AMVs and Fanvids
AMVs and fanvids are another head of the hydra that is nerddom. See, here's what we do. We take (usually) pillaged video and pillaged audio and mix them all up for our own amusement. And then if we are very good, we have them screened at conventions, or just toss them onto the waves of the internet to wash up where they will. It's very addicting.
Very.
I started to collect anime videos in about 2001 and started to make them in 2002. I'm not very good, but I quite enjoy it. I started to dabble in live-action fan videos in 2005, though I come up with ideas for those much less often. Now that I have a bunch of them, I've marked the ones that I think are my better work / more accessible / whatever with stars: ***
Your one-stop destination for anime videos on the internet is AnimeMusicVideos.Org. Live-action vidding is much more diffuse, though a good place to start is the vidding community or "vidder" mailing list on Yahoo!.
None of this is for profit, nor is it even in the slightest way official. People have thought that in the past about fanvids, not mine. Those people are amazingly dense. We are fans. We mess around for fun. Some of us even have a sense of humor about ourselves and our incredibly time-consuming and expensive hobbies. Thank you and goodnight.
No streaming on the direct links. Uh, I mean please. Right/control-click, save as.
Live-Action
Sing for Me, Angel of Anarchy (Vid 21, 2006)
Video: V for Vendetta
Audio: Me First and the Gimme Gimmes, "Phantom of the Opera Song"
Spoilers: The whole movie. The graphic novel only if you've read it.
Genre: Action, cracked romance
Summary: I couldn't help it. I had been kicking around a PotO AMV idea, but once I heard of this remake, and then saw the movie... well. Had to be done.
Links: High-quality (13 MB, DivX) / YouTube
Sabotage (Vid 15, 2005)
Video: Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Audio: Beastie Boys, "Sabotage"
Spoilers: Season 6 & 7
Genre: Profile, a little action
Summary: If you are going to attempt to take over Sunnydale, then the world, it helps if you aren't idiots with no internal communication. In other words, this is a Geek Trio vid. My first attempt at live-action vidding, and my first attempt at this music genre.
Links: High-quality (33 MB, DivX) / YouTube
Anime
Chaos Out of Order (Vid 28, 2010)
Video: The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya
Audio: Jonathan Coulton, "Mandelbrot Set"
Genre: Fun/upbeat, character profile
Summary: Haruhi has come to rescue Kyon from his life of drudgery, whether he realizes it or not. A long, tortured, rockin' metaphor about math and friendship.
Links: Org / Non-Org (XviD, 49 MB) / YouTube
Buzz Like a Duck (Vid 27, 2009)
Video: Princess Tutu
Audio: Da Vinci's Notebook, "Jump in the Line"
Genre: Fun
Summary: I hadn't made anything in a while, and I had a new computer, and a recuperation period from the flu... so I whipped up this quick, stupid little confection. Complex psychodrama, character development, and epic themes are nowhere to be found.
Links: Org / Non-Org (XviD, 36 MB) / YouTube
Bootlegs: Two and a Half Minutes of Pure Dynamite (Vid 26, 2009)
Video: Excel Saga, Revolutionary Girl Utena
Audio: Grindhouse Trailer
Genre: Trailer, Action, Comedy
Summary: Grindhouse is a double-feature homage to bad '70s exploitation movies, complete with fake scratches and dust, missing reels, and burning film, along with zombies, car chases, and a stripper (errr, go-go dancer) with a machine gun prosthesis. Jay and I each took one of the films (Planet Terror for him, Death Proof for me) and crafted this homage to bad '70s exploitation movies and shady anime bootlegs of days gone by. WARNING: Intentionally bad video quality ahead. Do you know what happens when you copy and recopy a VHS tape? No? Sit down, youngster.
Links: Org / Non-Org (XviD, 54 MB) / YouTube
Sugar and Spice (Vid 25, 2009)
Video: Fruits Basket
Audio: Green Day, "King for a Day"
Genre: Fun
Summary: Ayame, Momiji, Ritsu, and a Cast of Not Quite Thousands flail around, commit random violence, and be fabulous. And I manage to shoehorn in more Kuromae Miné than one would have thought possible. Mysteriously, I've never made a Fruits Basket AMV. And just as mysteriously, nobody on the org has used this song for it before. Perhaps it's... too obvious. This one took a while not because it was particularly complicated, but just because it took a back seat to other projects a few times.
