Doing something "wrong" is a subjective thing. As far as the rules are concerned, you only did something "wrong" if you violated a rule and thus got DQ'd. That said, there are certain factors that, while not "wrong", can affect the appreciation of a video.Kazemon15 wrote:I was wondering if I could get a small feedback on my video as well. (Beneath the Rose)Ryvannis wrote:
Bump, can I get a response to my post on page 7 please?
I wondered what I did wrong. Was it the scans (I hope not, since my dear friend took a great deal of time to make them anime-like) or was it the editing? .... =/
Although I saw so many videos during judging that I can't recall your video specifically (thus what I'm about to say may or may not apply to you), I do feel the need to discuss something which, in my own opinion as just one judge, I feel could have been improved upon for some entries this year. That something is video quality.
For me, experience is everything. It is extremely difficult for me to focus on what the creator is trying to convey if there is an on-screen distraction that it takes me out of the experience. Macroblocks, jagged edges, poorly hidden subtitles, and network/Divx logos are just such a distraction, and an enormous one at that.
Those distractions are generally the result of either using poor source footage (ANY kind of downloaded footage = macroblocks and jaggies galore), poor capture settings, or using poor compression settings when rendering the final product. Don't forget that what looks good enough on your computer monitor might not look quite so hot when blown up on a 180" screen, so everything has to be as good as possible at every step of the capture/render process.
I realize not everyone is an expert on ripping/capturing/rendering, but there are many FAQs available out there that instruct AMV makers on how to avoid such problems (I believe Michael is making another one), and they're very helpful and easy to follow. I unfortunately saw a disappointing number of videos with visual distractions such as those described above, and although they each had their merits, those distractions could not help but weigh heavily in my voting.
Frankly though, methinks I'm preaching to the converted here, and I fear that the people who most need to pay attention to my words above are people who aren't reading this thread.
And as for audio, I think we've already covered the topic of audio quality, so I won't beat the dead horse on that topic.
I look forward to seeing everyone's videos again next year -- that is, unless I get off my lazy butt and decide to enter one myself.
