The Long Field

Check first Every caption may be an hour late

• Caption 1 · 01:00:02,000 The first caption starts 1 hour and 2 seconds in. Editing timelines often start at 01:00:00:00, and this file seems to have kept that start.

Filmhub: Caption events must appear and disappear within .5 seconds of the associated audio.

How to fix: if your timeline started at 01:00:00:00, take 1 hour off every caption (caption tools can shift them all at once). We checked the other rules on the times as they are.

Must fix Sound descriptions Filmhub will delete

• Caption 2 · 01:00:05,000 {wind howling}
• Caption 10 · 01:00:28,500 <footsteps approaching>

Filmhub: Atmospherics should be enclosed in parentheses (). If they are enclosed in {} or <>, they will be deleted, which may result in an empty line

How to fix: use square brackets or parentheses: [WIND HOWLING], [FOOTSTEPS APPROACHING] (Filmhub’s SDH page asks for capitals).

Must fix Blank and empty lines

• Caption 12 · 01:00:32,500 A blank line inside the caption splits it in two (file line 52).
• Captions 2 and 10 These lines will be empty once Filmhub deletes the text in { } or < > (above).

Filmhub: The caption file must not contain blank or empty lines

How to fix: remove the blank line in caption 12. Fixing the brackets above fixes the other two.

Must fix Lines over 43 characters

• Caption 4 · 01:00:09,500 Is anybody out there? I saw the lights from the road. 53 characters.
• Caption 7 · 01:00:22,500 I didn't think anyone lived out here anymore. 45 characters.

Filmhub: Maximum 43 characters per single line

How to fix: break caption 4 over two lines (“Is anybody out there?” / “I saw the lights from the road.”). Caption 7 needs splitting anyway (below).

Must fix More than two lines

• Caption 7 · 01:00:22,500 3 lines.

Filmhub: Maximum of two lines per caption event

How to fix: split caption 7 into two captions, each with enough time on screen (next finding).

Must fix Too fast to read

• Caption 4 · 01:00:09,500 35.3 characters a second.
• Caption 7 · 01:00:22,500 103 characters a second: 103 characters in 1 second.

Filmhub: No more than 25 characters per second. Filmhub doesn’t say how it counts; we count every character, spaces included.

How to fix: give caption 4 at least 2.2 seconds on screen, moving caption 5 later if needed. Caption 7’s words need at least 4.2 seconds in all, across the two new captions.

Must fix Captions too close together

• Caption 3 · 01:00:07,020 starts 20 ms after caption 2 ends.
• Caption 5 · 01:00:11,040 starts 40 ms after caption 4 ends.
• Caption 11 · 01:00:29,800 overlaps caption 10 by 200 ms.

Filmhub: At least 42 milliseconds between different caption events

How to fix: end the earlier caption a frame or two sooner in each pair.

Must fix On screen too briefly

• Caption 5 · 01:00:11,040 Hey! 360 ms.

Filmhub: Caption events must last for at least 600 milliseconds (0.6 seconds)

How to fix: keep it up for at least 0.6 seconds, ending at least 42 ms before caption 6.

Must fix On screen too long

• Caption 6 · 01:00:12,000 [door creaks] 10 seconds.

Filmhub: Caption events must last no longer than 8000 milliseconds (8 seconds)

How to fix: end it when the sound ends, and no later than 8 seconds after it starts.

Check Short dialogue split over two lines

• Caption 9 · 01:00:26,000 Come inside. / It's cold. fits on one line (23 characters).
• Caption 12 · 01:00:32,500 Just me. / and the dog. fits on one line (21 characters).

Filmhub: Dialogue from a single speaker that is less than 43 characters should be entered in a single line

How to fix: if one person says each, put it on one line. If two people speak, mark both lines with hyphens.

Check One hyphen for two lines

• Caption 8 · 01:00:24,000 - You shouldn't be here. / I know. Only the first line starts with a hyphen.

Filmhub: Two people speaking in the same event must be denoted with hyphens

How to fix: two speakers: start the second line with a hyphen too. One speaker: remove the hyphen.

Note Italics will be removed

• Caption 1 · 01:00:02,000 <i>Somewhere outside Boise, 1994.</i>

Filmhub: All captions are normalized to plain text during the QC review. This means all formatting tags will be removed.

Harmless here, as long as the italics weren’t the only sign that this is on-screen text.

Note Sound description in lowercase

• Caption 6 · 01:00:12,000 [door creaks]

Filmhub’s SDH page: Sound effects: ALL CAPS in brackets, [GUNSHOT]. Its caption page also shows lowercase examples, so this is a style point. Be consistent.

Must fix Synopsis too long

• Synopsis 312 characters, including spaces.

Filmhub: Use a maximum of 255 characters including spaces

How to fix: cut at least 57 characters. If you’ll use Filmhub’s bulk spreadsheet, its template says “under 255”, so aim for 254 or fewer.

Must fix key-art_16x9.jpg is too small, and not 16:9

• 1920 × 1000 px JPEG, title shown.

Filmhub’s movies table: Landscape 16:9 | 1920 × 1080 px | Yes | Yes (aspect ratio, minimum size, required, include title name).

How to fix: export it again from the original artwork at 1920 × 1080 or larger, at 16:9. Don’t stretch this file.

Must fix 3:4 portrait art is missing

• key-art_3x4.jpg Not in the files you sent.

Filmhub’s movies table: Portrait 3:4 | 1575 × 2100 px | Yes | Yes

How to fix: make a 3:4 version, at least 1575 × 2100, with the title on it.