AWA Accolades notes
20 Years of Magic - It’s me, I’m the target audience of this video. I understood the lyric references, lol. I appreciate that you used both the nicer rendered cinematics as well as the in-game cutscenes… while the two don’t often mesh together well I think it shows that you care about the source material and the story that’s being told even if that’s not obvious to those less familiar with Kingdom Hearts. It’s also a heck of a lot more work than just using the pretty cinematics. The storytelling is a bit all over the place focusing on many different characters but as an overall tribute to the series I think that is probably okay.
Editing notes: You rely heavily on external sync (cutting on beats) with a small sprinkling of internal sync, I think I’d like to see some more internal sync which might help another issue I spotted, which is that, in the interest of storytelling and using the more dramatic scenes, this video sometimes lags behind the pace and energy of the music, like around 1:57-2:07. Some Ken Burns on some of the slower shots might help a little but you also might look at either using more shots or more active shots… it’s a tough compromise though. The internal sync at 2:35 is really nice! The audio mix could be cleaner, especially around 2:40 where the audio suddenly becomes tinny, and 2:45 where it transitions back. Overall I enjoyed this video and the idea of your audio mix… since there are quite a few female characters in Kingdom Hearts it was cool to get some female voices in there.
A Dedication to Jody Husky - The effects on this are kind of rough, and the sentimental mood is a bit ruined by the humor of the lyrics and graphics like the Christmas lights. I can’t tell if it’s intended to be funny or just unintentionally funny. The lyrics are a bit awkward on their own (being as specific as saying hugging my huskies rather than just hugging a dog or something) but the very literal lyric sync in places is what probably takes it to another level of humor that you’re probably not intending. Some shots might be holding too long and could use more cuts or a variety of footage. I think there are some anime that have huskies in them but don’t have the melancholy mood of Wolf’s Rain or X so that might not work. I like the section between 1:54 - 2:04. In general I like this kind of mood with this source footage so I see what you’re going for but it might need some more refinement… if you’re intending to make a video more specifically as a tribute to a particular dog or breed of dog it might need a different song or idea that better helps communicate the story of the relationship between a person and a dog.
A Goldfish Wouldn’t Love You Twice - I’m not familiar with this source but I saw someone explain it in chat so I think I understand the narrative in this more or less. I think it’s really clever to use the typical narrative structure of a song, which tends to be repetitive with its chorus structure, and use that to depict the narrative or someone whose love story keeps resetting with different outcomes. It’s predictable but creates interest in seeing where the story goes. I like how you used the effects in sync to keep up with the energy of the song, as well as used the subtle shifts in the tone of the music between choruses to fit with the storytelling (like the music gets a bit more moody and then we get the MC’s death scenes). Overall even though I’m not familiar with the anime this was a fun watch. Just really quirky and not your typical romantic vibe.
A New Start - Baby! I love Disney so I’m biased towards the cute. I’m a little bothered by the footage quality on some of the films and you might look into finding some better sources or ripping them yourself to get a more consistent quality between the films. I like the internal sync in parts, I think it could be tightened up in other parts. Ugh this makes me really emotional.
A Somebody to Love - Um? I somehow missed this one on my first watch through videos? Lol the restraint in not syncing “and cry” or “the tears run down from my eyes” to any shot of Sora crying, haha. If I had to guess this is the same editor as “20 Years” so similar notes to that one, the dramatic storytelling causes the feeling of this video to not quite match up, the pacing is a bit too slow. Especially with this song, in certain areas, you want to feel a progression in the energy of the video as the song’s energy ramps up for instance, around 0:57-1:03, 1:32-1:38, and of course the long build from 2:30-3:09. I just expect to see more build up as the drum beats increase or the speed of the music increases, etc., but the pacing of the footage is pretty even. I know this probably doesn’t make much sense so if you want to know more feel free to contact me after the contest. Anyway, love this song choice for Sora. I think the storytelling could be a bit more clear if you want to include Sora’s connection to other characters in “somebody to love”. I’d also hold off on the SoKai stuff at 3:15, it would make the ending with Sora and Kairi on the tree feel a bit more impactful if we finally get the resolution to “somebody to love” at the end.
