Submission Guidelines and Technical Specifications

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Welcome to the submissions guide for the 2016 National Student Television Awards (NaSTAs). I hope to make this year’s conference one to remember, creating a weekend that celebrates all of your hard work throughout the year! This guide contains everything you need to know about how to enter your content into the NaSTA awards. But if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to get in touch with me or my team (see the ‘Get in Touch’ page for our details). Finally, I want to wish you the best of luck. I’m looking forward to seeing all your entries and I can’t wait to see you in Leeds for the conference. See you soon! Jess Todd Host Officer of NaSTA 2016.

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Contents: Introduction 1 Contents 2 Category Changes from 2015 3 Award Categories and Deadlines 4 Everything you need to know about the 23 award categories. Deadlines, durations, additional material - it’s all here. Technical Specifications and Title Cards 15 The technical specifications explain what you need to do to ensure your entries meet the correct technical standards. Upload and Submission Guidelines 18 The upload and submission guidelines explain how to upload and submit your entries. Get In Touch 19 Entry Terms and Conditions 20 Good Luck 22

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Changes from the 2015 NaSTA awards: There are no changes from the 2015 NaSTA Awards. So don’t worry there’s no need to get your head around any new rules!    

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Category What’s Expected? Submitted

By… Animation Video of maximum 10 minutes 26.02.2016 Best Broadcaster Video of maximum 10 minutes

plus maximum 500 words 26.02.2016

Cinematography Video of maximum 10 minutes 24.02.2016 Comedy Video of maximum 10 minutes 25.02.2016 Documentary Video of maximum 10 minutes 23.02.2016 Drama Video of maximum 10 minutes 24.02.2016 Factual Video of maximum 10 minutes 23.02.2016 Freshers’ coverage

Video of maximum 10 minutes Plus maximum 200 words

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Ident 30 second video 23.02.2016 Light Entertainment

Video of maximum 10 minutes 22.02.2016

Live Video of maximum 10 minutes 26.02.2016 Music Video of maximum 10 minutes 22.02.2016 News/ Current Affairs

Video of maximum 10 minutes 23.02.2016

On-Screen Female Video of maximum 5 minutes 25.02.2016 On-Screen Male Video of maximum 5 minutes 25.02.2016 Open Video of maximum 10 minutes 26.02.2016 Sport Video of maximum 10 minutes 24.02.2016 Station Marketing Video of maximum 5 minutes

Plus maximum 500 words 25.02.2016

Technical Maximum 500 words Plus optional diagrams/ photos

23.02.2016

The Tim Marshall Award for Special Recognition

Maximum 750 words Plus Skype interview for selected

stations

22.02.2016

Title Sequence 90 second video 22.02.2016 Video to Music Video of maximum 5 minutes 24.02.2016 Writing Video of maximum 5 minutes

plus maximum 30 pages 25.02.2016

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Submission Deadlines … to be clear

Monday 22nd Feb – 5pm

Freshers’ Coverage Light Entertainment

Title Sequence The Tim Marshall Award for

Special Recognition Music

 

Tuesday 23rd Feb – 5pm

Factual

Documentary Ident

News/ Current Affairs Technical

 

Friday 26th Feb – 5pm

Best Broadcaster

Animation Live

Open  

Wednesday 24th Feb – 5pm

Drama Sport

Cinematography Video to Music

 

Thursday 25th Feb – 5pm

Comedy

On-Screen Female On-Screen Male Station Marketing

Writing  

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Animation Great TV doesn’t have to be filmed. This award celebrates animation of any kind. - A single animation programme lasting a maximum of 10 minutes. - It can be a shortened edit from an animation programme or series. - Or, an original piece of animation of any type produced by and for your station. All submissions for this category should be submitted by the 26th February at 5pm Best Broadcaster This is your chance to show how great your station is and how much fun you’ve had over the last year. - A showreel (maximum of ten minutes) highlighting the range, quality, and skills of the station and it’s programming. - A written document (maximum 500 words) explaining details of how the station operates and contributions made that may not necessarily appear on screen. This must be submitted as a PDF file. All submissions for this category should be submitted by the 26th February at 5pm

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Cinematography The award for cinematography is an opportunity for filmmakers to show their most impressive work. The winning entry will demonstrate a good use of lighting, composition, camerawork, and other techniques of the craft.

