AMV Questions !

[Traase]

1.) Can the music in the background be in another language aside from English? It'd probably be Japanese. If the use of music in another language is allowed, would it be safe to add in subtitles for the lyrics of the song?

2.) How long should the AMV be? (on average)

3.) What is the likelihood of making it into the finals? (obviously depends on quality of the AMV but statistically speaking)

4.) Are you allowed to use any part of an anime? For example, including the animation for the opening/ending song.

5.) Are there rules on special effects, such as rapid blinks, glows, colors, etc.?

6.) Should the AMV consist entirely of the AMV and lack an introduction for the creator and a credits scene after the AMV is completed?

7.) Can you use multiple songs in a single AMV?

I may have more questions down the line, but thanks to anyone who provides me answers!

[LantisEscudo]

Answering your questions in order:

1.) Can the music in the background be in another language aside from English? It'd probably be Japanese. If the use of music in another language is allowed, would it be safe to add in subtitles for the lyrics of the song?

Absolutely. Over the years, we've had entries in English, Japanese, French, Spanish, Russian, and more, as well as instrumentals. Reaction to subtitles can be hit or miss, though, and we generally advise leaving them out.

2.) How long should the AMV be? (on average)

The rules state that your video must be longer than 30 seconds and shorter than 6 minutes. 3-4 minutes is where most videos fall.

3.) What is the likelihood of making it into the finals? (obviously depends on quality of the AMV but statistically speaking)

We received 172 entries last year that weren't immediately disqualified for breaking the rules. 30 made the finals.

4.) Are you allowed to use any part of an anime? For example, including the animation for the opening/ending song.

You are; there have been videos that were edited using nothing but the openings to a variety of shows.

5.) Are there rules on special effects, such as rapid blinks, glows, colors, etc.?

We warn viewers that videos may contain such effects, so there are no restrictions on editors using them.

6.) Should the AMV consist entirely of the AMV and lack an introduction for the creator and a credits scene after the AMV is completed?

Yes. We generate a uniform title card for all entries.

7.) Can you use multiple songs in a single AMV?

This point is actually under discussion for next year's rules, so be sure to read the rules when they get posted (most likely in late fall).

I may have more questions down the line, but thanks to anyone who provides me answers!

Feel free to ask, we're here to answer!

[Traase]

What are major factors in disqualifying AMVs that are submitted to you guys? Are there any rules that are a bit more lenient?

[LantisEscudo]

What are major factors in disqualifying AMVs that are submitted to you guys? Are there any rules that are a bit more lenient?

The biggest one is watermarks and subtitles. Probably 95% of the videos we disqualify are because of them, and we are exceptionally strict enforcing that rule. We've disqualified videos for a single frame of a partial watermark before.

After that, violating PG-13 standards is probably the next biggest. Usually it's profanity in the lyrics, but sexual nudity and/or gratuitous violence will also get a video disqualified. There's a little more flex here because "gratuitous" can be a bit of a fuzzy term, but if you're concerned, you can always ask us to take a look at it before you submit.

We watch all the entries as they come in, and if we disqualify a video, we give the reason why, and you can resubmit your entry or a replacement video any time up until the submission deadline.

[Traase]

What are the most popular genres that are submitted to you guys? The least?

Are we allowed to submit an AMV under multiple genres? (assuming they could fit in either one)

[LantisEscudo]

What are the most popular genres that are submitted to you guys? The least?

This varies year to year. Drama usually gets a large number of entries, Fun/Comedy tends to have smaller numbers, but there's been strong and weak years for every category over the years. It's really hard to predict what'll be popular until we see the final numbers.

Are we allowed to submit an AMV under multiple genres? (assuming they could fit in either one)

We're looking at how we handle categorization right now, so this may change for next year or future years, but currently, a video must be submitted in a single category. We may move a video before the prescreening in rare cases (for example, parody openings, trailers, and commercials are moved to Other currently). At the prescreening, the judges may recategorize a video if they strongly feel it was submitted in the wrong category, but this is not done frequently (only 3 of the 172 entries this past year were moved in this way).