SoRiku forever btw.
A Thousand Bops - The singing kind of grates on me, but I think that’s the point. The gun sync is perfect. A love letter to gun kata. This seems like a challenge to edit more Vanessa Carlton AMVs to me, honestly.
Accoladeez Nuts - I really liked this one so I don’t know why it has a silly title. It has some silly moments but overall it’s just entertaining and fun. Masking is really well done and just a joy to watch. It flows really well. A great “hype” video for this anime. I’m kind of a sucker for transitions like the one at 2:20. Good stuff.
Anxiety - I like this source pairing. I think sometimes shots hold too long and I expect cuts that don’t happen. Some sections like 1:24 and the way the camera shake goes with the music feel really great and successful. I know this anime has a lot of intense footage so I’d go even harder at some of the chorus parts where the beat drops and the music gets very intense for a bit. I think with this anime and this song it might make an interesting and impactful narrative if you set up the build of anxiety in this character that explodes outwards at the more intense parts of the song and gets bottled up again… you’re most of the way there I think it just needs another pass or two.
BFFF - The concept of this with two guys is funny and quirky. I’m not a big fan of Dumb and Dumber so the concept wore on me after a while. Go all the way and use the uncensored version of the song! At least for some parts of the song (probably not appropriate for the n word in this context lol). Seems silly to use the censored version with this movie and the moments of silence feel odd. This has some fun moments of internal sync.
Blonde 2 - I like the tongue in cheek use of this song. The audio cut is decent (unless this is a version of the song I haven’t heard that doesn’t have the talking at the end?). I think what is holding this video back is that it doesn’t quite flow well. The timing of the cuts is often a little awkward or not quite right, and the energy or the action of the clips doesn’t quite flow together well. It’s a very upbeat song but sometimes the footage is very still or static. I think this video is a great concept though so I hope you keep working on it.
Blood Moon - I like the mood this creates between the song and footage. It’s an unusual choice for these characters but it works really well. I had this song stuck randomly in my head the other day. Overall I think this video is really solid.
But We Were in Love - I like the mood of this song for Berserk, it’s a nice contrast and different from other Berserk videos I’ve seen. I think it’s interesting that the lyrics are so specific that you don’t really attempt to connect them to the music and instead just build on the mood and progression of the music instead. Runs a little long I think, I wish it was a minute or two shorter. Weird choice for a final shot.
Carjack Fever - I have a tough time with music like this, but it creates a fun mood in combination with Cowboy Bebop. The concept of a Cowboy Bebop video using only the side characters is really unique. There are times during the video where I felt like the pacing lagged a bit, but it’s a very busy song, it’s a lot. I think the only drawback of using only side characters is that they don’t have much of a connection to each other, and if the narrative is trying to draw connections between them, it’s a bit lost on me… so it feels a bit random. I think it ends up being more about the world and tone of Cowboy Bebop than any particular narrative. But that’s my opinion! I still say kudos for trying something totally different.
Chihayafuru Legacy - I think it’d fit the concept better if the footage wasn’t just tinted blue. You completely gray out the whites and blacks doing this. Try cranking up the contrast; the newer Tron movies/series have a very strong contrast with deep blacks. If you’re going for a Tron parody, might as well go all in. You might also try different ways of making the footage blue… I’m not sure what program you’re using so can’t give technical hints there, but there's a way to do it without losing the contrast. As an additional note it makes the titles look a bit more fake if it has solid black drop shadows when there’s no black in the footage behind it… either get some color into the drop shadows or reintroduce black in your footage.
Clementine - Love this song and combo. Some of the lip flaps are awkward.I like the way you paralleled the two stories, but sometimes it felt like the storytelling got a bit muddled and I had a hard time following it and tracking the jumps between the two timelines/sets of characters. I think it got stronger as it went. The ending got me!! That reveal is great. The Walking Dead sure loves that trick (I’ve seen the show but not played the games).
Combo - I no longer possess eardrums.