- A 5 minute video (maximum) emphasising the cinematic elements of production. This could be one whole piece, or a selection of a station’s most cinematic highlights.

All submissions for this category should be submitted by the 24th February at 5pm Comedy Everybody loves to laugh. Comedy can be some of the most beloved programming we make. This award celebrates the best of it.

- A 10 minute video (maximum) of your best comedy programme or sketch - or a shortened edit from an episode or series.

All submissions for this category should be submitted by the 25th February at 5pm. Documentary Great documentaries can do something truly rare: they can be engaging and entertaining, all whilst informing the audience about something new - maybe even something they didn’t know they were interested in.

- A self-contained 10 minute (maximum) video of a programme (or shortened edit) with the aim of informing the viewer about a subject.

All submissions for this category should be submitted by the 23rd February at 5pm.

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Drama A drama can be many things: thrilling, scary, topical, funny, and more. But the key to a great drama is a well told story.

- A maximum10 minute video of an original, scripted, dramatic production. It can be a self-contained programme, an episode, or a shortened edit of a longer episode or series.

All submissions for this category should be submitted by the 24th February at 5pm. Factual Factual television doesn’t have to mean documentary. Whether it’s about student life, science, or local history, anything belongs here - just as long as it’s informative!

- A 10 minute video (maximum) featuring factual material in any format. It can be a self-contained programme, an episode, or a shortened edit of a longer episode or series.

All submissions for this category should be submitted by the 23rd February at 5pm. Freshers’ Coverage We all know it’s the real most wonderful time of the year after all. This award recognizes the quality and diversity of a station’s coverage of their campus’ Freshers’ week activities.

- A 10 minute (maximum) video that’s a compilation of this year’s Freshers’ coverage in a showreel type format.

- A written document (200 words maximum) outlining your approach and innovation in coverage relevant to your fresher audience. This must be sent as a PDF file.

All submissions for this category should be submitted by the 22nd February at 5pm.

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Ident Who are you and what is your station?

- A 30 second video representing or establishing your station’s identity. This entry must be a complete video, not a cut down clip or highlights reel.

All submissions for this category should be submitted by the 23rd February at 5pm. Light Entertainment This category celebrates the light entertainment programming that makes us smile and laugh and doesn’t take itself too seriously.

- A 10 minute video (maximum) featuring a single feature, programme, or shortened edit from an episode or series intended as light entertainment.

All submissions for this category should be submitted by the 22nd February at 5pm. Live Anything can happen, and sometimes it does! Live broadcasts can be difficult, but they can also be the most engaging and rewarding television there is.

- A 10 minute video (maximum) featuring a programme (or shortened edit from a programme or series) that has been broadcast live from your station. It must not have had any audio or video processing applied after transmission - with the exception of on-screen graphics to explain show details.

All submissions for this category should be submitted by the 26th February at 5pm.

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Music Every year, student television stations around the country meet and film some of the best new as well as established musicians. This award celebrates the interviews, the gigs, the exclusive live sessions, and any other music-related programming.

- A 10 minute video (maximum) featuring a programme or feature (or shortened edit from a programme or series) with a focus on music performance, and/or airs views on music. Please note this is not a video edited to music.

All submissions for this category should be submitted by the 22nd February at 5pm. News and Current Affairs Television news is powerful; more people get their news from television than from any other medium. This category celebrates the best of student television journalism.

- A 10 minute video (maximum) featuring a programme (or shortened edit from an episode or series) reporting on and/or commenting on news or current affairs.

All submissions for this category should be submitted by the 23rd February at 5pm.

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On-Screen Female It takes both skill and charisma to do a good job on screen. This award is all about your most outstanding female talent.

