TheAX AMV Contest 2009 Finalists are...

[Ryvannis]

Death Note Rhapsody won for drama? I agree that this was an... odd choice for the drama section. Well whatever, no offense to everyone but I was rather disappointed with the videos in the drama section this year.

On another note, We Need You was fucking awesome. I loved it and voted for it for both best of show and comedy.
Also voted for Dance Dance Celebration for TVpro.

This makes me pretty sad seeing how I was in both categories.

[Minimoto]

Death Note Rhapsody won for drama? I agree that this was an... odd choice for the drama section. Well whatever, no offense to everyone but I was rather disappointed with the videos in the drama section this year.

On another note, We Need You was fucking awesome. I loved it and voted for it for both best of show and comedy.
Also voted for Dance Dance Celebration for TVpro.

This makes me pretty sad seeing how I was in both categories.

Don't take it to heart. This is just my opinion, and not all were disappointing, simply the majority. Some were actually quite good but I don't know which was yours so I cannot comment. And all videos in TVpro were amazing, not just that one. I could see why they were in that category.

[Ryvannis]

Death Note Rhapsody won for drama? I agree that this was an... odd choice for the drama section. Well whatever, no offense to everyone but I was rather disappointed with the videos in the drama section this year.

On another note, We Need You was fucking awesome. I loved it and voted for it for both best of show and comedy.
Also voted for Dance Dance Celebration for TVpro.

This makes me pretty sad seeing how I was in both categories.

Don't take it to heart. This is just my opinion, and not all were disappointing, simply the majority. Some were actually quite good but I don't know which was yours so I cannot comment. And all videos in TVpro were amazing, not just that one. I could see why they were in that category.

I know but it felt like those were the toughest categories, in terms of how the audience never makes a straight forward decision in voting, they suck. Not to be mean, but we do have a creator's award for a reason. I can understand that I have seen some amazing AMVs that never got into the contest and it was surprising that those never made it in.

If your curious I was the first in Drama and the last one in AMTV Pro.

[Tearx]

Hmm. Some results really displeased me and others I was really happy about, but tbh nothing really seemed interesting to me in most of the videos this year. Just going to give big thanks to all the wonderful people who contributed to the contest this time around. && see you all next year ^^

[Hagaren Viper]

This is a real real real surprising result, I actually want a judges on opinion on this. Did the idea ever come into the head on being a comedy video going into drama? Though I know that I didn't stand a chance in it, it being comedy seemed like a unfair advantage for the other videos in the drama category.

I know it's been discussed a bit already, but I completely agree with Ryvannis. I'd really like to know the judges opinion on this, as weather it was intentional or not, this video made people laugh. Did it just not have the same effect on the judges? I mean no disrespect to the creator, but I don't quite get that decision.

...Wow, I never realized that BaitMaster had three videos in the contest until now.

But moving on, there were a lot of videos that made it in this year that I really liked, I eagerly await some dl's. AMtV Pro was a very strong category this year, I found every entry very enjoyable. Congrats to all the winners!

Also, I really need to start writing my screename on these submission forms.

[Sephiroth]

THE HUMANS ARE DEAD

[DriftRoot]

One question I did have (just more confusion then anything).. So best of show is based on Audience vote only? And is the judges Award separate or a part of the staff favorite (just confused there a bit as there was no trophy for the Judges Award )
Vlad

It sounds like they changed things a bit, since last year I won both the Staff and Judges Awards and received two corresponding trophies. I didn't quite understand the parameters myself at the time, but what I was told is that the Staff award is voted on by AX staff at a big BBQ event they have prior to the convention, where all the AMVs are screened. The Judge's award is given by the AMV judging panel to the video which receives the highest overall score (I guess they award points when deciding who makes it to the finals). Best of Show is an audience vote.

But again, if you didn't receive a separate trophy for the Judge's Award, maybe they've changed things....

[Caggy]

Personally, I say if you made it to the final screening, you've already won. Winning over a crowd is easy, the public is stupid.
I would've liked "Shoot the Moon" to have won best Drama, and "Death Note Rhapsody" to win best in show, next to "DD Celebration," because "Shoot the Moon" was definitely best for a Drama over Rhapsody, but Rhapsody was still a good vid if rather miscatagorized.

Now I just need to catch the first two vids of Pro, cause I ran out during that time to check in for my vol shift.

[Rider4Z]

1st entry in Pro


2nd entry in Pro


i was a little disappointed my video played back stretched but i guess i better shut up before i get smacked

[Stryyder]

To my knowledge (Michael would have to confirm) creators choice is decided by tallying the "best of show" votes among the creators ballots(which only count if you pay attention and give it to Michael instead of drop it in a bag on the way out) and Best of show is the best of show choice for all viewers including creators.

I always hate to be negative on these videos, because I know a lot of effort is put forth, but I just don't see the pull of Death Note Rhapsody. As I said before, very entertaining, but past that, nothing. Not only was it in the wrong category but it is riddled with jumpy lip sync scenes, frame flashes, and other easily discernable editing flaws. Now granted, that doesn't mean a thing to the average viewer. My question is, were it put into Comedy, would it have taken the category or even Best of Show? I tend to think no, but I'm not sure.


But, I'm going to drop that, because I've been ranting on it since Friday night (Just ask Rider). On to the videos I DID like.

Action: I'm usually indifferent on most of the action category, but I was impressed this year. Spin on Simon got my vote, Good ship lifestyle was great, Fate/stay to Dragonforce was very well done as well.
Drama: Amor Fatali got my vote for a few reasons, but I also enjoyed Monsoon, Shoot the moon and to a certain extent, Happy Mess.
Comedy: I had heard so much hype on r0b07$ and it really lived up to it, but Vlad just found the inner fanboy in me and fed it so well, so he ended up with my vote (Sorry Ben/Bryce). I think the only comedy vid I didn't get totally enthusiastic about was Code: roll, only because I never understood the whole rickroll phenom, but it was still entertaining. This was, as always, the strongest category IMO.
AMtv: Of course my vote was for Lord of the Anime as a bias vote, but after viewing the category, I didn't find any videos that would have topped it. I did enjoy DDrev and believe it deserved the award for the amount of work that was put into it, but it didn't flow well to me. It was just nonstop sensory overload and after 1 minute I was starting to feel that "ok, I need something new" feeling. I also enjoyed Valhalla, Tick Tock, and Haunting Hour.


Now, if I didn't mention your video that doesn't mean I didn't like it, it just didn't leave as much of an impression on me as some of the others.

Overall opinion: I didn't see any specific videos that just pop and stick with me this year (i.e. - Football, be a man). Maybe I'm just getting picky in my old age, or maybe the bar is just set too high nowadays. So while I didn't come out completely pumped and dancing in the (considerably long) bus line, I was still satisfyingly entertained.