Standing document 01
Accession Standards
What a submission must be, exactly, before it is accessioned — catalogued and kept.
01
One take, twelve seconds
Every recording is exactly 12.0 seconds, captured in a single, uninterrupted take. There is no trimming beyond cutting to that exact duration, no re-recording, and no second attempt spliced in.
02
A stationary witness
The camera does not pan, walk, zoom, or follow. It is held still while an ordinary scene continues in front of it, exactly as it would have without a witness present.
03
Original, unaltered
The image and its ambient sound are preserved as captured. No music, narration, filters, color grading, effects, transitions, or speed changes are added. No AI-generated or AI-altered footage is accepted.
No logos, watermarks, or on-screen text may appear inside the recording itself.
04
Documented, not guessed
A submission arrives with the place, coordinates, and local time it was captured. A steward verifies these before accession — an archive record is only as trustworthy as the facts attached to it.
Rules
01
Exactly 12.0 seconds — no more, no less.
02
One continuous take — no cuts, no splices.
03
A stationary camera — no pans, zooms, or walking.
04
Original ambient sound only — no music or narration.
05
No filters, color grading, effects, or transitions.
06
No speed changes.
07
No AI-generated or AI-altered footage.
08
No logos, watermarks, or text inside the recording.
09
Place, coordinates, and local time must be present and plausible.