FILM FESTIVAL FAQS

At the bottom of the chat feed, you’ll see the words “Say something.…” Simply type there, and when you press “Enter,” your comments will be added to the chat.

To comment, you need to have a Gmail account and be signed in. If you’re not signed in, hover over the space where you enter comments, and you’ll see the words “Sign in” appear. Click on that, and then, following the sign-in steps, YouTube will automatically return you to the viewing party.

If you’re not automatically returned to the viewing party, go to stratfordfestival.ca and click on the red “Watch” button on the viewing party banner on the homepage.

You can do this in two ways:

1. Go to full-screen mode. Hover your mouse over the video, and a bar will appear at the bottom of the image. On the right-hand side, you’ll see a broken square. Click on that, and the video will enlarge to cover your full screen. To return to a small screen, follow those same steps, but this time the broken square will have reversed.
2. At the bottom of the chat feed, click on the words “Hide chat” or “Hide chat replay.”
   
   

3. I can’t watch the film during the Viewing Party. Will it be available afterward?
Yes, each film will be available for FREE on the Stratford Festival website for three weeks after the viewing party date. See the full schedule here.

4. Can I watch with closed-captioning?  
Yes, you can. If you plan to watch the live viewing party, follow the viewing party link from our website, and links to a closed-caption version of the film will appear below the video. Unfortunately, you won’t able to participate in the live comments while using a caption-friendly version. If you’re watching the film at a later time, hover your mouse over the video, and a bar will appear at the bottom of the image. On the right-hand side, click on the “CC” icon.

5. The video and sound are not synchronized
There are two ways to fix this issue:

1. In the address bar at the top of your browser, click on the refresh button that appears as a circle with an arrow at the right side of the bar. This should align your video and sound feeds.
2. If you continue to have issues, you may need to adjust the resolution at which the video is playing. Hover your mouse over the video, and a bar will appear at the bottom of the image. On the right-hand side is a settings icon that looks like a cogwheel (or a flower): click on that, and a menu will pop up. This will enable you to choose the resolution at which you wish to play the video. Choose “Auto” to let the browser work out the optimum resolution for your Internet connection speed, or test options to find what works best for you.
      

6. Can I watch on my television or does it have to be my computer?  
If you have a smart TV that’s connected to the Internet, you’ll be able to watch on your television. Otherwise, you should connect through your desktop, tablet or mobile device.

7. I don’t have a Gmail account
YouTube is owned by Google, so to join the chat you have to have a Gmail account.

To create an account, hover over the space where you enter comments, and you’ll see the words “Sign in” appear. Click on the “Sign in” message, and you’ll be taken to a page where you’re asked to enter an email address or phone number. At the bottom of the sign-in box are the words “Create account.” Click on those, and you’ll be guided through the Gmail sign-up process.

Once you’ve created your account, you should be automatically returned to the viewing party. If for some reason you’re not, go to stratfordfestival.ca and click on the red “Watch” button on theKing Lear banner on the homepage.

8. I am using Internet Explorer and the video won’t load
Some features of YouTube don’t work on Internet Explorer. The best Internet browser to use for YouTube is Google Chrome. It is very easy to install on your computer. You can download Chrome from here: https://www.google.com/chrome/. You may be prompted for permissions and settings: accept the prompts and default settings, and Chrome will be installed on your computer.

You’ll probably be asked if you wish to “launch” Chrome. Click “OK,” and Chrome will open. Enter stratfordfestival.ca in the address bar at the top of the page, as you would in Explorer, then click on the red “Watch” button on the King Learbanner on the homepage. YouTube will open in a new tab, and you can start watching.

9. The image is fuzzy
Hover your mouse over the video, and a bar will appear at the bottom of the image. On the right-hand side is a settings icon that looks like a cogwheel (or a flower): click on that, and a menu will pop up. This will enable you to choose the resolution at which you wish to play the video. If you select 1080HD, you’ll get the highest possible resolution, and that will resolve any fuzziness.

If your Internet connection is slow, the film may pause to buffer the stream frequently. If that happens, open the menu from the cog/flower again and choose the second-highest resolution available. Keep repeating that process until you have a continuous stream, which should still provide you with reasonable quality.

You can also choose “Auto” to let the browser work out the optimum resolution for your Internet connection speed.

Our shows are filmed in high definition, so if your issues are not resolved after taking these steps, it’s likely due to the speed of your Internet connection.

10. I can’t hear anything
There are two places where your sound may be muted: on YouTube itself or on your computer. To check the sound on YouTube, hover your mouse over the video, and a bar will appear at the bottom of the image. On the left-hand side, you’ll see a white play/pause icon, followed by a move-forward icon, and then a small speaker icon. Hover over the speaker, and a volume bar will appear. Slide the dot to the right to increase the volume.

If you still don’t have sound, your computer’s speakers may be muted. Locate the speaker icon on your computer.

For Windows computers, it’s on the taskbar at the bottom on the right-hand side. Move the slider to the right to increase the volume.

For Mac computers, it’s either on the top right corner of your keyboard or on the top right corner of your screen. If it’s on your keyboard, click the speaker icon on the far right. If it’s on your screen, click on the icon, and a volume bar will appear. Move the slider down to increase the volume.

11. How do I make the video full screen?
Hover your mouse over the video, and a bar will appear at the bottom of the image. On the right-hand side, you’ll see a broken square. Click on that, and the video will enlarge to cover your full screen. To return to a small screen, follow those same steps, but this time the broken square will have reversed. Click on that, and the image will reduce to the normal YouTube page. You can also press the “Escape” button to go back to a small screen.

12. The video is paused
There are three reasons this could occur.

1. If you’re joining a viewing party before 7 p.m., you may see only a holding slide. We’re using those in between videos. The video will play shortly.
2. If you see a still image of people on the video, you may have pressed “Pause.” Move your mouse over the video, and a bar will appear at the bottom of the image. On the left-hand side is a “play “triangle. Click on that, and the video will resume playing.
3. If your issue is not resolved, your video may be buffering, so give it a few moments to catch up. If that happens frequently or is taking a long time, change the resolution to a lower setting by hovering your mouse over the video. A bar will appear at the bottom of the image. On the right-hand side is a settings icon that looks like a cogwheel (or a flower): click on that, and a menu will pop up. This will enable you to choose the resolution at which you wish to play the video. Choose a lower setting than you’re currently using, or choose “Auto” to let the browser work out the optimum resolution for your Internet connection speed. If the screen freezes, you’ll need to reload the YouTube page. Next to the address bar in your browser, you’ll see a circle with an arrow tip on it. Click on that, and the page will reload.