HauntForum 2011 DVD Submission Information

[Zombie-F]

HauntForum 2011 DVD Submissions
I am ready to begin receiving video submissions for the 2011 HauntForum DVD Compilation... The Blood of HauntForum DVD. This set will consist of multiple DVDs of haunt videos and photo slideshows as submitted by you, the members of HauntForum. There will be an extras section on the discs if anyone wants to submit behind the scenes photos, extra videos or other special material.

This post contains info on how to submit, what formats are usable and other necessary information.

This post is going to be long, so you need to READ THIS ENTIRE POST BEFORE SUBMITTING.

SUBMISSION INFO

• The deadline for submissions is February 29, 2012. All entries sent in after that date are not guaranteed to appear on the set. Once I begin making master copies of the DVD(s), no more submissions will be accepted.
• Submissions must be from registered members of HauntForum. Anyone submitting who is not a member will not be included in this set.
• I am only accepting completed submissions this year. If you have still photos, please compile them into a video slideshow (Windows Movie Maker can do this) and submit your finished slideshow as your video.
• Try to keep the duration of your submissions as short as possible while still giving your haunt a good showcase.
• Try to show each prop for no more than 10 - 20 seconds unless it has a long cycle time, or has some unique feature/function that you really feel needs to be shown off in great detail.
• Don't show the same prop more than once or twice. Your props are very nice, but to keep the DVD moving along at a steady pace, it's best if you don't show the same item over and over again. A daytime and/or night time shot is sufficient.
• Entries that are excessively long may be edited down for time. Please, don't show the same prop for long periods of time or more than once or twice.
• No entry shall be used to advertise or otherwise mention Halloween-oriented businesses except in the case that your entry is that of a pro or charity haunt. This means urls for business web sites, text or audio promoting a business or product, or any other means of promoting a business. Links to personal sites and pro haunt web sites are acceptable. Submissions containing ads may be edited or even rejected altogether.
• If you use background music in your video, you must mention who composed the music and (if possible) try to include a web address for the composer. Try to obtain permission from the musician or record company who owns the copyright. A lot of musicians who compose music for haunts will graciously allow use of their material.

VIDEO FORMATS
I will only accept video that is in the following format:

• Framerate MUST be 29.97 fps (commonly referred to as 30 frames per second). Anything other than that may not function properly on the DVD and may be excluded from the set if this is the case.
• I can only accept video in the NTSC format, not the European PAL format. PAL formatted video may not function properly on the DVD and may be excluded from the set if this is the case.

Here are the file formats that will work best for this project:

• Video: MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG-4, AVI. The higher the resolution of the video, the better it will look on DVD (720 x 480 or larger is recommended).
• Audio: WAV, MP3, PCM, AC-3, MP2.
• Tapes and DVD: I am able to transfer from a DVD, but not from VHS tape. I no longer own a VCR, so if all you have is a tape, you may need to have your video transferred to DVD at your cost or see if you can find somebody who can help out with the transfer.

The Windows WMV format is usable, but due to the extreme amount of compression, I suggest you DO NOT use it. If you have no other means of editing video other than the Windows Movie Maker, you do have the option to save your video as an AVI file. Please do so. Using the WMV format is done at the risk of having your video appear overly compressed on the DVD.

HOW TO SUBMIT
Submissions can come in three ways.

SNAIL MAIL
The first way would be for you to transfer your video file(s) to DVD or CDROM and mail it to me. I can then transfer the video file(s) into my PC and work with it from there. Please do not create menus or other such frills. Just include your video file(s) on the disc.

If you mail me a disc, be sure to include your Username, Haunt Name, City/State, web address (if applicable), or any other info you'd like added with your submission. Submissions can be mailed to:

David Lindblom
119 Pleasant St.
Pembroke, MA 02359

You need to notify me if you would like your source CD or DVD returned to you, and you need to be able to pay return shipping. I am not responsible for the disc if it is damaged or lost in shipping, so please only ship to me at your own risk.

YOUTUBE
NEW! Method number 2 may be the simplest way to submit content for our DVD. If you have a video available on YouTube and it is available in 480p or better quality I can simply download it from there and use that for the DVD. Simply e-mail me the url of your video on YouTube and let me know that you'd like to have it included on the DVD.

If you do opt for the YouTube method you will also need to e-mail me your information (username, location, haunt name, web address, etc) for inclusion in our title screens.

FTP TRANSFER
The third way to submit is via FTP. Users of the FireFox browser are in luck! If you visit FireFox's Extensions site and download the FireFTP Extension, you can simply click the link below and be automatically logged in to the FTP site.

Due to the special syntax to log into the ftp via the link below, Internet Explorer users can not simply click the link below and will instead need to install an FTP client (such as FileZilla) and log in manually using the information provided below.

Regardless of the method you use to get into the FTP site, once you've logged in, create a directory for yourself and name it the same as your forum username. Then double click that folder and upload all of your video, sound and image files into that folder by simply dragging and dropping your files into your new directory. You will then need to e-mail me at submissions@hauntforum.com with your Username, Haunt Name, City/State, web address (if applicable), and any other info you want included on the DVD.

FTP Site

If you are using Internet Explorer or just want to manually log in with your favorite FTP software, please use the information below to log in:

Address: hauntforum.com
Username: submissions@hauntforum.com
Password: hauntforum

Again, don't forget to e-mail me that you have uploaded your files and tell me your Haunt Name, Username, City/State, and web address (if applicable).

QUESTIONS
If you have any questions at all, feel free to post a new thread in the Questions, Comments, and Feedback Forum and I will answer it at my earliest convenience. DO NOT post your question to an existing thread as it may not be noticed or answered.

As I start to receive new submissions, I will make a reply to this post listing all the submissions I have successfully received. If your name does not appear on that list, please be sure to contact me by e-mail concerning your entry.

[Zombie-F]

HauntForum 2011 DVD Submissions
This list will grow as I receive more submissions.

Submissions Received:
Updated March 1, 2012

1. Halstaff
2. Warrant2000
3. daffy64
4. kprimm
5. Ghoulish Cop
6. Zombie-F
7. Stiff Kitten
8. TroyO
9. gothdj
10. Hellmouth
11. Rohr Manor
12. Spider Rider
13. Slanks
14. Halloween Haunter
15. Manor Matt
16. RoxyBlue & Spooky1
17. rcspider
18. remylass
19. Smileyface4u23
20. Just Whisper
21. Joiseygal
22. Nixie

Extras Received:

1. Halstaff "Eel Extender with Modifications"
2. Zombie-F "Unpleasant Street Halloween Scares" Video

We could use some more extras. If you have any video from a convention, make and take, a prop tutorial, behind the scenes footage, etc, please send it along for inclusion on the DVD.