FanFilms Forum FAQ

by: Kurt (MaxVeers) Luther
with additions by Tumblemoster

I. Forum Guidelines

II. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

III. Useful Information

Highlighted text indicates a recently updated section of the FAQ.

The Fan Films Forum is visited by thousands of people, and in order to maintain a comfortable, working environment, certain rules must be heeded. These rules are for the most part what you'd expect in any public establishment, although there are a few things unique to the fan films genre of which you may not be aware. These are listed in no particular order, although they are all important.

1. Respect the forum members.

One of the most important things to remember about fan films is that they are made as a hobby, and although much money, time, and effort are expended in making them, they are by default free to enjoy. Therefore, it is important that even if you didn't like someone's fan film, the fan filmmaker, as well as his/her project, should be treated with respect. It is perfectly all right to dislike someone's work, but there is a proper way of going about sharing such feelings.

There is no swearing or inappropriate language in the forums. Children frequent these forums, so please try to keep thing family-oriented. Even the act of "encrypting" stronger profanity is not allowed and will be dealt with accordingly. For example, substituting "$" for "S" or using an asterix (*) in lieu of a key letter is unacceptable. See this thread for more detail.

There is NO namecalling or insulting (called "flaming" in Internet-speak) in this forum, no matter how angry you are. Save it for somewhere else.

If you really hated someone's project or idea, share your opinion in a tactful manner. This is covered later in the FAQ under the Criticism section in further detail.

2. Respect the forum administrators.

The FanFilms staff has a huge responsibility. They are in charge of selecting fan films for hosting, dealing with the media, moderating the forum, and maintaining the TFN FanFilms website, and this job must be distributed among a very small group of people. Obviously, they are very busy. There are a few things you can do to keep the workload reasonable for them, and doing this is not just respectful and polite, but more pragmatically, it will allow them to release new fan films (or get to yours) more quickly.

Don't keep badgering them. If you submitted a fan film to be hosted, it will be acknowledged and you will hear from them whether you are accepted or not. Constantly bothering the staff and asking if they've gotten to your film will not just slow the process down, but it will annoy them, too. Be nice. They do their job at the forums for free, even though it is a huge task, and they have paying jobs and lives, so cut them some slack.

3. Don't spoil things.

Some fan films are written in such a way that their endings or some plot twists are surprises, and knowing them beforehand can ruin the film. A good example is the film "Legacy of the Jedi". Be very wary when posting / reviewing such films as you don't want to reveal something that would ruin the film for someone who hasn't seen it yet. Think of it this way; if you enjoyed the film, wouldn't you want other people to enjoy it as much as you did?

4. Keep in mind the rules you agreed to when you registered.

The Fan Films forum may seem a bit different from the other forums at theforce.net, but it's a part of the whole, and you must follow the same rules you'd follow in every other forum.

When you're posting in the Fan Films forum, please keep the discussion related to Fan Films ONLY. There are dozens of separate forums that are part of theforce.net and they all serve a specific purpose. The Fan Films forum is for discussion of fan films. The members here are a tight-knit, friendly group, but that does not mean you can start a topic about tomorrow's football game. Take advantage of the "Your JC Community" forum for conversational-type topics. You can talk about basically anything you'd like there. Please don't post off-topic here -- we have no choice but to lock your topic even if it interests everyone. If your topic ends up being locked, there's no need to feel angry, upset, or embarrassed. Just note why your topic was locked and try not to do the same thing in the future.

CONSEQUENCES:

If you DON'T follow the rules, there are several consequences. They are listed in rough order of severity:

• Edited Post (The content post has been changed by a moderator): Sometimes you may make a reply that is acceptable but you used an inappropriate word or phrase, or perhaps accidentally spoiled a part of a fan film. The administrator will edit your post appropriately to remove the obscene phrase or eliminate the spoiler. This serves as a bit of a warning to think a bit more before you post in the future. Sometimes an entire post will be edited if what it contained was very unacceptable.

• Deleted Post (A post or topic has been removed): This is a rare occurrence. Usually if a post was very inappropriate it will be completely removed, leaving no trace that it ever occurred. Sometimes "double-posts", where someone accidentally posts the same message twice, will be deleted to keep things flowing.

