Kumoricon AMV Contest 2012 Rules up & GO !!!

[Prinz Eugen]

Happy New Year and WE ARE GO!

Here's the new contest rules page for 2012:
http://users.opusnet.com/guy1656/k2012-amv.htm

Category definitions in a next post.
Meanwhile, the Kumoricon webmaster may copy or mirror the above content onto the Kumoricon/Programming/Contests page or elsewhere as is fit.

HERE WE GO!

[Prinz Eugen]

SEVEN AMV CATEGORIES:

    1. INTENSITY Similar to an 'Action' category. A strong and solid audio and visual story engaging the audience with impact, high suspense, and gripping scenes throughout.
    2. INSTRUMENTAL This category is an open format, using any anime and any style of AMV, with the only criterion being that the music contain no discernible lyrics, and no scat or nonsense syllables either.
    Instrumental music may use the human voice as a wordless instrument. Here are two examples:
        Music Sample 1
        Music Sample 2
    3. RETRO Each submission must satisfy BOTH of these conditions below:
        All music and sources must be at least five (5) years old, and
        The sum, in years, of the latest (youngest) video source and audio source must equal AT LEAST 30.
    4. RANDOM AMUSEMENT This is a broader category than Comedy / Parody; it also includes bizarre or off-beat works that con-fuse as well as a-muse.
    5. TRAILERS Includes fake commercials, TV spots, and movie and game trailers. May use actual advertising audio or a fictitious creation in the style of a commercial, trailer, or fake episode opening credits. Serious and intriguing dual-openers will also show in this category. Comedy trailers may get redirected to RANDOM AMUSEMENT.
    6. EFFECTS This is where the high-speed music and flashy stuff meet. Take your Bonine® and buckle in!
    7. NOT WHAT THE ANIME IS ABOUT! A new category for 2012 :-) A project wherein the story seen in the AMV is unrelated or opposite to the story told in the actual anime series. You can include any or all of these:

        Make a romantic couple or relationship that does not exist in the show
        Depict secondary characters as primary driving elements of a new story
        Make a cheerful show come to a tragic or somber ending, or vice-versa
        Rearrange story elements out of their original timeline to create a new plot
        Apply digital effects / composites to create new settings, lighting, mood, and feel*
        Color-swap hair, skin, eyes, clothing and more to depict new and different-looking characters, objects, and settings**
        Composite characters onto a new setting from another show
        Composite a character from a different show with a similar design style to make a new story or relationship

    * Example: Take the 'two kids talking on the school roof' scene and bend over most of the buildings in city backdrop to make it a post-apocalyptic setting?

    ** This can even include adjusting the color of tattoos, a facial mole, other facial markings, earrings, or other jewelry or fashion accessories to match the character's natural skin color so as to erase these things and thereby change the emotional presentation of a character.

    All this and MORE! Composite work should be CONVINCING and of a quality that you will REALLY FOOL the audience into thinking that the source materials are naturally SUPPOSED to be the way YOU depicted them. The objective here is that if people see your AMV *first* without having seen the series and then they watch the actual series afterwards, they get disoriented and confused, as in:
        "Wait, I thought he had this seriously cool girlfriend."
        "Why is everyone wearing the wrong colors?"
        "What - that's her MOM?!?" / "Why is this guy so LAME?" / Etc.

[Sui Fong]

yay! first to post! (prolly the only amv editor trolling the boards so far from kcon)
rules look good! can't wait for the contest this year! i'd like to think my amvs have gotten better and this time i have a shot at making it! mwahahaha!

[Prinz Eugen]

Hi, Hi, Hi! (HI)

HAWAII has checked in!

And we also have some returning contestants from HERE:


Welcome Back!!

[Sui Fong]

so with this http://www.thestarpress.com/article/20120120/BUSINESS/201200322/Popular-file-sharing-website-Megaupload-shut-down going on, have we thought of a plan for entries for the contest yet? or we just gunna see how that plays out?

