Hey guys, one more post before I leave this thread for good (as talking to rubyeyes personally seems to have produce far better results than coming here and whining like a bitch).
I just wanted to clarify, since it seems so blantantly obvious that you guys aren't understanding what I am saying or reading my full post, what my ACTUAL problem was with how the contest went down. First off, me and my entire studio had very little problems with our video being cut by the time we came to the con on Saturday. We were over it, we didn't care, we just wanted to know our scores and then sit with the audience and enjoy a great AMV contest as fans.
The problem came when we were viewing the contest as fans. The problem put simply, the fans were not entertain. Yes there was the applause after every video, and a few chuckles and cheers here and there, but overall the place was damn quiet until we got to Comedy/Fun. Hell, even during more of Comedy/Fun the place just seemed dead. Well it was dead until people started leaving in rather large groups, or were staying to heckle. Then when the lights came on, I saw a lot of people turning to their friends and neighbors and asking "What the heck? Was that it?". Worse yet, when the lights came on, almost the entire left-middle section was just gone. When I was actually still counting, I think I counted around 70 something people who left during the last portion.
Most of you in this thread that have responded to me thus far, I assume were viewing the contest strictly from an editor's point of view, and that's cool. However, the more conceeded members here seemed to not understand that this was not how I was viewing the contest. I was viewing as a fan. And to that effect I will say this: While the contest itself was full of extremely well editted video, with great timing, super effects, and just general awesomeness on the creator's behalf, the contest just wasn't entertaining from a fan point of view.
When I was stressing about the Comedy catagory, some of you seemed to think that I was not understanding that is was Comedy/Fun and not just Comedy. To you guys I wanna say, I understand that it is Comedy/Fun, but what you need to understand is that what we got this year was not that, it was Fun/Drama. The fans expect funny videos in Comedy/Fun. Yes there were a lot Fun videos, but when there are like only 2 pure Comedy videos and like 5 Drama videos in the same catagory, you might be able to see where a lot of people were getting confused, dissatisfied, or even angry.
So there it is. I was angry not as an editor who got his video rejected, I was angry as a fan who felt the contest could have been better. In fact, for those of you who kept trying to pin me as "that angry guy who just couldn't get over the fact his video got rejected", I wanna say this: My video still got played, and for that I am a 1000x times thankful to the Video Director. In fact, my studio's video got played in a very awesome time slot, and that makes us over-joyed. We knew when we came to A-kon we weren't going to win any awards, we just wanted to entertain people, like we do everywhere else we go. So yeah, I hope you guys have a little more understanding from where I am coming from now.
To those that got butt-hurt over my comments, I am sorry for causing a needless internet fight. To those that misunderstood what I was saying, I am sorry for not trying to be clear from the get go. And to anyone who may still disagree with me, I am just going to leave it as a difference of opinions. Really, I just want A-kon to be the best it can be, and when I see it fail I guess I rage a little too much. Anyways, I am gonna go edit now, and hopefully if I see any of you at A-kon next year we all can just look back and laugh.
Good day to all
-Empath (Mr.Sora?)
A-Kon 19 VSE: WINNERS!
72 posts
• Page 4 of 5 • 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
by JaddziaDax » Tue Jun 03, 2008 3:04 pm
To the guy above:
Once again, if you want more comedy videos in the comedy/fun category then submit them yourself, and get your friends to submit them too... if there is a video you have seen before that you would like to see at the con, try convincing the creator to submit it.
ALL conventions (save for maybe one) that I know of rely on what is SUBMITTED. If they don't get the submissions of what you want to see then they won't get played. Also make sure your submissions are in a good presentation or else they won't get played either. Comedy always has the least amount of submissions, which is the only good reason to have it looped in with fun.
I still don't agree that "comedy/fun" was drowned down with "drama" because I saw those as fun character profiles, it's a difference of opinion, deal with it.
And some videos were sent to be heckled. I was waiting for the "boos" for my Christmas video O.o but I didn't hear many after the video started, however, the groans during the title screen made my day.
