Fanime Music Video Contest 2007

[eaglemech_45]

Sorry if this is late for some people. Anime music videos for Fanime is under new management. Hello my name is Sean Barber, with the backing and support of Scott I will be taking over the reigns of the Anime Music Videos Contest. If you have any Q's or problems E-mail me I'll try to get back to you A.S.A.P. Best of luck to everyone who participates this year!


Remember all videos are due in by by midnight May 5, 2007.

Links:
Fanime Music Video Website - http://www.fanime.com/amv/
You send It - http://www.yousendit.com/?rcpt=stagezero@fanime.com

Fanime Music Video Contest

AMVs are here to stay but this year we at Fanime will be changing their name. We at FanimeCon 2007 bring you Fanime Music Videos also known as FMVs. So all you directors and aspiring artists, here's the rules and guidelines you need to know to participate.

* Contest Rules and Guidelines
o Contest Rules
o Video Bumpers
* Submission Due Dates
o Digital Submissions
o Online Submissions
o Mailing Submissions
* File Formats
* Events and Judging
o Award Classifications
o Exhibition Videos

Notice!!! FanimeCon reserves the right to make amendments to the rules at any time.

FMV Contest Rules and Guidelines

Contest Rules

The rules put before you aren't guidelines; all rules are put in place to make an even playing ground for all contestants. Remember: it's a privilege, not a right, to participate in the contest. Keep in mind that we at Fanime aren't perfect, so some mistakes might be made. If the mistake is found on your end we will do our best to contact you and give you the chance to fix the mistake. With the large number of entrants expected we can't devote a lot of time to any one FMV, and some corrections may not be allowed. If the mistake is found on our end we will work as fast as possible to correct it and remember we on the FMV staff work hard, and will do our best to do right by all contestants.

A note to all contestants: please do not send your only or master copy, as all materials submitted will not be returned.

All questions and comments need to be sent to: stagezero@fanime.com

1. Up to but not exceeding 2 videos may be submitted per entrant, organization, or group.
2. There is no maximum length for videos, but 6 minutes is preferred as the longest length. Keep in mind that videos of excessive length may be cut due to time constraints.
3. All videos may not have been submitted to any prior FanimeCon AMV event.
4. Any video with extreme sexual and/or excessive violent content will be automatically disqualified from the contest. Keep in mind that some nudity is artistic in nature, but any video that the judges deem in poor taste will be removed.
5. Specific dates and times for all FanimeCon events are to be determined at a later date.
6. Special seating will be made available for all contestants during each showing. Please be sure we have your E-mail and mailing address when submitting so your seating location, times, and materials may be sent to you.

Video Bumpers

Please don't put opening or closing bumpers in your video if at all possible. We will be putting uniform title bumpers to all the videos ourselves. Having a bumper will not disqualify your video but will be edited out. If you do not want your video to possibly receive a bad edit, please do it yourself.
Submission Due Dates

All videos must be in the hands of the video coordinator by midnight May 5, 2007. All videos submitted will be tested to make sure that there are no problems with playback. If there are any problems, there is a short amount of time to fix and/or resubmit your work. Remember this isn't school, so don't delay - submit A.S.A.P.

Digital Submissions

All entries must be submitted in a digital format, this means no VHS, HI8, or BETA Max. To allow complete control over the final appearance and quality of the video submitted, and to prevent quality loss, it is in the submitter's best interest to handle digital conversion. Keep in mind that if your video was created digitally, it will keep its quality if left digital.

The inclusion of extra files on the media or uploaded document that does not pertain to the contest is frowned upon. No inclusion of Hentai, get rich quick, or credit card numbers are allowed and a complete waste of space and bandwidth. Besides we have already seen a lot of Hentai, and we're rich. If you must include other files make sure they pertain to the contest and your files directly, such as a logo. Anything else, please check with us before sending.

