439 Forum Posts by "NATA"
At 5/3/12 01:57 AM, sandwich-eater wrote: Is it allowed to use a bit of previous animation for a reasonably insignificant part of this animation?
I want to use my tesseract from last year on a screen inside a time machine.
For your intent, yes that'll be fine.
One Week Remaining!!
At 5/2/12 01:35 AM, DaveBruno wrote: Excellent question! So from what I gathered from the previous years I did this, the theme can be interpreted in whichever way you interpret it, be it literal or more philosophical. I tended to try and think outside the box when it came to incorporating the theme into my pieces, while others work rather well literally. Point I'm saying is, if you can back it up why you chose to go the route you did in your description (if its farther out there) then I think its legal. What do you think NATA?
Absolutely. The theme is simply in place to inspire and to ensure people are not re-using old animations for the sake of the contest.
At 5/1/12 12:38 AM, theOtter wrote: Quick question about copyright: You say not to use real products or names. Would there be any problem with referencing the DeLorean or Doc Brown from Back to the Future? Doc Brown would not be a character, but instead only referenced in the dialogue. On the other hand, the DeLorean and its likeness would be used in the actual animation.
I know copyright is a touchy issue, so I can understand either ruling. However, my animation would benefit by allowing both references.
Remember that originality is a judging category, and depending too much on pop culture references may harm your score.
With that said, the DeLorean shouldn't be a problem, it's more copyright property as a car than a movie prop, so I don't see a problem. Don't mention Doc Brown, but perhaps come up with a spoof name (ie. Boc Drown, Doc Gray, etc.)
Entries are looking great so far, everyone! Remember, like Dave said, there is no rush or bonus to complete these early.
11 Days, 6 Hours remaining!
At 4/27/12 01:05 PM, Hikarian wrote: I have a question of no importance whatsoever! I know that DaveBruno won last year, but who was he competing against in the final? Is there a place where I can view what flashes that were submitted in each round TOFAs of the past?
This is a good question! All previous TOFA websites can be seen here: http://tofa.munchymedia.com/
TOFA 2011 is here: http://www.munchymedia.com/Contests/TOFA11/
The Final Round was Dave Bruno vs. Lazy Mode Comics (who is competing this year as well...!) http://www.munchymedia.com/Contests/TOFA11/finalround.html
You can see general scores to the right of entries, and detailed scores on the bottom of the page.
At 4/27/12 09:44 AM, Klarendude wrote: if i don't win at the first round, can i still be on the next rounds?
No, you have to pass each round in order to proceed to the next.
At 4/27/12 02:35 AM, BobyB64 wrote: You might be able to get away with it if you don't show dix, maybe.
^-- This --^
At 4/24/12 10:52 PM, fluffkomix wrote: I would like to ask the question that was not answered previous.
Is there anything against having someone help you out with your animation, say doing colors or layouts or something simple that has no control over the final product, just a more efficiently made animation?
Because of the nature of the contest, this shouldn't be done. The purpose is to test your individual capabilities as an animator under time constraints against others, including efficiency.
At 4/22/12 06:41 PM, ribIREred wrote: Quick question, but is a stage size > than 550pxX400px okay?
Any stage size is okay, but keep in mind that all entries will be scaled down to fit a width of 550px on the NATA judging / compilation page on the NATA site.
At 4/22/12 06:48 PM, DaAtheno wrote: is there any special NATA preloader we need for our animations.
No, there is not.
18 Days Left!
Oh man, these are going to be difficult to judge...
At 4/21/12 01:11 PM, UltraEd12 wrote: Can we mention product names in our animations? I mention Miracle Whip in my entry. Is that allowed?
No, but you can think of a spoof name.
At 4/19/12 12:14 PM, Fungasm wrote: here's a preview of mine.
500 points for originality
At 4/17/12 04:15 PM, BananasFoster wrote:At 4/17/12 04:11 PM, LazyAss23 wrote:Linky LinkAt 4/17/12 04:01 PM, fluffkomix wrote:yeah they do just take alook at the NATA main site. it says everythingAt 4/17/12 03:30 PM, Jomillex wrote: Does everyone who passes the open round get 15 dollars?It appears so, yes
Oops, forgot to post a link to the main site on the first post. If at any point you forget a detail about the Open Round theme / deadline / prize, it's on the Open Round Page: http://nata.munchymedia.com/open/
At 4/17/12 06:28 AM, TimFrommeyer wrote: I don't feel up for creating a funny short, I would rather make something emotionally crushing.
