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  1. In Memory of LAJ_FETT: Please share your remembrances and condolences HERE

***LCC IX BEGINS***

Discussion in 'Fan Films, Fan Audio & SciFi 3D' started by ObiJuan2080, May 1, 2011.

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  1. ObiJuan2080

    ObiJuan2080 Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Jan 31, 2004
    It's that time of year again. Spring in here and the summer is coming and you feel the need to cut your friend's head off in a lightsaber duel. But how can you do that without having your local police at your door? Simple, if you join up to be a part of the 9th annual Lightsaber Choreography Contest.

    Cheesy intro, I know...shut up. Here are the rules:



    1) We reserve the right to adjust, alter, add, remove, and downright screw with any rule that we choose. There is a reason for this. Circumstances change. We are not omnipotent. We cannot foresee every bump in the road. When things go bad, we have to do what's best for the contest. We will, however, do our best to keep things set in stone.

    2) The maximum compressed file size limit is set to 50 MB or under. Also, all files have to be QuickTime (.mov). Using the H.264 codec will help you achieve the 50 MB or under file size limit while giving you very good quality video for your entry. Quicktime is a standard format that we've always used and we see no reason to deviate.

    3) Running times must come in under 7 minutes. Credits and opening titles, logos, etc., do not count against your time (don't worry, I always do the math).

    4) ENTRIES MUST BE PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED. We can not stress this enough. We are not flexible on this rule. This one has been around from the beginning.

    5) No single contestant extensions. If we reach the deadline and we deem that there are not enough entries received at the time, we may grant a small extension to try and accommodate as many as possible.

    6) Go nuts. Use anything you want. Weapons, costumes, and yes a story too, if you like. As long as you meet the time limit criteria, we want to see what you have. Just make sure you remember that this IS a LIGHTSABER CHOREOGRAPHY contest. Have fun, guys.

    Contest starts Friday, June 3th 2011 and the deadline for entries is Sunday, September 4th 2011. I threw in an extra month as usual by making the announcement today. Your entry must be in my hands before 11:59:59 PM, EST Saturday September 3, 2011. That's 8:59:59 PM, PST.






    Here are some answers to possible questions;


    I will not accept .WMVs, AVIs, .DIVXs, .FLVs, .MP4s or any other file type that isn't .MOV. Your entry's file name must end with the .MOV extension.

    I will time Chase scenes and dialogues a usual. If they are longer than the Lightsaber Choreography, you will be disqualified.

    Yes your entry will be disqualified also if I see your entry posted somewhere else before the deadline of the LCC IX.

    Yes there will be outsiders entering the contest again this year. Though with the site down, I don't know how the news will get to them.

    I will use Vimeo once again this year to host all files from the LCC Account.

    The scoring system will be the same as before (1st place will get 3 points, 2nd place will get 2 points and 3rd place will get 1 point).





    Questions and, when the Deadline approaches, finished Entries should be delivered to my personal e-mail with a link to either yousend or filefront, or any file hosting site to;

    juannavedo@mindscapefilms.net

    Please send your e-mails with the subject line "LCC IX" for entries and "LCC IX Question" for questions.



    Good Luck everyone and have fun.
     
  2. DX6channel

    DX6channel Jedi Master star 1

    Registered:
    May 23, 2010
    Woo-hoo!!![face_dancing] =P~

    Couple questions though:
    Why 7 min. limit? I think 10 min. would be better (give more time for a story to develop).
    Why 50mb limit?

    Max
     
  3. ObiJuan2080

    ObiJuan2080 Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Jan 31, 2004
    Because, any bigger than 50MB and I run out of the 500MB a day Vimeo allows for uploads. I time it all with the ending of the contest. Just take my word for it lol it's better that way.
     
  4. Ricky_Calrissian

    Ricky_Calrissian Jedi Master star 3

    Registered:
    Nov 17, 2008
    Awesome.

    I will do my best to have the bumper done in a reasonable amount of time, with an even more reasonable runtime :p I will be calling on some of you 3D artists out there to participate in creating this year's bumper, so be ready!
     
  5. Teague

    Teague Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Apr 9, 2006
    How to compress for LCC 9. A helpful hint.

    By me.

    Read by Stephen Fry.

    In After Effects, take your final movie and go File -> Export. (Not Comp -> Add to Render Queue.) Set it up as a Quicktime Movie. Click "Settings," and set your Compression Type to "H.264."

    In the "Motion" window, frame rate should be set to current, key frames (the rate at which the file will try to hold on to detail from previous frames to reduce the amount of data stored) should be set to "Every," and type in "24" next door, so the file will have full-quality detail once a second, and make a good guess at compression for the following 23 frames. (If your file size ends up being too large, try "Automatic.") Frame Reordering turned on.

    In the "Data Rate" window, restrict to 2,500 kbits/sec. I've had good results all the way down to 1,000 kbits/sec, but start high and move down to accommodate the file size limit. Optimize for Download.

    In the "Quality" window, optimize for Download, and encode with best quality (multi-pass).

    If you're still over the 50 meg limit when all is said is done, first play with the kbits/sec parameter, followed by the key frames parameter. Lastly, and not to be ignored, you can always make your actual image size a bit smaller. (720x405 from 960x540, for instance.)

    Click OK. Back out in the main interface for Export, click "Settings" in the sound area. I often leave the compressor as "none," and go 8 bit mono. In the real world, you want perfect audio and perfect video, but for this competition 8 bit/mono should be more than adequate. Click OK again, back to the main interface. Yes, prepare for internet streaming.

    This is just a starting point, there are infinite ways to mix various formats, codecs, and settings - but if you're out of your league when it comes to pinning down a specific file size for your fight scene, this should get you pretty close with pretty good quality.
     
