FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS & ANSWERS:

Question: I am having trouble getting my video sized down for uploading, can you help me?

Answer: Yes, The easiest thing to do is to export the video as an MP4-Video instead of a QuickTime MOV. file

Question:  Can I use my own consent forms that I have already had parents/students sign?

Answer:  No, we will need either the Video Talent Release Form for Individuals or the Video Talent Release Form for Teams provided by the NO BULL Challenge.

Question:  When can people start voting, and what is that process going to be like? Are they going to have to register or will they just be able to vote. Also, will you be able to see what the top 100 videos are on any given day, or will it be announced at the end of the month?

Answer:  For anyone to vote, they need to be registered. You will be able to see what the top 100 videos are during the public voting period. Public voting begins on April 1st, as the upload deadline was extended to March 31st.

Question:  What should we do with our signed contest release forms?

Answer:  Either scan and e-mail them to [email protected] or you can fax them to:  925-462-8888.  If you would like, you can also mail them to:  The Great American NO BULL Challenge:  6600 Koll Center Parkway, Suite 100.  Pleasanton, CA  94566. 

Question:  How many student videos can one (1) single teacher be involved with?

Answer:  There is no limit to how many students one (1) single teacher may work with on their video.  They can work with every student in the entire school if they choose to do so. 

Question:  Do I have to work with a Teacher or Organization Leader to create a video?

Answer:  No, you may create and submit a video on your own, be sure your parents sign the release forms.

Question:  Does my video have to have a storyline?

Answer:  No, you can tell the story however it makes sense to you. 

Question:  Can there be more than 1 Executive Producer?

Answer:  No, you can have more than one student work on a video, but we can only have (1) Executive Producer per video. 

Question:  Do I have to work with a partner or a team?

Answer:  No, you may create your video all on your own and submit it.

Question:  If I am camera shy, can I just hold up note cards to the camera instead of talking into it?

Answer:  Yes, you have full complete creative control when making your video.

Question:  I registered and submitted my video but I don’t see it on the website view and voting page?

Answer:  It is very important that you follow our guidelines for formatting your video:

Accepted file extensions for video: AVI, MOV, WMV, MP4, MPEG, FLV, 3GP and 3G2. 

Recommended settings:

• MPEG4 (Divx, Xvid) format
• 320 x 240 resolution
• MP3 audio
• 30 frames per second

We cannot accept files larger than 100mb.

If you don’t follow the formatting guidelines then you may be submitting a broken video in which case our system will automatically invalidate all broken entries.

Question: My students are working on videos for the NO BULL Video Challenge.  They are wanting to put songs on their videos by popular musical artists.  Is this allowed as long as the song and artist is credited at the end of the video? 

Answer:  As long as you fall under the category of “Fair Use” for Copyright Laws then you may use popular musical artist songs in your video.  What is Fair Use?

“Fair use” is a set of guidelines within the copyright law that allows for the limited use of copyrighted works without first obtaining the permission of the author or owner. These fair use guidelines make it possible for you to use parts of published works in projects, research papers, and reports you write for classes without violating copyright laws.

How can I tell if use of a copyrighted work is fair?

When evaluating a particular use of copyrighted materials consider the following four factors, and ask yourself the following questions:

1. The purpose and character of the use:

• Does the new work transform the original work or offer something beyond the original?
  Copyrighted works that are altered significantly are more likely to be considered fair use.
• Is the use for nonprofit or educational purposes?
  Copyrighted works used for nonprofit or educational purposes are more likely to be considered fair use.

2. The nature of the copyrighted work:

• Is the copyrighted work published or unpublished?
  Use of published works are more likely to be considered fair use.
• Is the original work out of print?
  Use of out of print works are more likely to be considered fair use.
• Is the copyrighted work factual or creative?
  Use of factual works are more likely to be considered fair use.

3. The amount and significance of the portion used in relation to the work as a whole:

• Is the amount of the original work used reasonable?
  The smaller the percentage of the work used, the more likely it is to qualify as fair use.
• Is the section of the original work used the most important part of the work?
  The less significant the portion of the work used, the more likely it is to be considered fair use.

4. The effect of the use upon the potential market for or value of the work:

• Does the new work appeal to the same audience as the original work?
  Copyrighted works that are used for another purpose or designed to appeal to a different audience are more likely to be considered fair use.

Fair Use Guidelines for Multimedia Projects Allowed Uses

Many students like to make use of various forms of media like images, recorded portions of television programs, digitized sound files, etc. in their projects and presentations. The Fair Use Guidelines For Educational Multimedia allow students who create educational multimedia projects containing copyrighted materials to use their projects for

• educational uses in the course for which they were created.
• portfolios as examples of their academic work.
• personal uses such as job and graduate school interviews.

Students who create multimedia projects and follow the fair use guidelines do not have to request permission to retain a copy of their materials for their personal portfolio after completing their class or presentation. The guidelines require that all multimedia projects that include copyrighted materials:

• credit the sources, display the copyright notice, and provide copyright ownership information. (The credit identifies the source of the work, including the author, title, publisher, and place and date of publication. The copyright ownership information includes the copyright notice, year of first publication, and name of the copyright holder.)
• state on the opening screen and on any accompanying print material a notice that certain materials are included under the fair use exemption of the U.S. Copyright Law and have been prepared according to the multimedia fair use guidelines and are restricted from further use.
• clearly mark the materials as a student project with the specific class, date of the presentation or project, and complete university information.
• do not contain materials that have been altered or separated from original content for reuse.

Question:  Who is eligible to enter the contest?

Answer:  6th – 12th grade students who are enrolled in an accredited middle or high school that resides within the 50 United States, District of Columbia and all Territories of the U.S.

Question:  Where do we get release forms for the people who appear in their videos?

Answer:  The release forms will be available on January 15, 2012, and will be up-loadable during the video registration process.

Question:  Do we use a generic form or do you guys provide them?

Answer:  We will provide all of the necessary release forms for your NO BULL videos on January 15, 2012.

Question:  Any suggestions for where I can learn how to make a video? I’ve never made a video before

Answer:  Check out this great how-to resource from YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/t/creators_corner Your video can be as simple as: you, a video camera (or cell phone with a camera) and some note-cards that your audience reads one-by-one. Add some music in the background and you’re good to go. Here’s an example of a simple yet powerful video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tmlTHfVaU9o

Question:  I am the teacher and want to get the teacher toolkit or whatever it is that teachers sign up for, where can this be found?

Answer:  The online cyberbullying toolkit will be available on January 15, 2012.

Question:  If we show our school logo, do we have to get a release from the principal?

Answer:   You should have permission from your school administration to show your school logo.  Please keep this information in your file.

Question:  Many of the scenarios students have come up with include showing kids on Facebook (where lots of cyberbullying takes place). Can they shoot this if they don’t show the Facebook logo or specifics or can they not show any scenes of this type? 

Answer:  For questions regarding using Facebook logos, screenshots, etc., go to the Facebook Brand Resource Center.  Permission to use a standard, unaltered screenshot from Facebook must be granted.  To make a request, please use their Permission Request Form.

Question:  Many of the scenarios students have come up with include showing kids on Formspring (where lots of cyberbullying takes place). Can they shoot this if they don’t show the Formspring logo or specifics or can they not show any scenes of this type? 

Answer:  You may find the guidelines for the use of Formspring logos, screenshots, etc. here: http://about.formspring.me/goodies#usage

If we have yet to anwser your burning question, e-mail us here at:  [email protected].