BlackBox

Curation Guide as at April 16, 2018

Hello BlackBoxer!

In this tutorial we’ll take you through the stock footage
EDITING/UPLOAD/CURATION/SUBMIT process. In other words, taking your
footage from raw camera files all the way to uploading and submitting to BlackBox,
at which point your footage will be automatically distributed to global markets and
you can start earning passive income.

Before we start, let’s talk about QUALITY and MARKETABILITY. It’s something you
should always be thinking about because we do not want to flood the market with
clips that are of a low technical or aesthetic quality.

• TRIM your clips so they don’t have unwanted camera moves, camera shake,
out of focus sections, poor framing or other flawed characteristics.

• Make sure your footage is not NOISY. Stock Agencies are getting much more
picky about NOISE. Many newer cameras are not suited to shooting in low
light so consider applying denoising filters as part of your process. Look at
your clips on a broadcast monitor if at all possible.

• COLOUR GRADING should be done so that your clips “POP” in the agency
thumbnail viewers. Don’t overdo it though. Ungraded or “raw” footage is not
encouraged at this time.

• Different POVS and shot styles are 100% encouraged. But don’t upload more
than a few variations of a subject matter and don’t upload the same basic
shot again and again. Buyers hate that and will skip over your content if you
do this.

• Export your clips with NO AUDIO. This means DE-SELECTING AUDIO in your
export settings.

• WATERFALLS, GRASS and SQUIRRELS. Now we are not saying not to shoot
these, but think about how many of these shots are already in the market so
you need to make your waterfall shots the best possible. People in a waterfall
shot will make a huge difference. Make sure safety is priority one when
shooting waterfalls (and Squirrels)!




What you shoot is up to you. You have complete FREEDOM! Shoot with passion and
shoot with purpose. Be critical. Ask yourself “would I buy this clip”?

If you spend some time on the various stock agencies doing research as to what is
available and selling (popular) before you shoot. This will help you a lot.

FORMATS

NOTE that BlackBox only accepts 4K (4096 X 2160 & 4096 X 2304), UHD (3840 X
2160), and HD (1920 X 1080 & 1280 X 720) formats, and only in progressive frame
rates 23.98p/25p/29.97p/30p/50p/60p. All others will be rejected. Interlaced
footage is not accepted. Clips should have No AUDIO (simply muting audio will not
work). Make sure AUDIO is checked OFF when you export your clips. Do NOT upload
clips that are PILLARBOXED or LETTERBOXED (black bars on sides or top and
bottom) as they will be rejected.

EDITING AND EXPORTING YOUR FOOTAGE (This applies to anyone preparing
clips for upload to BlackBox)

CLIP PREPARATION & UPLOADING TO BLACKBOX

Launch your non linear editing program and import your raw footage into a new
project. We recommend Adobe CC Premiere Pro and will be using it for this tutorial.

Create a BIN called STOCK.

SELECTS

Once you’ve imported your RAW footage assets into this bin, review the footage and
isolate segments of stable, well framed, and visually interesting footage. It’s very
important to note that clips must be LONGER than 5 seconds and SHORTER than 59
seconds, or they will be rejected by BlackBox as they cannot be sold in the
marketplace.

We recommend you keep clips to less than 30 seconds. So instead of a one 59
second clip you might consider making two 29 second clips. Or even better, four 15
second clips! The more clips you make, the more you will sell. Try to think like
someone who is looking for footage.

You can edit your clips in the SOURCE window and then create a separate sequence
for each clip.

Or you can edit and color correct footage in a sequence and then create a sub-
sequence or nested sequence for each of the desired clips on the timeline by
highlighting the clip and adjustment layers, right click and select “nest” or “make
subsequence”. It’s a good idea to name your main sequence in a way that lends itself
to sub clips filenames. (e.g. Cooking Vegetables 01012017) This will result in a
subsequence and export filename of Cooking Vegetables 01012017 – SUB 01 etc.)



The individual sequences you have created with either method can now be selected
as a group in the BIN and sent to Adobe Media Encoder for batch processing.

COLOUR CORRECTING (GRADING)

Unless you are going for a special “look” it’s best to go with a REC 709 grading
treatment. The bottom line is to make the clips useful to as many buyers as possible.
Further, when your clips “pop” in a search window on one of the stock agencies,
your chances of making a sale go up.

Within Adobe Premiere Pro, you can use the LUMETRI COLOR panel to apply LUTs
(Look Up Tables) and color grades to your footage. Be careful not to grade your
footage too much, as you want potential buyers to be able to adjust the footage to
their needs.



EXPORTING

You’ll want to make sure you’re exporting these clips properly so that BlackBox can
maximize the number of platforms we can market to. Here are the recommended
settings for single exports and batch exports.

