Festivids/2010

Although the Festivid Livejournal community has been deleted, the policies and schedule for Festivids 2010 can be found in the mirror Dreamwidth community:

Festivids is a fannish vid exchange inspired by yuletide. The moderators are yhleeand giandujakiss. We can also be reached at festivids at gmail dot com.

This is the proposed 2010-2011 schedule. We've attempted not to conflict with major religious holidays (reference: Interfaith Calendar). While there are some overlaps, things like the nomination period generally run for a week so everyone has the opportunity to participate. However, please let us know if we've overlooked something so that we can rectify matters.

We have a new website this year (link forthcoming) that will make life easier for the moderators on the administrative end, and perhaps make things easier for Festividders as well. We apologize for any shortcomings; it wasn't possible to offer as much functionality as we would have liked for this year, but rest assured that we are hoping to improve the website for future years.

1. Fandom nomination period: September 17, 2010 to September 24, 2010, 9:00 p.m. Pacific Time. Each vidder can nominate up to 20 fandoms using the linked form (forthcoming). Though you do not have to commit to participating in Festivids in order to nominate fandoms, please only nominate if you are planning to sign up.

Fandoms nominated should be rare vidding fandoms, i.e. 100 or fewer extant vids for the fandom. When you nominate a fandom, please also identify whether it is a "safety" fandom (a fandom where the total source is 180 minutes or less). Fandoms not so identified either during nominations or the dispute period will not be considered safety fandoms for this year.

NOTE: The submission form allows you to nominate up to 20 fandoms in a single submission. Due to technical limitations, you can only use the form once; after that, the site will not allow you to use the submission form to add to or alter your nominations. If you would like to revise your nominations after submitting the form, you may email the moderators (see above).

2. Fandom dispute period: September 25, 2010 to October 2, 2010, 9:00 p.m. Pacific time. During this period, people may dispute whether nominated fandoms should be included in Festivids. There is a new webpage (forthcoming) that will display all nominated fandoms, and anyone is welcome to identify errors (e.g. duplicate fandoms, misspelled titles) or dispute a fandom for not being sufficiently rare for our purposes, a rare fandom has 100 or fewer extant vids, ETA: not counting vids made specifically for Festivids). People may also identify fandoms as safeties that have not been so identified, or dispute designated "safety" fandoms if they do not qualify. Comments must cite verifiable evidence (e.g. links to Youtube searches). Moderators will base the final list of fandoms, including safety fandoms, on this. If it comes to that, the moderators' decisions are final.

3. Vidder sign-ups': October 6, 2010 to October 15, 2010, 9:00 p.m. Pacific Time. This year we have a web form! Vidders may make 6-8 distinct fandom requests. One of these must be a safety (a source that is 180 minutes or less in total), to give the matching vidder a simpler option in case of unanticipated difficulty.

For each requested fandom, you may, but need not, include (a) song/music suggestions and (b) other details (e.g. "I want a vid about Burn Notices Fiona and lots of guns"). However, your matching vidder does not have to use your suggestions. You are matched only by fandom--not, e.g., on characters or pairings. The suggestions are intended as a guide to your giftvidder, but the vidder’s obligation is only to vid in the fandom.

If you have multiple ideas for a fandom, you can put them all in the details field.

Vidders must offer at least four fandoms, but may offer more--as many as they feel comfortable with. Vidders are responsible for having access to source for any fandom they offer.

The matching algorithm matches each offeror to a recipient who requested at least one fandom that the offeror offered to vid. While you will definitely match on at least one fandom (probably only one, but you might get lucky), you are welcome to vid any of the 6-8 fandoms requested by the recipient, even if it wasn't your match. As above, each recipient will request at least one "safety" fandom, which may or may not be your match. Either way, the safety is there as an option if you would prefer to work with more limited source.

Because it may not be possible to find a perfect set of matches, it is possible that one person may be assigned two vidders so that everyone has a recipient.

Warning: Because some recipients may be assigned to two vidders, (and because anyone may make a treat, described below), it is possible that more than one person might produce a giftvid to the same prompt. If this makes you uncomfortable, please think carefully before signing up for Festivids.

In the case that someone has no matching offeror, an early pinch hit request will go out before matches are complete, asking for a volunteer. Anyone may volunteer to pinch hit, even if not signed up for Festivids. (More on pinch hits below.)

During and after the sign up period, the mods will post lists of current participants to the community. Please check these to make sure your name is included; we’d hate to accidentally leave anyone out!

5. Dear Festividder post goes up on this comm on October 16, 2010. Many people who participate in Festivids enjoy writing "Dear Festividder" letters, where they provide more details about their requests (favorite characters, what they like about the sources, favorite pairings, music suggestions, whatnot). These letters are posted to the recipient’s own LJ, where the assigned vidder may find them easily. These letters are completely optional, but there are at least two reasons to write them: First, to give your giftvidder more guidance in case your vidder would like to know more about your tastes, and second, to enable someone to make you a Festivid "treat" (described more below--of course, if you do not want a treat, you may say so in your letter).

When the mods put the Dear Festividder post up in the comm, you may comment with a link to your Dear Festividder letter. That way, anyone in mind to make treats can scroll through the comments and see if there’s anything that inspires.

