Otakon 2003

[Vlad G Pohnert]

Well I'll be there and as always look forward to meeting and talking with any fellow AMC creators. Hec, for that matter, anime fans in general....

Vlad

[ProdigySim]

Is there an AMV contest there? I can't seem to find info about it on their site...

[hackerzc]

Is there an AMV contest there? I can't seem to find info about it on their site...

Yeah, they just haven't listed anything yet. Here is the info though: (NOTE: THIS IS A LITTLE LONG)
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Matt Pyson * Otakon 2003 Anime Music Video Screening Contact
http://www.otakon.com * The Convention of Otaku Generation *
* "Is that fire in your eyes, or just the glow of machines?"
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OTAKON 2003 ANIME MUSIC VIDEO SCREENINGS & CONTEST

OTAKON 2003 (August 8-10 in Baltimore, MD) will be holding Anime Music
Video (AMV) Screenings this year, allowing fan-produced anime music
videos to be shown at the convention for anyone who cares to watch.

Some AMV submissions from the general screenings will also be nominated
to compete for recognition and prizes in a contest to be held during the
convention. The winners of the AMV Contest will be determined by ballots
cast by the members of OTAKON 2003, and prizes will be awarded to the
makers of the winning AMVs. (Additional awards to recognize technical
merit, concept, etc. may be bestowed at the discretion of convention
staff.)

Technical services for the OTAKON 2003 Anime Music Video Screenings and
Contest are being provided by Patrick Bohnet of Otaku Video.

If you have never submitted an AMV to OTAKON -- or to any anime
convention -- before, please be aware that we receive many submissions
every year, and so that we can still handle the volume of submissions
quickly and properly with the limited resources available to us, we
require that submitters adhere strictly to the rules set forth below.

(AMV Rules are subject to change at any time. Version 2003.03.01)

I. AMV SUBMISSION RULES

01. MAIL IN YOUR SUBMISSION

AMV submissions must be made by mail, and sent to the appropriate
address. We accept submissions on videotape and disc (see below for
technical details).

OTAKON 2003 AMV
c/o Matt Pyson
491 Baltimore Pike #409
Springfield, PA 19064
United States of America

[Be very aware that this is NOT the same address as the one used for
general convention inquiries, or for pre-registering for the con.]

All submissions must be RECEIVED by Saturday, May 31, 2003. OTAKON is
not responsible for submissions delayed or lost in the mail.

If you want us to let you know when we have received your submission,
include your complete e-mail address on your submission form (or include
a stamped, self-addressed postcard or envelope). The closer to the
deadline you send in your submission, the longer it will take for us to
acknowledge it (up to three weeks).

If you're unable to get your AMV either recorded onto a videotape or
burned onto a recordable disc (or discs), please e-mail Patrick Bohnet
of Otaku Video at "contest at otakuvideo dot com" and we'll see what we
can do about getting a copy of your AMV submission to us electronically
via FTP.

02. LABELING YOUR TAPE OR DISC

Label your submission videotape or disc(s) with (at the very least)
your REAL name, mailing address, and telephone number.

If you're sending in a videotape, please use the face label instead of
the spine label for this information because we usually need to use the
spine label for our own notes.

If you're sending in CD-R or DVD-R disc(s), use a Sharpie(R) marker to
write on the top side of the disc instead of putting an adhesive label
on it. If you need to use multiple discs, don't forget to mark each one
with your identifying information.

03. NUMBER OF SUBMISSIONS

Because of the large number of submissions you can submit only ONE AMV
on your videotape or disc.

If you have a videotape of all (or a lot of) your music videos -- known
as your demo 'reel' -- and absolutely must send us a copy of that, then
we'll only show the first AMV on the tape, so make sure the first one is
your AMV Contest submission.

Please don't put anything besides your AMV submission and your
README.TXT (see below) file on your disc(s). If you submit two or more
different AMVs on your disc, we won't show any of them.