Most of the people I saw leaving during the contest looked like they had somewhere else to be and that they were only killing some time with the amvs. Maybe you just saw bodies shuffling out, but I saw people looking at their phones and watches like they were in a hurry to get somewhere else.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
General Discussion:
Dedicated AMV Room:
The dedicated amv room is really nice at AWA... >.> I didn't get to see much of the one at Acen O.o 10 hour reg line and all.. :/
You could set up amv panels and such to fill in time, not to mention it would give a reason to open up showcase again, and I'm sure you guys have plenty of videos on file to show by now to fill in gaps.
AWA also does a "request block" where people can go in and request their video to be played. You might have to come up with a better naming convention for something like that though, and it might disrupt the whole idea of blind judging...
The room wouldn't have to be as massive as Video 1 since it would pretty much just be a place for people to take a break and such, so I don't see the room becoming over crowded unless you get something like an Iron Chef or something there.
However, the draw back of a dedicated AMV room would be that it would be really hard to have an audience vote, that is, if you were going to trade out the contest viewing for the dedicated amv room. Though I suppose you could still do both? You might also need more staff/computers or equipment to run such a thing, which means you will need more money. I still like the idea of an audience vote, I don't want to see that get replaced.
Categories:
However as far as categories go, I think it would be okay for the con to place the videos in the categories they think they fit in. I've no problem with it personally. And since they are going to shuffle them around next year anyways it wouldn't really matter much cept when it comes down to the awards ceremony. Fan's choice is still going to be fan's choice either way and the categories don't matter for that either.
Scholarship:
A Scholarship to the Art Institute sounds like a lovely idea but I don't know how many people would take it on, plus you have people from out of state submitting videos as well. I don't even know how long I'm going to be living in the state (not to mention Dallas is like 2 and 1/2 hours away from where I currently live). I suppose you could hold a separate mini-contest to determine that, but it would be a real shame if the winner didn't use the scholarship.
MEP:
The Multi-Editor thing that was brought up was mostly due to the fact me and several people who stayed with me made something just before going to the con.. I think a showing block would be fine, but in actual competition that might get a bit scary cause then how would you determine who gets the award? This might be something good for a dedicated amv room as mentioned above.
Awards:
This may sound mean, but perhaps you could do certificates or smaller awards for the Amateur Contest and trophies or bigger awards for the Experts Contest? That way people will want to try to improve to work their way up to the Experts Contest... It might go to saving the con a bit of money on the awards, or give them the means/money to be able to split up the categories a bit more.
I know some cons do medals or plaques instead of trophies. The crystal/glass looking trophies are rather pretty O.o
Other convention awards:
Not saying to copy other cons, but more so to throw around ideas...
AWA does certificates for Expo, small trophies for Pro, and a jacket for Masters.
I think it was Sakura-con (I could be way off on this one) for the best in show they gave away a director's chair and a movie clapboard. I'm not sure what other prizes they had were.
Scob says one con used to give away specialized/artistic trophies (of a little ugly dude?): Katsucon? (I probably screwed that up.)
Iron Editor had a "wrestling belt" going around for the reigning champion for a while...
You could try getting the art institute to donate their talents to making special awards (plaques? statues? paintings? drawings?) each year for best in show/runner up and give trophies/medals to the category winners...
or you could try getting small statues of the con mascot?
Once again, if you want more comedy videos in the comedy/fun category then submit them yourself, and get your friends to submit them too... if there is a video you have seen before that you would like to see at the con, try convincing the creator to submit it.
ALL conventions (save for maybe one) that I know of rely on what is SUBMITTED. If they don't get the submissions of what you want to see then they won't get played. Also make sure your submissions are in a good presentation or else they won't get played either. Comedy always has the least amount of submissions, which is the only good reason to have it looped in with fun.
I still don't agree that "comedy/fun" was drowned down with "drama" because I saw those as fun character profiles, it's a difference of opinion, deal with it.
And some videos were sent to be heckled. I was waiting for the "boos" for my Christmas video O.o but I didn't hear many after the video started, however, the groans during the title screen made my day.
