I hope everyone has had the opportunity to check out the Enhanced copy of The Empire Strikes Back. If not, you can download it here.
The question was tabled as to whether we could go back and re-master old episodes in this fashion. The answer is definitely yes, but I’m afraid I just can’t do it by myself. I simply don’t have the time to take on what would be the equivalent of a full time job, but I have a suggestion.
Ever wonder what it’s like doing my job? How would you the audience like to participate in Enhancing Down in Front?
“Great! How?”
Well, basically you would select whatever episode(s) you would want, and find the links and perhaps artwork to go along with it. Send them to me, I’ll assemble them and output the final file. If you have Garageband (5.1, part of iLife ‘09) you can go ahead and assemble everything yourself, but I retain editorial and encoding control. You’d send me the Garageband file, and whatever artwork that goes with it. I’ll check you’re work and make whatever changes I deem necessary. Feel free to contact me with questions; my email and chat id’s are in my profile.
We can work out the details if there’s enough interest, but for now you need:
1.) The ability to research online.
2.) At a minimum, output a list of links, with time codes to a text file.
3.) If images are to be included, either links to them, or include them as part of the archive file you will send me. Name them whatever works for you, but include that name in the text file appropriately time coded. Feel free to resize / crop them to 300px x 300px. This part is optional, but it would be a big help.
4.) The ability to archive everything into neat, tidy zip file.
5.) You have one week from the time you submit your choice to deliver the episode to me. After that it becomes available to the forum again.
So a line in the text file would read something like:
[Time code] [Description of link] [html link] [name.jpg or link to image]
I could even whip up an Excel spreadsheet if that would make it easier. Basically I just need at what time to drop in the link, and the picture if one is to be included.
I can accept text files, MS Word files (I’m on Office ’08, so docx files are fine), and MS Excel spreadsheets. If you have a question just contact me.
Have a look at old show notes to get an idea for the kinds of things I link to, and again, have a look at the Empire Enhanced episode to get a feel for how it works. Keep in mind that in order to be effective the link should be able to remain visible for several seconds, so if the topic is shifting quickly, choose your links carefully.
This should be a fun exercise, but please take it seriously. Don’t volunteer for more than one episode at a time, and please complete them in a timely manner. Again, I reserve editorial power, so don’t get all upset if what winds up online isn’t exactly what you submitted. I’ll try to keep you in the loop though; the idea is to make this easier for me, not harder.
As a perk, you will have a chapter just for yourself, as thanks, so link to your site, and choose a picture (tasteful please) if you want to. Otherwise you’ll get just a standard “This Enhancement brought to you by _______” chapter, and that’s it.
Again, anyone is eligible, but as I don’t have time for “try outs” make the most of your first choice. If I’m not getting what I need from you I’ll have to disregard your entries, so let’s not get to that point.
Just submit the episode you want to do in this thread. First come first serve, so if there’s one you want, grab it, but please be able to complete it within a week. I don’t want to impose hard deadlines unless I need to, so for now, let’s say if you post your request on Monday the 6th, have it turned in by Sunday the 12th, or it will become available again the 13th. Clear?
I’ll give everyone a few days to ask questions and decide on which episode they’d like to do before I open the forum for selection. You have until 12:00 noon, EST on Thursday August 9th to ask questions; at that time the bidding will open, bids placed before that time will not be counted.
Final archive files will be mailed to me at matt.vayda@gmail.com
So, questions? Who’s in?