6. Assignments go out via email around October 22, 2010,
possibly earlier; this depends on how cooperative the matching algorithm is.

Vid requirements for your assignment are described further below. After you get your assignment, if you realize that due to Real Life or other concerns you will not be able to participate, please, please, please email the mods to let us know so that we can find a pinch hitter for your recipient.

7. Last day for defaults: December 1, 2010, 9 p.m. Pacific Time. If you notify the mods that you cannot participate by this day, you will incur no penalty. Defaults/no-shows afterward may be banned from participation in future years at the mods' discretion. However, even if you have to default after the no-penalty date, please, please let the mods know as soon as possible so we can hunt down a pinch hitter.

8. Check in: December 11, 2010. Because we want to make sure pinch hitters have enough time to make their vids, this year we’re going to do a check in asking participants to verify that they’re still in. A post will go up on the comm asking vidders to comment to confirm they still plan to participate. No proof is required; all you'll have to do is leave a comment. Anyone who hasn't responded by December 17, 2010, 9 p.m. PST will be emailed for confirmation. If the vidder does not
respond to the email, they will be considered a no-show and the mods will seek a pinch hitter for their recipient.

Because we understand that schedules vary and not everyone will be online during this period, anyone is welcome to check in ahead of time by emailing the mods. We will post to the community in advance of the check in post reminding everyone that it’s coming.

9. Pinch hits will, if necessary, be posted to the comm with screened comments. The mods will post someone’s request, and vidders may volunteer to fill it. Commenters should leave their name/handle and email address so the mods can email them to confirm a claim. Mods will probably try to spread out the assignments so no one vidder ends up with too much to do.

Pinch hits are in addition to, and not instead of, your assigned vid, unless the mods explicitly say otherwise. For example, if someone who has not been matched by the algorithm happens to volunteer to do a pinch hit, that will count as their regular assignment rather than an additional assignment. The mods will notify the volunteer if this is the case.

Anyone may sign up to pinch hit, even if they have not signed up for Festivids.

10. Due date: Unsigned and signed versions of vids must be submitted via form by January 8, 2011, 9 p.m.

Vid requirements and procedures for submission are described further below.

11. Last-minute pinch hit assignments will go out for anyone who does not have a giftvid by the deadline.

12. Like Yuletide, Festivids permits treats. A treat is an optional "extra" vid that a vidder decides to make based on someone’s requests and/or their Dear Festividder letter. Though Festivids encourages vidders to make treats, please be aware that treats do not replace your assigned vid; they are in addition to, and not instead of, your assignment. You may make treats for your assigned recipient (fill two requests! Fill a request twice!) or for any other Festividder. Because treats are optional and are not part of the assignment system, treats need not meet the minimum length requirements or the ordinary deadline--as long as we get your treat before Golive, we will include it in the master post.

Anyone may make a treat, even if they have not signed up for Festivids.

Although we will include any treats we receive prior to golive in the master list, we do not guarantee any particular time of day for golive, and if your treat arrives just as we're in the golive process, we do not know if we'll be able to include it. Therefore, for safety's sake, we recommend that you send us any treats at least one day prior to golive.

Warning: Because some recipients may be assigned to two vidders, and because anyone may make a treat, it is possible that more than one person might produce a giftvid to the same prompt. If this makes you uncomfortable, please think carefully before signing up for Festivids.

12. Golive: The masterlist will go live sometime on January 22, 2011. We will wait as long as possible if pinch hits are still trickling in because we would like make sure everyone has a vid, but golive will happen by 11:59 p.m. PST. Any pinch hits that are submitted late will be added later as necessary.

13. Reveals: February 5, 2011.

Vid requirements
You only match on fandom. You will be told the name of your recipient, your recipient’s 6-8 requested fandoms, and any details the recipient provided. At least one of those 6-8 fandoms will be a fandom you offered, but you may ultimately choose to make a vid in any of the 6-8 requested fandoms. The vid created must use one of the requested fandoms (limited outside source okay; crossovers not okay unless the recipient indicated such). You choose the song and the subject of your vid; any song ideas or other details provided by the recipient are suggestions, not requirements. The completed vid must be at least 1 minute long but may, of course, be longer.

"Outside source" can be many things: photographs or other stills, news clips, stock footage, clips from other shows. Please use your best judgment: by "limited" we simply mean that your vid should recognizably be for the requested fandom, so that your recipient doesn't request a Buffy vid and get something that's all about Xena (non-rare examples).

If there is a disambiguation problem with the fandom--e.g. there are three movies called Crab Clan Chaos (Movie) but the year wasn't specified during sign-ups or the dispute period--you are welcome to vid any source with that exact name, even if that wasn't what the requester meant. (The script matches on name and has no way of reading minds.) That being said, if you get such an assignment and are feeling generous, you can either check to see if your recipient has a Dear Festividder letter, or you can email the mods, who will sneakily contact them on your behalf. (Please do this through the mods as it will preserve your anonymity.)

There will be a separate post with details for submission procedures, but in brief, you will be asked to make two versions of your vid: A signed version with your name, and an unsigned anonymous version. URLs for both versions should be provided to the mods by the deadline; on golive, we will unveil the unsigned version, and at the reveal, we will unveil the signed one.