Moon Fire AMV opinions from prescreeners?

[Songbird21]

I entered a Sailor Moon Crystal AMV (Upbeat category. Song is "Burn") this year that didn't make it in the contest and I am desperate to know why. This is the second year in a row my vid didn't make it in and I'm starting to lose confidence. After having won at AB so many times not even making it is very hard for me to take.

So, please, if you can remember anything at all that made it so my vid didn't get in let me know.

[thetoddfather]

can't speak as a pre-screener but I can look at it as an editor. do you have it posted anywhere?

[Sayoria]

You know Song, my friend (who actually I think threw in the towel after winning here a few too) was a pretty good fan of yours. For that reason, I was wondering why I haven't seen anything of yours lately.

And when you say "Burn", by who? I actually used a song with the same title. Mine was by Ellie Goulding though in Drama.

[Songbird21]

can't speak as a pre-screener but I can look at it as an editor. do you have it posted anywhere?

Yup. Just posted it in fact: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VvhYgr7 ... tS3EqIkFOA

You know Song, my friend (who actually I think threw in the towel after winning here a few too) was a pretty good fan of yours. For that reason, I was wondering why I haven't seen anything of yours lately.

*Blush* Thanks Yeah. It's been cause my vids haven't been making the cut. Hence the reason for my post. *Wince*

And when you say "Burn", by who? I actually used a song with the same title. Mine was by Ellie Goulding though in Drama.

Yup. Same song.

[Sayoria]

Go figure. >_> ...

Yeah, I've noticed that the contest has been getting tougher and tougher every year. It's a good thing, but there's always a category that I feel could have been better. The people who I am hearing didn't make the cut this year makes me hopeful of a spectacular showing.

Anywho, I don't drink but here's to next year.

[thetoddfather]

Just some feedback from an editor's perspective

1. I don't know if its is the flash player or the actual video quality but the color looks muddy or runny (esp the bubbles part). Is your quality up to snuff, esp with something that looks as good as crystal, something slightly off in the source or export quality can tank a video. Video quality is vital to a video these days.

2. While this was a upbeat song, the video really could have been in, drama, action or upbeat. I personally felt more of an action vibe from it then upbeat. Classifying your video as a whole, not just as the song or show, is also really important. It could be that the presceeners felt like it was upbeat but wasn't a good upbeat video but didn't fit anywhere else. I personally think more of upbeat as dub-step and mash-up videos not single source items.

3. As someone who doesn't like sailor moon, I really lost interest when the chorus really felt the same. I get that they transform and shot thingy's from their wands(?) but isn't there something else you can show me?

4. I felt like narratively this video was all over the place, some of the footage was literal, some of it wasn't. some of the clips felt like filler or didn't add anything. I like videos to tell me a story (even if its a lie). Maybe a better way to put this, i didn't feel a gravity in the actions the characters were performing. I'd imagine if I watched Crystal that could be different.

Now in all fairness you can critique my action video that also didn't get in https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5HeGbTX2q3s

[Songbird21]

1. I don't know if its is the flash player or the actual video quality but the color looks muddy or runny (esp the bubbles part). Is your quality up to snuff, esp with something that looks as good as crystal, something slightly off in the source or export quality can tank a video. Video quality is vital to a video these days.

Ah. You might wanna use the download link instead of the watch link. The flash player does lower the footage quality.

2. While this was a upbeat song, the video really could have been in, drama, action or upbeat. I personally felt more of an action vibe from it then upbeat.

Yeah, I really struggled with where to put it. It had more of an action vibe to me too but several of my friends insisted it was upbeat so I went with that. Obviously it was a mistake.

I personally think more of upbeat as dub-step and mash-up videos not single source items.

Lol. A vid doesn't hafta be from multiple sources to be upbeat.

As someone who doesn't like sailor moon, I really lost interest when the chorus really felt the same. I get that they transform and shot thingy's from their wands(?) but isn't there something else you can show me?

It's Sailor Moon so not really. Honestly the original anime was waaaaaaay worse when it came to the attacks being monotonous. I love the original too but SMC does battles so much better. Also keep in mind that it's a new show so I had only 13 episodes to work with.

I felt like narratively this video was all over the place, some of the footage was literal, some of it wasn't. some of the clips felt like filler or didn't add anything. I like videos to tell me a story (even if its a lie). Maybe a better way to put this, i didn't feel a gravity in the actions the characters were performing. I'd imagine if I watched Crystal that could be different.

I do see what you're saying but, again, I only had 13 eps to work with. I was trying desperately to match up actions with the lyrics but because of lack of footage I had to be kinda cryptic at points. Some clips I do admit are just there because I had to put something in there but the majority of the clips are meant to show how they fight for good and never give up.

