rogueintellectproductions

The fever dreams of a rogue intellect...

The World can be saved by AMVs!

What is an AMV, or anime music video? Simplest explanation: It's a music video consisting of anime clips set to music. But like Stratego, AMVs are easy to learn, but take a lifetime to master...

I've been making AMVs since February 2004, but I've been interested in them since I attended my first convention in 1997. Back then, you had to go uphill both ways to make an AMV... Wait! It's a reasonable metaphor! When AMVs started hitting the scene in the early 1990s, they were generally made using two VCRs - if you were really far along, you used a laserdisc player and a VCR. Since creators were working with an analog recording device, synching the anime to the music's beat was difficult, and special effects were almost unheard of. Most AMVs from that era were narratives - videos that told a story that went along with the song. Not to say there weren't amazing videos back then; in fact, I prefer to think of myself as an old-school creator, as a tribute to the pioneers such as C-Ko and Mabaroshi.

In the late '90s, computers made editing much, MUCH easier. Starting with the Video Toaster and the Amiga, creators were able to start lipsynching videos, to customize their visual style with special effects, and to create the epileptic seizure-inducing eye candy you see today. Go to AMV.org, and you'll see the community has grown to the tens of thousands. Every convention has an AMV contest, and it's usually the second most popular event, just behind the cosplay.

Below you'll see my oeuvre, starting with Start the Commotion?! and ending with my AMV Hell contributions. Click on the image, and you'll either open the video, or be redirected to the 'Org. If you are redirected to the 'Org, you'll need to be a member to download (which is HIGHLY recommended.)

NEW: Now, to make things even easier, I've converted all my videos into PSP-compatible .mp4 files! You can download them and carry me around with you (I've even included the thumbnails) - OR you may watch them on your PC with VideoLAN, a simple but effective video player that does a pretty good job of converting files, too.

PS: To edit, I use Screenblast (which has been purchased by Sony and added to the Vegas line of video editing software). Adobe Premiere and After Effects are just wa-a-a-ay too arcane for me. I'm always happy to share my expertise or beta test for people, so contact me.

Now, on to the videos! (Click the image to go to the video - if you want to save, right-click the image and Save As.)

Start the Commotion?!


My first AMV. I've always been a huge fan of Excel Saga, and when I saw that last episode of the series, the "forbidden" one, well, I thought it screamed out for an AMV. My early videos are "marked" by the fact that I captured the footage from a DVD player (instead of ripping it from the DVD), so the video quality is a little poor. I've always felt my strength has been my timing - check out the "bouncing erection" scene toward the end of the video. WARNING: SOPHOMORIC SEX HUMOR

Video footage: Excel Saga
Audio source: Start the Commotion - the Wiseguys
File type: PSP MP4, 10.6 MB Thumbnail
AMV Org link

jackass: the hina

jackass: the hina was my attempt at making a "trailer" AMV. Trailers had become hot, with Vic Bond 007's Nod Ya Head! really epitomizing how much fun a trailer could be. Again, this is early on in my career, so the only thing going is the timing. If you get a chance, watch the jackass movie trailer - I tried to match my footage to mirror the trailer.

Video footage: Love Hina
Audio source: jackass:the movie trailer - Paramount Pictures
File type: PSP MP4, 4.6 MB Thumbnail
AMV.Org link

Blatant Travel Commercial


I made this video specifically for the "Commercial" category at ACen 2004. All the footage and the audio have to do with one of the guests at the convention, right down to the Shirt Guy Dom/Megatokyo clip. It's a take on a famous series of travel commercials (any more might spoil the surprise!). This took "Best Commercial" - my first award!

Video footage: Azumanga Daioh, Excel Saga, Noir, Puni Puni Poemi, Read or Die (OVA), Megatokyo (webcomic)
Audio source: Ao - Sid, dialogue - Noir
File type: PSP MP4, 3.3 MB Thumbnail
AMV.Org link

naota's lament


My first serious AMV. I fell in love with the song when I first heard it on the radio, and I wanted to make an AMV to it. I watched FLCL again, and I realized that under the madcap-ness of the series, there was a very powerful, very serious subplot about Naota's coming-of-age. I wanted to explore the disjointed relationship between Haruko, Mamimi and Naoto - something I hadn't seen done in an FLCL video. Oddly enough, I've been told this video comes off as impersonal. Weird. Be warned: the 'Org version is flawed - you may experience interlacing effects. I will remaster this, someday...

