OTAKON - Results, report and review

[Vlad G Pohnert]

Just got back from Otakon and I really had a great time! This con was so much better in every way to AnimeExpo except for Registration (needs work). I met a lot of new AMV creators and had a great time spending time and talking with everyone.

The Contest:

I was just blown away on the shear scale of the contest. The contest was played 4 times during the convention. On Friday and Saturday afternoon it was played in the largest video room (2000+ capacity) and to an almost full house at that! On Friday night it was played in the main events room (4000 capacity) and was over half full! Even Sunday after the winners were announced the room was packed with 500+ people. Overall I really liked some of the entries and always had to pick between two really good ones.

Winners and comments:

Romantic Sentimental Category:
Transcending Love by Vlad G. Pohnert
Only an Ocean Away by Sarah Brightman
Cowboy Bebop, Macross Plus, and City Hunter

I was so surprised and glad people enjoyed it. A few good entries in this category especially the one to Outlaw Star featuring CGI sequences - very nice! I also love the new Trophies this year!

Serious/Dramatic Category:
The Perfect Drug by Astro Glidewell
Nine Inch Nails
FLCL

I found this to be a tough category to judge. There wasn't a video(s) that totally stood out. I did like the Card Captor, Evangelion and Pom Poko ones.

Action Category:
Path of the Deus by Senta Miller
Chop Suey! by System of the Down
Angelic Layer

This video and Shining Collection by VicBond007 were the both very good and neck and neck in my mind. Both were disserving of the win but I think Senta's did have a bit more of a dramatic edge to it.

Upbeat/Rhythm Category:
Beboppin' by DJ Fritz
Can't Get You Out of My Head by Kylie Minogue
Cowboy Bebop

Winner by a landslide victory! I can see why it won, but I didn't think it was that fantastic. I felt the beginning and end were really strong and good, but it seemed to drag in the middle. I still like it and it was addiction, but I felt a few of the other videos were just as good.

Humorous Satirical Category:
Commercial exploitation '02 by Yonder
Butterfly by SMILE.dk
Bubblegum Crisis 2040, Dragon Ball Z, and Saber Marionette J)

This video had a really good and funny concept. I was fighting with this one and Tim's (this video Sucks) It actually won by only 7 votes!!. I felt the concept was deserving of winning for sure, the effects were a bit unpolished and required a bit more work. But overall, my choice as well.

THE PANNEL:

The panel was a lot of fun and very informative as usual. Several videos were played as examples which included Kevin Codwell's Believe (my favorite) and other's I can't remember off the top of my head (well.. they did play my Memories Dance video at which point was I was so shocked about all the wonderful things they had to say about it).

AMV Overflow Room:

This room was always at least half full. It played AMVs and parodies all convention long! I also played the DDR3 Project to a full house and the fans loved it!! I finally got to see Scott's "This is Otakudom" and loved it! WOW, this is the best dubbed and lip synching I've ever seem and it lasts 51 minutes!! WAY TO GO Scott!! No wonder the place was packed solid!

In General:

In closing, it was an awesome con. I enjoyed everyone's company and hope to be back next year. The other thing I would like to say is a big thanks to both Matt and Duane who did an awesome job on the contest and their support and dedication to the presence of AMVs and it's community at the con!

Also, I would also like to mention and encourage people to keep supporting cons like Otakon and others. Keep sending in those great videos. Some say that sent only to AWA, but I think that's a wrong approach. I love AWA and feel it's the AMV communities "Academy" Awards convention where all of us get together to judge and watch videos, socialize and have a great time.

Otakon (and all the other great cons) should also be support in every way since there it's the FANS who get to enjoy everything and it's important that we keep that growing since AMVs are getting just as popular as the Costume contests at cons!

I feel that like a movie, AWA is the Academy Awards but places like Otakon are the "movie houses" where the fans enjoy our work. And as with a movie, it's always important to send in entries to both! Therefore I say send to both types of conventions so that our presence will always be there and not whither away!

Vlad

[digitalgod]

Hi Vlad! Glad I got a chance to meet you and the other a-m-v.org members. See you at next year's con and to the other creators out there, keep making those vids but remember to have fun too.

[hackerzc]

Man that weekend was weird. There were times I loved, times I hated, and times I was just plane confused. Dude, I just learned Kenshin is a guy! I didn't know! Of course I never saw it, only clips from AMV's, so it's understandable. AND I THOUGHT SHE I MEAN HE WAS CUTE TOO!!! >_<

[MistyCaldwell]

I think Kenshin is cute too But apparently in a different way than you do ....er...now hackerzc

[kandelon]

That was the most fun I have ever had! I'm definately going again next year. They didn't show my video, but my costume was a hit (won second place for novice on friday for my auron) and the mascarade was the best!! So much fun and my group won first place in novice for "Dead Men Don't Sing"! We where so surprised when it happened!

I'll have to try again getting into the AMV contest next year too.

[Petro]

I think Kenshin is cute too But apparently in a different way than you do ....er...now hackerzc

Yeah, and the Noir one was sweet!

[Patches]

Whee, Otakon.

For some reason, I wasn't really as impressed with this year's AMVs in the contest as last year. Unlike last year, there weren't any videos that actually made me sit up and say "Wow, that's really neat!" Okay, Vlad, I do have to applaud your leet editing skillz, but nobody with me could figure out exactly what you were trying to do with that video. To us, it was just the extremely well-edited combination of three series that really had nothing to do with each other. If it wasn't for that, that might have been the one video that stood out. And some of the other ones like the "Beboppin'" and "Commercial Exploitation" videos would have sat better with me if they didn't lose steam in some places.

By the way, did anyone catch the AMV Open Screening? That was the one where the staff just compiled a tape of AMVs that they really liked and played it. The second or third one that they played was a Gundam 08th MS Team video that I REALLY liked, but there were no credits, so I have no idea who made it or what it was called. Does anyone know?

And that Big O video to the Men in Black II trailer at MAT3K was helluva funny, and I wish I could find it for download somewhere.

[Senta]

The second or third one that they played was a Gundam 08th MS Team video that I REALLY liked, but there were no credits, so I have no idea who made it or what it was called. Does anyone know?

I didn't go to the AMV Open Screening, but I would guess that it was Rubyeye's Nightwish video that I saw at Animazement. Really good video and great song.

And that Big O video to the Men in Black II trailer at MAT3K was helluva funny, and I wish I could find it for download somewhere.

That was VicBond's video. Last time I checked, it was available for download on his site.

[Quu]

sorry about the open AMV section

I put togethor that tape at the last minute... full of videos that cought my eye... ^_^

I hope everybody liked them....

[MeriC]

And that Big O video to the Men in Black II trailer at MAT3K was helluva funny, and I wish I could find it for download somewhere.

here's a linkie to it:

http://www.animemusicvideos.org/legacy/video.php?v=9154

I agree, I thought this was a rather disappointing year for the AMV contest. I think maybe 3 videos stood out. Full report to come later!