Last years Trophies:
Vlad G Pohnert
Animethon 11 Director of Programming & AMV Contest Coordinator
AnimeEvolution 2004 AMV Contest Coordinator
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Animethon 11 AMV Contest
OVERVIEW
The Anime Music Video (AMV) Contest is a chance for fans to showcase their creative talents in the form of music videos and is open to anyone who may wish to enter, both amateur and professional. The contest will be screened in front of a live audience at Animethon 11, where the winners of the contest will be announced. Last year the contest had to be played over 4 times to accommodate the number of fans who wanted to see it! Anyone who enters is not required to be present at the event.
The awards will be as follows:
Category Winners:
Best Drama/ Romance
Best Action/Adventure
Best Comedy
Merit Awards
Best Artistic Impression
Best Technical
Grand Prize Winners:
Best Overall: Judges
Best Overall: Audience
Best “Made in Alberta” Award
Award sponsored by Anime Alberta for the best local video made in Alberta, Canada
All the Category awards will be chosen by a panel of judges as determined by the Anime Music Video Coordinator. The two grand prize winners will be chosen by the judges (Best Overall: Judges award) and by the audience at the screening event (Best Overall: Audience award) by Ballot. So as to recognize the growing local talent of Anime Music Video creators of Alberta, Anime Alberta is sponsoring a special award for the Best Video made here in Alberta.
Ideally, all accepted entries into the contest would be shown at the screening, but because of time constraints and the total amount of entries that may be received, this may not be possible. Therefore if required, all accepted entries will be pre-judged by a panel of judges and only the finalists will be screened at the contest event.
All entries must meet all the general and submission rules as stated below. Entries must be received (in our hands) by June 7, 2004. Entries may be mailed via the regular postal system to the following address:
Animethon 11 AMV Contest
c/o Vlad G Pohnert
1708 – 81 Street
Edmonton, Alberta
Canada T6K 2E8
For those who wish to send their entries via Fed-EX or UPS, please e-mail for an alternative address and required information. NO SUBMITIONS WILL BE ACCEPTED AT THE CONVENTION. Submissions will also be accepted via the contest’s FTP site (as outlined under submission formats).
Please take the time to read both the general and submission rules FULLY so that your entries are not disqualified for not meeting any of the requirements. If you have any questions or concerns about any of the rules or the contest itself,
GENERAL RULES
1) Video must be a minimum length of 30 seconds and no longer then 6 minutes (inducing any titles or opening/closing sequences) to qualify. Videos over 6 minutes may be accepted at the judge’s discretion.
2) A maximum of 3 video entries will be accepted from one individual or a group. Individuals belonging to studios but submitting under their own name will be considered an individual entry (therefore, if two individuals belong to the same studio, they can each send in 3 entries provided that it is sent in individually under their real names and not under the studio name).
3) All video entries must be accompanied by a filled out submission form either in hardcopy or electronic format and meet all the submission rules. E-mail will be sent to contestants who submit the entry form electronically via the FTP site with reply instructions. A reply must be send back as per the E-mail instructions or else the entry(s) will be disqualified. Entry forms with contact information missing or information will be disqualified.
4) Videos must use at least 75% of anime content. Anime content is defined as any animated TV, OVA or movie originally produced and created in Japan. This includes the use of anime computer-generated animation in TV, OVAs, movies and anime related video games. The other 25% may be any combination of anime/animation, live action, original computer animation or special effects.
5) Videos must set at least a 75% video to music (includes any song or sound track score) ratio. The remaining 25% can be any combination of dialogue or sound effects. Note that conversational dialog played over music does not qualify in the 75% category (i.e. trailers) unless intended as a song. Any video not meeting these criteria maybe accepted only by the discretion of the Anime Music Video Coordinator.
6) Since the finalists will be shown to a public audience at the event, all videos should be rated for general viewing and hence not portray explicit nudity, graphic violence or foul language. Basically, the video content should be based in the same manor as a broadcast program rated for prime time audience viewing. The Anime Music Video Coordinator reserves the right to disqualify any video that is considered not suitable for general viewing due to any combinations of nudity, graphic violence, foul language or non-suitable content.
