends up being, I think it'd be cool if everybody who contributes something make the attempt at a running joke video (if they can). I felt kinda bad doing all but one last time.
And I'll show you guys my stuff...eventually...I'm working on fixing some odds and ends, mostly trying to lip sync which is just really tedious and time consuming.