AMV Contest Question!

[VampireFangs103]

Alright guys. >.> I hope this is in the right category. Anyways, this is the first year I'm going to enter the AMV contest. I have the AMV all planned out, and it's going to be amazing. However, I have one problem. The rules say the limit is 4 min. 40 seconds. Well the song I want to use is about 4 min. 48 seconds. Will that be let slide, or will it not even be considered since it's eight seconds over the time limit? D:

[VampireFangs103]

Dost nobody have an answer for me? ;.;

[Prinz Eugen]

Well, I'll tell you what I have seen in the past few years:

One entry was 4min 43sec, and the judges' panel said "Close enough."

The other one that made it (during another year, with a different collection of judges) was MUCH longer, but in the panel's opinion the creator did indeed hold the audience attention for the entire span. It was a game-character trailer style with four main combatant characters, each with a kind of 'familiar' from an alternate, combat-based plane, and then an overview of some of the major bad guys and bosses they had to knock over in the game. So the creator introduces eight characters, illustrated the unique boosts that each character gets when fighting tag-team with his familiar or spirit-warrior aide, and wham/bash/flash/flame/boom/Ki-Aiiiiiiiii/KA-BANG! End titles. Golden AMV.

Why they said this worked was:

- the series was new and not well known at the time. New, fresh faces and costuming!
- the combat scenes showed unusual manoeuvres, weapons effects, spells etc,
- the music was up-tempo, energetic, and often powerful and positive in feeling. No cuss words or tiresome, ear-grating singing styles. Nothing about the music or the message of the AMV would disengage or offend any discernible slice of audience. That said, the audience loves a good thrill, and so 'menacing' can also be exciting.
- one judge's quote "Even 5 minutes in we felt like only two minutes had elapsed. This was exciting the whole way through.

So, yes anything you send to the next year's judges' panel WILL get submitted - even if it's long.

But if you want to cut things down, try using an audio editor program and snip out one exact verse in the song. Usually a middle verse can go and no one will notice. Otherwise, you should be sure you are using ALL stanzas WELL - fitting the lyrics to the scenes we are seeing.

PS I am privately working on a project to Gordon Lightfoot's "Wreck of the Edmond Fitzgerald" and have cut down 6min 36 sec to under 4 min so far, by cutting and matching lyrics and phrases. In my first AMV I trimmed about 8 minutes of movie dialogue down to a 4min 40sec work. It took second place in the contest I submitted.

Anyways GLAD TO SEE you say it's gonna be AMAZING - good luck to you and MAKE IT ROCK!

[thundercatlord]

Well, I'll tell you what I have seen in the past few years:

One entry was 4min 43sec, and the judges' panel said "Close enough."

The other one that made it (during another year, with a different collection of judges) was MUCH longer, but in the panel's opinion the creator did indeed hold the audience attention for the entire span. It was a game-character trailer style with four main combatant characters, each with a kind of 'familiar' from an alternate, combat-based plane, and then an overview of some of the major bad guys and bosses they had to knock over in the game. So the creator introduces eight characters, illustrated the unique boosts that each character gets when fighting tag-team with his familiar or spirit-warrior aide, and wham/bash/flash/flame/boom/Ki-Aiiiiiiiii/KA-BANG! End titles. Golden AMV.

Why they said this worked was:

- the series was new and not well known at the time. New, fresh faces and costuming!
- the combat scenes showed unusual manoeuvres, weapons effects, spells etc,
- the music was up-tempo, energetic, and often powerful and positive in feeling. No cuss words or tiresome, ear-grating singing styles. Nothing about the music or the message of the AMV would disengage or offend any discernible slice of audience. That said, the audience loves a good thrill, and so 'menacing' can also be exciting.
- one judge's quote "Even 5 minutes in we felt like only two minutes had elapsed. This was exciting the whole way through.

So, yes anything you send to the next year's judges' panel WILL get submitted - even if it's long.

But if you want to cut things down, try using an audio editor program and snip out one exact verse in the song. Usually a middle verse can go and no one will notice. Otherwise, you should be sure you are using ALL stanzas WELL - fitting the lyrics to the scenes we are seeing.

PS I am privately working on a project to Gordon Lightfoot's "Wreck of the Edmond Fitzgerald" and have cut down 6min 36 sec to under 4 min so far, by cutting and matching lyrics and phrases. In my first AMV I trimmed about 8 minutes of movie dialogue down to a 4min 40sec work. It took second place in the contest I submitted.

Anyways GLAD TO SEE you say it's gonna be AMAZING - good luck to you and MAKE IT ROCK!

Good to know that a video will be considered if it holds the judges' attention. My "MEGA" project is 5 minutes and 30 seconds.... And I guarantee it will be fun the whole way through

[Prinz Eugen]

And I guarantee it will be fun the whole way through

Yes, *generally* the judges use the "rules" as guidelines and the make collective decisions about how *entertaining* each work is as a whole, and which ones have the broadest appeal.

Now here's the main risk in making longer works -  Imagine the list below are the category finalists and the total show time is 13min over limit. Assume the judges have already pruned down the FMAs and Death Notes, ("Dir en Grey All Look Like Ryuk" went to "Comedy/Parody") they selected one FF/AC vid and killed all 7 other FF entries, especially those two Coldplay ones... and they've selected one Naruto Shippuden vid in another category and killed off the rest...)

AMV Entry 1: 3min 38sec
AMV Entry 2: 2min 10sec
AMV Entry 3: 2min 44sec
AMV Entry 4: 5min 10sec
AMV Entry 5: 1min 52sec

... Gamer folks: have you ever played the kind of warships game where you play a fighter-bomber or perhaps a submarine, and you've just discovered an enemy fleet or a convoy of ships? Forget the destroyers and cruisers, you are looking for the big juicy targets - sink the carrier and get the hell out of there, or that 83,000 ton fuel tanker behind the little destroyer escort... Look at the list above, and hmmm, imagine which Entry might be the big juicy target...

If you cut Entry 4 you get a total time for the category of 10min 24sec, and four entries.
If you cut Entry 2 and Entry 5, you get a longer category total time (10min  58sec) and only three entries.
Fewer entries can also mean less diversity for the audience.
Hmmm, Entries 2 + 3 are also less time than entry 4...

See how tempting it is to whack Entry 4? It might feel like a 2-against-1 "HAI-TO" ("Fight!")

As always, Best of luck to everyone!