just a week left 'fore the Call for Nominations, so whatever there is to ruminate - let it all out here.

points such as:

1. '08 logo - who'll step up to the plate?

2. Categories: does the tried & true dozen still do it for you?

3. will there ever be a T-shirt?

4. erm...

5. over to you, Michel.

         

homage to VMA's?

         

cat's by last roll call: most fun video best animated video best performance video best narrative video best choreography best art direction best editing best cinematography best unknown/unsigned director best new director director of the year best music video of the year

         

the official calendar, so's all set y'all's agendas:

9th dec - call for noms (closing 12th)

15th dec - call for votes on finalists (closing 18th)

19th dec - winners announced to full fanfare.

         

i think we should add a best hip-hop video category; if only because they'll most likely get shut out of the rest of the categories. As well, it seems to be a constant debate here on antville.

         

I second that motion, as I'm anticipating these nominations basically mirroring Pitchfork's top singles of the year list.

         

I say get rid of the unknown/unsigned director thing.

         

good call. new directors will get their recognition if they get nominated in a category. Also: directors are only new once; but most directors don't necessarily put out their best stuff in their first year. And: each year I struggle to come up with one name for this list.

         

ya, too few good unknown/unsigned directors ditch that category

         

Is anyone else feeling a best special effects category or is that one too many?

         

re: hip-hop

though there's something down inside that tells me that this is one category that actually reinforces old racial stereoptypes, and it's kind of paradoxical to want to go backwards in a post-obama world, there's some merit to getting urban videos more representation (since they do get the 'ville's goat often enough). is "urban" a better term?

re: unknown/unsigned

i'd be sad to see this disappear, since early talent spotting seems a distinguishing trait of antville's. 2006 candidates were Kris Moyes, Encyclopedia Pictura, Aleksandra Domanovic, Aleix Pitarch and Andreas Nilsson; 2007: Thomas Barndt, Pato Byrne & Nahuel Lerena, Matt Dilmore, Jesse Ewles, Banner Gwin, Lung/Perish Factory, Vincent Moon, Patrick O'Dell, Yannick Puig

dunno - if nobody is feeling it then i guess...

         

budg - looking back, is there actually any merit to your disparaging p4k-template remark?

otc - maybe it's just me but i think i'd have a hard time identify special fx as such anymore...

         

wheres the best hip hop/ midwest rap/ kanye west video category?

         

Yeah scratch the Special FX. I think a best Hip-Hop category sounds a bit condescending since there aren't any other genre categories like Rock or Pop. Also Urban video is a sketchy distinction, for example if I like Beyonce's Single Ladies do I nominate as best performance video or best urban video. Then again if you don't make a hip-hop category the end result is no hip-hop videos will be recognized so...

         

I like the idea of having a category for best vfx.

         

proggles, didn't mean for it to be disparaging, i just foresee a possible scenario where we're all basically voting for our favorite brooklyn hipster band or midwest folk act. I say we just take a page from MTV's book and vote for the best video in every genre (alternative, electronic/dance, hip hop/urban, etc). After all, how am i supposed to compare an MGMT video to a Lil Wayne video? They're both going for completely different artistic and commercial goals.

         

I vote to have a best urban video (or hip hop... who really cares what its called we all know what it means)

Also i think we should keep best unsigned. Antville is one of the only realms that supports unsigned directors. One of antvilles best qualities imo is that its a place for unknowns to share some of the spotlight. If antville wont recognize them, who will?

         

good point

         

If we don't have an FX category, FX videos are likely to get lumped into the Animation category. But even when we've had both categories things tend to get a little muddled.

It's sort of a vague personal delineation.
I would not put Tobias Stretch in the FX category, and I would not put Wanderlust in the animation category.

Maybe we need a puppet award.

         

On second thought, I think the Unsigned Director category should stay. VFX is probably superfluous bc if anyone likes the effects in a video they can nominate the video for best narrative or whatever. Best Urban is fine with me, if nothing else it'll be an interesting experiment to see what gets nominated.

         

I think that best narrative and best vfx are totally different. There is so much vfx work being done on so many videos, with varying degrees of artistry and skill, it seems worth nominating/awarding videos that really took it to a high level (in the same way that there is a cinematography award). But I seem to be in the minority here, so I'll drop it.

         

summing up: add "urban" (i'm actually tempted to keep it with quotes); give unsigned/unknown a last chance; vfx... too un-pin-downable.

sobeit, then.

just one thing, tho: no logo, no party. paging photoshopper...

         

k: i'm soooo tempted to make it: black videos... k? wheredyago?

         

Why don't you guys just make out already?

         

threesomes, budgy?

         

I kid because I love.

         

You should definitely put "urban" in quotes. btw how small does that font go?

         

rural

         

just thowing my twopence in, but urban?!? come on... that tells us fug all about anything. might as well call it 'youth music'. as said before, if no seperate rock / pop / folk / jazz / eastern-european-gregorian-chant catagories, then why does lil' old hip hop need one of it's own?

i know, i know, everyone's already decided, just thought i'd rant a little.

         

and since no-one else has yet...

         

why dont we have a dark ambient or a black metal category?

         

Threesome it is!

Oh and I'm with Claire on this - we should definitely have a VFX category. Those guys/gals are mad skilled and in this low-budget world it's often amazing to see what they can conjure up with little time and less money.

Now, about the urban/hip-hop/black music video thing... I work in 'that' genre and when I'm on the phone with clients or talking with artists or whatever I typically call the genre 'urban'.

Personally, I don't view the music as only black or only hip-hop, or only RnB, etc. Urban is kinda a catch-all name. Now, the flip side of catch-alls is that they're hard to pin down. The flip side of that flip side is that we probably have a pretty good idea of what we're talking about when we say urban.

Finally, I really like the unsigned director category.I think that category, probably more than the others, speaks to the essence of what the antville community is about.

Beyond that, it allows this community an opportunity to help/reward talented directors who may, as others have mentioned, go unnoticed without that extra little push.

My ranting thoughts anyway,

K

         

if a director is unsigned, but has good new work, shouldn't they be sumbitted in the 'best new director' category?

Can anyone name anyone unsigned who is really good? Ya know, without going back and checking?

Not trying to be a pooper here, but last year there was not a single 'unsigned' director who had more than one vote for nomination.

         

antville awards 2008 logo is here.

         

alternate logo: