Announcement & discussion of Anime Music Video contests
Forum rules
Coordinators who fail to maintain necessary communication with entrants, or provide timey updates on results may be barred from announcing future events.
It's that time again. The Anime Los Angeles 2016 Anime Music Video Contest is open for entries! We invite you to join us as we celebrate this medium and all of its fans at our inaugural event in Ontario, California.
There are a few important changes this year, so as always, be sure to read the rules (yes, all of them) before submitting your entry. We can't wait to see what you create this year!
Spoiler :
Main Categories
Action / Adrenaline
(Power, Intensity, Adventure)
Drama / Theater
(Suspense, Angst, Thriller)
Upbeat / Rhythm
(Dance, Energy, Swing)
Sentiment / Feels
(Uplifting, Inspiring, Emotional)
Humor / Fun
(Quirky, Silly, Chuckles)
In addition, non-anime AMVs will be accepted into the main categories this year! See the guidelines below.
Bonus Category (Played in between the main categories)
Trailer / TV Intro / Commercial
Trailer: Films, Games, etc TV Intro: Parody to opening of shows Commercial: Short advertising spots
**Note: The final categories are subject to change depending on the amount and type of entries we receive.**
Entry Guidelines
Please make sure to read all of the rules before submitting an entry. Your entry may be disqualified or rejected if it does not follow all of the guidelines.
Guidelines for the Main Categories
Must be at least 90 seconds and cannot exceed 6 minutes. Note: (Trailers / TV Intros / Commercials have a 30 second minimum. See below.)
You may enter one (1) video per category.**
You may enter up to three (3) videos in the Main Categories.**
Your video source material must include a majority of anime footage. This is defined as animation produced by a Japanese studio that airs to a Japanese audience.**
Video game footage is allowed if it is produced by a Japanese-based studio.**
Video sources for all categories must not include any trademarks or logos associated with any North American studio or distributor. Examples include Disney, CBS, Fox, MPAA, etc.
Video sources must not have any watermarks from broadcast or streaming services. Examples include Crunchyroll, TV Tokyo, Cartoon Network, [adult swim], etc.
Video sources must not have any subtitles from official releases or fan groups.
"AMV Hell" styled clip-show entries will not be accepted for the contest.
**You may enter one non-anime bonus entry in any main category, instead of or in addition to your other entries. See below.
Additional Guidelines for Non-Anime Bonus Entry for Main Category
You may enter one (1) video in any main category that features a non-anime source. This is a bonus entry that does not count against your maximum per category or overall.
A non-anime source is defined as animation produced by a non-Japanese based studio.
Examples:
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
Avatar: The Last Airbender
The Legend of Korra
Thundercats
Gargoyles
Films from that "mouse mascot" corporation
Additional Guidelines for Trailer / TV Intro / Commercial Category
You may enter up to three (3) entries in this category.
Must be at least 30 seconds and cannot exceed 2 minutes, 30 seconds3 minutes.
Video Format Requirements
All AMV entries must be in either MP4, MOV or AVI file containers. Files in Windows Media Format (WMV) will not be accepted.
The following formats are preferred:
Video: H.264 Audio: MP3, AAC or lossless Framerate: 23.97/24p, 29.97/30p NTSC or 59.97/60p NTSC Resolution: 640x480 minimum, 1920x1080 maximum
Entries will be screened and tested for playability.
Disqualification Rules
Disqualified entries will not be judged but may still earn you early access seating to the AMV Contest at con. You may resubmit a disqualified entry at any time prior to the deadline.
Your entry may be disqualified for the following reasons (subject to change, not limited to...):
Poor Quality
Low bitrate, lots of compression artifacts, excessive audio peaking or heavily compressed levels.
Adult Content
This is a PG-13 / TV-14 event. Excessive violence, coarse language, adult situations or innuendo may lead to disqualification.
Title Screens, Bumpers, Subtitles or Watermarks
Your entry must not have any intros, credits, excessive subtitles or watermarks. Finalist entries will be presented with a uniform title and credit slate during the event.
Freshness Requirements
You may not submit an AMV that has premiered publicly or participated in any other event prior to January 1, 2014.** You may not submit an entry that has previously been entered into a past Anime Los Angeles AMV Contest. This includes entries that were submitted but did not make finals.
**Non-Anime bonus entries and Trailer / TV Intro / Commercial entries are exempt from freshness date, but must not have participated in a previous Anime Los Angeles AMV Contest.
