... when was the last time you saw a DBZ video in a recent AMV contest?
How about Sakuracon a few years ago, in a Comedy entry, available here:
http://www.animemusicvideos.org/members/members_videoinfo.php?v=9188... and as a comedy entry this sort is ENTIRELY UNRESTRICTED given the way things are currently.
If you are going to restrict the type of Anime then it should be in the New & Unseen and it should be by the Japanese release date. Hence the topic New & Unseen. I don't believe you should restrict the type of anime or music that is used for the other categories.
...and what you just wrote is exactly the way the categories work as of now: 'Action' and 'Dance' are New and Unseen (soon to be re-labled 'Cutting Edge' thanks to a previous suggestion) and 'Traditional Japanese Setting' and Comedy are WIDE OPEN.
Personally for legal reasons I make mine with anime I've already purchased, with music that I own the [media] with already. Not to mention I am a collector, the anime that I truly like tend to be what I will buy to support the companies so they continue to make good anime. And because I enjoy the series I tend to make AMVs from them.
I happen to do much the same as you - I go back and collect the licensed media (usually DVD) and not in the least part becuase (a) you can get subtitle-free clips, but (b) the resolution tends to be -MUCH- higher quality. I recommend that people start with the highest quality sources (audio -and- video) as they can.
I also notice that we don't have any categories dealing with more serious dramatic type videos.
The page says you can try a drama, romance, or other serious work within a 'Traditional Japanese Setting.' Also, an Action AMV can have a serious or even a romantic theme, but 'Action' means it ought to have some energy, drive, and punch to it as well. It ain't gonna be a sentimental sloucher. ZZzzzzzz......
Is it because you are trying to keep it PG-13 that it was decided to remove an Action type category?
The 'Action' category -is- included in the contest. Nobody has removed it. (
)
I doubt [that] the music I listen to would fit any of the categories really. It seems that you want everything to be upbeat and happy so there would be no place to put rock or anything similar to that or am I just not seeing it?
Technically there is NO restriction on which music type goes into what category. As noted above, slower, serious, emotional works can try for a 'Traditional Japanese Setting.' BIG HINT: Don't limit YOUR OWN thinking about what a 'Traditional Japanese Setting' IS.
Meanwhile, there is no restriction on music style anywhere: Rock, metal, rap, techno, house, trance, can be used for ANY category. OK, same goes for Lithuanian polkas, Zydeco, clawhammer bluegrass, German Navy songs of WW2, flamenco, or even Gregorian chant. (No guarantees that people will LIKE the work or even understand what the heck is going on with the music, but that's not MY call - that's for the audience to vote on ...)
The PG-13 thing is imposed on us from On High, and though I've said before that we shouldn't act like this is Sesame Street, we gotta follow (at least loosely) the MPAA guidelines on explicit content. From what I understand, the con will have MINORS present, likely with their parents, who will complain to the HOTEL if salty language or an animated wardrobe malfunction offends their delicate sensibilities. (Ineffibles! Eek!) So I gotta work within that envelope. (Sigh. :?)
Thank you for all your comments.
-G