• Locked Topic (A "strike-through" or line through the topic, and can't be replied to): If you post a thread about something that doesn't belong but is not profane or defamatory, it will most likely be locked, meaning no further replies will be allowed. Having a thread locked can be embarrassing, but it's not a punishment. It's just a reminder to post where the subject is appropriate. However, threads can also be locked if an acceptable topic gets out of hand. Make sure to keep the conversation on-topic and appropriate if you don't want your thread to be locked.

• Ban (You cannot post new threads or replies): This is the most serious consequence. If you post an obscene topic or continuously post topics that aren't appropriate, you will be banned. This means that you can no longer reply to any thread in the entire Jedi Council forum system, not just the Fan Films forum. Make sure you remember that. If you get banned, you did something very wrong. Depending on the severity, you can be banned from a few days to permanently. There are two kinds of bans, Username and IP. A username ban is one that prevents any replies under a certain username from being made. This is less severe than an IP ban; where no posts can be made from a computer at all, no matter what username a person is using. You don't want that to happen.

This FAQ was created primarily because of a huge number of redundant, unnecessary topics that are posted from time to time. Posting redundantly is an easy way to lose the respect of other forum members, so please don't do it. If you have a question or idea, browse through the first few pages of topics or so to see if it has been mentioned recently. This is critical. If you see that it has, read that topic, and if you still have questions, reply to that topic instead of creating another. If you don't see any posts relating to what you have to say in the past several pages, go ahead and post a new thread. Usually no one will mind if the question is a few weeks old. Checking this FAQ as you're doing right now is a good sign that you care enough to be respected by the other forum members; that's good. Read through the FAQ as well before asking questions. The topic "How do you create lightsaber effects in your films" is almost a legend for long-time forum members, because it has been asked so many times.

6. Be legible.

In a message board system, the idea is to have conversation. It's impossible to converse without good communication. In the same way that in talking with someone, you wouldn't mumble, speak without syntax or structure, mispronounce words, and shout when not appropriate, you also want to post considerately. This means a few things:

• Don't post in all capital letters. This is the equivalent of SHOUTING on the internet.
• Spell reasonably well. No one will mind a few mistakes here and there, but if your spelling is so bad that it's hard to understand, you will be ignored.
• Punctuation is your friend. Use it.

7. Be yourself.

The forum is a place where many opinions are shared and viewpoints can differ greatly. Sometimes, when a member feels particularly passionate about an issue, he may wish to post his thoughts under an alternate username to prevent negative feedback from tarnishing his reputation. This is not allowed. If you have something to say, say it under your primary user name. Alias accounts (or "socks") are not tolerated in the Fan Films forum and any member who posts with one will have all of his accounts banned.

Please check through these questions relating to the forum before posting a topic.

I've just seen a fan film and want to comment on it. What should I do?

If you have compliments, by all means add them. Keep in mind, though, that the fan filmmakers always appreciate being specific. "Your film was great!" is NOT preferred to "Your film's acting was convincing!".

Criticism, on the other hand, is a touchy issue. Most forum members agree that criticism is wanted, as long as it is delivered correctly.

HOW TO CRITICIZE

The key to criticism being taken well on these boards is providing two S-words:

1. Specifics (exactly what you didn't like)
2. Solutions (what to do to make what you didn't like better)

BAD:
"I hated your fan film. It sucked."

GOOD:
"I think that your fan film's acting could have used a lot of work. I've read a great book called Acting: The First Six Lessons by Richard Boleslavsky that could help a lot. It's an excellent resource."

You don't need to say why you didn't like a film, but it is preferred. On the other hand, saying that films "sucked" or using other immature language is never preferred, and action will be taken against the more tactless posts.

Remember, this is just a guideline. Trust your common sense and you should be fine.

I want to contact a specific forum member about something. Should I post a topic to get his/her attention?

Someone's been bothering me on the boards, either with Private Messages or in the forums. How can I get them to stop?

I see people with Signatures. How do I activate mine?

I don't like my thread's title / I made some mistakes and I already posted. Can I fix it?

