"old school" please define

[JaddziaDax]

I've been seeing this term thrown around, and I'm not sure what to make of it. Not to mention some my newest videos getting called "old school" as well.

What does this term mean anymore? What are newbies doing that is different from what I'm doing? is it in the lyric sync? is it in the leaving in of "flaws" (intentional or no)? Is it in the lack of effects? is it editing a video specific to a show? is it using an older show? Am I getting old?

For me when I think of old school I think of some of the first videos to hit the org. Maybe stuff I used to download off of kazaa or lime wire, but nothing that is defined in an editing style, but more so the era that the videos were made. But when I joined the org there were many conflicting editing styles being thrown around and arguments over what kind of editing was "right" or "wrong". All I knew is what type of videos I enjoyed.

Anyway, I guess what I'd like to see in this thread is a discussion of what "old school" means to you.

[CodeZTM]

Hmm... Perhaps just an AMV that uses only straight cuts, no effects/transitions/ect and primarily lyric sync? Kind of like the 2 VCR method, but with real software instead?

Although to be honest, nowadays I think of it more as a "effects-less" video. Masking/fonts/effects are becoming the norm for videos, so videos that are effect-less (although I hear them more as "raw/vanilla" editing than "old school") perhaps, since they were more the norm in the "older" schools of editing (like...Even so early as 2008?)?

In the end, I don't care much about what "style" an AMV is edited in, what I really care about is if I enjoy it or not.

[TritioAFB]

You know, old school is always refered to the style of edition from years like 2006 or earlier. I haven't been in the org for those earlier years so I guess this thread is proper for all of those editors from those years

[JaddziaDax]

I wasn't asking what you think other people think, I'm asking what old school is to you. I'm looking to get many opinions on it, to see if there is a similar trend in opinions.

[CodeZTM]

That is what old school is to me.

[JaddziaDax]

you phrased it in the beginning like a question like you were trying to guess what other people were thinking.

[edit] TritioAFB also kinda phrased it that way.

[Arigatomina]

When I call my own vids "oldschool" I'm just referring to the lack of effects. It's a warning for people who don't watch anything that wasn't run through AfterEffects. ;p

When I call someone else's vids "oldschool" I'm referring to the lack of *extreme* effects. At this point it's rare for me to see an action vid that doesn't blind me with flashy effects, so anything that's toned down a little so that I can actually see all the anime scenes used seems "classic" to me. Sometimes I'll call a vid oldschool if it uses an older anime, but those vids also tend to have few effects and lots of eyecandy shots of the anime itself. Effects often seem to be the "eyecatcher" in vids (since 2005?). When the anime itself is the "eyecatcher", then it's a little classic or oldschool. When you have eyecandy anime usage plus a lack of effects, then it's definitely oldschool to me.

But, yeah, basically I go with the vca "effectless" category for deeming something oldschool or not. You can use an old anime, lots of eyecandy anime usage, but if there are tons of effects tossed on top of it, then it's not oldschool - it's just a modern glitz vid set to an older anime. [Google Glitz Pageants vs Natural ones.]

Oldschool vids are natural amvs. Effect vids are glitzy amvs. They're very different animals (in my opinion) and should be judged accordingly.

[Otohiko]

I don't really like the term, largely because it's really vague. It's really a catch-all to avoid criticism that people (even I) sometimes use. There are "oldschool effects", too, so I don't think "no effects" really catches it. While it's true that heavy use of compositing and external elements (i.e. stuff that's not in your footage, was built outside of your NLE) is in current fashion, it's also not like those things are new. There are also more contemporary editing styles that rely mainly on montage.

Oldschool in the pure sense, to me, is where people are either using technology and techniques that are vaguely the same as 8+ years ago, or are doing everything they can to intentionally emulate that.

[TritioAFB]

Well if you ask me, the old school for me is synonim of Retro, like a return to the classic.

Old School for me means classic

[Chained(E)Studio]

"Old school" to me are AMVs that were made back in the day with old sources. Or AMVs made now that give you that nostalgic feeling of being back in the day whether they use effects or not and tend to be made with old sources.

A good example is ScorpionsUltd's "ALL THAT YOU CAN'T LEAVE BEHIND."

While is uses effects, it still leaves you with that feeling of being back in the day listening to U2 and what the world was like then, while you enjoy some old anime.