AWA Reviews
Forum rules
If posting about a specific convention, please mention the year along with its name in the title.
If posting about a specific convention, please mention the year along with its name in the title.
- SQ
- Doesn't have a title
- Joined: Fri Nov 08, 2002 8:11 pm
- Status: youtube.com/SQ
- Location: Upstate NY
- Contact:
AWA Reviews
I kinda can't tell you why, but I need some reviews/testimonals about AWA and how it relates to AMVs.
Possibly how AWA makes you feel about AMVs, and vice versa. What AWA does different regarding AMVs, and how you as an editor feel AWA is the best con.
If you're just a regular con goer, what makes you go to AWA every year (or most years)?
What makes AWA better than other cons, and why is AWA different? etc., etc.
You can give negative feedback for the sake of discussing a thread(I'd actually kinda like to hear it too) but I'm really looking for positive stuff.
Keep in mind that if/when you post here, you are likely to be quoted and attributed (using your .org screenname) someplace else.
Possibly how AWA makes you feel about AMVs, and vice versa. What AWA does different regarding AMVs, and how you as an editor feel AWA is the best con.
If you're just a regular con goer, what makes you go to AWA every year (or most years)?
What makes AWA better than other cons, and why is AWA different? etc., etc.
You can give negative feedback for the sake of discussing a thread(I'd actually kinda like to hear it too) but I'm really looking for positive stuff.
Keep in mind that if/when you post here, you are likely to be quoted and attributed (using your .org screenname) someplace else.
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- ZephyrStar
- Master of Science
- Joined: Fri Sep 17, 2004 3:04 am
- Status: 3D
- Location: The Laboratory
- Contact:
AWA is kind of like the academy awards for AMV's. The staff has gone a long way to take our videos seriously, and the contest seems to draw a big crowd. I never would have guessed 3 years ago what the environment was actually like, until I attended for the first time. Needless to say, I was very suprised, in a good way.
Suprised at the atmosphere, suprised at the amount of people in the audience, suprised at the skill I saw represented. Suprised enough to start taking my own AMV's a little more seriously (actually finishing them!), and change my attitude towards the culture. I've also met many great and talented people who I consider close friends. :3
Suprised at the atmosphere, suprised at the amount of people in the audience, suprised at the skill I saw represented. Suprised enough to start taking my own AMV's a little more seriously (actually finishing them!), and change my attitude towards the culture. I've also met many great and talented people who I consider close friends. :3
- GloryQuestor
- Moderation Hero
- Joined: Tue Apr 13, 2004 4:59 pm
- Status: Always around, creating more AMVs. :)
I, also, didn't quite know what to expect when I started going 2 years ago. Since I've been a IRC channel regular, I've gotten to know many people on this side of the screen, but never met them in person before AWA 12 & 13. (The first people I've met both times I've gone, actually, were ZephyrStar and Stratus.
)
Since then, I've met a lot of people I didn't think I would, most from the chan environment but never in person before then. The entire environment feels like standing in the middle of the Org chatroom or Org IRC channel -- there's people everywhere watching videos, both non-editor and pro editor. There are panels for all sorts of topics and video projects. It's certainly a humbling experience the first time you see it, but later it becomes a rather friendly and loose environment that is a lot of fun to be at.
As ZS mentioned, the contests and awards are probably the biggest event of the convention. It's a very tough field to win in, as you normally go up against the best of the best in them. They have a few unique contests that make them stand out quite a bit: SAST, Masters, and Pro. The SAST and Pro contests allow both audience and blind video editing peer voting alternatives, respectively, which is rarely effective in other contests I've seen (or been to), but seems to work for AWA.
Overall, it's a place that an AMV editor should visit at least once. Between the contest format, the large video room environment, and some of the best panels around, it's a trip of a lifetime for an AMV editor.

Since then, I've met a lot of people I didn't think I would, most from the chan environment but never in person before then. The entire environment feels like standing in the middle of the Org chatroom or Org IRC channel -- there's people everywhere watching videos, both non-editor and pro editor. There are panels for all sorts of topics and video projects. It's certainly a humbling experience the first time you see it, but later it becomes a rather friendly and loose environment that is a lot of fun to be at.