Dance of Ruin - Another great, dramatic Tutu video. The masks are nice, if a little gimmicky and overdone when it comes to Tutu videos. Must have still taken a lot of work. The video flows beautifully. It’s a nice tribute to Tutu.
Dancing with Blades - Ohh I like the use of manga footage, though I wonder what the purpose of it is? Just to show the differences/similarities between the manga and the anime? The masking and overlay effects in this are nifty. I think it’s a cool tribute to Demon Slayer. It has a good energy and makes for an excellent action video.
Derivative - The effects are interesting! The sync on Mona Lisa is chef’s kiss. The mood in this is so weird and complex, you just don’t often see dance footage paired with a sort of macabre mood. I just think it’s really unique and an interesting artistic vision, like the dream of an AI.
Disquiet - Creepy! I think it could use more Ken Burns in places. I’m not a big fan of the growing box in the beginning because it makes it hard to see the footage. The lip sync makes it kind of funny but the music has that quirky vibe.
Domus Mactibilis - The squished aspect ratio in this is really distracting… it looks like the original footage was in a widescreen aspect ratio but you scaled it down to fit in 16:9. Make sure when editing with unusual aspect ratios to just base the video composition on the footage rather than trying to scale the footage to fit into a standard aspect ratio, and don’t add black bars on the top and bottom to get to that 16:9 size, either; most online and offline video plays now will automatically add the bars for you.
I haven’t seen this movie so I was engrossed in the narrative with the lyrics. If it’s meant to be from the house’s perspective I’m not sure if the ending quite works (since it’s not the house’s choice to stop being a monster, it’s just being destroyed). But overall it’s still an engaging video.
Doppelganger - This is very well edited and I was happy to hear this song again after a long time, but I spent the whole video distracted by what the non-Bond movies had to do with the Bond footage. I’m assuming from “Doppelganger” it’s referring to the different people that play Bond, but the majority of the Bond footage used the same actor, so that aspect doesn’t come across that strongly. It might be a stronger video if the Bond stuff was cut out, but it might be tough to replace that footage. It just feels like two different videos put together. I’m surprisingly okay with the letterbox changes in this, it’s subtle enough I don’t really notice while watching.
Eat Your Desires - what just happened
Echoes of Sin - There are some aspect ratio issues where the footage appears squished sometimes. It’s better to crop footage or scale it up evenly than trying to squeeze it asymmetrically into an aspect ratio it doesn’t fit. If this is in the source then you can disregard.
I like how engaging this is, and I think it creates a nice mood with this footage that I don’t often see in Madoka videos. The ending feels a bit abrupt?
Ephemeral Verisimilitude - Wish there was more of a shift in the footage when the song shifts to the kid singing, it’s such a big shift in the music. Same when the beat kicks in later. I haven’t seen this movie so I’m watching this more for the mood than the story and it definitely has an unusual and grungy mood. Overall I think it is well edited and an interesting version of the song to use with it. Not the fault of the editor but the footage is often so dark that even when watching it in the dark I can’t really see what is going on.
Eromanga Sensei’s Inner Thots - I think it might be better to crop videos than try to squeeze them down into a certain aspect ratio or shape (around 0:44). So much masking, must have taken a long time! The masks could use some cleaning though. It’s pretty difficult to read the text in the beginning, I would maybe limit the up and down movement on the girls more so it’s easier to focus on the text. They also come in a bit early before the music. I’d personally edit out some of the dead space in the audio to get to the music faster rather than delay the girls coming in. Overall this is a fun video and concept that just needs some extra time with cleanup. I think it would be a popular video at conventions.
I have personal negative feelings about the use of “thots” in reference to women and a video focusing on women, but at least I don’t feel like the particular footage being used is that objectifying.
Fun fact, I once worked on an animation for 3OH!3 early in my career.
Final final an Autobiography.mp4 - I knew someone would edit an AMV editor concept with this movie eventually. It's well done. Is this a contest intro or just like a tribute? My only note is I wish there was more connection between what we see him editing and what we see next, but that's gonna involve some serious masking and may not be worth the effort. For instance at 0:24 we see his editing timeline with black video, you could mask in some anime footage there… same at 1:01. You’re doing something like this at 0:29. I don’t know what the best way is to make this connection so good luck!
