MEP

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Synonyms:
See also: AMVs, Vidding, Collab, Animash, Non/Disney
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MEP is a fannish term on Youtube and other video sites and stands for a multi-editor project[1]. Instead of just one person editing an AMV (anime music video) or fanvid, a group of AMV editors or vidders work on a single video, usually breaking up parts of the song used inside the video and giving them to the individuals in the group. Then it's up to the individual to editing those sections. Other times they use different songs but with a different editor to each song.

MEPs are similar to collabs, but there are usually more than two people working together to create a single MEP.

MEPs can have several purposes in addition to simply producing a video. They are often given as gifts within the community, allowing many editors to express their appreciation of a fan together in a single work, with each contributing a small part. MEPs may also be organized by an MEP studio as auditions for editors who want to join.

History

The term originated Anime Music Video fandom (hence the use of the term "editor" in the acronym, as opposed to the term "vidder", which is used in vidding fandom). It became popularized through streaming sites like YouTube, where editors would sometimes form multi-editor studios to promote one another's work and make collaboration easier. While modern MEPs are often still the work of a formal studio structure, they are just as frequently developed by a single organizing editor who makes a call for contributions from other editors outside a studio structure.

The concept of studios in AMVs goes back to the 1990s, when individual editors would often choose studio names and release their work under those names. Examples of this practice can still be seen on the site AnimeMusicVideos.Org. Though some collaborations existed at that point, multi-editor studios did not gain in popularity until it became easier to transfer large files online in the early 2000s.

The idea of MEPs has spread to other fan video traditions, through either editor migration (many AMV editors also work with animation from other sources) or a cross-borrowing of ideas now that many different video-making traditions use the same streaming platforms.

Structure

In the 2010s, the most common MEP structure is to divide the work into timestamp sections, such that an individual editor is responsible for a specific, continuous segment of the MEP. These sections are called "parts" or sometimes "tracks". Each part may be anywhere from a few seconds to half a minute or more in length, and a single MEP typically has between half a dozen and twenty-five parts. Parts are often focused on different characters or ships, or even on different canons entirely, tied together by whatever theme or guidelines the organizing editor has chosen.

An MEP typically begins with an editor (sometimes called the "host") making a call for submissions, either from their own account, or internally within a studio. The host sets the guidelines for submissions, and accepts or rejects both signups and submissions. Responding editors usually indicate what they plan to work on (within the limits placed by the host). Backups are often organized in case someone drops out before completing their part.

After the parts are prepared, they are typically given to the host to splice together, add the music, and add an intro and/or outro naming the song artist and the editors. The host is also responsible for dealing with timing and other issues.

Some editors also choose to post their individual parts separately to their own accounts, either before or after the full MEP is released. These individual parts are also sometimes marked as MEPs. To differentiate complete MEPs from these parts, sometimes complete MEPs are marked as "Full MEP".

Effects

MEPs typically incorporate the same types of effects used in single-editor AMVs, though often at a higher rate, and different editors may use different effects in their parts. The use of effects in AMVs is both a historical element of the genre since its inception and a response to frequent and inappropriate DMCA claims submitted via bots or automatic video content matching without humans checking for fair use. Since MEPs involve work from many editors and will be posted to an account generally not owned by an individual editor, there is an even greater pressure on MEP editors to make sure their parts are effects-heavy. It is up to the organizing editor to specify preferred effects, if any, to unify the work visually.

Fanworks Examples

Various Live-Action:

Heroines/Villains

Live-Action/Animation:

Non/Disney:

Animash:

DC Comics/Marvel Comics:

Marvel Comics:

Various Anime:

Single Anime Series:

SSO:

WCUE:

Meta

References

  1. ^ What is a youtube MEP group?. Yahoo! Answers. (Accesed 5 July 2014)
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