Screening 5 FAQs and other Pre-Production Notes
FAQ for Screening 5 Reel_Torchwood
It’s that time, again! Well, almost. Sign-ups do not start until tomorrow (May 10th), but we wanted to get this post up today, for those of you who are first-time participants and for those of you who want to make sure we haven’t changed anything too drastically for this screening.
First of all, the schedule:
May 10th - Sign-ups begin
May 25th - Sign-ups close
July 15th - Author/artist check-in
August 25th - Deadline for final draft
September 1st - Posting begins
Second, guidelines:
You may choose a movie from our prompt list, or come up with your own. To sign up, leave a comment to the sign up post with the movie you'd like to claim. If you want to use a movie that’s not on the list, just leave a comment to the post with the title. If there is more than one movie with that title, specify which one you want to use. We’ll reply with a confirmation that we’re adding it to the list.
Made-for-TV-movies and miniseries are not currently eligible as prompts. However, we are thinking about a mini-round dedicated to miniseries and made-for-TV-movies at a later date. We'll keep you posted as the idea evolves, especially as faithharknessrecently spent a weekend ill and there was a Nora Roberts movie marathon on. Plus, bookwrm89wants to read a Torchwood-style The Librarian like burning!
Fic:
Only one fic per prompt. If the movie you want to do has already been claimed, you will have to choose another. You may only sign up for one prompt at a time. You may co-write a fic with another writer as long as you are both identified in the sign-up comment. This will apply to individual participants, collaborations and hold-overs from previous rounds. **See FAQs for further details.
You can interpret the movie prompts in any way that you wish. You can stick to the movie’s plot, or use it as inspiration for your own flights of fancy.
Your story must be a minimum of 1,000 (one thousand) words. After that minimum is met, it can be as long as you want. It must be a stand alone fic written specifically for this challenge and not part of an ongoing series.
Stories can be any rating, from G to NC-17. It may be any genre, any pairing, gen, het, slash, femslash, or something no one else has ever thought of. (Love Story starring Janet and Myfanwy, anyone?)
The Faith Rule: So named because faithharknessonce signed up for Love Actually and realized there weren’t enough characters in the entirety of Torchwood to fill all the slots and had to “borrow” from other fandoms. Crossovers with other fandoms are allowed as long as the story is focused mainly on the Torchwood characters. This rule is also due, in no small part, to the fact that your current mods are Crossover junkies. Just remember, this is a Torchwood community/challenge, so our team from Cardiff must be front and center.
No RPF is allowed for this challenge. This is a Torchwood community, not an RPF community. There are RPF comms out there that run challenges and we encourage readers/authors/prompters/artists to check them out. Oh, and if you decide to write Midnight Run with John Barrowman and James Marsters, let faithharknessknow where you posted it, 'cause she'd totally read that! And if you write the film for this comm, she’ll love you forever. There may be internet cookies involved.
A beta is required for all fic. This is to ensure a minimum quality of writing. If you do not have a beta, or are willing to be a beta, there will be a beta search/volunteer post once sign-ups have closed.
Art:
You may create manips, original artwork, vids, and whatever else your imagination leads you to. There may be more than one artist per prompt.
Artists are excluded from the rule about only claiming one prompt at a time. You can sign up for multiple prompts during the sign up period. If you complete those prompts before the final drafts deadline, you may sign up for additional prompts (just like the authors).
Deadlines and Posting:
Stories must be finished by the deadline date for the current round (please see timeline at the beginning of the post). You will email your work to the mods (at reeltorchwood at gmail dot com) on that day, and we will send you a reply with a date to post your story. Your story must be complete and beta'd when you post.
We will have a template for your fic headers, but if you do not want to use the header template, please make sure your header includes the following:
Title
Author
Prompt
Pairing(s)
Rating
Warnings
Spoilers
Disclaimer for TW and the movie you are using
Author's Notes and a Summary are optional
You can either post directly to the community, or post in your journal, and link to the story in a post to the community. PDF files are fine, but we encourage writers to post directly to your LJ as well, since many readers have said they don't read fics that are only in PDF format. Instructions on posting can be found here.
Please watch or friend the community so you don't miss any important announcements.
If you have any more questions, leave a comment on the Ask a Producer post and a mod will get back to you! We can also be reached at reeltorchwood (at) gmail.com if you’d rather send an email.
Third, that actual FAQs (plus bonus answers!):
Q. Just what the blue blazes is this thing?
A. This challenge community was inspired by reel_merlin, which has spawned several fantastic fics based on movie prompts. The community was started by alba17, who thought that this could be something great for the Torchwood community to try.
Q. Who’s running this asylum?
A. Your current moderators are bookwrm89and faithharkness.
Q. Can I sign up for more than one prompt?
A. No. In past rounds we’ve had a high volume of participants signing up for multiple prompts and then asking for extensions, dropping their 2nd or 3rd prompt at the last minute or dropping out altogether. Because of this, we have decided to allow participants to only sign up for one prompt. However, if you finish your prompt before the deadline and want to sign up for another one, send your completed fic to us and let us know what movie you'd like to sign up for next. If there's a reasonable amount of time left before the deadline, you will be signed up for the new prompt. To claim a second prompt, you’ll need to send your completed draft to reeltorchwood at gmail dot com with your request for a second film; once we’ve verified it is complete, we’ll let you know you can get going on prompt #2.
