AMV LEAGUE RULES - SEASON 3
1. AMV stands for "Animated Music Video." Animation from any source - Japanese, American, Video Game, 3D, 2D, etc. - will be accepted. Videos that are primarily live action will not be accepted.
2. Video resolution should be no less than standard definition. Audio should be CD quality or better.
3. We strongly prefer MP4 format. If you submit a video in any other format, we will convert it to MP4. If we cannot convert it to MP4, it will be disqualified.
4. You do not have to be present at an AMV League Event to win.
5. You may submit a maximum of one video per category per AMV League Event.
6. ANY SINGLE VIDEO SUBMITTED TO AN AMV LEAGUE EVENT MAY NOT AGAIN BE SUBMITTED TO ANY OTHER AMV LEAGUE EVENT. Videos previously submitted to non-League AMV contests ARE eligible.
7. Videos submitted to AMV League Events may not have been created earlier than two years prior to the deadline of the AMV League Event to which they are submitted. (e.g. If an AMV League Event's deadline is March 30, 2017, videos created earlier than March 30, 2015 are ineligible for that particular AMV League Event.)
8. All videos must be uploaded to a hosting site such as Google Drive or Dropbox. NO YOUTUBE OR OTHER STREAMING LINKS WILL BE ACCEPTED.
9. The following will result in immediate disqualification:
2. Video resolution should be no less than standard definition. Audio should be CD quality or better.
3. We strongly prefer MP4 format. If you submit a video in any other format, we will convert it to MP4. If we cannot convert it to MP4, it will be disqualified.
4. You do not have to be present at an AMV League Event to win.
5. You may submit a maximum of one video per category per AMV League Event.
6. ANY SINGLE VIDEO SUBMITTED TO AN AMV LEAGUE EVENT MAY NOT AGAIN BE SUBMITTED TO ANY OTHER AMV LEAGUE EVENT. Videos previously submitted to non-League AMV contests ARE eligible.
7. Videos submitted to AMV League Events may not have been created earlier than two years prior to the deadline of the AMV League Event to which they are submitted. (e.g. If an AMV League Event's deadline is March 30, 2017, videos created earlier than March 30, 2015 are ineligible for that particular AMV League Event.)
8. All videos must be uploaded to a hosting site such as Google Drive or Dropbox. NO YOUTUBE OR OTHER STREAMING LINKS WILL BE ACCEPTED.
9. The following will result in immediate disqualification:
- Exceedingly poor audio or video quality.
- Visible watermarks (e.g. "TV Tokyo" or "Funimation" logo in the corner) or subtitles (such as fansubs) that are unrelated to the video. Covering subtitles or watermarks with black boxes, blur, pixelation, etc. or blowing your video up so that subtitles and watermarks are out of frame will also result in disqualification.
- Nudity, gore, or any use of profanity that would not be permitted in a PG-13 film.
- Any credits, bumpers, etc. will be removed. If they cannot be removed, the video will be disqualified. We will add our own "MTV-Style" credits to each video.
COMEDY and TRAILER/COMMERCIAL Categories:
Videos submitted to the Comedy and Trailer/Commercial categories will be showcased at the convention to which they are submitted (unless they have been shown at that convention before - see the limited resubmission rules below), but NOT be considered for any award until the AMV League Comedy and Trailer/Commercial National Championships.
If your video was:
Any Commercial or Trailer video or Any video submitted to the Comedy category and rolled into General or Overall for that contest due to lack of Comedy submissions
AND
Did NOT win a "Best" award at that convention
then you MAY resubmit your Comedy or Commercial/Trailer video ONCE under the new rules to be judged at the AMV League Nationals. However, this WILL count toward your limit of three Comedy or Trailer/Commercial videos per season, AND if you resumbit your video to the same convention where it had been shown before, it will NOT be exhibited again UNTIL the Nationals, so that the audience doesn't get confused and wonder why they're seeing the same video they saw last year. This resubmission option will expire at the end of Season 3, so resubmit now or forever hold your peace.
- HOW MANY COMEDY AND TRAILER/COMMERCIAL VIDEOS CAN I SUBMIT?
- MY COMEDY VIDEO IS REALLY GOOD; I THINK IT COULD WIN AT THE CONVENTION!
- IF I SUBMITTED MY COMEDY OR TRAILER/COMMERCIAL VIDEO TO A PREVIOUS AMV LEAGUE EVENT, CAN I SUBMIT IT AGAIN BECAUSE THE OLD RULES REALLY SCREWED OVER THESE TYPES OF VIDEOS?
If your video was:
Any Commercial or Trailer video or Any video submitted to the Comedy category and rolled into General or Overall for that contest due to lack of Comedy submissions
AND
Did NOT win a "Best" award at that convention
then you MAY resubmit your Comedy or Commercial/Trailer video ONCE under the new rules to be judged at the AMV League Nationals. However, this WILL count toward your limit of three Comedy or Trailer/Commercial videos per season, AND if you resumbit your video to the same convention where it had been shown before, it will NOT be exhibited again UNTIL the Nationals, so that the audience doesn't get confused and wonder why they're seeing the same video they saw last year. This resubmission option will expire at the end of Season 3, so resubmit now or forever hold your peace.
