Version 6.2
Last updated: Feb 2022
1 Objective
The purpose of this document is to provide a high-level overview of our Digital Asset Requirements. The goal of these requirements is to preserve the original artistic intent of the work and simultaneously provide a high-quality viewing experience for Fearless Members.
2 Primary Digital Asset Specifications
Files MUST:
- Adhere to the original frame rate and aspect ratio as it was originally shot.
- Source material must be uncensored.
- Be un-subtitled. If you have a version of the film that includes subtitles embedded, you must also include a version without embedded subtitles.
- Contain a minimum of 1 frame and a maximum of 1 second of black and silence at head and tail.
- If Source Material has commercial blacks, each commercial black segment must be trimmed to 2 seconds or less.
- Episodic content must have commercial bumpers, previews and recaps removed.
- Resizing of content to change its original aspect ratio is prohibited without advance notice and approval from Fearless.
Files CANNOT CONTAIN:
- Bars & tone, production slates, placards, commercial bumpers, segment previews/recaps (some exceptions apply for comedic or satirical purposes but they require a case-by-case review), time codes, ratings, disclaimers (some exceptions apply for comedic or satirical purposes but they require a case-by-case review), overlays or watermarks, FBI warning cards, promotional text, informational overlays.
- Website links are not permitted unless they are present during end credits (exceptions are granted for links to non-profit URLs displayed inside of social issue films or educational documentaries for informational purposes ONLY – subject to Fearless’ discretion). All links must be to active, well designed websites that are actively maintained and are likely to be continually maintained for the duration of the title’s life on Fearless.
3 Language Specs
- The primary language for Fearless is English. As we are only available in English-speaking parts of the world, all content must contain an English version OR we must be supplied with English subtitle file or a copy of the film with burned-in subtitles IN ADDITION to the non-subtitled version.
- If your film has multiple audio versions (ie: dubbed), you may supply multiple copies of your video file with each language burned in. We do not currently support multi-audio files, so please supply two versions of your film instead.
4 Audio Specs
Channels: Stereo
For best results, we recommend 2-channel Stereo audio. For any number of channels above 2, we will downmix your audio to 2 channels.
Codec: AAC-LC (Advanced Audio Codec)
For best results, we recommend using AAC-LC (low complexity) for the audio codec.
Data rate: 320 kbit/s
For best results, encode your audio at constant rate of 320 kbit/s.
Sample rate: 48 kHz
For best results, set your audio sample rate to 48 kHz. If your working setting is already less than or equal to 48 kHz, leave it as is. For any audio uploaded with a sampling rate over 48kHz, we will resample your audio to 48 kHz or below.
5 Video Specs
Codecs
We accept most major codecs, but for best results we recommend using one of the following:
| H.264H.264 is a standard codec that balances high visual quality with efficient file size. It’s a great starting point for encoding your videos as it ensures you’ll get the most out of your upload quota while minimizing upload and conversion times. Be sure to choose the “High Profile” H.264 setting instead of “Main Profile.” Please note that the H.264 video codec only supports resolutions up to 4K. H.265 (HEVC)H.265 or High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC) is the successor to H.264, which offers a smaller sized file with high visual quality at the cost of increased encoding time. This video codec supports resolutions up to 8K and high dynamic range (HDR) videos. |
NOTE: Apple ProRes 422 (HQ) not required.
While this professional-quality codec ensures a high quality for your encoded video, it results in a much larger file size than necessary and is overkill for streaming. You do not need to send us your ProRes files.
Frame Rate
When preparing your video, it’s best to maintain the video’s native frame rate when compressing your video. If your footage exceeds 60 FPS, we will automatically reduce the frame rate.
Important: We recommend a constant frame rate throughout your entire video. Always choose “constant” frame rate instead of “variable” frame rate.
