Video: Be A Man
Category: Comedy, Action
Anime: Tengen Toppa Gurren-Lagann (TV)
Song: I'll Make a Man Out of You
Artist: Donny Osmond
Creator: NightlHlawk
Link: http://www.animemusicvideos.org/video/158077
REVIEW:
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
Anyway, we're starting with the "be a man" video and we're discussing the lip sync.
Steven `џ´ [SF] says:
ok, I'll restate what i said with an example too. i think the lipsync was good, but the scenes chosen to sync the lipsync weren't always chosen well. Such as at 2:11, that kinda bugged me since it wasn't a really good scene to lip sync with
Amber says:
I'll agree. The lip sync was good (better than I could do yet), but a couple of times I thought the scenes they picked just seem "off" somehow.
Steven `џ´ [SF] says:
perhaps they were off, but I was stressing more towards choice of 'uninteresting scenes'
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
I though they were nice. The only ones that bugged me was when he swiched to the third party characters.
Amber says:
That's what I meant.
Steven `џ´ [SF] says:
2:11 is not an interesting scene, a lot of the others are though
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
And yah, I can see the "boring" aspect. I haven't seen the series, so I have no clue what other scenes were available.
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
But I think the lipsync is what "made" the video what it is. Although the thirty second credits was a tad strange.
Steven `џ´ [SF] says:
the difference in volume of the credit audio hit me pretty badly =/
Amber says:
Oh yeah...
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
But I love how they cut the audio though. There was about another five seconds of audio after it ended, and I liked that.
Steven `џ´ [SF] says:
but I gotta say, I really like this video, I love this uplifting song, and it was fit in pretty well
Steven `џ´ [SF] says:
actually makes me want to watch the series
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
And I felt the same way! I'm looking for the series as soon as I get paid.
Amber says:
I liked the video too. It was kind of fun. I probably won't watch it again though. I've got enough Mulan at home already. And this video got my 7 yr. old's seal of approval as well XD
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
That's what I want AMV's to be. Fun for all ages. I'm sick of the bloody/gory horrific scchinsophrenic videos.
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
And that's what this AMV is.
Amber says:
Yeah, it was fun and also had explodies...all 7 yr old boys love explodies.
Amber says:
And also, anything with Donny Osmond automatically rocks in my book XD
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
But what I didn't like about the AMV was it's ending. It looked like one long uncut scene from a robot transformation scene. :\
Steven `џ´ [SF] says:
yeah that part sounded like it was tricky to edit with too, since at that point, they drop all the instruments
Amber says:
And I don't know if it was a long uncut scene or not. I've never heard of this series...
Steven `џ´ [SF] says:
so the editor probably tried to make it look different, and this is how it ended up
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
It wasn't bad, it was just really unoriginal. I was expecting more of a "bang" for the ending.
Steven `џ´ [SF] says:
thats true, compared to the rest of the video, the ending lacked a bit
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
Lemme see here... Not much else to go on. We've basically touched all bases, since I'm assuming there is no argument on the video quality?
Amber says:
Nope, it looked pretty to me
Steven `џ´ [SF] says:
looked pretty nice to me, some places not as good as others, but pretty good overall
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
Allrighty then, let's score this puppy. Out of ten, I'd give it an 8.
Amber says:
7 here
Steven `џ´ [SF] says:
8.5 from me, just love the uplifting feeling
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
Goody then. 7.8 Average!
_______________________________________________________
Video: Pilot in the Sky of Dreams
Category: Serious, Romance, Drama, etc. (+1)
Anime: Tengen Toppa Gurren-Lagann (TV)
Song: Pilot in the Sky of Dreams
Artist: Threshold
Creator: Oli.C (Yoüniqüe Productions)
Link: http://www.animemusicvideos.org/members/members_videoinfo.php?v=157041
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
Allright, I'm ready. Next video is the " Pilot in the Sy of Dreams" video.
Amber says:
I think I would have liked this one more if the song was different.
Steven `џ´ [SF] says:
it almost felt like two videos to me
Steven `џ´ [SF] says:
at first I thought there were 2 audio sources used
Amber says:
I'm not familiar with the band or anything, but it sounds like they're trying to be some kind of Queen cover band...
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
Personally, I liked that aspect. I loved that two genres of editing were used. A very sentimental, yet powerful message.
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
I think that 5 minutes was a tad on the long side, though.
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
As much as I like dthe first half, I think had it been cut off and the secon dhalf been left on, it could have been better. Or perhaps divided into two different videos.
Amber says:
I like the idea of the video and I liked the storytelling aspect of it...it was just really difficult to get past the song itself for me. Which kind of sucks because on the whole, I liked the vide.
Steven `џ´ [SF] says:
the sentimental image was nice, especially when it came back to it in the end, but since the video felt like two other videos, it felt somewhat disjoint to me
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
Agreed. I liked the song source, but like I've said already, I could have been cut into several different videos and been just as sucessful. On a slighly different note, I loved the scene selection
Amber says:
Oh yeah, me too. I think that's why I'm so upset that I couldn't get into the video that much..because I loved the moments they picked, but not the audio
Steven `џ´ [SF] says:
scene selection seemed pretty nice to me, but I think they could have done without the lipsync
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
Yea. That just seemed out of place to me. Plus, it was the only one in there too.
Amber says:
I liked when they used the lip sync. To me it seemed like if there was a place to use it, then they chose a nice spot for it.
Steven `џ´ [SF] says:
well a lot of time with lip sync it seems that it can easily be liked or disliked, just depends on first impressions i think
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
Plus it's also based on the editor's likes and dislikes. I very rarely enjoy lip sync.
Steven `џ´ [SF] says:
that's also true. a lot of the time I find myself thinking "would I have done the same?" and whenever it seems I say no, I didn't really like the lipsync for it either
Amber says:
I tend to do that as well. I think most people tend to base their opinions of a video on their own particular style.
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
Let's see here... Video quality was fine for me.
Amber says:
Same here
Steven `џ´ [SF] says:
quality seemed decent, was similar to the previous video, some places better than others for me
Amber says:
That girls eyes are weird, but that's got nothing to do with the video itself.
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
So let's score this puppy. I'll give it 7.5/10.00
Steven `џ´ [SF] says:
mmmm 7.5 from me as well
Amber says:
I'm going with a 7 for this one, mostly because I'll probably not watch it again.
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
So 7.30 average.
that might work, just dont throw a new thread in general amv unless you want to start a battle
Thursday, May 1, 2008
Friday, April 11, 2008
MSN AMV Review #3: Viral Iron Chef / The Air in my Lungs
Welcome to the MSN AMV Review. This week's videos were MetorDragon's Viral Iron Chef video and Mal's The Air in My Lungs video.