Q. Can I still keep the prompt I rolled-over from the last round and if I do, can I sign up for another prompt as well?
A. If you requested to keep your unfinished prompt from Screening 4 in this post, then you’re all set. If you forgot to ask to hold it over, go to that post and request it now; we like to have all those in one place. However, the one prompt at a time rule applies; you cannot sign up for another prompt until you have submitted your first completed work.
Q. What, exactly, does the author/artist check-in on July 15th mean?
A. It’s actually a very easy check-in. You don't need to have a specific percentage of your fic completed, we just want to know what you have so far, get an idea of how much you think you have left to write and see if you think you'll be able to finish by the August 25th final draft deadline. You don’t need to send in the draft; we’ll do a check-in post on the 15th that you’ll need to comment on with the relevant information, which will be provided in that post.
Q. Are prompts from previous rounds open to be claimed for Screening 5?
A. Completed prompts from Screenings 1 and 2 ONLY will be re-opened for claiming in Screening 5. If you would like to claim a prompt from Round 1 or 2, please send a short synopsis of the story you want to do to the moderators when sign-ups open in May 10th. The moderators will need to approve your story idea before you sign-up; we will not be “judging” content or anything, we just want to be sure it is dissimilar enough from the first fulfilment of the prompt to merit a redux.
Q. I am not a writer but I have a prompt I’d like to see written. Can I request a prompt?
A. We are not doing a prompt request post this screening; however, if there is something you must see on the list, comment on this post and we’ll see what we can do; but we can’t promise to put everything on. A lot of prompts went unfulfilled last year and we don’t want the list getting too ungainly.
Q. Can I use any characters/story lines from the show or am I limited to specific seasons?
A. This is a Torchwood community and we respect and welcome all aspects of the fandom (yes, this includes radio plays). It is not dedicated to a specific pairing, genre or series. If you want to write a completely AU story, or use canon characters/storylines, that is your decision - up to and including Series 4. The only thing we ask is that writers be considerate of the readers and warn for things that could be triggers and that readers be considerate of the writers by not leaving negative/inflammatory comments. The Don’t Like/Don’t Read rule is in full effect in this comm. In short: **Any wank from either side will be cause for immediate banishment from the community - NO EXCEPTIONS**
Now, if all that hasn’t made you run off screaming, please join us in the sign-up post on May 10th.
Good luck!
bookwrm89& faithharkness
It’s that time, again! Well, almost. Sign-ups do not start until tomorrow (May 10th), but we wanted to get this post up today, for those of you who are first-time participants and for those of you who want to make sure we haven’t changed anything too drastically for this screening.
First of all, the schedule:
May 10th - Sign-ups begin
May 25th - Sign-ups close
July 15th - Author/artist check-in
August 25th - Deadline for final draft
September 1st - Posting begins
Second, guidelines:
You may choose a movie from our prompt list, or come up with your own. To sign up, leave a comment to the sign up post with the movie you'd like to claim. If you want to use a movie that’s not on the list, just leave a comment to the post with the title. If there is more than one movie with that title, specify which one you want to use. We’ll reply with a confirmation that we’re adding it to the list.
Made-for-TV-movies and miniseries are not currently eligible as prompts. However, we are thinking about a mini-round dedicated to miniseries and made-for-TV-movies at a later date. We'll keep you posted as the idea evolves, especially as faithharknessrecently spent a weekend ill and there was a Nora Roberts movie marathon on. Plus, bookwrm89wants to read a Torchwood-style The Librarian like burning!
Fic:
Only one fic per prompt. If the movie you want to do has already been claimed, you will have to choose another. You may only sign up for one prompt at a time. You may co-write a fic with another writer as long as you are both identified in the sign-up comment. This will apply to individual participants, collaborations and hold-overs from previous rounds. **See FAQs for further details.
You can interpret the movie prompts in any way that you wish. You can stick to the movie’s plot, or use it as inspiration for your own flights of fancy.
Your story must be a minimum of 1,000 (one thousand) words. After that minimum is met, it can be as long as you want. It must be a stand alone fic written specifically for this challenge and not part of an ongoing series.
Stories can be any rating, from G to NC-17. It may be any genre, any pairing, gen, het, slash, femslash, or something no one else has ever thought of. (Love Story starring Janet and Myfanwy, anyone?)
The Faith Rule: So named because faithharknessonce signed up for Love Actually and realized there weren’t enough characters in the entirety of Torchwood to fill all the slots and had to “borrow” from other fandoms. Crossovers with other fandoms are allowed as long as the story is focused mainly on the Torchwood characters. This rule is also due, in no small part, to the fact that your current mods are Crossover junkies. Just remember, this is a Torchwood community/challenge, so our team from Cardiff must be front and center.
