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View Full Version : AdFest 2007 - Submission Info


Larry R
07-28-2007, 09:50 AM
We are happy to officially open the AdFest 2007 Film Submission.

As stated in the original rules, the deadline for this festival will be August 1, 2007. Unlike previous festivals, this is a very hard date. Once we hit 8 AM, Wednesday, August 1st California-time the submission form will be closed down. As a result we are making the upload process available early.

Eligibility Requirements:
The festival category is: Commercial Ad
All commercial spots must be no longer than 30 seconds. The following format must be followed. 3 seconds of white on black title, fade down to 2 seconds of black, 30 second spot, fade to 2 seconds of black, 8 seconds of credits (which must clearly acknowledge dvxuser.com).
All commercials must use the attached brand logo (to be posted) in the body of the commercials. No exceptions. The logo may be used in any form as long as it is clearly visible in the body of the commercial.
It's up to the filmmakers to decide what the logo/brand represents. It may be a company or a product.
Submissions to AdFest 2007 can be shot on any camera.
All films must be in English or be subtitled in English.
Delivered film must be formatted as 16:9 or 2.35:1.
Delivered film must not exceed 20 MB.
Delivered film must be provided as an h.264 compressed file (either .mov or .mp4).
Film must be an "R" rating, or lower.
Filmmaker must have proper copyright clearance for all material contained in the entry.
Films must be made between June 12, 2007 and August 1, 2007 and must not be publicly screened prior to entry.
Films must not have been promoted anywhere, other than DVXUser, prior to completion of festival screening.
Entrants must grant DVXuser.com and its agents non-exclusive rights for their films to appear on a potential DVXFest DVD or for DVXuser-sanctioned public screenings.
Films may be entered in other festivals, as long as it doesn't screen prior to August 1, 2007.How To Submit
Create an h.264 compressed file, 20MB or less.
Name the file as follows: <DVXuser_name>_<film_name>.mov (e.g. LarryR_Kinetica.zip).
<Optional> Create a poster - preferably a PNG or JPG file, named the same as the film.
Point your browser to: http://www.dvxfest.com/upload
Fill out the form.
After you select the film file, if you have a poster click on the link labeled: "Add Another File?" and select the poster file.
Click "Begin Upload".(Note: There is no need to submit an MPEG DVD version of the film at this time. When we are ready to start work on the DVD we will make arrangements to receive the expanded films)

Other Info
All submitted films will undergo review by the DVX Festival board for adherence to the posted rules.
Any films not in 100% compliance will be rejected and the filmmaker will be notified.
Rejected films will be allowed the opportunity to re-submit a revised film that meets the requirements up to the posted deadline.Any further questions or comments, please contact myself (Larry R) or Barry (Barry_S).

Thanks,
Larry

cinealma
07-28-2007, 10:04 AM
ok. Two quick and possibly lame questions, but just to clarify:

1. In the eligibility requirements you say "50mb", in the how to submit section you say "20mb". I assume it's 20, but I wouldn't want anybody to submit a 50mb file and have to go back and re-compress.


2. The "deadline" question. Midnight August 1st. So is it the midnight that comes at the top of the evening of the 31st (Tuesday night) or is it the midnight at the top of the evening of the 1st (Wednesday night)? Again, just clarifying. I think a better way to state this deadline is to use 11:59pm for the time on whatever day. Anyway, again, just clarifying.


Thanks guys!

Larry R
07-28-2007, 10:29 AM
Thanks fixed the size...yes, its 20MB

Actually, the deadline is 8:00 AM (PST) on Wednesday August 1st (I'm not getting up at midnight to turn it off :) )

cinealma
07-28-2007, 11:18 AM
Cool. Thanks Larry!

krestofre
07-30-2007, 12:02 PM
Any restrictions on frame size, or if we can fit a full HD frame under 20MB is that acceptable?

LloydC
07-30-2007, 03:38 PM
Any restrictions on frame size, or if we can fit a full HD frame under 20MB is that acceptable?

Pretty sure any frame size is fine as long as it's under 20mb.

Larry R
07-30-2007, 03:59 PM
No frame size restriction, as long as the final compressed h.264 file is 20MB or less.

Jutberg
07-31-2007, 12:11 AM
sorry, I'm sort of new to this.. Is an h.264 file just an .mov or .mp4 file? Or is there something I'm missing? I use sorenson to do all my compressing, I hope that will do the trick.

