FOSDEM 2021 - guidance for speakers
Wed, 13-Jan-2021 by
Stuart J Mackintosh
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- [FOSDEM 2021 : How to configure OBS to record your talk](https://peertube.xwiki.com/videos/watch/c5cf50e3-2277-440a-b339-34874acd00b3)
Another option is to deliver your presentation through a video conferencing platform to a colleague who can then record the session. Either use the built-in recording of the conferencing platform or ask your colleague to remotely record the presentation.
For example, you could use Jitsi to present your talk to a colleague, with picture-in-picture mode so that the speaker is in the corner of the slides, and, on Linux, use Simple Screen Recorder (SSR) to capture the talk in the appropriate format.
Please bear in mind these tips for a good quality presentation:
- Test your recording process first to make sure both video and sound are captured in the recording
- Make sure the video fits comfortably into your time slot - FOSDEM is on a strict time schedule and you will be cut short if you over-run
- Don’t overload your slides. Make sure everything is readable when scaled down slightly
- The 1280x720 video you send in may be scaled down to fit onto a FOSDEM template
- Make sure you use a good microphone for your presentation, ideally a headset
- Have a suitable background during recording and live Q&A
- Dress for the occasion
## Uploading videos
Videos should be uploaded to https://penta.fosdem.org (through your account). Technical requirements for your presentation video are:
- resolution: 1280x720
- frame rate: 25 fps
- video codec: h264 video codec, main profile
- video bitrate: <= 2Mbit/s
- audio codec: aac audio codec
- audio sample rate: 48 KHz mono
- audio bitrate: 128 Kbit/s
- media container: whatever is easiest for you
When you upload your video, the system will verify that it meets these requirements. If it does not, the video will be transcoded first (but this will take longer).
A 'review' link will be available so you can confirm that you have uploaded the correct video.
If you want to change the video, you can overwrite by uploading a replacement. However once you have confirmd the video, you can't upload it without FOSDEM resetting your confirmation. This enables them to take control of last-minute changes.
Bernard Tyers has [created a slide share showing exactly how the upload process works](https://www.flickr.com/photos/runningwithbulls/50829935862/in/dateposted/).
### Update 15/01/2021
At the time of writing, upload/review buttons are only available on the [submission interface](https://penta.fosdem.org/submission/FOSDEM21) and not in the main admin section.
The 'Review' link is not easy to find - look for the following dialogue box at the bottom of the submission page, and locate the review link:
<img src="_ra-rel-mnt_/simplecas/fetch_content/964ecf4f7afdc8c59cc2f9695ac11d9bf6a4cee5/FOSDEM-Pentabarf-review-video-link.png" style="max-width:100%;" />
Note that Duration is the proposed length of your session in the live stream combining both pre-recorded talk and a short amount of live Q&A.
The presentation length is the length of the talk recording. This will be updated to the exact length of the recording when the video is processed.
Extended Q&A will be offered through break-out rooms after the pre-recorded video and Q&A are broadcast.
## Q&A sessions
Your Q&A session will follow your pre-recorded video. If your timeslot is 10:00 - 10:30, for example, your video will be played out over the stream from 10am. There will be an associated text chatroom where the speaker, host and audience can talk. This means any questions can be answered directly whilst the video plays.
When the video completes, for example at 21 minutes, 30 seconds, the live stream will automatically switch over to a live video room with the speaker and speaker host. The speaker host will lead a live Q&A/discussion on video, asking questions that have been upvoted in the text chat or asking questions of their own, clarifying anything that may not have been clear.
Just before the 10:30 close of the session, the live stream will end and if any of the audience want to continue the Q&A/discussion, they will be directed to the right place to go do that.
After the talk closes at 10:30, and the next one begins, you can continue with your extended Q&A in a more open, informal fashion than during the session itself.
## Real-time chat
The Matrix platform has been selected for the real-time organisers chat during the event. FOSDEM have [released an article explaining the rationale here](https://matrix.org/blog/2021/01/04/taking-fosdem-online-via-matrix). Note that there is also a bridge for IRC and XMPP / Jabber users.
If you are a devroom organiser / host / moderator, you will need to join the chat through one of these connected channels on the day to process Q&A and communicate with FOSDEM staff.
## Hosts and coordinators
All speakers must ensure they have a host and a coordinator to support their talk.
The coordinator is the devroom manager and the host will work with the speaker to ensure they upload a suitable presentation, as well as host the live Q&A session. Hosts only need a normal self-created pentabarf account, like a speaker (not a devroom manager). Adding them to the event with the ‘host’ role gives them access to what they need.
Speakers, devroom managers and hosts can see the events you are listed against at the [‘Own Events’ link](https://penta.fosdem.org/event/own) and upload videos [will be available here](https://penta.fosdem.org/submission/FOSDEM21/events).
Please make sure that hosts and coordinators are not taking part in a talk before or after your own – otherwise there could be problems with overlap during Q&A sessions outside of the presentation time. Remember, your Q&A can continue in a separate live video conference after your talk has ended.
## Further support
- See [call-for papers blog here](/post/fosdem-2021-call-for-papers)
- Contact FOSDEM at devrooms@fosdem.org
- #fosdem on Freenode IRC
- TPF FOSDEM Slack channel
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