Now in all fairness you can critique my action video that also didn't get in https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5HeGbTX2q3s

Quality: The footage quality is great and so is the audio.

Story: I didn't really see any story at all. The only thing I got from it was that sometimes these girls fight and sometimes they're friends. The first minute-thirty seems to all be the same fight. Woulda been good to change things up a bit.

Editing: The first 17 seconds are really well timed and then it just seems to stop. At first I thought maybe you were timing to the drum beat instead of the lyrics but that didn't seem to be the case either. The motions of the characters just don't "dance" to the music like they should. Just my opinion, of course.

Lyric sync: There seems to be very little that works with the lyrics. It almost sounds like a love song but I ignored that for the sake of "It's an action vid".

On a brighter note, I'm kinda interested in the series now. The fight scenes look pretty badass.

[otakuforlife]

I liked the concept but felt a loss of overall interest maybe too many transformations..

[Kagomechan]

A lot of the pre-screeners don't read this part of the forum so I'll sum up some reactions:

1) I agree with Todd that it may have done better in Action. I also agree on the repetitive part with the transformations.

2) Some of the other pre-screeners do not like the art style of SMC and you likely took a hit for that. I don't have strong feelings either way, personally.

[basharoftheages]

It's also important to realize (and I said this via PM, but it's important to repeat for everyone) that this is a global-scale contest now. It isn't enough to just not do things "wrong" - you need to be creating something at a higher level to get in than in years past.

Unfortunately, you can't account for certain things like taste and category gaps (and you really shouldn't feel you need to). Making finals at one specific con isn't a good metric of if you're doing well - spread the love around.

[thetoddfather]

It's also important to realize (and I said this via PM, but it's important to repeat for everyone) that this is a global-scale contest now. It isn't enough to just not do things "wrong" - you need to be creating something at a higher level to get in than in years past.

Unfortunately, you can't account for certain things like taste and category gaps (and you really shouldn't feel you need to). Making finals at one specific con isn't a good metric of if you're doing well - spread the love around.

I don't ever like agreeing with Bashar but he is 100% right on both counts. One con, and one group or precreeners shouldn't make, or even be the basis for a videos worth. For examples
1. my Accel World AMV from 2 years ago, didn't make it into AB, won best action at connecticon.
2. my Psycho Pass video that qualified last year for Action, won at Bakuretsu con, but didn't make it into AAC the previous fall.
3. my Gargantia video that won best romance last year, didn't make it into sakura con, and got clobbered at every other con it made it into

Keep editing and keep submitting.

[pmurray]

Prescreener here with my 2 cents. I don't make AMVs so I can't speak to the technical side, but this was my impression:

Upbeat was a very strong category this year. Competition was fierce, and from what I have seen of past contests, what would have been a front-runner in years past is no longer what makes the leader of the pack now. In fact, that's pretty much the way the whole contest is going, it's no longer weeding the good videos out of the terrible, it's picking out the exceptional from the incredible. For this reason small mistakes can become major detractors: errors in timing, video quality, music choice, and sound quality will count against even the best concepts.

Your video in particular was not a bad video, but it wasn't exceptional. I understand the effort every editor puts into their work and I don't mean to be insensitive, but the contest is changing and so are the criteria to make it in. Using a very popular song (we saw (I think) three videos with that same song this year) makes it difficult for your video to stand out. As Todd pointed out, the footage became rather repetitive, and it didn't fit with the category. It felt to us much more of an action video, especially the first half, and you know what they say about first impressions.

Like I said, it's not a terrible video, but it's not exceptional, and it really needs to be at this point. Making your video stand out is the best way to catch the precreeners' attention, so try to use a song that's not quite so "mainstream" or an anime we don't always see or tell a story that people wouldn't instinctively associate with a show or character. Those are the videos I remember the most.

Best of luck for next year.

[Songbird21]

We saw (I think) three videos with that same song this year

Ouch.

and it didn't fit with the category. It felt to us much more of an action video, especially the first half.

Yeah. I was really torn between action and upbeat. I wish I'd listened to myself instead of my brother.

try to use a song that's not quite so "mainstream" or an anime we don't always see or tell a story that people wouldn't instinctively associate with a show or character.

Heh. That makes me wish I'd done the second video I had planned. It's to an original song on Youtube and the footage is Fate-Stay Night.

I appreciate your comments. Thank you

[Dragonrider1227]

I'm no AMV critique but I just wanted to say that while I understand why it didn't make it, I thought you had a pretty good video and I'd like to see what you come up with next

[Songbird21]

Thanks!

[Dragonrider1227]

You're welcome

[Sayoria]

Saw it yesterday in the overflow. It wasn't bad, but it was moving faster than the song was.