#swampcon2016

[pretty-grotesque]

#tbt to swampcon this past Valentine's day. Displayed for the first time, met wonderful people, had buckets of fun. #swampcon2016

[hawklegs]

Behind the scenes photo from my Aladdin shoot I did with @stacston! I'll be posting the final product later this week on my Facebook page then here! I love how it turned out and hope you all enjoy it as well x3 #behindthescenes #Magi #magithelabyrinthofmagic #magithekingdomofmagic #magicosplay #Aladdin #AladdinCosplay #AladdinMagi #cosplay #cosplayer #FloridaCosplayer #collegecosplayer #cosplayphotoshoot #cosplayphotography #sneakpeek #professionalshoot #model #cosplaymodel #photoshoot #SwampCon #swampcon2016

[markpariani]

Andrew Raine Cosplay as Asuna from Sword Art Online - Saturday, February 13th, 2016

[talesofatelier]

Hello swampcon tag!  I have my unedited photos up on my facebook page so if you’d like to check them out and tag yourself please do so.  Edited photos will be uploaded here, but which photos and when they’ll be uploaded is completely up in the air since I am not that experiences with post-processing.

[stunfisky]

TLDR; Don’t jump to conclusions.  AMV judging and presenting is actually pretty chaotic.  Swampcon AMV judge wants to give out feedback if you private message me.

I’ve been an AMV maker for over 8 years.  I started out with crappy Windows Movie Maker before I managed to get a Sony Vegas Pro program.  I spent hours making AMVs on both programs.  I spent hours learning a completely new program with very little tutorials.  Every AMV pushed the limits of my experimentation with the programs and my computer’s capability.  I’ll admit that it has been 2 years since I have last made an AMV because my computer can’t handle any video editing program.  However I remember spending hours upon hours making AMVs, Sony Vegas Pro crashing on me time after time, losing all my work and having to start all over again, and being yelled at because I would play a 5 second sequence 50 times in a row trying to get the timing right for lip flaps or for a specific effect.  I remember the nights I would spend doing last minute editing before finally submitting my AMV at the last possible minute.  AMVs that never won or shown because of some reason I still don’t know.  AMVs that never won or shown because someone else was a better editor than me. 

I’m not bitter about that though.  I never have been. I knew how hard those people worked even if I didn’t like their amv.  Even if I didn’t understand it. Instead I’ve been happy for those editors because they gave me inspiration to get better.  I learned from those editors and they told me new tricks that I would apply to my next AMV.  AMV, just like all video editing, is a continuous learning experience.  I hope to continue learning when I am able to make AMVs again.

This year was my first year hosting an AMV contest.  Now, I’ve been a judge before, but I never had to host it and have all the worries about it.  AMV judging seems to be a last minute thing because it shouldn’t take too much time to debate.  Sometimes some AMVs don’t make it to the judges for several reasons.  Most of which because they aren’t qualified because they break the rules.  Other times it’s because they’re sent in as a joke.  Judging itself changes with every lead judge.  Previous years there were many judges and only the lead judge had contact with the other judges, would take their opinions, then judge from that.  This year there were only two judges at this event. 

I respected every single video and watched it to the end even if I didn’t like it or it triggered me.  I gave it them the respect of watching them all the way through because I know how much time and patience it takes.  I judged not on how popular something was -because tbh I don’t watch a lot of popular animes unless my friends get me into them- but on the techniques used, how the audience would see them, the timing, the meaning, and a few various other criteria to fit each AMV.   Even if one used effects and got the meaning across if it didn’t fit the genre enough, had too many effects, or the timing was off it got placed lower.

As for the showing, yes we held honorable mentions.  Some of which wouldn’t even be typically placed at all.  However we chose those AMVs for the potential they held depending on their experience or program.  Some runner ups had to be reclassed because we didn’t feel they fit the genre they were in.  Others were runner ups simply because there was nothing else in that genre.

Besides just judging there are technical issues that happen at the event.  We had a lot of technical issues as neither judge has presented an AMV contest.  Besides technical issues we also had a time limit before the next event/panel was supposed to come in.  I estimated that the AMVs including the honorable mentions would approx. 45mins.  I decided that 15mins would give us ample time for giving out awards and technical difficulties.  I believe that my decision was correct.

Moving on, I was planning to do this from the start even without provocation. To all Swampcon AMV contestants:  If you message me privately I will tell you why your AMV didn’t show, what we liked, or didn’t like.  I will also give you some advice if you want it.

[stunfisky]

Miraculous group #miraculousladybug #swampcon2016

[princeofcuddles]

A+ gekkan shoujo squad with proud father, smol, problematic child, and tol👍🏼

Hori: @pitifulmerthurobsession Kashima: @yourheroserene Nozaki: @retrostylus Hinata: me

#swampcon #swampcon2016

[stunfisky]

Ginko from Mushishi is at #swampcon2016 now.