Welcome to the Custom Scribe Standards. This will be your how-to guide for the specific types of work you will be processing. The software we'll be using for Custom work is called Video Formalizer, often abbreviated as VFMZ. Let's dive in!

Index

Your Queue	Cheat Sheet	Speaker Identification	Bookmarks and Hotkeys	Interruption Markers
Research	Typos	Hyphens	Quotation Marks	Commas
Interjections	Fillers/Nonfluencies/Stutters	Dialogue	Number Formatting	Direct Address

Your Queue

Queue window:

In F1.Queue tab, the top window shows available jobs, generally one job at a time. It lists in order from left to right: job type, due date, due time (EST), job length (decimal of hour; ex: 1=1 hour, 0.5=1/2 hour), Scribe or Review (Review is for QAs only) and finally your name. Note the due date/time and length of the job before docking to be sure you have time in your schedule to complete.

Docking a job:

This is not automatic, as with Standard Formalizer. You will need to click on the job to highlight it in blue, then click the Dock button directly above. This will officially log you in, and you will be on the clock. Note that any time spent in between dockings will increase your break percentage. You are still expected to adhere to the normal break-percentage policies. Please reach out to Custom Management if you are having an issue docking a job that is causing you to have extended break time.

Closing a docking:

Since these jobs can be quite a lot longer than Standard Formalizer jobs, you may need to stop working and take a break mid-job. Video Formalizer allows you to save your progress, close the job and return to the job at a later point. To do this, you will simply click Close Docking on the right-hand side of the screen. This will save your work and allow you to pick up where you left off.

However, we also have an Auto-Forfeit system designed to move work along if the system thinks the job could be being delivered late. Video Formalizer could forfeit a job from you automatically if your COSA schedule does not align with when you're logged in. For example, if you're working on a job that is due Friday, but your COSA has no Friday hours scheduled, Video Formalizer will forfeit your job if you go on break. Otherwise, adding hours to Friday would allow you to keep the job in your queue. Therefore, we ask that your COSA schedule be very accurate in regards to when you'll be logged in.

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Cheat Sheet

Video should be transcribed 99.9 percent verbatim.
Do not fix verbs that are in the incorrect tense.
DO NOT omit conjunctions like "and, but, so, yet, or"

Like with Formalizer, you will type in a block of text instead of beginning a new line for each sentence. Think prose, not poetry!

If a job has more than one speaker, you will press Enter once after each speaker with no line break.

Please DO use discretionary paragraph breaks for a single speaker if there is a long pause or a dramatic change of thought. Don't overdo this though. A new ID isn't needed since it's the same speaker, but we can now go to the next line under these conditions.

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Speaker Identification

For the type of work you'll be processing, we use symbols for each speaker change. These will be listed for you in the Job Requirements, but the most common types of speaker identification are:

Double chevrons followed by a space

>> My name is Chris.

A dash followed by a space

- My name is Chris.

A dash without a space

-My name is Chris.

Note: Speaker ID is never paired with lyrics bookmark with a single speaker. Speaker ID WILL be used if there are two or more singers that change mid-lyrics in the song.

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Bookmarks and Hotkeys

The only bookmarks that work in Video Formalizer are:

idd = Indistinct
garb = Indistinct (either of these bookmarks work, but no "garbled" appears in VFMZ)

• Like in Standard Formalizer, this is used when there is audible dialogue that simply cannot be understood.

qm = ? (same functionality as Formalizer)

• Like in Standard Formalizer, this is is used where you can somewhat understand the audio but you have to make a guess at the formatting.

chh = Chatter

• Used when multiple speakers are all talking over each other and you cannot decipher anything that is being said.

Note: This will be on its own line with no speaker ID included.

lyy = Lyrics

• Used to indicate that the text following is a set of lyrics. Only scribe lyrics that are completely clear when no other dialogue is happening. Scribe the lyrics that are heard, creating a new line for each new lyrical stanza.

