The first OFFICIAL Wand Duel Competition

Ok, now that this has been given the go ahead, we've been discussing deadlines and scoring systems


First things first, the deadline for entries is December 31st 2007, so bear in mind when finishing your duels off that it will be slap bang in the middle of the Christmas period!

I would also like to stress that this is meant to be a Harry Potter-esque duel, so "using the force" is probably not a good idea - but see the judges comments below for a better explanation. Creating your own new original spells is absolutely fine, so let your imaginations run wild!

We would also ask that entries be no longer than 10 minutes. I realise that's quite long, but some people might want to put a bit of back story first. Also 10 mins is the youtube limit (if that's where you want to host yours), so it puts everyone on a level playing field. Please be aware that hosting is your responsibility, but there may be people here who can help if you have troubles

Above all, this is meant to be fun and we're not expecting every entry to be up to Ryan/Dorkman standards. We really wanna see them entries! Courtesy of the gracious FanFilm mods, colours and a title will be awarded to the winner

Links to the entries should be PMed to me and NOT posted here I will remind people of this nearer the time


The scoring will go as follows. 3 judges have chosen 5 categories each (some are the same) and will award a maximum of 10 points in each of those categories. So there will be a total of 150 points awarded by the judges. The judges agreed that "Authenticity" and "Overall Entertainment" should be looked at by all 3 of us, but the other categories were chosen independantly and without consultation with the other judges.

There will also be a public vote for your favourite. The winner of this will get 50 points, 2nd place will get 40 points and so on up to 5th place.

So the total amount of points available is 200.

So, let's meet the judges

1) Hussein_Media91
2) Rhys
3) Me

So let's see what the judges will be scoring on Apologies for any repetitiveness


Hussein_Media91

Overall Entertainment:
Pretty much self-explanatory. As discussed with the other judges, a duel may not excel in many particular categories but can still be, on the whole, entertaining to watch, which is a prime goal. I want to keep this as vague as possible because if this has too much criteria then it may restrict you. One thing that will be looked for is originality. Story lines are good to see and can give your characters some belief, thus, if used properly, will make it more entertaining. However, since this is a duelling contest, long and complex back-stories are discouraged. A few lines exchanged at the start and more whilst duelling can be enough to work. Be creative.

Authenticity:
Since most magical ?abilities? are covered in the HP world, we?re keeping within that place. This, however, does not mean you can?t invent your own spells, if fact, it would probably increase your originality. Just remember to keep it appropriate. I?d also like to see things other than spells. Creatures and herbology would be great if used correctly (for info, see the HP charity book Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find them). Capturing the tone of the HP world will get you marks here. Though realistic costumes and props might increase your score, it is not completely necessary. Wizards/Witches dressed as muggles can really capture the tone if done correctly, perhaps more than robes. You could even use an umbrella like Hagrid?s or something similar instead of a wand.

Choreography:
If you or your team aren?t all too great with post production elements such as visual effects then this can be your chance to gain some marks. Your main aim in this category, as with most others as well, is to be as creative as possible without going outside the limitations. As seen in the OOTP movie, it doesn?t need to be as simple as just waving a wand left, right, up and down. Your choice of spells and other

 

Wow this should be a very intersting contest. I don't have time to make an entry but i look forward to see what will come out.

 

Hi everyone!

Just wanted to whish everyone good luck from me as well. Let's see some fantastic entries!

Remember that if you should need to mention Deathly Hallows spoilers at any time in this thread then black it out untill the one month limit is up. Thanks!

 

Hosting

I'd just like to provide a few hosting options for you guys, given that getting your clip online is up to you. The upshot of this is that your entries can be as large as you like in terms of file size (or as large as your hosting will allow) so you won't be restricted in terms of compression (again, apart from that of your host). So, this is a list of a few options available to you:

Stage6 - Great quality, large video size. This comes highly recommended and you should have no trouble hosting here, the one issue i can think of is that i believe stage6 requires the installation of a certain divx driver to watch, which took me mere seconds to install when i first used the site.

Website Hosted - uploading to a website's storage space can be a good idea for hosting, if you have it available to you. This means that we'll be able to simply download it straight from the website, but be aware that this uses up bandwidth and most sites have a bandwidth limit (and is for this reason we're not able to host all the videos ourselves). Your clip could get hundreds or more downloads, so be sure your bandwidth won't buckle.

Youtube - The compression can be pretty bad, but if all else fails, there's always youtube. I'd look elsewhere to begin with though.

Blip.tv - looks to be decent quality and free.

These are a few examples, for a massive list of available video hosting storage, take your pick from THIS PAGE courtesy of wikipedia.