Video footage: FLCL
Audio source: Last Train Home - lostprophets
File type: PSP MP4, 17.5 MB Thumbnail
AMV.Org link

Seras' Curse

WARNING - this video is cursed! No, really! During the course of making this video, my mother got a heart condition, my sister's friends were in a bad car accident, and I was in a train accident! It's like the Ring - watch at your own risk! I do like this vid, tho' - it shows a different side of Seras and her attempts to cope with the loss of her humanity. Please forgive the use of Linkin Park.

Video footage: Hellsing
Audio source: Breakin' the Habit - Linkin Park
File type: PSP MP4, 13.4 MB Thumbnail
AMV.Org link

Blatant Public Service Announcement


Yes, a very special Love Hina message for you. Without giving it away, keep your eyes peeled for a subtle dig at a popular anime company, a cameo by a non-anime character, and some awful voice work by yours truly. If I never voice another AMV, it'll be too soon. This won "Best Trailer" at Tekkoshocon 2005.

Video footage: Comic Party, Love Hina, Neon Genesis Evangelion, Puni Puni Poemi, Clerks: Animated Series
Audio source: voiceover - me, The Reggae (instrumental) - Keith Forsey
File type: PSP MP4, 3.7 MB Thumbnail
AMV.Org link

Mother is the Name for God


...on the lips and minds of all children - The Crow. This is yet another attempt to explore a relationship not covered in other AMVs - this time I look at the impact Yui Ikari's death had on Shinji, and to a lesser extent, Gendo. There's not as much footage of Yui as I would have liked, though. I really started to play with effects in this video, creating the scene above and the one just before it - where the passengers on the train are "ghosts". I'm still trying to establish my visual style.

Video footage: Neon Genesis Evangelion, End of Evangelion
Audio source: Name - Goo Goo Dolls
File type: PSP MP4, 18.7 MB Thumbnail
AMV.org link

ADVentures in Translation


An explanation is in order. The title comes from the ADV Manga translation of "Chiyo-suke" as "Chihuahua" - the inspiration of this AMV is really K-Type's excellent video CHIHUAHUA! I wanted to pay tribute, so I looked for footage from Azu that was similar to the Golden Boy footage K-Type used. Oh, and I made sure K-Type saw it before I posted it on the 'Org. Anyway, I picked up "Best Upbeat" at AWA 11 with it.

Video footage: Azumanga Daioh
Audio source: Chihuahua - DJ Bobo
File type: PSP MP4, 12.3 MB Thumbnail
AMV.org link

Kill Excel


What can you say about an AMV that focuses on the ways to kill Miss first-name-Excel, last-name-Excel, other than "Go Menchi!" (Watch it, you'll see.) Yes, I realize that I'm tring to be trendy by making a medley-style vid, but hey, I can pander, too!

Video footage: Excel Saga
Audio source: Battle Without Honor or Humanity - Tomoyasu Hotei, Tetris theme (remix) - ?, Surprise (You're Dead) - Faith No More, Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down) - Nancy Sinatra, Here Comes the Sun - the Beatles, Smack My Bitch Up - Prodigy, Come Sail Away - Eric Cartman, Boom - POD, What a Wonderful World - Louis Armstrong, dialog - Excel Saga
File type: PSP MP4, 11.9 MB Thumbnail
AMV.org link

Deeper


This video is an experiment in style. I aimed for cool, and wound up in panic. The window-in-window really came out well, and I'm going to play around with the effect in the future. I'd like to try rotating window-in-windows, if I could get a program to do it.