04. SUBMITTING ON VIDEOTAPE

Basically if you can output to NTSC/PAL/SECAM VHS, S-VHS, or MiniDV then
Otaku Video can probably digitize it for the contest. With videotape you
never have to worry about digital compatibility or playback errors.

Remember to put one minute of black leader before and after your AMV and
to always record at SP (Standard Play) speed because our equipment
doesn't play tapes recorded in EP (Extended Play). EP recordings will
come out like chipmunks on speed. Remember to quality-check your tape
before mailing it to us, we probably won't catch errors in time for you
to fix them before the deadline.

Submission media -- the tapes and discs -- become the property of OTAKON
and can't be returned, so DON'T send in your only master tape: send a
first-generation copy of the master tape instead.

05. SUBMITTING ON DISC

We also accept submissions on CD-R (Compact Disc Recordable) or DVD-R
(Digital Versatile Disc Recordable) discs.

MPEG-1 or MPEG-2 are the preferable formats to submit in, as other
formats will be converted to MPEG-2 format for tape mastering.

If you are using a Windows PC there is a program called Tsunami MPEG
Encoder that we use. For other operating systems there are MPEG encoders
available. Tsunami is cheap for a high quality MPEG-2 encoder, has a
30-day trial, and is available at http://www.tmpgenc.net

The TMPGEnc 2.X profiles that Otaku Video uses for conversions are
available at http://www.otakuvideo.com/files/mpegprofiles.zip

We prefer video to be 720x480 pixels in size and a frame rate of 29.97
fps (NTSC "drop frame"). If your source material came from a 23.97 fps
source (film) that's okay too, Otaku Video can handle doing the 3:2
conversion if you can't. If your vertical resolution is 480, please
encode your AMV as interlaced instead of progressive. We'll scale
smaller frame sizes up to 720x480, so please don't send in stuff much
less than that unless you yearn to become this year's Pixelized Poster
Child For Scaling Artifacts.

We suggest using Variable Bit Rate for MPEG-2 files with 12 megabits per
second as the maximum. If you want to use Two-Pass VBR, set 2 megabits
as the minimum, 8 megabits as the average, and 12 megabits as the
maximum; otherwise simply use constant quality VBR and leave the quality
setting at maximum with the maximum bit rate at 12 megabits per second.

If you use MPEG-1 please either create a VCD spec file or set the bit
rate to 1.5 megabits per second. Using the highest bit rate allowed
(within reason) will increase quality. MPEG-2 will, however, encode a
352x240 file better than MPEG-1 can at the same bit rate. Your choice.

For audio please use layer-II audio at 224 kilobits per second or
better, and choose stereo (not "joint stereo"). We recommend using the
highest bit rate for maximum quality sound. Don't use layer-III or MP3,
as our hardware cannot decode this.

An inexpensive (less than US$50) MPEG-2 playback card that you can use
to output MPEG files to a VCR and/or television is the Hollywood+. The
hardware that Otaku Video uses at conventions (a Netstream 2000) is
based on the same technology as this card. Caveat: if you do get a
Hollywood+ do not trust its VGA output, only its TV output.

If you are unsure on how or what resolution/frame rate/bit rate/audio
settings to choose, you may submit the original source file and let
Otaku Video do the conversion for you. This is preferable to salvaging a
bad conversion, since Otaku Video can experiment to find the best method
on their equipment.

If a file is too large to fit on a single media disc -- such as a 1 GB
AVI file on a 650 MB CD-R -- you may span it across multiple discs. Use
ZIP (WinZip) or RAR (Rarsoft) to break the file into manageable parts
and burn those to the discs, clearly labeling each of them as part of a
set: "Disc 1 of 7", "Disc 2 of 7" etc.

When you submit your AMV in digital format, we strongly encourage you to
include -- in the same package with your disc -- a recording of your AMV
submission on videotape. If we are unable to use the video file on your
disc then we'll use the version on the tape. If we're unable to use the
video recorded on the tape too, you're out of luck.