The Premiere crash made me laugh as a Premiere user.
FYI as someone who has edited with this song, the French being spoken between verses has a French swear in it, so you might want to use a censored version for the convention circuit, especially in Canadian territories. Especially if the convention is a bit strict about swear words.
Float Away - The lip flap is distracting so I’d see if you could edit some of the shots in a way that better avoids it, or edit the mouths. I like the kind of laid-back mood of this video, I think it struggles a bit to keep up with the energy/pace of the music which you sometimes try to make up for with flashes/quick cuts. But it can be tough with older anime like this to keep up using limited animation. I couldn’t really follow the narrative if there is one because it jumps around between different characters a lot.
Girl Can’t Help It - There's some distracting lip flap and some parts have too many shots in chronological order. I think it could be edited more to keep up with the pace of the song and hit some of the drops. This song is a really fun choice though! I hope you continue to work on this.
Glitch Game - It sure is a lot, visually. There is already a lot going on in the source footage without a lot of extra effects. I’m not really a fan of the boxy grid overlay effect. I usually don’t like text but you did a great job with it. I think overall it’s a fun YGO vid, I enjoyed it.
Good Day Trotting - The narrative feels kind of unfocused and I’m not sure about the connection to the song. If it’s meant to be just a feel good video the energy level is not quite high enough to keep up. The pacing doesn’t really change based on the song. Some of the time remapping (sped up or slowed down) is a little too obvious so be careful with that; I find animated footage tends to have a limit when it comes to how fast you can speed it up, and slowing down almost never looks good. I think the best parts of this video are when the timing of the ponies dancing or marching kind of syncs up with the music, so I wonder if there’s a way to chase that feeling for this. You might have to cut down the song for that.
Grin and Bear It - This video was a big mood for me personally and reminds me of how I like to escape into cartoons. I wish I had more notes, but I just think it’s really sweet.
Heroes on Fire - The halftone effect is interesting, but it seems like that’s from an OP? It seems like you’re mostly using one scene (in what I’m assuming is chronological order)? Maybe you only had limited footage to edit with. I’m interested to see what you can do with more footage. I’m also not sure what this song and its lyrics (apparently about relationship drama) have to do with MHA.
Homage - Blending live action and animation is really tough but I think this was mostly successful. Some of the masking in the middle feels a little off with the feathering cutting off the character’s legs.
I Got an Elephant - What you did there, I see it. I really like how you sync both “elephant” and “elevate” to the elevate lyric. The song is kind of a lot though so I think the concept starts to wear out its welcome in the middle. Also love the sync on the Spider-man lyric where he jumps on top of the dumpster. The sync starts to fall apart a bit after 1:36 when the music shifts and it loses some of the energy. I’d personally consider cutting that section up to 2:11-ish. The sentimental section at the end with the elephant is nice, haha.
If We Shadows Have Offended - I’m surprised there aren’t more videos using Arcane tracks this year? I felt in some places the lip flap or lip sync was a bit distracting or felt silly with the mood of the music, so I might avoid syncing to the lyrics altogether. I think the flow of this video could be improved a bit by picking shots that flow together better and using some Ken Burns to move the camera; some sections felt too static for the music. Overall I think this off to a good start and hope you keep improving it!
In Another World With My Meth Lab - I think pairing this sort of music with a serious show like Breaking Bad is fun and unique. I never finished the show so maybe some of the references in connection to the lyrics are going over my head. I have mixed feelings about the long intro (30 seconds without music is pretty long). I think the sync could be tightened up a bit on the hard cuts. Some of the shots go by too fast to register.
Insane - Evil bear… it’s cool to see a video focused on that particular character, I think that sets this apart from other Danganronpa videos. The shift to the second character I think is mostly working but I might delay lip-syncing her to the singer until after that change in the music that you’re doing the static with, it was a little confusing to hear the same singer being used for two different characters too close together. Overall very cool though, really enjoyable to watch. The use of the classic “piano keys” at the end made me laugh.
