The content notes policy below is currently in effect and is applicable to vids screened at CON.TXT. It was revised from the 2020 policy based on the changes made by Fanworks and Festivids.
Introduction
CON.TXT requires content notes for vids screened at official convention events. For the CON.TXT vid show, the vid committee will also list additional content notes if provided by the vidder, as described in the Nonstandard Content Notes section. VJs for panel vid shows are required to use convention-wide content notes but may have a different approach to including additional content notes.
While every attempt is made to ensure that content notes are complete and accurate, VJs may not be familiar with all vid sources represented. As such, content notes are provided based on the content of the vid and may not capture the broader context of the source material.
This list of content notes does not imply that a vid with this content will be screened at the convention.
Vids can be expected to contain PG-13 content, including but not limited to brief and non-graphic depictions of violence and threats of violence, brief shots of blood, and non-explicit sexual content. Content notes for this type of content are not included unless violence and sexual content are prolonged, explicit, or are of a nature covered by one of the other content notes.
In instances where vid content seems borderline, VJs should err on the side of including the content note.
The following convention-wide content notes are currently in effect.
Physical Triggers
Auditory triggers: Sudden volume changes; sustained loud, grating, or piercing noises; gunshot sounds; sounds of people or animals in distress.
Visual triggers: Stuttery or quick cuts, strobing lights, bright flashes, spinning movement.
Violence
Animal harm: Depictions of harm to animals.
Child harm: Depictions of harm to children. This content note covers harm to pre-teens and younger children. In cases where we aren’t able to make a definitive determination, we will include the content note.
Domestic violence: Violence or threats of violence between family members or relatives.
Graphic violence: Prolonged and/or brutal depictions of violence, realistic and significant wounds or injuries, and significant amounts of blood and/or viscera.
Sexual assault/violence: Depictions of sexual assault or violence.
Depictions of Bigotry, Hate Crimes, and Systemic Oppression
Blackface/brownface/redface: Any depiction of a person wearing makeup or other costuming to imitate a person of color. This content note does not cover actors portraying characters of a different race or ethnicity.
Holocaust and/or Nazi imagery: Holocaust or Nazi imagery or symbolism and/or imagery intended to be suggestive of such.
Homophobia: Depictions of homophobia and/or homophobic violence.
Racism: Depictions of racism and/or racist violence.
Slavery: Depictions of slavery.
Transphobia: Depictions of transphobia and/or transphobic violence.
Any other type of systemic oppression will be noted as “Depictions of bigotry ([axis of oppression])”.
Sexual Content
Explicit sexual content: Graphic or extended sexual content that goes beyond a PG-13 rating. This may range from extensive clothed groping to realistic sex scenes. This content note does not cover nudity.
Other
Alcohol use: Depictions of drinking what is obviously alcohol, such as drinking from labeled bottles, shot glasses, beer glasses, etc.
Depictions of police: Police acting in their capacity as law enforcement.
Drug use: Depictions of the act of taking drugs, such as smoking what is obviously marijuana or injecting drugs.
Incest: Depictions of romantic or sexual content between close relatives.
Major character death: Depictions of the death of a major character in canon or the focus character of the vid.
Self-harm: Depictions of self-harm.
Suicide: Depictions of suicide and attempted suicide.
Vomiting: Depictions of vomiting. This content note does not cover coughing up blood.
Nonstandard Content Notes
Nonstandard content notes are those provided by vidders that are not covered by the convention-wide content notes. These were included if the vid show committee was able to locate them. If a vidder-provided content note was covered by a convention-wide content note, the convention-wide content note is used for consistency.
VJs may handle nonstandard content notes differently, including not using them at all.