I don't think there's anything wrong with not connecting with part - note, part - of an audience. (Because it's always a part. Some people are going to dig what you're doing, and some won't. Way of the world.) That said, I am the disenfranchised, which is why I lurk around vidding rather than AMVs half the time.
If so, what is missing in our current attempts to connect to the audience?
Nothing - see above. Also, I don't get the feeling that most people are trying to connect with us at all. They're showing off the bling. Which is perfectly okay - lots of people love shiny things. The AMV world is built entirely of shiny things. They merely represent two (of many) different approaches to the same medium.
Is it the fact that the song is not connecting? Are the clips moving at too fast a rate? Is it the fact that the vid is too ivory-tower avant-garde-ish? Are the songs too long?
Depends on the video. Generally, though, I often get a feeling of what I think the editor is trying to get across. Telling a story, exploring beautiful imagery (which is what I got from the Hero vid, and probably missed the point by a mile), celebrating the fandom, showcasing the song, whatever. If the technical end isn't up to scratch it can seem like their message is muddled, or is clearer in their heads than it came out in the end, and in those cases I can respect their effort but the end result doesn't grab me.
If the goal is clearer (everything is in line as far as editing goes) but lies along a different angle than I (personally) go for - again, nothing wrong with that - it will be interesting to see but leave me cold. I will nod and say wow, that was nicely done, and remember it if well-made videos come up, but not be personally moved and will probably not watch it more than once or twice. This is the reaction I get from the vast majority of AMVs. Vast majority.
And this is not because they're busy/effectsy/bling-ful. Some of my favorite videos are blingy ("Stop the Rock" comes to mind; it's a brainless dance video stuffed with effects that I love for no apparent reason). It's just that I'm coming from a different angle than they are with regards to the medium. I'm not really here to see the pretty, all by itself. I'm not very visual, and at the end of the day I don't really care about pretty visuals unless there's more context or if it meshes well with the song. (Pretty movement, that catches the reptile brain a little more. But still, there's a reason I'm a reader and not an artist.)
I'm in the wrong fandom, entirely, and I'm aware of this. That's just the reason, not an excuse or an indictment of anyone.
My point, should I have one, is that everyone has a different approach. There is no "failing" to connect with an audience; there is simply connecting with one part of the audience or another. If the question is "how do I connect with the part of the audience that's here for another reason than I am," I'm not sure - I'm not sure that's even a good idea. Tastes vary, that's all. There are thousands of people grooving on the same things you are, and ...not to sound evil, but isn't that enough? Must one be adored by literally everyone on earth to be happy?
Question is: is it possible to vid to both aesthetics simultaneously?
Yes. I'm falling short of examples right now, but when I get home to my collection I can probably think of some. I think it's mostly in vidding that people have this dipolar view, that effects == random and no effects == good. That's completely backwards from what I know. Effects-less videos are worthless in the AMV arena, so much so that they had to create a playpen category for them in their last big poll just so something not full of effects could be recognized.
Also: *should* it be a goal to vid to both aesthetics simultaneously?
I think it's asking for a lot; I don't see why the adoration of thousands isn't enough. ;)
have rambled a lot. But it's a POV pretty much diametrically opposed on every level, so maybe it's worth something because of that.
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If so, what is missing in our current attempts to connect to the audience?
Nothing - see above. Also, I don't get the feeling that most people are trying to connect with us at all. They're showing off the bling. Which is perfectly okay - lots of people love shiny things. The AMV world is built entirely of shiny things. They merely represent two (of many) different approaches to the same medium.
Is it the fact that the song is not connecting? Are the clips moving at too fast a rate? Is it the fact that the vid is too ivory-tower avant-garde-ish? Are the songs too long?
Depends on the video. Generally, though, I often get a feeling of what I think the editor is trying to get across. Telling a story, exploring beautiful imagery (which is what I got from the Hero vid, and probably missed the point by a mile), celebrating the fandom, showcasing the song, whatever. If the technical end isn't up to scratch it can seem like their message is muddled, or is clearer in their heads than it came out in the end, and in those cases I can respect their effort but the end result doesn't grab me.
If the goal is clearer (everything is in line as far as editing goes) but lies along a different angle than I (personally) go for - again, nothing wrong with that - it will be interesting to see but leave me cold. I will nod and say wow, that was nicely done, and remember it if well-made videos come up, but not be personally moved and will probably not watch it more than once or twice. This is the reaction I get from the vast majority of AMVs. Vast majority.
And this is not because they're busy/effectsy/bling-ful. Some of my favorite videos are blingy ("Stop the Rock" comes to mind; it's a brainless dance video stuffed with effects that I love for no apparent reason). It's just that I'm coming from a different angle than they are with regards to the medium. I'm not really here to see the pretty, all by itself. I'm not very visual, and at the end of the day I don't really care about pretty visuals unless there's more context or if it meshes well with the song. (Pretty movement, that catches the reptile brain a little more. But still, there's a reason I'm a reader and not an artist.)
I'm in the wrong fandom, entirely, and I'm aware of this. That's just the reason, not an excuse or an indictment of anyone.
My point, should I have one, is that everyone has a different approach. There is no "failing" to connect with an audience; there is simply connecting with one part of the audience or another. If the question is "how do I connect with the part of the audience that's here for another reason than I am," I'm not sure - I'm not sure that's even a good idea. Tastes vary, that's all. There are thousands of people grooving on the same things you are, and ...not to sound evil, but isn't that enough? Must one be adored by literally everyone on earth to be happy?
Question is: is it possible to vid to both aesthetics simultaneously?
Yes. I'm falling short of examples right now, but when I get home to my collection I can probably think of some. I think it's mostly in vidding that people have this dipolar view, that effects == random and no effects == good. That's completely backwards from what I know. Effects-less videos are worthless in the AMV arena, so much so that they had to create a playpen category for them in their last big poll just so something not full of effects could be recognized.
Also: *should* it be a goal to vid to both aesthetics simultaneously?
I think it's asking for a lot; I don't see why the adoration of thousands isn't enough. ;)
have rambled a lot. But it's a POV pretty much diametrically opposed on every level, so maybe it's worth something because of that.