I'm an AMV Maker!

[M.H.A.Q.S.]

Hiya Guys!

I have made an AMV a few days ago and now itss hosted on www.animemusicvideos.org (http://www.animemusicvideos.org/) , I just want you guys to give me an opinion on it and if you can, please give those opinions on the site i.e. AMV, through their AMV system.The name of the video is "Final Goodbye".


Is this spamming? :) :D. I hope not!

[Kilu]

I believe Zeugma is also a AMV guy :D I might check it out tomorrow, right now my brother is hogging my speed.

[jetblue]

Is there a way to see it without joining?

[Zeugma 440]

jetblue> I fear you have to register and wait :(

FFX, huh ? Usually AMVs are made with anime excerpts (hence Anime Music Videos). I'm curious to see what you've done, M.H.A.Q.S...

*downloads and watches*

It's actually better than what I expected, but the main flaw in it is the fact that you let long video excerpts run (e.g. when Tidus & Yuna go underwater, or when Yuna falls and is saved by her summon), this is when music loses its synchronization with the images.
However, on the emotional point of view, the images are smartly chosen. You have managed to create a credible atmosphere, even with this overused song.
This looks like a promising start, M.H.A.Q.S. Don't forget to tell us (or at least me) when your next video is released :)

[M.H.A.Q.S.]

THANKS!!!! Zeugma! You are quite right. I realize all the things you mentioned. Although this is my first effort in this field, I tried to make it as good as possible. The reason I chose long scenes was because of the song. I think if someone actually has played FFX and FFX-2, he might be able to understand the story in a better way.

Anyway, Thanks for the advice Zeugma. Anyone else, please tell me...I need opinions.

[Kilu]

I wonder if I can remember my user name and password in there :)

*I did remember, miraculously. Gonna download it pretty soon.

[eViL bAz]

lol I am the same kilu but after 2 hours of heatin my brain and scratching my biological ram i remember hehehehe Ima about to see it.......

[Elhaym van Houten]

Guess it's about time I registered there - might as well do it now :)
*heads off to www.animemusicvideos.org *

[eViL bAz]

MHAQS its just cool im not know much about this but I like it ;) maybe I contact you to see if you can teach me how to do one hehehehe

[M.H.A.Q.S.]

Sure thing Evil_Baz and thanks for the opinion. I looked at the opinions given by some friends and you guys (freinds too!!! :) ). I'm learning from it. I will produce my next AMV in the next 3 months or so. This time I will put more effort in it.

[Zeugma 440]

:p You just make me remember that I have to finish my current AMV ! The teaser has been online for two months now, and the full version is still unfinished :(

[M.H.A.Q.S.]

Tell me, Tell me where can i download it...tell me tell me....**drools**

[Zeugma 440]

All my stuff is on my website :spin: Just check my profile :D

[Kilu]

Hey, I have a question for you guys. As a terribly artistic person that I am, I was thinking of doing some of this stuff myself. What program would you recommend? I played around with Windows Movie Maker yesterday and damn it was easy to use, but lacked some more advanced options and didn't allow much different saving options. So, what say you?

[Zeugma 440]

Hehe, as you have seen Windows Movie Maker may be something worthy of interest but it isn't good enough to comfortably work on video.

- For low-level audio & video stream processing operations, the best is to use VirtualDub (you may already know it if you're familiar with old school DVD ripping methods, i.e. from the pre-GordianKnot era :D )

- For editing, I highly recommend Sony Vegas (formerly known as Sonic Foundry Vegas). It's waaay easier to understand than Adobe Premiere, crashes less, looks better and does basically the same job.

[Kilu]

Is it free? :D

[Zeugma 440]

haha, I was waiting for this line :D :D

- VirtualDub is free (I admire its creator for keeping it free, though. It's a kickass tool that I use several times a week http://www.rpgamers.info/images/smilies/bigeyes.gif )

- However, Vegas isn't free at all. I have searched for freeware video editors for a while and came to the conclusion that the best of them is... Windows Movie Maker :(

[Kilu]

Righty then. Now all I gotta do is decide on anime&music. I haven't watched that much, so maybe I'll start with Trigun or Hellsign.

[M.H.A.Q.S.]