Make sure you NAME your exported files in ENGLISH only. The same goes for
DESCRIPTIONs and KEYWORDs when you apply metadata later in the process.

De-Select the AUDIO checkbox in the export dialogue. Stock Footage Clips with
audio are very likely to be rejected in the marketplace and that means either redo or
rejection. So go with NO AUDIO.

BlackBox will accept H.264 as .MP4 or Apple Quicktime Pro-Res files as .MOV files. If
Quicktime, use the .MOV setting and the PRORES 422 codec. Match Source is
recommended.

If you do use MP4s make sure you use high bit rates or you will be creating NOISY
clips and they will be rejected, we suggest bit rates of at least 50 Mbps but we
recommend a minimum of 150 Mbps.



Make sure your aspect ratio, screen resolution and frame rate match the source
footage so you don’t end up with quality issues. Remember that only 4K (4096 X
2160 & 4096 X 2304), UHD (3840 X 2160), and HD (1920 X 1080 & 1280 X 720)
formats, and only in progressive frame rates 23.98p/25p/29.97p/30p/50p/60p.
footage is accepted at this point in time. Interlaced footage is not accepted.

NAME THE .MOV or .MP4 FILES

If you want to change the filenames of your exported clips, rename your files as you
wish with a maximum of 50 characters, including the .MP4 or .MOV suffix. You can
use index numbers in the filename. Remember that filenames must be in ENGLISH
only. Try to avoid duplicate names in your account.

SHARING

The notion of “SHARERS” is a key feature of BLACKBOX that is really at the core of
our philosophy. No one else does this and it’s a real advantage for BlackBox
Members.

You can assign co-owners or “SHARERS” as part of your CSV/XLS process or you can
do this in the CONTRIBUTE and CONTENT areas of MY BLACKBOX.

You can add SHARERS individually by editing clips one by one in the BLACKBOX
CONTENT. You can apply the SHARER values from one clip to the entire batch by
searching the BATCH NAME, and then add a SHARER to the first clip that appears in
the CONTENT area and then select “apply to all” in your clip editing window.

NOTE: when you assign a CURATOR as part of a PROJECT you will offer their share
in that CURATOR window so DO NOT assign them as a SHARER as well unless you
really do want them to get an extra % for some reason (RARE).

CURATOR OPTIONS

A CURATOR is someone that will edit/grade/tweak/export/name/upload/add
metadata and submit clips.

SHARING RATES – we recommend a share of 40% for FULL CURATION and 20% for
METADATA ONLY CURATION. We want things to be fair and we also want
collaborators to be motivated to do their best work and be efficient. You are free to
negotiate your sharing rates.

Before you get started you have a few options.

1) FULL SELF CURATION (YOU EDIT and CURATE your OWN clips) - Use the My
BlackBox CONTRIBUTE area. Upload using either the BlackBox uploader OR
via FTP. Apply metadata using the BlackBox metadata editing tools OR apply
an CSV (the template is in the TOOLS area of the portal). Submit when ready.

2) FULL COLLABORATOR CURATION (SOMEONE ELSE EDITS/CURATES)- Use
the My BlackBox COLLABORATE area and here you can hook up with a friend
or colleague who is a registered member of BlackBox to do the footage
curation (edit, grade, fix, name, add descriptions, keywords, editorial
captions, add releases, etc.). You will assign them a “SHARE” using our
BlackBox patented sharing technology. If your curator is going to do the
uploading, add the metadata and do the submission, use the COLLABORATE
tab and create a PROJECT. You can assign or request a fellow BlackBox
member as your CURATOR in the PROJECT menu. Use SELECT CURATOR
from the CURATOR SELECTION OPTION and select your curator from the list.
DO NOT add the curator as a “SHARER” or you will have doubled their
entitlement. NOTE that you will need to provide your COLLABORATOR with
any completed RELEASE FORMS so they can attach them to your clips. This
can get complicated so make sure you’re super organized.



3) PARTIAL BLEND BETWEEN SELF and COLLABORATOR CURATION. - Use the
My BlackBox CONTRIBUTE area. Upload your
edited/graded/tweaked/exported clips using either the BlackBox uploader
OR via FTP. Once the clips appear in you CONTRIBUTE area, select the clips
you want curated by another member (you can use the BATCH function here)
then use the ASSIGN TO CURATOR function to send the Metadata work
request to your COLLABORATOR. They can then apply metadata using the
BlackBox metadata editing tools OR apply an CSV/XLS file (the template is in
the TOOLS area of the portal). Once they are done, they will send the clips
back to your for APPROVAL/REJECTION and SUBMISSION. Note that
RELEASE FORMS need to be added by you, the “owner” of the clips.