- A 5 minute video (maximum) showreel highlighting the skills, styles, and techniques of a particular female presenter or actor.

All submissions for this category should be submitted by the 25th February at 5pm. On-Screen Male It takes both skill and charisma to do a good job on screen. This award is all about your most outstanding male talent.

- A 5 minute video (maximum) showreel highlighting the skills, styles, and techniques of a particular male presenter or actor.

All submissions for this category should be submitted by the 25th February at 5pm. Open Some television doesn’t fit quite so easily into a category. That’s why absolutely anything goes in this one.

- A 10 minute video (maximum). It can be a feature or a programme (or shortened edit from an episode or series) of any type.

All submissions for this category should be submitted by the 26th February at 5pm.

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Sport Sport programming is one of the most popular genres of television. Whether it’s football, volleyball, rugby, or athletics - sport is great to watch – and student sport is no different! This award celebrates the best sports-related content.

- A 10 minute video (maxiumum). This can be coverage of a sporting event, or a programme (or a shortened edit from an episode or series) that features live or recorded sport, and/or comments on sport and sports facilities.

All submissions for this category should be submitted by the 24th February at 5pm. Station Marketing This submission should demonstrate the achievements of your station’s marketing across your campus and online, incorporating special events, advertising and on-air branding.

- A 5 minute video (maximum) showing your achievements and highlights of your successful marketing campaigns this year.

- A written document (maximum 500 words) detailing marketing strategies, tools, and techniques used by your station. This must be submitted as a PDF document.

All submissions for this category should be submitted by the 25th February at 5pm.

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Technical Student television doesn’t just happen by magic, so what technical achievements have you made this year?

- A written report (maximum 500 words) which gives an account of any technical achievement(s) and/or developments to support your station’s output. You may include diagrams or photographs if desired, but these are optional. This document must be submitted as a PDF document.

All submissions for this category should be submitted by the 23rd February at 5pm. The Tim Marshall Award for Special Recognition This award goes to a station worthy of special recognition for outstanding achievement, especially with respect to the station’s commitment to overcoming challenging circumstances and achievement through innovation in the past year.

- A written document (750 words maximum), outlining how your station overcame challenging circumstances and had outstanding achievement through innovation.

- A Skype interview for selected stations. All submissions for this category should be submitted by the 22nd February at 5pm.

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Title Sequence The best title sequences perfectly capture the essence of a programme whilst also looking visually impressive. We want to see your favourite.

- A 90 second video (maximum) showing the introductory sequence

to one of your stations’ programmes. The very beginning of an exemplar programme may be included. This entry must be a complete video and not a cut down video or edited highlights reel.

All submissions for this category should be submitted by the 22nd February at 5pm. Video to Music This award celebrates the most creative and well-made video edited to music. It could be a music video, a performance, or something entirely different - it’s up to you!

- A 5 minute video (maximum). A single, original and complete piece

of video footage edited to music. All submissions for this category should be submitted by 24th February at 5pm. Writing This category is all about your best script. Documentary scripts, live scripts, news pieces, or dramas… it can be for anything.

- A 30 page (maximum) script, in any genre or format and for any kind of show. Writing may be from a single programme or shortened from an episode or series.

- A 5 minute video (maximum). This is for reference, rather than being judged for it’s own qualities. It should demonstrate how the submitted script has been visualised on screen.

All submissions for this category should be submitted by the 25th February at 5pm.  

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Technical Specifications Okay, this is important: All NaSTA awards entries requiring a video submission must conform to one of three NaSTA approved technical standards. You may choose which standard to use for each and every entry and you can choose a different standard for each entry if required. All video entries must be 16:9 (widescreen) format, regardless of the original source’s aspect ratio. Source material must be converted using the following information; If your source footage in a old aspect ratio (4:3, 14:9) please use the N-SD export standard otherwise if your edit / render is in a different aspect for stylistic reasons (4:3, 14:9, 2.35:1) then please use either N-FHD or N-HD and export to 16:9 with appropriate boxing. This may be either Letter box or Pillar box. Any entry which does not conform to one of these standards may face sanctions or be disqualified as a result of failing to comply with entry requirements.

