Time for a dumb video rant! Bring the flames!

[Arigatomina]

Heh, that's true, Nappy. But I'm afraid I take the first rule rather seriously as well. ^_^; I try to follow that one as well as I can. I'm just a stickler that way. ~_~

[Nappy]

Actually, and I know this is a bit off topic, I've been surprised how good some Digisubs are. Some recent fansub files have been phenomemal, and at the same time the Eva DVD's I'm watching now I found under-impressive, compression wise. I swear to god, there's many a fansub that's better-quality than that.

Well the recent fansubs are all new animes, with CG over cel anime. So it's not really a fair comparison unless you compare the same anime. I mean a City Hunter DVD is not gonna stand up to Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex digi. Even a digi of the remastered EVA might be better than the EVA dvds.

[OmniStrata]

WOW...

Lots of people saying...

"YOU USE DOWNLOADED FOOTAGE YOU SHALL BE BUTCHERED!!!"

MUAHAHAHAH BWAHAHAHAHAHA


I think I'll quit the org now before I get banned...

[koronoru]

I've bought dvds and cds for every video I've made... even the ones I really didnt want to buy the source for

Making videos is my excuse for buying more DVDs.

[turboneko]

This is a very interesting thread... too bad I missed it from the beginning

I agree with MJ on the "fun" factor... this is a hobby. Hobbies are supposed to be fun. If you start making AMVs and get all stressed out to meet the deadline for a con and/or find the ultimate original concept then you are probably better off in doing something else, because you are missing the point.

On the other hand I also agree with AD. AMVs are getting more and more attention at anime cons (I think that pretty much every con has an AMV contest now): this means that the audience is growing larger and larger.
And when you like something, the step that leads to get involved into it is not too far away... given also the fact that to make basic AMVs the requirements can be met by almost everybody nowadays.

What's the difference in respect of six months ago? Six months ago everybody was making AMVs and begging on the forums for free hosting: now we have the Donut and it means super cheap hosting for everybody.

The result? Many many videos are now available to the general public and we start to realize that on the nearly 100,000 users of this site just a few (in percentage) really understand the process of "making an AMV". Most of the people just throw stuff together with what they have... often without even understanding what they are doing.

Do they have fun in doing this? Yes. And, as AD said, they could greatly improve with just a few "guidelines": the beta tester idea is actually quite good and we could build a group of volunteers who are willing to give a reasonable amount of feedback on "videos in progress" (definitively worth a discussion). No problems here.

The point should be instead "how we manage our resources": how long will it take to fill up the donut too? We have put in place a system to track down abuses first, then try to lay out some other guidelines that won't be elitist (allowing everybody to post their videos) but will try to put at good use what we have. Having the video reviewed by a number of people before allowing it on the server? Limiting the number of video posted on the server based on the donation level? This is another big discussion.

Please post your thoughts.

[paizuri]

I'd be annoyed that the person didn't get the song right alone. If I thought to myself today, "Self, I want to watch a random video by so-and-so" but I get something completely different, that would really piss me off if I didn't at least enjoy the video.

[Cole]

Wow, haven't been able to visit the board much for the past month and a half, it's taking me awhile to get all caught up. This is the most interesting thread so far, though. Having fun with this activity should be the driving factor, but I also agree on the point that it's no fun if 9 out of every 10 AMV's you download suck. I doubt that's the ratio, but you know what I mean. With my dial-up, it's pretty hard to stack up a decent collection of really good AMV's, but I've gotten some really incredible videos here, and there are alot of really talented creators. I'm working on improving myself because I enjoy doing this, but I also want AMV's that are quality work. I don't use d/l footage or music (though my first AMV might look like it since I botched the compression), I listen to suggestions from other people (dwchang is really cool in that respect) and I watch my favorite AMV's over and over for motivation.

I can understand the concerns about lots of crap being brought to the org, but, speaking from experience, sometimes you work on something that you really like, then upload it for people to see, then you realize after a few comments, "hey, I didn't really do as well as I could have", (and sometimes "holy crap, why did I upload that") and for me as well as probably alot of others, that's the motivation to pick it up and try it again, and make it better than the last.

[Kusoyaro]

I've bought dvds and cds for every video I've made... even the ones I really didnt want to buy the source for

Tell me about it. I once spent like $150 in one pop for source for a video, and to this day, I haven't watched a single one of those DVDs.

That being said...anyone want a copy of the first Love Hina DVD?

[FurryCurry]

Tell me about it. I once spent like $150 in one pop for source for a video, and to this day, I haven't watched a single one of those DVDs.

That being said...anyone want a copy of the first Love Hina DVD?

I'd trade you a couple of slightly used VHS tapes of dubbed DBZ episodes for it in a couple months...

[SarahtheBoring]

WTF, "fun"? What's this "fun"? This is ART. You should be SUFFERING. You should be CRYING TEARS OF BLOOD FOR THESE AMVs.

...

No.

The point of the .org is to catalog every AMV ever made, regardless of quality or whatever. You do that, and you'd be going against the mission of the site.

People say "don't use downloaded footage" and so forth, but that's never been an official site rule.

This is a bit of a bind, then. If we are to list everything, and then get raked over the coals like this for every mistake, where is the room for a learning curve? Where is the room for experimentation? Hell, if I feel like messing around with the same series for too long just because it's fun, I will be branded as a one-trick pony and written off as not worth the oxygen I breathe. Because Every Video Must Be On The DB.

I don't plan to enter all my videos on the DB, because I'm sick of all the pressure. This is not a business. This is not a sport, Last I checked, it was a fucking hobby, and I plan on enjoying it again. Damn the DB.