I wonder if it would still be able to score "entertainment" points. If done right it should be no problem, right?
Also, it says no "Mature" rating but I would still aim to create something for the more mature audience instead of going the random jokes and comedy way. Cartoon Violence is allowed to a certain extend correct? It's not that necessary but I wouldn't wanna go without it.
Looking back It's been a rather sad year and I would really want to express some of these emotions in all of my entries (implying I will make more than one, or one even)
Entertainment gauges the emotional response and ability to maintain interest in the viewer, so yes it doesn't have to be funny. I would suggest not doing a comedy, since that's what most people will likely end up doing and it may make your entry stand out more.
Cartoon violence is fine.
At 4/17/12 02:51 AM, ClichedCrusader wrote: Already finished. Fuck yeah Time Travel!
I see what you did there.
At 4/16/12 03:57 PM, Jomillex wrote: Also are there over 32 people participating? I haven't keep count after the 2nd page of the original thread
As a note: If 32+ people don't enter, the contest will default to the top 16 entrants instead of 32, and one round will be eliminated from the contest. I am hoping that word will get out enough for us to get 32, however :)
At 4/16/12 02:05 PM, Patonion wrote:At 4/16/12 10:24 AM, raving2thegrave wrote: Are clay animations acceptable? I understand the claymation phase has long since become obsolete but I feel like I may be able to pull something off.It's not obsolete, and yeah I don't see why you can't do stop-frame animation, this isnt TOFA anymore, the flash label has been removed.
Precisely. So long as it can be submitted to NewGrounds and can be considered an Animation, it's good.
At 4/16/12 01:37 PM, Razz wrote: How to I join if I want to be in it? Do I post here? I've been waiting for today, the first real day. But I see people saying they want to join in this topic
This topic is for all intents and purposes closed. Please read the rules on how to enter in the Open Round topic. http://www.newgrounds.com/bbs/topic/1302004
At 4/16/12 03:17 AM, Ninjkabat wrote:At 4/15/12 11:38 PM, NATA wrote:I thought when users submitted to the audio portal they were also granting a license to have it used in animations, thereby giving us permission...
* The Audio portal is a great source for music, just be sure to get permission to use it for this contest!
Is it because this is a special contest with sponsors and commercialization and all that? I'm totally down with shooting a PM to the users who make the audio I want to use, but I'm just worried about finding a song on a dead account and never getting a response. Wouldst I be disqualified in such an example?
The great majority of audio files on NG state that you can use them freely so long as you credit them in your animation, and also for "non-commercial" purposes. While a contest like this isn't necessarily commercial in the sense that you're actively selling and making profit from it, you do in fact have the potential to be making money while using someone else's music. It is courteous to include the music author in the loop because if they are aiding your entry's quality, then they may feel entitled to a cut of the prize you earn while using it.
If they do not reply to you, you can still technically use their music. However, if they decide to come back some day and aren't happy with not receiving a cut of the prize, then it is your responsibility to settle things with them.
I hope this clears up the "audio rights usage" discussion in advance that we have every year :)
There may or may not be category prizes at the end of the contest, as well. These prizes will most likely involve NG Store credit :)
Possible categories include "Funniest Entry", "Best Entry that didn't make it", and "Best Story". But this is yet to be seen.
Again, good luck to all, and may the favors be forever in your odd.
... wait.
The Tournament has begun!
You Ready?
Over the next 25 days, animators from across the world will have the opportunity to define their animating skill in this Tournament to decide would the ultimate Champion of Flash Artists is for the year 2012. This is the First Newgrounds Annual Tournament of Animation.
*** Open Round ***
The Theme for the Open Round is...
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Discovering Time Travel
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*** Rules ***
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* You have until 11:59:59 PM, Eastern Standard Time, on May 10th to complete your submissions. No submissions will be accepted after the deadline without penalty.
* Entries must fit the theme above to both level the playing field and ensure that entries were not previously created.
* The animation must be no shorter than 1 Minute and no longer than 10 Minutes.
* The animation must be submitted on NewGrounds, in flash format or other acceptable format viewable on NewGrounds.
* Excess nudity, profanity, and other things of profane nature are not allowed. (It cannot have a "Mature" rating.)
* Absolutely NO copyright material is allowed without permission. If you use copyrighted music or other material in your animation, you MUST get the permission of the original creator of that material.
* If you would like to parody, then use similar names instead of the real names - ie. "Smears" instead of "Sears". No copyrighted material whatsoever.
