Kumoricon 2008 AMV Contest Page - Final Category UP!!

[Prinz Eugen]

Here is the page:

http://www.opusnet.com/guy1656/k2008-amv.htm

Staff are welcome to copy or mirror the contents at this time, only NOTE that the cutoff year for 'Old School' will be discussed here and made FINAL by 31-Mar-2008. All other categories are 'GO' as is.

At the 12-Jan-08 meeting several people suggested a category I haven't tried running in a while: 'OLD SCHOOL.'

Previously 'Old School' was defined with a cutoff date; anime must be from year 19xx or earlier, but the problem with that (at the time we had last considered O/Sc) was that there really wasn't much available on DVD, and unless AMV editors hunted down Beta and LD and VHS players to create source clips, the pickings were quite sparse. Not only that but the resolution of the period (e.g, 352x240 television) ends up looking quite crappy to post-2005 audiences who are pretty much used to 512p resolution and better.

Now, this gang of folks suggested that I define 'Old School' as anime before year-X *or* audio before year-X, and I think that opens up a lot more fun possibilities. So I wrote up a definition covering everything up through the 80's, mostly because they were enthusiastic about the 80's.

I am starting this thread for you all to discuss what you want for 'Old School.' Do you want different cut-off years for anime and music? Personally I think the category will run better as either/or (which does not exclude BOTH) so you can have ancient Gundam from 1979 and new Nightwish, or you can have Zero from Code Geass crooning along to the voice of Frank Sinatra, or anime set to the blues and rags of Eubie Blake.

Or a bunch of mecha trundling through Tokyo to a German Panzer march... Riders galloping to 'Meadowlands' as sung by the Soviet Army Chorus, dancers swingning to Otis Redding or Roy Orbison ... Naru Narusegawa singing with the voice of Edith Piaf <<OUCH!!!>>

Or go the other way and have Demon City Shinjuku set to modern grungy alternative, Astro Boy to the My Chemical Romance, or Uchuu Senkan Yamato set to the OST of 'Master and Commander' or 'Pirates of the Carribean' ...

Your thoughts?

What's a good year for the 'Old School' cutoff?

 

[Pie Row Maniac]

Any anime from the 80s or earlier sounds about right, say 1989 and back, but then I'm a young pup so anything further back that that is 'old school' by my standards I think most editors will understand if their source footage would be considered old school or not if you give them that parameter. And if they were unsure when an anime debuted, they could look up the dates on an anime review site such as Anime Academy or even something like Wikipedia. For instance, something borderline old school such as Sailor Moon wouldn't count as it premiered in 1992.

As for the audio, I say keep it open to songs of all times, keeping the category more open to opportunity for interesting mash-ups. Like Rob Zombie to Astro Boy for instance.

[Prinz Eugen]

As for the audio, I say keep it open to songs of all times, keeping the category more open to opportunity for interesting mash-ups. Like Rob Zombie to Astro Boy for instance.

Yes - definitely. The way the category was suggested to me (and the way I wrote it up) was that it's an EITHER/OR deal. (Both is OK too.) So you can get OLD SCHOOL with the anime while using current music, -OR- you can use any anime at all using OLD SCHOOL music. Or both. Music from 2007/2008 set  to Atro Boy or Speed Racer would be fine. However, so would Lili Marlene or Scott Joplin, or 1850's dixieland band be OK set to, Rosario + Vampire, or Kiddy Grade Maelstrom.

Dose this make sense?

[Pie Row Maniac]

What you're saying makes sense, yes. But I think the category's parameters should apply just to the video material. I mean, would you say Naruto or Bleach set to Led Zeppelin makes it an old school AMV? When I think of an Old School category for an anime music video contest, the first things that come to mind are AMVs using video material like Speed Racer, Gatchaman, Devilman, Cutey Honey, Space Battleship Yamato, Kimba the White Lion, etc. Not Frank Sinatra, Grateful Dead, Electric Light Orchestra, Kingston Trio, Louis Armstrong, or any music artist from before a certain point in time. I'm just saying I would begin watching the category as an audience member expecting old school anime, not old school music. But that doesn't mean old school music can't be used, just that the emphasis is on the video source.

[Prinz Eugen]

I would begin watching the category as an audience member expecting old school anime, not old school music. But that doesn't mean old school music can't be used, just that the emphasis is on the video source.

That's a great idea. Come to think of it, I agree with you. What I wrote above was the way the category was suggested to me, but I think yours is an improvement.

Any rebuttal?