I'll do my best to try, as has been hinted at, to walk a fine line between explanation and "What's anime?" conversation.
For the purposes of the <B>AnimeNext AMV Contest</B>, which is what's being discussed here, <I>Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within</I> is not being considered "anime". There are a variety of supporting conversational standpoints for both "Yes, anime" and "No, not anime"... and that would be absolutely ridiculous to get into here (not solely because it's inappropriate, but because it's pointless).
If I were to edit an <I>Angel</I> music video, I would not become upset that I (and others who made <I>Angel</I> videos) could not submit to a strictly-<I>Buffy the Vampire Slayer</I> music video contest. Sure, they're both Joss Whedon shows that take place in the same <I>Buffyverse</I> and continuously cross-over and reference each other, but if the rules say something... thems be the rules, and that's how it goes. It's somewhat weird to argue against it simply for the sake of arguing; the contest coordinators are respecting your artwork by treating it with care and presenting it to a large audience, and all that's asked in return is a simple understanding and mutual respect for those rules put forth. It's a fantastic dynamic relationship! It's not like the contest isn't happening, entries are being lost, there's favoritism in entries, etc. etc. etc. :P.
I can understand questioning the reasoning behind rules and regulations (especially being an AMV editor before being a contest coordinator), but if there are rules, they're probably there for a reason. In this case, the AnimeNext AMV Contest gears itself towards using a more "traditional" sense of the word "anime" (combined with the allowance of in-game FMV from <B>video games</B> created in Japan originally and primarily for a Japanese audience); that's the AnimeNext contest, and it's part of what sets it apart from other conventions' contests.
We'll be the first to admit that AnimeNext does not hold the <B>OMG ONLY AMV CONTEST!!!</B> that you can submit to. There are plenty of others that may accommodate that type of video in a different way; not BETTER, but DIFFERENTLY. I'd be more than happy to suggest that said video may be submitted to <B><A HREF="http://www.otakon.com">Otakon's</a></B> fan-parody screening, or one of <B><A HREF="http://www.awa-con.com">Anime Weekend Atlanta's</A></B> several music video contests.
What's most amusing is that the conversation originator isn't the one taking issue and/or complaining :). Why there's even still thoughts going back and forth is beyond me, since it's been cleared up and answered long before I ever got the chance to respond. But eh, being the head coordinator I feel like I should say something ^_~.
If there are any <B>other</B> questions relating to AnimeNext's AMV contest this year, by all means, feel free to post or drop me a line at <B><A HREF="mailto:
animenextamv@hotmail.com">
animenextamv@hotmail.com</A></B>.
what's your take on it? It's grafted onto a different background so it's not exactly recognized as 'the logo'?? (But the words aren't edited like a trailor... if they were edited how would that go?)