Rejection Rules
Rejected entries will not be judged and may not be resubmitted. A rejection may result in a temporary or permanent ban from future AMV events.
Your entry may be rejected for the following reasons (subject to change, not limited to...):
Plagiarism
You may not submit another AMV creator's work as your own. You may not use another AMV creator's work, even partially, without their explicit permission. All persons involved in an entry must be listed on the submission form at the time of submission, and all must give consent to participate in this event.
Dishonorable Behavior
You may not engage in a way that causes grief, harm, or in any way violates the rules of the convention with AMV Contest creators, ALA attendees or ALA staff. This includes conduct on social media sites and private encounters.
Dishonesty
You may not submit false, inaccurate or misleading information when submitting an entry or discussing with the ALA Staff. This includes stating you have read all of the rules before submitting an entry.
Zero Edit Submissions
You may not submit an entry that is deemed to have little to no editing of original sources.
Troll Submissions
You may not submit an entry for malicious purposes toward AMV creators, ALA staff or anyone else.
Deadline
All entries must be submitted no later than 11:59pm PST on Saturday, November 28, 2015. You must fill out the online submission form and include a working download link to your entry by this time.
Entry Submission
Entries must be submitted digitally - no physical media of any kind will be accepted. Please use an appropriate file sharing service like Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive, Mediafire, etc. Please do not link to video sharing sites like YouTube, Vimeo, etc.
Last Update: October 21, 2015 - Changed Trailer Max Duration to 3 Minutes
Spoiler :
The wait is (finally) over. I am pleased to announce the finalists for this year's competition! Congratulations to all of our finalists, and a warm felt thanks to all who participated. You all completely outdid yourselves this year. Choosing this list was *not* an easy task for our judges, that's for sure.
Without further ado, this year's competition will include videos from (in no particular order):
Spillio
Kireblue
drewaconclusion (x2)
Unlucky Artist
Maboroshi Studio (x2)
Rider4Z
MycathatesyouAMV
NoglasticNinja
The full list of videos, along will with results, will be posted here immediately after announcing them at con. And for those of you who do not see your name on this list, don't forget about our annual pre-show played during seating. Your video may still be shown! Finalists will receive an email within the next day or two confirming your specific entries.
Thanks to everyone who participated! It is an honor and privilege to have the opportunity showcase your work to an audience each year. We do this for you guys, and I thank you all for believing in us. I can't wait to see all of your shining faces at con!
Until then!
Winners:
Action / Adrenaline: Last Call [Rider4Z] Drama / Theater: Call to Arms [Nekokitkat] Upbeat / Rhythm: Just Funkin’ Dandy [Shin] Sentiment / Feels: He lies [shorisquared] Humor / Fun: Ani-mon [Samurai Warrior Productions] Bonus Category: Metal Gear Waifu V: The Phantom Imouto [NoglasticNinja]
On behalf of Anime Los Angeles, I wish to give a personal and heartfelt thanks to all of our entrants, finalists and winners this year. I know I say this a lot, but we are nothing without all of you. YOU are the stars of the show, and it's a honor to present your work to an audience of engaged fans. Good luck on your future events, and we really hope to see you all again next year!
Until then, take care and have a joyous year. See you in 2017!
-Jason Fiore
Last edited by Yuusharo on Tue Feb 02, 2016 9:54 pm, edited 23 times in total.
Could you clarify if the source rules for the main categories also apply to the bonus category (trailers, etc.) -- i.e., using only Japanese animation sources?
foreigntrees wrote:Could you clarify if the source rules for the main categories also apply to the bonus category (trailers, etc.) -- i.e., using only Japanese animation sources?
My apologies. That was an oversight.
In general, we do not have a source restriction for bonus entries. You can use anime or non-anime footage, including the examples listed above. We only ask that you adhere to all of the other guidelines.
If you have a question about a specific source or are unsure if it's acceptable or not, you can PM me or email amvcontest2016@animelosangeles.org.
I'm working on a bonus entry for action, since I really didn't like the one I did for world of animation last year and this one is using a non anime source again and I feel a lot better about this one I figured I'd send it your way since you're allowing non anime videos as bonus entries for the main categories this year. Then I need to figure out which videos I sent in last year other than the world of animation one for my other entries. If I finish the bonus entry early enough I might even be able to send in a new main entry one as well... we shall see.
