Good comments! Keep 'em coming!
We may try a Drama category this time, but we'll be watching for two factors:
1. Drama AMVs on fan download sites tend to run at least FOUR minutes and some run
five and a half, with even a few pushing SEVEN minutes. Multiply by four to six entries
and that one category can threaten to punch out a quarter of the total running time of
the contest.
2. Because of longer AMVs, and the previous experience that the music in Drama AMVs
tends to be slower, plodding, languid, whatever - past audiences have used that slot as
'the bathroom break,' and we lose 20% of filled seats, or more. It's quite hard to re-fill
a room. I saw this happen the last time a group of judges created a 'Horror' category on
the fly. We had moms with 7-yr olders bolting for the doors.
Those two problems were why, in the string of contests I have run, Drama morphed into
the 'UPBEAT' category: it leaves out the long-drawn out "stem-winders" by hinting that
the music had better NOT be sluggish.
I think I have had women winners in at least the last five or seven years running, with about
half of them being present at the con so I could award the prize in person (Yey!) This past
NewConPDX AMV contest had a woman winner, also present at that con, for a
'Juno' trailer. Great fun.
As far as location of the editors, I believe that there should be absolutely no favoritism shown,
and no discrimination. In the panels I have run, the judges were simply not informed about
who made what entries or where they come from. Subtitles in other languages may be a hint,
but the language of a song may not be conclusive - a French editor may use an Italian song,
but so may some other editor from Kelso, WA. So what?
Next, about the ages of those who end up as judges, we now get into what I feel is a weird kind
of bigotry, in my experience. I solicit judges mostly from Kumoricon staff meetings. I always
invite first, then inquire about personal particulars later, if at all. Therefore I will ask first without
a care for any prospective person's age, religion,orientation, political preferences, dietary concerns,
or whatever.
I have consistently - over 10 years - striven to include a diverse selection of people to come
together as AMV judges. I get a rough idea about who says 'yes' AND are actually likely to show up,
and I then try to recruit in a manner that round things out. That's the one-half of the question
I can control.
But the other half I cannot control is how people react when I invite them to consider participating
as a judge. For every Kumoricon that passes, I get 1 year older, and at this writing I am 52. Also,
I've been on amv.org since 2001. So here lies the other half of the situation: is the typical 19-27
year-older - the person we both feel needs to show up in order to balance off against the late
30-something crowd - open-minded enough to participate in an event when invited by someone
who happens to be 52, and openly socially conservative?
(Remember, if some people get to be openly liberal, then I and any number of other people get
to be openly conservative. Because freedom and tolerance, right?)
On that half of the equation, it's up to them - and if you want to help fix it, then maybe one thing
you might be able to do is encourage people you know who show up at Kumoricon staff to not shy
away from being an AMV judge if asked, even if the asker is someone far afield from their own
political opinions, choice of religion, and age. There is one rule, though: I have to do the asking
first. This is to prevent some organized 3rd party from packing the panel with a pre-established
network of people with an agenda or a pre-selected favorite entry or editor.
One more interesting change: In working with '13Joe' to lead the contest activities this time, this
should add a new recruitment network for judges. Stay tuned!
Warm regards, and thank you very much for your comments.
- G
