JUDGING THE GCA: JUDGING VISUAL APPEAL

A question was raised about how I'm going about evaluating my categories. This point is as good as any to mention that the two primary categories assigned to me are Best Visual Appeal and Best Writing.

I'm working my way through Best Visual Appeal right now, so let's start with my process there.

Because of time, I obviously can't watch all videos a reviewer has made, so I watch their most recent video. If I'm unfamiliar with their material, I will cue up a second video and scan through it to see if the visual style is consistent. If the second video has a different style than the first, I'll watch it as well. I'm looking for lighting, shot composition, the color scheme and the general aesthetics.

Shot composition:

• Are shots constructed with care or are they haphazard?
• Do they follow the rules of compositions?
• How effective are they at conveying the intended message?
• Is there consistent quality between shots, or do separate shots contrast with the overall tone?

Lighting:

• Is there attention paid to lighting?
• Is the lighting flat and lifeless, or does is there a style achieved with the lighting beyond 'make the subject visible'?
• Are there multiple shadows projected on the wall? (bad)
• Is there a backlight?

Color Scheme:

• Is there attention paid to create a distinct color pallet?
• Does it compliment the show's concept?

General Aesthetic:

• How does everything work together?
  
• How does the editing impact the viewing experience?
• If there are effects, how effective are they? Are they distracting to the experience or do they add something?
• And yes, how do I feel when watching this? Seriously, something may break every composition rule and still pop visually.
  

Because of the visual nature of this category, I will actually take screenshots of certain shots for later reference.

I will take notes in point form for each nomination in a Word, and then I will put a 'Yes', 'No', or 'Maybe' in brackets beside the title based on whether I could see it a genuine contender for the top slot. 'Yes' and 'No' are obvious, even if reasons are on a case-by-case basis. 'Maybe' means that though I feel it's strong, this nomination has elements that bring it down. If I don't get four 'Yes' votes, I will be revisiting these nominations.

Thus far, I've only gotten one 'Yes'.