Judges for this week's review were: Ghet, miss sakura-san, Amo-Chan, SF_Phoenix, Millenium Strive, Meteor Dragon and CodeChrono
If you wish to participate in the future videos, please contact me at: codechrono@gmail.com
Please Note: Conversations have been cut/edited for content and for clairty.
Ghet says:
i thought that it was very well done for an IC video and it definitely captured the mood of the song, while using an anime that wouldnt really be attributed to the kind of song
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
I kind of had a different perspective. I think it was well edited with the song/anime, but I don't think it fit perfectly. Though, we have to remember that this is an IC video. DId you have a choice in the footage/song chosen?
Ghet says:
song was given to him, footage was his choice
Amber says:
I think the song was crazy annoying. Not my type. Other than that, I liked it. It was really fast paced. And I liked the counting backwards sort of theme.
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
In that case, I think the source footage could have worked better as something else.
Steven `џ´ says:
I felt the video was alright. The thing that kinda bugged me a bit was that it was difficult for me to actually understand the lyrics, might be just me though.
Sakura says:
I'm not really a fan of IC videos so to me it was ok but since it was an IC I can't really go into depth about it
Sakura says:
though I did like the song choice
MD/Willie says:
actually...I had nothing that went with the video....so I picked digi because I just bought it
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
My biggest complaint was that the song was fast paced, while the editing was slow paced. The sync just really wasn't there for me.
Steven `џ´ says:
To be perfectly honest, this video didn't exactly interest me too greatly
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
Being an old-school digimon fan (one of my first anime watched) I was really kind of dissapointed to see it being given such a dark tone.
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
The footage, to me, needs to be used in dramatic, uplifting videos. The video was schitophrentic to me. It tried too hard to be too many different Genres.
Steven `џ´ says:
I haven't seen the movie either, so that might have been why I couldn't really 'get' it
Amber says:
As far as the IC vid went...it was ok. It looked nice and I like vids that create alternate worlds for the anime used. But...the song just killed it for me...
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
This video screamed "look!! It took me (insert amount of time here) to make this!"
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
On a score scale, I'd probably give a 6/10.
Amber says:
I'd give it a 6 as well, just for the fact that it's IC.
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
Had this been a full-fledge AMV, I would have been seriosly dissapointed.
Steven `џ´ says:
well I'd give it a 6.5 because of the fact that it was an IC, otherwise it would have been lower
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
So probably a 6.20/10.00?
Steven `џ´ says:
i think thats ok
Judges for this week's review were: Ghet, miss sakura-san, Amo-Chan, SF_Phoenix, Millenium Strive, Meteor Dragon and CodeChrono
If you wish to participate in the future videos, please contact me at: codechrono@gmail.com
Please Note: Conversations have been cut/edited for content and for clairty.
First Video: Viral Iron Chef
_______________________________________________________i thought that it was very well done for an IC video and it definitely captured the mood of the song, while using an anime that wouldnt really be attributed to the kind of song
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
I kind of had a different perspective. I think it was well edited with the song/anime, but I don't think it fit perfectly. Though, we have to remember that this is an IC video. DId you have a choice in the footage/song chosen?
Ghet says:
song was given to him, footage was his choice
Amber says:
I think the song was crazy annoying. Not my type. Other than that, I liked it. It was really fast paced. And I liked the counting backwards sort of theme.
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
In that case, I think the source footage could have worked better as something else.
Steven `џ´ says:
I felt the video was alright. The thing that kinda bugged me a bit was that it was difficult for me to actually understand the lyrics, might be just me though.
Sakura says:
I'm not really a fan of IC videos so to me it was ok but since it was an IC I can't really go into depth about it
Sakura says:
though I did like the song choice
MD/Willie says:
actually...I had nothing that went with the video....so I picked digi because I just bought it
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
My biggest complaint was that the song was fast paced, while the editing was slow paced. The sync just really wasn't there for me.
Steven `џ´ says:
To be perfectly honest, this video didn't exactly interest me too greatly
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
Being an old-school digimon fan (one of my first anime watched) I was really kind of dissapointed to see it being given such a dark tone.
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
The footage, to me, needs to be used in dramatic, uplifting videos. The video was schitophrentic to me. It tried too hard to be too many different Genres.
Steven `џ´ says:
I haven't seen the movie either, so that might have been why I couldn't really 'get' it
Amber says:
As far as the IC vid went...it was ok. It looked nice and I like vids that create alternate worlds for the anime used. But...the song just killed it for me...
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
This video screamed "look!! It took me (insert amount of time here) to make this!"
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
On a score scale, I'd probably give a 6/10.
Amber says:
I'd give it a 6 as well, just for the fact that it's IC.
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
Had this been a full-fledge AMV, I would have been seriosly dissapointed.
Steven `џ´ says:
well I'd give it a 6.5 because of the fact that it was an IC, otherwise it would have been lower
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
So probably a 6.20/10.00?
Steven `џ´ says:
i think thats ok
Score for Viral Iron Chef: 6.20/10.00
____________________________________________________
The Air In My Lungs Review
____________________________________________________
The Air In My Lungs Review
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
First Impressions: GOD the QUALITY WAS GORGEOUS AND SHINEY! SO SWEET AND INNOCENT AND TOTALLY AWESOME!
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
AFter watching several times, my opinion changed.
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
I sort of took the video as lazy and relied mostly on the more emotional aspects of the anime/games chosen.
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
Added to a pretty song for impact.
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
That' not to say it's abad video, in any sense.
Amber says:
That's what I liked about it. All those emotional moments and how each moment sort of melted into the next. I get all girly emotional with these types of vids.
Steven `џ´ says:
Hmm, for me this video was more like a feel-good video for me. I liked a lot of the way he decided to flow stuff here
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
The lack of fades made it hard for me to give it a gorgeous score. X_X then again, I am totally biased against fast cuts. XD
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
Though the sync is gorgous.
Steven `џ´ says:
back to the video though, I particularily really liked how similar scenes were chosen and put together (ie, falling scenes)
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
Yes. Mal has some of the most ineteresting ways to sync videos.
Amber says:
My only complaint would be the clown actually...
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
That bugged me too.
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
It looked out of place and lasted way too long.
Amber says:
Because I have a phobia...here was this happy great video and suddenly my freaking worst fear is staring at me.
Steven `џ´ says:
yeah the clown was kinda weird
Steven `џ´ says:
there was another scene where someone fell off a balcony in like half a second. I found that too abrupt and was almost laughable for me =(
Steven `џ´ says:
at 1:48
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
That was weird. O_O
Amber says:
Oh, from Romeo and Juliet...
