Over the weekend, I attended Bakuretsucon. It was a neat little convention, but that's besides the point.
On Saturday night, they held a Charity Auction, the proceeds of which went both towards hurricane relief and (IIRC) helping the con raise funds for next year.
They seemed to be having trouble getting bids to go above retail, so people started donating little things - artists from the Alley donated sketches, two cosplayers donated a hug, stuff like that. Since the start of the auction had been delayed (we were showing AMV Hell 3 next door and stole most of the audience) and I felt bad about that, I decided to help them out by auctioning an AMV.
Yes, an AMV - I agreed to make a video using a concept provided by the highest bidder, credit them with the concept, and submit it to a convention of their choice. It raised $50 (because I suck hardcore
) but that's besides the point - money was raised for a good cause, someone gets to see their concept realized, and I got to do something cool that I don't really think has been done before.So, I'm wondering what people think about this - is it selling out to do such a thing? I'm thinking if I can get that much, if someone like Vicbond or Vlad or Koop was to do such a thing, they'd easily have bids going into triple digits.
Certainly, there's always catches to such things - obviously it's harder to make a video that you didn't come up with the concept for, and you might have to suck it up and hunt down source you don't have if they're dead-set on the idea. But, this is all besides the point. Whenever I go to cons and people find out I make AMVs, they always want to suggest ideas that they've always had but never been able to do. Of course, the one thing I try to get across in my AMV Panels is that anybody can make an AMV if they set their mind to it, but some people don't have DVDs, necessary hardware, etc.
So, I guess I want to know both what people think about the idea, and to encourage other editors to give this a shot, especially if you're more well-known. You'd be incredibly surprised how impressed people are if you make the finals of a contest. Think of it as a chance to use our skills for a genuinely good cause (well, whatever the cause of the charity auction might be), and to help out a fan or two see their idea become a reality.
-DOKool