Links: Org / Non-Org (XviD)
The Most Exciting Thing, Ever, In the Entire Universe (Vid 24, 2008)
Video: .hack//Liminality, Ai Yori Aoshi, Azumanga Daioh, Cowboy Bebop, Descendants of Darkness, Fruits Basket, Fullmetal Alchemist, Genshiken, Gravitation, Happy Lesson, His and Her Circumstances (Kare Kano), Kaleido Star, Kujibiki Unbalance, Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi, Neon Genesis Evangelion, Petite Princess Yucie, Piano, Princess Nine, Princess Tutu, ROD the TV, Serial Experiments Lain, Tenchi Muyo OVA, Voices of a Distant Star, Wandaba Style, Wedding Peach
Audio: E.S. Posthumus, "Pompeii"
Genre: Humor
Summary: The right music makes anything dramatic.
And I mean anything.
I worked on this sucker for almost two years, gathering clips in late 2006 through 2007 and putting it together in 2008. Why did I spend two years making a video in which people brush their teeth and do math problems on beat? Because I could.
Links: Org / Non-Org (XviD, same encode as the org) / YouTube
Chick Lit (Vid 23, 2007) - co-edited with The 13th Man
Video: ROD (Read or Die), ROD the TV
Audio: Moxy Früvous, "My Baby Loves a Bunch of Authors"
Genre: Fun
Summary: Okay, we had to be even more femslashtastic than the Read or Dream manga, but it works, seriously. I've been wanting to make this video ever since I heard the song.
Links: Org / Non-Org / YouTube
Screenings: This video played at Tsubasacon 2007. It's even more intimidating when there are only 5 contestants, and they and all of their friends are the only other people in the room during the contest. Whew. But I guess somebody out there liked it, because we won a giant box of Pocky and the first DVD of Beck.
In the Sun (Vid 22, 2006)
Video: Piano (a.k.a. Piano: The Melody of a Young Girl's Heart)
Audio: Badly Drawn Boy, "Four Leaf Clover"
Genre: WAFF / Sentimental
Summary: There are very few Piano videos, which I consider a challenge. The line that kept coming to mind was: "Those who bring sunshine to the lives of others cannot keep it from themselves." - James M. Barrie
Links: Org / Non-Org
Screenings: This video also played at Tsubasacon 2007, as an anonymous expo entry. I'm fine with that; it's so syrupy that I was kind of embarrassed. Heh.
Back to Light (Vid 20, 2006)
Video: Voices of a Distant Star
Audio: System S.F. feat. Anna, "Look to the Sky (True Color Mix)"
Genre: Romance/drama
Summary: Not my best work, but I wanted to try out a weird concept.
Links: Org
The Prince and the Kappa (Vid 19, 2006) ***
Video: Revolutionary Girl Utena and Saiyuki
Audio: Moxy Früvous, "King of Spain"
Genre: Funfunfun, crossover (sort of)
Summary: Kiryuu Touga and Sha Gojyo are the Prince and the Pauper. Quite silly. Oddly, this is my second Touga-centered video, and he's not even my favorite. He's just fun to make fun of, I guess.
Links: Org / Non-Org / YouTube
Screenings: This video made it to the finals of Tekkoshocon's AMV contest in 2007 (under Comedy) and won judges' awards for "Best Execution of Concept" and "Judges' Best in Show." Or "-of Show." I can never keep those straight.
Papaduwa Papapalapa (Vid 18, 2006)
Video: Magical Play
Audio: Captain Jack, "Dancing Pompokolin (Captain's Eurasia Hyper Mix)"
Genre: Fast, Chirpy Nonsense (tm)
Summary: Random silliness. I thought the two went well together.