While we accept many frame rates, these are the most commonly used:
| FPS, 23.98, 24, 25, 29.97, 30, 50, 59.94, 60 |
Bit rate
Bit rate (also known as data rate) controls the visual quality of the video and its file size. If your video editing software gives you the option, choose a “variable” bit rate and select a value from the ranges below. You can experiment with different rates if your file is too large or you’re not happy with the quality of your source file.
| Quality Bit rate (Mbps)*SD 2 – 5720p 5 – 101080p 10 – 202K 20 – 304K 30 – 608K 50 – 80 |
*If you have the ability to set the CRF (constant rate factor), we recommend setting it to 18 or below.
Resolution
Videos come in all shapes and sizes and Fearless can stream them all as the filmmaker intended them. The following are some of the most common formats. We recommend compressing your video with a pixel aspect ratio of 1:1, or square pixels. HD or greater is suggested.
| 720p HD16:9 aspect ratio 1280 × 7201080p HD16:9 aspect ratio 1920 × 10802K16:9 aspect ratio 2560 × 14404K UHD16:9 aspect ratio 3840 × 2160DCI 4K UHD17:9 aspect ratio 4096 × 2160We do NOT currently stream at 8K (but we may in the future), so if you are providing an 8K copy of your film, please also provide a 4K version in addition. |
IMPORTANT: Stereoscopic video should be uploaded with the left and right view stacked on top of each other as 4096 x 1024 (4:1 aspect ratio) for each eye.
Color
For the most accurate color display on Fearless, we recommend uploading a file that contains color space information. Note: some software may not offer control over your color settings.
| Color Primaries and Matrix CoefficientsWe support all color primaries and matrices, but we recommend BT.2020 (Rec. 2020) or BT.709 (Rec. 709). You can use the same value for both color primary and matrix coefficients. Color Transfer CharacteristicsWe support a wide range of transfer characteristics for standard (SDR) videos, but for HDR videos we only support the PQ (SMPTE 2084) or HLG transfer function. If using the PQ (SMPTE 2084) transfer function, please include the following metadata to ensure the most accurate display of your video’s colors on all devices: Mastering Display Color Volume metadata (SMPTE 2086) and Content Light Level Information metadata (CEA 861.3). This metadata is usually added automatically in post-production. Bit DepthWe support various bit depths, but we recommend a bit depth of 10 or greater for the highest quality results. For high dynamic range (HDR) videos, your file needs to have a bit depth of 10 or greater in order to be considered HDR on Vimeo. |
Span Type: Progressive
Fearless converts all videos to progressive for playback. For best results, we recommend deinterlacing videos prior to upload.
6 Subtitle Specs
Subtitles are REQUIRED for Non-English titles and RECOMMENDED for all English titles. SubRip (.srt files) or WebVTT (.vtt) are preferred, but several formats are compatible, including DXFP/TTML (.dxfp), Scenarist (.scc), SAMI (.SAMI). If you do not have a separate subtitle file for your film, you may submit a copy with burned-in subtitles so long as you also submit a version without subtitles in addition.
7 Subtitles in Creative or Necessary Capacity
Burned-in subtitles are permitted for all titles in certain circumstances (such as an English film where there’s 5 minutes of Japanese spoken or a situation where the audio would be inaudible without subtitles in a documentary or true crime type scenario or a situation where characters speak a made-up language in a film and so on). Fearless may review these circumstances on a case-by-case basis.
8 Artwork Specs
Each Display Art asset shall comply with the following guidelines:
- No extra text such as quotes, taglines, credits, copyrights, or billing blocks
- No extra logos such as award laurels, studio, distributor or branding logos.
- No weapons, drugs, nudity, sexual content, or extreme gore/violence.
- Logo and key art on separate layers in PSD or vector formats ideally.
- PNG, JPG, or JPEG only. If you have the original vector or photoshop files, you can send those in addition.