[Prinz Eugen]

About MegaUpload getting shut down, and also Uploaded.to deciding to disable service to IPs in the USA, there are other services such as Rapidshare, SendSpace, etc. We work with any download links that we don't have to pay membership, or create a login account.

And also, there's still physical mail. At 150MB max per AMV you can fit 4 entries on a CD and mail it for less than a buck.
The mailing address is included in the AMV rules.

<rant> And one other thing - we need to listen to what our politicians say on this issue, and work at any level - even locally - to protect freedom, anonymity, and Fair Use rights for ourselves. Ron Wyden (D-OR) is standing against SOPA. We need to let him know he's right on that.  Find ways to work locally so that the people who offer to represent us are aware of issues important to us. But we also need to 'boo' when they think they have a right to give content holders the right - or even the ability - to somehow 'check in' on people.

That's why I don't have a Kindle or a Nook. I look at the books in my library, and the publishers logos on their spines: those companies have no way to know and no RIGHT to know the contents of my library, and they have no RIGHT to identify any person to whom I lend a book

The same goes for the entertainment we watch on-screen. In the network broadcast era there was a critical disconnect between the broadcasters and the identities and locations of the people watching the TV shows. (Nielsen families with the Nielsen box on their TV set were voluntary agreements to allow monitoring of what shows they watched and when.) We need to preserve that disconnect - when I go to a club to see a band play, they DON'T get to know who I am or get my e-mail address. Similarly, when I watch I show I will *only* do so in a mode where the content providers CANNOT identify me watching the show, when or what time, or if I stop the show and rewind a favorite part. You can do the same.
If it violates your privacy rights, say "NO, I do not elect to receive content in that mode," and spread it around.</rant>

[Prinz Eugen]

Yes! We got an AMV from ROMANIA!
(The *real* Dracula had his *real* castle there...)

So why not celebrate with some of our FAVORITE anime vampires!

[Sui Fong]

have to say, this vampire is my favorite tho:



ps- i have a Romanian friend, and it is an epic language to listen to.

[DarkStar]

About MegaUpload getting shut down, and also Uploaded.to deciding to disable service to IPs in the USA, there are other services such as Rapidshare, SendSpace, etc. We work with any download links that we don't have to pay membership, or create a login account.

I just wanted to add that I frequently use BayFiles. No login required.

[melchizedek]

Yes! We got an AMV from ROMANIA!
(The *real* Dracula had his *real* castle there...)

So why not celebrate with some of our FAVORITE anime vampires!

I'm fairly certain that not all the characters in this picture are vampires.

[Prinz Eugen]

I'm fairly certain that not all the characters in this picture are vampires.

Let's see if I got this right.
I would enjoy it if you correct my assumptions or add other comments.
My criteria included characters who SAY they are vampires even if they are not of the
traditional scary-ass blood sucking types. And let's not get into the 'sparkly' types - REAL vampire characters [imho] are grim, sometimes monsters of the sort that whole villages go after with pitchforks and torches.
So anime vampires are often the cute fun types, rather than the characters portrayed by Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi, or Vincent Price in the classic black-white movie era.
(Although Price started camping thing up in his later years.)

Anyways, here goes, CCW from bottom left:
Mina Tepes, Dance in the Vampire Bund
Whatzzer-face, from Rosario to Vampire Bailed on the show because of pantsu, so I just guessed.
Hazuki, Tsukuyomi Moon Phase
Lillian, Kaibutsu Oujo. Definitely a vampire.
Sui Gin Tou (aka Mercury Lamp) from Rozen Maiden. Described on some Japanese sites as a vampire, but I don't recall her biting anyone. Also I think she's a BJD.
Arcueid Brunsted, Shingetsutan Tsukihime I recall she said she was a vampire, but again she didn't seem to do the blood eating thing.

Your comments?

[melchizedek]

Well I have seen all of Rozen Maiden sui Gin Tou was one of the dolls.  Never heard anyone call her a vampire.  That was my main concern.

