Hello all,
The below outlines my proposal for FEE3 2021 (and beyond). This is inclusive of all documentation needed to run the event, as well as establishing our core vision and purpose for this event. The goals of the following sections are to 1) create alignment within our community on the event purpose and goals, 2) enable participants, volunteers, and organizers, to more smoothly facilitate the event, and 3) operationalize all aspects of FEE3 to allow for easy organization for future leaders. The staff will continue to evolve and change, and it is important that this knowledge to run the event continues to be maintained so that FEE3 can live on.
Fire Emblem E3 Mission Statement:
To showcase ROM hacks, fan games, technical tools for hacking, animations, and other related materials to Fire Emblem fangame creation to an audience of like-minded creators with the goal of building awareness for and recognizing our work.
Roles & Responsibilities / Templates
Roles & Committees
These are the groups responsible for running the event. Each will need to apply using a form created from the resources below:
Organizer
- Responsible for running the event. Vetting committee members, projects, and other volunteers. Making decisions and judgment calls. Determines scheduling and prioritization of tasks. Organizers also serve as heads of specific committees.
Quality Control Committee
- Reviewing project submissions and videos for quality. Quality is inclusive of appropriateness of content (details outlined below) and video.
Visual Arts Committee
- Creation and maintenance of brand assets surrounding the visual identity of the event, including, but not limited to, templates for recording, thumbnails, banners, and other FEE3 promotional materials. Responsible for visual identity of FEE3.
Committee Application
Committee Application - This is a template and should be adjusted as needed.
The below fields should be used to create a form for applications. Please modify as needed.
Description: Thank you for applying to an FEE3 committee. Your support will help ensure a smooth and successful event. Please fill out all fields below for consideration.
- Username on FEU
- Username and # on Discord
- Committee(s) you are applying for (multi-select)
- Timezone
- FEE3 organization is largely handled on discord. Please confirm you are okay w/ being pinged or messaged about information related to the event. You will be added to a channel with other committee members on the FEU discord. (Yes checkbox)
Project Submission Form
Project Submission Form - template
Description: Thank you for participating in FEE3 20XX. Please complete all fields below so that we may review your work and ensure it is added to the schedule if guidelines are met. Please see the announcement thread with details on the current year’s guidance.
- Username on FEU
- Username and # on Discord
- Project Title
- Project description (Write a short description of your project to be used on the video description of the project. Staff may edit this as needed)
- Project type (ie format. This will help us with scheduling and tracking)
- Project Thread Link (if no thread, please submit an image album as proof of project’s existence)
- Video file link (Please compress video before submitting)
- Showtime preference (Please select at least 3. If not, select “No Preference”).
Video Resources
Content Rules - what is allowed at FEE3?
Content rules - what is allowed at FEE3?
- Project type
Eligible products include any Fire Emblem fan work, asset/animation showcase, and hack-related technical demo. Rebalances, weapon reversal, reverse recruitment, or other “minor” edit hack are subject to rejection from the committee for acceptance.
Ex. FE6 rebalance patch with +20 hit on axes → low effort, rejection
- Inappropriate content
The FEE3 planning committee reserves the right to reject any project that has inappropriate content in violation with site ToS. This includes extreme profanity, nudity, sexual themes, and gore. Projects with inappropriate content, regardless of whether this content appears in the video showcase, are subject to rejection based on the discretion of the organizer.
- Stolen work
Any work with stolen assets will be removed and will not be allowed in the show until this is remedied. The planning committee reserves the right to blocklist your entry from the show if it had stolen assets in it at any point.
Recorded content guidelines
-
We recommend a video length of less than 1 hour, with the ideal showcase being less than 30 minutes. We notice higher levels of views and engagement on videos that are shorter. If your video goes about the 1 hour time limit, the committee will ask you to re-record. This upper limit is subject to change at organizer discretion and will be stated in the annual thread.
-
English is preferred language, but showcases may be conducted in any language the creator is most comfortable with.