Kilu, why don't you use Ulead Video Studio 8. Its way more easier and packs some really cool options for someone new to this scene. You can download its trial from www.ulead.com and then if you like it CRACK IT!!!! Mwhahahahaha...just kidding, buy it.

[Kilu]

Well I need to test the programs out anyway. We'll see how it all turns out.

[M.H.A.Q.S.]

Zeugma I saw your first movie on the AMV page on your site. The Evangalion one and it is good, the music sync is good and I like it. Wait till I finish my next video and I promise I'll blow the competition apart.

[Zeugma 440]

Stangely enough, I get many opinions on my first video but few feedback on the others, although I've spent more time working on them.
I've always been wondering if it is because people are too lazy to scroll down or because they only like action AMVs...

Maybe you can answer my question, M.H.A.Q.S :)


BTW, my next AMV is on the verge on being finished (thanks to this thread I finally decided to get back to work).
I have just one thing to say about it : OMG ! http://www.rpgamers.info/images/smilies/bigeyes.gif http://www.rpgamers.info/images/smilies/evilgrin.gif

[M.H.A.Q.S.]

Oh really...!!!! **waits excitingly for the next video***

Yes, your speculation is correct. People are ("looks at ownself :D") too lazy to scroll down and download other videos but you know something, I downloaded all of your videos and will tell you how good they are.

[Zeugma 440]

Now if you have the courage to scroll to the bottom of the page you'll discover my last creation : Of Human Ambition and Divine Power :D

Footage : Full Metal Alchemist
Sound : The Miracle / Omega, by Yasunori Mitsuda
Genre : Action, Horror, Instrumental
Length : 4:30

This has been my largest project so far (20 hours of editing spent over three months), as well as the one with the most intense contents.
Don't hesitate to leave a review here if you feel like :spin:

[M.H.A.Q.S.]

I will, I will. Lemme check it out right now.

[M.H.A.Q.S.]

Good God, great effort there dude! Way to go. There was one thing that I noticed about watching your AMVs, I hope you'll agree with it.

The way you make videos is more like a Teaser Trailer to the Anime, I mean the way the original makers do it.

Good Effort and good luck for you...

[Zeugma 440]

Thanks :) I understand what you mean but I don't do that for every video :p

High Hopes is more focused on the lyrics and the overall atmosphere of the song, and A Torn-Apart Heart is aimed at telling a moving story using the footage from a romance anime.

[M.H.A.Q.S.]

Ummm, I was talking about the first one and the last one :).

[Zeugma 440]

My point of view on action videos is that they require fast moves, many scenes from the whole series (no spoilers) and a minimal 'storyline' because focusing on the image/sound synchro, FXs and colors is enough.

That's why slow-paced videos are interesting : they have to be made with a completely different approach. For example, I have learned a lot by trying to build a fictional story with anime footage or by trying to make a video out of still images (this one isn't on the site : it's a project for my school's manga club).

My final goal is to try making an AMV for each existing genre. The next one will most probably be based on trance music, with a lot of FXs. The problem there will be to find an adequate footage and, before all, building a sexy video without drowning the spectator in special effects.

[M.H.A.Q.S.]

Good, good. You have a manga club in your school. Anime Lovers are like rare dinosaurs around here in my country. I understand you now completely, my point was not a "criticism" on the way you make videos, just a judgement. The idea of making an anime video out of still images came to my mind as well. I'm currently looking for a song for my next AMV...the biggest problem.

[M.H.A.Q.S.]

A very close friend of mine is going to release his AMV soon now. We work together, so he wanted me ask the guys who would like to see it.

Street Fighter : The Animated Movie
Title : Shinbuku
Song : Them Bones
Artist: Alice in Chains
Length : 3:02

I'm going to upload it in a couple of days. I've been noticing that Zeugma is away from the forums for quite a while...everything ok?

[Kilu]

Zeugma did post one post just today :)

I still haven't started mine :D I'm just so damn lazy these days.

[M.H.A.Q.S.]

You outta find a girlfriend who can force you to do something.

[Zeugma 440]

I'm going to upload it in a couple of days. I've been noticing that Zeugma is away from the forums for quite a while...everything ok? Everything's right but I'm reaching the end of the year for now (still two weeks to go !!) and I've got MUCH work to do for school, the Asian Festival and the programming club :p

Of course, I'd be glad to preview and review any AMV :D
But why don't you post it here before submitting it to animemusicvideos.org ? That would be an opportunity for your friend to get feedback and make his video even better before its final release :spin:

[M.H.A.Q.S.]