You can also use the Edit function to "lock" your own topic, meaning that it can no longer receive replies. This function can be accessed on the Edit screen, beneath the text box. Below the words "Lock Topic" is a drop-down menu with the options "Yes" and "No" -- select the appropriate option and complete the edit. If you accidentally lock your own topic, use this same procedure to unlock it. Never unlock a thread that a moderator has locked.

Who are the moderators/staff? How can I tell?

I didn't get many/any replies to my topic. What should I do?

A hint: Try to be fairly descriptive when naming your topic. New members tend to name their topics after the software that they have questions about; this is a mistake. Instead of naming your new thread "Adobe Premiere" or "Premiere Question", be more specific. Something like "Mixing Audio in Adobe Premiere" (or whatever your actual question is) often brings about more replies.

If it's been less than 90 minutes, edit your post and fix the problems (you can edit your title, too). If it's been more than 90 minutes, you can Private Message a moderator and ask him/her to change your message or title for you. Be patient. If it's only been a few hours, or you posted during an off-peak time, don't worry about it, you'll probably get replies later. The forums are busiest after 7:00 PST.

I think I've got what it takes to be an administrator/moderator/staff member. What should I do to sign up?

I can't afford/don't want to pay for my own software. Can I ask for warez (pirated software)?

If you're unfamiliar with exactly what warez constitutes: Warez is software, normally sold in stores, that has been illegally copied and distributed. If you acquired such software via an Internet download or a burned CD-R, it may be stolen.

I have a suggestion about the board system itself, such as a feature I would like added. Should I post my suggestion in the FanFilms forum?

Which 3d software is best?

While every package advertises its supposedly unique and powerful features, the truth is they all do and are capable of doing the same things. The differences lie in how they do the things they do, and to what extent. Depending on your goals and your abilities, different packages will offer different advantages.

The most important thing in learning 3d, no matter what package you use, is that a 3d software is only a tool, and what you get out of it depends on how well you use it. Every package is capable of doing pretty much anything. Art is in the artist.

The suggestion of the 3d artists on this board is to download and try as many demos as you can, and see which package feels better to how you work. Here is a pro/con breakdown of some of the more popular packages:

• Alias|Wavefront Maya
  Learning Edition available for free. Find out more by clicking here

  Maya is one of the most talked about and sought after 3d applications out there, and for the most part it deserves its reputation. Maya Complete and Maya Unlimited from Alias|Wavefront are used in many Hollywood animation houses. Shrek and the Final Fantasy movie both made extensive use of Maya.

  Pros: Incredible power and unlimited expandability using Lscript. Maya has strong modeling and animation tools and the best IK system on the market.

  Cons: Price. Maya is ridiculously expensive. Depending on the package you buy, Maya costs between $7000 and $16,000 initially, and Alias|Wavefront also charges an annual licensing fee. What you are paying for is Maya?s expandability. Many proprietary compositing and animation solutions used by major studios are based on a Maya framework.

  Bottom line: If you think you?ll use the power, pay the price. Otherwise, read on.

• 3d Studio Max r4
  Demo available (PC only)

  3d Studio Max owns the gaming market, hands down. But Max isn?t limited to game development. Max has a very strong set of tools for modeling and animation. Although Max got a lot of flack for its difficult IK system, all that has changed with version 4. Max?s IK is now almost identical to Maya?s, mainly because the guy who wrote the IK for Maya jumped ship and built the new IK for Discreet.

  Pros: Very strong Polygon Modeling tools. The only package with a built in camera match and camera track utility.

  Cons: No Macintosh version available. There have been rumors floating about a Unix port, which would make an OS X version fairly likely, but Discreet still hold that a Mac version is a long way away, if at all.

  Bottom line: Great option for PC users. At $3495 it?s expensive, but not unreasonable.

• Lightwave 7.0
  Save limited demo available

  Lightwave is one of the most respected 3d packages in the industry. Lightwave was used on the television show Babylon 5 to create stunning visual effects that were ahead of their time and eventually won an Emmy award. The recent 7.0 brought with it a Motion Mixer that allows IK performance mixing, allowing you to reuse and combine different character motions.