Lyrics have special formatting instructions:

• Lyrics should always be formatted like the above example.
• Create a new line for each lyrical stanza.
• Omit most punctuation at the end of a line.
• Treat dialogue following lyrical content as if it is from a new speaker, even if the singer and speaker are the same.
• Other content markers can be used as appropriate within lyrical content.
• Sometimes, lyrics can be copied from a reliable source and pasted into your transcript. However, ALWAYS be sure that the lyrics in your transcript match Custom formatting and spacing correctly. You will still be held responsible for any of these errors that are in your transcript upon QA inspection. The artist's website, general Google search for specific sites like genius.com may help find lyrics. It may also be the case where the song in question is so new (or so obscure) that there's no lyrics on the Internet, in which case, do your best to scribe them by ear.
• Occasionally, a job requirement will specifically mention they don't want any lyrics scribed at all. Please pay special attention to these instructions and follow them as needed.

xxi = BLEEP

• Used whenever profanity or any other speech is audibly covered up by a bleep or other sound effect.

ddd = q!

• Used internally to make it easier to find profanity within a transcription. Place a Profanity Marker after every instance of censored or uncensored profanity.

ffi = foreign (inline foreign speech mixed with English; do not attempt to punctuate around.)
ffs = Foreign (replaces foreign speech entirely; do not attempt to punctuate around.)

• These two macros signify speech in a language other than English. If you can verify any foreign speech, insert an inline ffi marker before the foreign word.

Hotkeys

F11/F12 changes font size in text window
F3/F4 controls playback gap
Use CTRL instead of ALT + a letter key for shortcuts (Ctrl+Shift+Up to capitalize a word)

Ctrl F Opens search dialogue.
Ctrl M Opens macro list.

F11 Decreases text size.
F12 Increases text size.

The following shortcuts use the number pad:
Ctrl + Speeds up playback. Can be repeated.
Ctrl - Slows down playback. Can be repeated.
Ctrl * Resets playback speed to normal.

Ctrl R Leaves a comment at the current spot in the video. This will open the corrections tab. Be sure to select the "comment" type before leaving a comment, or the comment will be marked as an error.

Ctrl F1-F3 Goes to the corresponding tab in Video Formalizer.

Spellcheck
Ctrl H Change
Ctrl I Ignore
Ctrl A Change All (must hit twice)
Ctrl G Ignore All
Ctrl D Add to Spellcheck library
Esc Exit Spellcheck

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Interruption Markers

Interruption markers are used for a variety of incomplete sentences. Our general standard is to use ellipsis, written as three consecutive periods with a space on either side ( ... ). However, some job instructions specifically require different forms of punctuation like double dashes ( -- ), single dashes ( - ) or commas ( , ).

Ellipses will generally have a space before and after with exception for completing lines following ID marker with no space.

If a sentence after an interruption is a new thought and a complete sentence, capitalize that sentence.

>> The fridge should have a few cans of ... We do need to go to the store, actually.

If the phrase after an ellipsis is a sentence fragment or a continuation of a previous sentence, it should stay lowercase.

>> And I think there is a fantastic cost opportunity, but then we need to kick it off, so ...
>> Agree.
>> ... the products will hit the market soon.

Use an interruption marker if the sentence trails off without completing:

>> It's getting a little late for me, so ...

In many cases where a speaker is simply agreeing with the ongoing speaker with single-word responses like "Uh-huh," "Right," "Okay," etc., place the single-word responses as their own sentence after the original sentence is completed. In cases where the responses are completely overlapped by the original sentence, you can omit the responses altogether.

DO include a character's response if it is contextually important or if the response is clear and not overlapping the other speakers.

The ellipsis trumps and replaces any other punctuation that might be used.

Use an ellipsis when an expletive is edited out of the sound but there is no audible beep or if the audio has been completely cut from a segment of the job.

Use an ellipsis if the audio cuts off mid-sentence at the end of a job.

We're almost out of time, folks, so if anyone has any questions, we can try to ...

Generally, an ellipsis will be used outside of quotation marks UNLESS it's part of the quoted material or a title.

Uses

We don't use LSI marker in Custom. If the audio cuts out, use the given job's interruption marker.

So today, I'm presenting on ... which is an exploration of the history of the slide rule.

If the video file abruptly starts or ends mid-sentence:

This has been a great talk. If you have any questions, feel free to go to ...

... within the context I just mentioned, we can see that the T. Rex is not, in fact, a villain.

For self-interruption or when two or more speakers interrupt each other:

So we're going to be talking about the history of ... Oh, was I on mute this whole time?

Interruption markers are placed at start of completing line following interruption:

If you could just hand me that red ...
This one?
... paper right there. Thank you.

