Magical Girl AMVs

[SailorTardis]

So for my Momocon AMV submission, I decided to scrap my previous AMV and decided to work on one with a more specific focus: Magical Girls.

I created two different ones:

The first, a more upbeat one called Magical Girls Go Go Go:



And a more dramatic one, Magical Girls don't have a clue:



To be honest, I'm more proud of the second one, as I had a clearer focus for that one. I was wondering which one people preferred and what needs to be fixed.

[Antman_537]

They both look really good! I'm by no means an expert on these things, but in the absence of greater wisdom, I'll give my two cents:

The first one is the one I'd personally recommend for the competition; it's got a good, fast beat and fun lyrics. A lot of the category X AMV's I see do well tend to follow a similar formula.
Some strong points are 0:22, 0:43, 1:29, 1:52, 2:00, 2:16, 2:24, 2:36
I did feel like you could trim it shorter; at about 2:22 the song hits what feels like a natural cutting point, but then keeps going. I'd play with closing the AMV there, as after the false end it starts to feel like it's dragging on. Also, at 2:29, I feel like we've seen this clip already.

I really like the tighter theme of the second one a lot; it's got a very compelling narrative, and feels like it actually means something as a result. I like the music selection, but I could see it losing audiences because of its lack of lyrics. You'll have to be sure the visuals are positively riveting to compensate.
Some strong points are 0:09,1:19, 1:35, and 1:50
I'm not super fond of the jumps between 2d and 3d animation; it's a little bit jarring to me. The worst instance is at 2:45

Best of luck working on them; hope you do well in the show!

[SailorTardis]

Thank you for your feedback! I'll definitely try ending the first AMV there, to see how that works out.

[Antman_537]

No problem; hope it turns out great! If you get a chance, leave some feedback for my project as well, haha [shameless plug]

[SailorTardis]

So I did try a short version of the first AMV. I'm not completely sold on it, but I'm wondering what you think of it.

[Antman_537]

The ending does feel a bit abrupt, but I think that has more to do with the cut and the choice of end scene. The kiss comes a bit out of left field. Maybe give the shot a longer fade in, like where the previous clip starts; so it feels like it lingers more. Or alternatively, go with a slower-paced clip leading up to it, to let the video wind down more.

Overall, I like it! You have some fantastic shots with lots of motion and energy, which work great. I'd say the next thing to do try to weed out clips that don't keep up the feeling of motion most of the video has.
0:16, 0:35, and 1:34 feel a bit too static for the high-speed parts of the song they appear in.
1:21 is a fine scene, but I feel like it's held too long.

Hopefully some of those thoughts are useful; looks awesome!

[SailorTardis]

The ending does feel a bit abrupt, but I think that has more to do with the cut and the choice of end scene. The kiss comes a bit out of left field. Maybe give the shot a longer fade in, like where the previous clip starts; so it feels like it lingers more. Or alternatively, go with a slower-paced clip leading up to it, to let the video wind down more.

Overall, I like it! You have some fantastic shots with lots of motion and energy, which work great. I'd say the next thing to do try to weed out clips that don't keep up the feeling of motion most of the video has.
0:16, 0:35, and 1:34 feel a bit too static for the high-speed parts of the song they appear in.
1:21 is a fine scene, but I feel like it's held too long.

Hopefully some of those thoughts are useful; looks awesome!

Ok so I did another draft with your suggested edits. I really like how it looks now! What do you think of it?

[Antman_537]

Looks great! Yeah, the pacing's a lot more consistent, and the new ending works really well!
Hmm... I don't really have many other thoughts on improvements. At the transition at 0:22, I think a short fade through white might give it more spark? But that's just a nitpick.

[SailorTardis]

Looks great! Yeah, the pacing's a lot more consistent, and the new ending works really well!
Hmm... I don't really have many other thoughts on improvements. At the transition at 0:22, I think a short fade through white might give it more spark? But that's just a nitpick.

Thanks! I did a new edit with that and a few new transitions, so I wonder what you think. But otherwise, I think that I'm pretty much done with this AMV! I just need to submit this and my other AMV for the contest, though if you's like to take a look at it, any comments would be loved! (sorry for the shameless plug)



You've been a great help!

[Antman_537]

Shoot, got busy with the end of the semester and missed this. It looks great though; I hope the convention goes well! I'm also gearing up to submit to my next con; I'll post a new version of that one too. Check it out if you get a chance!