Into the Merdnerss - I absolutely love this video on its own, the lyric sync is just fun (the “not adequately providing childcare” line gets me every time). This is one of the only videos in the contest I find myself watching more than once just for fun. I do think the ending starts to fall apart starting around 2:28. If it’s meant to be a parody of Erik’s video I really want to see something clever like the frog for the distorted voice around 2:31. Either way it’d be cool to see something that acknowledges the weird voices at the end. Personally I’d focus on just making this video stand on its own and clean up the ending as best as you can to end strong, and don’t worry too much about being a parody of another video.
Jones - The voices are a bit hard to hear, can you normalize the audio? I like this concept for a trailer, but it can be a bit hard to follow the narrative since the characters aren’t well established. For the “my name is” part I’d establish whoever is writing… you have a shot of someone writing earlier but it’s divorced of context. If a brown-haired girl at the start is meant to be the protagonist I’d maybe focus on her more. Overall I just think the narrative needs to be tidied up more to be more clear.
Kaguya Land - The lip sync might need a little work. I like the titles. I’m not sure if the narrative comes across but I find the audio source just as confusing for that as the video. I’m assuming the long section at the end is a placeholder for YouTube end cards? Maybe cut that out of a convention version, lol. Despite all my blabbing I still think this is a strong trailer entry, it just is more of a general mood than anything.
Knight Saber City - This video exudes retro cool, I really like the use of overlays and color keying in this. I think the black flashing/pumping might be a little excessive, it’s a general pet peeve of mine to rely on flashes for sync. In the case it’s used though I don’t know if I’d change it as I like the mood you have going on. The rock band section at the end is fun and goes well with this style of music in a way that doesn’t feel gimmicky but like it could be a genuine music video from the time period. Overall this video has a great energy and flow and I enjoyed it.
Komi Can't Coffee - Whenever I see footage with a lot of Japanese scribbled on it I get distracted because I can actually read it… but most people won't have that problem.
https://tenor.com/bQCkY.gif
Laundry Day - The narrative is crystal clear and very emotional with this song. I’m not sure about the use of light leaks and overlays in this, but it gives it a very soft feel. I don’t have a lot of other notes.
Legendary Destiny - This is a fun sort of hype video for Destiny. I think some of the sync could be tightened up a bit to get sharper hits and really take the video to the next level. I don’t think it’s too big of a deal but I notice some of the footage is letterboxed and some isn’t. I can’t decide if it’s worth letterboxing all the footage or scaling up the letterboxed footage to be full screen. Ehh not a big deal so you don’t necessarily have to do anything.
Loud Forger Man on a Mission - This feels like a very natural combo. This anime is insanely popular right now so I imagine this would be a big hit at conventions. I really love the characters playing the different parts in the song. You hit the ball out of the park there. Justa really solid video.
Love is Not a Victory March - Pentatonix’s version of “Hallelujah” is nice right? The amount of levels transitions in this would make one of my videos blush. Your overlay transitions are making me wonder if I should try something like that more often. Anyway, I’m not that familiar with Utena so I think the narrative and the connection with the lyrics is a bit lost on me. It’s a nice video though.
Macaque Can Hate Wukong; If it Helps - This is really nice but it’s so short! It seems to start abruptly and end abruptly. Not much else to say really. The overlays can be a little distracting and hard to read and seem like they’re mostly there for sync. I’m interested to see what you can do with something longer that gives more time to become invested in the characters.
Madoka’s Reputation - This is a fun character profile. Some of the fight scenes have trouble keeping up with the music I think but that may be more because of the limited animation. I’d make more use of Ken Burns to keep up the energy. There are some awkward zooms sometimes that I’m not sure if they were added or native. I really love the “music video” parts, they are really strongly synced and fun to watch.
MILF Mom I’d like to Fit - LOL I don’t have much to add. She must be cold. Or it looks like she’s a demon of some kind? Maybe not.
Neon Limbo - We could have a whole category just of retro music videos? I think this is a really solid drama video and you’ve painted a pretty clear narrative that’s still respectful of the subject matter. I don’t really have any particular notes.