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
Not to totally change tracks, but I was spellbound by the amazing video quality. I usually dont' bring that up, but it was spectacular in this video.
Steven `џ´ says:
quality was definitely a good thing in this video
Amber says:
Most definitely.
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
What was "bad" about this video?
Amber says:
The clown XD...
Steven `џ´ says:
I'd say some scene selections and the beginning I didn't find too interesting
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
My gripe is the lack of fading and the quick scene selections.
Steven `џ´ says:
as per scene selection, I mean like the clown, the balcony, scenes with Yuki were a bit too bloody for this song, etc
Amber says:
And some of the "bloody scenes" seemed out of place for me.
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
WTF was up with Yuki getting skewered in one scene, going to another scene, then her getting skewered again?
Steven `џ´ says:
yeah that was my reaction too, and the song wasn't a violent one, and that scene was like the only violent scene
Amber says:
Well, I'm not a fan of that anime...so normally I don't mind seeing her get scewered, but it did feel out of place.
Steven `џ´ says:
the cuts i didn't find too bothersome
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
Though the Clannad footage really made the video for me. And that one anime with the interesting art style. The others didn't cut it for me.
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
I think what took away from the video was the massive amount of source footage. Cutting back by about 2-4 anime would have made it better IMHO.
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
Haurhi being one of them.
Steven `џ´ says:
yeah there felt a bit too much, but I gotta admit that this is one amv that used anime with diff art styles and it didn't bug me at all
Steven `џ´ says:
there are a lot of videos where I feel that the difference in art damaged the flow, but it didn't feel like that here
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
18 Anime in total.
Amber says:
I really like that they used so many different kinds. With the exception of Haruhi. But, even parts of Haruhi really fit...just not Yuki getting impaled many times.
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
I think that perhaps 12-14 would have been best.
Amber says:
Although, from the words of the song, I understand why those moments were used.
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
What did you guys think about the Tales of Abyss footage.
Ghet says:
hmn, what do we think about it as in?
Steven `џ´ says:
well, what do you mean by 'what do we think'? as in quailty wise?
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
No, as in if it looks goodin the video.
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
I wasn't a huge fan.
Amber says:
I thought it did.
Ghet says:
id have to say that at 0:23 not as much, but in other parts it worked pretty well
Ghet says:
like, the part with the blonde girl
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
Then again, I'm not an overly huge fan of multi-footage. The video just seemed so random at times that it bugged me.
Steven `џ´ says:
I felt it was ok, animation wise it looked a bit different than the rest, but nothing too bad for me
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
Tales of the Abyss was one of those that I though would be better without.
Ghet says:
at some parts the multi footage was waay too blatent, but at some parts it was integrated almost flawlessly
Amber says:
And the clown...don't forget that scary clown.
Ghet says:
it struck me as more of a romance vid than anything (the song that is, the video was just a general drama)
Ghet says:
and the storyline was dull if any
Steven `џ´ says:
and the balcony scene
Ghet says:
the paprika footage really stuck out as something that shouldnt be there
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
Ya know. The video started out really well executed. It just kind of died from the weight of its own footag.e
Millenium Strife says:
A lot of scenes seemed to flow what that video, but yeah, some just stuck out and didn't fit. IE: The clown, Yuki/powned, and such.
Ghet says:
id say mostly because of the song
Ghet says:
he played with different animes too much for the song
Ghet says:
kinda looked to me like a failed attempt at Jihaku
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
Like I've stated before, this would have been a really good video if it had been a lot less anime.
Millenium Strife says:
I personally don't like to use too many anime in a video, and this one did seem to use too many
Ghet says:
chrono: yup, pretty much
Steven `џ´ says:
i also agree that less would have been better
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
But for what it was, it wasn't horrible. It just wasn't ovelry amazing.
Steven `џ´ says:
it starts to feel unbalanced when you see a lot of a couple of them and not much of the rest
Amber says:
I like multi-anime vids a lot, so I'm going to go against the general thought here.
Ghet says:
dont get me wrong, i like multi anime vids
Millenium Strife says:
Don't get me wrong, when done properly, multiple anime videos can be excellent.
Ghet says:
this one just went over the top
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
What really bugged me the most was that the video didn't really ahve a "climax". It just went on and on and eventually ended.
Steven `џ´ says:
I love multi as well (pretty much all i make), but i do agree that this could have done a better job on choice
Steven `џ´ says:
Chrono: that part didn't really bug me, thats why i said it felt like a feel-good for me, and I liked it for that
Ghet says:
it just seemed like some scenes from multiple animes, with some lyric sync when it worked out, with a slow song
Millenium Strife says:
I'm guessing that "Fin" was embedded and not actually created by the editor, or am I not seeing that correctly?
Ghet says:
i didnt see much beyond that
Ghet says:
if your vid needs a "fin" on it, you know its not structured enough
Steven `џ´ says:
well i think it could have just faded out and had the same effect.... i don't really see anything wrong with the 'fin'
Millenium Strife says:
So, I didn't have an real gripe about that, just seemed a bit tacked on. For what it is worth, it seems that the editor started the video with a similar scene.
Steven `џ´ says:
when i first watched it, it felt like that was what he was aiming for, and i thought it was pretty nice the way the majority of it was done to meet that
Steven `џ´ says:
hence, a 'feel-good' video
Millenium Strife says:
While it wasn't part of the video, the ending credits ended with that all-too-familiar scene of that girl being crushed by the train after flipping over the railcrossway guard. I've probably seen that in about 5 random videos I've watched since the beginning of the month.
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
Well, I think we've gone over most of the aspects of the video. Let's all give it a score out of 10, so an average can be found.
Steven `џ´ says:
7.5 from me, the mood and flow of motion syncs wins me over here
Amber says:
Well, I really liked this one a LOT, and I'm tempted to give it a 10. But, for a couple of things (scary clown and whatnot) I'm going to go with an 8.5.
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
7 from me
Millenium Strife says:
Well, based on the overall feel of the video and the flow, except for some iffy scene choices. This person's style slightly reminds me of my own video editing style when I made my first videos. I'll give it a 8/10.
MD/Willie says:
6
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
So about 7.50 average.
Review Score for The Air In My Lungs: 7.50/10.00
First Impressions: GOD the QUALITY WAS GORGEOUS AND SHINEY! SO SWEET AND INNOCENT AND TOTALLY AWESOME!
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
AFter watching several times, my opinion changed.
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
I sort of took the video as lazy and relied mostly on the more emotional aspects of the anime/games chosen.
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
Added to a pretty song for impact.
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
That' not to say it's abad video, in any sense.
Amber says:
That's what I liked about it. All those emotional moments and how each moment sort of melted into the next. I get all girly emotional with these types of vids.