Most of the people I saw leaving during the contest looked like they had somewhere else to be and that they were only killing some time with the amvs. Maybe you just saw bodies shuffling out, but I saw people looking at their phones and watches like they were in a hurry to get somewhere else.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
General Discussion:
Dedicated AMV Room:
The dedicated amv room is really nice at AWA... >.> I didn't get to see much of the one at Acen O.o 10 hour reg line and all.. :/
You could set up amv panels and such to fill in time, not to mention it would give a reason to open up showcase again, and I'm sure you guys have plenty of videos on file to show by now to fill in gaps.
AWA also does a "request block" where people can go in and request their video to be played. You might have to come up with a better naming convention for something like that though, and it might disrupt the whole idea of blind judging...
The room wouldn't have to be as massive as Video 1 since it would pretty much just be a place for people to take a break and such, so I don't see the room becoming over crowded unless you get something like an Iron Chef or something there.
However, the draw back of a dedicated AMV room would be that it would be really hard to have an audience vote, that is, if you were going to trade out the contest viewing for the dedicated amv room. Though I suppose you could still do both? You might also need more staff/computers or equipment to run such a thing, which means you will need more money. I still like the idea of an audience vote, I don't want to see that get replaced.
Categories:
However as far as categories go, I think it would be okay for the con to place the videos in the categories they think they fit in. I've no problem with it personally. And since they are going to shuffle them around next year anyways it wouldn't really matter much cept when it comes down to the awards ceremony. Fan's choice is still going to be fan's choice either way and the categories don't matter for that either.
Scholarship:
A Scholarship to the Art Institute sounds like a lovely idea but I don't know how many people would take it on, plus you have people from out of state submitting videos as well. I don't even know how long I'm going to be living in the state (not to mention Dallas is like 2 and 1/2 hours away from where I currently live). I suppose you could hold a separate mini-contest to determine that, but it would be a real shame if the winner didn't use the scholarship.
MEP:
The Multi-Editor thing that was brought up was mostly due to the fact me and several people who stayed with me made something just before going to the con.. I think a showing block would be fine, but in actual competition that might get a bit scary cause then how would you determine who gets the award? This might be something good for a dedicated amv room as mentioned above.
Awards:
This may sound mean, but perhaps you could do certificates or smaller awards for the Amateur Contest and trophies or bigger awards for the Experts Contest? That way people will want to try to improve to work their way up to the Experts Contest... It might go to saving the con a bit of money on the awards, or give them the means/money to be able to split up the categories a bit more.
I know some cons do medals or plaques instead of trophies. The crystal/glass looking trophies are rather pretty O.o
Other convention awards:
Not saying to copy other cons, but more so to throw around ideas...
AWA does certificates for Expo, small trophies for Pro, and a jacket for Masters.
I think it was Sakura-con (I could be way off on this one) for the best in show they gave away a director's chair and a movie clapboard. I'm not sure what other prizes they had were.
Scob says one con used to give away specialized/artistic trophies (of a little ugly dude?): Katsucon? (I probably screwed that up.)
Iron Editor had a "wrestling belt" going around for the reigning champion for a while...
You could try getting the art institute to donate their talents to making special awards (plaques? statues? paintings? drawings?) each year for best in show/runner up and give trophies/medals to the category winners...
or you could try getting small statues of the con mascot?
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JaddziaDax - Crazy Cat Lady!
- Joined: 16 Mar 2004
- Location: somewhere i think O.o
- Status: I has a TRU Arceus
by RolltheStampede » Tue Jun 03, 2008 4:35 pm
it doesnt have to be the official iron editor but some kind or iron editor.
maybe even have a twist on it say a tag team iron editor. and dringing back the amv 101 would be nice im sure some of us could volunteer for it.
maybe even have a twist on it say a tag team iron editor. and dringing back the amv 101 would be nice im sure some of us could volunteer for it.