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Video Specification N-FHD N-HD2 N-SD

Resolution 1920 x 1080 1280 x 720 1024 x 576 Frame-rate 25 FPS 25 FPS 25 FPS Field Order Progressive Progressive Progressive Aspect Square Pixels (1.0) Square Pixels (1.0) Square Pixel (1.0)

TV Standard PAL PAL PAL Codec H.264 MP4

Container H.264 MP4 Container

H.264 MP4 Container

Encoder Profile High High High Encoder Level 4.1 4.1 4.1 Bitrate Encoding Keyframe Interval

VBR, 2 Pass 25

VBR, 2 Pass 25

VBR, 2 Pass 25

Target Bitrate * 10 Mbps 5 Mbps 3 Mbps Max Bitrate * 20 Mbps 10 Mbps 10 Mbps Audio Specification N-FHD N-HD N-SD

Audio Codec AAC-LC AAC-LC AAC-LC Sample Rate 48 kHz or 44.1 kHz 48 kHz or 44.1 kHz 48 kHz or 44.1

kHz

Channels Stereo Stereo Stereo Audio Bitrate (Target) 192 kbps 192 kbps 192 kbps

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* A host station may wish to use alternative target and / or maximum settings depending on playout systems, storage allocations, etc. However the host station must seek approval from the NaSTA Technical Officer before any temporary exceptions to these standards are granted.

Note for N-SD users: The PAL standard has been through many versions in the UK. Due to the fact all NaSTA submitted content will be viewed and played out via computer systems we have opted for a square pixel aspect over the PAL D1/DV Widescreen aspect of 1.4587. You should check that your output looks correct when exported to the N-SD format of 1024x576.  

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Written Entries: All written entries should be submitted as a PDF file.

Title Cards: All entries must have a title card at the beginning, which must be shown for exactly 10 seconds. Please note, title cards do not affect category time limits - the 10 seconds aren’t counted. A basic title card can be downloaded as a template from the website in both PSD and Fireworks png files. It can be edited using most photo editing software. You can create your own. Just ensure that it meets the specifications laid out below:

 

Line 1: Station Name (& Station Logo if you wish) Line 2: Awards Category Line 3: Entry Name Line 4: Duration in mm:ss (minutes & seconds, please use the duration including title card) Line 5: NaSTA Awards 2016  

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Upload and Submission Guidelines: Submissions will take place via the website – awards.nasta.tv. Further information on using the website for the submission process will be emailed to stations closer to submissions opening at 5pm on 15th February 2016. All entries must be submitted online before 5pm on the deadline day, however you can upload submissions for any category as soon as submissions have opened. Stations are advised to upload entries as soon as possible to avoid any upload issues during peak times. In the event of any issues with submissions please immediately email submissions@nasta.tv and a member of the team will get back to you within 24 hours. In your email, please make sure to screenshot or take photos of these issues to provide proof, and provide any further information that may be needed. A member of the NaSTA team will be in touch as soon as possible after this, so please make sure to include any necessary contact details. Submissions which have not completed uploading by 5pm on the relevant deadline day will not be counted except in the event of a proven technical issue, and with approval by the host team and NaSTA executive. Please note that the submission form will allow late submissions, but these will be time stamped and will not be sent forward for judging unless you have previously been in contact with the team, and approval has been received. In the unlikely event of any technical problems with the uploading process, all affected station managers will receive an email from tech@leedsstudent.tv with emergency guidance. Please continue to check your emails throughout the submissions process in case of any updates from the team. After the submissions process, all entries will undergo the rule breaks procedure. This will involve every entry being viewed by the team. If a rule break is suspected, the affected station will be notified by the host team. Stations have five working days to appeal this via the NaSTA executive.