Online Submissions

If you feel your time is better spent in front of your computer then send it online. You can send your file over the internet via Yousendit.com; click here to send your file up to 100mb in size for free, and $2.99 for larger files. Remember all file formatting and type rules still apply. Make sure to send your video to stagezero@fanime.com. After the video has made its way to us please send another email with all the info as if it were a mailed entry.

Mailing Media

Multiple entries may be on a single disk, and multiple disks may be in a single mailer. A letter and text file detailing all media included on the disks must be included with the disk and on the disk/s. All media must be turned in on time to meet all requirements for application into the contest.

Disks must be labeled properly with all info in clean legible handwriting.

Info to be included on the label of the disks:

* Fanime FMV 2K7
* Your full name and either your email address or phone number on each disk.
o Note! If multiple individuals are responsible for the content of the disks, a single contact person must be chosen and that persons name included on top.
* If the file is larger then 650 megabytes or 4.7 gigabytes please span it across multiple disks. Please use either (Winzip - .zip) or (Rarsoft - .rar) to break the file into manageable file sizes.
o Note! All disks must be clearly labeled in consecutive order as part of a set (3 of 7 or XXX of YYY)
o Note! If you wish to submit your file in another format to span media please email stagezero@fanime.com to confirm we can handle it.

Info to accompany your disks, as both a written document and a text file on your disks.

For every production group (or individual if a video was made by themselves):

* Production Group Name (if applicable)
* Full legal names of everybody in the production group
* Mailing address (single address for the group)
* Email address (single address for the group)
* Phone number (single phone number for the group)

For every video on the disks:

* Name of the video
* Production group responsible (if multiple groups are submitting on one disk)
* Song Artist
* Song Title
* Footage used (If your video uses more then 3 sources, you need only list "various")
* Category to be judged in
o Note! Judging staff reserves the right to place your video in any category they deem is best suited for your FMV, at their discression.

No media formatted as VCDs, SVCDs, or DVD-Video Discs will be accepted. All media should be data formatted and readable as a simple file, usable on a PC.

Your entry's package must be properly labeled on both the package itself and the disks included. And must include the full name of the contest you are entering as follows:

ATTN : Fanime FMV 2K7
Your name and address

Mail all entries to:

ATTN: Fanime FMV 2K7
c/o Sean Barber
4240 W. Sarah St. Apt.14
Burbank, CA 91505-3826

File Formats

We would prefer that your file arrives as either a MPEG or AVI. If you choose to select a format that is different from the two listed please send us an email at stagezero@fanime.com to confirm that it will work with our system. If you are still unsure about your options, simply export your files in its native format and we'll take it from there. Please when exporting your files stay within official resolutions (horizontal of 720, 704, 640, 352 and vertical of 480, 240 for NTSC and 576,288 for PAL), and with stereo or mono audio. As nice as 5.1 surround is we still are unable to acquire a satisfactory sound system able to handle seamless playback of 5.1 (AC3, DTS, and MPEG-2 Audio)

ASF, WMV, MKV, Windows Media, Quicktime, Flash/Shockwave Animation, Real Media Files are unacceptable formats at this time.

MPEG-2

* Film
o 23.97 Frames Per Second or 24 Frames Per Second.
o Encode with a 3:2 upon playback, or our hardware will automatically do so.
* TV
o 29.97 Frames Per Second or 30 Frames Per Second.
o Encode with a 3:2 upon playback.

MPEG-1 and MPEG-2 Resolution

* Please choose one of the following resolutions, and scale your video up to it.
o 720x480, 704x480, 640x480, 352x480, 352x240, or 320x240
* If your vertical resolution is 480, please encode your video as interlaced.
* If your original source is not one of these resolutions, please choose the smallest one that is larger than your resolution.
* 640x480 is suggested only for computer generated video or video that was captured with square pixels, otherwise use 720x480 over 640x480.
* MPEG-2 Bit Rate
o Single pass set to a variable bit rate and select 16 megabits per second.
o Two pass VBR set 2 megabits as the minimum, 8 megabits as the average, and 16 megabits as the maximum.
o Otherwise use quality VBR and leave the quality setting at maximum and the maximum bit rate at 16 megabits per second for 320x240 or 325x240 resolutions.
* MPEG-1 Bit Rate
o Please use either "create a VCD spec file" or set the bit rate to 1.5 megabits per second.
o It's in your best interest to use the highest bit rate allowed-within reason-as this will increase its quality.