And I got Mina mixed up with Lala from to love-ru who is a devil.

Tho I have to admit that one of my favorite animes new has a vampire girl in it.  Shinobu from bakemonogatari.


And there is also vampire ninja sera from kore was zombie desu ka.  That anime is so random, I really like it

[Sui Fong]

so quick question just to clarify what category i'm putting an amv in. if i have an amv with over 100 anime titles in it (yes, this is a true story), and the song fits the qualification of the "retro" category but i have a couple animes that are only like 2-3 yrs old, it still doesn't count as retro, right?

[Prinz Eugen]

i have an amv with over 100 anime titles in it (yes, this is a true story), and the song fits the qualification of the "retro" category but i have a couple animes that are only like 2-3 yrs old, it still doesn't count as retro, right?

We had something like this last year or the year before. The AMV was a tribute Satoshi Kon who had died recently, and some of the clips were more recent than the cut-off. The judges let that AMV pass in that case, because the vast majority of the screen time WAS easily old enough to qualify, and the over-riding rule that the work was ENTERTAINING as is.

So the ENTERTAINING rule (closely related to the Rule of Cool) can over-ride.
Send it in anyways!

If the AMV feels like only a few animes you have which are younger than the limit and that they are like 'cameo appearance' just visiting in a much larger body of retro work, then it's probably likely to get around a strict rule.

Good luck,

- G

[Mitsukai Mizu Amaya]

Alright, a question about audio. I'm playing around with two songs, both by Lady GaGa (Bad Romance and Judas). I really like them for the content and videogames I'm using (Bad Romance for an anime though...) Is there a list somewhere of what's considered 'illicit' words. I know I need to edit Bad Romance (or just find the radio-clean version xD), but Judas is the one I'm concerned about. The song itself is fine, but there's one section in it that I'm not sure if the lyrics are radio-clean or if one of the words is considered 'illicit'. It's kinda hard when figuring out what to take out xD

Here's the verse:

In the most Biblical sense
I am beyond repentance
Fame hooker
Prostitute wench
Vomits her mind
But in the cultural sense
I just speak in future tense
Judas kiss me if offenced
Or wear a condom next time

[Prinz Eugen]

Alright, a question about audio. I'm playing around with two songs, both by Lady GaGa (Bad Romance and Judas). I really like them for the content and videogames I'm using (Bad Romance for an anime though...) Is there a list somewhere of what's considered 'illicit' words.

Here is one example, but it was compiled for e-mail filtering:
http://urbanoalvarez.es/blog/?download=badwords
so it has many variant spellings for certain terms.

Some of these terms are subjective of course, but common sense applies even though the language can be arbitrary at times. The late comedian George Carlin is famous for his Seven Dirty Words, and his routine also points out that you can say "prick your finger" but you cannot say "finger your prick." There's also a type of bird called a tit and you can talk about those birds on the radio all you want. Context REALLY matters ... ;-)

Here's the verse:

In the most Biblical sense
I am beyond repentance
Fame hooker
Prostitute wench
Vomits her mind
But in the cultural sense
I just speak in future tense
Judas kiss me if offenced
Or wear a condom next time

These lyrics themselves are 'radio clean.' We actually got an AMV for a previous contest using this song, and I said PASS, and included it for the judges panel. The panel of that time did not select it, though. Remember, you are trying to ENTERTAIN a diverse audience, and one good strategy is to surprise or otherwise impress them at many turns in your story. This doesn't mean everything has to be all kiddie-sugary; a HORROR style AMV could actually place quite well in a category like Intensity or Instrumental. (Some contests even have Horror as a category.)

