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+[[!meta title="Preparing your talk"]]
+[[!meta copyright="Copyright © 2019, 2020 Amin Bandali; 2021, 2022 Amin Bandali, Sacha Chua, Leo Vivier; 2023 Sacha Chua"]]
+
+This page contains tips for preparing your talk. (Target date:
+**November 4**) If you have any questions, concerns, or suggestions
+please feel free to write to one our organizational mailing lists: the
+public <emacsconf-org@gnu.org> list, or the private
+<emacsconf-org-private@gnu.org> list, depending on the nature of the
+matter you would like to discuss.
+
+Note: being part of a wiki, this page is subject to change (including
+by you!); so please check back every now and again for any changes and
+updates.
+
+We'll bring up the web-based upload service at some point. Let us know
+at <emacsconf-org-private@gnu.org> if you're already ready to go!
+<!--[[Already done? Upload your video and other files|upload]]-->
+
+## Guidelines for conduct
+
+Please review our [[guidelines for conduct|conduct]] when preparing your
+talk to make sure we’re all on the same page and strive to make the
+event a great experience for all.  If you’re not sure whether your talk
+or presentation style meets the guidelines laid out in the guidelines
+for conduct, we’d be happy to help.  You can email Sacha Chua at
+<sacha@sachachua.com> to chat more about this.
+
+## Recording your talk
+
+To help EmacsConf 2023 run smoothly, please prerecord your talk, and
+plan to upload your video(s) by **November 4** to allow us enough time
+to do any needed processing (e.g. format or codec conversion) in
+preparation for the event.  Please consider submitting a prerecording as
+early as possible so that we can see if volunteers can caption your
+video to make it more accessible and searchable.
+
+To make it easier for organizers and attendees to correctly pronounce
+your name, please start your video with something along the lines of:
+
+"Hi! I’m ${NAME} and I’ll be talking about ${TOPIC}."
+
+### Tools
+
+To record your video, you could use any of the following pieces of
+free software, depending on your needs:
+
+- [OBS](//obsproject.com)
+- [SimpleScreenRecorder](//www.maartenbaert.be/simplescreenrecorder/)
+- [vokoscreenNG](//linuxecke.volkoh.de/vokoscreen/vokoscreen.html)
+- [peek](//github.com/phw/peek)
+- [ffmpeg](//trac.ffmpeg.org/wiki/Capture/Desktop)
+
+If you decide to use OBS, please make sure to verify the window-capture
+options.  Most notably, there is a “Swap red and blue” option that is
+necessary for some setups, and it's easy to miss it.
+
+You might find the following free software programs useful for editing
+your video recordings:
+
+- [Kdenlive](//kdenlive.org/en/)
+- [Blender](//www.blender.org)
+- [Pitivi](http://www.pitivi.org)
+
+Per GNU Project’s [Guide to
+Formats](//audio-video.gnu.org/docs/formatguide.html), we prefer to
+receive prerecorded videos in formats unencumbered by software patents,
+such as `video/webm` ([WebM](https://www.webmproject.org/)-encoded video
+files, with `.webm` file extension) and `video/ogg` (video files encoded
+with the Theora video codec, encapsulated in an Ogg transport layer,
+with `.ogg` or `.ogv` file extension).  However, if for one reason or
+another you are unable to send us your prerecorded video in one of the
+above formats, you may submit them in other common formats, like MPEG-4
+(`.mp4`), and we will convert them to our preferred formats on your
+behalf.
+
+*Prepare recorded video in 720p (1280px by 720px) or higher, in the
+WebM format if possible.*
+
+### Audio quality
+
+Audio quality can go a long way in making your talk enjoyable to
+watch. Consider the background noise in the room that you are using to
+record, and see if you can temporarily turn off things for your
+recording. Start by recording a separate video with at least **5
+seconds of quiet** in the same room in which you plan to do your main
+recording. You can listen to it to see how quiet things are, and
+figure out if there are other things you can turn off such as fans or
+other computers. When you upload your talk, you can also include your
+latest silence recording so that we can use it to reduce noise in your
+video.