Audio

* Please use layer-II audio at 224 kilobits per second or better
* Choose stereo over joint stereo for best quality
* Do not use layer-III or MP3, as our hardware cannot decode this

We have a lot of hard drive space available and would rather sacrifice size over quality.
If you're unsure of how or what resolution/frame rate/bit rate/audio settings to choose, please send the source file and let us do the conversion for you.

AVI

* If you manipulate your video on a PC it is likely that you manipulate AVI files.
* Though MPEG files are preferred we can accept AVI files
o Note! Keep in mind that we will internally convert to MPEG files for display purposes
* If you used a high compression CODEC, such as MPEG-4 or DivX will not be as high a quality as possible
o Note! If we can get a CODEC to play your AVI file we can convert based on that
* Resolutions and frame rates allowable for AVI files are essentially unlimited
o Note! Your file will be converted to one of the MPEG profiles previously suggested, when resizing your video the choice of maintaining the aspect ratio will be determined on a video-to-video basis

Events and Judging

Judging staff will consist of Fanime FMV coordination staff, FanimeCon staff, outside technical and artistic judges, and AMV editors not participating in Fanime AMV events for the current year.

Judging staff will separate all videos submitted into 4 genres as follows:

* Action/Adventure/Horror
* Drama/Romance
* Comedy/Parody
* Experimental ( an FMV that pushes the limits and crosses genre barriers, A.K.A the ones we can't categorize)

The judging staff will view each entry and choose which entries will make it into the finals. Don't despair - those that don't make it into the finals will still be shown some time during the con.

Award Classifications

* Judges Choice
Judges Choice will be decided prior to FanimeCon and will not be announced until the Award Ceremony.
* Viewers Choice
Viewers Choice will be decided by the attending audience of the finals judging. All audience members will vote on their favorite video by ballot. Each genre will have a winner. There will also be a Best of show from all genres. Awards will be submitted to all winners during the Award Ceremony which is held during con. You do not have to be present at the con to receive your award, but it would be nice if you were.

Exhibition Videos

Exhibition videos will be accepted and may be shown at other events during the con. If you wish to submit an exhibition FMV please make sure your documentation says that it specifically is for the exhibition. Otherwise it will be judged as a regular FMV and may be disqualified.
Notice!!! FanimeCon reserves the right to make amendments to the rules at any time.

[Scintilla]

MPEG-2

* TV
o 29.97 Frames Per Second or 30 Frames Per Second.
o Encode with a 3:2 upon playback.

... Wait, <i>what?</i>

MPEG-1 and MPEG-2 Resolution

* If your vertical resolution is 480, please encode your video as interlaced.

Even if our frame rate is 23.976 or 24 fps?

[eaglemech_45]

Ok im sorry for the confusion your basically looking at the same thing but for two different kinds of media. TV or 29.97 FPS is naturally interlaced, by encoding the file with a 3:2 upon playback it makes it look as close to FILM as possible. Yes there are drawbacks to encoding the file with a 3:2 playback it doesn't mean it's bad most anime downloaded today is encoded with the same frame conversion.

Now if you were able to get your hands on TRUE 24 FPS FILM Anime. Number one wow i didnt know that was out there. Number two sadly it a requirement as the final presentation will be edited together using interlaced video as progressive is not a commonly used format in AMV editing because most of the source files are 30FPS interlaced. I'm sorry for this inconvience but if you encode it you are able to adjust for loss of quality during the encoding process and fix any errors that we may overlook. If you would like us to encode it for you we will do our best to make sure that the new file is a close to the original file as possible.