Steven `џ´ says:
Hmm, for me this video was more like a feel-good video for me. I liked a lot of the way he decided to flow stuff here
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
The lack of fades made it hard for me to give it a gorgeous score. X_X then again, I am totally biased against fast cuts. XD
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
Though the sync is gorgous.
Steven `џ´ says:
back to the video though, I particularily really liked how similar scenes were chosen and put together (ie, falling scenes)
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
Yes. Mal has some of the most ineteresting ways to sync videos.
Amber says:
My only complaint would be the clown actually...
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
That bugged me too.
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
It looked out of place and lasted way too long.
Amber says:
Because I have a phobia...here was this happy great video and suddenly my freaking worst fear is staring at me.
Steven `џ´ says:
yeah the clown was kinda weird
Steven `џ´ says:
there was another scene where someone fell off a balcony in like half a second. I found that too abrupt and was almost laughable for me =(
Steven `џ´ says:
at 1:48
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
That was weird. O_O
Amber says:
Oh, from Romeo and Juliet...
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
Not to totally change tracks, but I was spellbound by the amazing video quality. I usually dont' bring that up, but it was spectacular in this video.
Steven `џ´ says:
quality was definitely a good thing in this video
Amber says:
Most definitely.
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
What was "bad" about this video?
Amber says:
The clown XD...
Steven `џ´ says:
I'd say some scene selections and the beginning I didn't find too interesting
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
My gripe is the lack of fading and the quick scene selections.
Steven `џ´ says:
as per scene selection, I mean like the clown, the balcony, scenes with Yuki were a bit too bloody for this song, etc
Amber says:
And some of the "bloody scenes" seemed out of place for me.
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
WTF was up with Yuki getting skewered in one scene, going to another scene, then her getting skewered again?
Steven `џ´ says:
yeah that was my reaction too, and the song wasn't a violent one, and that scene was like the only violent scene
Amber says:
Well, I'm not a fan of that anime...so normally I don't mind seeing her get scewered, but it did feel out of place.
Steven `џ´ says:
the cuts i didn't find too bothersome
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
Though the Clannad footage really made the video for me. And that one anime with the interesting art style. The others didn't cut it for me.
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
I think what took away from the video was the massive amount of source footage. Cutting back by about 2-4 anime would have made it better IMHO.
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
Haurhi being one of them.
Steven `џ´ says:
yeah there felt a bit too much, but I gotta admit that this is one amv that used anime with diff art styles and it didn't bug me at all
Steven `џ´ says:
there are a lot of videos where I feel that the difference in art damaged the flow, but it didn't feel like that here
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
18 Anime in total.
Amber says:
I really like that they used so many different kinds. With the exception of Haruhi. But, even parts of Haruhi really fit...just not Yuki getting impaled many times.
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
I think that perhaps 12-14 would have been best.
Amber says:
Although, from the words of the song, I understand why those moments were used.
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
What did you guys think about the Tales of Abyss footage.
Ghet says:
hmn, what do we think about it as in?
Steven `џ´ says:
well, what do you mean by 'what do we think'? as in quailty wise?
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
No, as in if it looks goodin the video.
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
I wasn't a huge fan.
Amber says:
I thought it did.
Ghet says:
id have to say that at 0:23 not as much, but in other parts it worked pretty well
Ghet says:
like, the part with the blonde girl
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
Then again, I'm not an overly huge fan of multi-footage. The video just seemed so random at times that it bugged me.
Steven `џ´ says:
I felt it was ok, animation wise it looked a bit different than the rest, but nothing too bad for me
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
Tales of the Abyss was one of those that I though would be better without.
Ghet says:
at some parts the multi footage was waay too blatent, but at some parts it was integrated almost flawlessly
Amber says:
And the clown...don't forget that scary clown.
Ghet says:
it struck me as more of a romance vid than anything (the song that is, the video was just a general drama)
Ghet says:
and the storyline was dull if any
Steven `џ´ says:
and the balcony scene
Ghet says:
the paprika footage really stuck out as something that shouldnt be there
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
Ya know. The video started out really well executed. It just kind of died from the weight of its own footag.e
Millenium Strife says:
A lot of scenes seemed to flow what that video, but yeah, some just stuck out and didn't fit. IE: The clown, Yuki/powned, and such.
Ghet says:
id say mostly because of the song
Ghet says:
he played with different animes too much for the song
Ghet says:
kinda looked to me like a failed attempt at Jihaku
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
Like I've stated before, this would have been a really good video if it had been a lot less anime.
Millenium Strife says:
I personally don't like to use too many anime in a video, and this one did seem to use too many
Ghet says:
chrono: yup, pretty much
Steven `џ´ says:
i also agree that less would have been better
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
But for what it was, it wasn't horrible. It just wasn't ovelry amazing.
Steven `џ´ says:
it starts to feel unbalanced when you see a lot of a couple of them and not much of the rest
Amber says:
I like multi-anime vids a lot, so I'm going to go against the general thought here.
Ghet says:
dont get me wrong, i like multi anime vids
Millenium Strife says:
Don't get me wrong, when done properly, multiple anime videos can be excellent.
Ghet says:
this one just went over the top
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
What really bugged me the most was that the video didn't really ahve a "climax". It just went on and on and eventually ended.
Steven `џ´ says:
I love multi as well (pretty much all i make), but i do agree that this could have done a better job on choice
Steven `џ´ says:
Chrono: that part didn't really bug me, thats why i said it felt like a feel-good for me, and I liked it for that
Ghet says:
it just seemed like some scenes from multiple animes, with some lyric sync when it worked out, with a slow song
Millenium Strife says:
I'm guessing that "Fin" was embedded and not actually created by the editor, or am I not seeing that correctly?
Ghet says:
i didnt see much beyond that
Ghet says:
if your vid needs a "fin" on it, you know its not structured enough
Steven `џ´ says:
well i think it could have just faded out and had the same effect.... i don't really see anything wrong with the 'fin'
Millenium Strife says:
So, I didn't have an real gripe about that, just seemed a bit tacked on. For what it is worth, it seems that the editor started the video with a similar scene.
Steven `џ´ says:
when i first watched it, it felt like that was what he was aiming for, and i thought it was pretty nice the way the majority of it was done to meet that
Steven `џ´ says:
hence, a 'feel-good' video
Millenium Strife says:
While it wasn't part of the video, the ending credits ended with that all-too-familiar scene of that girl being crushed by the train after flipping over the railcrossway guard. I've probably seen that in about 5 random videos I've watched since the beginning of the month.
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
Well, I think we've gone over most of the aspects of the video. Let's all give it a score out of 10, so an average can be found.
