What does our film's video file need to include?
At the beginning of the video (i.e. before your film), please include a title card onscreen for 5 seconds, white text on black background. It should say:
Note that the 3-minute maximum length does not include the 5-second title card, but it does include any film credits you may have.
What file and video format should we submit in?
We'll do our best to make anything play for the screening, but please make our jobs easier by not handing in weird and obscure video file formats.
Our preferred format is the same as the 48Hours competition format:
Technical Notes:
- Export in whatever frame rate you shot in which is likely to be either 23.98fps, 24fps, 25fps or 29.97fps. No need to convert.
- We'd really prefer that you don't export in .wmv or .avi but we'll probably be able to play it if that's what you have to.
- 1080p is preferred. If you'd like to hand it in UHD then do so and it should be fine (although our projector is 1080p). If you have time to make a 1080p backup then great.
- Aim for 10Mbps. (If you do UHD then no more than 25Mbps.)
- If you're choosing between "1 pass" and "2 pass" encoding, I'd probably recommend "1 pass" if you're in a hurry. We're going to use the file once for the screening so that extra pass isn't worth getting DQ'd over. You can upload your video in higher quality later.
- Your file should be a few hundred megabytes (well, it should be less than 100 megabytes per minute of film). If your file is more than a gigabyte then you've definitely done it wrong. And if it's more than a gigabyte, it will take longer to transfer as well as risk of dropped frames if our computer doesn't keep up. As long as you aim for 10Mbps for the video track bit rate, the file size should work out about right.
Please don't hesitate to text Michael on 021 223 6693 if you have any questions or issues.
How should we name the file?
Please name the file as your team's name and 24CHCH26, e.g.
OURTEAMNAME24CHCH26.mp4
E.g. TOOTTOOT24CHCH26.mp4
(But don't write TOOTTOOT, write your team name)
What if I can't find a USB stick?
Buy one. They're really handy. And if you ask nicely, we'll even hand it back to you once we've copied your film off it. If you really can't find one, you can WeTransfer the file to us (tech@littleandromeda.co.nz) and you need to still arrive at the Little A finish line by 6pm with a piece of paper that has the words RELEASE FORM written on it. That will satisfy us.
Wait! Before you leave the house, send us a copy online!
To be clear, this doesn't replace physical hand-in at the finish line, but it's a safety option - for example, if your USB stick is corrupted and we can't read the file on it. Also, we'd rather you didn't drive like a maniac to get to Little A by 6pm, so just calmly send us a copy first via WeTransfer, then get to the venue as soon as you can.
Go to: wetransfer.com
Follow the instructions
In the Email to field, put: tech@littleandromeda.co.nz
What if I can't physically hand in the film at Little A for some reason?
Look, we really like the whole in-person finish line aspect, but we're not going to be dicks about it. If you've got a really good pre-planned reason (e.g. that you have work or something), talk to us first so we know the plan, and then use WeTransfer as per the details above. But we still expect to see you at Little A shortly after for the screening…