Nightmare - I used to mumble and gripe quite a bit about how Harry Potter cribbed a lot of elements from Tolkien, but honestly, who hasn’t? And I’ve always been a big fan of both series. So I love this video and the dark take it makes of both series. The audio ducking at 0:41 is maybe too aggressive. I don’t have a ton of notes, I just think it’s clever and when I saw your list of sources I felt overwhelmed so I can’t imagine what it was like going through all that footage and weaving a narrative. Big kudos from me! An easy personal favorite of mine in the contest.
Nobody Wants to Work Anymore - This seems like a natural combo. I wish the titles were a little better.
Our Way - Got a minute in and was like ho boy, there’s gonna be 3 minutes of this. I think you’re doing a great job keeping up with the energy and pace of the music, but it’s FAST and a lot, and I am so old that I have trouble shopping in Hot Topic because of the music. That being said, there's a bit of a break at the 2 minute mark at least. There’s nothing wrong with your video or your music choice, I am just an old fart.
Ouroboros - I’ve watched this a few times and I don’t feel any closer to understanding the story of it. I think all the editing is well done and clean, the audio quality is nice, and I like the use of color in spots, so I don’t know what you could do editing-wise to improve it. I have a lot of trouble understanding the lyrics and I’m not familiar with the source so the whole thing is lost on me. But it has an interesting mood.
Pack a Punch - This video is pretty cool, I really love the internal sync and the way it flows. I like what you did with the masking in the bubbles but it does slip a teeny bit, that’s very nitpicky though.
Path of the Wayward Witch - If this is the editor I think it is, you always do masterful MMVs. The masks are so clean the effects are tasteful and add to the atmosphere of the vid. I only wish I could make stuff like this. I don’t know much about this manga so I don’t know if the story comes across to me but it’s lovely to watch. It feels incomplete or on the short side?
Psyche de Shit - I know of this show but I haven’t seen it so I don’t know how much of the effects are native or what you added but if it’s added in it feels like it fits well. Some of the timing feels like it could be sharper. The sync with the sound effect around :45 is really nice. It feels like the beat drop around :11 should feel more impactful somehow, there should be a big hit to go with the sound but it happens over the continuous zoom of the universe so doesn’t hit as hard as it could. Overall it’s cool so far so I hope you continue working on it.
Pygmalion’s Daughter - I haven’t seen this anime, so I’ve watched this video a few times trying to figure out what the story is and what the connection to the title is, and this is my shot at it… a daughter of a sculptor who was abused by her father, grows up to be a successful theater actress but feels like something in her life is missing because she’s alone; she had close relationship with Pink Haired Girl who was also being abused but was killed a child; at some point as an adult she meets a girl with brown hair that she takes on a trip and then drugs and abuses or kills out of a psychotic desperation for affection or as a repeat of the abuse she suffered from her father. I don’t know how much of that is accurate but maybe it gives a sense of what a viewer might take away that’s unfamiliar with the source? I couldn’t understand much of the lyrics. There’s some editing stuff here and there that could be improved in this video. The lip flap in places is distracting, some shots hold too long or seem irrelevant (there are a few shots where it pans away to the sky or something that seem to be there for mood but are generally odd), the black flashes are maybe too intense. I’d be interested to hear what your thoughts are behind this video!
Red Lights - This is a cool concept that’s well executed. I was thinking “This reminds me of Akira-” right as Akira footage showed up, lol. Audio quality is really nice. The match cuts are cool and you know when to cut away before they feel too repetitive. A bit of a missed opportunity to not do a match cut montage of Akira slides, maybe for the credits? LOL.
Reporting for Duty - This is super cute. Butterfly. To be nitpicky I wonder if there’s a different shot that could be used for “rainbow”? It stands out to me every time I watch this. Otherwise it’s a cute video and I don’t have a lot of notes, it’s just fun to watch.
Sad Trombone Noises - I like this cover for this anime. The title made me expect a silly video so I was surprised to see it’s a serious take. I think it works really well for Death Parade and has a good mood to it, and it flows smoothly. If I had to be nitpicky, did you add the noise effects in spots like 00:55? It doesn’t look great and I wonder if you can take it out. If it’s native, nevermind.