Core Artwork
We require BOTH of the following for every title (no exceptions).
| Poster Art (Vertical only)2:3 is recommended.Recommended 1-3 designs or options for A/B Purposes. Title Card Display Art (Horizontal only)Must be 16:9 – recommended 2560 x 1440 (minimum 1920×1080).A visual depiction of the title with the name of the film or series in the font/logo.The ONLY text permitted is the name of the film or series.Series should never say “The Series” or “Webseries” on them. Use only the name of the actual show. Artwork should never contain the words: “Season 1, Season 2, and so on” (exception: if the seasons have different names for each Season (ie: “American Horror Story: Apocalypse” is acceptable).Live-action films/series cannot use animated artwork. Animated films/series cannot use live-action artwork.Recommended 1-3 designs or options for A/B Purposes. Title Treatment LogoThe original logo as it appears on your poster and/or Title Card Display ArtNo text other than the title of the film/seriesIf your title appears differently on your artwork and in your film/series, include BOTH. |
Episodic Artwork
For series only.
| Artwork For Each EpisodeProvide a Horizontal representation for each episode. It is recommended that this is a screenshot from the episode as a 16:9 (minimum 1920 x 1080) image. Designed representations are also acceptable provided they meet the guidelines as set forth in the above mentioned. PNG, JPG, or JPEG preferred. IMPORTANT: Please name each file using the S1E1 format, where S indicates the Season number and E indicates the Episode number. You’d be surprised how often we get screenshots that don’t indicate which episode or which season the image is from. |
9 Metadata
Provide a metadata sheet for each title OR a master spreadsheet that contains full metadata for all titles. Excel is preferred. Doc is also acceptable.
- Metadata MUST include: title, year, synopsis, genres, tags, director(s), cast, and age rating.
- It is recommended to also include: perspectives, production company(ies) or studio(s), film festivals, awards, and any other pertinent information you may have.
- For series only: Also include the title and description of every episode. You can also include cast and directors or any other metadata if changes for each episode.
10 Recommended Promotional Materials
When it comes to promotional materials, the more you provide, the more likely Fearless may feature your work, which can result in additional viewership. The following materials should be provided when they are available, but are not explicitly required:
- Promotional video: Trailers, previews, teasers, free scenes, behind-the-scenes videos, bonus features, interview footage from cast or crew that can be used for promotional purposes, etc.
- Promotional images: stills, GIFs, cast/crew images, behind-the-scenes images, social media posts, etc.
- Promotional text or links: links to online listings (IMDB, etc), articles, press mentions, reviews, etc.
- Other: Social Media and/or Marketing Information Sheet containing any pertinent social media handles for Instagram/Twitter for you and your cast/crew), or anything else that may assist Fearless in showcasing your titles.
11 File Considerations
Important: Never send files as an attachment in an email.
Important: Do NOT submit files in small parts at a time. Please wait until you have all files ready and send them to us all at once.
You may wish to include the following considerations when naming files:
- If you have company barcodes or Title IDs, including those in the file names is helpful, but not required.
- For series, the format should be S1E1, where S means the season number and E means the Episode number.
- For screenshots, the file name should specify who is in the photo and/or what is happening (ex: “Screenshot_DanielRadcliffe_RupertGrint” or “Screenshot_S1E12” or “BehindTheScenes_JohnDoe_SallyAnn”).
We can accept files via many options. The following are the most common:
- Google Drive Folder
- Dropbox Folder
- Vimeo File Download Links (compile them into a word doc).
- Folders via Box, OneDrive, or other file sharing service.
- WeTransfer
- Amazon S3 Bucket or FTP (contact us to set this up if you need it).
12 Help & Support
- Need help & support for yourself? Email your rep directly.
- For members, they should email support@fearless.li
- To download Fearless for iOS: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/fearless-movies-shows/id1453342735?ls=1
To download Fearless for Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.watchfearless.WatchFearless
DO NOT GIVE YOUR REP’S EMAIL ADDRESS OR PHONE NUMBER OUT PLEASE.
13 Brand Asset Downloads
You may wish to use the Fearless logo and associated assets for your marketing efforts. To get the details and access downloads, visit this link: Fearless Digital Assets Materials Folder on Google Drive