Warlike Swans wrote:jingoro wrote:I continue to believe that, if you are voting Best Drama, you should be voting for the best drama in the category. If you are considering another factor instead of it's dramatic use of audio and video, such as its placement in another category, then you're not judging best drama. You're judging best drama that isn't also X. Yes, we do this in Expo, and yes, nothing in the rules state you can't do it with your vote in Pro. It is your vote. Just my two cents.
I'd place the italics on
drama in that sentence. In that category I'm voting for the best video I feel suits the category rather than the best video nominated to it.
That's actually an important distinction: "Best video that exemplifies the caracteristics of <category X>", rather than "Best overall video that happens to be in <category X>"
TBH, I always assumed people did a little of both at some level. A contest like this complicates things, because you have this nagging feeling that overall video qualities outside of how much it fits a given category (enjoyibility, tech stuff, etc.) have to be factored in
somewhere, but you can't tell yourself that was taken care of in the previous (nomination) round if you don't feel like you actually did that with your previous round of voting. When the nomination process is hidden from you (like with prescreening of an audience judged contest, for example) you can quiet that voice a little by taking for granted that it was. Of course if you're a jadded cynic, all bets are off.
EDIT - How you choose to weight those things is really what defines your voting style, and, really, your mindset when it comes to critique of a contest as a whole. I can't really say one combination is better than another. Both sides need to be taken into account at some point. I guess it's where you feel your responsibility lies along that line.