Some Knights - It’s “Some Nights” in the year of our lord 2022.
I haven’t seen this source and not sure I follow the narrative or what this song has to do with it. I’ve watched it a few times so I’ve really tried, sorry! The sync is lovely! The audio cut is a bit obvious to me, but I think it works okay. What’s Romeo x Juliet Fine? Is that the anime? I’m not sure if it’s what I would have ended the video oh, I would have found a long slow shot I could have faded out on of the two characters. I also don’t think you need to keep the fast cutting pace up to match the guitar right until the end, I’d slowly wind down the pace of the clips so that it eases into the fade out.
Southern Fried Telenovela - The footage and lip sync are very clean. It took me a couple watches to understand what is going on in the story because it focuses more on the bad guys than the guy playing Colonel Sanders but I think I get it now. The titles are really nice!
Star Dreadnaught - I’m not familiar with the source so I can’t tell how much you edited. It seems like all the same scene, and not much was purposefully synced to the music, which made it hard to tell what was edited. Some of the cuts and camera movements felt harsh for the moments in the music where they were used. The footage also seems letterboxed, which you want to avoid; make sure to crop off the black bars when editing, unless you intentionally added them. This has the feeling of a background video that plays during the main menu of a video game; it could probably loop because nothing really progresses here, we don’t see one side winning or anything, there’s no narrative arc, it’s just footage of ships to music. If that’s what you were going for, that’s cool I guess.
Stormchasers - I think this is nicely edited and the music goes well with the visuals. I’m not familiar with the source so not sure if I follow the narrative at all, I’m mostly going by the mood of the music and visuals. I feel like some of the timing could be tightened up when the music really kicks up around the 2 minute mark. Otherwise I think it’s nice.
Strawberry Serotonin - Such a sweet romance video! I’m not a big fan of the color overlays but that’s just me. I feel like in some places the pace of the footage could pick up a bit but mostly I think this video is just fine as-is.
Sundry - This is a lovely video, I really like the way it flowed and how you used transitions to blend similar footage between games in a way that made all the different sources feel like they belonged together. I don’t have a lot of notes.
TAPP - This made me smile. I don’t know who even thinks of this sort of thing but it’s funny. Lip sync is solid. Rap is tough to do in AMVs. I admire being able to keep up with the energy with an older anime.
Tech Punk - This music was really interesting! I’d like to see some more sync to keep up with the flow of the music. Many shots held too long for the energy of the music.
The Ballad of Fett - I’m not big on the cuts to black and back that you use for sync at the beginning, it’s a bit harsh for this footage. Overall I like this tribute to Boba Fett and the show and I think you edited well with the ups and downs of the music. I feel this way about the show too but I don’t know about having shots that focus on Grogu and Luke, it really feels irrelevant to Boba. (don’t get me started on how the show just becomes The Mandalorian at the end) I would really, really like to see a longer video using the music from the little clip at the end, LOL.
The Daily Grind - I wish the lip flap in this wasn’t so distracting. I think it’s a funny and clever concept for a video but I’m not sure if the scene selection is the best. I haven’t seen the show but I feel like there must be better shots to communicate the petty struggles and monotony of working a low-paying job in fast food. The ending is starting to work but I can’t tell if the tension is coming from something wrong with the fryer or with the people behind the counter. Things like that, I struggle with the narrative of this.
The Descent - I’ve been wanting to watch this movie so the spoilers are kind of a wrench, but I want to give every video a shot so I don’t want to skip it. Overall I think it’s a solid video and don’t have a lot of notes. The footage seems to be letterboxed? Don’t know if that’s intentional.
The History of Bardock - If you’ve got time maybe erase the Japanese dialogue from the manga panels? The fades to black are way too fast and extreme. If you want to keep that effect just avoid fading all the way down to black. I think with that fix this could be a short but nice DB video.