No RPF is allowed for this challenge. This is a Torchwood community, not an RPF community. There are RPF comms out there that run challenges and we encourage readers/authors/prompters/artists to check them out. Oh, and if you decide to write Midnight Run with John Barrowman and James Marsters, let faithharknessknow where you posted it, 'cause she'd totally read that! And if you write the film for this comm, she’ll love you forever. There may be internet cookies involved.
A beta is required for all fic. This is to ensure a minimum quality of writing. If you do not have a beta, or are willing to be a beta, there will be a beta search/volunteer post once sign-ups have closed.
Art:
You may create manips, original artwork, vids, and whatever else your imagination leads you to. There may be more than one artist per prompt.
Artists are excluded from the rule about only claiming one prompt at a time. You can sign up for multiple prompts during the sign up period. If you complete those prompts before the final drafts deadline, you may sign up for additional prompts (just like the authors).
Deadlines and Posting:
Stories must be finished by the deadline date for the current round (please see timeline at the beginning of the post). You will email your work to the mods (at reeltorchwood at gmail dot com) on that day, and we will send you a reply with a date to post your story. Your story must be complete and beta'd when you post.
We will have a template for your fic headers, but if you do not want to use the header template, please make sure your header includes the following:
Title
Author
Prompt
Pairing(s)
Rating
Warnings
Spoilers
Disclaimer for TW and the movie you are using
Author's Notes and a Summary are optional
You can either post directly to the community, or post in your journal, and link to the story in a post to the community. PDF files are fine, but we encourage writers to post directly to your LJ as well, since many readers have said they don't read fics that are only in PDF format. Instructions on posting can be found here.
Please watch or friend the community so you don't miss any important announcements.
If you have any more questions, leave a comment on the Ask a Producer post and a mod will get back to you! We can also be reached at reeltorchwood (at) gmail.com if you’d rather send an email.
Third, that actual FAQs (plus bonus answers!):
Q. Just what the blue blazes is this thing?
A. This challenge community was inspired by reel_merlin, which has spawned several fantastic fics based on movie prompts. The community was started by alba17, who thought that this could be something great for the Torchwood community to try.
Q. Who’s running this asylum?
A. Your current moderators are bookwrm89and faithharkness.
Q. Can I sign up for more than one prompt?
A. No. In past rounds we’ve had a high volume of participants signing up for multiple prompts and then asking for extensions, dropping their 2nd or 3rd prompt at the last minute or dropping out altogether. Because of this, we have decided to allow participants to only sign up for one prompt. However, if you finish your prompt before the deadline and want to sign up for another one, send your completed fic to us and let us know what movie you'd like to sign up for next. If there's a reasonable amount of time left before the deadline, you will be signed up for the new prompt. To claim a second prompt, you’ll need to send your completed draft to reeltorchwood at gmail dot com with your request for a second film; once we’ve verified it is complete, we’ll let you know you can get going on prompt #2.
Q. Can I still keep the prompt I rolled-over from the last round and if I do, can I sign up for another prompt as well?
A. If you requested to keep your unfinished prompt from Screening 4 in this post, then you’re all set. If you forgot to ask to hold it over, go to that post and request it now; we like to have all those in one place. However, the one prompt at a time rule applies; you cannot sign up for another prompt until you have submitted your first completed work.
Q. What, exactly, does the author/artist check-in on July 15th mean?
A. It’s actually a very easy check-in. You don't need to have a specific percentage of your fic completed, we just want to know what you have so far, get an idea of how much you think you have left to write and see if you think you'll be able to finish by the August 25th final draft deadline. You don’t need to send in the draft; we’ll do a check-in post on the 15th that you’ll need to comment on with the relevant information, which will be provided in that post.
Q. Are prompts from previous rounds open to be claimed for Screening 5?
A. Completed prompts from Screenings 1 and 2 ONLY will be re-opened for claiming in Screening 5. If you would like to claim a prompt from Round 1 or 2, please send a short synopsis of the story you want to do to the moderators when sign-ups open in May 10th. The moderators will need to approve your story idea before you sign-up; we will not be “judging” content or anything, we just want to be sure it is dissimilar enough from the first fulfilment of the prompt to merit a redux.
Q. I am not a writer but I have a prompt I’d like to see written. Can I request a prompt?
A. We are not doing a prompt request post this screening; however, if there is something you must see on the list, comment on this post and we’ll see what we can do; but we can’t promise to put everything on. A lot of prompts went unfulfilled last year and we don’t want the list getting too ungainly.
Q. Can I use any characters/story lines from the show or am I limited to specific seasons?
A. This is a Torchwood community and we respect and welcome all aspects of the fandom (yes, this includes radio plays). It is not dedicated to a specific pairing, genre or series. If you want to write a completely AU story, or use canon characters/storylines, that is your decision - up to and including Series 4. The only thing we ask is that writers be considerate of the readers and warn for things that could be triggers and that readers be considerate of the writers by not leaving negative/inflammatory comments. The Don’t Like/Don’t Read rule is in full effect in this comm. In short: **Any wank from either side will be cause for immediate banishment from the community - NO EXCEPTIONS**
Now, if all that hasn’t made you run off screaming, please join us in the sign-up post on May 10th.
Good luck!
bookwrm89& faithharkness