Seeing your videos on the big screen.

[Castor Troy]

In my opinion, the greatest thrill of being an amv editor is having your work shown on the big screen which I even think is more important than winning awards. Awards can easily be mailed to you, but the experience of watching your videos on the big screen cannot.

Having people watching your videos online is one thing, but there's just something so much more indescribable about sitting with a live crowd, watching your video on a large screen, and hearing it through big booming speakers. Hearing the crowd cheer afterwards makes all that hard work worth it.

Even though I've been blessed with having this experience many times, it's truly a feeling that I'm not 100% used to and still can't get enough of. Because of having this experience, I always feel devastated when I don't make the cut and it feels worse when I'm actually spending money to attend the con I wanted to get into so badly.

I know there are people who've never been to cons (maybe because of age, disinterest (otaku are like trekkies, zomg), money, etc), get all their views online, and claim it's not a big deal, but no, it is a big deal.

Of course, not all big screen showings are positive due to tech issues, a bad or silent crowd, bad judging, etc. But these shouldn't be a factor in submitting to cons.

For those of us who have experienced this time and time again, what was your first experience like? How do you feel when you experience them now? I'd type up mine, but at the time of this writing, I have to leave for my lunch break soon.

In all seriousness, go out to a convention and watch your videos on the big screen. You truly haven't experienced amvs unless you've seen them on the big screen. Every dollar I've spent flying out to cons has been worth it and it's a feeling youtube can neverbeat.

Discuss.

[Fall_Child42]

I agree with this Whole Heartedly,
Being in the middle of the crowd when your video is playing (especially a good well reacting crowd) is the best thing ever. Even though I've participated in and attended dozens of contests I still get nervous waiting for my video to be shown, and I love it when it does.

[BasharOfTheAges]

You're spot on. That nervousness, that sense of anticipation, never gets old. It's a rush.

First time - 2006 @ Llamacon (and then @ Anime Boston) with . Nervous as all hell both times.
Now, I've tempered it a bit by having live AIM chats with people during the contests for later proving of feedback.

[suberunker]

Agreed. Right before your video plays, that nervous feeling ... is incredible.

And when that feeling is done, then you are done.

[ngsilver]

I don't have the chance to see my work on the big screen much anymore since the cons I tend to attend more often then not are cons that I work in. However, even to this day when my friends running the projector at a con put up my own videos (because they like them) it really is thrilling to see my stuff up on the screen. Sure, it isn't any of my new stuff, just older stuff that I've seen tons of times (like Dance 1.0, The Checkered Flag, and We Need for Speed) but that feeling of having my video on the screen followed by the cheer of the audience just never gets old and is just as thrilling as it was the first time I've seen my stuff up there.

I really need to go to more cons that I send my stuff to.

[Bauzi]

It's cool and everything and than I stand there and think:

-Oh the equalizer of the sound system was definatly not made for my video again.
-Gnah... that's not how I designed the colours. Damn beamer!
-Does the audience even notice the subtile use of grain effects?
-Here comes the jumpscare... and... and... ! ... Damn it... They didn't fall for that one.

However I bet that it will be the same 120bpm rush as usual...

on the long therm I like to see that people share my taste on a good video and find lot's of enjoyment and entertainment in them.

[Castor Troy]

My first time was at AX 2002 with Dragon Bebop Z. Ikasu, NeoHentaiMaster and I got to the Long Beach Terrace Theater early after the end of the amv panel and after a long delay, we were finally let in. Sadly, the videos on the contest tapes were rendered with botched up field orders and that delayed the contest till 8am the next day. Needles to say, everyone including myself was pissed.

We were required to get a cheap hotel nearby and we all had trouble sleeping since we were so excited for the contest. We got to the Terrace Theater at 7:30am to a near dead crowd and at 8, the contest finally started. I remember being so incredibly nervous before my video came and when it came up, I wanted to duck under my seat.

It was so surreal seeing something I spent months working on finally up there on the big screen with the crowd laughing and cheering throughout the whole video. When it ended, the crowd erupted in cheer and Ikasu and NeoHentaiMaster told me to get up and take a bow. I couldn't even begin to describe how awesome it all felt.

Sadly, the contest results were less than stellar and despite the delay and fatigue, it was an amazing experience that would only be the first of many.

[godix]

The big screen doesn't do much for me. I've been to cons and have seen my vids on the screen, it just never did much for me. Perhaps it's that I don't hold most of my videos in high regard. Perhaps it's that I think projectors usually look worse than my monitor. Perhaps I don't make videos that crowds react well too. Perhaps it's just I'm a cynical old bastard. Regardless, seeing it on the big screen is just kinda blah to me.

So I submit to cons for other reasons. Trolling. To give myself a deadline to finally finish up the damned video. To get more than the 100 views an org release provides. Occasionally because a coordinator said they needed vids. It's not for the rush of the big screen though.

[McDirty]

You truly haven't experienced amvs unless you've seen them on the big screen.

Man...I've been watching AMVs on a comp for 10 years now and still haven't attended a con yet.

Even though I haven't had the experience yet, I can see a lot of truth in what you say. There's something special about sharing the AMV experience in a room full of people.

[Nya-chan Production]

I have made my very first second video for a local con, and I have to say - man, even being played in front of about five hundred people made my heart about to jump out when the announcer announced it... And the playing... whoah! Well, the crowd was mainly silent and bored, since, yeah, it was a slow romance, but still... it looked FABULOUS.

It's the reason why I submit to this con every year - and the very last has been very special, since the announcer made the crowd clap along - that was very special for me O.o