Patch Notes

Anime/Game Music Videos by TheWickedOne

Anime/Game Music Videos. For the sake of simplicity, let’s just call them AMVs. Got it? Okay, let’s roll. Also: I know I’m going to ruffle a lot of feathers with this.

Quick introduction; AMVs are made by fans, taking clips from anime or games, and setting them to music, making them a music video. Dun dun dunn. There are good ones. There are bad ones. And there are the ones that just plain suck.  You can pretty much write out any AMV as being good if it contains Kingdom Hearts, emo music or Linkin Park.

If you’re going to make an anime music video, make sure you’ve got a decent editing program and not just Windows Movie Maker. I’m seeing AMVs around these days that are just compiled of 30-second clips, put together to fit the length of the song. They are horrible.

Fitting a song with a cool scene from the game doesn’t make it good.  Putting an emo or Linkin Park song to the Angeal/Genesis/Sephiroth fight makes little to no sense, especially because the fight itself isn’t an emotional piece. It’s all eye-candy and plot exposition once Genesis finishes reciting Loveless.

So choose a song, that you may not like as much as the one you want, that actually fits. I’m going to use an example of an AMV I’ve wanted to make for a long time; Manowar’s Heart of Steel set to Fullmetal Alchemist. Do you know why? Because it’s a good song that fits the material at hand. Not my favourite but it works. I’d make it myself but I’m a shitty editor.

Now for clips. Choosing popular fight scenes and putting them to a fast-paced song doesn’t help at all. If that’s your aim then try for something that syncs up.  Also try to keep it to music that suits the series. Having thrash with say, Naruto, is retarded.

If you’re going to make a music video, make it good. Take the time to edit it well and choose a song that fits the material you’re using, otherwise nobody except emo kids and morons will think it’s any good. Taking flashy, overused scenes that everybody else in the world uses, and putting them to some overly popular, shitty song, does not make a good anime music video.

Taking a great song, whether it be powerful or emotional, and then getting material, particularly notable and memorable scenes that fit the song, is what makes a great AMV.

-Mike

4 Comments so far
Leave a comment