Dmitry Kichenko
07-31-2007, 01:07 AM
I'm pretty sure if H.264 is listed under requirements, it's a requirement.

H.264 is just another codec (it's based on Sorenson Video actually). H.264 was introduced in QuickTime 7. If you're on a Windows machine, just get the latest QuickTime, and if you're on OS X 10.4 then you should have it preinstalled already.

TowerFan
07-31-2007, 07:40 AM
In Sorenson (version 4 or greater anyway) go into the presets for MPEG-4, then use one that starts with "AVC". This will create an H.264 file with an .mp4 extension. You will need QT 7.x to view it. :beer:

Jutberg
07-31-2007, 10:34 AM
I can't seem to get qt pro to compress to widescreen, though my input file is widescreen and i've selected ntsc widescreen in settings. :crybaby:

Barry_S
07-31-2007, 10:42 AM
We're not talking anamorphic, right? We're just looking for your web file to be in a widescreen aspect ratio. So you can just crop the image to 1.67:1 or 2.35:1 and you're cool.

I can't seem to get qt pro to compress to widescreen, though my input file is widescreen and i've selected ntsc widescreen in settings. :crybaby:

martin-sfx
07-31-2007, 11:29 AM
What about including black bars at the top and bottom of the video like letterboxing in camera works?

Barry_S
07-31-2007, 11:49 AM
Please crop out the black bars--there's zero reason to include them. Thx.

martin-sfx
07-31-2007, 12:00 PM
No problem, will do so ;)

Karl151k
07-31-2007, 01:42 PM
So you can just crop the image to 1.67:1 or 2.35:1 and you're cool.


Wouldn't you want to crop to 1.78:1 if it were a 16x9 file? :)

ConspiracyPenguin
07-31-2007, 09:18 PM
Hey sorry if this sounds stupid but Shaun just finished the editing on the movie and the total size came to be 20.3 MB. I know this is pretty short notice but could anyone tell me if it's possible that they might round down? Thanks so much.

Barry_S
07-31-2007, 09:48 PM
Wouldn't you want to crop to 1.78:1 if it were a 16x9 file? :)

I've officially become the world's worst typist--so yes, that would translate to 1.78:1. :)

Barry_S
07-31-2007, 09:49 PM
Don't sweat the .3 MB.

Hey sorry if this sounds stupid but Shaun just finished the editing on the movie and the total size came to be 20.3 MB. I know this is pretty short notice but could anyone tell me if it's possible that they might round down? Thanks so much.

Gulroc
08-01-2007, 08:27 AM
Uploaded our entry last night, but I do not see it on the list. Should I be worried?

Dmitry Kichenko
08-01-2007, 10:05 AM
I've uploaded mine too. Looks like we just have to wait. Apparently Larry isn't a robot that serves no other purpose but to go through our entries.

cinealma
08-01-2007, 10:11 AM
Apparently Larry isn't a robot that serves no other purpose but to go through our entries.


That's right! He was upgraded just this spring to OS 2.0. He's much for functional now. :thumbsup:


I'm also in the "uploaded and waiting to see my name" boat. I wouldn't worry. He'll get to it soon enough.

Dmitry Kichenko
08-01-2007, 10:17 AM
At least it helps that the entire length of each entry is 45 seconds. And that this isn't a romantic sci-fi comedy double feature fest.

Zoidoid
08-01-2007, 10:38 AM
So, in general, does viewing begin once all entries have been approved and moved to the proper hosting? Or is there something else that's usually involved in the process?

Really excited to see all these! From the sound of it, there have been quite a few clever ideas put to film.

cinealma
08-01-2007, 10:40 AM
Typically, they will post a sticky announcing that the films are ready for viewing with the link and voting instructions, etc.

Barry_S
08-01-2007, 12:19 PM
I reviewed everything uploaded as of early last night (great stuff, btw) and will get through the rest later tonight. So we should be able to go live this weekend, depending on Larry's schedule.

Larry R
08-01-2007, 01:18 PM
That's right! He was upgraded just this spring to OS 2.0. He's much for functional now. :thumbsup:

Actually, that upgrade didn't take and they had to drop it down to OS 0.4ßeta http://img367.imageshack.us/img367/9400/redxed6lq.gif