For more info, visit: https://ctscribes.com/COSA/CustomPunctuation.htm#ellipsis

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Research

There is no general "Common Terms" list that applies to Custom. However, each individual job comes with Job Requirements. These will be displayed automatically on the F1 Queue tab when you dock a job. Also, the job may come with a Ref Sheet (RS for short) that has specific instructions for the given job. The Job Requirements and the RS should be considered the main instructions on the given job, with our Custom standards filling in any gaps not mentioned by the customer.

For Custom Processing, we have full access to Google and the Internet to research and verify various types of Special Content. You are required to do the "due diligence" and verify the names of people, places, companies, proper nouns or whatever the given case may be, even if they are not provided in the job. Naturally, you still must follow all Copytalk protocols when using the Internet, and any sort of misuse can result in termination. This includes, but is not limited to, checking your personal email or social media, visiting sites of inappropriate nature or contributing to any sort of message boards, live chat or sticky-note apps outside of PSI, so on and so forth. Please speak to Custom Management if you have any questions about this.

Special Content is a broad category of items that includes words, terms, phrases, and names that are specific and relevant to the individual program being transcribed. While we may not be a subject expert on every show, series, or topic that we transcribe, it is very likely that any viewers of the program will have the expectation that the content of the show is spelled and formatted correctly.

As you transcribe a show, it is often best to forget that you know anything, and research everything. While you surely know a lot more than nothing, it is very easy to forget that Band-Aid is a proper noun and requires capitalization or that it's not Billy, but Billie Eilish.

As a Custom scribe, you will have access to the Internet in order to research any Special Content that comes up.

In this example, you can see that there's specific formatting for this type of regulator. You would be expected to capture the exact name of the product and format it consistently across the job.

For further details, please visit: https://ctscribes.com/Cosa/Dscripter.htm#special-content

Merriam-Webster Dictionary

We use Merriam-Webster Dictionary as our main source of spelling verification. You may see QAs referring to this as MWD or MW. We'll generally default to the most common spelling found on MWD, UNLESS there's a job requirement or some other instruction implying the need for an alternate spelling. It is a good habit to look up ALL spellings of certain words and phrases. Wikipedia is also an accepted source for research if a term is not on MWD. All in all, we want to use the formatting that is most officially accepted for the given term.

Also note that any proper nouns or special content, such as a movie or song title, would keep its original formatting even if it opposes what MWD suggests.

Example: MWD spells reanimate with no hyphen. But the movie "Re-Animator" would always be formatted with the hyphen.

For more information, see the Research Guide and this video: https://www.ctscribes.com/cosa/video/Research.mp4

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Typos

A typo is defined as a minor slip-up in a word or phrase where the meaning of the phrase is generally retained. This is different from an accuracy correction where the meaning of the word or phrase is greatly changed by the erroneous text. Scribes will be responsible for avoiding typos using normal means like spellcheck, verifying through Merriam Webster, googling for verification, et cetera.

Typos could include:
We "wnet" to the store.
We are "goign" nowhere fast.

In these cases, it is obvious what the word was intended to be, and the meaning is still conveyed.

However, the more severe Accuracy correction would be used if the error changes the context of the phrase entirely:

We went to the "shore." (instead of "store")
We are "doing" nowhere fast. (instead of "going")

Note: These kinds of typos will not be caught by spellcheck as they are correctly spelled words.

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Hyphens

Compound Modifiers

Compound modifiers are sets of two or more words that are used as an adjective in a sentence.

When a compound modifier (two or more words that express a single concept) precedes a noun, use hyphens to link all the words in the compound. Compound modifiers are never made with adverbs, especially the adverb "very" and all adverbs that end in -ly:

Compound modifiers extend to number constructions as well.

Use hyphens for ages and measurements expressed as adjectives BEFORE A NOUN or when USED AS NOUNS:

Use a hyphen for compound nouns as well:

Chef-owner Dominica Rice of the Oakland restaurant Cosecha.

However, proper nouns used as a modifier should retain their intended formatting with no additional hyphens.

As a rule of thumb, a hyphen should be used for combination constructions in which it would be appropriate to insert "and" instead of the hyphen.

For constructions where it would be appropriate to insert an "or," use a slash (/).

Complex Modifiers

When an entire phrase is used as a rhetorical adjective to modify a noun, use quotation marks:

It was one of those "now you see me, now you don't" moments.
VS.
It was a wait-and-see moment.

