eaglemech_45 wrote:If I don’t get enough to make a contest and by contest and enough I mean that they need to be good AMV's and enough means that there is fair competition, then I'm going to have to cancel the contest. Even without the theme requirement across the board at many conventions they are cutting the AMV's out.
Now a cancelation will only apply to this year and not be a for good kinda thing. Sometimes the economy and life catches up with people and they can’t make it "it happens". I cannot force you to participate and make AMV's like your life depended on it.
This will give me a chance to go to my higher ups in Fanime and DEMAND more money For PRIZES as well as advertising and so on. You, the entire AMV community make works of art. And like a Van Gough or Rembrandt you should be compensated aside from a dinky little plaque. You should have an award that you want to win, that you try and excel to achieve.
So, if I have to cancel I will. Yes I will be sad, I got W.I.A (San Diego chapter) *women in animation* to judge this years event as well as many students from Art Institute San Diego doing allot of the pre production After Effects Work. And now it looks like a may have to cancel them, but I don’t know there is still 5 Days left everyone could just be putting the final touch's on their entries.
Sean,
I admire you wanting to stick to your guns. The idea of creating a theme for Fanime to differentiate it from other AMV contests is a noble one.
However, canceling the contest just because you cannot get enough quality entries that fit the theme is not the answer. Indeed, it is the worst thing you can do for the AMV fans who go to Fanime every year (note that I said "AMV fans", not "AMV creators"), and it will have a ripple effect that will hurt the entire convention in the long term.
Believe it or not, there are anime fans for whom the main event at a convention, the one they go to the con specifically to attend, is the AMV contest. The lines outside the main events rooms never lie. Over the years, I've been surprised at how many people at different conventions all over the country have said, "I'm only here for the AMV contest. I don't care about cosplay." These are the people who have already purchased a badge for Fanime, already made their hotel reservations, already made their travel plans. These people will be destroyed if the AMV contest is canceled, because they honestly don't care if the entries follow a particular theme. They just want to see a good show, and canceling the contest would deprive them of that. More importantly, in some cases, Fanime is the only convention they can attend. Do you think these fans will attend next year if that happens?
I would also feel bad for all the artists you have marshaled in getting this contest together. These people have donated their valuable time and energy to put together the best contest possible. Perhaps they, too, should have a say in whether the contest is canceled. I know if I put in a lot of hard work on something, I would want to see it shown, and if someone else decided that it not be seen, I would be reluctant to help the next time I was asked.
Canceling the AMV contest should never be an option. Too many attendees are expecting it, and they will make their disappointed voices heard to the con chairs. This would make it much more difficult for you to "DEMAND more money for PRIZES and advertising", assuming there even is a contest the following year. Keep in mind that Anime Expo lost two consecutive AMV coordinators because of errors that ruined the audience's enjoyment of the contest - they didn't cancel the contest, people were just upset how it turned out.
I beg you to reconsider this decision, Sean. Canceling the contest will hurt everyone - the attendees who wanted to see AMV's, regardless of whether they follow the theme, the artists who contributed their sweat to putting together a contest that didn't happen, attendance at next year's convention, and yes, the AMV creators, who only want their work to be seen (speaking for myself, the "dinky little plaque" is an award that I would be proud to win - I'm happy enough just to have my work screened for an appreciative audience).
