So you logged on to TV Tropes and noticed that we now allow tropers to upload videos. First, you might've thought "Hey, that's pretty cool." Then you might've thought "Hey! That movie has a scene that would be a great example of that trope!", and now you're getting ready to boot up the uploader. And that's great! The more good examples we can come up with, the better people can get what a trope is. Having text examples is one thing, but actually showing the trope in action can make it even easier to understand, especially if it's a convention unique to film or animation.
Thing is, it's good videos that will help. This page is here to make sure that you know what makes a good video example.
#1: The video should clearly demonstrate the trope.
The whole point of including videos is to allow someone to see what a trope looks like in its natural environment: media. This means you'll need to keep a few things in mind:- The clip you're using should stand on its own; if you need to be familiar with the source to understand it, you might want to stick to the text examples where you can explain how it's being used. Yes, the videos do have a description box underneath to add some context, but if we rely on that too much, it becomes a video equivalent of Just a Face and a Caption.
- A video example needs to actually be the trope in question, not just kind of look like it. For example, not every instance of a character reacting to something qualifies as an Oh, Crap! moment, they have to be reacting to something bad. You might want to check for other similar tropes to see if there's another one that your video might fit more closely.
#2: The video should clearly demonstrate the trope.
Video examples are just that: examples. What they aren't: analysis, debate, discussion, etc. While that Youtube critic's dissection of a trope might be interesting and informative, unless they actually act it out, it doesn't go under the video examples. Every video should show the trope happening, not merely being discussed or alluded to.#3: The video should follow our content policy.
Specifically:- No extreme violence or Gorn (unless it's a clip from that Star Trek episode where Kirk fights the rubber alien.)
- No excessive Squick (particularly Real Life content; if it's something that aired on a Gross-Out Show aimed at kids, it's probably okay)
- No explicit sexual content or nudity.
#4: The video needs to adhere to copyright regulations:
- All videos must be excerpts of the longer work; if the clip includes the entirety (or majority, if you thought that cutting off a few seconds would get around the loophole) of a work (or an episode of a work), that takes it out of Fair Use and could get use in trouble. The only exception to this is if the work is already in the Public Domain.
- Ideally, clips should not have watermarks from their sources; for example, if you're using a clip from a movie trailer, it shouldn't have a big MOVIETRAILERSITE.COM in the corner.
#5: The video should be an appropriate length for the example.
Just because it can be two and a half minutes long doesn't mean that they have to be, but you do want it long enough to actually demonstrate the trope. Let's say you want to upload an example of "Oh, Crap!":- If you have a clip that doesn't actually show someone having an "Oh Crap!" reaction until the last 30 seconds, you should probably only upload the last 30 seconds. No point in making people sit through two minutes of irrelevant content.
- On the other hand, you don't want to cut it too closely either. Even though the trope is technically just the reaction itself, showing what caused the person to go "Oh Crap!" gives context to the trope by showing the type of situation where it crops up.