Steven `џ´ says:
7.5 from me, the mood and flow of motion syncs wins me over here
Amber says:
Well, I really liked this one a LOT, and I'm tempted to give it a 10. But, for a couple of things (scary clown and whatnot) I'm going to go with an 8.5.
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
7 from me
Millenium Strife says:
Well, based on the overall feel of the video and the flow, except for some iffy scene choices. This person's style slightly reminds me of my own video editing style when I made my first videos. I'll give it a 8/10.
MD/Willie says:
6
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
So about 7.50 average.
Review Score for The Air In My Lungs: 7.50/10.00
Thursday, April 3, 2008
MSN AMV Review #2: Eternal Inferno & Not Pretending
This week's review went off splendidly. Reviewers for this week were: CodeChrono, Amo-Chan and SF_Phoenix. If you wish to be a part of future reviews, please contact me via pm at animemusicvideos.org
or simply e-mail me at: codechrono@gmail.com
Thanks,
CodeChrono
or simply e-mail me at: codechrono@gmail.com
Thanks,
CodeChrono
First Review: Eternal InfernoCodeChrono *Zack* says:
So let's start things off. ^_^ We'll begin with Eternal Inferno.
Steven `џ´ says:
Amber, what's your org username?
Steven `џ´ says:
mine's SF_Phoenix
Amber says:
I'm Amo-chan
Steven `џ´ says:
ok
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
Let's begin talking about the technical aspects of Eternal Inferno, then we'll move on to concept and then followed by editing and special effects and ect.
Steven `џ´ says:
sure
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
Personally, I really didn't find anything overly wrong with the technical aspects. I think some of the fanart pictures were streched a little out of proportion, but that's just a minor nitpikc.
Steven `џ´ says:
by technical stuff, do we talk about choice of scenes and how they synced/ didn't sync stuff too?
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
Actually, technical stuff is more based on video quality, compression and other stuff similarly. AR too. Sync falls under editing I guess.
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
Though I guess we could throw sync in there.
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
It's not there's some strict guideline
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
^_^
Steven `џ´ says:
well, it just depends when we decide to talk about it
Steven `џ´ says:
since I have things to mention about sync, but that can wait
Steven `џ´ says:
I remember there were effects that I found that were a bit cheesy or unnecessary, dunno where that falls under either though =/
Amber says:
Well, I didn't really see anything to complain about, technically. That video was pretty much light years ahead of where I am. XD
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
ACtually, how about we just talk about things we did/didn't like.
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
And Amo, you're vastly improving with every video.
Amber says:
With this video, I was pretty surprised I liked it actually. I'm not much for action-y vids.
Amber says:
But, it kept my attention.
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
Actually, the thing that bugged me without exception was the idiotic pac-man segment. Totally took away from the feeling of the video. Then the stupid guitar riffs.
Amber says:
The pac man part...yeah. I agree.
Steven `џ´ says:
what I liked about this video, besides that it used FSN, was that it gives me a good feel of action, and it matches up with the fast pace of the song for the most part
Amber says:
I kind of liked the guitar part though.
Steven `џ´ says:
he removed the guitar stuff in the new version
Steven `џ´ says:
umm.. well I'm assuming the editor is a 'he'...
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
I agree Pheo. That's what kept my attention for so long. It has such nice action with breaks for the slower parts. And Yea, I liked the new version better, but it still had the retarded pacman.
Amber says:
Pacman seemed just...out of place with the rest of it.
Steven `џ´ says:
lol, well if they like it, then theres nothing we can do. imo it felt lke the naruto lipsync in Unbreakable
Amber says:
Sure, it was fun and cute, but didn't seem to fit
Steven `џ´ says:
yeah, in an action video, comedy doesn't really find its place well
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
When I asked about it in the thread, "he" said that it was due mostly in part to the fact that the guitarist meant it to portray the pacman music at that part.
Amber says:
Well, I can see that. It did sound like pac man
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
But if that was the case, why rip out that audio segment and replace it with a really bad-sound quality segment.
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
Was that actually part of the song?
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
I assumed it was just thown in.
Steven `џ´ says:
hmm that's a good question, I haven't heard the real version of this song, so I can't answer if it was really part of it
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
Blah. Now I'm giong to have to go buy Dragonforce's album (though this song wasn't bad, so it's not like it's a bad thing). Though from my perspective it looked like a audio clip was thrown into the audio timeline when that segment came on, as if to make it more obvious.
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
Straying slightly, whad did you think about the special effects?
Steven `џ´ says:
for the most part, I liked how the effects were used, but some of them didn't match to me in terms of artistic style of the video
Amber says:
I also liked how the effects were used. I'm usually a "less is more" type when it comes to video effects. But, I think if this video hadn't used as many as it did...I wouldn't have been able to watch it.
Amber says:
But, that could also be because I'm not much into too many action videos.
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
The ones I thought were nifty was the flames-based ones. Those actually helped into the concept. I could even go so far as to say that the opening sequence was well intergrated.
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
Some of the others ones looked just a tad too gimicky. For lack of a overly technical term, they looked "Spoily"
Steven `џ´ says:
the thing about the flames though, it bothered me a bit since they felt too realistic compared to the anime, like they felt like real fire, which didn't match too perfectly
Steven `џ´ says:
it was like one or two cases, i can't seem to find them right now =/
Amber says:
Oh...that's what I liked about the flames. XD
Steven `џ´ says:
lol, well everyone has their preferences
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
Though the little explosions of fire I couldn't stand.
Steven `џ´ says:
oh, that's what i meant by flames
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
Like at 1:37
Steven `џ´ says:
yeah, that's the one
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
Ok, now I'm on the same wavelength.
Steven `џ´ says:
if you were mentioning flames around that 0:59 area, those were fit really well, since those flames were from the anime
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
I probably would help if I had actually seen the anime. X_X
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
Another thing that bothered me was the massive use of fanart.
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
I could see it practical in some parts, but towards the end and during the pac man part they just looked awefule and out of place. X_X
Steven `џ´ says:
yeah, i have to agree that the fan art was used too much near the end, and the sync didn't feel as strong there either
Amber says:
I liked the fanart for the most part. But, there was one pic I thought just looked awkward. The one with the girl with pony tails agains the wall all bloody. But, she's sticking her tounge out like she's happy...it just felt out of place. But, the others I liked.
Steven `џ´ says:
that's actually from the anime, its not fan art =
Steven `џ´ says:
=P
Amber says:
Really?
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
Reall?
Steven `џ´ says:
can you give me a timestamp?
