The Best of 2003 (Possible Feature Story?)

[Nathan Butler]

I've been toying with the idea of some form of "Academy Awards" type of thing, or perhaps People's Choice, to recognize outstanding work in SW fan audio over the past year, which might be something we could do each year. However, I'm curious how we'd pull it off. I don't know that there are enough posters here on the site to be able to make it mean much.

Thoughts?

[Nathan Butler]

For the record, before we get into things, these would be the 2003 projects elligible to be considered:

RADIO SHOWS
Star Wars En Direct (English) #1 - 7
ChronoRadio #6.5 - #12, Interviews #5 - 15 (Hanel, Smith, Tambone, Yankey, Williams, Batman, Pearson, Audio Dramas, Wallace), Parallels #1 - 3
Digital Llama 2.0 #1 - 3
Requiem of the Outcast #1 - 4

AUDIO PARODIES
Coruscant
Tatooine TV #1 - 9, Christmas Show

AUDIO DRAMAS
Second Strike: All Fall Down
Second Strike: Ascension
Resurrection
Betrayed Federation: First Strike
Betrayed Federation: The Soldier of Fear
Betrayed Federation: Interlude
Betrayed Federation: The Final Fury
Betrayed Federation: Time is the Enemy
Anthology: Doubts Cast
Anthology: Dreamscape
Anthology: The Mob
Anthology: Addiction
Anthology: Responsibility
Rise of Nobility

Other projects not up for 2003 awards, but up for consideration for like lifetime achievement or special non-recurring awards would be:

RADIO SHOWS
Jedi Talk
Digital Llama Radio
Digital Llama Player's Guide

AUDIO DRAMAS
Second Strike: Descent

AUDIO PARODIES
Episode III Audio Spoof
Star Wars: The Musical
Star Wars: The Radio Play
Stormtrooper Bob
The Adventures of Luke Skywalker

And of course we'd end up with categories like best stereo mixing, best actor, actress, writer, host, guest, yada yada.

[Lunatic]

Hope the judges have time on their hands to listen to our seven "three hours" shows + one Special Edition. style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tongue.gif

We also had interviews on SWD (1-7) in 2003 that were not mentionned above: Mike Gallo, Lisa Steven, Frank D'iorio, Jeff Cioletti, Bruce Jones, Peter Mayhew.

But our best english interviews of 2003 are not listed above and were before the english show Started, so they don't count I figured.

The "best interview" could be a category on its own.

The thing that could add to the coolness factor would be to host the Fan Audio Academy Award (FAAA) LIVE on SWD. We mention the nominees with a 30-60sec excerpt of their production, reveal the winner LIVE and we call them for their speach.. or something like that.

Could be pre-recorded, but it would take more effort and time if you want to include speeches. In any case, its your idea Nathan. style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif

[Nathan Butler]

I wouldn't count those interviews separately from the overall episodes until it came time for best interview considerations, since they're embedded in the shows. However, I'd definitely say we should count the English-language pre-English-show interviews from 2003 if you can nail down which those were.

The big trick, though, is who would vote and choose, y'know?

[Lunatic]

Should be a neutral panel, with people not implicated in fan-audio at all and who haven't produced or partcipated in Shows, dramas, parodies, etc.

As for our interviews, its easy to nail them. They're listed with the dates in our archives page.

[Nathan Butler]

My thoughts would be:

Michael Galasso (Keiran_Horn)
Danath Velt'riar (sp?)
Outloud
Recombinant
Michael Sheridan (CeeWulf)
Jamie Goodwin (Goodwije)
Heather H. (Kheetor84)

Those are all people interested in the genre who are here enough that they might be up for participating, but who have either not participated in projects at all, have not participated in projects in 2003 (but might in 2004), or who might have written reviews and such, but never particpated in a project.

That'd also give us seven people if they were up for it, so there should be no ties.

I've got an idea of what the award logo might look like, but I'm not that great at making such things, so I'd have to pass it on to Sonja or someone who might be up for it.

Thoughts?

[Keiran_Horn]

Sounds great to me. style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/thumbsup.gif

[Nathan Butler]

Looks like Heather and Michael Sheridan are in. So that's three.

[Kheetor84]

Yes. style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/thumbsup.gif

[Steve Mollmann]

I wouldn't break "Betrayed Federation" up into the five parts... it's definitely one story, just chunked into bits to make the uploading/downloading easier. The parts are to the audio like chapters are to a book. Each bit would make frelling no sense and have no merit by itself.

[Nathan Butler]

Cool. That would probably be the best way to deal with Second Strike too. You have to hear all 3 for it to all make sense.

[goodwije]

Sure i am willing, but it might take some time for me to make sure i have listened to everything. I have just recently gotten into fan audio stuff.

Perhaps we can narrow down the list a little, i trust the other people nominated for judges, and get a dead-line for votes.

To be honest i think it sounds like fun, but i only want to be envolved if we all agree to keep it at a fun level. I am commited to a drama free 2004 if at all possible style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/blush.gif

anyways.. that is my long winded way of saying yeah sure, im in style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/thumbsup.gif

[Danath Vel'triarr]

Sure, but I havent heard everything so can we choose categories to vote in or just do our best to catch up before the voting date?

[Nathan Butler]

Yeah, conflict free is a good thing. More fun, more interest.

As for listening to it all, that would be a requirement to vote in a category, I'd think. Which might be a reason to separate it out, like audio dramas first, then parodies, then radio shows or something.

[Outloud]

sounds like a kickass idea.

