Preparing Video Files for Sculpture/Installation/New Genres
Before beginning your MCC Artist Fellowship application in Sculpture/Installation/New Genres, we strongly urge you to check the properties of your video file(s) to make sure they correspond to the file upload requirements. Any video file must meet the required specifications, otherwise you will not be able to upload it into the online application in CaFE. You can submit up to 3 video files for the Sculpture/Installation/New Genres category.
The specs you’ll want to pay the closest attention to are the file format (see the list of acceptable formats for CaFE, below), the resolution (no lower than 640 x 480), the file size (nothing larger than 100 MB), and the aspect ratio (4:3 or 16:9 – if you are recording video using a smart phone, double check that it can record in one of these aspect ratios). See the full list of specs here:
- File formats: 3GP, WMV, AVI, MOV, ASF, MPG, MP4, M2T, MKV, M2TS
- Resolution: minimum 640 x 480, maximum 1920 x 1080
- File size: 100 MB maximum
- Aspect ratio: 4:3 or 16:9
- Bit rate: recommended above 240 kbps
- Frame rate: minimum 12 fps, recommended 30 fps. The frame rate of the original video should be maintained without re-sampling. In particular, pulldown and other frame rate re-sampling techniques are strongly discouraged.
- Codec: h.264, h.263, mpeg-1, mpeg-2, mpeg-4, Windows Media Video, and motion jpeg mpeg-1 muxed, Apple Lossless
- Container: 3gp, asf, avi, mov, mpeg, mpeg-2, mp4, ogg
If you have an incorrect file format, try going back into your video editing software and saving into one of the acceptable formats. Otherwise, CaFE recommends a couple of free sites that can convert video files to the proper format:
Zamzar, an online file conversion, covering a wide range of different image, document, music, video and compression formats. Free for files up to 100 MB.
Online-Converter, Convert video, images, audio and documents for free with this fast online converter.
For more information, read CaFE’s Image and Media Preparation Guide.
Once you have determined that you have the correct file specs, you can begin the application process.
Uploading Video Files
After logging into CaFE, the first step is to upload your video files into the “My Portfolio” tab. We recommend that you upload your video(s) into the “My Portfolio” tab before beginning the MCC fellowship application.
In the “My Portfolio” tab, click “Upload Media” then click “video,” click “choose file” button to browse and select your video file by clicking “Open.” You’ll then have to type into these informational fields: Video Title, Original Format/Medium (film, video, etc.), Copy Format (DVD, PAL, NTSC, Region – if you don’t know, just write “DVD”), Duration (minutes:seconds), and Year Completed. All of these bold text fields are required. Avoid non-standard characters such as !%@^&,. Once you’ve completed this, click the “Add to My Portfolio” button at the bottom of the page. You’ll then see your image file being uploaded. It will take some time, so be patient.
Once the upload is complete, you will receive a notice that reads “Your media sample was successfully added.” You will also see another message that reads: “Your media file is being converted into a format recognized by CaFE and will be unavailable for playback until this process completes. Please be patient as this may take some time.” This message is part of the normal upload process that CaFE will employ to convert your file to .FLV format. This can take from several minutes to an hour. Your video will be available to view once the conversion is complete. You don’t have to stay on the page while it’s being converted. You can leave the page and log off CaFE while the media conversion is in progress. You can also upload another video if you chose.
Questions, email or call MCC Artist Fellowships Program Staff.
Kelly Bennett, 617/858-2705
Dan Blask, 617/858-2706