To MFM Writers, Reviewers, and Critics — Updated: March 11, 2015
We now have a single page that reminds you of the general writing reviews and lets you download the newest templates for your reviews, critiques, and articles. Each new article needs to begin there.
It’s: http://www.microfilmmaker.com/temp/
Be sure to use the correct protocols for publishing your review (below). You are responsible to know the protocols for publication, to check for new updates each time you prepare to write a new review, and to follow them accurately.
The correct issue numbers based on when reviews are released are listed immediately below. Additionally, there is now a Review template which should make your reviews much easier to accomplish, as it includes reminders of some of the more often forgotten formatting and placement requirements.
Thanks for all your help with making MFM the best magazine it can be!
Sincerely,
Jeremy Hanke
Editor
Current Issue numbers:
January Issue – #106 (01/15)
February Issue – #107 (02/15)
March Issue – #108 (03/15)
April Issue – #109 (04/15)
May Issue – #110 (05/15)
June Issue – #111 (06/15)
July Issue – #112 (07/15)
August Issue – #113 (08/15)
September Issue – #114 (09/15)
October Issue – #115 (10/15)
November Issue – #116 (11/15)
December Issue – #117 (12/15)
Updated Protocols for MFM Writers & Editors:
Read & Know Sections A, B, & C
Section A-1. ( Posted 08/10/2012)
YouTube, Vimeo, etc. Auto Embed: After long request you can now simply paste a direct URL to the youtube or vimeo video of your choice in your articles/reviews/critiques. Just follow these simple instructions:
- Copy the URL for a SPECIFIC video from YouTube or Vimeo.
- In your article (on visual mode), paste the URL into a new line (ie don’t put it in the midst of a paragraph).
- Do not try to center it (as that will break the auto-embed feature) and the auto embed feature will size it to the width of the article automatically, so centering isn’t necessary for these type of embeds.
and then, in visual mode, you must have it be on a SEPARATE line (so hit enter, paste your link, and then hit enter again).
If it shows up as underlined, then it is not embedded, so delete and retry.
Award of Excellence:
If your review has a score of a 9.0 or above, then you need to add the Award of Excellence symbol. To do so:
- Put your cursor in your first or second paragraph (below the cover picture)
- Click the “Insert Predefined Template” icon in the upper left corner of your toolbar.
- Choose “Award of Excellence” template from the pulldown menu.\
- It will paste the new image and right justify it in your paragraph.
Section A-2. ( Posted 07/19/2012)
Editorial Metadata: There’s a box on the side with editorial metadata. This only shows up to the editorial team, but you need to fill in the following: best contact info, description, and your official deadline.
Unique Excerpt: Make sure to paste one of your paragraphs in the “Unique Excerpt” box right below the main area you wrote your article in. (Not the Editorial Metadata box on the right hand side.)
Extra Vertical Spaces: Your article or review is from top to bottom. Make sure you remove extra spaces that show up above your article or below it. (If you can’t delete them in the visual editor, switch to HTML and look for ‘ ’, which is what a vertical space looks like in the coding. Delete any extras at the beginning or the ending.
Reviews/Critiques Cover Images: There is one vertical space between the header/title and the main areas. Right justify the cover picture here, not at the top. (Where your cursor is located is where WordPress anchors the picture.)
Section B. (Posted 07/11/12)
- prevent broken links: check all your links
- image captions: put in the same sentence for title, alt, and caption, as each is used for the same purpose in different areas
- image glitches: if an image acts glitchy on you, delete the upload and reupload again so that the database can reconstruct the image parameters ( I’m virtually positive thats why your pix pop out small)
- video embed: Issue dealt with on August 10th. See A-1.
- Center anything manually: use the HTML center command in the HTML view and remember to close it afterward. Ie. <center>[whatever your centering]</center>
- Article/Review/Critique Lengths: Minimum Word Length: 500 Words. Maximum Word Length: 1200 Words (1500 for event coverage like NAB)
Section C.
Simplified updates to the review process:
Use the main PDF tutorial (which can be downloaded here: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/13700315/MFM_Tutorial.pdf
With the following exceptions:
1) Article Upload Process: (revised 6/27/12)
[Other than using the template header, ignore most of the tutorial PDF and follow the rules found in below]
a) (Cntrl-C/Cmd-V) Copy your Word document and, in a new post in WordPress, paste your article into the “HTML” window.
b) switch to the visual window
c) Chose the icon in the upper left with the appropriate header template
d) put in the correct information in the header
e) Put in new links in the header (not just the words, but relink them with the link button)
f) set all headers to “H2” (Header 2)
g) for both vimeo and YouTube, get the iFrame embed codes, switch to HTML, and paste them there
h) for images, they will be center justified (other than the header, which is right justified) (normal images should be 1000 px, sized to 60% and headers should be 500 px wide, sized to 60%, and set as the “Featured Image”.
i) if doing a review or critique, end by putting in the template footer.
2) New Proofing process: (revised 6/14/2012)
a) Send your completed review in Word .DOC format to me before posting it. I will make corrections and send them in a .DOC with the corrections retained so you can see all corrections and tweak them as needed.
b) You will then send your finalized (ie with all the formatting marks removed) review to the press contact you’ve been dealing with at the company for fact checking and CC me when you do so
c) They will send you back their copy.
d) You will make any changes you feel are appropriate once you read their points (realizing you don’t have to change anything that isn’t factually incorrect if you choose not to)
e) you will then post your article on the website
3) The added graphic adjustments were confusing people, so now it is as follows: (5/27/12)
a) Size your cover picture in photoshop to 500 px across and your main pictures to 1000 px across
b) Import your picture as is described (but remember to verify that the imported picture references the .JPG file, not the location! Mac auto-screws this up so you’ll have to manually change this as shown in the tutorial)
c) Align cover pictures to the right in the main image importer and set it to 60% scale (which will be 300 px wide)
d) Align main pictures to the center and and scale to 60% (which will be 600 px)
e) PREVIEW, PREVIEW, PREVIEW! Make sure the pop-out shadowbox is working properly.
3) Headers (such as Content, Value, etc.) are now to be formatted as H2.
4) Rather than sending the internal email to me when your article has been formatted correctly and ready to go, text me at: 859-229-8655 when it’s ready to go.