Roll out the red carpet, because it’s the time of the year for competition, music and inter-university rivalries. I am, of course, talking about the Vietnamese Student Association Video Music Awards ceremony.
VSA is a club with a presence at multiple Southern California universities. During the time of the festival, they all come together for an annual competition to recognize which campus club can make the best music video.
“We judge based on creativity, execution, and encourage putting Vietnamese culture in the videos,” said Kyle Portman, a senior film major at Cal State Long Beach.
According to Portman, the Video Music Awards have been up and running for the last five years. Initially, there weren’t many schools involved, although for 2014’s award ceremony, twelve schools have signed up to participate.
There is no hard established time limit for the videos, although most videos run for the length of the song used. Anything over five minutes needs express permission from VSA board members. According to Portman, one of the main rules ensures that two clubs don’t choose the same song.
The skill of filmmakers are all highly variable, with some proficient in videography, while others are little more than recreational amateurs.
“It’s a mix of both,” Portman said, “Some students are film majors, others just pick it up.”
The method of choosing a winner boils down to the judgment of each school’s president combined with a guest judge with more experience in film or music videos, according to Portman. However, other awards are decided in a more democratic manner, such as the People’s Choice award and an award for the Best-Dressed attendees.
A potential rivalry is blossoming between Cal Poly Pomona — the winning school for the past three years — and University of California, Irvine, which barely fell short of first place in 2013.
Portman said anyone is welcome to attend the event. Many students from other schools come as well, so he recommends placing a name on the “Will Call” list.
The Video Music Awards will be hosted on campus, as it has been in many years past, on March 28. Admission is $5 presale and $7 at the door, and attendees are expected to dress to impress. For further information, visit CSULB VSA on Facebook.
