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Welcome to the Festivale Contributor's Area

The site is currently under site-wide revision.

Somewhere along the line I have lost (overwritten?) a heap of film reviews from Festivale Online Magazine. I'm making a list, and checking it twice, but if you have a film you love, or hate, encourage people to watch or avoid, or you just want to point out something that no-one else seems to have gotten (is that a word?), please, we would love to post PG-13-ish reviews.
Film Reviews Index"

If your submission is up, but not showing in the site search: To reindex the site, use the same password as you used to access this section.

click here to reindex


Guidelines
Pictorial Guide
The purpose of this revision is to brush off the cobwebs by testing all existing links, fact-checking the current pages and improving the existing content with appropriate additional entries.

The current target for Festivale is to launch the Autumn issue (1-March-2009) with a press mailout confident that the existing pages are as accurate and functional as possible.

Resources needed
Contributors to the guidebook, especially those with digital cameras who can create 'walks' and photostories.

Contributors to the Series Series supplement, to write articles/essays on serialised books and movies.

Contributors to the Bibliography/bookpages, to provide overviews, summaries and suggested reading orders.

Commentators interested in writing op-ed and features for the Bookroom and Reel Life.

Correspondents who are in a position to help get appropriate answers the The Usual Questions.

Nit-pickers who are willing to check uploaded pages for errors.

Geeks who are interested in helping to code the site.

A graphic artist to develop the look of Festivale, maintaining the primary goals of easy of use and fast response times.

Contributing editors interested in specific sections.


New
Festivale is a non-paying publication, providing experience and exposure to interested people. For artists and photographers who contribute to the site, we are encouraging them by promoting the sale of prints through artist : rising, a division of art.com.

Photographs from the Festivale site have been used for illustrations in books and magazines, one book cover, and have resulted in commissions for further work.

For more about image requirements for Festivale, see the Festivale Style Book.

Present and Past Contributors

Now is the time to update your contributor's profile page. Yes, they currently look old and sad, but they are on the list to be updated.

Contributors can also submit answers to The Usual Questions. The database form is currently in development however the answers and updated photographs and signature files, as well as your website logo, can be emailed to the editor.

Bookroom
Books awaiting review are handled by e-mail notification. Contact ali @ festivale if you are interested.
Reviews by contributors from their own collections would be much appreciated.
Commentary and interviews are always welcome. Answers to The Usual Questions are always welcome from published authors and illustrators. Essays for the series series are always welcome.

Reel Life Films @ Festivale
We try to have two reviewers for each movie. Films awaiting review are handled by e-mail notification. Contact ali @ festivale if you are interested.
Reviews by contributors from their own viewings would be much appreciated.
Reviews are also welcome for movies that have been released in the past but not reviewed.
We are also interested in annotations of existing reviews covering the DVD releases. Commentary and interviews are always welcome.

Tech Bytes
There are no outstanding software titles awaiting review.

Pictorial Guide
There are no outstanding guidebook visits organised and unassigned. Entries, photoessays, maps and images are always welcome.


There are the following tasks outstanding:
Bug checking for internal errors
Link checking for corrected external links
Data validation and updating of images for guidebook

  • Continuing requirement for new and improved maps and database entries
  • A wide range of venues, attractions, parks, etc to be visiting and documented
  • Numerous appropriate people to ask the usual questions of
  • Numerous "series" of books and films to be written up
  • Lots of people who would make good interview subjects

  • Guidelines: Pictorial Guide to Melbourne and Victoria

    GUIDEBOOK ENTRIES AND PHOTOSTORIES AND MAPS

    Taking a Walk or Ride (photostory)</P>

    e.g., http://www.festivale.info/melbourne/dbwesterntrail.htm

    This link is an example of one or more people (furry or otherwise) following a tourist-type trail, or
    making one of their own.
    It is told in first person as if to a friend or tourist, the intent is to give someone the flavour of the experience. In essence,
    to give them an idea as to whether or not they would like to do it too.

    Include information on travel, how to get there/leave. Public transport is especially important as we make an
    effort to include instructions for people who rely on it.