-
Inappropriate language in showcases should be kept to a minimum if used at all. Appropriateness of showcase language will be determined by the organizer and quality control committee. They reserve the right to reject a recording on grounds of inappropriate language.
How do I record my own showcase?
- Please review HeartHero’s guide here for details on recording equipment to determine if you are able to make a high quality recording. If you doubt your technical capabilities or interest in recording your own showcase, don’t hesitate to ask for help! There are help channels on the discord and the thread is there to communicate with others who may be willing to work with you on a recording.
Remember, the recording is your responsibility as a project creator.
Branded Assets
Branded Assets
-
All FEE3 events will have branded assets created and used for future events. This includes, but is not limited to, youtube video templates, youtube thumbnails, and logos.
-
A link containing branded assets will be made available ahead of showtime to allow project creators and LPers to self-serve.
Organizer & Committee materials
Commitee guidelines
Committee guidelines and R&R - this section will detail specifics of your role as a committee member.
Quality Control Guidelines
- Review projects for objectionable and inappropriate content
- Review content for violations of length requirements
- Review content for audio/visual quality - is the quality good enough for us to show the project? Is the audio/visual quality so poor as to detract from the experience and be unviewable?
Visual arts Guidelines
- Support creation of thumbnails and thumbnail templates for projects
Operational resources & tips
Operational resources & tips
-
If you are reading this and organizing FEE3, it is recommended that you provide a 5 month window from show announcement to launch. For example, if you are planning to start the showcases during the first week of October, FEE3 should be announced in May, with sign-ups accepted until July, allowing for 2+ months of recording, review, and outreach.
-
Projects should be released every 6 hours, starting at 12 AM EST on the intended launch date. A welcome video should be released 3 hours prior to the first showcase. We have discussed dropping multiple videos during “prime time EST”. This decision will be up to organizer discretion based on feedback on viewership data.
-
If you are organizing FEE3 would like to use the FEU Youtube account, contact a member of the staff.
-
Operations should be handled either on the FEU discord or existing FEE3 discord created for 2020. Organizers should have clear roles and responsibilities. In order to ensure smooth operations, we recommend the following sample timeline:
Sample Timeline
Sample Timeline (dates listed are sample and should be taken as "by this date, you will…)
Post-FEE3: Align on changes and structure based on learning from previous year’s FEE3. Staff to determine organizers and hosting, as well as create application and submission forms to link to the thread.
Before 1-May: Create the project submission form and showcase submission forms using the templates above. Google Forms is recommended. Create a spreadsheet to have easier visualization of the projects, which will also allow for additional organization.
1-May: Head organizer or staff member announces FEE3. Create thread with the guidelines, in addition to forms for participation. This should include the intended deadline for committee application (ie 1-Jun), project submission (1-Sep), and intended show date (ie 1-Oct).
1-May to 1-Jun: Open FEU discord channels for FEE3 organization and collaboration. Set up infrastructure to manage project, namely spreadsheets. If using Google Forms, you can add columns to the “response sheet” to track quality control reviews.
1-Sep: Creator showcase deadline. Creator showcases must be submitted by this date. This deadline may be extended case by case should a showcase be rejected by organizers or quality control committee.
15-Sep: Quality control review deadline. All videos should be reviewed by this date. Organizers can reject fixes to videos past this date.
15-Sep: Schedule announcement. Schedule should be released and adjusted in the first post of the thread. Ideally, moderators are able to connect with other FE communities to host threads/announcements for the event.
30-Sep: Videos should be uploaded to the FEU (or other host) Youtube with scheduled release times.
1-Oct: Show is live.
30-Oct: Review and post-mortem. Organizer should create thread reviewing the event and proposing changes for next year. Ideas and discussion to be considered in preparation for next year’s shows and improvements.
This thread is meant to be a living, breathing document and collection of best practices. Moderators and Organizers are encouraged to update as time progresses and FEE3 evolves. As of this writing, it is not complete and will continue to be updated. Thank you.
3-May: Updated w/ latest guidance. Removed outdated items for defunct committee roles.