As ZS mentioned, the contests and awards are probably the biggest event of the convention. It's a very tough field to win in, as you normally go up against the best of the best in them. They have a few unique contests that make them stand out quite a bit: SAST, Masters, and Pro. The SAST and Pro contests allow both audience and blind video editing peer voting alternatives, respectively, which is rarely effective in other contests I've seen (or been to), but seems to work for AWA.
Overall, it's a place that an AMV editor should visit at least once. Between the contest format, the large video room environment, and some of the best panels around, it's a trip of a lifetime for an AMV editor.

Website Administrator, AnimeMusicVideos.Org
Samurai Warriors Productions
Pittsburgh Japanese Culture Society Events - AMV Department Head
Middle Tennessee Anime Convention - Main Events Operations Manager
Anime Weekend Atlanta - Section Manager of Programming - Video Art Track
Samurai Warriors Productions
Pittsburgh Japanese Culture Society Events - AMV Department Head
Middle Tennessee Anime Convention - Main Events Operations Manager
Anime Weekend Atlanta - Section Manager of Programming - Video Art Track
- ngsilver
- The Old School Otaku
- Joined: Sat Jun 28, 2003 1:22 pm
- Status: She/Her
- Location: Detroit area
- Contact:
I always heard of AWA as the best convention for AMVs, and most certainly the biggest. Before I started attending in '06 I would enter the contests, and always liked the fact that they accept every video. I had always viewed it as like the academy awards or something similar of AMVs. It always seemed prestigious and out of reach.
When I had the money to make the trip I did. What really impressed me the most about the con was the dedication it seemed to have to AMVs, while still catering to the other elements that make a convention fun for people. However, the lack of panel programming I always have found to be odd, since I'm very used to back to back panels in many rooms, a trait I see often at Midwest conventions.
While the fact that AMVs seem to take center stage was one thing I really enjoyed, it was the laid back atmosphere and friendliness of the convention as a whole that really stuck me. AWA isn't a small convention by any means, and despite the vastness of it, it still has the feel of a small convention where nearly everyone knows each other. It's something I see lost oftentimes at other larger conventions that I attend throughout the year. Of course, the fact that people will come up to you randomly and want to shake your hand or get your autograph because you made such and such AMV kinda helps to inflate the ego a bit.
Probably the most interesting thing about how AWA handles AMVs, as I haven't seen it at any other convention I've attended to submitted to, is the Pro contest. The whole fact that it isn't one person, or a group of people that know AMVs, or even the randomness of attendee voiting; it is a group of your fellow peers. More then just the peers, it's the same people who entered the contest like you did. You can have 10 videos up for the action award, and each of those editors are the ones who choose who wins (though in reality they are not the only ones.) It's a fierce playing field, but in the end winning or even being nominated has a bit more of a meaning then getting say, even the master's jacket. It just means more that way. And of course, being able to seem some of the best, newest, and most interesting videos for the year, and doing so before the majority of the connected world, is always a plus.
I'll continue to attend AWA for these reasons, but more so because of the chance to fellowship with other creators. I know, like GQ had said, that I do get the chance to chat through the IRC channel and somewhat on these forums. I didn't actually check the IRC channel out until I attended AWA for the first time. And while it is nice to chat, the whole putting SN to face and RL conversations just can't be beat. It's like a bunch of old friends gathering, having a great time, getting piss drunk, and doing it over and over again each year.
When I had the money to make the trip I did. What really impressed me the most about the con was the dedication it seemed to have to AMVs, while still catering to the other elements that make a convention fun for people. However, the lack of panel programming I always have found to be odd, since I'm very used to back to back panels in many rooms, a trait I see often at Midwest conventions.
While the fact that AMVs seem to take center stage was one thing I really enjoyed, it was the laid back atmosphere and friendliness of the convention as a whole that really stuck me. AWA isn't a small convention by any means, and despite the vastness of it, it still has the feel of a small convention where nearly everyone knows each other. It's something I see lost oftentimes at other larger conventions that I attend throughout the year. Of course, the fact that people will come up to you randomly and want to shake your hand or get your autograph because you made such and such AMV kinda helps to inflate the ego a bit.