4) BLACKBOX ASSIGNED COLLABORATOR CURATION - If you don’t have a
CURATOR, BlackBox can match a fellow member to take care of the curation
for you as a SHARER. Within the CURATOR SELECTION OPTION in the
CREATE A PROJECT window, use the dropdown menu to select the
BLACKBOX ASSIGNS CURATOR option. Then send copies of your RAW
uncurated footage to BlackBox and we will get them to your
COLLABORATOR. You can send the files on an external drive (make sure you
send copies of your files to us and keep the originals) or upload via FTP. You
can also use storage applications such as DROPBOX or GOOGLE DRIVE to
transfer footage to your collaborator. NOTE that RAW footage uploads via
FTP will be limited to 50GB or less per batch. Once the COLLABORATOR has
completed the work, he/she will upload to BlackBox, apply metadata and
then send the PROJECT back to you for review and submission.


If you are going to collaborate on BlackBox make sure you become proficient
before you attach a lot of clips. Try a few clips, get to know your collaborator.
There are a number of “handoffs” back and forth in the process so pay
attention.


UPLOADING To BLACKBOX

FTP UPLOAD or BLACKBOX WEB UPLOADER?

You can upload via either method BUT make sure if you use the BLACKBOX WEB
UPLOADER that your clips are LESS than 512MB in size each. If you clips are larger
than 512 MB each you’ll need to use the FTP upload process.

For FTP uploads, you must download and install a FTP client software like
FILEZILLA. Simply Google FILEZILLA and you’ll find the download site. After you
install it you will login as follows.

FTP login:

HOST: portal.blackbox.global
USER: use your BB user ID
PW: use your BB PW
PORT: Leave Blank

You now have a few FOLDER options:

1) If you are uploading content that is NOT part of a BlackBox PROJECT started in
the COLLABORATE area, then simply upload to the ROOT of the STOCK FOOTAGE
directory in your FTP program. DO NOT use the
“For_collaborative_projects_content_only” sub-folder in the FTP directory for this
function. DO NOT create any new folders in the FTP directory, it is NOT necessary or
advised.

2) If you are uploading content to that IS part of a BlackBox PROJECT then you
should go to the STOCK FOOTAGE FOLDER, then to the
““For_collaborative_projects_content_only” “ folder and you will see the PROJECT
specific folder that was created automatically when the PROJECT was created. DO
NOT create any new folders in this FTP directory, it is NOT necessary or advised.


BATCHES

Creating batches is a great way for you to organize your clips within BlackBox. Once
your clips are uploaded you can create batches using the CSV/XLS upload method or
using the BlackBox web editing functions. For CSV/XLS, simply add a BATCHNAME
to that column for the clip. Then Upload the CSV/XLS and all the metadata, including
the BATCH NAME will be applied to the clips. If you want to create a BATCH within
BlackBox, simply use the CREATE BATCH NAME function, select all the clips you
want to include in the batch and then hit the CREATE BATCH NAME button.

METADATA

Once your clips are uploaded to BLACKBOX (using either the web uploader or FTP),
and once your footage has appeared in the CONTRIBUTE tab in MY BLACKBOX, you
can edit the metadata of the clips individually, as a BATCH or you can upload a
.CSV/.XLS file containing all the required metadata to take your footage to market.



If you want to use the .CSV/.XLS method, go to the FORMS AND TEMPLATES tab on
the “TOOLS” page and download the BLACKBOX .CSV/.XLS template and bring it into
Microsoft Excel or any other spreadsheet program and fill out the required fields.

Ensure that you leave the header row intact as you found it in the template. This
header row is really important.

Copy and paste your filenames, including the .mov suffix into the first row of the
.CSV/.XLS You can do this by selecting all of the files in a directory and then
copy/paste into the first column of .CSV/.XLS. The maximum number of characters
is 50. Make sure these entries match the names of the actual video files perfectly or
the process will not work. Numerical characters ARE allowed in this field. For
example: DOG IN PARK 001.mov, DOG IN PARK 002.mov etc.


DESCRIPTION

Make sure that each clip has an original and unique DESCRIPTION in ENGLISH.
Descriptions must have at least 15 characters and no more than 200 characters,
with the recommended maximum at 80 characters. Do NOT include the .MP4 or
.MOV suffix in the description. Special characters are NOT allowed (-,_,?,!,$,%,#).
Numerical characters are also NOT allowed in this field. So don’t use index numbers

in the DESCRIPTION like “Bird of Prey – Great Horned Owl on White BG 002” or
your footage will not be accepted by some market platforms. Make sure you use
only valid English words and NO abbreviations. For example, “Man and Woman
dancing on white screen CU.” will be rejected because of the CU abbreviation, use
CLOSE UP instead of CU. If you have several shots that are similar you must make
sure you differentiate them by having unique DESCRIPTIONS. For instance, “Great
Horned Owl sits on perch on White Screen background”. Be creative, the more
descriptive and unique your DESCRIPTIONS are the more likely potential buyers
will find them.