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Get in Touch: If you have any questions left unanswered by this booklet or you just want to get in touch about something, feel free to contact the team behind NaSTA 2016 through the following email addresses: For enquiries regarding the award categories and submissions: awards@nasta.tv For enquiries regarding technical specifications or the upload process: tech@leedsstudenttv.co.uk For anything else: host@nasta.tv  

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Entry Terms and Conditions: The following rules shall govern the NaSTA Awards: 1. Stations affiliated to NaSTA may enter each category only once. Stations may choose not to enter any categories of their choosing. 2. Stations may repeat clips, but each entry must contain 90% unique footage that cannot then be repeated in any other category. However, this excludes

a. A Title Sequence entry, which may be taken from a programme that is then submitted for another category. b. A Best Writing entry, which may be taken from a programme that is then submitted for another category. c. Entries for Best On-Screen Male or Female, Best Broadcaster, Best Cinematography, Station Marketing, Live and Special Recognition, which may make use clips from entries in other categories.

3. All entries must be original works produced for your student television station, by members of your student television station. 4. Stations may submit entries as a joint submission with any number of NaSTA affiliated stations. The stations must agree which category to enter and submit identical submissions, clearly stating that they wish to enter as a joint submission. 5. No entries may be written or produced as a part of any piece of assessed coursework. 6. The time and word limits for each category are the absolute maximums (excluding title slides and title pages). If your entry exceeds the given time or page limit, the entry will be cut (working back from the end of the video or document) to fit the allowed time limit. Cut material will not be judged. You may submit an entry of less than the specified time or length. 7. All entries submitted must be accompanied by entry information, as defined by the Host Station. 8. All entries must have been produced (i.e. finalised and completed for viewing) since last year’s awards submission deadline. a. It is expected that the station should not submit the same entry to more than one year’s awards. This will be assessed on a case by case basis by the Host Station and the judge may be informed.

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9. Submissions must conform to the specifications detailed in the submission procedure document provided by the Host Station. Stations who cannot meet the specifications must contact the Host Station and can forge an alternative agreement on specifications. 10. Entries must be submitted by the deadline set by the Host Station. Late submissions will not be accepted.

a. In exceptional circumstances where the deadline cannot be met, the Host Station should be contacted urgently.

11. All entries submitted which do not follow these rules risk not being entered into the awards. 12. Entries must not breach NaSTA’s equal opportunities policy.

a. NaSTA is mandated to ensure that no member of NaSTA should ever harass or discriminate against, or be subject to harassment or discrimination, on the grounds of their age, beliefs, physical status, race, sex, sexual orientation, or any other characteristic, physical, mental, or otherwise.

14. The Host Station retains the right not to display any content on their website that breaches their Students’ Union or University policy. The Host Stations may add a disclaimer before any award entry if it feels it is necessary in the interests of professionalism. Sanctions The following sanctions may be implemented against an entry, at the discretion of the Host Stations, if there is a suspected rule break: 1. The judge of the category will be informed of the rule break. 2. Clips of the entry that breach the rules will be blanked out and the judge will be informed of the reasons for this. 3. The video will be disqualified. Rule Break Procedure 1. Stations cannot appeal against a decision to cut down an entry if they have exceeded the given limits, and they will be notified of this as a rule break. 2. The Host Stations will take responsibility for assessing whether an entry is suspected of breaking the rules. To avoid a conflict of interest, the Returning Officer will assess the entries of the Host Station. 3. If a rule break is suspected, the Host Stations (or Returning Officer) will recommend a sanction and contact, by email and telephone, the station to explain the reasons why the video faces a sanction. 4. The station will have 5 working days to appeal, via email to the NaSTA executive, with an explanation (maximum 300 words) why the video should not face a sanction. 5. The NaSTA executive will have the final decision on whether a video breaks a rule and the sanction it faces as a consequence. 6. If the station does not contact the NaSTA executive to appeal, the Host Station’s recommended sanctions stand.  

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Good Luck Everyone! We can’t wait to view all of your entries.

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