The Light of the Moon - I love this concept for a video and I can’t imagine the work it would have taken to track down all these clips. I agree with a lot of the general feedback that I’d put more emphasis on match cuts to minimize how often the eye needs to dart around the screen to keep the Moon in focus. I also think sometimes the hard cuts feel harsh with the soft piano keys. I think it’d be interesting if you told more of a story with the Moon from evening to morning and from waxing to waning (New Moon to Full back to New Moon), but I don’t know if you have the footage for that. Overall I like the relaxing mood of this vid.
The Sky Beast - Lip sync is pretty good. You did a great job matching up sound effects with things going on on screen, which makes it feel really convincing as a trailer and is difficult to do. The titles are great! Overall a really good trailer.
Tribute to the Shield Hero - I get that this is a tribute to the voice actor’s performance in this anime… but over 30 seconds until the music starts feels long to me, so I wonder if there’s any way to cut it down. Also if it’s meant to be a tribute to a particular actor, I’m not sure why there are other voices added in. It’s more of a general Shield Hero video and the tribute aspect feels like an after-thought. Some of the audio mixing needs some work because it can be hard to hear or the audio is “dirty” mixed with other sound effects or music. The video editing itself is really solid and the action is fun to watch.
Turning Numb - This is a combo that works unexpectedly well. I think some of the color grading/isolation could be touched up a bit and you might look at how the transition to full color happens later in the video. I like some of the moments of internal sync in this. It’s difficult for me to tell if this is meant to be serious or funny but maybe that’s what you were going for.
Twin Flame - I’m excited someone else is aware of this movie because I remember watching Your Name for the first time and thinking it was just a ripoff of this movie, LOL. This choice of song is very spot on for this movie, haha. I think the editing could use some touching up to improve the timing of cuts (cuts too fast or timing is off) or to help smooth out the crossfades (are you editing with Premiere? It looks like that issue Premiere has with the default crossfade where it drops off too slow and it makes the image seem to pop off, you might want to manually key the opacity). Overall a cute video though!
Unbound - Someone explained the plot otherwise I would have been totally lost. Even still I’m not too sure what’s going on, but I think it has a lovely mood in combination with the music. The editing is solid so I don’t have a lot of notes. I just don’t really “get it” so it doesn’t resonate with me.
Unbreakable - I think this is a pretty solid action entry. I feel like a broken record at this point but I’m not familiar with the source so I’m struggling to understand who the characters are or their relationships to each other other than fightey. A majority of the video seems like it might be from one or two episodes? Most of it is the fight between green-haired guy and white-haired guy. I feel like by the end the title of the video/song is a bit ironic. Anyway, not a lot of notes from me, just a decent vid.
UnstoppabEL - This video is serious hype for the ladies of Stranger Things. I’m waffling on the structure of the video. The first part focuses on Eleven, the second part bounces between several characters, the third part brings El back in and mixes her with the other girls. I think it works, it’s the sort of thing I’d do. I don’t really have any constructive notes. Good stuff.
Vision - This video is a trip. The footage quality is really nice. Awesome including the subtitles, I wish I’d done that to begin with with my Vinland Saga video. I like that it’s “artsy” but has a clear narrative so it doesn't just feel like a bunch of pretty images put together. The music just adds to the atmosphere. Overall I really love this video.
Waveform Manipulation - I wish the graphics blended in a bit better with the anime footage. But this is a really unique video and now I kind of wish there were more “edutainment” AMVs. The ending is pretty funny.
Waving Through - I like how this video tells the story of Deku and it’s a very strong character profile. It avoids the pitfalls of just editing linearly through the seasons which is nice. The narrative follows the ups and downs of Deku’s story in a way that fits well with the music. The build up to the end is nice. I don’t really have a lot of critical notes. It’s nice!
We Can Hold You - Well this was disturbing. I think you picked a good source combo. I’m not familiar with the show so I'm not sure what the story is, but I find it really disturbing. So you did a good job creating the atmosphere. Not sure it’s one I want to watch more than once.
I know Bastille did a song called “Laura Palmer”.
Wombo - I was just starting to get my hearing back…
) Try and be creative with your reviews to win the coveted "self-proclaimed winner of the thread" award. But most of all, have fun with your review.
9/10