KEY WORDS

Next step is “key-wording” or “tagging”. You need to come up with a minimum of 7
and a maximum of 49 keywords in ENGLISH that apply to your shots. Fewer or
more keywords will result in rejections. The more keywords, the better the chances
are that your clip will show up in a search and therefor the better the chances are
that you will sell it. This is really important. Spelling counts!

Use keywords that apply to the subject, the location, the lighting, the shot type or
anything that will help people searching for your media find it in the sea of stock
footage. You can even use clever tags that are related but not obvious, like a shot of a
Cow with a keyword “vegan”. In the case of the OWL you could use tags like
“curious, eyeball, horns, endangered, conservation, wild, bird, Raptor, owl, Great
Horned Owl”. Any context that might result in your clip getting returned on a search
is a good thing. There are a few keyword generator sites out there. We like this one
http://microstockgroup.com/tools/keyword.php

RELEASE FORMS

Model and/or Location release forms are required for clips that contain
recognizable people and places and that are NOT editorial. You can find the
appropriate forms in the TOOLS area of the main BlackBox portal. You must upload
properly filled out, signed and witnessed release forms as part of the curation
process or your content will most likely be rejected. Make sure you save the forms
as .JPG files and upload them using the BlackBox uploader. If you are using the same
form for several clips in a curation session you can apply a single release form to a
batch.

BlackBox keeps a list of your release forms, this is handy if you need to use a release
in a future upload and curation session. Be aware that novel releases are required
for each shoot you do, so you will need a fresh model release every time you work
with a model as the releases are dated and shoot specific. You can access previously
uploaded release forms in the uploader. Watch the details!

You should use the BlackBox templates that can be found in the TOOLS area of the
BlackBox portal. If you do want to use an app to generate your releases, make sure
your template is a perfect match for the BlackBox template.

ALL DATES MUST MATCH. All signatures must be on the same day of the shoot or
the release will not be valid. We are working on full automation of this process but
in the meantime please follow our process carefully.


EDITORIAL CONTENT AND CAPTIONS

IMPORTANT – if your clips contain people that are recognizable who have not
signed releases, visible company logos & trademarks, or things like graffiti, tattoos,
or other intellectual property that requires an artists release, the clip is considered
EDITORIAL, and you must mark the clip as EDITORIAL in the uploader, or in the
.CSV mark EDITORIAL as TRUE (see below). This means that the footage can be sold
for news, documentary or otherwise non-commercial projects. If you don’t have any
of the above in your shot, or if you have the proper releases then you can offer your
media for commercial use by entering FALSE in this row.

If your media is editorial in nature, you will need to enter an additional editorial
caption. These are meant to be news worthy, and again the formatting of these
captions will be very important in helping potential buyers find your clips. If this is
the case mark the EDITORIAL column in the .CSV and TRUE and write a caption.



An example of an editorial caption reads like this:

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, May 2016 – Young Skateboarders on the Streets to
Celebrate Go Skateboarding Day in the city.

If your EDITORIAL CAPTION is not specific it may be rejected.

SUBMIT

Once you’ve finished adding metadata, release forms and sharers, it is time to
SUBMIT to BLACKBOX. MAKE SURE you do a “Pre Flight Check” of your clips as this
the “point of no return”:

- Is all METADATA as desired and compliant?
- Are all RELEASES uploaded and attached?
- Have SHARERS been assigned properly?

IMPORTANT: Once you press SUBMIT you will be unable to edit further or add
releases so make sure you are 100% ready to do this. Check twice, then check

again.

SUBMIT can be done by individual clip or you can APPLY ALL in the CONTRIBUTE
area. Once submitted, your content will show up in the CONTENT area of My
BlackBox.

If you are submitting clips created as part of a COLLABORATIVE PROJECT you can
mark the PROJECT as COMPLETE and the clips will automatically be submitted OR
you can submit the clips individually. It is a good idea to double check your curator’s
work, in the case that something needs to be altered. If a clip does require alteration,
you can use the “REJECT” button to send the clip(s) back to the curator to be fixed.

BLACKBOX will now take your content to global markets of potential buyers around
the world. Footage usually takes anywhere from a few days to a few weeks to be
reviewed and accepted or rejected by the agencies – you’ll be able to track the status
of your “OWNED and SHARED” clips in your CONTENT tab.

You can also find your footage on each individual agency by searching the user
profile “BlackBoxGuild”. You will be able to see your accepted footage as well as
footage from other BlackBox members.

Thanks for joining our content creator community! We are just getting started so
stay tuned for lots of great features as we keep developing the BlackBox platform
and creator community.

Your feedback is important so please send any questions, suggestions or trouble
reports to us. Contact information can be found on the main website at
www.blackbox.global OR you can post on the BlackBox Members Facebook group.