Vocaloid Fanmade Promotion Video

VOCALOID Fanmade Promotion Video, also known as Fanmade PV, is the phrase used within the VOCALOID community to describe a video set to music featuring a VOCALOID.

PVs are commonly seen on video-sharing sites such as niconico and, sometimes, YouTube.

Concept

Promotional videos can range from animated shorts, typography, live-action films, and drawn images set to music. These concepts are to show support for the original song and those who produced them and are regarded derivations of the originals just like fan fiction..

In the Japanese community, PVs are often made with authorization or commission of the original creator and/or groups. And it is not uncommon for groups, or circles, to include a illustrator or video maker to help. This is due to the more organized and professional level of the overall VOCALOID producer scene in Japan as many are indie, amateur or otherwise student musicians. The illustrator and animator scene is often absence from overseas fandom. Illustrators or animators of PVS are often paid or receive royalties from their works.

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Advantages

Fanmade PVs can result in making the original works more attractive and memorable due to their renderings and arts, which in turn brings in more support from a fresh audience. There are some songs that have become famous for their PVs alone and are often associated with them. Their status can reach a point that fan-artworks, cosplays, and merchandise will be based around them. Additional support by the websites such as KARENT and piapro, boosted a number of PVs leading to figurines and video game modules being released.

The most viewed PV on nico is "3DみくみくPV♪ (3D Miku Miku PV♪)", which accompanies "みくみくにしてあげる♪ (Miku Miku ni Shite Ageru♪)" featuring Hatsune Miku.　

Below is an example of how an original PV has lead to multiple types of tie-in promotions:

Artwork for 千本桜 (Senbonzakura) which is featured in its PV

A Dollfie Dream doll based on the PMV

From the video game Hatsune Miku -Project DIVA- f

Good Smile Company figurine

Disadvantages

Black★Rock Shooter has been misunderstood as being a derivative of Hatsune Miku.

While Fanmade PVs can make the original works more popular, it must be noted that these concepts are subject to self-interpretations thus it may not be faithful to the author's original intent. This can include insertions of plots and settings that were unspecified or never present in the original. Songs like "ブラック★ロックシューター (Black★Rock Shooter)", "Corruption Garden" and "Secret" have featured characters that have been mistaken for the VOCALOID singer even when they are their own separate character.

Some popular PVs have been the center of arguments among fans who will use one interpretation over another to explain the "true" meaning of a song. One such example is "Secret", whose title, music, lyrics and infamous PMV do not match each other. The work was a plagiarization and its title referred to its hidden status as an upload on the then Nico Nico Douga website. In addition the song's meaning has never been stated so listeners often tried to make guesses about the meaning of the overall work due to the infamous PMV associated with it, thus these misinterpretations greatly influenced the community, even though the PMV has nothing to do with the song itself.