That's a great idea...thanks.

[M.H.A.Q.S.]

Yes! the video is up and you can download it here...

http://www.animemusicvideos.org/members/localdownload-pancake.php?v=63855

Title: Shinboku
Artist: Alice in Chains
Song: Them Bones
Length: 3:00 approx
Size: 28MB approx

Please do tell me how good it is, although I did not make it. My friend has really spent alot of time on it to get it right.

[Zeugma 440]

Hmm, nice :) I like the way the story of Ken & Ryu is explained, although I haven't seen the movie yet :D The special effects are well used (even if there is sometimes a bit too much transparency) and the overall mood fits the music :spin:

What bothers me here are not artistic but technical issues. First of all, the video you use is not cropped ! We always see these annoying white lines at the very top of the screen (well, IMO it spoils the show). The top and bottom black borders can also be seen when some scenes are slided (e.g. @ 2:11) :(

There is also another problem with video. I can detect it because I'm used to seeing that problem on my own works. Sometimes, at the beginning of a scene, the frames get messed up and the same sequence of images can be seen twice. This results in a small "backward jump" on the video.
e.g. : frames 1577-1578; frames 2041-2042; frames 2055-2056 and so on...

Ok, maybe I'm a tech maniac, but I think you should have submitted that video later on animemusicvideos.org, for your friend to fix these small issues after this review. As I said above, the artistic side of the video is neat :shades:

[M.H.A.Q.S.]

Thanks for the detailed review man. I totally agree with you as I told many of these problems to him myself. I don't know why he did not cover them up. I'll let him know about all this, lemme mail him. :)

[M.H.A.Q.S.]

Hiya guys... I'm back and reviving an old thread. Zeugma, I just read your post

Now if you have the courage to scroll to the bottom of the page you'll discover my last creation I hope you meant Latest Creation... http://www.rpgamers.info/images/smilies/smile.gif. OK, I just finished my second AMV. I have spent alot of time on just the concept and how the video should be like. I will try to upload it elsewhere first so that you guys can gimme a good idea on it. As I have really worked on this one, I made some special treat just for this video and RPGamers members will be exclusive for this...just kidding around http://www.rpgamers.info/images/smilies/smile.gif. Well I made a wallpaper for this AMV and I thought I should share it with you guys. A gift from me...humbly...

http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/36742749/

Do download it and tell me how good is it?...the wallpaper http://www.rpgamers.info/images/smilies/smile.gif tee hee. Will update you soon.

[Zeugma 440]

I hope you meant Latest Creation...
Oh yeah, you're right http://www.rpgamers.info/images/smilies/embarassedlaugh.gif I just used one word instead of another, and since both of them are exactly the same in french, that doesn't ease things :D

As I have really worked on this one, I made some special treat just for this video and RPGamers members will be exclusive for this...just kidding around http://www.rpgamers.info/images/smilies/smile.gif.
Hehe, you're teasing us, aren't you ? Now that you've made the announcement, I'm looking forward to it ! What is (are ?) the series you have taken as footage ?

Concerning your wallpaper, each layer you have used looks quite simple but the combination of all 7 makes a complex, puzzling whole. Is that related to how your AMV is designed to be ?

[M.H.A.Q.S.]

Yay! Zeugma440 replied. I thought I would let everybody see it at the same time but I think I still have some time to upload it to AMV.org. Some info about the video.

Anime/Game : Fatal Frame or Project Zero
Music : Before I'm Dead
Singer: Kidney Thieves
Length: 4:20
Genre: Horror/Drama/Serious

Yes, I was teasing you guys!! I hope you like the wallpaper. Its simple and yes it is concerned with the video, although not used in it. The video is more towards music and story.

Concerning your wallpaper, each layer you have used looks quite simple but the combination of all 7 makes a complex, puzzling whole. Is that related to how your AMV is designed to be ?


Yes, 5 Layers. I started to make something else but the wallpaper turned out to be something else...:). I have really worked on the AMV by using Effects and taking full use of the music. I will upload the video soon on AMV.org but I need to make some minor adjustments to it before I actually upload it. I will surely let you guys download it first so that you can tell me what can be changed in the video.

[M.H.A.Q.S.]

