FAQs:
- Who can enter?
- What are the rules?
- I have a question about the Film Festival. How do I contact the organisers?
- What file format is the motion capture data supplied in?
- How do I get the motion capture data in to my animation package?
- How can I get a copy of Autodesk MotionBuilder?
- Which animation packages can I use the motion capture data with?
- What is the judging process?
- What is the latest date I can submit my film?
- When will the winner be annouced?
- What file format does my film need to be?
- What is the maximum file size I can submit?
- What are the terms and conditions?
- How do I submit my entry?
Q. Who can enter?
Everybody except employees of Oxford Metrics Group.
Q. What are the rules?
Every competition has to have rules but we’ve tried to make ours as relaxed and common-sense as possible. They’re not here to curtail anyone’s creativity, but to make sure there’s a level playing field and that we can give the whole Vicon Film Festival and all its entrants as much publicity as we can.
RUNNING TIME - NO LESS THAN TWO MINUTES, NO LONGER THAN FIVE.
Content – nothing that will cause offence. As a suggested guide to setting the right tone, submissions should emulate the PG rating, as defined by the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC). This says: Parental Guidance – general viewing, but some scenes may be unsuitable for young children. For more detail, visit:
www.bbfc.co.uk/classification/c_pg.php
By using the BBFC’s PG rating as a guide, submissions to the Vicon Film Festival can be assured of a wide distribution to a diverse audience over a prolonged period of time.
Plagiarism – all submissions must be original pieces, no copying other people’s work, borrowing other people’s images, or music. If you want to do that you have to get the proper permissions and if you don’t you will find yourself open to potential prosecutions for theft of copyright. The Vicon Film Festival, its organisers and judges, cannot be held responsible for entrants’ activities in this regard.
Q. I have a question about the Film Festival. How do I contact the organisers?
Email film.festival@vicon.com. Unfortunately we cannot be contacted by telephone.
Q. What file format is the motion capture data supplied in?
.fbx files.
Q. How do I get the motion capture data in to my animation package?
Autodesk® MotionBuilder. MotionBuilder enables you to transfer your motion capture data to and from Autodesk® Maya® and Autodesk 3ds Max and other content creation packages who support .fbx files. The Mocap Club have some helpful tutorials http://www.mocapclub.com/Pages/Tutorials.htm
Q. How can I get a copy of Autodesk® MotionBuilder?
A Personal Learning Edition of Autodesk MotionBuilder is available which provides free access to the software, with no time limit, for non-commercial use. For more information click here.
Q. Which animation packages can I use the motion capture data with?
Autodesk® Maya® and Autodesk 3ds Max.
Q. What is the judging process?
Once we've kicked out the disturbing and inappropriate entries, remaining submissions will go through to a three phase judging process.
Phase I - a list of films will be selected by the Film Festival organisors.
Phase II - Most successful films in terms of public reaction will be viewed and assessed by the Film Festival judging panel. The judging panel is made up of experts from the world of movies, motion capture and experts in the creative use of animation and technology gurus.
Q. What is the latest date I can submit my film?
31st January 2008.
Q. When will the winner be annouced?
June 2008.
Q. What file format does my film need to be?
Video files from most digital cameras and camcorders in the .WMV, .AVI, .MOV, and .MPG file formats.
Films which go through to phase II judging will be uploaded to You Tube. To ensure your film looks the best quality You Tube recommends the following settings:
- MPEG4 (Divx, Xvid) format
- 320x240 resolution
- MP3 audio
- 30 frames per second
Resizing your video to these specifications before submitting your film will help your videos look better on You Tube.
Q. What is the maximum file size I can submit?
YouTube have a 100MB file size limit.
Q. How do I submit my entry?
Please name your entry using the serial number you were sent when you registered for the contest, for example 232.avi. Please also upload a .txt file containing your name, the name and a short description of your film. Please ensure you use your serial number to name the .txt file.
Click here to upload both files. For privacy reasons you will not be able to see other entries which have been submitted to the Film Festival FTP site. Once your entry has been submitted we will send email confirmation to let you know we’ve received it.
| SITES OF INTEREST: | BBFC British Board of Film Classification |
| WEBSITE: | www.bbfc.co.uk |
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