so what was the AX music video contest like, anyway?

well, it starts at about 8 pm friday, when i go to the music video pre-judging. remember that time, because i leave the music video pre-judging at about 3 am, which makes me truly unhappy.

not only is the pre-judging really really incredibly stupendously long, but my video is also near the end. at the time, i thought to myself that no one could possibly find anything in the slightest bit funny about it. period. no one laughed. no one smiled. very few people even opened their eyes.

people who have sat in the cold for six hours lose all ability to think.

i thought that for sure i wouldn't be in the finals, and yet lo and behold, the next day my name appears on the list of finalists. i was shocked and horrified, but also happy, because it meant that i wouldn't have to wait in line for the music video contest.

it was a good contest, with some stunning entries. caldwell outdid himself as always (i still think his battle athletes video deserved to win the category,) and the winner was a very well-done parody of the 'the phantom menace' trailer.

( chris :

actually, i happened to be sitting in while the staffers considered whether to show that winning entry. they said something like, 'but it's not music! very well done, but there's no way that can compete in a _music_ video contest!'

'well, let's make a special category for it, and give it an honorable mention. maybe give it a 'satire award' or something.'

little did they suspect. . . )

honorable mentions go the sharon apple/macross plus video, noteworthy as perhaps the only macross video ever to not show a single mecha, and to the 'eden'/ff7 video, which used only the cg from the game. 'liberi fatali'/giant robo was also very good, but i might just be prejudiced toward giant robo. . .

and of course i didn't win, but i certainly got noticed. . . i heard later that one guy sitting in the hall had worked at disneyland years ago, next to the 'it's a small world' ride, and listened to the song almost every day for three years. . . i didn't blame him for almost starting a fist fight when he heard my video. i heard someone else yell, 'watch your back, jeff!' and i just smiled. . .

and then the next day, the last day of AX, i'm sitting in a video room watching the reprise of the music video contest, and my video comes on (right after caldwell's —thanks a lot AX event staff!) and people start booing the instant the video comes on.

by the second verse, people are moaning on the floor, screaming, 'MAKE IT STOP! PLEASE, CHAIR, MAKE IT STOP!'

i hear shouts of 'lynch! lynch!'

just as i begin to get really really worried, someone holds up chair, and people begin to calm. my video ends. i make a very dignified dash for the exit.

i look for the largest, toughest member of the i360.com staff, our managing editor. just as i find him, he sees me and says, this is the person who did the 'it's a chibi world music video!'

suddenly i'm scared and thinking, 'you've turned against me!', but all's well.

the person he's talking to says, 'that music video was great. i just want to shake your hand. what better way to make fun of the mouse!?'

we shake hands.

suddenly i'm thinking i'll make another video next year after all.

^_^

—jeff

so you weren't at the AX music video contest and want to see this astounding thing for yourself? well, it'll be available for download shortly. trust me. ^_^