* The Audio portal is a great source for music, just be sure to get permission to use it for this contest!
* Any entry in violation of these rules will be disqualified.
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*** Judging ***
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Entries will be judged by the following judges:
* Tom Fulp
* Elliot Cowan
* Dave Bruno
* NitWitt
* SymphyBunny
Judging for the Open Round will be performed by each judge selecting their "top picks" and combining the top pick lists to narrow the entries down to the top 32, which will enter the brackets. In each bracketed round, judging will be score-based on each entry.
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*** Submissions ***
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* Entries must be uploaded via the NewGrounds Flash Portal.
* Entries must be tagged with "nata2012open" to distinguish them from other rounds and years.
* Entries must be submitted before the deadline. (See above)
* Be sure to post a link to your entry in this topic, to be sure your entry does not get lost.
* Entries will otherwise be found by searching "nata2012open" on NewGrounds, showing all entries with that tag.
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*** Late Penalties ***
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Late penalties look like this for submissions after the deadline:
0 - 29 minutes: - 5 total points
30 - 59 minutes: - 10 total points
1 - 2 hours: - 15 total points
2 - 3 hours: - 20 total points
3 - 4 hours: - 30 total points
4 - 5 hours: - 40 total points
5+ hours: Disqualified
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*** Current Prize ***
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The top 32 scored entrants from the Open Round will each move on to the Novice Round brackets and receive a $15 prize for making it in. All prizes will be awarded in October, AFTER the competition ends.
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*** Fine Print ***
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* By submitting an entry to NATA 2012, you agree to allow NATA and its organizers to use your material to promote the contest and use it for possible calendars and other merchandise.
* All entrants must have a paypal or the ability to receive a check in the mail in order to claim their prizes.
* The final Champion of Flash Artists at the completion of the contest must create an illustrated image of themselves interacting with planet Earth, as is NATA tradition to document their victory with such an image on the NATA website.
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Good Luck!!
At 4/15/12 11:25 PM, artistuknown wrote: Is there any content restriction? Like for instance, do submissions have to be family friendly? How mature of content can a submission have? Just want to make sure, so I can plan out scripts when necessary.
All of the rules will be posted in the Open Round thread, including this.
I'll go ahead and post it, since it's ready. You guys get an extra 20 minutes :)
At 4/15/12 10:08 PM, LazyAss23 wrote: The animations dont have any size restrictions ? or anything? right just the theme is what we need
There is a length restriction, which will be posted with the Open Round rules. 1 Hour!
At 4/4/12 08:46 PM, Jomillex wrote: Will TOFA be a part of Nata? The rounds diagram on the NATA website looks like there are 2 groups that compete and then the last standing on each side face off? I could be misguided? Could someone clear this up for me?
I wouldn't mind combining the two, though there is a lot of bad blood between ABS and NG, so I don't see it ever happening.
Scores will not be cumulative, though that it is an interesting idea that may be used in the future.
The brackets will most likely be arranged to pair higher initial scoring contestants against lower ones. The other option I'm considering is combining brackets into 4-person matchups instead of 2, but this is later to be seen.
At 4/10/12 07:31 AM, Jomillex wrote:At 4/9/12 05:52 PM, JellyDraft wrote: I think I'm gonna try this year to see if I can make it past the first brackets.Pfft 32 places. Your already in. But I'm worried about how good of a person I'll face on round 1
Do you win according to the round score or tallied score from all the previous rounds? And If lets say I had a shitty open round would that bring my score down affecting my chances too win?
Also could someone tell me if we go against people in our own "Division" Like last year or go against pros right away?
Hey all, it's a week until the internet's biggest animation tournament begins!
A week from now, on Monday, April 16, beginning at 12:00 AM, a new topic will be posted here in the Animation forum detailing the round's rules and deadline. The top 32 scorers will move into the Novice Round and be awarded $15.
Prizes will not be awarded until a contestant is eliminated from the contest, or when the contest ends for the Champion.
R.I.P. Edd. He was a fantastic person and animator, and it was a pleasure to work with him in previous contest years. He will be sorely missed.
One possible solution to this could be to arrange the bracket positions based upon Open Round scores. Entrants with higher scores will be paired against entrants with lower scores, which can help "weed out" the more novice level animators early on.
That is an interesting idea, but I've heard reviews both for and against it in the past. Perhaps we could do groups of 4 instead of 2, where the top 2 scores move on, or something similar?
What are people's thoughts on this, or should we stick with 1v1 brackets?