+
+If you have an **external microphone or a headset**, try
+recording the audio through that so that you can reduce the sound of
+the computer itself. If you have a smartphone, that might also be a
+good way to record audio that you can then combine with your video
+afterwards. Some people find that draping a blanket over their head
+(including the microphone under the blanket) can help reduce echo,
+which can be a good excuse to make a blanket fort. (It's for
+EmacsConf!)
+
+Many speakers prefer to record and edit the audio until they're happy
+with how it fits in the time, and then add the slides or videos
+afterwards. It might be easier than trying to do both the audio and
+the video in one go.
+
+### Appearance
+
+The talks will be broadcast with a resolution of **1280x720px**
+(720p), so it may help to switch to that size before you record.
+Please make sure your text will be easy to read.
+[You can change the font-size in your Emacs.](https://www.emacswiki.org/emacs/SetFonts#h5o-6)
+(Maybe `M-x customize-face default` and set the height to 150 or 180?) If you
+are capturing a single window, you can also resize it before you
+record.
+
+We recommend using **dark text on a light background** for your
+recording, as this can be easier to see especially for people who are
+visually impaired. Themes with more contrast are easier to read than
+low-contrast ones. If you use a dark theme with your Emacs, you can
+change to a lighter one with `M-x customize-theme` (look for those
+with a `-light` suffix). The `modus-themes-load-operandi` command from
+the `modus-themes` package can be a good option.
+
+# Compression
+
+If you would like to compress your video before uploading, the following shell script may be useful:
+
+    Q=32
+    CPU=8
+    ffmpeg -y -i "$1" -c:v libvpx-vp9 -b:v 0 -crf $Q -an -row-mt 1 -tile-columns 2 -tile-rows 2 -cpu-used $CPU -g 240 -pass 1 -f webm -threads $CPU /dev/null &&
+    ffmpeg -y -i "$1" -c:v libvpx-vp9 -b:v 0 -crf $Q -c:a libopus -row-mt 1 -tile-columns 2 -tile-rows 2 -cpu-used $CPU -pass 2 -g 240 -threads $CPU "$2"
+
+If you put it in a file called `compress-video.sh`, you can execute it
+from the command line with something like `sh compress-video.sh
+input-file.webm output-file.webm`. It will compress the file in two
+passes. During the first pass, the frame count will increase, but the
+speed will be 0. After the first pass, it will display proper progress
+information.
+
+<a name="tech-check"></a>
+# Tech-check
+
+We ask that speakers who plan to participate in live Q&A sessions schedule
+a short tech-check in the weeks leading to the conference; this is to ensure
+that you can perform all the common tasks you’d need such as sharing your
+screen or toggling your microphone.
+
+We use BigBlueButton for our video-conferencing needs, and a quick way
+to familiarize yourself with it is to run it in a test room:
+<https://test.bigbluebutton.org/> Tiling window managers and
+multi-monitor setups can be a little tricky, so it's good to figure
+out a setup that works for you. If there are things you'd like to
+confirm by having another person in the meeting, such as audio
+quality, please feel free to get in touch with us and we’ll sort
+things out together.
+
+Thank you so much for helping with EmacsConf 2023!
+
+# Frequently-asked questions
+
+## Can I present live?
+
+Tech issues kept happening during EmacsConf 2023, so we’d really
+prefer that all talks have prerecorded videos. There will be time for
+live questions and answers, though, so if you can record a short video
+covering your main points, you might be able to go into more detail in
+live Q&A.
+
+## I have so much I want to share.  Can I record a longer video?
+
+The conference program has so many interesting talks.  We wish we
+could fit everything in at full length!  (Maybe EmacsConf month?)
+Please think of your video as a short teaser that can get people
+interested and point them to where they can find out more.  You can
+email <emacsconf-submit@gnu.org> links and other notes to add to the
+wiki page for your talk.  If you’d like to record a longer video *in
+addition* to the short one for the main conference, please feel free
+to send us that too.
