AWA Pro - It's a shutout

[TaranT]

...I wonder if any of you out there can give encouragement for those of us that didn't make the final nominations lists for AWA Pro... things that happen like this really tend to discourage me from making more AMVs.... how can I keep myself motivated to making AMVs and competing on the same level as the heavy-hitting power-editors?

It doesn't matter how many contests you enter, you'll always have a twinge of disappointment when your vid doesn't make it. That's normal. The more contests you enter, the less it'll bother you.

And I'd suggest purging this idea that hard work and practice will bring success. The world is full of losers who busted their butts and became good at something. For every competitor you saw at the Olympics, there were hundreds who worked just as hard and didn't make it. People want to believe their blood, sweat, and tears are worth something, but the gods of chance only laugh at them.

It's a tough lesson, but that's the way it is. You have to decide for yourself what you're after.

[norskotaku]

For every competitor you saw at the Olympics, there were hundreds who worked just as hard and didn't make it.

very well put. and how lucky we are to have so many opportunities. imagine if there was only one big amv contest every couple years and you only had a shot at one small part of it. lol.

[Ashyukun]

But umm... There was so much pure bs in that contest it really makes me continplate entering next year (I probably will).

On a contest that was suppose to be blind, like 3 of the noms where for videos that had been out for quite (more than 2 months) a while (I say that because bakka and I counted about 20 videos that had been premired and shown at cons already, so i'm fairly sure those who can't vote, don't know who they are) and a few of them flat out did not deserve what they got (across the board).


*snip*

I just wish AWA would make a full Blind rule instead of having an "unspoken" rule about it. Because that really takes alot of the fun out of it... ALOT.

My, but I'm in a contentious mood these days. Oh, well.

You've already answered your own 'question'- if it not being completely, I-have-no-frelling-idea-who-made-what blind took that much of the fun out of it, don't enter. As has already been pointed out, there is a contest where videos have to be as absolutely blind as is possible by having never been premiered or ideally seen before by anyone- AWA Masters. Pro is intended to be a less stringent competition, and as I've said before- it's expected that you'll be as professional as possible and judge videos on the merits of their editing and content, not by who made them or whether you know who made them.

I'm obviously going to take the stance that knowing who made a video isn't going to ruin the contest- most people in the contest likely knew exactly which one was mine because I rolled my Otakon entry over into Pro. But honestly, it didn't bother me at all last year when I had entered a new video into Pro and saw a number of other videos that I'd seen before. Pro is easily one of my favorite contests of the year- watching through the videos, especially with a group of fellow editor friends like I did this year, is a whole lot of fun, as is the speculation as to who made what and the thrill that is being part of deciding the finalists and winners. I wholly expected to- and was not disappointed in that- to not make the finals this year- and frankly I didn't care. It's being a part of the contest and the fun of it that counts to me. I'll be generous apologize if your enjoyment of the contest was that lessened by there being videos that you either knew who made or had seen before in the contest, but quite honestly I think that if you're getting that bent out of shape about something like that, you're taking things way too seriously. If you want to be part of a truly blind contest that much- enter Masters.

[Scintilla]

The problem, of course, being that to get into Masters requires that you have won something at some other convention contest first... Also, isn't it very strongly recommended that you actually show up at AWA for that one?

[Ashyukun]

The problem, of course, being that to get into Masters requires that you have won something at some other convention contest first... Also, isn't it very strongly recommended that you actually show up at AWA for that one?

This is true- Masters does have an entry requirement that Pro doesn't- I wasn't taking that into consideration. If enough people thought that there should be more stringent rules for the 'blinding' of entries into Pro, than perhaps Wagner & the AWA staffers would change them. But, by and large, I don't see massive public outcry over the current setup. Most people I know (most, not all) very much enjoy the contest as it is, and I see no real driving need for it to change. Personally, I see people lobbying their friends to vote for them in return for a mutual vote as being far more of a detraction from the contest than potentially knowing who made what.

And being present at AWA if you enter Masters is highly recommended, but then if you might get an award it's generally recommended that you attend any convention you submit to if you can. Masters is just a bit more 'personalized' of an award, being a custom-fitted sport coat.

[Vlad G Pohnert]

Interesting enough, it seems there are a lot of trends happening in the AMV community.

For one contests are now an every day reality and lets face it, a lot of editors gear themselves around deadlines. How many times do I see the statement; “I got to get this done before the ____ contest deadline… The question really comes down to what a contest means to each of us. Is it a test of what we can do as compared to others? Is it a way of gaining popularity?

The biggest issue I find with humans is that they seem to think that if you win a lot or happen to be popular with fellow fans and collogues, that you are better or "much" more talented.. Frankly this is far from the truth and the two have nothing to do with each other in most cases... Translated directly, being nominated or winning lots of contests does not make you more popular, nor does it mean your better, nor does it give you a higher status. So why all the issues that surround it?

I think we've turned contests in some extent onto "industry" meters of success. As human beings, we all want to be successful at some point so that translates into the urge to win and get a pat on the back from our peers. Now I'm sure that in some extent we all feel that urge (and anyone who disagrees is truly lying or is not human). The trick is not to let it consume us as it has a lot of editors....

So in the end, it's only a contest, it really does not mean anything in the big picture nor should it as long as we enjoy doing this "HOBBY" and not get consumed by it or start applying too much morality and methodology into it (it will always be flawed in the eyes of others in one way or another).

I say put the damn Pro DVDs into your player, watch the videos, have just have fun! Since we all are watching then and thus every video has a built in audiance, we are all winners....

Vlad

[Rozard]

To be completely honest... I thought the entire contest was a washout, and blah blah blah yakkity smackity.

That's a load of bull.

[norskotaku]

Vlad, I would be interested to know what the community was like prior to there being so many contests. the growing trend of the amv community revolving around contests is not surprising, but I think it has to do with more than just the desire to win.

I first discovered amvs when I saw the winners of a contest at afo a couple years back, and I continue to find new amvs at every con I go to. I don't think I'm alone in that way, and I'm sure there are a lot of people whose initial view of amvs started with a contest. thus, it only makes sense that when these people become editors themselves, the first thing on their mind is "what contest can I send this to?"

perhaps the abundance of contests is starting to taint the art form, but it is also allowing this community to grow at the same time, encouraging new editors to take up this hobby one after another. in my own personal experience, I met two of my best friends because of an amv one of them submitted to a con. I might not have thought to look for that amv online or wonder about the person who made it had it not been in the contest, and I know from talking to her that she made that amv specifically for the contest because she knew she was going to be there. funny how things work out that way.

[SSJVegita0609]

OMG cons r for lamerz...

Jeebus, lighten up folks.

[Machine]

To be an effective AMV creator and competitor, you have to know how to use AfterEffects. The top 4 nominated videos all use AfterEffects to some degree.

My peers seem to have lumped me in with the other AMV creators that shouldn't have been in the Pro contest but entered anyway. It seems I got passed over for other crappy videos that somehow made the final cut. I followed the rules, used quality source footage, and made a great entry to me... and I still feel like a total loser.

What good is making AMVs for yourself when you don't even make the final cut for a contest? My entry at Katsucon didn't make the final cut, and now my entry for AWA Pro didn't make the final cut either. If it really isn't about the prizes or recognition, then why do I still feel crappy about not being in the final list of candidates for the categories?

I wonder if any of you out there can give encouragement for those of us that didn't make the final nominations lists for AWA Pro... things that happen like this really tend to discourage me from making more AMVs.... how can I keep myself motivated to making AMVs and competing on the same level as the heavy-hitting power-editors?

This is why I don't vote or participate in AWA Pro anymore