Frequently Asked Questions (Second Chance Storytellers)

What is Utata Storytellers?

Utata Storytellers is the BIG PROJECT for 2009. Past BIG PROJECTS include Utata Speaks '06, The Utatan and Utata Speaks '08. The Utata Storytellers project is your chance to tell a story, spin a yarn, describe a narrative using photographs as the main presentation material. For the purposes of the project, let's define narrative as: presentation of a series of events in a purposeful sequence to tell a story, either fictional or factual. In a way, this is similar to what some did for Speaks '08 and The Utatan, but is a bit more focused.

What is Second Chance Storytellers?

As the original deadline of July 26th has passed, Second Chance Storytellers gives you another bite at the cherry. You may have run out of time, not replaced your stolen camera or felt inspired by other projects. For whatever reason you missed it before, this is your 'second' chance to submit a project -- and we're looking forward to those new submissions.

What are the categories?

The categories are Fiction, Non-Fiction, and Adaptations.

Does the story have to be 100% original, or can I re-create in photos already existing stories from literature, film, etc?

Yes, you can adapt an existing work as long as you credit the original work and put your own spin on it. Some folks would love to try to adapt movies, books, television shows, fairy tales, or songs. Some folks would like to reduce all 6 seasons of LOST to just six frames. If you prefer an existing framework for your creativity, then your type of submission would fall under the Adaptations category.

How many images do I need / can I use?

Because a narrative needs a beginning, a middle, and an end, the minimum number of photographs for this project is three, and the maximum number of photographs for this project is six. 3 to 6 photographs per submission.

Can I make more than one submission?

Code monkeys say no. One submission per person, please. We hope it will result in well-focused self-curation of the photographs and stories.

Unfortunately, this applies to the second chance storytellers too. If you've already submitted a project, you can't submit another. Tweaks can be made to your existing project though.

Does the narrative need to have a written component?

No, you can tell your story solely with photographs. If you are more adventurous, a short description (like a sentence or two) is fine. Thirty five (35) words per photo is the maximum. We want to keep this short so that the narrative is accomplished within the photos themselves and not in the photo descriptions.

Can I write in a language other than English?

You may write in a language other than English. If you do, please include a note about which language the writing is in (i.e. [essay in German]). If you wish to include an English translation, you must still adhere to the total word-count given above.

Can I use archival photographs or do they all have to be new?

We encourage you to go out and take new photographs with Utata Storytellers in mind, however archival photographs are allowed.

Can I use someone elses's photographs?

No, please only submit photos which you took and for which you have full copyright. Model releases may be necessary.

Will collaborative works be accepted?

No, collaborative works will not be accepted. You may certainly ask your fellow Utatans for assistance with editing etc., though.

Will submissions be edited or published as is?

Whatever you write, that's what we use.

What size will images be displayed?

The smallest image size displayed will be Flickr's default large size, with a width of 1024 pixels. This year we have a funky new component to check your browser resolution and display the image at a larger size if your monitor will allow it.

What tags do I use?

In order for us to pull your photos from Flickr and display them on the Utata Storytellers project page, you'll need to tag your photos properly. Give all your photos in your story one of the following tags, depending on the category into which your story falls.

Each photo in your story will appear on its own page, so you'll need to decide in what order you want them to appear. Use as many of the following tags as there are photos in your story.

Can I use other formatting tags?

Yes, there are additional types of tags that you can use to control how your photographs are displayed:

- If your image is better displayed at the flickr medium size (helpful if it is tall and everyone would have to scroll to see it) then you can choose to use this tag:

- Tags can mark which part of a description of a photo is seen by Utata:

and

replacing [marker] with whatever characters you choose as your marker. There are examples of this tag shown in this thread.

Note: The tag to display your project on a black background is not supported.

Can my photos be marked private?

In order for your photos to appear on Utata project pages, they must be public, not private.

Can I opt out of Flickr's API permissions?

No, in order for us to access your photographs using tags, you must opt-in to Flickr's API permission. If you don't know whether you are opted in or not, go here and check. You must have the "Hide your photostream from searches on 3rd party sites that use the API?" unchecked in order to participate.

Do I have to be a member of Utata?

Yes, you must be a member of Utata and you must have a Utata.org member page, if you don't already. We will be using the name you have indicated on your member page, if you wish your name to be different for the project, you will need to change your member page details.

What is Utata's policy on nudity?

Utata.org only publishes Flickr photos marked "safe" in accordance with Flickr community guidelines. See the following from the Flickr FAQ on Content Filters:

What are content filters?
Where do I set the safety level on my photos?
How do I know if I'm doing the right thing?

What is the deadline for Second Chance Storytellers?

All submissions must be completed by Monday, September 14th 2009. The key thing you have to do for the deadline is tag your photos. If you want to tweak the accompanying text later, you can continue to do so. Now, you shouldn't take that as carte blanche to leave your text thinking you can write it later - we will remove any project entries from the database if they're clearly unfinished.