Links: Org / Non-Org / YouTube
We Believe (Vid 17, 2006)
Video: Kaleido Star
Audio: Duran Duran, "What Happens Tomorrow"
Spoilers: First series, till ep 22 or so, nothing major
Genre: Moody-to-uplifting drama
Summary: Hold onto your dreams, la la la, pretty acrobatics, friends are good.
Links: Org
Not Breaking the Habit (Vid 16, 2005)
Video: Gravitation
Audio: Hair Original Motion Picture Soundtrack, "Air"
Genre: Romance. I mean nonsense.
Summary: Yuki does what Yuki does best, besides angst. Very short, very pointless video whipped up to amuse myself.
Links: Org
REM Sleep Track 15: The Great Beyond (Vid 14.5, 2005)
Video: Revolutionary Girl Utena
Audio: REM, "The Great Beyond"
Genre: Uplifting drama
Summary: Dreams, wishes and castles in the air. This was a part of a multi-editor project based on a long mix of REM songs, and essentially a condensed version of a video that I had been thinking about making for a long time.
Links: Org (this piece) / Org (whole REM Sleep project)
Like Me (Vid 14, 2004)
Video: Azumanga Daioh
Audio: The Smiths, "How Soon Is Now?"
Genre: Moody-to-uplifting profile
Summary: Sakaki's teenage angst. I had a morbid curiosity about wringing a serious video out of a very unserious show, and this was the result: the world's premier alienation anthem combined with the mopiest character on the show. Somehow, I think it works.
Links: Org
The Acceptance Speech (Vid 13, 2004) *** (non-org encode only)
Video: Gravitation
Audio: Avenue Q Original Broadway Recording, "If You Were Gay"
Genre: Fun. Comedy, I suppose.
Summary: Ryuichi has no problem with that. No problem at all.
Links: Org / Non-Org (this encode is better, in my opinion) / YouTube
Screenings: Semi-finalist for Best Comedy in animemusicvideos.org's 2005 Viewer's Choice Awards. Has never screened at a con, because I couldn't get the encoding to work right (and I didn't have much confidence in it, anyway).
Danse Macabre (Vid 12, 2004) ***
Video: Descendants of Darkness (Yami no Matsuei)
Audio: Vanessa-Mae, "Contradanza"
Spoilers: First two arcs, albeit shuffled around a bit
Genre: Recruiter, action/drama
Summary: WATCH THIS SHOW NOW. That's the summary. Actually, I wanted to try an instrumental video, with a "recruiter" style as a distant second. This is just what came to mind once I thought to use the song.
Links: Org / Non-Org / YouTube
Screenings: Unbeknownst to me, it showed up in an Instrumental panel at Vividcon 2005, though I have no idea why. Live-action vidders like Yami no Matsuei, and maybe there weren't enough instrumental YnM videos? I got nothin'.
My Own True Love (Vid 11, 2004) *** (not great, but accessible)
Video: Revolutionary Girl Utena
Audio: Barenaked Ladies, "It's Only Me (The Wizard of Magicland)"
Genre: Facetious character profile, fun
Summary: Kiryuu Touga is a man deeply in love. Deeply, powerfully, desperately in love. With himself.
Links: Org / Non-Org
The Clouded Heart (Vid 10, 2004)
Video: Revolutionary Girl Utena
Audio: P.M. Dawn, "Looking Through Patient Eyes"
Spoilers: Juri's subplot, though it's buried in AU-ish WTFness
Genre: AU/constructed reality, romance/drama
Summary: I wondered how Juri might have turned out if Shiori were slightly less evil, which led to this fairly AU, mundane-style twist-around of the Juri-Shiori-Ruka subplot. It's a bittersweet love story that didn't actually exist. But it was kind of a fun experiment.
Links: Org
Divergence (My World) (Vid 9, 2003)
Video: Trigun
Audio: Moxy Früvous, "River Valley"
Spoilers: Whole series
Genre: Profile/drama
Summary: Two children grew up to try to kill each other over the same dream. I think three people on earth liked this video, including me, but I'm glad I tried it anyway.
Links: Org
Animix Track 129: Fire (Vid 8.5, 2003)
Video: Descendants of Darkness (Yami no Matsuei)
Audio: Activate, "To the Beat of the Drum" / Scooter, "Fire"
Genre: Extreme shortness. Dance, I suppose.