    Take photos of anything of special interest (unusual, historic, etc). I take photos of all the signs as I go along
    using the camera as a note-taking device. This is where digital cameras are great.

    Any facts that are included will need to be fact-checked, for which we usually use brochures and the PR contacts
    for various venues. The fact-checking doesn't have to go in the article, just to the editor. We're being cited as
    a credible reference so we need to be accurate, and to fix any errors/changes when they are identified.

    (This is what I'm doing right now, checking 1300 pages!)

    When the bug buttons are working again, everyone is encouraged to point out spelling and outrageous grammar,
    layout, anything that makes us look dopey.

    Guidebook entries

    1. A single page that describes the venue/site.
            includes one or two photos, the logo
            contact details, including website
            opening hours
            address and public transport information
      Most of this information is on the brochures/web sites

    e.g, http://www.festivale.info/melbourne/historic/dbrippon.htm

    2. One or more pages describing the sites of interest on a walk.
            includes each venue/site
            a thumbnail image
            contact/opening hours/address where available.

    http://www.festivale.info/melbourne/historic/dbabwalk.htm

    VISITS

    Visits follow the same friendly style. We usually contact the venue first and organise permission to enter
    and take photos for the site. So far, we have had free entry organised as a result.

    Best-practice photos.

    Take establishing shots. That is, the outside, and the entry sign(s). A photo of the path leading to Rippon Lea
    ended up in a national magazine, so we know people like them.

    Photograph what is interesting, attractive, fun. Photograph activities, like frolicking furry friends, swimmers.
    Remember to ask permission if photographing people. They usually oblige and are glad to know the URL.
    Be careful photographing children, we never use last names or put contact details unless the person has
    a good idea of what it involves (viagra, mail-order brides, sex site offers).

    If you look at a map of the site (where available), you'll see the important items of interest.
    If you have the opportunity, get a map of the site and use that to help plan photos.

    There are photographs that are part of the photostory, illustrating your tale.

    Photographs can also be accessed from our click-able maps, so even if you don't think a gate
    is exciting, it might be something people would like to click to see from a map.

    Images are kept down in size to keep the speed of the pages to a reasonable level. Images that you would like to sell as prints need to be larger, but large 2MB+ images shouldn't be sent, just smaller version.

    Some images are being used for free wallpapers or calendars. We will contact you if we would like permission to use an image in this way.

    Watermarks

    If you want to put your copyright notice and/or captions on the image, remember that web images will probably be
    resized by the coder/editor.

    Look at the images on a couple of pages. Thumbnails are 220 pix across. Illustrations are often 240x330 or so;
    or 300x230. That is, they are not large, and they are compressed. If you are unsure, you send the images
    with the captions and send a sample of how you would like the watermark/credit.

    for example: http://www.alikayn.com/

    Selling Photos.

    If you take photos you think people would like to buy as prints (8x10, 18x24 etc),

    See how the images are documented on http://www.alikayn.com/.

    Images need to be of sufficient size, clarity and resolution to be accepted for sale by artist aster_L2.orh rising and they
    are a bit painful to deal with, however if you want to make images available for sale in a gallery there and upload
    high-quality images to their site, we can make the appropriate links.

    More money has been made from selling photographs that appeared on the site than from selling books and dvds.
    Most money has been made from commissions for articles or photographs by organisations who have seen Festivale
    and contacted the editor.

    MAPS

    The maps on the site have all been prepared by Ali Kayn. They are gifs and use a specific Festivale palette to
    keep them small and make them look alike. They are usually based on brochure maps or similar.

    Maps in Festivale are usually clickable.
    For example, Map of Victoria, click on Melbourne, Melbourne click on St Kilda Foreshore, then click on Rippon Lea.

    In theory, all maps drill down to a specific place, either a map or a guidebook entry.

    Once down to a site level, clicking on the places of interest can display a photograph.

    http://www.festivale.info/maps/mrippon.htm

    Map pages are also link pages.

    Map pages have the following sections:

    Heading
    If relevant, contact and address details (same as guidebook)
    Places of Interest
    Related links

    last updated:  8-Jan-2009
    last compiled: 01-Nov-2022
    Editor:  Ali Kayn
    www.festivale.info