In addition to the paper version of your submission form, include a
plain text file named README.TXT on each CD-R or DVD-R with the same
information as your paper submission form, along with any technical
information we'll need to know to sucessfully convert and play your AMV
file.

Submission discs and tapes become the property of OTAKON and can't be
returned, so DON'T send in your only master tape: please send a first-
generation copy of the master tape instead.

06. SUBMITTING ONLINE

If you're unable to get your AMV either recorded onto a videotape or
burned onto a recordable disc (or discs), please e-mail Patrick Bohnet
of Otaku Video at "contest at otakuvideo dot com" and we'll see what we
can do about getting a copy of your AMV submission to us electronically
via FTP.

Please mention OTAKON in your e-mail to Otaku Video: Otaku Video
provides their technical services to several AMV Contests.

If you don't already know what "FTP" is this option probably won't help
you very much. No, you can't use a peer-to-peer filesharing network to
get your AMV to us electronically.

07. FILLING OUT THE SUBMISSION FORM

All AMV submissions, whether on tape or disc, must be accompanied by a
filled-out copy of the submission form. You don't have to send in a
printed copy of the submission guidelines... we already have plenty.

Anonymous submissions, or submissions without a real name, cannot be
accepted. However, if you do have a name other than your normal one that
you would like your video to be attributed to during the screenings (and
potentially on the contest voting ballot), please include it on your
submission form in the space provided.

Your anime music video submission must be your own work and no one
else's. You must identify the artist & title of any music used in your
AMV as well as the title or titles of any anime footage used. If you
know the original Japanese title of the anime used, please include it on
the form. We think that's cool.

Members of a group who collaborate on making an anime music video
submission may not send in additional submissions under their individual
names as "solo" projects, or in combination with another group of a
different composition. Fair is fair.

You must fill out the part where you give OTAKON permission to use your
video. If you don't give us permission, then we'll have to skip over
your submission. Really.

If you forget to include the submission form when you send in your
submission, send it in as soon as you remember that you forgot.

When you submit your AMV on disc or online remember to include a
README.TXT file of the filled out submission form in addition to the
printed copy.

08. NO TROLLING FOR PRIZES

Please submit only music videos that have not already won awards or
prizes at other conventions' AMV contests. We don't mind if music videos
are submitted to multiple conventions (including ours) all at the same
time, but it's bad form to keep sending out an AMV that has already
gotten you recognition elsewhere.

09. NO CONFLICT OF INTERESTS

Staff and Guests of OTAKON may submit anime music videos for screening,
but are not eligible to compete in the anime music video contest. Non-
competing submissions will be marked as such during the screenings.

10. HOW TO GET A COPY OF THE CONTEST

We are no longer accepting requests for copies of the AMV Contest (or of
the general screening tapes) from everyone who makes a submission.
Spending half a year organizing the AMV Contest is all that we can
handle, without the extra work of being an ad-hoc tape distro for months
afterwards on top of it. It's too much.

If your AMV submission appears in the OTAKON 2003 AMV Contest, then you
may -- after the convention is over -- request a copy of the contest
tape by the usual SASE method as in past years (blank tape, return
mailer, and return postage).

11. PEER AND STAFF CONTEST NOMINATIONS

Finalists for the AMV Contest are selected by the Contest Coordinator(s)
based on evaluations of all the AMV submissions performed by members of
OTAKON's staff, associated fanclub(s), and submitters of AMVs for the
contest. Participation is strictly voluntary.

Starting approximately eight weeks before the convention, we will have
weekend evaluation sessions around the Baltimore area (to be scheduled
later). Please check the appropriate box on your submission form if you
are interested in participating.

We will also be allowing submitters who cannot attend the evaluation
sessions to perform some peer evaluations at home by mail. Please check
the appropriate box on your submission form if you are interested in
participating.