Steven `џ´ says:
just so i can be sure
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
2:37
Steven `џ´ says:
yeah thats from the series
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
Wow. Looked like fanart. =O
Steven `џ´ says:
heh, maybe the producers overdid the blood
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
Though there was some really good intergration of fanart though. Like at 3:59 with that big thing and the little girl. I liked that.
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
Thoughafter 4:41, it got trashy, IMO.
Steven `џ´ says:
yeah at 4:41 is where I find the sync is weakest
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
Speaking of sync, let's get on that topic. =O
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
I think this song/anime made a gorgeous combo.
Amber says:
I did too. And I've never seen the anime or heard the song before.
Steven `џ´ says:
yes, that's for certain, the lyric sync is really good
Steven `џ´ says:
the fast paced action matches it well too
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
Ya. The lyric sync nearly made me go *squee*. It's so hard to find good lyric sync these days. What made me really "respect" the video was that they refrained from a seizurific beat sync.
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
Yet still kep the beat sync nice and classy.
Steven `џ´ says:
yeah, definitely, its not a seizurific video
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
That is what makes me hate nearly 90% of action videos.
Amber says:
Which is why I don't watch them usually. XD
Steven `џ´ says:
I have to particularily mention 3:24, I really like how he/she changed the scene to match the change in the beats
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
Yes! I was distracted the first time through with the stupid guitar, yet when the new version came out, it ws really nice.
Amber says:
I really liked the part at uh...3:54 (I think) where the beat changed again.
Steven `џ´ says:
where it slowed down?
Amber says:
Yes
Steven `џ´ says:
yeah, that was pretty good, though the transitiion to it I didn't like too much
Steven `џ´ says:
with the three overlays
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
Ooh. I liked that part too. The littlegirl/giant scene looked really cute, IMO.
Steven `џ´ says:
yeah that scene actually if you have seen the series it really works with the mood
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
Okies, I think that about wraps this video up. What do you guys give it on a score scale of 1-10? For me, it's a nice and solid 7.
Steven `џ´ says:
hmmm, I think I'd give this an 8, I might be biased because I love this series though
Amber says:
Hmm...I'm so bad at scoring things. I think I'd have to go with an 8.
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
So about a 7.75 average?
Steven `џ´ says:
sure, sounds good
Amber says:
yupScore For Eternal Inferno: 7.75/10.00
-------------------------------------------------------------------CodeChrono *Zack* says:
Blah. Typo.
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
;P
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
Let's get your first reactions Phoenix.
Steven `џ´ says:
something i have to make sure first: Ouran is a comedy anime right?
Amber says:
Yep
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
Kind of a mix, IMO.
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
But it's 3/4 comedy.
Amber says:
It's really lighthearted.
Steven `џ´ says:
ah ok
Steven `џ´ says:
well, if you hadn't told me that, i would have truly thought that there were deep emotions in this anime
Steven `џ´ says:
i think thats worth mentioning
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
Those are kind of crammed into the backstories, which usally encompass about the last five minutes of the episode. X_D
Steven `џ´ says:
the mood is also captured pretty nicely
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
I wouldn't be lying if I said I'm pretty sure Amo has the best skill in that regard. Probably more so than at least 75% of the editors I know.
Amber says:
Well, thank you. XD....
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
But!
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
The most crippling aspect of the video, IMO, is that to truely grasp the full effect of the video, you really need to have seen ouran. Plus, I think your concept was REALLY quite broad. I respect your attempt at trying to capture all of the characters, but it could have used a little trimming here and there.
Steven `џ´ says:
I should also mention, that as well as the mood was captured here, it probably isn't something I'd watch often
Steven `џ´ says:
it doesn't 'pull' me in very well
Steven `џ´ says:
it might be because I haven't seen the series though
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
That's my point. I don't think you've seen ouran. If you had, you would be watching this 24/7.
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
It is probably one of the best videos that captures the well hidden emotions of Ouran.
Amber says:
I think, in this case, it really isn't meant to be watched over and over. Cause I think it's depressing as all get out...and it was just a challenge to myself in a lot of respects.
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
In any case, I'd like to move on to editing.
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
Because that's where the heart of this video lies, IMO.
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
Here's my perspective of the video. I felt that the scenes that were chosen were BEAUTIFUL. Howeve,r sometimes you had fades and quick cuts. I really enoyed the fades, though would have liked fades in some places. I also think that the black bar beat sync have better been replaced by something else. It didn't take away from the video, I just probably would have liked something a little more..
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
fitting to the theme.
Amber says:
I was very torn about the piano bars. I know that sometimes, they're a cheesy kind of thing.
Steven `џ´ says:
yes, the bars I would agree that they should have been replaced with something else. The quick cuts didn't bother me so much, since for me this was kind of like an overall nice feel for the video, and the scenes chosen seeme to match that
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
Maybe piano bars with a little light feathering effect on the edges, so it wasn't so sharp.
Amber says:
Except I don't know how to do that XD
Steven `џ´ says:
mmm, for me, I would have prefered if they were replaced with scene changes
Steven `џ´ says:
but of course its always down to each person's preference
Amber says:
That's what the betas said
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
On the whole, they weren't all that bad, I just think that it could have been better.
Steven `џ´ says:
the thing with the bars is that they aren't consistent throughout the video, they're used only a few times and then you forget about them. This way, when you watch it again you go 'oh right there were bars'
Steven `џ´ says:
and since the rest of the video didn't focus on anything like that and just focused on scene selection, i feel that it would have been more effective with scene changes
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
Hmm.. I can see that.
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
Changing pace slightly, I felt that some of the lip flap scenes were a little out of place as well.
Amber says:
me and lip flap=mortal enemies.
Steven `џ´ says:
yeah, I have to agree with that, the flow was a bit broken at times because of those scenes
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
One moment, what editing program do you use?
Amber says:
Me? Vegas.
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
I think Vegas can make motion paths. In that case, just take a still-shot of the character when his mouth is closed, then crop out everything BUT the mouth, then put it over the character's mouth and make a motion path that follows where the character moves.
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
Though it works best when the character doesn't move.
Steven `џ´ says:
you have to be extra careful though, it looks even worse then lip flap if the speeds are different
Steven `џ´ says:
oh and Chrono, if the character doesn't move you can just use a still
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
Blah. Moot point.
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
=P
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
Let's see... I'm not one to usually point out video quality, but I think that the video has nice quality that doesn't take away from the video, yet I will acknoledge that it oculd have been encoded better.
Steven `џ´ says:
yep, quality is decent, but not perfect, so to me its not an issue
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
That's pretty much what I think. In that regard, we can move on to something else.
Amber says:
I was actually pretty unhappy with the quality.
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
Let's see.... I'm not sure what to talk about. Anything you two would like to talk about particularly?
