infinite realm of incomprehensible suffering [Ride Your Wave amv]

[SaltAMV]

I've been thinking a lot about meaning in amvs lately because of how many ways meaning can be expressed in amvs. That's all fine and all, but what about making an amv just for the sake of making one? What about making meaningless amvs? I don't know if that's possible. Even if you set out to make a meaningless amv wouldn't it still have meaning due to it's context among other amvs? Its purpose would be to be meaningless but doesn't being meaningless imply meaning? then again, if we're taking the things creator into account, anime and songs don't usually have a direct link to one another. They were made independently from one another not made to be paired in the ways amv editors do. I think I'd like to see an amv meant to have no meaning or something along those lines.

Anyways, this amv could be interpreted a few different ways, I think. Initially, I just wanted to make an amv to this song because I thought it'd be interesting to have a nice section of the amv with the jazz and then having it break down with the static section. Ride your wave fit that vision pretty neatly due to it's story. I could also interpret it as a mental state too: it's all nice and everything but sometimes not really.

"Man just wants to forget the bad stuff, and believe in the made-up good stuff. It's easier that way."
- The Commoner in RASHOMON 1950

Whether that meaning gets through to the viewer is another topic I'd like to discuss sometime too. It's all super interesting.

Let me know what you think! perhaps we had similar thoughts when watching the amv or maybe you read this first and I planted an idea in your head about it. Hope you enjoy!

[Karmelin]

Hi Salt,

seems you've made AMVs for a while to hit such levels of existencial thoughts about them. I'm only working with AMVs for a shorter time, but i guess it's a pretty heavy task to do the meaningless AMV with already so much endeavour and spirit put to the scenes by the animators in the first hand. The music is a basic element in AMVs, so what will be the soundtrack to it.

Anime scenes are used a lot for all sorts of genres, especially on YT, sometimes i'm not sure what goes as AMV and what doesn't. Take for example the whole Lo-Fi scene that usually has a short scene with a gritty filter in repeat going over the whole length. There is no real meaning to it, but not in an interesting way. It's more about visuals and having that basis for the mood of the music.

The contrast in your video is quite a thing and i wasn't prepared for it. All the easy feelings just gone in a second after the wave, i wouldn't dare. Leaves an impression tho and it's always good to hear the thoughts behind a certain piece of work.

[seasons]

The first 1:20 of this video on its own was enough to stand out on its own and really be nothing at all like 99% of AMVs that everyone is making now or really ever. I loved the simple, unaplogietic happiness of it. I love the cheesy smooth jazz soundtrack. The upbeat vibes are unmatched.

Not going to say that the ending puts a "dark" or ironic on that or whatever, it's certainly more interesting than any conventional finale that you might have landed on* and invites analysis or discussion in a way that most AMVs don't, however. It didn't really hit me like an emotional gut punch or anything (sorry if this is precisely the effect you were going for). It does resonate with me more than most traditional takes on this movie that I've seen in AMVs (which is only a few but they're probably a fairly representative sample of the whole of what people are making).

I still marked this as "fun" in my personal notes about it, so take from that what you will.

*I realize that there was never going to be a conventional ending to this AMV, that's how the song goes, you didn't add the static. So while I'm sitting here talking about a hypothetical "normal" ending for this video, I can't picture what that might have looked like in the slightest.

[lloyd9988]

Why you gotta do us dirty like that?