Probably the most interesting thing about how AWA handles AMVs, as I haven't seen it at any other convention I've attended to submitted to, is the Pro contest. The whole fact that it isn't one person, or a group of people that know AMVs, or even the randomness of attendee voiting; it is a group of your fellow peers. More then just the peers, it's the same people who entered the contest like you did. You can have 10 videos up for the action award, and each of those editors are the ones who choose who wins (though in reality they are not the only ones.) It's a fierce playing field, but in the end winning or even being nominated has a bit more of a meaning then getting say, even the master's jacket. It just means more that way. And of course, being able to seem some of the best, newest, and most interesting videos for the year, and doing so before the majority of the connected world, is always a plus.
I'll continue to attend AWA for these reasons, but more so because of the chance to fellowship with other creators. I know, like GQ had said, that I do get the chance to chat through the IRC channel and somewhat on these forums. I didn't actually check the IRC channel out until I attended AWA for the first time. And while it is nice to chat, the whole putting SN to face and RL conversations just can't be beat. It's like a bunch of old friends gathering, having a great time, getting piss drunk, and doing it over and over again each year.
- Kalium
- Sir Bugsalot
- Joined: Fri Oct 03, 2003 11:17 pm
- Location: Plymouth, Michigan
- The Wired Knight
- Joined: Sun Jan 07, 2001 3:22 pm
- Status: Attorney At Law
- Location: Right next door to you
I'm with Kalium, mostly it's for the people. AWA is far and I wouldn't normally consider going to it on my con circuit but two things make me attend each year.
The AMV presence, hands down AWA is the best con for AMVs and I appreciate that greatly, having the multiple contests, video room dedicated and panels from the editors makes it different from what other cons have to offer and makes me feel a little bit less like a loser who edits these blasted things.
The second is the people; got a lot of friends in the AMV community and this is a great place to catch up with them and hang out wheras the rest of the year I do not have said oppertunity. The AMV crew is a truley unique bunch of people who can be very serious and have an intelligent discussion one minute and the next all turn into a group that looks like a crowd of drunke villiage idiots (no offense by that, I'm including myself in that statement).
The AMV presence, hands down AWA is the best con for AMVs and I appreciate that greatly, having the multiple contests, video room dedicated and panels from the editors makes it different from what other cons have to offer and makes me feel a little bit less like a loser who edits these blasted things.
The second is the people; got a lot of friends in the AMV community and this is a great place to catch up with them and hang out wheras the rest of the year I do not have said oppertunity. The AMV crew is a truley unique bunch of people who can be very serious and have an intelligent discussion one minute and the next all turn into a group that looks like a crowd of drunke villiage idiots (no offense by that, I'm including myself in that statement).
BANG
Intellectual Property, Real Estate & Probate Attorney.
Intellectual Property, Real Estate & Probate Attorney.
- Pwolf
- Friendly Neighborhood Pwaffle
- Joined: Thu May 03, 2001 4:17 pm
- Location: Some where in California, I forgot :\
- Contact:
- SQ
- Doesn't have a title
- Joined: Fri Nov 08, 2002 8:11 pm
- Status: youtube.com/SQ
- Location: Upstate NY
- Contact:
- Beowulf
- Joined: Wed Feb 27, 2002 9:41 pm
- Location: in the art house
- Contact:
AWA always get me pumped about AMVs. Theres always brainstorming of ideas, and people showcasing their new hot shit, so it gets the juices flowing. I was sitting in the airport with NME and we came up with my current video idea. Bonding with like minded individuals: heaven
When Wonka and I first went to AWA in 2001, he was so inspired, that he went home and cranked out Appetite For Dynamite in 2 weeks. A classic to this day. The 2001 AWA was when Machine, Wonka, MJ and I all got drunk and came up with the idea for the NES project.
As for the contest, I've never won a proper award there so it sucks
When Wonka and I first went to AWA in 2001, he was so inspired, that he went home and cranked out Appetite For Dynamite in 2 weeks. A classic to this day. The 2001 AWA was when Machine, Wonka, MJ and I all got drunk and came up with the idea for the NES project.
As for the contest, I've never won a proper award there so it sucks

- SQ
- Doesn't have a title
- Joined: Fri Nov 08, 2002 8:11 pm
- Status: youtube.com/SQ
- Location: Upstate NY
- Contact:
LOL that's not true, you won "The year-late boring everyone with a too long of a video award award" or whatever it was called.
An award with award in it's name twice must be DOUBLEY AWESOME.
An award with award in it's name twice must be DOUBLEY AWESOME.
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