Summary: I had YnM on file from my previous video. I signed up for a multi-editor project. Enter trainwreck! Okay, so parts of this were fun.
Links: Org (that section of the project)
Life in Death (Vid 8, 2003) ***
Video: Descendants of Darkness (Yami no Matsuei)
Audio: Annie Lennox, "Don't Let It Bring You Down"
Spoilers: Whole series
Genre: Drama/romance
Summary: Find a little sweetness where you can. I think this one aged particularly well.
Links: Org / Non-Org
Dance of Wind and Rain (Vid 7, 2003)
Video: Revolutionary Girl Utena: the Movie
Audio: Duran Duran, "Breath After Breath"
Summary: I was tired of trying too hard and decided to relax a bit with a swoopy AU-ish finding-one's-true-self love story.
Links: Org
Imaginary World (Vid 6, 2003)
Video: Revolutionary Girl Utena
Audio: REM, "World Leader Pretend"
Spoilers: episodes 22 & 23
Genre: Profile
Summary: A profile of Mikage/Nemuro. Because I couldn't find any others out there. I still wish someone would attempt another. It's hard, since he has so little screen time and most of it is static, but I feel weird being the only lunatic Mikage fan in AMV-land. Oh well.
Links: Org / Non-Org
Like a Burning Star (Vid 5, 2003)
Video: Revolutionary Girl Utena
Audio: U2, "The Fly"
Spoilers: episodes 13-21
Genre: Profile, a bit of action
Summary: All six Black Rose Duelists at once. Poor deluded suckers.
Links: Org (There is a much smaller - and better - encode of this which I made after uploading that copy. Unfortunately.) / YouTube
Fate and Frustration (Vid 4, 2002)
Video: Star Ocean EX
Audio: Morrissey, "Disappointed"
Genre: Profile
Summary: An Ashton profile. Not very good. Someday it might be fun to remaster it now that SOEX is out on DVD here, but not yet.
Links: None.
I Always Cheered for the Villains (Vid 3, 2002)
Video: Final Fantasy V, VI, VII, VIII, and IX
Audio: Depeche Mode, "The Dead of Night"
Genre: Hooray for Evil
Summary: It was the song. I had to do it. A very early vid, and it shows, but it was still quite fun.
Links: None.
One Psychological Drama After Another... (Vid 2, 2002)
Video: Final Fantasy VIII
Audio: Erasure, "Drama!"
Genre: Newbie-brand random, fun
Summary: A little affectionate jabbing at the angstiest FF to date. Made far too fast far too early and full of problems, but it was a learning experience and kind of fun anyway.
Links: None.
Sea of Stars (Vid 1, 2002)
Video: Star Ocean: The Second Story
Audio: Morcheeba, "The Sea"
Genre: Trippy
Summary: I love moving cameras. Even in CG. This is slow, woozy, and almost all landscapes. I kept messing with it for the first year after it was done, since it seemed to have a little promise, but it's still old and a bit creaky. I still love moving cameras, though.
Links: None.
Extras
Not full-blown videos, just screwing around. Links are down for the moment; I have enough to worry about with the real ones.
Budget Constraints (a.k.a. Besides, It's Difficult To Get a Driver's License When You've Been Legally Dead for 70 Years) (19 MB, almost a full video; it just sucks) Not a real video but a jokey, too-late-at-night pile of clips borne from an odd train of thought. While I was working on another YnM video (Danse Macabre), I thought that "There Is a Light That Never Goes Out" would be nice to attempt a Tsuzuki/Hisoka video with. Then I realized that there are no cars in this series. Ever. Hence, this.
Dry Vikings: While watching Trigun my sister used to say that the ending theme's opening reminded her of "Immigrant Song." That stuck in my brain until I made this out of revenge. A non-AMV, of sorts, unchanged video/audio barely stuck together with wads of gum.
You Say You Want a Revolution...: A reverse AMV, unchanged video (the Revolutionary Girl Utena opening sequence) and mangled audio. In the same vein as the previous one.