So hopefully I took care of all your Q's. I have also included some more info about the 3:2 playback and telecine process.


3:2 pulldown and Inverse Telecine

Originally people needed a way to display stuff recorded on film on a television set. This posed a problem: how does one turn 24 Frames per Second film into 59.94 Fields per Second video? The process invented to do this is called 3:2 pulldown or telecining. Telecining involves manipulating the film to turn it into a format which can be watched on a TV.

The first thing that is done is the film is slowed down by 0.1% to make it 23.976 Frames per Second. This is done because 29.97 FPS is 0.1% slower than 30 FPS. So from now on we will refer to the two rates as 24 and 30 for simplicity. Now comes the problem of how do we turn 24 FPS into 30 FPS? Those of us who have taken elementary algebra (which I hope is most of you) can see that common factor amongst the two numbers is 6 (24 = 6x4 and 30 = 6x5). This means if we insert an extra frame every 4 frames from the film, we will have 30FPS video.

There's a problem, however. This causes the video to stutter slightly as we're basically duplicating a frame every sixth of a second. So what can we do? Well, we can take advantage of the fact that television is interlaced, and manipulate the fields which make up the 5 frames we've created. To do this, we alternate between two and three fields for each frame that we output (thus the term 3:2 pulldown). If we have four film frames, which we divide up into Odd and Even fields, we get the following:


Even Field A B C D
Odd Field A B C D

Now lets interlace together the second and third frame of every series, to give us the following:
Even Field A A B C D
Odd Field A B C C D

This gives us an interesting opportunity - if we have a video source that has undergone telecining, we can put it through a process to remove this, appropriately called inverse telecining. This basically reconstructs the 4 frames from every 5 to turn the source back into progressive video. This has many many advantages - most notably that you have less frames to store thus each can be given more bits (in the case of video codecs based on bits/second) or the whole file will take less space (in the case of video codecs based on bits/frame).

If you are using a codec that supports 23.976 FPS video (i.e. you're not editing using special hardware like a DC30/DV500 or something like that) I highly suggest editing in this format. It requires an extra step of preparation, but you wind up with smaller or better looking files at the end. Once everything is done, and you want to convert the video back into 29.97 FPS, it's quite easy to simply reverse the process on the final product. But you will end up with much more "film like" video and better image quality overall.

However, if you're editing in something like DV, which does not support any framerate besides 29.97 or 25, then you do not have this option.[/img]

[Scintilla]

Ok im sorry for the confusion your basically looking at the same thing but for two different kinds of media. TV or 29.97 FPS is naturally interlaced, by encoding the file with a 3:2 upon playback it makes it look as close to FILM as possible.

No. The 3:2 pulldown upon playback flag is for MPEG-2s encoded at 23.976 or 24 (FILM), so that they end up displaying at 29.97 or 30 interlaced if the display can't handle progressive. That's why I didn't have an issue with the first bullet point there (usually contest coordinators don't specify that 23.976 fps files with the 3:2 pulldown flag are okay, and I have to ask for clarification).

It makes no sense to apply 3:2 pulldown to video that is already 29.97 or 30 interlaced, because it's already interlaced. I don't think TMPGEnc, for example, will even let you do it.

Yes there are drawbacks to encoding the file with a 3:2 playback it doesn't mean it's bad most anime downloaded today is encoded with the same frame conversion.

You're thinking of the OPPOSITE process, inverse telecine (going from 29.97 interlaced, which is what it's broadcast at, to 23.976 progressive, which makes much more sense for computer monitors).

[eaglemech_45]

You sir a Correct on all accounts. I apologies for incorrectly reading and answering your questions. I hope that our little back and forth have clarified everything for you. If your still a little confused im sorry to make you spend so much time trying to figure the rules out. Thank you for replying and I hope to get your Music Video ASAP. If you have any more questions or have any problems, I will better research my replies before I post, Thank you.