"From Animash to AMVs: A Journey of Video Editing and Passion"
At the age of 12 in 2014, I stumbled upon a fanmade video on YouTube titled "Animash You'll be in my heart" by Stitchfan08. The video was a beautiful compilation of scenes from Disney and Warner Bros cartoons set to the song by Phil Collins. I was mesmerized and watched it repeatedly, sometimes putting it on loop because I couldn't get enough of it. This sparked my interest in video making and editing.
In 2017, at the age of 15, I began my journey into video making by downloading an app called VivaVideo on my tablet. I started recording myself singing with the song "Something Special" from the Disney series "Elena of Avalor". However, I was too embarrassed to show it to anyone and uploaded it to my YouTube channel called "Taiga Aisaka", named after an anime character. Unfortunately, I didn't receive any likes or comments on my video.
Disappointed, I stopped editing for a year. But in 2020, at the age of 18, I remembered the Animash music video that had inspired me years ago. I started searching for Mickey and Minnie videos on YouTube and downloaded clips to create my own music video. I downloaded an app called Power director and began putting the clips together, adding the song "Love Story" by Taylor Swift. I was thrilled with the result and uploaded it to my new YouTube channel, ‘’Yakkywakkydoty Cartoon AMV’. it was a really weird channel name. To my surprise, it received 23k views and my channel gained 100 subscribers.
Encouraged by my success, I continued making more cartoon music videos in 2020-2021. It was during this time that I started watching an anime series called "Owari no Seraph" and fell in love with the characters Mika and Yuu. I searched for an AMV of them on YouTube and came across an editor named xShadeLynn. Her video was breathtaking, with all kinds of effects and emotions set to the song "Faraway" by Nickelback. I watched it over and over, along with her other videos, and was inspired to start making my own AMVs.
I changed my channel name to ‘’YWDCA-CMV’’ and started making AMVs using the app CapCut. My first anime music video was a mix using the song "Angel with a Shotgun" by The Cab, featuring scenes from "Owari no Seraph", "Hunter x Hunter", and "Charlotte''. It wasn't perfect, but I kept practicing and improving my editing skills. I made more AMVs, including mixes and single anime AMVs.
One day, I discovered MEPs (Multiple Editor Projects) on YouTube and was fascinated by the concept. I watched the first MEP I saw, "Everybody Talks MEP" by Mad Desires Studio, over and over again. I started participating in MEPs and auditioning for studios, but it wasn't easy. Some editors and studio leaders were looking for a specific editing style, and I didn't always fit the bill. But I kept practicing and improving, receiving feedback from other editors to help me grow.
Eventually, I auditioned for a small studio that didn't judge my editing style and was accepted. I started participating in more MEPs and auditioning for other studios, like Yume Sekai, Our Season, Yaoi Vision Studio ect. I received feedbacks on my MEP parts that needs improving so i kept improving. My YouTube channel was now called ‘’Mikai AMVs’’, and I gained more views, likes, and 929 subscribers. and i was really happy to edit alongside other inspiring amv editors.
In conclusion, it was the Animash music video by Stitchfan08 that sparked my interest in video making and editing. From there, I discovered AMVs, MEPs, and the anime editing community. It hasn't always been easy, but I've continued to practice and improve my editing skills, receiving feedback from other editors along the way. I'm grateful for the inspiration that led me on this journey and excited to see where it takes me next.