Use a hyphen for any construction with "mid."

That cat cast a spell on me mid-sentence that caused me to faint.
From the early '80s to the mid-1990s, there were a number of questionable music videos made.

DO NOT use a dash to stand for "to" in a numerical range.

Incorrect: There's a 6-7 percent chance that you won't become a zombie if you're bitten by one.
Correct: There's a 6 to 7 percent chance that you won't become a zombie if you're bitten by one.

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Quotation Marks

Show Titles

Show titles always go in quotes when they are directly referenced as the title of the show. However, do NOT use the quotes if the phrase isn't directly referring to the show itself.

Even if a title placard is being shown on screen at the same time as a word play based on the composition title, the reference should be lowercase.

Published Works

Put quotation marks around the names of all works of art and published work, including newspapers and magazines, except the Bible and books that are primarily reference, including almanacs, directories, dictionaries, encyclopedias, gazetteers, handbooks and similar publications. Note that this rule can still apply to news publications that have subjective opinion-based articles.

Podcast titles and video game titles are considered published works of art, and the same general rules apply.

Dialogue

Use quotations for any dialogue that is a quote. This applies to spoken or internal dialogue.

Punctuation

Periods and commas will almost ALWAYS go inside quotation marks unless there's a job requirement that says otherwise. All other punctuation goes inside the quotation marks ONLY if it's related to the quoted material. Otherwise place the punctuation outside of the quotations.

Multi-sentence Quotations

Multi-sentence quotations go on one line. Do not break them up onto individual lines.

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Commas

Regular Clauses

Independent Clauses

When a sentence contains two clauses and two expressly stated subjects, use a comma. Otherwise, do not separate the clauses with a comma.

Indirect Questions and Phrases

A comma should be used between the main clause and the indirect statement/question. Indirect questions should be punctuated with question marks.

Intro Clauses

If a subordinate clause (including all prepositional phrases) starts a sentence, it should be wrapped in commas.

A subordinate/dependent clause provides a sentence element with additional information, but which cannot stand as a sentence.

Subordinating Conjunctions

Subordinating conjunctions are conjunctions that join a main clause and a dependent clause.

I didn't think the witch cat would cast that spell since she had mewed so sweetly right before.

The subordinating conjunction illustrates the importance of the independent clause and provides a transition between two ideas in the same sentence by indicating a time, place or cause. Unless required by some other grammatical construction (such as an introductory clause, interjection, an aside, a direct address, etc), subordinating conjunctions may not need commas before or after.

Common Subordinating Conjunctions
after	although	as	as far as
as if	as long as	as soon as	as though
because	before	even if	even though
every time	if	in order that	since
so that	than	though
unless	until	when	whenever
where	whereas	wherever	while

Comma-less Conjunctions

The conjunctions "and, but, or, yet, so" will frequently start sentences. No comma is needed after these conjunctions unless required by some other grammatical construction, such as a direct address or a filler.

Explanatory Conjunctions

Sometimes, "or" will be used to describe the same term in two different ways. In this situation, the "or" phrase could be considered nonessential information to the sentence and may need to be offset.

Oxford Comma

Avoid using the Oxford comma in simple lists, unless the comma is needed to avoid ambiguity. The Oxford comma is defined as a comma used between the penultimate item and the conjunction.

However, if a complete sentence is being used in a list, the complete sentence should still be offset normally:

I love tigers, lion, and I love ligers most of all.

You may even see a mix of these rules in a single sentence:

I love grapes, oranges and apples, but I don't care for bananas and figs, and I can't stand olives, cabbage or artichoke.

Equal Adjectives

Equal adjectives are two or more adjectives that modify a single noun and have the same weight.
For example, a "juicy, delicious tomato" is both a juicy tomato and a delicious tomato.

A useful test is to try putting the word "and" between the adjectives. If you can insert the word "and," you should use a comma.
Example

It was a cool, dark night.

Adjectives that reflect size or color have less weight, and therefore do not need commas. Note that when "old" is used to mean "familiar," it has less weight and does not need a comma.

Example

The witch cat pulled a rabbit from an old, dusty hat.

If the adjectives are unequal, no comma is used to separate them.

Example

The good old "rabbit out of the hat" trick is a classic.
Kim was horrified when she dropped the antique Oriental vase.
The battered electric lamp cast a weak shadow across the floor.
The word "and" would not logically fit between the two adjectives "battered" and "electric" or "antique" and "Oriental."

