Woot! (Congratulations)

[Kitsuner]

I haven't made anything this year. You're welcome.

...but you made "Not Breaking the Habit" this year

Well, either that, or you just got around to releasing it...

[MCWagner]

My own experience is limited by the fact that I don't get out to the cons any more, and just downloading at random from the org is too daunting a task.

Going on entries to the AWA contests, though, stuff was all over the place. The biggest news was full-scale invasion by some really high-quality material from overseas. I hold that the Pacific and Atlantic act as filters, so we get only the best material from international competitors, but even considering that, the international entries were both really, really impressive, and more approachable domestically than in the past. (A video done in a language you don't understand has to be at least 50% better than one in your native language to be considered equally good. It's not fair, but its the essence of musical lyrics. Exception is made for operas we all know by now. I swear... "Carmen" is nearly as common as Linkin Park...) There was also a significant drop in domestic competition... a drop in quantity, not quality.

Over-tech seems to be declining, but was definitely still there. Cuts about 3x more frequent than needed, videos made entirely of SFX overlays to cover up a mediocre fight vid. Sometimes you just want to take an AMVer and point them at Ang Lee's "Hulk". "Look, see that? Does that look good? No? Then DON'T DO IT."

The genres seem to come and go randomly. This year was almost barren of good comedy. More and more frequently, our comedy awards are going to stuff like trailers and advertisement parodies because the longer treatments make one of a couple of mistakes: 1) too long: the joke was funny for 45 seconds. The video is four minutes long. 2) Lip sync humor: one improbable match-up in the video works, all the rest is just trying to fit the lines to some random character to keep the joke going. 3) Being annoying is not the same thing as being funny.

The trailers and commercials are good primarily because they end while the joke is still funny. Whatever happened to the "various comedy" video? These things used to be everywhere, and usually got a laugh or two. Now the whole genre has disappeared.

ExPLOSION of drama/character profile videos, and all pretty good at that. Gets down to splitting hairs to find winners there.

Bumper crop of horror, in all shapes, forms, and quality levels. (Personal weakness)

In the end, the good match always trumps exceptional tech. (A personal favorite is the "Things Have Changed" vid, which looks like a tech-timing stunt, but is also a really good match of source.) But the people in the latest crop who've been able to consistantly turn out inspired matches of anime to song are also getting good at artistic use of tech, especially as the programs for tech effects get easier to manage. Plus, the old-schoolers seem to have had a charge of inspiration.

[Kusoyaro]

Sometimes you just want to take an AMVer and point them at Ang Lee's "Hulk". "Look, see that? Does that look good? No? Then DON'T DO IT."

Hahah...MCWagner FTW.

Whatever happened to the "various comedy" video? These things used to be everywhere, and usually got a laugh or two. Now the whole genre has disappeared.

And that's the genre that got me into AMVs in the first place (Duane Johnson, EK, etc.). Your post makes me feel inspired to attempt one again...if I can come up with an idea.

[TaranT]

re: AWA
I was also impressed - stunned, in fact - by some of the vids from Europe. Although I suspect you had to know the studio names in order to recognize that they were from a European editor.

And oddly enough, my likely next projects are comedy-themed. The (huge) barrier is that I need to watch many hours of anime in order to find the right scenes. The task is there; the motivation is...someplace.

[Ashyukun]

Whatever happened to the "various comedy" video? These things used to be everywhere, and usually got a laugh or two. Now the whole genre has disappeared.

And that's the genre that got me into AMVs in the first place (Duane Johnson, EK, etc.). Your post makes me feel inspired to attempt one again...if I can come up with an idea.

Various comedy wasn't what got me into anime, but good various action/upbeat (C-ko's 'Total Eclipse of the Heart', the 'Holding out for a Hero' video I still don't know who made...) videos back in the mid/early 90's were a large part of what got me into AMVs. I think various videos of that nature are a bit less common these days because, ironically- they're a bit harder to do now. Back when everything was done off tape, we just had to fast-forward through, find the scene we wanted, and capture it or cue it up and dub it in (way back in 2-VCR days). These days (having just done one) getting the source for a large multi-source project together is more of a pain with having to rip, frameserve, filter, and find clips takes a good bit more effort than it used to when we did things primarily from analog source.

I think it's been a pretty good year for AMVs as well- unlike past years where people complained that there wasn't anything good until AWA, I was seeing excellent videos being released and at cons from the beginning of the year on. I think a good portion of it is that more editors are maturing in skill- there are still likely a lot more mediocre or worse videos, but the number of skilled editors has gone up enough that at conventions at least there is a generally higher level of videos overall.

Now, as MCWagner pointed out- if only we could get more of those skilled editors to make things besides drama/character profile videos...

[badmartialarts]

Sometimes you just want to take an AMVer and point them at Ang Lee's "Hulk". "Look, see that? Does that look good? No? Then DON'T DO IT.".

Since I think the Hulk looks great, you've just inspired some more effects in my chain for my current video project.

[Kusoyaro]

Since I think the Hulk looks great, you've just inspired some more effects in my chain for my current video project.

Really? I showed my brother a short clip of the movie, and he was like "Oh god, I can't even look at that!" and I started yelling, "No, look at it! LOOK AT THE PAIN!!"

I was embarassed for Lee.

[Tono_Fyr]

Now, as MCWagner pointed out- if only we could get more of those skilled editors to make things besides drama/character profile videos...

But I fail horribly at comedy. I like and can enjoy comedy heavily, but I sure as hell can't come up with it. Some people (mainly people like me) just can't come up with anything when they start a comedy project. It took me a while to think of anything remotely funny for AMV Hell 3, and even then, it wasn't very good.

Anyway, on topic... I'm from mid '04, so I don't know what previous years have been like. Come back next year, maybe I'll be able to say something by then.

[Castor Troy]

Now, as MCWagner pointed out- if only we could get more of those skilled editors to make things besides drama/character profile videos...

But I fail horribly at comedy. I like and can enjoy comedy heavily, but I sure as hell can't come up with it. Some people (mainly people like me) just can't come up with anything when they start a comedy project. It took me a while to think of anything remotely funny for AMV Hell 3, and even then, it wasn't very good.

Anyway, on topic... I'm from mid '04, so I don't know what previous years have been like. Come back next year, maybe I'll be able to say something by then.

I can't do comedy outright unless I combine it with fun, action, or.. drama

I would fail miserably if I had to come up with a straight up comedy video because I suck at telling jokes.

"I never told a joke in my life" - Andy Kaufman

[godix]

But I fail horribly at comedy. I like and can enjoy comedy heavily, but I sure as hell can't come up with it.

Yes, and? You should follow my example, I fail horribly at comedy but that hasn't stopped me from having half my profile be perpetuation of comedy