  6. ObiJuan2080

    ObiJuan2080 Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Jan 31, 2004
    And that's how you would achieve the 50MB or under file size limit. It's not hard, it just looks that way on paper. The render engine on AE 5.5 was horrible but now the engine is a lot better for finalizing your projects. So if you're using AE 7 Pro, AE CS 4 or AE CS 5.5, then you're good to go.
     
  7. ShadowDuelist

    ShadowDuelist Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Sep 21, 2006
    Will the DiF crew be judging again?
     
  8. Teague

    Teague Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Apr 9, 2006
    I think we could do that, we all had a good time with it last year. :)
     
  9. VaporTrail

    VaporTrail Jedi Grand Master star 6

    Registered:
    May 19, 2002
    My advice to anyone really looking to compete this year is to be a little less [image=http://unrealitymag.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/star-wars-gif.gif] and a little more [image=http://blastr.com/assets_c/2010/04/Empire_Strikes_back-thumb-550x351-37313.jpg].


    May the Force be with you!
     
  10. Sith-Man

    Sith-Man Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Oct 19, 2004
    Awesome! We're in this year... Though, if I don't have a working computer by august 20th or so, we'll be back out. lol
     
  11. Teague

    Teague Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Apr 9, 2006
    By the way, it'd be a good idea for everyone planning on entering to spend an hour or two watching through last year's judging show, to fresh up on the kind of stuff the judges will ding ya for. Just click through the videos numerically.
     
  12. R2-DK

    R2-DK Jedi Master star 2

    Registered:
    Apr 13, 2011
    I actually just got around to watching the entries and reviews a few weeks ago. It was very interesting seeing DIF comment on homemade saber fights. (Caauwe's was my favorite)

    Makes me more interested in the idea of making a duel myself.
     
  13. NateCaauwe

    NateCaauwe Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    May 30, 2005
    Thank you, sir! :) I shan't have time to do anything this year, although a co-worker is planning a duel so I'll definitely encourage him to enter, and probably help out on the VFX. Although we have AvN2's shoot (finally) planned for July, we intend on taking our time with post. We might be moving it out of the backyard/basement fanfilm realm ;)
     
  14. Ryan_W

    Ryan_W VIP star 4 VIP

    Registered:
    Aug 15, 2001
    I'll throw in, before we get too far from the top of the page, I'll be contributing at least one free Novus + Carbon fiber blade + Covertec belt clip to the first-place winning team.
    [image=http://www.ryan-w.com/sabershop/gallery/src/themes/classic/images/photos/novus_on-black1.jpg]Shapow!
     
  15. Teague

    Teague Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Apr 9, 2006
    Also: I can't recommend Ryan's dueling sabers enough, if you need to stock up on saber props. Exceedingly well made, exceedingly resilient. I've messed around with them, they're a joy to handle and have the best-feeling impact of any saber I've whacked things with. The blade is solidly a part of the handle, it's good stuff.

    Really looking forward to this year's contest, last year was a big step up in terms of creativity, filmmaking quality and locations. And FX. And fun-ness. [face_dancing]

    EDIT: Ryan beat me to the punch.

    EDIT 2: Last year, Down in Front matched Ryan's donation, making for a first-place prize of two Sabershop sabers-and-blades for the winner. If we judge again this year (as yet undecided, more on this soon), we'll be repeating that arrangement. :cool:
     
  16. ObiJuan2080

    ObiJuan2080 Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Jan 31, 2004
    DIF and Ryan, thank you for the prizes again this year. You guys rock. What better motivation than one (or two) of Ryan's saber(s)? I really need to get me one of his sabers myself.

    Teague, I'm on iChat now if you wanna discuss further arrangements.
     
  17. Ryan_W

    Ryan_W VIP star 4 VIP

    Registered:
    Aug 15, 2001
    Sweet. then it's:
    [image=http://www.ryan-w.com/sabershop/gallery/src/themes/classic/images/photos/novus_on-black1.jpg]Shapow! [image=http://www.ryan-w.com/sabershop/gallery/src/themes/classic/images/photos/novus_on-black1.jpg]Shapow!
     
  18. Laszlo

    Laszlo Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Nov 9, 2006
    If Shapow! Shapow! isn't the name of an LCC9 entry I will be dissapoint.
     
  19. Ende

    Ende Jedi Knight star 1

    Registered:
    Sep 18, 2006
    I was thinking the same thing. xD
     
  20. Altureus

    Altureus Jedi Knight

    Registered:
    Jan 6, 2011
    I personally own one of Ryan's Novus sabers, and let me tell you that it is one of the best crafted sabers I have ever had the pleasure of using.
    Definately an excellent choice for a first place prize.
    I must ask though Ryan, are you going to have future models of sabers(thinner, different colors, longer/shorter)?
     
  21. Sith-Man

    Sith-Man Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Oct 19, 2004
    ... I'll make sure to throw it in there somewhere. lol
     
  22. Ryan_W

    Ryan_W VIP star 4 VIP

    Registered:
    Aug 15, 2001
    Thanks, man! Yeah, I am working toward developing a second model to offer. Email me (ryan at sabershop) your interests on the subject, I'm always interested to hear them.
     
  23. DarthOmnious

    DarthOmnious Jedi Youngling

    Registered:
    Feb 8, 2011

    I've been trying to enter this contest for over 5 years now. Hopefully this year will be different.
     
  24. halibut

    halibut Ex-Mod star 8 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Aug 27, 2000
    Someone should take the mick out of that in a fanfilm...
     
  25. Ende

    Ende Jedi Knight star 1

    Registered:
    Sep 18, 2006
    Same here, and this year does look to be more hopeful for me.

    Problem for me though, is that the guy I'm talking it over with lives down at the other end of the country. The plus is, this isn't such a big deal in England as it is America. :p
     
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