Anime Expo 2010 Iron Chef AMV Contest

[MisterFurious]

Here are the final details:

After discussing with all the editors involved, there will be no theme. The contest is a free-for-all. They can make a drama, comedy, horror, whatever they like!

Here is the list of known footage that will be contained on the computers:

Girl Who Leapt Through Time
Metropolis
Memories
Paprika
Spriggan

The secret ingredient will, of course, be announced at the competition.

Here are the computer specs:

Pentium 4 2.8ghz
3GB of Memory
250gb HDD
Radeon Geforce FX5200 256mb PCI graphics card
Windows XP Professional
21" Widescreen Monitor (1680x1050)

The room is small, so get there early to get a good seat. See you there!

[XStylus]

Pentium 4 2.8ghz
3GB of Memory
250gb HDD
Radeon Geforce FX5200 256mb PCI graphics card
Windows XP Professional
21" Widescreen Monitor (1680x1050)

The machines will be equipped with the full Adobe CS4 suite. VirtualDub, AVISynth, VLC, Audacity, and Windows Movie Maker (seriously?) are also installed. Footage will be encoded in standard NTSC DV-AVI, 29.97fps.

And yeah, I know the specs suck, but it's the best we could do to get precisely identical machines on short notice. We did some tests on it and Premiere runs reasonably well and handles A/B edits, dissolves, and crossfades quite cleanly. Anything more complex than that and you're asking for trouble, but if you want to take a chance with something fancy then that's your call. Consider the spec handicaps to be part of the challenge.

A 3rd identical computer is on-hand in case one of the primary two goes down (unlikely). In such event, the clock will be stopped until the second editor is back online. SAVE YOUR WORK OFTEN.

Music will not be provided, so it is recommended that you prepare your own music track in advance.

[LittleAtari]

Here are the computer specs:

Pentium 4 2.8ghz
3GB of Memory
250gb HDD
Radeon Geforce FX5200 256mb PCI graphics card
Windows XP Professional
21" Widescreen Monitor (1680x1050)

Geforce is Nvidia and Radeon is ATI... Do you have some super secret hybrid card that the market doesnt know about or something? Did NVIDIA AND ATI MERGE? WHAT'S THE WORLD COMING TO?


EDIT: Regardless of the =/ quality of DV avi, the machines dont give much leeway in what an editor can do in the iron chef... I think with those specs, adding simple effects might be a little challenging on the PC, unless the pentium 4 was a typo, too. Shouldnt you guys also pre-load Vegas onto the machines? A lot of editors use Vegas and that would open up who would be willing to compete.

One more thing about the source footage, the proper frame rate is 23.976 and not 29.97 for those sources, unless you're having the editors, edit interlaced, instead of progressive.

EDIT2: I just noticed what xstylus said about the specs being restrictive. That being said, very few people have a straight cut editing style so that could be an issue there. Why not let people just bring their own systems? That way they're editing on a machine they're comfortable with and have a minimum spec requirement to make sure that render issues wont arise?

[Tearx]

EDIT2: I just noticed what xstylus said about the specs being restrictive. That being said, very few people have a straight cut editing style so that could be an issue there. Why not let people just bring their own systems? That way they're editing on a machine they're comfortable with and have a minimum spec requirement to make sure that render issues wont arise?

This seems like a good idea

[XStylus]

One more thing about the source footage, the proper frame rate is 23.976 and not 29.97 for those sources, unless you're having the editors, edit interlaced, instead of progressive.

Since DV spec does not support 23.976 (although certain programs will let you force it), they are being converted to 29.97. We're not aiming for quality with our choice of codec, we're aiming for stability. DV is well supported and most programs and hardware specs can edit with it very fast.

[Castor Troy]

EDIT2: I just noticed what xstylus said about the specs being restrictive. That being said, very few people have a straight cut editing style so that could be an issue there. Why not let people just bring their own systems? That way they're editing on a machine they're comfortable with and have a minimum spec requirement to make sure that render issues wont arise?

This seems like a good idea

Nobody wants to lug their computers in the heat of Los Angeles.

Plus the hobos will steal them.

[drewaconclusion]

EDIT2: I just noticed what xstylus said about the specs being restrictive. That being said, very few people have a straight cut editing style so that could be an issue there. Why not let people just bring their own systems? That way they're editing on a machine they're comfortable with and have a minimum spec requirement to make sure that render issues wont arise?

This seems like a good idea

Nobody wants to lug their computers in the heat of Los Angeles.

Plus the hobos will steal them.

Otherwise known as Castor Troy.

[Castor Troy]

Otherwise known as Castor Troy.

I plan on getting several new computers this weekend!

[Stryyder]

Indeed, if someone works on a non-laptop PC, that's way too much of a logistical nightmare, plus out of the 5 iron editors only 1 will be chosen. Why have 4 editors lug their computers into the heart of L.A./A.X. just to have to lug them back.

[The Wired Knight]

I don't think bringing them is a good idea for two reasons.

1. The theft and difficulty issue listed above

2. Balance - iron chef is about putting the editors on an equal playing field inn terms of resources, to have computers of varying specs changes that balance completely.

I'm personally not concerned with the straight cut issue. Most iron chef editors keep things pretty simple due to time constraints - not that it bothers me, i'm a pretty linear editor myself but from the AWAs and Iron chef videos I've seen that has pretty much been consistent.