JUDGMENT CRITERIA
Action, Drama, and General AMVs will be judged on the following criteria:
Each category will be scored on a scale of 1 to 10, for a maximum of 80 points.
AMV League National Championships
The AMV League National Championships will consist of all winning videos from every Season 3 AMV League Qualifying Event, plus two “Wild Card” videos chosen by the judges. These videos will be ranked against each other in order for each of the 8 judgment criteria. For example, if there are 25 videos, the video with the best Concept/Originality will get 25 points. The video with the second-best Concept/Originality will get 24 points, and so on. Then we do the same for Emotional Appeal, Aesthetic Appeal, Rhythm/Sync, Special Effects, Flow/Editing, and X-Factor.
The video that scores the most points will receive the coveted title of Best AMV of the Year! We will also have awards for Runner-Up and 2nd Runner-Up.
AMV League Comedy and Trailer/Commercial National Championships
Comedy AMVs will be judged on the following criteria:
Trailer/Commercial AMVs will be judged on the following criteria:
- Concept/Originality - Does the basic idea of the video work? Is the story or concept one that is both original and makes sense?
- Emotional Appeal - Does the video make the viewer feel appropriately happy, sad, excited, scared or other feelings (depending on the category submitted)?
- Aesthetic Appeal - Does the video look good? Are there sampling or artifacting issues? Does the music choice enhance the video or make it harder to watch?
- Rhythm/Sync - Does what's happening on screen match the timing of the audio? Is there lip sync or mickey-mousing? Does what's happening on screen seem tied to some part of the song (be it beat, lyrics, or melody)?
- Special Effects - Are filters, transitions and effects applied in ways that enhance the look of the video, or do they distract from the video? When effects, typesetting, transitions or similar features are used, does it seem like the editor understands how to control and execute those effects?
- Flow/Editing - Are cuts made in appropriate places? Does the AMV feel like a single cohesive whole, with scenes transitioning well into one another, or does it feel like just a bunch of random unrelated scenes?
- Rewatchability - Does the video hold up to repeated viewings? Is it one that people would want to experience again and again?
- X-Factor - Is there just something likeable about this video that the judges can’t really explain?
Each category will be scored on a scale of 1 to 10, for a maximum of 80 points.
AMV League National Championships
The AMV League National Championships will consist of all winning videos from every Season 3 AMV League Qualifying Event, plus two “Wild Card” videos chosen by the judges. These videos will be ranked against each other in order for each of the 8 judgment criteria. For example, if there are 25 videos, the video with the best Concept/Originality will get 25 points. The video with the second-best Concept/Originality will get 24 points, and so on. Then we do the same for Emotional Appeal, Aesthetic Appeal, Rhythm/Sync, Special Effects, Flow/Editing, and X-Factor.
The video that scores the most points will receive the coveted title of Best AMV of the Year! We will also have awards for Runner-Up and 2nd Runner-Up.
AMV League Comedy and Trailer/Commercial National Championships
Comedy AMVs will be judged on the following criteria:
- Concept/Originality - Is the video original? Does the joke make sense?
- Comedic Appeal - Simply put: Does the video make you laugh? Does it make you laugh a lot?
- Rewatchability - Does the video stand up to repeated views or become dull once you know the punch line? Is it one you'd want to share with your friends?
- Aesthetic Appeal - Does the video use appealing imagery? Are any "joke effects" (i.e. masking faces/logos) present and done well?
- Sync/Editing - Does the video make good use of comedic timing? Does what's happening on screen match the audio well?
Trailer/Commercial AMVs will be judged on the following criteria:
- Concept/Originality - How well does the trailer/commercial "work?" Is the chosen anime appropriate? Is the idea original or one that's been done before?
- Sync - How good is the lip sync? Do the sound effects and words translate well into what's shown on the screen?
- Flow/Editing - Is the video edited well? Would it be able to stand alone as an actual commercial for the advertised property?
- Emotional Appeal - Is the video appropriately exciting, touching, etc.? If this video were an official commercial, would it make you interested in the advertised property?
TL;DR: WHAT'S CHANGED IN SEASON 3?
- The Comedy and Trailer/Commercial categories have been split off into their own contests, as we rarely received enough Comedy videos to justify a separate category, and Trailers/Commercials are different enough from music videos to where they need their own criteria for judging.
- Clarification on some auto-disqualification rules, such as permission to include relevant, editor-added subtitles, and specifying that, no, you can't just cover the subtitles/watermarks with black boxes or pixelation because seriously why do we get so many submissions that do that.
- Removal of the "Encoding" scoring criteria (as it ended up just being a free 10 points to any competent editor). Encoding issues such as artifacts and interlacing will now be taken out of "Aesthetic Appeal."
- Removal of the "Bumping the Lamp/Effort" category, as it proved to be too difficult to really judge how much effort it took to create a video. Sometimes the things that take the most effort are the least noticeable, such as the lamp-bumping in Who Framed Roger Rabbit? for which the category was named.
- Combination of "Flow/Cohesion" and "Editing" into one category, as these ended up being more or less the same thing.
- "Technical Prowess" has been renamed "Special Effects" because that's what that category ended up being anyway.
- Addition of the "X-Factor" category, so that judges may give slight boosts to otherwise enjoyable videos that might not score high in some of the other categories.