Kumoricon 2010 Iron Chef Competition - Discussion!

[Prinz Eugen]

OK Gang, we ha ve about less than ONE WEEK to go till this event KICKS OFF!

xD

Anyways, HERE and now is the place and time for you collective questions & discussion.

Now, since the exhibition of the results will begin Sunday at 9pm, I kinda think that's late enough to open the rules a little, and I want to run something by you - forum members, prospective contestants, and prospective audience members.

Since just last month the Supreme Court pretty much TOSSED* the FCC's so-called 'standards' for decency/obscenity/wash-your-mouth-out-with-soap words** ...

(* News Link )
(**Did anyone ever really do that, or is this an urban legend...?)

... I would like to consider opening up the contest so that entrants can bring in and use their own AUDIO, in addition to any audio provided in the packs. (Especially if there is a 'Secret Ingredient' audio source - which is something that MUST be incorporated into the make-on-the-fly project.)

What do you think?

Only use what's in the packs, or supplement with your own music (and sound effect) libraries?

OR - would that make things too easy and not enough of a fun challenge?

[murder_of_raven]

Ooh! I actually do have a question: I don't have a hotel room and I'm going to need a place where it's cool for me to hang out and jack into an outlet while I work; preferably somewhere on site. Does anybody have any recommendations?

And well, I'm not into the proposed rule change, honestly primarily for personal reasons: I tend to chose audio based on my video and because I don't know what anime I am receiving I can't very well do anything except bring a ton of music, which would be the same as the audio in the pack except I would be familiar with it which sorta seems to defeat the point... I could see it working alright as a like "no more than X-seconds" (where X is maybe 30?) at which point I just probably wouldn't do it.

Oh! And I just want to say I'm super excited to be participating this year :3

[thundercatlord]

Well I'll be borrowing a friend's laptop this year for the competition, rather than bringing my entire desktop. ( too much to carry up and down to the hotel room, lol) so I won't have any of my own music anyway. I'd say keep it a level playing field in terms or audio, it makes things more fair. Maybe allow for stuff like sound fx, or a very limited amount of your own music.

[somanyturtles]

I really don't agree with that for a few reasons. It would be to easy to rip or download some funny but generic audio track, like a funny song or some comedic video game review or a crappy internet meme, and place whatever they get to it. I don't know how many of you saw the Best In Show video from Sakuracon, it was a funny audio track with some shotty editing to it and it easily could of been done with any anime out there. Also if you remember from last year we ruled that TCL couldn't do a voice over with his microphone which would technically fall under "bring your own audio."

However I think that this bring up a good idea for what is legal to use. From my understanding if you compete on Iron Chef there are a few things food wise that you are able to bring, usually expensive things that aren't main elements of your dish and chemicals if you do gastronomy. (Sorry for going super Chef on you but this has a point) For us editors that translates (to me at least) what we should be able to use of our own would be possibly sound effects, generic masks and gifs i.e. arrows, speech/thought bubbles, and the blue screen of death. Something that only enhances a video, not a main element.

The other things you're aloud to bring are hardware tools, like a smoker or a can of freeze spray, something that makes it possible to execute the dish. For us that would be all out computer programs, the AMV app, converters, Vegas/Premier, Paint Shop, or Audacity.

Also another thing I have against the bring your own audio thing it that depending on what kind of music people listen to it can make things easier or harder on people. It would be easy for me to speed up all my clips make them flash and set them to some death metal, while it might be harder for TCL to sync something to his Brittney Spears and Avril Levigne collections.

Last point: Can you make sure ALL the audio works this year?

[Prinz Eugen]

OK, we will stick with the traditional "it's all in the pack" for main sources, plus your computer's ability to create tones, sounds & sound effects, AND you get to bring in your own library of NOISES which do not include speech. You will also be free to google up, download, and include any sound effect noises you may feel you need (these are usually a few seconds logn each.) or you might want to add continuous background noises such as surf, machinery, city traffic, etc.

One example of this is the old comedy movie "Airplane" which, even though it takes place in a jet plane, the movie has classic propeller-engine 'thrum' the whole way through.

Last point: Can you make sure ALL the audio works this year?

Dang but I will sure try. I will also have copies of Audacity with me, because that works with everything I have so far.
I have 4 packs done now, but then I have yet to finish the AMV review clips, (tonight?) then, working on the Eye-Catch contest is next.

...aaaugh...

[murder_of_raven]

...aaaugh...

Haha, feeling that way about the prep-work I still have left for the various stuff I'm doing at Kcon and it sounds like you have significantly more. Good luck!

[Prinz Eugen]

Can you make sure ALL the audio works this year?

JUST NOW compressing the second set of AMV review clips with a special animated tacked onto the end.
(I'm not saying it's GOOD or IMPRESSIVE, only that it took ME a long time to do, plus I work a job that often goes late during weeknights...)

ANYWAYS I re-checked the audio and VLC (VideoLan) on Windows 7, and it can play all the tracks I checked.
I also checked some in Windows Media Player on XP, and again, the ones I checked played OK.
Even if they don't drag-n-drop into your own choice of editing software, you should be able to listen & scan for
what you think might work, decide on music/audio, then pass that subset of tracks through Audacity as a quick cracker.
Most tracks take under 30 sec to open in Audacity, then save as WAV.

I hope this will do for now...

I have FOUR packs and one BACKUP pack and one extra DVD to rip from in case there are issues with any media.
If we need more contingencies I can dip into some of this year's prize DVDs for VOBs, and my current media box for a selection of fansubs.

Let's cross our fingers ...

- GLL