Steven `џ´ says:
i'd like to mention that i like the segment from 4:02 to 4:19
Steven `џ´ says:
I think that was probably one of the most compelling sections of the video for me
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
Agreed. I mean, it ecompasses almost ALL of the most emotional parts of the series.
Amber says:
Oddly enough, that was my favorite part.
Steven `џ´ says:
=)
Steven `џ´ says:
well, i don't think I have anything else to mention about this video, i think it's pretty much all been said
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
Yep. Let's score this baby. I give it 8/10, without a doubt.
Steven `џ´ says:
I'd give this a 7/10, mainly because of the reviewability
Amber says:
Is it even fair for me to score this one XD? But, I think I'd give it a 7 too.
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
In that case, 7.35 average?
Steven `џ´ says:
yeah, sounds good
Amber says:
yup.
CodeChrono *Zack* says:
All righty then, I guess we're done for the night. I'll try and schedule something like this again, hopefully we can get more people next time. =OScore For Not Pretending: 7.35/10.00
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Welcome to my AMV Review Blog. Another attempt at reviewing AMV's (Anime Music Videos), using my own brand of critiquing and knowledge. Reviews will happen randomly and without any set date in mind. This edition's video is Kiarrens's-Ouran Day and Songbird21's Unbreakable. Both videos were announced at AnimeMusicVideos.org this week, and I find them both as a supply of water in a drought of mediocrity and staleness. Both also have deep messages within their videos, and have a powerful emotional effect on viewers.
Review of Ouran Day:
Ouran Day was the winner of the Anime Boston Con Best Romance Category and I can easily see why. The Hauri/Tamaki romance was well portrayed with Vanessa Carlton's Ordinary day melody. The audio and video meld together to create a realm of a fairy-tale romance. The story (to me anyway) portrayed Haurhi as a girl who wanted more out of her life. Instead of her anime character's usual "strong willedness", I was struck with her being seen as the "weak and helpless" girl. The girl that needed a man in her life in order to make everything right (this is definitly evident with the picture of her mother being picked up by Tamaki). I personally liked this Haurhi persona. It makes it even better when she goes after her man, when he plans on leaving with another woman. Then we're back to the overall characterization of Tamki. I couldn't help but feel as though he was also WAY out of his usual character. Instead of his goofy/naiive persona, we're given this elegant and beautiful man whose kindness is like a waterfall continuesly flowing out. This is evident in him picking up Haruhi's wallet, picking up and being kind to the little girl, as well as his extended hand. I couldn't help but see this as a beautiful metaphor. Tamaki always extended his hand to those who needed him, and he always wanted to make everyone happy. I liked that. What made that even better was when Haurhi did the same thing to him at the ending with the horse carrige. Thus, I enjoyed the romantic story. However, we come to the central issue in the plotline. It's very cliche. It fits the Ouran High School Host Club cookie cutter mold. In fact, if I hadn't known any better, it was a lot like a ton of Ouran Videos out there. That's where the analyis of the editing comes in. *smiles* The editing Kiarrens chose was really quite nice. It melded a slow editing styles (for maximum visual effect) with a fast paced editing (for the dramatic flair) style. By combining the two, we have this video that can stand out (granted, a little) among the crowd. However, there was some fault with her scene selection. Kiarrens selected scenes in the romance based on the anime in areas that I felt were out of place. Most noticabley at the end. For a romance-based story, there sure were a lot of characters. I can understand at the beginning with Tamaki and the other characters, as it sets up Tamaki's character profile for the viewer to understand. However, at the end it looked out of place. After the carrige scene, I couldn't quite understand why Haurhi would want to dance with some random guy (Kyoga) when she's just had the most romantic sense of her life. Then again, I guess if you were basing this AMV off of the ouran plot, it would work, but I don't, so it didn't. Another thing that I found slightly aggrivating was the red headed girl. She was introducted into the
AMV so late that I was shocked as to why she was exactly there. I know the AMV had to have a climax, but I would have appriciated a more slowly intergrated plot conflict (like images of Haurhi and the girl having an argrument or the girl making her move on Tamaki). Again, we're stuck with the necessity of knowing the Ouran High School Host Club plot to understand the more intricate details of the overall concept. Moving on to more technical aspects (which I distaste :| ), Kiarrens did a great job with filtering and compressing. MP4 Compression was achieved well, and the video quality was gorgeous. Aspect Ratio was correct, and the audio was also well taken into account. Let's move on to another aspect of the video, shall we? We come to the lip sync intergrated into the video. Normally, I would not have minded, however, the fact that it was TAMAKI doing the lip syncing with a woman's voice as the audio, it buggedm e. Had it been Haruhi, it would have been fine, but I believe the lip sync took away from the overall video. Personally, I love this AMV. When I watched it the first time I got really irked that I'm without a girlfriend. :\ Thanks a lot for that one.
All kidding aside, here is the scores for Ouran Day.
Concept: 8/10 (Two points deducted for plot inconsistances)
Technical: 10/10 (Visually gorgeous)
Editing: 6/10(Two points deducted for scene selection inconsistancy & 2 points for lip sync)
Reaction: 8/10 (Two points deducted for negative reaction in lip sync)
Personal Points: 8/10 (Two points deducted for plot requiring knowledge of anime)
40/50 = 80% B
On to our second video!
Review of Unbreakable
Going through the video once, I had an adrenaline rush that made me want to make a weird Naruto hand sign and go beat the living shit out of something. Or get a demon sword and slice the crap out of some forest. But I digress. The reaction out of the video is enough to make me want to go "squee!". Songbird's selection of muliple sources was brilliant and well executed. To me, this was a brilliant use of many sources that would be considered "overused". Combining the high paced action of these anime, with the high paced beat of the song was a brilliiant combination. Now, I know thta there was a plot intended withtin the video, but to be completely honest, most viewers are going to disregard it. Either because they are assholes and see Naruto and go ewwww, or because they're like me and get caught up in the action of the video and enjoy it simply for its content rather than for it plot and concept. Now, here's where my review is going to head a little south. Ok, we're talking artic south where we all freeze our asses off, but I don't care. Bring a sweater. At the very climax of the video, naruto is rotoscoped and lipsynced. This is the biggest piece of trashy shit that I have seen in a LONG time. Naruto is blurry, and it looks like some kung fu dubbed movie. What's worse is that it covers up Keichi and Belldandy, where some other awesome effect could have been intergrated. We're talking serious failure here, people. I nearly quit watching the video simply because of that! Totally inneffective and annoying. Moving on..... *gets heart rate back down*. Some of the other digital effects were actually quite innovative and well executed. Lens flares at the beginning & color changes with shana foogtage at the end was well done, and well appriciated. Editing itself complimented the digital effects. The action was fast paced during the chorus, and slows down for a more plot-based section during the slower parts. And again, I am going to switch gears and make a total ass out of myself again. While to me it's insignifigant, I'm obliged to point out the fact that the aspect ratio in several of the sections are incorrect (though it doesn't take a damn thing away from the video :P) .