II. AMV CONTENT RULES

01. COMPONENTS/INGREDIENTS OF SUBMISSIONS

As these are Anime Music Videos, they must have at least two things:
* Music. Your AMV must be set predominantly to some kind of music.
* Anime. Your AMV must use predominantly anime footage.

Anime Music Videos are considered to be distinct from other short-
duration fan productions such as movie trailers, animations, fake
commercials, eyecatches, etc for purposes of the contest. Other
short-duration fan productions will be shown at OTAKON in screenings
other than those dedicated to AMVs.

Anime Music Videos cannot incorporate the subtitles or dubbed sound from
licensed commercial translations. The companies that make them attend
the convention, and we just don't need the grief.

Anime Music Videos also cannot incorporate subtitled footage from fan-
subtitled translations. People will be so distracted trying to read the
subtitles that they won't watch the rest of the video.

Contrariwise, any titles or sound effects/narration of your own
creation, added during the creation of the AMV, are perfectly okay.
Similarly, sound from the original Japanese soundtrack is okay by us.

Please be aware of the 10% "safe area" at the edges of the screen and
respect it when you're composing shots and adding titles or graphics.

02. LENGTH OF SUBMISSIONS

Videos may not be shorter than 30 seconds, or longer than 6 minutes.
(Free advice: the audience starts getting restive around the five-minute
mark, and anything longer than that risks losing their attention.)

Because of time constraints in the contest please do not include bumpers
-- intros, logos, credits, stingers, etc -- in your submission. If you
do include them, they will probably be abridged or removed entirely in
the AMV Contest so we can include as many AMVs as our timeslot will fit.

If you are really attached to your studio logo, and want to have it seen
at the con, then you may send in two versions of your AMV: one without
bumpers, and a second one with them. We'll use the longer one on for the
general screening tapes but use the shorter one for the contest. Please
note that the credits/logos *will* count against your time limit, and if
they cause your AMV to be too long, we'll only show the short version.

03. AGE OF SUBMISSIONS

To keep the screenings at the convention fresh, we ask that you submit
only anime music videos completed within the last three years. Include
on the submission form the approximate date your video was completed.

04. NO REPEAT SUBMISSIONS

Once we screen your AMV at OTAKON, that's it for that video. Don't send
us a "finished" version of it later, claiming that the original one was
"just a work in progress". If it was good enough to send to the con in
the first place, then it was finished.

05. NO OBJECTIONABLE CONTENT

Content of videos must be suitable for viewing by our under-21 members
(or worse, their parents). We may have problems with songs that are too
explicit for radio airplay, or footage that is too extreme for general
broadcast.

06. BECAUSE WE SAY SO

Screening coordinators reserve the right to reject any video. We cannot
show videos which do not adhere to the contest rules.

* * *

For further information please e-mail the coordinators for OTAKON's
Anime Music Video Screenings & Contest -- Matt Pyson and Brian Kern --
at "amv2003 at otakon dot com". Please be patient awaiting their reply;
they can only handle music video stuff in their spare time.

A copy of these rules is available from www.otakon.com, OTAKON's site on
the World Wide Web, or by sending a business-size Self-Addressed,
Stamped Envelope (SASE) to the coordinators at the submission address.

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OTAKON 2003 ANIME MUSIC VIDEO SCREENINGS & CONTEST SUBMISSION FORM

Due to an ancient curse visited upon our forebears and handed down from
one generation to the next, we are unable to read people's handwriting
and must rely on printing to communicate in a literate manner. Please
print your information clearly (we actually do use it all).

Submitter's/Submitters' Real Name/Names (add lines if needed for more
than a three-person group):

1st: ___________________________________________________________________

2nd: ___________________________________________________________________

3rd: ___________________________________________________________________

Street Address: ________________________________________________________

City: _______________________________ State/Province: __________________

Zip/Postal Code: ___________________ Country: _________________________

Evening (or Weekend) Phone Number: _____ -- _____ -- _______

Complete E-mail Address (only one per person):

1st: ___________________________________________________________________

2nd: ___________________________________________________________________

3rd: ___________________________________________________________________

|__| Please e-mail me/us group status reports on the contest.

|__| Please e-mail me/us about attending pre-con evaluation screenings.

|__| Please e-mail me/us about doing pre-con evaluations at home.


