On the Subject of AMVs

I make AMVs, and like watching those made by other people. However, a lot of AMVs make mistakes that prevent me from enjoying them. What can creators do to make their AMVs better? Below is a list of suggestions for creating a good AMV.

Ojamajo_LimePie's Guide to Good AMVs

Rule 1: Clean Source Footage (aka "I can't stop reading the subs at the bottom!")
You want your video source to be as clean as possible; fansubs just won't cut it. Subtitles on the bottom of the screen distract the viewer, not to mention that they look sloppy. The best option is to rip footage directly from the commercial DVD. If the anime is available your country, you have no excuse not to do this. Even if you don't own the series, you can rent the discs and rip from them. For newer shows or those that don't have a local release, search for raws to download. As a last resort, crop the subtitles out of fansub footage (make sure all footage is cropped by the same amount, see Rule 4.)

Rule 2: Originality (aka "No, I don't want to see your Advent Children 'My Immortal' AMV.")
It gets boring when every AMV seems to use the same anime/music combination. Viewers will pass over an AMV if the idea has already been done to death. However, if you do want to use an anime/music combo that's been done before, make sure it has something special to offer that the other AMVs of its type don't.

Rule 3: Diversity (aka "Don't use 'Moonlight Densetsu' for a Sailormoon AMV.")
Using a song from the same series as the video footage is boring. Some also see it as a sign of a 'newbie'. Mix it up a little.

Rule 4: Aspect Ratio (aka "Is this supposed to be 16:9 or 4:3?")
Keep the same aspect ratio (widescreen vs. fullscreen) and video size throughout the whole AMV. When using source materials that have both, decide on one aspect ratio and crop the video that has uses the other ratio (top and bottom for widescreen, sides for fullscreen.) Don't just resize the video; it looks bad when stretched, and even worse when squashed. Make sure that the width and height of all your clips match before creating the AMV.

Rule 5: Synch (aka "That clip is there, why?")
Synching footage to music is what AMVs are all about. There are two kinds of synch: beat synch and lyric synch. Beat synch is timing the footage to the musical cues of the song; lyric synch is matching what's going on in the video with the lyrics of the song. AMVs don't necessarily need lyric synch, but beat synch is important. Don't just throw in clips with no regard to timing; make sure they match the music.

Rule 6: Editing Programs (aka "Windows Movie Maker is the Devil!")
The title pretty much sums it up. There are much better editors out there (both free ones and those that cost money.)

For more indepth AMV-related information, visit AnimeMusicVideos.org