amplificathon 2013: faq
welcome to the sixth annual (hextennial!) amplificathon faq!
what the heck is this amplificathon challenge thing?
the amplificathon is a points-based podfic-creating challenge.
who is running this thing and why?
your co-mods are aphelant, general-jinjur, and
were_duck.
the audiofic archive -- the multi-fandom home to a great many podfics -- is heavily weighted toward a few fandoms and pairings, so the mission and purpose of the 'thon is to create podfics in some of the other fandoms and pairings out there in the interest of offering something for everyone.
what's the timeframe & what are the deadlines?
challenge begins march 15 and ends six weeks later on april 30.
do i need to sign up or tell anyone what i am going to record?
nope! if you make something, join the comm and post it! if you want to do more, do more! it's all up to you. no pressure! unless you like pressure, in which case feel free to announce your to-do list in your journal, and pretend we are breathing down your neck about it.
do i have to allow archiving of my recording?
yes. that's sort of the point of the 'thon! but after the whole shebang is over, if you really don't want the file archived, it will be removed. in that case we only ask that you allow it to be publicly available for six months first.
what about crossposting?
you can post about your recording and/or link to it wherever you want. it's yours. but posting about it in the dreamwidth community is the only way to get your challenge points counted.
what format should i save my file in? what sound quality should i save my file as?
mp3, please! if you wind up with a different format we'll probably be able to convert it, but mp3 is the most universally accessible and all podfics must be available in mp3 format from the archive.
bitrate and sound quality are up to the reader. some people hear a tinniness in lower quality files, some don't. it's up to you!
do i need to prove that i have the author's permission?
you don't need to prove it to us, we trust you to follow the etiquette guidelines of your fandom/community. though if you wrote the story yourself, probably the permission step isn't necessary. :p
there's a list of authors granting blanket permission (and links to their statements) on fanlore: http://fanlore.org/wiki/Blanket_Permission_to_Podfic
for authors looking to leave blanket permission, there are posts on the amplificathon comms for that purpose: LJ/DW
is it okay to add sounds other than me reading to my podfic?
of course! sound effects, music clips, etc. can all add to a podfic recording. but some people have trouble understanding words spoken over music, so you may want to take that into consideration. :)
what are the minimum and maximum lengths of a recording?
there are no time or file size constraints. drabbles are okay, too!
what if i want to create a collaborative podfic with more than one reader?
then the points count for all of the readers. and also? that would be awesome.
how do i upload files?
you can use a file sharing site like mediafire, or, if you have it, your own webspace. if the file is under 20 MB, you can email it as an attachment to audmod at gmail dot com. the mods will upload it in turn to a permanent home in the archive in as timely a manner as possible, and comment on your post/reply to your email with the permanent link.
i want to get the maximum points possible for each recording! how do i find small or unrepresented fandom stories?
find stories your usual way! do your favorites. but if you are trying to maximize your points, we encourage you to find stories in fandoms you are interested in via reccers and recs sites. larger fandoms have their own communities as well, and don't forget that just because a fandom is otherwise big and active doesn't mean it's well-represented with podfic! you can read your own stories, or other people's writing - that part's totally up to you. :)
some handy links:
recsrainbow (multifandom recs comm)
the rck's recs (multifandom reccer)
makesmewannadie's recs tag, and her reccing the reccers post (multifandom reccer)
thefourthvine (multifandom reccer)
crack_van (multifandom recs comm)
newbieguide (multifandom directory comm)
yuletide fandom index (small fandoms)
polyamorous recs (multifandom recs site)
and there's always delicious.com and pinboard.in, of course.
what if i record a multi-chapter story in multiple parts? do i get points for each part? what if i have an existing multipart project?
go you! but no. you can only count a project once. if you have an existing multipart project and manage to finish it within the six week timeframe, post to the community and we'll count it toward your score (if you post it as a wip, please put your points on the final post only).
what if i record a non-english language story?
you get a bonus! :) language points are outlined here.
who will win and how? and what do they win?
the people with the top 3 scores, according to the scheme outlined here get a prize! there are also special event winners, but the categories for those a wee bit more ~secret~ (unless you've done the 'thon before. in which case they probably aren't :P).
the prize is worldwide acclaim! (podfic fandom is pretty multinational!) other prizes this year will be graphics-oriented, but if you have ideas for prizes that you think are awesome (and, you know: feasible), give us a holler! the only thing we love better than podfic is giving people prizes, seriously.
what is the end result of all of this?
more podfic for everyone! multifandom love! a job well done! \o/
we're going to make this a sticky post and link all of the other relevant amplificathon 2013 posts from the sidebar on the DW comm. but for anyone viewing the comm in a style that doesn't display link lists, here are those links:
calculating points
fandom/pairing points
what the heck is this amplificathon challenge thing?
