Ah, what the blog was originally intended for. FINALLY we get some real AMV talk. This entry is going to sort of brain-dump an idea I've had for a while now. Out of my other AMVs this one is perhaps the most unique, particularly since this won't be a true AMV but a GMV (game/gaming music video).
This is going to be a long post by the way, so get comfy. Lots of tangents since as fans of SOTC know, there is a lot to explain.
The definition between GMVs and AMVs is a little tricky. Many games have been used in the creation of music videos by fans, though still make it under the title of AMV. Even in contests at anime conventions they allow game footage to be used (as long as the game is Japanese). Many games used were cutscene and story heavy, like Kingdom Hearts. If you've never even heard of Kingdom Hearts, you would never know it to be a game because there are obviously enough cutscenes to create a sensible video. Would that be an AMV or GMV? I don't know, I'm confusing myself. Often when the title is given to a GMV, they have a fair amount of gameplay included or they're using the video to show off the gameplay (often them not being a Japanese game, like Halo).
What does this have to do with my video? Not a lot. I just wanted to go on a bit of a tangent since many of the people reading may not be watchers of GMVs (myself included, but not the point) though perhaps enjoy video games themselves. They are a bit of an interesting thing since they do what most AMV makers don't: Create their own footage.
Of course you're limited by the capabilities of your game's style of gameplay, but think about it this way. When you're playing a video game, you often control where your character goes, their attacks and battles, the camera, and other extra things that your game may have to offer (such as the use of skins or bonus items). While movies and cutscenes use pre-rendered footage, you have the ability to create what you want for your video by recording gameplay. It takes more work and planning, but you can create something potentially interesting.
What does this have to do with my video? A lot. Not only will I be making a GMV, but will be edited what what many consider to be in the top 10 games of the decade, Shadow Of The Colossus for the PS2 and will soon to come to the PS3 (I might just wait for that to come in September, though I don't know if it would be worth it considering it's only an HD port).
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| Buy this game! |
Title: Unholy Ritual (WORKING TITLE!)
Song: "Coma" by Buckethead, POSSIBLY "Hollow Stone" by Agalloch if I could mix it in
Footage: Shadow Of The Colossus (gameplay and cutscenes)
Focus: Plot, Wander
Progress: None, not even recorded. Possibly starting either summer or fall 2011
Beta: None currently
For those that have been living under a rock for the last 5 or 6 years, SOTC is a game focused on a man (Wander) who travels to The Forbidden Land with the body of a dead woman. He speaks with a group of spirits called The Dormin, who say that it MIGHT be possible to revive her if he kills the 16 giant creatures called colossi, though Wander could be harmed as a result. Wander replies with a strong "It doesn't matter" and then you go off on your journey with your pretty pony.
Remember when I said that many people edit to games heavy in story and cutscenes? Well, SOTC has neither. Instead of storytelling through cutscenes, SOTC uses gameplay. You experience every second of Wander's quest. You know what happens because you were there doing it. The player is part of the story itself (which is fairly simple to begin with on the surface), and is part of the reason why the game is so memerable. There are VERY few cutscenes. You get many at the very beginning and end, but that's it other than introductory ones to the colossi. The game uses "subtractive design", which basically means that the game has no side-quests or cities, no unnecessary characters, music (in the overworld), or even a heavily explained story (seriously, almost nothing is canon and is left to fan interpretation). All the fat has been cut to provide a greater focus on what the game DOES offer, such as an expansive lonely land, your friendship with your horse, Agro (a relationship that is hardly touched upon as far as what the cutscenes say. You discover it purely in the subtle interactions), and the intensity of the boss battles. It's a very emotional game with it's high and (agonizing) low points and is the poster child of video games as an art form.
Unfortunately, all of these qualities aren't particularly easy for someone to edit. You have some cutscenes to start with, but they can't last you through a 3+ minute video or else your audience will be bored. I have never seen a good SOTC video that included zero gameplay to fill in the gap. And sadly, the game doesn't have a lot of good GMVs (I'll show a really good one later) with most of them falling into the typical rookie AMV vices (such as having almost no edits, too many effects, a non-complimenting song, and general syncing issues). I personally wouldn't reccomend the game for anyone just starting out editing, since it does require a bit of experience to get the mindset straight and pull off something good. Playing the game religiously paired with heavy research also helps too, more than even watching a movie. Because of the lack of canon explanation, fans have ripped apart every aspect of SOTC to find the kernals of truth scattered across the game itself. Things like what led up to the events, what this woman was to Wander, what The Forbidden Land is, what happened in the ending, etc. It's all really fascinating and is something to keep in mind when editing (even if you can't incorporate it into the video itself).
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| Yes, you chase this behemoth on your horse. Yes, it's fun as hell. |
Again, busting away from the tangents, here are some thoughts about the idea and creation of the video. It will focus on the plot itself. Nothing particularly special there. I was going to shift some focus onto Mono (the woman) out of assumptions that Mono could be the queen from Ico, but my research (ie Google) seems to come to a conclusion that there isn't much support for it and generally dismissed as something unproven or even fanfiction. So that idea was basically scrapped, so I do what I usually do and follow the general plot as "told" by Wander. It will feature every colossus that Wander meets and kills. The song was a difficult choice because it's hard to find a simple somewhat atmospheric instrumental with structure that's under 6 minutes that also fits with the game. I originally chose "Hollow Stone", but chose not to because it was too short and not enough structure for me to memorize certain cues when listening and piecing in my head. It may still be used as an intro, since the song does fit the game. I chose "Coma" instead since even though it's not an instrumental, the lyrics are repeated and sung in a way that seems fitting to the atmosphere of the game. Little (if any) lyric matching will be used (and I can't seem to find anyone sharing their opinions on the meaning of the song since it seems pretty open), so just think of the song in general, mmkay? Effect use will be minimal (maybe some grayscale and blurring and odd mask/cookie cutter, but nothing fancy) because it doesn't seem like a game that boasts minimalism should be particularly effecty.
Aaaand here is what I need you people for. It may seem like I have things figured out, but really I'm sitting here twiddling my analog sticks looking for stuff and asking friends about how to tackle this. This is my FIRST time making and recording a GMV. I'm looking at ways to play with the camera and try to bring out what I can from this game. If anyone has any pointers or cool things I can do, drop me a line here or through my YT. Also, if you've watched any good GMVs I could possibly learn from, that's good too. It could be from any game as long as there's some decent amount of gameplay (since that's the angle I need to learn the most about). Any help/support would be dandy, since my friends are most likely tired of my neurotic tendency to research AMVs before I even pop open Vegas.
And since I promised it, here is a fantastic SOTC video. Perhaps I'll review it someday, but it's basically what I'm aiming at (though I doubt I'll reach it at the level this person has). This video has no real plot outside of the intro, but it has so much mouthwatering eyecandy for fans. Has a nice use of cutscenes and gameplay and fantastic use of the camera. Good audio editing too. It's a simple video, but very effective in showing what SOTC is all about.
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