[T-bone]

Best Internet Website Host. style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tongue.gif

[jerrodd]

Please, please, please make it a fun thing. I think that everyone who does SW fan audio projects do them cuz their fun. Well, that and giving Nathan little things to do... I wanted to also throw out the idea of having a place where we creators and fans could vote online (You could have an IP filter that would only allow one vote, or just give it the ol' honor system) and figure that in with the judges vote. Or maybe Ryan Seacrest can read off the project names during the next 'American Idol'... All I know is I am having a super blast no matter what happens. Now, if only Janine would do a vocal role in an upcoming Tatooine TV- my life would be complete.

[Nathan Butler]

Okay, well, as far as the voting goes, the good news is that it only allows a registered user to vote once before it says "you have already voted in this poll" and stops you from doing so. The bad news, of course, is that other than IP checks on those posting in the thread (which I can just do by sight with my amazing moderating powers), there's no way to keep people from registering for sock usernames and using those to flood the poll.

As far as that goes:

My thought was to have two separate ways of doing the awards, similar to what FanFilmXChange did years ago. We'd have a sort of "academy" of unrelated people, but then we'd have a People's Choice type of setup for voting via polls. That, presumably, would make it more objective for one set of awards, but more open to all for the other.

Otherwise, we either cut out the people involved from ever participating at all, or we let everyone vote, thereby exponentially increasing the ability of the voting to be skewed by bias.

I want it to be fair, but I also want people to have a voice outside the little "academy" group.

[Nathan Butler]

Okay, so other than Recombinant, thus far, everyone that I suggested is in. That gives us 6 people for the, uhm... FAA (Fan Audio Academy?) or FAC (Fan Audio Council). Either way, FAA and FAC are both U.S. governmental groups, but I doubt anyone's going to get confused. Heh.

I already have an award idea for an image link to go on their project pages and such, but I'll keep that under wraps for now. I'm hoping that with Sonja's help, it can be done.

As for setting up the voting, I think that if we can pull it off, we should try to set it up so that Fan's Choice Awards (FCA) voting should begin at the start of, I'd think, February. That puts it right in line with a new edition of all three of the ongoing radio shows (CR and ROTO on Feb. 1, presumably, and SWD on Feb. 4), so we can all three announce it and let our listeners know about it.

The new question then would be: How long do we keep voting for FCA open?

As for the Fan Audio Council/Academy Awards, I'd think that timetable depends upon those involved. If they would want to maybe pick a certain genre to work on at the same time, that'd be cool, or we could just say, here's such and such time to listen to these programs, then send in your pics. Probably what would be best in that instance would be to have the thing somewhat centralized, like everyone PMs their votes to me, I tally them for the announcements, but like they get certified somehow, like so I'm not screwing anyone. heheheeh style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/hehe.gif

Figure if it all goes off without a hitch, the winners could be announced, say, in maybe mid-March or on SWD, ROTO, and CR (or one of the above) at the start of April. Maybe if there's a live SWD show taking place at the time, we could work something out for airing live with live acceptance speeches, but that'd probably eat up a chunk of cash for the SWD team on phone calls. Likely, I'd be able to help out with that some though.

Further thoughts? New thoughts?

[goodwije]

All that sound fine with me, it will give me the time i need.

Personally i like the FAA.. Fan Audio Academy, just because i have always wanted to be an academy member.

[Nathan Butler]

Another thought: I'm thinking there may be three separate sets of awards.

Fan Audio Academy Awards (FAAA or "F Tripple A")
Fan Audio People's Choice Awards (FAPCA or "Fap-kuh")
Fanworks Founder's Choice Awards (FFCA or some word I can't say on a board)

FAAA chosen by the group of seven and considered the most prestigious and the most equitable.

FAPCA chosen by posters voiting in polls, considered the choice of the mainstream audience, but not as solid as FAAA, since it can be rigged by socks and such, possibly.

FFCA chosen by me, as I was going to do my own "best of" list when the awards were done. These will likely be special categories, like acknowledgements for breaking new ground and such, from the perspective of looking back on the fan audio genre's development.

[Kheetor84]

Same here, I like FAA. Sounds so 'offical' even though we have to be 'unoffical' for copyright reasons. style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/innocent.gif

[goodwije]

Originally posted by NathanButlerSWT@Jan 10 2004, 05:27 PM
FAAA chosen by the group of seven and considered the most prestigious and the most equitable.
wow.. watch my head swell style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tongue.gif

[Nathan Butler]

Well, those are far less easy to subvert. The poll one could easily be screwed by socks. And, of course, I can easily be bought for Dr. Pepper and a sexy woman.

[recombinant]

Hi guys... I'm here.

I got laid off last week, so I'm a little bummed at the moment. style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/banghead.gif

However, I would be honored to participate in this, and it sounds like a great idea, so keep me posted - I'll keep checking back.

In the meantime, I'll update my contact information in my profile since my old email is now defunct.

Thanks!

[Nathan Butler]

Hail hail, the gang's all here!

I've set up a thread for discussion about categories and nominees, so hopefully once we get that ironed out, we can get the process started. Woohoo!

[Nathan Butler]

Looks like Recombinant is out. Suggestions on a new 7th?

[Nathan Butler]

I think we have our replacement. CalQDeX (Matthew Modica). He'd had some letters to DLR ages ago, but he hasn't done any 2003 stuff.

[Nathan Butler]

Matthew couldn't do it, so we've enlisted Teague "Fig" Chrystie, a relative newcomer to fan audio, but very enthusiastic about it, as the new 7th member of the "academy." I'm also in the process of emailing the various academy members with a link to the nominee lists so they can start decisions.