  Pros: Widely regarded as having the best modeling system available. Is one of only two packages (The other is Cinema 4d) able to render with radiosity and caustics without 3rd party rendering plug-ins. All menus and button are text, so there are no icons to remember.

  Cons: Separate applications for modeling and animation have some inconsistencies between them.

  Bottom line: Strong package with an excellent history.

• Electric Image Universe
  Demo available

  Electric Image was used on Duality (http://www.crewoftwo.com), probably the most popular fan film to date. While I have no experience with it, I have heard only good things about it. DV Garage (http://www.dvgarage.com/) sells the very popular 3d Toolkit, which comes with Version 2.9 of Electric Image as well as tons of tutorials to learn 3d. And, at only $199 it is a great way to learn 3d modeling and animation.

  Pros: Great price for new 3d artists (From DV garage), Strong toolset.

  Cons: Current version is expensive.

  Bottom line: DV Garage has gotten rave reviews for its 3d toolkit. If you want to learn 3d, this software is a great way to do it.

• Blender Creator
  Free

  Blender is mostly known for being freeware, and although it is both looked down upon and revered because of that, the fact remains that it is very powerful. Tutorials and models are out there, if you know where to look, and with a 3DS import script, you can import any Max model.

  Pros: Fully integrated creation suite, offering modeling, animation, rendering, and video post-production and game creation. Cross platform software, running on all major PC and workstation operating systems. Small executable size. It has polygon meshes, NURBS, vector fonts, metaballs, lattices, bones, and particle systems. Allows animation with key frames, motion curves, morphing and inverse kinematics. Expandable via Python Scripts.

  Cons: Has been known to not run under some Video Cards (PC only problem), not widely accepted, does not enjoy the fan support or product base of Max, Lightwave or Maya. Not a workplace application. Difficult learning curve.

  Bottom line: If you do not want to spend the money on any 3D suite, but still want to play around, Blender is for you.

• Corel Bryce
  Demo Available

  For a very modest price, Bryce delivers a very powerful landscape, scenery, texture, atmosphere and sky and creation tool. The user interface is very easy to learn and use and the included library of models and textures allows a new user to get to work quickly. The ability to import and animate models from virtually every major 3d file format allows the user to take full advantage of most 3D model libraries on the internet (including Sci-Fi-3D and SWMA), and Bryce also generates perspective and compositing mattes in AVI, MOV and QuickTime Virtual Tour file formats without the need for additional plug-ins.

  Pros: Fantastic terrain and landscape generation. Very easy to learn and use. Nearly unlimited environment possibilities. Low price ($99 Academic / $300 Standard)

  Cons: Very Limited modeling abilities. No post-processing effects like lens flare or motion blur. Some complain that the render engine is rather harsh.

  Bottom line: Bryce is an excellent choice if you need an easy to use, complete scenery and model animation tool on a budget.

How do I learn 3d modeling and animation?

So you?ve played with all the demos (you tried the demos, right?), you?ve found the 3d software that is perfect for you, dropped your hard earned dough and are ready to rock. Now what? Which button do you press first? (?Banks and banks of humming machinery? I?ve never seen so many knobs!?)

Your software?s manuals are a great place to start (You have the manuals, don?t you?). Every 3d package comes with some form of documentation. Most packages come with getting started tutorials to teach a new user the interface and the toolset. ?But I want to right now!!? Never fear, we?re here for you?

There are hundreds of 3d tutorial sites on the Internet, where you can find tutorials and models for every conceivable task you could ever wish to accomplish in 3d. Here are a few of our favorites:

High End 3d Tutorials and other goodies for high end 3d and compositing apps like Maya, 3d Studio Max, and Shake.

3d Gate Tutorials, news, artist features and other goods?.

Flay.com News and information of 3d interest. They have a large database of plug-ins, some tutorials and tons of other great information.

3d Buzz A great site full of tutorials for a lot of different apps. They?re adding more every day.

Sci-Fi 3d A tremendous resource for Star Wars 3d models. They host only the best models out there, and many a fan filmmaker will vouch for their quality.