Essential vs Nonessential Clauses

Wrap nonessential clauses in commas. If a sentence makes grammatical sense without the clause, put it in commas.

Do not use commas when the information is essential to the structure or content of the sentence:

Direct Address

When speaking to a noun, the noun should be wrapped in commas. Note this doesn't have to be a person. It could potentially be a person, place, animal, inanimate object or any noun in general.

Interjections

In grammar, an interjection is a word used to express an emotion or sentiment on the part of the speaker. Interjections are always followed by a comma or other punctuation as appropriate. Below is a list of some common interjections.

Common Interjections
A-ha	Ta-da	Mm-hmm	Un-uh
Uh-huh	Ew	Whoa	Ahem
Psst	Aw	Hmph	Shh
Ah	Phew	Whew	Hmm
Eek	Wow	Huh	Ow
Woo	Woo-hoo	Jeez	Oh
Holy moly	Mm-kay	Well	Ha-ha *
Uh **	Um **	All right ***

* Ha-ha is NOT used for any case of laughing. It is only used in instances where the character explicitly says ha-ha.
** Uh and um are both also nonfluencies for our purposes and may be omitted per job type or reference sheet.
*** Speakers may use "all right" as an interjection mid-sentence, not to be confused with "all right" as its own sentence per our standards. Example: "I'm going to hop out, all right, and grab us a couple of pool noodles."

For other sounds/onomatopoeias, just use ... to indicate a sound effect.

Fillers/Nonfluencies/Stutters

In Custom, fillers are defined as the phrases "you know," "I mean" and "like." If fillers are required, they should be wrapped in commas.

It is also important to note that we do NOT eliminate conjunctions in Custom work. Therefore, if a speaker says "And then I" or "So what I mean is," etc, we would still scribe those words. In FMZ, you have discretion to eliminate them, but in Custom, they are required and not considered filler language.

Note that "like" isn't ALWAYS a filler.
Correct: "I like Anchorage this time of year." — Like is used a verb.

Incorrect: "I went to Anchorage, like, a year ago." — Like is used as a filler here and be omitted.
Correct: "I went to Anchorage a year ago." — Even though the audio has the filler, we are omitting it for the transcript.

Other
Occasionally, a speaker may treat a normal word like a filler. Use your best discretion if a word is being repeated to the extent it's being treated as a filler. For instance, we normally would scribe "Right?" if used for affirmation, but if the speaker is using this term multiple times a sentence, and the addition of these terms does not enrich the context, we can omit this as a filler. If you're unsure, check with a member of Custom MGMT.

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Number Formatting

a) Use numerals for units of measurement.

• Time (seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, years, decades, centuries, etc)
• Distance (miles, feet, inches, centimeters)
• Amounts (1/3 cup, 2 tons, 5 terabytes)
• Ages (5 years old, a 5-year-old)
• Percent (1 percent, 5 percent, etc.)

Note: Always spell out "percent." Never use %.

Exceptions for phrases referring to particular units for time and distance: seventh day, day two, year five, third mile, kilometer eight, etc.

b) Always use numerals for money.

::*Note — Spell out million/billion/trillion, etc, if they say it, instead of using M/B/T. Use the $ for slang terms like bucks, grand, kay etc. However, some Digiscribe jobs may allow the use of traditional Formalizer formatting for these terms. Please check with a CSL if you are unsure.

c) Generally, spell out numbers to begin a sentence.

d) Spell out zero through nine, and use figures for 10 and above. Do not follow FMZ rules of matching the formatting of all numbers in a sentence.

We got 11 cards and two cakes.

* Exceptions to this are when mentioning the shorthand for a year and when scribing decimals.

e) Fractions standards below for fractions NOT included in the above standards.

- If the number is a compound fraction (a combination of a fraction and a whole number), use numerals.

- If the fraction is less than one and not a measurement, spell it out.

Special Note
Two-by-four: The specific cut of lumber should always be spelled out per Merriam-Webster Dictionary. Other cuts of lumber should still be formatted numerically.

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Puns and Novel Utterances

While many things in Custom are to be scribed verbatim, you may also come across a novel utterance or pun. In that case, we can take some formatting liberties. See Dialogue - Overview for more information and guidance.

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