Concept: 8/10 (Two points deducted for plot inconsistances)
Technical: 10/10 (Visually gorgeous)
Editing: 6/10(Two points deducted for scene selection inconsistancy & 2 points for lip sync)
Reaction: 8/10 (Two points deducted for negative reaction in lip sync)
Personal Points: 8/10 (Two points deducted for plot requiring knowledge of anime)
Review of Ouran Day:
Ouran Day was the winner of the Anime Boston Con Best Romance Category and I can easily see why. The Hauri/Tamaki romance was well portrayed with Vanessa Carlton's Ordinary day melody. The audio and video meld together to create a realm of a fairy-tale romance. The story (to me anyway) portrayed Haurhi as a girl who wanted more out of her life. Instead of her anime character's usual "strong willedness", I was struck with her being seen as the "weak and helpless" girl. The girl that needed a man in her life in order to make everything right (this is definitly evident with the picture of her mother being picked up by Tamaki). I personally liked this Haurhi persona. It makes it even better when she goes after her man, when he plans on leaving with another woman. Then we're back to the overall characterization of Tamki. I couldn't help but feel as though he was also WAY out of his usual character. Instead of his goofy/naiive persona, we're given this elegant and beautiful man whose kindness is like a waterfall continuesly flowing out. This is evident in him picking up Haruhi's wallet, picking up and being kind to the little girl, as well as his extended hand. I couldn't help but see this as a beautiful metaphor. Tamaki always extended his hand to those who needed him, and he always wanted to make everyone happy. I liked that. What made that even better was when Haurhi did the same thing to him at the ending with the horse carrige. Thus, I enjoyed the romantic story. However, we come to the central issue in the plotline. It's very cliche. It fits the Ouran High School Host Club cookie cutter mold. In fact, if I hadn't known any better, it was a lot like a ton of Ouran Videos out there. That's where the analyis of the editing comes in. *smiles* The editing Kiarrens chose was really quite nice. It melded a slow editing styles (for maximum visual effect) with a fast paced editing (for the dramatic flair) style. By combining the two, we have this video that can stand out (granted, a little) among the crowd. However, there was some fault with her scene selection. Kiarrens selected scenes in the romance based on the anime in areas that I felt were out of place. Most noticabley at the end. For a romance-based story, there sure were a lot of characters. I can understand at the beginning with Tamaki and the other characters, as it sets up Tamaki's character profile for the viewer to understand. However, at the end it looked out of place. After the carrige scene, I couldn't quite understand why Haurhi would want to dance with some random guy (Kyoga) when she's just had the most romantic sense of her life. Then again, I guess if you were basing this AMV off of the ouran plot, it would work, but I don't, so it didn't. Another thing that I found slightly aggrivating was the red headed girl. She was introducted into the
AMV so late that I was shocked as to why she was exactly there. I know the AMV had to have a climax, but I would have appriciated a more slowly intergrated plot conflict (like images of Haurhi and the girl having an argrument or the girl making her move on Tamaki). Again, we're stuck with the necessity of knowing the Ouran High School Host Club plot to understand the more intricate details of the overall concept. Moving on to more technical aspects (which I distaste :| ), Kiarrens did a great job with filtering and compressing. MP4 Compression was achieved well, and the video quality was gorgeous. Aspect Ratio was correct, and the audio was also well taken into account. Let's move on to another aspect of the video, shall we? We come to the lip sync intergrated into the video. Normally, I would not have minded, however, the fact that it was TAMAKI doing the lip syncing with a woman's voice as the audio, it buggedm e. Had it been Haruhi, it would have been fine, but I believe the lip sync took away from the overall video. Personally, I love this AMV. When I watched it the first time I got really irked that I'm without a girlfriend. :\ Thanks a lot for that one.
All kidding aside, here is the scores for Ouran Day.
Concept: 8/10 (Two points deducted for plot inconsistances)
Technical: 10/10 (Visually gorgeous)
Editing: 6/10(Two points deducted for scene selection inconsistancy & 2 points for lip sync)
Reaction: 8/10 (Two points deducted for negative reaction in lip sync)
Personal Points: 8/10 (Two points deducted for plot requiring knowledge of anime)
40/50 = 80% B
On to our second video!
Review of Unbreakable
Going through the video once, I had an adrenaline rush that made me want to make a weird Naruto hand sign and go beat the living shit out of something. Or get a demon sword and slice the crap out of some forest. But I digress. The reaction out of the video is enough to make me want to go "squee!". Songbird's selection of muliple sources was brilliant and well executed. To me, this was a brilliant use of many sources that would be considered "overused". Combining the high paced action of these anime, with the high paced beat of the song was a brilliiant combination. Now, I know thta there was a plot intended withtin the video, but to be completely honest, most viewers are going to disregard it. Either because they are assholes and see Naruto and go ewwww, or because they're like me and get caught up in the action of the video and enjoy it simply for its content rather than for it plot and concept. Now, here's where my review is going to head a little south. Ok, we're talking artic south where we all freeze our asses off, but I don't care. Bring a sweater. At the very climax of the video, naruto is rotoscoped and lipsynced. This is the biggest piece of trashy shit that I have seen in a LONG time. Naruto is blurry, and it looks like some kung fu dubbed movie. What's worse is that it covers up Keichi and Belldandy, where some other awesome effect could have been intergrated. We're talking serious failure here, people. I nearly quit watching the video simply because of that! Totally inneffective and annoying. Moving on..... *gets heart rate back down*. Some of the other digital effects were actually quite innovative and well executed. Lens flares at the beginning & color changes with shana foogtage at the end was well done, and well appriciated. Editing itself complimented the digital effects. The action was fast paced during the chorus, and slows down for a more plot-based section during the slower parts. And again, I am going to switch gears and make a total ass out of myself again. While to me it's insignifigant, I'm obliged to point out the fact that the aspect ratio in several of the sections are incorrect (though it doesn't take a damn thing away from the video :P) .
Concept: 8/10 (Two points deducted for plot inconsistances)
Technical: 10/10 (Visually gorgeous)
Editing: 6/10(Two points deducted for scene selection inconsistancy & 2 points for lip sync)
Reaction: 8/10 (Two points deducted for negative reaction in lip sync)
Personal Points: 8/10 (Two points deducted for plot requiring knowledge of anime)
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