Frequently Asked Questions about video uploads

If you have a question about uploading video clips to The Production Village, please read these FAQs before emailing us.

1) What file format should I use?

We use a video player on the site that plays FLV format files. If you have a clip, but no means of converting it to FLV, upload it and we'll try to convert it for you, but turn-around time may be longer, and you won't have control over the quality of the file. We should be able to accept most common formats, such as MPEG2, DivX, MPEG4, AVI (most codecs), and Quicktime. Clip dimensions will be restricted to 320x200 in our encoding process, so if you can restrict to that format, it's best.

2) What is FLV? Why have I never heard of it before?

FLV is 'Flash video' - basically, it's MPEG 4 video, encoded for use on the web. It's key advantage is that it's playable in any browser that has Macromedia (or Adobe, these days) Flash installed. It's also cross platform. If you've ever looked at YouTube® or similar sites, then you've seen FLV at work. Files are small, they stream well, and they don't require Quicktime / Windows Media Player / RealPlayer / Java or any other less common technology available. Trust us, it's the way forward.

Our video player doesn't allow direct downloads to external computers, but a determined user could always take a recording if they like your material that much. We'd recommend that you only upload edited samples of your material, short sections to give the listener a taste. These are also faster to upload as well.

There is a limit of 20MB on uploads. Practically, that should be ample. Remember that you're trying to sell your skills, not make a potential employer sit through half an hour of video. If you're trying to upload a big clip for us to convert for you, try to resample it first so that it's a more manageable size. If you can, upload it as an MPEG 4 or DivX format video if you need us to convert it to FLV for you. Also, keep it to 320 x 200 pixels max.

5) The upload page doesn't work for me. Why??

The upload page includes a progress bar so you can monitor how the upload is going but this requires you to have Javascript enabled in your browser. Check that the browser you're using supports this facility.

Even without JavaScript your files should still upload providing that they are smaller than our maximum file size - they might just take a while longer. Consider making the files smaller or using a different browser.

6) I've uploaded a file, but it's not appearing in my profile. Why?

Certain types of content that you upload to The Production Village must receive editor approval before they are visible to the general public. This is so that we can try to prevent abuse. If your content doesn't go live within 24 hours of your upload, then please use the contact page to escalate your enquiry.