I was driving to work earlier today listening to a CD I made for my sister as a Christmas gift. I made her like 15 mixed CDs, I picked one with some of my all-time favorite songs that I haven't listened to in a while.
One song in particular got me thinking. It was Thanks for the Memories - Fallout Boy. A spectacular song, which immediately upon hearing I'd feel the desire to make a video to. It's just one of those songs. What was the first thought that turned me away from it?
"There's already a popular video to it. Fantikerz's."
I thought a while on how it sucks that he's already done it, although I still to this day love his video for it. It means that making another video to it will result in comparison and stuff like that. Yuck.
Then I thought more on the issue about recent RSMVs, which I've almost completely lost interest in lately. At any given week I usually have 5+ new or incomplete RSMVs in my subscription box, and I "maybe" watch one of them. I wanted to figure out why it is that I don't bother watching them.
Personally I'm not a big fan of how effects are being used nowadays for one. They seem completely overdone and overwhelming for any and every song it seems, like it's either GO BIG OR GO HOME! mentality. I've never agreed to that idea. The most popular videos are so far from what the current standards are today, and people still like them. Proof to me of this was when Chaoshero uploaded her Never Take Us Alive RSMV. Simple editing compared to the trend at the time. It was well-timed flashes, good panning and cropping, and emote syncing. That was about it, and it turned out marvelously.
But that alone wasn't the reason. Though I don't like most of the editing, some I still do. The songs + editing work well together. Examples are Blow by Johnnyguttz and Don't Stop by RedNBlue.
So eventually I figured out it was the songs. Good songs with even adequate editing to me have been awesome. I remember the first RSMV I saw of Whispers in the Dark. The editing was nothing special, but I loved the video for the song. I loved Blow Me Away because I knew the song and loved it. I loved Diary of Jane because I knew the song and loved it. I loved Thanks for the Memories because I knew the song and I loved it. I loved Comatose because I knew the song and I loved it.
In MOST of my all-time favorite videos, I knew the song incredibly well before it was made, as did most of the community. And if they didn't, they still fell for the song once they heard it.
So now I realize that more than anything, song choice is still the absolute biggest factor in an RSMV, period.
Here's my example as something of a proof.
Imagine I put a poll up for two different videos I may do. The winning choice is gauranteed a video.
The choices are as follows:
1) Emery - Edge of the World
or
2) Skillet - Whispers in the Dark
Even though Edge of the World is a decent song (though I assume most won't know it), would you not predict Whispers in the Dark would win the vote by a longshot, and probably be eager to see it yourself? I mean it's an amazing song, and even the slight chance that someone might absolutely nail the video for it is worth taking that shot.
Then I got to some video makers that I personally admire, people like AncientTales or Boomertwins. I would absolutely DIE to see them do a video to a song like Thanks for the Memories by Fallout Boy. The new skill editing skills mixed with classic songs we all know and love would be AWESOME, would it not? Sure it's been done before. I DON'T CARE anymore. It'd be a great video, I would be gauranteed to watch it, and unless it's a pure copy of the other, I would probably adore it.
So I put the list up on my channel of songs with something along the lines of old videos now, with old editing standards, that I'd love to see redone in today's age. Some are ones I did. Some are ones that have millions of views. Others are incredibly popular but unfinished. ALL of them are fantastic songs that have been very successful as videos.
Will this make things more interesting and maybe refresh the community or something? Naturally it's hard to tell, since these are just my thoughts. I just know it'll definitely get me interested again, and I have a hunch that others would feel the same.