TITLE SLATE INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR ANIME MUSIC VIDEO...

Music/Song Title (required): ___________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

Artist (required): _____________________________________________________

Album (if you know it): ________________________________________________

Video Footage From (list as many as possible): _________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

Name to Appear in Credits (only if *different* from your everyday name):

________________________________________________________________________

Title of Video (only if *different* from the song title):

________________________________________________________________________


SUGGESTED SCREENING CATEGORY...

With what group of videos would your submission fit in best in the
general screenings? {Some descriptive keywords follow each category}

|__| Romantic/Sentimental {Love, Affection, Nostalgia, Heartbreak}

|__| Serious/Dramatic {Character Study, Grand Scale, Abstractions}

|__| Action {Personal Conflict, Fast, Dark, Heavy, Adrenaline}

|__| Upbeat/Rhythm {Dance, Lighter Action, Fun but not Funny}

|__| Humorous/Satirical {Funny, Silly, Teasing, Making Light Of}

(__) Uncertain: please choose one for me

(NOTE: If your submission is nominated as a contest finalist, it may
compete in a category other than the one you selected.)

Date AMV Completed (at least approximately): ______ / ______ / ________

AUTHORIZATIONS

I/We hereby certify that the Anime Music Video I/We have submitted is
my/our own work, or that I am an authorized agent of a third party
entering on behalf of said party.

1st Signature: _____________________________________ Date: _____________

2nd Signature: _____________________________________ Date: _____________

3rd Signature: _____________________________________ Date: _____________

I/We grant OTAKON permission to show my/our Anime Music Video, and to
copy it for distribution with the stipulation that no fee is to be
charged for the copies.

1st Signature: _____________________________________ Date: _____________

2nd Signature: _____________________________________ Date: _____________

3rd Signature: _____________________________________ Date: _____________

Submissions received after Saturday, May 31, 2003 cannot be accepted.

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[MamoruArmitage]

i'm-a gonna be there, and cosplaying (either Vicious or Kaworu... i just want an excuse to dye my hair silver...), so see ya'll there, j00 m4gniphi(3n7 84s74rds.

[hackerzc]

Yea, this year I probably will not be attending AX, but I will be going to Otakon again and will have a video for the contest.

Vlad

Hey, isn' there a rull about how you can't win for more the 5 years in a row or something in one catagory? j/k

All I can say is I'm glad I'm not going against you Vlad, man got MAD skills in AE!

[Vlad G Pohnert]

Yea, this year I probably will not be attending AX, but I will be going to Otakon again and will have a video for the contest.

Vlad

Hey, isn' there a rull about how you can't win for more the 5 years in a row or something in one catagory? j/k

All I can say is I'm glad I'm not going against you Vlad, man got MAD skills in AE!

5 Years??? Yea right... BTW, who's to say my video will be in the same catagory this year

Vlad

[Hitori]

Dun dun dun.....






New video catagory to decimate....

[Korangar]

Yay, the Otakon! I was there the last couple of years, and this year, my friend is moving away from Baltimore , but luckily i will have enough money to get my own hotel room and everything. I started creating some videos, too, but nothing of mine is good enough to submit. And yeah, I agree, Vlad is prob. going to win his catagory again. I mean, i just joined this website today, but i had already heard about him b/c of his mad amv skillz.

[Vlad G Pohnert]

I have AMV and MAD skills

Vlad

[dwchang]

. And yeah, I agree, Vlad is prob. going to win his catagory again. I mean, i just joined this website today, but i had already heard about him b/c of his mad amv skillz.

Well you're sort of right, Vlad's is MAD...MAD I SAY!!!!!

BTW you guys suck. I am debating going to Otakon since Tim tells me a ton of you are gonna be out there.