Technical Help and Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What is American Fabric?
American Fabric is an online film festival aimed at compiling a meaningful collection of user-created one-minute slice-of-life, cinema verite or documentary style films that capture snapshots of the American experience. The films, submitted by amateurs and professionals, will live online and ultimately the best ones will be selected for the director’s cut.
Slice-of-life… Cinema Verite… what’s that all about?
Slice-of-life –adjective
of, pertaining to, or being a naturalistic, unembellished representation of real life: a play with slice-of-life dialogue.
Ci⋅né⋅ma Vé⋅ri⋅té
a technique of documentary filmmaking in which the camera records actual persons and events without directorial control: introduced in France in the 1950s.
Basically we are looking for compelling snapshots of the American experience. The fancy words are to encourage your creativity.
Sounds pretty cool… How do I sign up?
Signing up is simple and free. Just click “Register” from the top right of almost any page and follow the steps as prompted. Once registered, you are free to create and submit your own videos, view and comment on others. Registered users have the freedom to help the site evolve.
Can I view videos if I don’t sign up?
You are welcome to view all the videos without registering but access to comments, groups and all the features of the site are disabled to non-registered users.
How do I submit a video?
Once registered just click on “Upload a Film” from the left side of the screen, agree to the terms and conditions, then fill in the fields as prompted. Find the film on your computer. Then click Submit.
What are the acceptable formats and file requirements?
Short films should be a maximum of one minute in length, submitted in AVI, QuickTime (.MOV), MPG or Windows Media (.WMV) format and cannot be larger than 25MB compressed.
Please note that if your short film is eventually chosen for integration into the “Viewers’ Choice” (user-selected) or “Director’s Cut” feature films, you will be required to provide us with an uncompressed file in high-resolution format as well.
The uncompressed version can be either in film, DV tape or a full-resolution digital format (.AVI or .MOV). In order for a submission to be considered for the final long-form projects (“Viewers’ Choice” or “Directors’ Cut”), the original film must be in NTSC format, 720 X 480, 29.97 frames per second, preferably shot in 16 X 9 (letterbox) format.
What is the approval process?
Once submitted, films will be evaluated to determine whether they meet the aims and intentions of the “American Fabric” project before being made available online. Once online, your film will be available to be screened by all visitors and rated by registered users.
Who will see my video?
We hope everyone will have the opportunity to share your view of American life but more specifically, anyone with internet access can come to the site to view films.
Can I let my kids look at the videos on the site?
Yes. Videos will be screened and approved before appearing on the site to ensure that they meet our terms and conditions, which state that films must not contain prohibited (i.e. profane, defamatory, misrepresentative, illegal, etc.) materials.
We will be diligent in upholding the standards of the American Fabric mission.
What is the “Director’s Cut” and how will that be determined?
As the project grows and more users submit clips, we will invite a panel to judge a short list of films in order to assemble a “Director’s Cut” of the short films that best capture the American experience.
What is viewer’s choice and how will that be determined?
Based on the number of views and popularity, we will compile a viewers choice film.
Can I put my favorite TV show on the site?
No. This is for the sole purpose for original content. If you submit something that does not appear to be original or contains copyrighted footage and/or music it will be rejected and deleted.
Can I include music in the film?
Any music that is part of the natural sound can be included in the film. Any film scores however need to be original uncopyrighted compositions.
How can I change the thumbnail of my video?
From the “My Video” settings you can click on the green arrow icon to select alternative thumbnails from your film if it does not immediately default to your preselected frame.
Can I remove a video from the site?
Yes. If for some reason you feel the need to remove the video from the site you can manage this through the “My Videos” settings. Simple check the video from your list, scroll down to the bottom of the page and click delete. Or click on the trashcan beneath the video you would like to remove.
Videos removed the site might also be removed from consideration for the Director’s Cut and the Viewer’s Choice films.
Can I put a post a film from the American Fabric site to another site?
If it’s yours – sure, we can’t really really stop you though we’d prefer the posting/embedding of links so that the project can continue to grow.