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RolltheStampede - Joined: 15 Jun 2004
- Location: Seattle, WA
by rubyeye » Tue Jun 03, 2008 6:57 pm
TwilightChrono wrote:HAHAHA. I wish I could have seen it on the big screen. Would have been such a trip to be able to see it that way. Maybe somebody would upload some footage of the AMV contests and what not. I only live a hundred miles from where the con took place and wasn't able to make it sadly. I wish I could know what overall place I came in. And thanks for you compliment rubyeye, means a lot. I worked about 7 hours a day for a solid month on that AMV, and I thought it came out rather well. If anyone could give me a breakdown sheet of all the overall placings for the AMV's:
10th, 12th, etc. etc.
So, I could see what place my AMV came in, twouldst be really great, if not, that's fine too. I just really wanna know
And rubyeye.....ears bleeding from what? Was the music in the vid that hardcore? I didn't think it was. (I know the ears bleeding is a figure of speech). ANyway, thanks, and get back to me on this matter if ya can.
~Twilight~
If you want you know your score just contact Chris at vse@a-kon.com.
Saying “my ears bled” simply means I sit up front to monitor the computer, which is like 10ft. from the speakers and everything coming out of there is super-loud
in order to reach the back audience. Next year I am brining ear plugs, seriously.Empath wrote:The problem came when we were viewing the contest as fans. The problem put simply, the fans were not entertain.
I clearly understand that and I thank you for sharing that observation. Your issue seems to be specifically with regards to “content” (although “category” also seems to be a factor). I concede that part of the problem was the very small window of time offered for editors to submit, due to technical problems getting the website up and running. However, actual content is beyond our control ~ what editors make & how they do it. You mentioned how so many people are doing effects laden videos .... well, apparently that’s what everyone is doing. In a contest called EXPERTS, you’d expect to see a lot of technical wizardry. I'm not saying we choose to show those videos because we thought effects videos were "experts" videos. Simply that the majority of videos that received a passing score (as part of the judging process) were very effects-heavy. If that’s something most people find un-entertaining (which I often do), I don’t know what can be done about that short of asking creators to “simplify” their edits?
JaddziaDax wrote: .... General Discussion: ....
Thanks for all your ideas. I will definitely take them to heart. Hopefully you’ll see a couple of them next year.
RolltheStampede wrote:it doesnt have to be the official iron editor but some kind or iron editor.
Yeah, we’ve thought about doing Iron Editor, but that would depend on getting computers and a dedicated room, which might be difficult. There are many other ideas floating around that might be possible, so we’ll see.
____________________________
Thank you again everyone who attended and entered the contests. I really appreciate all your feedback. Lots of ideas and suggestions have been made and I will certainly pass them on to Chris and the rest of the staff, so that next year can be even better.
~ Dann C.
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rubyeye - Joined: 05 Sep 2001
- Location: Denton, TX
by Trilaan » Tue Jun 03, 2008 11:22 pm
I accept the apologies for what happened. I think my video had the potential to win the fan vote so the only thing I'm truly annoyed at is finding another place to send it. I don't like sending videos out to conventions I can't go to myself. I NEED to be there, with the audience, to experience their reaction first hand. Call it an obsession.
- Trilaan
- Joined: 10 Jul 2001
by Nekotic » Wed Jun 04, 2008 12:48 am
Perhaps I should read closer but as i've skimmed through, most of the topic seems to be dedicated mainly to the Experts side of the contest. I'm about the e-mail them to to ask my ranking but....this are my question...
The Amateurs contest was rather awesome to me in general. The showing, that is. There were plenty of great videos and a few less-than par videos, including mine.
What miffs me is the best of show winner. I can't quite wrap my head around how that won compared to the others. I've gone through both legal and illegal ways that may have happened but, then again, we are always subjected to our own views so I could have missed the "awesome" that it was. Could someone explain how that video won of all of the great videos that were there?
Either way, Congratulations to everyone. n_n I'm glad I was able to go to a large convention finally and see the audience's reaction to my and others videos! It was an eye opening experience, both good, and bad.
The Amateurs contest was rather awesome to me in general. The showing, that is. There were plenty of great videos and a few less-than par videos, including mine.