7) No bumpers, logos or text that does not relate to the video shall be used at the beginning or at any point during the video. In other words, do not overlay studio logos, test over the video or include studio intros. Credits only will be accepted if they appear after the video is finished and will be left in for the contest, but removed on the judge’s tape since the videos are all judged blind.
8 ) Previously released videos (as shown publicly at conventions/ clubs or for download on the internet) must have been premiered after July 1st, 2003 to qualify. The only exception being a video that has not premiered publicly as defined in the above may qualify at the discretion of the Music Video Contest Coordinator.
9) Animethon reserves the right to use any entry for display and promotional purposes. All videos entered will be considered to be cleared for this purpose by the entrants filling out and signing the entry form.
10) All decisions or ramifications of any of the contest rules at the discretion of the Music Video Contest Coordinator are final.
SUBMISSION FORMATS
Videos will be accepted in both analog and digital submissions as follows:
Analog: Formats accepted will be tapes in VHS, SVHS, 8mm or Hi-8 recorded in SP only
Digital tape or disk: DV, miniDV and Digital8 tapes recorded in SP only or DVD / DVD-R / DVD+R.
Digital media: Using accepted codec as listed below recorded on CD-R/DVD+R/DVD-R media.
Digital FTP uploads: Videos may also be uploaded to the contest FTP site in an acceptable codec as listed below to the following Site:
www.celestravideo.com
User: amv
Password: animethon
All videos will be compiled digitally and converted into the Mpeg2 format using the Tsunami MPEG Encoder and played digitally at the contest using a system with a Netstream 2000 mpeg decoder playback card.
ACCETABLE Codec for Digital submissions:
Mpeg:
Mpeg2 is the preferred format, since the contest will be played in this format .
In it’s absence, Mpeg1 may be used. It is preferable to have the video encoded by using the Tsunami MPEG Encoder. Since encoding involves a large amount of setting and variables, provided here (For file link, go to Animethon Web site once rules are up there) are the preferred settings for Tsunami MPEG Encoder. If using a different Mpeg2 encoder, it is preferred to encode into 720x480 resolution using a 29.97 frame rate, but 640x480, 352x480, 352x240 or 320x240 and a 23.97 frame rate is also acceptable. Ensure that the highest bit rate as possible is used (8 megabits per second as the average is recommended) and ensure the audio layer-II is set at 224 kilobits per second or better. If encoding into Mpeg1, ensure to that the highest bit rate as possible is used to ensure the best quality. Keep in mind that preference is given to have a file encoded in 352x240 Mpeg2 rather then in Mpeg1 if file size if an issue.
AVI:
Submissions may be also sent in uncompressed format or with the following Codecs:
HuffYUV, DiviX (no beta versions), Xvid (no beta versions) or DV. Indeo, Cinipak may be used but are not recommended due to quality issues experienced in the past. Uncompressed files will also be accepted. Please note that if you require the space of more than one disk, WinRAR can be used to span files over multiple discs.
QuickTime:
All formats of Quicktime that are included in PC Quicktime Pro. If converting from a MAC, the file must be “flatten” to be read.
Do not send submissions in WMV or Real Media since we will not accept them.
If you have problems sending your entry in any of the above formats, please contact us and we will try to come up with something that will work for both you and us.
SUBMISSION RULES
1) Send us a copy of your video in the best possible quality. Do not send us your mater tapes since all entries will not be returned.
2) All videotapes and disks must be labeled with the following:
- “Animethon AMV Contest”
- The submitter’s name as filled out on the entry form.
- The video title corresponding to each video on the submission form if sending in more that one tape/disk in one package.
3) ultiple entries for a group or individual as defined in the general rules may be recorded on the same tape PROVIDED that the videos are all listed on the same submission form.
4) For videos recorded on analog or digital tape, 15 seconds of silent black signal must be recorded before and after each video.
5) Videos provided on DVD or CDR may be recorded on the same disc provided they are chaptered on DVDs or follow the following naming convention on CDRs: Submitter’s Name-Animethon-Video Title (i.e. John Doe-Animethon-Spectacular video).
6) Submissions made via the FTP site must include the text version of the entry form with all the information filed out for each video submitted. Both the text file and video file must use the naming convention as follows: Submitter’s Name-Animethon-Video Title (i.e. John Doe-Animethon-Spectacular video).