OK, I've completed the video and its uploaded. Sorry but I couldn't find a place to upload to else then the org. You can download it from the AMV site now and please tell me how does it look.

direct link:
http://www.animemusicvideos.org/members/members_videoinfo.php?v=80157

[Zeugma 440]

Umm, there's much to say. Time for comments !!

First of all I thought that the size and bitrate of your video was overkill. After the first 30 seconds I understood why : the film garin effect you're using, plus some other sharp effects require a high bitrate to be seen properly. On the other hand, the footage is from the game's FMVs, which have been obviously compressed (the artifacts are clearly visible :( ).
The result is worth its 73 MB, though :D

On the artistic point of view, I'm quite impressed. It seems that you chose the perfect music to fit the images from the game. The way you show things (old movie effect, dark and monochrome footage, violent and well-placed color inversions, overall rythm) definitely brings an horror mood to your AMV. I felt like I was sucked into the insane, neverending nightmare of the main character, even though I still haven't watched the video in total darkness ;)

One bad point in all of this : your comment written in the very end of the video kinda spoils the finale. You should not have written it, since the intro already tells us that there is a second part...

Anyways, great job !! I hope the second part will have its own flavour of horror as well :D

By the way, I hope I'm not the onlyone to care about M.H.A.Q.S.'s work here http://www.rpgamers.info/images/smilies/searching.gif

[M.H.A.Q.S.]

Time for a long Reply!!

First of all, your review means alot to me, Zeugma440. I hope more people on RPGamers would watch this AMV, because I think this one is good enough to download and one of its kind. I would love to have an opinion from many of the people on this board as I like it very much.

Using Fatal Frame's footage is a very difficult task, imagine making an AMV out of just 15 minutes of footage, and I have tried to utilise it to the very max. The reason to pick a resolution of 720x576 and a bit rate of 259 kbps started to become a must when the video started to blur and too much compressed. Many people found this as an overkill, you're so right on this one. ;)

Now here's another conflict that people find in the video and that is the song. They say that the movie would have been great if it was some other song. Of course, that is stupid to say, the AMV wouldn't have existed if it were for some other song...you know what I mean. :smash:

Yes, I totally agree with you on the ending text. I knew I was doing a mistake leaving the text there. Damn!

I do care about the people giving me an opinion about my work. Anyways, Thanks alot!!! Zeugma440, I was waiting for your review for so many days and it was worth it.

[Zeugma 440]

Eww, you're right, using only 15 minutes of footage to make a -minutes-long AMV is truly difficult, but apparently everything went well :)

Concerning the music, this is all a matter of taste, but I don't have anything to say against your choice, it appeals to me.

They say that the movie would have been great if it was some other song.
:rofl: people who have told you this surely don't know much about AMV-making. Music and video are to become one in such a work. Putting some other music would be impossible, since the entire video has been built on it...

[M.H.A.Q.S.]

Thanks for the support and how about you. How's the life going and when is your next project coming up and what about Ethos...

[Lord Draud]

hey can i put in a request for a amv? i want one of where ever i may roam from metallica

[Zeugma 440]

Thanks for the support and how about you. How's the life going and when is your next project coming up and what about Ethos... Umm, life's going quite well on "the outside" (job, health, relationships...) although I'm somehow trying to solve a couple of personal issues by myself so it's quite messy on "the inside" (mental balance) for now :P

Concerning my projects, the production of my next AMV is paused until I really feel like going on with it, and Ethos is taken care of (see my last post in the dedicated section...)

hey can i put in a request for a amv? i want one of where ever i may roam from metallica
I fear that AMVs cannot be made on command, unless the maker is instantly inspired by the music you're requesting. At least I do not work this way, sorry...

[M.H.A.Q.S.]

I agree with Zeugma440. Zeugma440, tell me about a software that is tooo good for Audio editing and mixing.

[Zeugma 440]

I still haven't found any miracle software for audio editing. I'm playing with Nero Wave Editor for the basic editing and Sony Vegas for the mixing. Vegas is before all aimed at video editing but it's quite handy for audio mixing as well :)

[M.H.A.Q.S.]

hmm, thanks for the tips. I gave Acoustica Mp3 mixer and it is giving me some help too. I was currently trying Avid Xpress Pro, and it is proving to be a difficult one... ;).