+
+Additionally, even though it is tempting, please refrain from speaking
+super quickly or fast-forwarding your recording to make it fit within
+the format. Trimming out the silences and the filler words can help
+sometimes, but a better solution for you might be to condense your
+talk to the essentials, then write, record, and edit your voice-over.
+Once you've figured out how to use the time, you can record your video
+to go along with it. Don't sweat being a few minutes over or under,
+that's cool.
+
+Feel free to send some questions for the host to ask you during the
+Q&A so that you can address extra points that didn't make it into the
+video.
+
+## I can’t figure out how to record the video.  Can I just present the talk?
+
+We might be able to help you record your talk using the BigBlueButton
+web conferencing system before the conference. Please email
+<emacsconf-submit@gnu.org> with some times that might work for you and
+we’ll see if a volunteer can meet up with you to record it.
+
+## Do I need to follow some visual guidelines for the presentation?
+
+- Dark text on a light background is more legible than the opposite
+  (especially for people who are visually impaired), and more contrast
+  is better than a low-contrast theme. This stands for both your
+  slides and your Emacs theme. 
+- If you think your fonts might be too small in your slides or in Emacs,
+  they might very well be.  [You can change the font-size in your
+  Emacs](https://www.emacswiki.org/emacs/SetFonts#h5o-6), but you can
+  also play with the size of the captured window during your recording.
+- Try to minimize the screen-flashes that occur when you switch between
+  windows, especially if their themes do not cohere (light-to-dark and
+  the reverse).  If you can edit your recording, fades and other
+  transitions are a neat solution to this problem.
+
+## How do I show my keystrokes on screen?
+
+In Emacs, you can use
+[interaction-log.el](https://github.com/michael-heerdegen/interaction-log.el)
+(in MELPA) to display the keystrokes and the commands they run in a separate
+buffer.  For a system-wide solution, you can look into
+[screenkey](https://gitlab.com/screenkey/screenkey).
+
+## I’m not used to talking to myself.  Can I present the talk to someone?
+
+We might be able to help you record your talk using the BigBlueButton
+web conferencing system before the conference.  Please email
+<emacsconf-submit@gnu.org> with some times that might work for you and
+we’ll see if a volunteer can meet up with you to record it.
+
+## Can I see the other proposed talks?
+
+Once we’ve emailed the speakers about their acceptance, we’ll put
+up the talk wiki pages.  That way, you can see what else is going on
+in the conference and maybe coordinate with other speakers in order to
+minimize overlap and maximize awesomeness.
+
+## What if there are lots of great questions during Q&A and it's already time for the next talk?
+
+The stream will move on to the next talk, but people can join the
+BigBlueButton meeting room and keep chatting with you for as long as
+you want to keep going. You can also continue answering questions on
+the collaborative pad or IRC, and we’ll copy questions and answers
+onto the wiki page afterwards so that you can answer them in your own
+time after the event.
+
+## More questions?
+
+Please email <emacsconf-submit@gnu.org>.  We’d love to hear from you.
+
+Thanks for contributing to EmacsConf 2023!
+
+<!-- <a name="tech-checklist"></a> -->
+<!-- #### Tech checklist -->
+
+<!-- - Can you speak and be heard? Is there echo? -->
+<!-- - Can you hear the organizer? -->
+<!-- - Can you share your screen? Is the screen readable? -->
+<!-- - If you plan to show your keystrokes, is that display visible? -->
+<!-- - If you want to share your webcam (optional), can you enable it? Is it visible? Will there likely be distractions in the background? -->
+<!-- - Can you view the collaborative pad? Will you be comfortable reviewing questions on your own (perhaps by keeping it open beside your shared window), or will you need a volunteer to relay questions to you? -->
+<!-- - Can you share contact information (ex: phone number) so that we can get in touch with you in case of technical issues or scheduling changes? -->
+<!-- - Do you need help finding your way around IRC so that you can check into `#emacsconf-org`? What is your IRC nickname? -->