spn_cinema | Round 10: Frequently Asked Questions

Everything you wanted to know - and possibly some things you didn't - about

spn_cinema Round 10.

Note: even if you've participated last round, please read this over to refresh your memory and to also learn about a few changes to the claiming system and participation in general.

What is this challenge?

spn_cinema is an SPN/RPF fanwork challenge, where films serve as the basis of fic, art, and audio-based fanworks. To find out about important dates, check the community’s profile page

What fanworks are allowed?
Fanworks include newly created fics, art, and audio. Your fanwork(s) can be a brand new idea or a work in progress you pick up for this challenge so long as they have not been posted elsewhere - you will be posting your piece(s) for the first time on your scheduled posting date. For the purposes of this challenge, art refers to all illustrated files, manips, graphics, videos, etc., and audio refers to both podfic and fanmixes. In general, the term fanworks is used to cover the spectrum of all mediums allowed in this challenge.

Who can participate
Any author, artist, podficcer, or fanmixer can sign up.

I don't have a livejournal account. Can I still participate?
We got you! Claims will be open for anonymous comments; at that point, let us know if you need help posting to the comm on your posting date and we will help you out. If you are working in collaboration with someone and your partner(s) have a livejournal, it is preferred they post for your collective pieces, but we can still help you if not. In short, so long as you have a platform to post and will be responsive via email with the mods, you are welcome to join us!

I signed up last round, but didn't complete my fanwork. Am I banned from this round?
Nope! Feel free to sign up with the same film or something entirely new if you wish.

How do I sign up?
A claiming post where you select the film you'd like to recreate will go up on Saturday July 27, 2019 @ 10am CST.

Can I collaborate with another person(s)?
Sure thing! Just let us know on the claim post who you are collaborating with. Only one of you will need to claim your desired film!

How do collaborations work?
Unlike other major fanwork(s) challenges, we do not have an artists claims, where an artist claims a story to write on. This is completely open for all participants to work independently on the fanwork and movie of their choice, but you are welcome to make pre-arranged collaborations. For instance, you're an artist who really wants to draw Sam and Dean battling Pet Cemetery and you have a friend who would love to write it, then you will claim the film in a collaboration on claims day. We have also witnessed the spontaneous collaboration between participants who did not previously know each other but saw they had claimed the same movie for different media and decided to work together. You are welcome to alert the mods of new collaborations after claims - but it must be reported to us before the schedule goes up on Mon August 5. Please note that if any combination of author/artist/podficcer/fanmixer claim the same film for different media and do not wish to collaborate with each other, that's fine, too! Please respect one another when asking/being asked about such a collaboration no matter the response.

After claims, I found out my friend and I each picked the same film - me for fic and them for art. Can we still collaborate together?
Absolutely. Just let the mods know prior to the schedule going up on Monday Aug 5 that you would like to post together and we will make that work for you both.

How long must my fanwork be?
There are no max limits on any piece of fanwork(s). The following details the minimum requirements for this challenge:
Fic: minimum word count is 1,000 words.
Art: minimum one fanwork with a size of at least 400 x 400px or a length of one minute (for vids).
Podfic: record a fic with a word count minimum of 1,000 words.
Fanmix:, minimum of 10 songs. Your mix must also include cover art with a size of at least 400 x 400px.

What pairings/characters are allowed?
Any pairing is allowed when at least one of your main character(s) and/or main pairing(s) come from Supernatural canon or are actors who have appeared in at least one episode of Supernatural. For example: Sam/OFC is great, Sam/OMC is great, OFC/OMC is not allowed; Jared/Jason Momoa is great, Jason Momoa/Stephen Amell is not allowed.

NOTE: Children of the cast are not allowed in any fanwork - no use of likeness in art, names in fics, etc.

Is gen fic allowed?
Absolutely! Our only rules are similar to the pairings … gen fic must be focused on a canon SPN character or actor who has appeared on SPN. For instance, a gen fanwork focusing on the Novaks, Bella. or Hendrickson is great, but a fic focusing on a babysitter Dean may have had when he was three and never appeared in an episode is not.

Are crossovers allowed?
Yes! Go wild with your fusions so long as a canon character or SPN actor is one of the main characters.

What film can be claimed?
Any film that's been released (in theaters, straight-to-video, or made-for-tv) and is listed on IMDB.com is up for grabs, as are any upcoming releases with enough of a plot summary/preview to help base your fanwork on. No genre is off-limits!

Can the same film be claimed twice?
Each film can only be claimed once per medium (story, art, and audio) per round. For example: Person A claims The Lion King for art and Person B claims the same film for fic. If more than one person claims The Lion King for fic, we will honor the first claim/comment placed and ask the second person to choose another film. In addition, only one claim per medium is allowed for a single film and their remake(s).

