Multimedia Submission Guidelines

Thank you for contributing content to Catholics & Cultures. Please use the following guidelines when capturing and submitting video and photography.

When shooting video footage,

  • Hold your camera horizontally.
  • Capture people and action, not just buildings and still life.
  • Pan and zoom slowly and smoothly. Try to hold the camera steady. It helps to use a tripod, monopod or lean your arm on something.
  • Make sure your audio levels are not too high (causing distortion) or too low.

When editing your video for submission,

  • Keep the original audio; do not dub recorded music or sound over it. Please consult us before dubbing translations of audio.
  • Create any titles on a white background. Do not use subtitles or overlay titles on video footage.
  • Use simple cuts, cross dissolves or fade to black. Do not use any fancy transitions.
  • Send still photos separately as jpgs. Do not embed them into the video.
  • You must have created and/or have permission to use all content, including video and still imagery, words and music.

When sending your video,

  • Send in an uncompressed format. Preserve the aspect ratio. Keep the video on the same settings as the original footage.
  • Preferred video format is 1080p (full HD) or 720p at 29.97 (or 30) frames per second.
  • Accepted file formats: MP4, MOV, FLV
  • Include captions, title information or other descriptions in an accompanying file.

When taking photographs,

  • Horizontal photos are preferred.
  • Include people and action in your shots, not just landscapes and still life.
  • Make sure the subject is in focus, and the lighting is adequate.

When editing photographs,

  • Do not add effects, titles or borders to the image.
  • Do not crop the image too tightly. Be sure the photo can conform to a 3 x 2 aspect ratio.

When sending photographs,

  • Photographs should be at least 900 pixels wide.
  • Accepted file formats: JPG, PDF, TIFF, EPS or PNG. Do not embed photos in Powerpoint slideshows, movie files or Word documents.
  • Include captions and credits for each.

Please email catholicsandcultures [at] holycross.edu (subject: Multimedia%20Submission) (catholicsandcultures[at]holycross[dot]edu) to determine the best way to transfer large files.