What miffs me is the best of show winner. I can't quite wrap my head around how that won compared to the others. I've gone through both legal and illegal ways that may have happened but, then again, we are always subjected to our own views so I could have missed the "awesome" that it was. Could someone explain how that video won of all of the great videos that were there?
Either way, Congratulations to everyone. n_n I'm glad I was able to go to a large convention finally and see the audience's reaction to my and others videos! It was an eye opening experience, both good, and bad.
~You may think i'm insane, but the chibis in my head tell my brain to tell you that you are as well!~
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Nekotic - Joined: 11 Jul 2002
- Location: NC
by JaddziaDax » Wed Jun 04, 2008 2:40 am
Trilaan wrote:Was the amateur the Fanworks or the Fan's Exhibition? Oh well, either way I agree the winners were nothing too special in my opinion.
the fans exhibition = amateur
Fanworks = anime related or my disney crap, scob's jdrama crap, Final Fantasy videos, and that awesome Apprentice parody video, the "ads", comedy routines and that 3D thing?
~~~~~~~
I think the people talking about the Expert's contest are talking about it because that is what they entered.
And not to mention: I totally missed the Fan's Exhibition because I was driving to Dallas at the time.
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JaddziaDax - Crazy Cat Lady!
- Joined: 16 Mar 2004
- Location: somewhere i think O.o
- Status: I has a TRU Arceus
by TwilightChrono » Wed Jun 04, 2008 3:02 am
JaddziaDax Wrote:
routines and that 3D thing?
I believe you are talking about my .Hack G.U. Trilogy AMV. I worked hard on that. Originally, it was in the Fan's Exhibition but was moved to the Fanworks Contest due to the 3D/CG Footage.
I haven't seen the one you entered yet Jaddzia. I plan on downloading all the vids I was up against, so I could see the scope of my competition. I didn't think I was gonna win, as it was my first video entry to any con, anyway, before I go off on a tangent, congrats everyone.
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TwilightChrono - Joined: 21 Nov 2007
- Location: In Your Dreams.......Watching You Sleep
by JaddziaDax » Wed Jun 04, 2008 3:07 am
Actually I was talking about the Project A-ko "parody/trailer" thing O.o
but yea there was yours too O.o
The audience laughed at mine when they saw the title screen.. lawl :3 then when it got into it... silence O.O if you wanna find mine, it's on my site.
but yea there was yours too O.o
The audience laughed at mine when they saw the title screen.. lawl :3 then when it got into it... silence O.O if you wanna find mine, it's on my site.
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JaddziaDax - Crazy Cat Lady!
- Joined: 16 Mar 2004
- Location: somewhere i think O.o
- Status: I has a TRU Arceus
by mexicanjunior » Wed Jun 04, 2008 8:22 am
Oh man, I totally should have made something for A-kon, at least the HAMV category. Congrats to all the winners... 
Can I get one of those Shining Fingers shirts?
Can I get one of those Shining Fingers shirts?
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mexicanjunior - Joined: 27 Jun 2001
- Location: Dallas, TX
- Status: It's a process...
by RolltheStampede » Wed Jun 04, 2008 2:48 pm
heck yeah MJ you can have a shirt, i missed you guys ever since i pulled 4 Ace at the poker game at Ushicon, i have to get more shirts run seeing as we gave all the extras out.
What is your size, we got a few caps left to give away.
oh yeah your myspace link isnt working
What is your size, we got a few caps left to give away.
oh yeah your myspace link isnt working
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RolltheStampede - Joined: 15 Jun 2004
- Location: Seattle, WA
by mexicanjunior » Wed Jun 04, 2008 4:25 pm
RolltheStampede wrote:heck yeah MJ you can have a shirt, i missed you guys ever since i pulled 4 Ace at the poker game at Ushicon, i have to get more shirts run seeing as we gave all the extras out.
What is your size, we got a few caps left to give away.
oh yeah your myspace link isnt working
XXL for me...and hook me up with a cap too, I still have the last one you gave me...
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mexicanjunior - Joined: 27 Jun 2001
- Location: Dallas, TX
- Status: It's a process...
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