These are but five of hundreds of 3d sites on the internet. Run a search on Google for tutorials on the app of your choice, and hold on to your chair!

Here are a number of other ways to get started:

1. The 3d Toolkit from DV Garage is a great way to start. For $199 you get version 2.9 of Electric Image and CD?s full of learning tutorials. Every member of the board who?s bought this package has had nothing but good things to say about it (I swear TFN gives out more free endorsements for this thing?)

2. Take a class. There are many community education and small college courses available to aspiring 3d artists. One caveat though: Research before you spend. Not all classes are the same, most are expensive, and many aren?t worth the cost. Ask a lot of questions and if you don?t like the answers walk away.

3. Find a Mentor. Find someone who does some 3d and see if they?ll teach you the basics. Sit down with them and go over the fundamental toolset of your application. You?ll be surprised how much you can figure out when there?s someone there to get you past the rough spots.

4. Press buttons! Ok, this one is usually not that effective, but you might surprise yourself. Try creating primitive or two, and move, rotate, resize and otherwise manipulate them.

As always, feel free to ask questions in the 3d and Fan Films forum. There are a lot of very experienced 3d artists lurking about, and they?re all happy to help! Good luck!

Where can I learn the basics of Digital Video and Filmmaking?

First, check out Adam Wilt?s DV home page and FAQ for the ultimate technical primer on all things digital video. Updated often, you?ll find information on DV formats, compression schemes, cameras, editing, and more useful tidbits than you can shake a lightsaber at. Basically, if it?s about DV and you can?t find it on Adam?s site, you?re not looking hard enough. But just in case?

Filmmaking.net
A huge site filled with all kinds of filmmaking goodies and home of the Internet Filmmaker's FAQ?. The FAQ is a humongous document that answers thousands of questions about filmmaking.

Exposure ? Filmmaking
A great site dedicated to helping low budget independent filmmakers.

Filmmaking.com ? The Filmmaking Portal
A bazillion links to site and articles on every aspect of filmmaking. From film theory to finding actors to getting into a film festival ? If its on the net its probably linked from here.

Fan Film FX
A site dedicated to helping you create those mind-boggling effects you know you want in your movie, Fan Film FX host tutorials, forums, a gallery and a model library.

Creative Cow
Creative Cow is a huge site with thousands of tutorials on every editing, compositing and special effects application imaginable. You?ll also find a great collection of forums frequented by industry professionals.

Volksmovie
?The complete online resource and community base for the digital filmmaking movement.? They have information on many aspects of digital filmmaking. Especially interesting is their ?technical discoveries? pages, where you?ll find information on building inexpensive lighting, steadycams and other filmmaking equipment.

These are just a few of the great sites on the web. Run a google search and you?ll find hundreds more. Of course, you can?t learn everything on the web, so we also recommend the following books:

Digital Moviemaking by Scott Billups
Written by a pioneer in digital filmmaking, this book is full of useful information. Read it at least six times. Then read it again.

Placing Shadows, Lighting Techniques for Video Production by Chuck B. Gloman and Tom Letourneau
This is a great introduction to lighting for video. This book will definitely help you make your fan film look better.

Digital Cinematography by Paul Wheeler
Primarily directed at High Definition digital filmmaking, this book is still very interesting, giving a ton of advice on shooting good digital video.

Why can't I directly link to fanfilm files anymore? How should I link people to them in the forums?

That's only a few of the most common questions. If you're still puzzled, read the more general Fan Films FAQ, or contact the staff.

There are some things worth knowing that will make your forum stay more pleasant:

TFN FanFilms Staff
Click username to view profile

• Jeff Yankey (Azeem)
  
  
• Kurt Luther (MaxVeers)
  
  
• John Hudgens (TheRealFennShysa)
  
  
• You can email the staff at theater@theforce.net for any fan film-related questions.

More fan films besides those hosted at TFN can be found here:

Fan Film FX
ForceFlicks
swfanfilms.com
Fan Film Xchange

If you know something you think should be added to this FAQ, please post in the appropriate thread or email the fan films staff. If you're unsure of something which isn't mentioned in the FAQ, Private Message a moderator and find out.