But one thing to consider about these and similar lyrics is what happens to the energy in the room if you offend or turn off a portion of the audience. In this specific case you are about to link Christian references ('Biblical,' 'Judas') with prostitution, vomit and contraception. (Gee, offend Catholics much with that last connection?) You will get a slice of audience that will shut down, go silent and politely WAIT until it STOPS. (I dunno, maybe 15%?) On the other hand you may fire up and energize a certain other, hedonistic slice of the audience - there are people who enjoy seeing religious references presented in a degrading way. I will go on a limb here to predict that you would get a small slice of Bible-h8ters fired up, a large swath that really doesn't get into but isn't really sensitive to degrading references of certain religions, but they don't get unduly offended either (the large 'meh' slice) and you will firmly shut down a small, third slice of religious people.

The judges' panel is a mini-slice of audience. If I get 8 people to show up, and two or three get into that quiet, 'just make it go away' mode, then that one probably won't get selected - IF there are enough other AMVs to choose from that get everyone on the panel, or like maybe all but ONE person fired up and interested as a whole group.

Do whatever you want - if the lyrics are strictly clean I will always pass it along to the judges.

[naygo]

Okay, just because I haven't seen it anywhere and I'm not really sure where else I could find it because I've looked through the rules a number of times... What's the Minimum length of videos? I have a video I'm currently working on and I could be at a good stopping point, but I'm not too sure. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[Prinz Eugen]

There is no MINIMUM duration in this contest!

Hey gang - download and enjoy THIS zip file of FOUR AMVs:
http://depositfiles.com/files/hhvy3ojvp

Three are VERY SHORT - but they "hit it and quit it" - they set up the situation, make the joke or the point, and GET OUT.
Years of Drunk: 57 sec
Starbucks Double Grande: 25 sec
Trigun Five Seconds: 12 sec

YES. A TWELVE SECOND AMV.
(And it's actually still pretty funny...)

Last example included is "Fantasmic," which although a little old today, combined Nightwish and Mai Hime into classic AMV magical goodness. BUT - check out the silent pause in the original musical source. It happens at about 2:59. You REALLY could have stopped THERE. The pause and then the reprise of the music gets me feeling like "It's NOT OVER YET?!?"

And that's exactly what you DON'T want - people feeling like they've hit a good STOP point, wanting to get on to the NEXT AMV - we get the point already ... but NO, there's STILL more AMV to go...

...and the rest of the AMV doesn't add all that much to the theme of the AMV, it's just going over ground we've already covered.

Your comments?

[Prinz Eugen]

HUNGARY has said HELLO!




Folk Costumes:

[Italianguy]

hello i'm italian coulod i partecipate?

[fleur_fraise]

Hey, I'm really lost as to the categories. They sound really specific, and the AMV I have doesn't really fit any of them. It's basically a drama/romance AMV, and the only category that seems even somewhat near that is "Intensity" and that specific says "This is not a "Drama/Romance" category!" The anime only aired in 2011 so it's not "Retro", the song has lyrics so it's not "Instrumental", it's not funny so it's not "Random Amusement", it isn't a fake commercial or whatever so it isn't "Trailers", it's not really heavy on transitions or anything so it's not "Effects", and it follows a (technically?) canon relationship so it isn't "Not What The Anime Is About".

[Prinz Eugen]

Hello Italianguy! YES OF COURSE YOU CAN PARTICIPATE!!
I sent you a PM for contact details.
You can also look at the rules page at
http://users.opusnet.com/guy1656/k2012-amv.htm

Bonjour a Fleur_fraise! Please send us the AMVs anyway; the judges will look them over and they may select a category for your works.
If it is not selected for the contest, I can also show them on the AMV Overnighter which happens the following night of the convention from about 10pm over the night until Monday morning dawn...

2 years ago we finished the overnighter at about 4:45am.
Last Year we went until 6:30am.

Show us whatever you've got, and then even if the contest judges don't put it in the contest we can show it at the Overnighter.

Remember - ANYONE can participate!!
(OK - Except ME and also except the judges themselves...)

[Prinz Eugen]

We have 4 AMVs from Bulgaria! (We had a winner from Burgas before.
That city,on the shores of the Bosphorus, is older than the ROMAN EMPIRE.
And people make AMVs there. And wine. And delicious stuffed peppers.)