What about films that are remakes or part of a franchise/bigger cinematic universe? Am I confined to that one film?
For the most part, yes. You can incorporate aspects from related films if they have not been claimed in this round, but the bulk of inspiration should come from your claimed film. For ease in claiming and the overlap of multiple characters, plots, etc., each film stands alone for its corresponding fanwork, no matter its relation to other films.

Example 1: Disturbia is a remake of Rear Window, but has different plot elements and characters. Each film can be claimed and the corresponding fanworks must follow that singular film.
Example 2: If you claim Star Wars: A New Hope, you should stick to the overall plot details in that one film. If you are motivated to include Jabba the Hutt and Jared in a golden bikini (because … who isn’t?), this is only allowed if no one else has claimed Return of the Jedi.
Example 3: Ant-Man is a standalone movie, yet he has appeared in other Marvel films. When you claim Ant-Man, you are to keep your fanworks confined to the elements in that single film.

What if the film was claimed in previous rounds with published fanworks?
We are of the opinion that there are never too many fanworks based on any one subject … so feel free to create your own piece on any movie done before, as long as it is not already claimed in Round 10.

How many films can I claim?
The quick answer is 2; the long answer is … We want everybody to get a chance at claiming the film they'd like to do first, so you are limited to one film in Claims Post 1 (Sat July 27 @ 10am CST). However, 24 hours after Claims Post 1 end, that post will close and Claims Post 2 (Sun July 28 @ 10am CST) will open to allow participants to claim a second film … this also serves as a second chance for anyone who has missed Claims Post 1 to come pick up a film. Any films claimed in the Claims Post 1 cannot be claimed in the Post 2 (unless claimed under an unclaimed medium).

Can somebody claim a film for me?
Yes! Just be sure that they put your name and contact information (and not their own) and to specify it is a proxy claim. If that same proxy is also claiming their own film, each claim must be in a separate comment.

How similar does my fic have to be to my claimed film?
This is up to you. If you want to generally retell the plot with the new characters and new dialogue, that's great! If you want to take individual pieces of the film and weave them together with your own original scenes to make a story, that's great as well. You can even take one scene from the film and let that inspire your entire story. A word-for-word retelling of the film is not allowed.

I've posted a Work in Progress (or WIP) a few weeks ago that's based on a film. Can I claim that same film and use it for this challenge?
No. Any fanwork that has already been previously posted, even as a WIP, is not allowed in the challenge. However, if your story has not been posted anywhere, feel free to finish it and submit it, providing you claim the proper film.

I want to do art! What are my options?
You have three options here:
1) work on your own and create art for the film of your choice.
2) pair up with another participant and create art that accompanies their fic, podfic, or fanmix for this challenge. In this partnership, you should claim the film together as a collaboration.
3) create art for an existing/previously posted piece of fic, podfic, fanmix that covers a film. Note: you must obtain permission from the original creator (if not you) prior to claims to work on their fanwork.

I want to do audio! What are my options?
Podficcers have two options for participating:
1) record a previously posted fic based on your claim. If the fic was not written by you, you must receive permission from the author to record their fic prior to claims
2) collaborate with an author and record the fic they're writing for this challenge.

I want to do a fanmix! How does this work?
For fanmixers, your options are a little wider:
1) create a fanmix for a previously written and posted fanart based on your claim, provided you receive the author's permission to do so.
2) collaborate with an author and create a fanmix based on the fanwork they're creating for this challenge.
3) work alone and create a fanmix based on your own ideas of your source material. For example: your partner is writing a fic that imagines if the movie was actually called "When Jared Met Jensen," [instead of Harry and Sally] and you create the accompanying soundtrack and cover art.

Are drafts required?
Yes. Drafts are due by Monday September 16 12:01 am in your time zone. Drafts do not have to be complete, but must show substantial progress to show that you are more likely than not to complete the challenge. (And honestly, we are pretty loose with our standards on drafts, we just want to see progress and an intention to stay committed to completing the challenge and posting in November)

How do I submit my draft?
Drafts are due to the cinema mod email account by Monday September 16 12:01 am in your time zone. More information regarding drafts and submissions will be posted to the community closer to this date. Please believe us when we say drafts are not to be a stressful event and only serve as a check-in point. Do not hesitate to share even the most basic draft to stay in the competition.

How do I post my fanwork?
Each participant will be responsible for posting their own piece on their preferred platform (livejournal, dreamwidth, tumblr, personal website, etc.) and then post links to the community to connect the audience to their work(s) on their scheduled posting day. If you are working in collaboration with other participant(s), only one needs to post to the community with links to each participant’s personal posts. If you do not have an LJ and would like to participate, the mods will work with you to get your posting date completed. More information regarding posting will be added to the community closer to the November.

When is posting?
The cinema mods will create a posting schedule within a week of drafts being submitted (by Monday August 5, 2019). Posting will begin on Monday November 4, 2019.

If you've still got a question that hasn't been answered, ask here and we'll help you out!