the amplificathon is a points-based podfic-creating challenge.
who is running this thing and why?
your co-mods are aphelant, general-jinjur, and
were_duck.
the audiofic archive -- the multi-fandom home to a great many podfics -- is heavily weighted toward a few fandoms and pairings, so the mission and purpose of the 'thon is to create podfics in some of the other fandoms and pairings out there in the interest of offering something for everyone.
what's the timeframe & what are the deadlines?
challenge begins march 15 and ends six weeks later on april 30.
do i need to sign up or tell anyone what i am going to record?
nope! if you make something, join the comm and post it! if you want to do more, do more! it's all up to you. no pressure! unless you like pressure, in which case feel free to announce your to-do list in your journal, and pretend we are breathing down your neck about it.
do i have to allow archiving of my recording?
yes. that's sort of the point of the 'thon! but after the whole shebang is over, if you really don't want the file archived, it will be removed. in that case we only ask that you allow it to be publicly available for six months first.
what about crossposting?
you can post about your recording and/or link to it wherever you want. it's yours. but posting about it in the dreamwidth community is the only way to get your challenge points counted.
what format should i save my file in? what sound quality should i save my file as?
mp3, please! if you wind up with a different format we'll probably be able to convert it, but mp3 is the most universally accessible and all podfics must be available in mp3 format from the archive.
bitrate and sound quality are up to the reader. some people hear a tinniness in lower quality files, some don't. it's up to you!
do i need to prove that i have the author's permission?
you don't need to prove it to us, we trust you to follow the etiquette guidelines of your fandom/community. though if you wrote the story yourself, probably the permission step isn't necessary. :p
there's a list of authors granting blanket permission (and links to their statements) on fanlore: http://fanlore.org/wiki/Blanket_Permission_to_Podfic
for authors looking to leave blanket permission, there are posts on the amplificathon comms for that purpose: LJ/DW
is it okay to add sounds other than me reading to my podfic?
of course! sound effects, music clips, etc. can all add to a podfic recording. but some people have trouble understanding words spoken over music, so you may want to take that into consideration. :)
what are the minimum and maximum lengths of a recording?
there are no time or file size constraints. drabbles are okay, too!
what if i want to create a collaborative podfic with more than one reader?
then the points count for all of the readers. and also? that would be awesome.
how do i upload files?
you can use a file sharing site like mediafire, or, if you have it, your own webspace. if the file is under 20 MB, you can email it as an attachment to audmod at gmail dot com. the mods will upload it in turn to a permanent home in the archive in as timely a manner as possible, and comment on your post/reply to your email with the permanent link.
i want to get the maximum points possible for each recording! how do i find small or unrepresented fandom stories?
find stories your usual way! do your favorites. but if you are trying to maximize your points, we encourage you to find stories in fandoms you are interested in via reccers and recs sites. larger fandoms have their own communities as well, and don't forget that just because a fandom is otherwise big and active doesn't mean it's well-represented with podfic! you can read your own stories, or other people's writing - that part's totally up to you. :)
some handy links:
recsrainbow (multifandom recs comm)
the rck's recs (multifandom reccer)
makesmewannadie's recs tag, and her reccing the reccers post (multifandom reccer)
thefourthvine (multifandom reccer)
crack_van (multifandom recs comm)
newbieguide (multifandom directory comm)
yuletide fandom index (small fandoms)
polyamorous recs (multifandom recs site)
and there's always delicious.com and pinboard.in, of course.
what if i record a multi-chapter story in multiple parts? do i get points for each part? what if i have an existing multipart project?
go you! but no. you can only count a project once. if you have an existing multipart project and manage to finish it within the six week timeframe, post to the community and we'll count it toward your score (if you post it as a wip, please put your points on the final post only).
what if i record a non-english language story?
you get a bonus! :) language points are outlined here.
who will win and how? and what do they win?
the people with the top 3 scores, according to the scheme outlined here get a prize! there are also special event winners, but the categories for those a wee bit more ~secret~ (unless you've done the 'thon before. in which case they probably aren't :P).
the prize is worldwide acclaim! (podfic fandom is pretty multinational!) other prizes this year will be graphics-oriented, but if you have ideas for prizes that you think are awesome (and, you know: feasible), give us a holler! the only thing we love better than podfic is giving people prizes, seriously.
what is the end result of all of this?
more podfic for everyone! multifandom love! a job well done! \o/
we're going to make this a sticky post and link all of the other relevant amplificathon 2013 posts from the sidebar on the DW comm. but for anyone viewing the comm in a style that doesn't display link lists, here are those links:
calculating points
fandom/pairing points