Video footage: Cowboy Bebop: Knocking on Heaven's Door
Audio source: Deeper - Jamiroquai
File type: PSP MP4, 14.5 MB Thumbnail
AMV.org link

Des Jouets Oublies (On Forgotten Toys)


Wow, did this one ever bomb. I think it's one of my most touching, most interesting, and best timed pieces, but nobody else seems to like it (well, not among the throngs, anyway - Kate, Bryan, Liam, thanks.) Which is weird, because it came off beautifully on the big screen at Katsu. Anyway, it's a short d/l, so give it a try.

Addendum: It didn't bomb so bad, after all. I picked up Best Instrumental at AWA 12.

Video footage: Love Hina
Audio source: La Redecouverte - Yann Thiersen
File type: PSP MP4, 5.3 MB Thumbnail
AMV.org link

The One With The Alternative Friends Opening


So, this one is a tribute to Daitenzen, the sentai parody group in Excel Saga. The concept is about as basic as you can get - three male characters and three female characters that work and live together. Daitenzen > Friends always. I have a much better description of the video here. The .Org version is an mpeg-2 made for a contest, so beware. I've heard tell it crashes systems, but only those who don't understand that a high bitrate mpeg-2 requires a better computer.

Video footage: Excel Saga
Audio source: (I'll Be) There for You - the Rembrandts
File type: PSP MP4, 3.7 MB Thumbnail
AMV.Org link

Not Another Azumanga Daioh Parody: Death Song Thingie for Sakaki et al.


Another tribute video, this time to VicBond007. You see, he made a serious video using serious footage from a funny anime to serious music: Requiem for Excel. I took it to a new level, making a serio-comic video parodying said serious video using serio-comic footage from a funny anime set to serious music. So I don't actually know if it's funny or not... Anyway, Vic loved it, which was good, because I had the balls to enter it into the contest he coordinates at Anime USA. Or, as I like to say - "Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, parody the least sincere form of imitation."

So, anyway, I got an unannounced prize, which has now become the Golden Lens Flare Award. Oh, we're silly, we are we are.

Video footage: Azumanga Daioh
Audio source: Summer Overture - Clint Mansell
File type: MP4, 10.2 MB
AMV.org link

AMV Hell 3 - Rei's Got the Touch!


My entry for AMV Hell 3:The Motion Picture, a massive multi-editor project (how massive? How 'bout over an hour long, made up of clips no longer than 30 seconds?) Just a little look at Rei's incredible power... You need Xvid to watch this video.

Video footage: End of Evangelion
Audio source: The Touch - Stan Bush
File type: xVid AVI, 720x480, 5.0 MB

AMV Hell 0 - Fell in Love with a Girl!


My entry for AMV Hell 0. AMV Hell 0 is an evil little multi-editor project - like AMV Hell 3, but all hentai clips. Seriously, this clip is tame compared to the rest of the video. I still have nightmares... but you might like it. Xvid required.

Video footage: Puni Puni Poemi
Audio source: Fell in Love with a Girl - the White Stripes
File type: xVid AVI, 640x480, 19.2 MB

AMV Hell CE - Kurosawa's Crazy Karaoke


I will make you HURT! AMV Hell Championship Edition is like a massively multi-editor online editing contest. The song is provided, and editors compete to make the funniest short clip (less than 30 seconds). Somebody thought Hurt would be a challenge - hah! Just see how I butchered it! Xvid required.

Video footage: Azumanga Daioh
Audio source: Hurt - Johnny Cash
File type: xVid AVI, 640x480, 5.1 MB

AMV Hell CE: Flow



This was my second entry for AMV Hell CE. I put it together for the wild card round - it's an idea I've had for a while. It's on the wonders of menstruation, as told by Seras Victoria in Hellsing. There's one scene toward the end of the series in which Seras is bleeding from the gut, but they show the blood gushing down the front of her miniskirt. Stephen Lynch has got a song called "Down to the Old Pub Instead". Two and two later...

I'm so going to hell for this...

Video footage: Hellsing
Audio source: Down to the Old Pub Instead - Stephen Lynch

You are now listening to Last Train Home by Lostprophets.