 

So it absolutely has to be Harry Potter magic then? I've never been to fond of HP magic.
I read a lot, especially sci-fi and fantasy, and of all the styles of magic I've seen, HP doesn't even make the top ten.

 

It has to conform to the basic Harry Potter world rules, this does not restrict you from using a great variety of magical effects in your duel. The interpretation of a spell is purely up to you, when the spell is cast you could do anything with it, the only restriction is that it'll probably be coming from a wand.

EDIT: I've read over many different magic styles from sci-fi and fantasy as well, and while HP is one of the least complex and dark (it was originally aimed at the very young) we felt theming the comp on HP would make a better playing field and a common ground for most people and ultimately, be one of the most fun influences in the comp. I disliked some of the magic-based things about HP for its simplicity (the cynic that i am) when i first started reading years ago, but i think it's been demonstrated well how it can be matured and complex and very dark if needs be. That gives you a pretty broad range.

EDIT 2: And yes, it's the Authenticity category that your HP-esque comes under, of which there are a maximum of 30 points. You can still be judged in the other categories.

 

Its not how it looks that I'm talking about, its how the magic works. In HP you could cast spells for hours and the only effect on you is your arm would get tired. The only restriction in HP is if you have a wand in your hand. Its simple and easy. To me magic shouldn't be like that.

Edit: But it doesn't get complex. You say your spell and point your wand. Sometimes you need the correct frame of mind. There, done. But yes, the rest of your points make sense, and it is your contest. HP magic it is.

 

Why not have two entries? You can use this contest to showcase anything at the end of the day. It might not score high in the authenticity category, but it's about having fun and showcasing. The possibility of winning is just a bonus

 

Anyone in NYC willing to make a duel with me? I'm buying another wand soon so if anyone can make one with me to show my appreciation I'll let them keep the wand.

 

Good idea. Maybe I will...

 

I don't think that's really true. It takes a lot of willpower, and wizards have been "magically exhausted" in the books, I believe. A lot of it is form, and having a wand, yes, but it is certainly the best form of magic I have seen that we can all do in a 1v1 matchup.

 

Personally I would prefer a bit more time, but we'll work with what we've got. I can't wait to see what Alex has written, and definitely can't wait to shoot it. The effects will be extremely difficult, but I love a challenge that pushes me forward

 

Sounds awesome, i look forward to it. On the average though, i think nigh on 5 months is a long time for most people to get their stuff together. I'm hoping that people get to work quickly in the time frame they have, and not just leave it to the last minute and waste the first few months. We only made it this long really given that people asked for a fair while to get things done, so i hope the extra time doesn't get wasted.

But i'm really interested to see what people come up with, and i'm going to have to persuade some people to lend me some footage i can try out a few spell effects i'm itching to create but lack the material for

 

Hey everyone. I would love to be in this contest. Count me in. Unlike LCC, I will not be using that 11.11 fps camera, I will be using either the Panasonic GS-26 or the Panasonic GS-320, or both. I have a really good DP for a project I am working on now, so I should be able to get him as cameraman for this as well. One thing, it is just a spell fight like in Harry Potter? We can make up some spells, right? I know nothing about HP, but my DP does, which may help alot.
Bruce

 

As said in the first post, yes, it is a Wand Duel based on Harry Potter (one of the main things you are being marked on) and yes, you are allowed to make up your own spells.

 

I'm in, writing my short script now. Very action-based, and I don't expect the final thing to be longer than two minutes or so. I'll hopefully be shooting at the end of this month at a very nice location.

 

I'd love to be in this, but I don't have any idea on how to do the effects involved. Maybe when this contest reaches it's fifth time or something.

 

Doesn't matter. Do one without effects and you can still get constructive criticism on all the other elements

 

Hehe, that's the thrill for me. "Can we do this?" "I have no **** clue." "Sounds good, let's shoot it!"

Hey, maybe a Mod should edit the first post to include these links:
MuggleNet Spell List
Wikipedia Spell List (with known pronunciations)

 

No need, you've just linked there

The first post is about the rules etc. The discussion afterwards is about ideas and help

 

Hey, I have a question. Remember how in the LCC thread their was a list of entries, and the list would change over time like when someone would drop out or someone would want to join. Do you think we could do the same here?

 

I'm currently working on a film that uses a weapon similar to, but at the same time pretty different from, a wand. I'll probably enter this so I can get some experience wrapping my head around this kind of thing.

 

True, first page is close enough. I just don't want people to miss it

 

Good suggestion . It can be talked about more when we start getting entries.

 

I'm looking forward to this. As said before, I probably won't be entering myself much as I'd like to, but I'll be waiting with eager anticipation to see what other folk cook up.