Community Guidelines

Effective: October 4, 2026

Creator standards, submission rules and creator-program requirements

FilmsAI supports ambitious AI-assisted and AI-generated films, music videos, animation and other creative work. Creative freedom comes with responsibilities: submit work you are entitled to share, describe it honestly, respect others' rights and do not manipulate the platform or creator programs.

These Guidelines supplement the Terms of Service. FilmsAI is currently operated by Krista Gable and Paul Hawkins in North Carolina, United States. The planned move and business formation on or around October 19, 2026 do not cause these Guidelines to expire. They remain in effect until replaced through the applicable update process.

1. Creator eligibility: 18 and older

You must be at least 18 years old and legally able to enter the FilmsAI agreement to operate a creator account, upload or authorize the import of content, or participate in creator sponsorships, contests, payouts or other creator programs. Someone acting for a business must also have authority to act for that business.

Provide accurate eligibility and account information. Do not use another person's account or misstate your age to bypass a restriction. FilmsAI may restrict an ineligible account and handle associated information under the Privacy Policy and applicable law.

Account eligibility, the maturity rating of a film and the assessment of whether content is directed to children are separate matters. A FilmsAI verified-profile badge is a platform status, not a guarantee of age, legal identity, copyright ownership or rights clearance.

2. Original, authorized and collaborative work

Submit only material you own, have permission to use, or have another valid legal basis to use in the ways authorized under the Terms. This applies to the complete work and incorporated music, recordings, performances, voices, likenesses, scripts, characters, trademarks, footage, images and other assets.

FilmsAI may request reasonable evidence of rights or an explanation of a claimed lawful-use basis. Permission to publish somewhere else does not necessarily authorize use on FilmsAI or establish eligibility for a creator program. A fair-use or other legal-exception claim must relate to the actual use; describing something as parody or AI-generated is not sufficient by itself.

September 2026: Collaborative works were not eligible for the September sponsorship. That closed-program restriction is preserved in Section 10.

October 2026: Collaborations are permitted, including Halloween contest submissions, provided every participating creator has a verified FilmsAI account, all contributors are accurately credited, and the submitting creator has the permissions needed to submit the work and grant the applicable license. FilmsAI may request written confirmation from contributors or rights holders before approving publication or a program allocation. Permission to collaborate does not automatically establish payment eligibility or determine how collaborators divide an award.

A creator must not claim sole authorship of a jointly created production merely because the creator controls the upload account or payment address. Where the distinction between licensed third-party assets and a collaborative production affects eligibility, identify the contributions and request clarification rather than concealing them.

3. Synthetic media, AI disclosure and impersonation

Represent meaningful AI-generated or altered elements honestly when viewers could otherwise be materially misled about an event, statement, endorsement, performance, voice or likeness.

Disclosures must be clear and placed where they reasonably prevent confusion. FilmsAI may require an on-screen label when a title or description alone is insufficient, including where an excerpt is likely to circulate without its original description.

Fiction, satire and parody are welcome when presented as such. Do not deceptively portray a real person as having participated in, endorsed, said or done something when the presentation is likely to be mistaken for reality. Disclosure does not excuse an infringement, prohibited harassment, an unlawful use of a person's likeness or another violation.

4. Political, election and satirical content

FilmsAI welcomes political filmmaking, criticism, commentary, documentary work, historical interpretation, satire and fictional political storytelling. Moderation addresses deceptive presentation and prohibited conduct, not political viewpoint.

Synthetic or fictional material that could reasonably be mistaken for an authentic communication from a real candidate, campaign, political party, political committee, government agency or election authority must clearly identify its fictional, satirical or altered nature.

Do not fabricate sponsorship, affiliation or endorsement. Do not intentionally misrepresent practical voting information, including when, where or how to vote or who is legally eligible, in a manner likely to interfere with participation.

Publication of political or controversial work does not automatically establish creator-program eligibility. Paid political advertising or a campaign placement requires a separate review and agreement; acceptance of an ordinary creative submission is not approval of an advertising campaign.

5. Prohibited and restricted content

The following rules apply to videos, audio, thumbnails, previews, profiles, descriptions, links and other submitted or published materials, whether live-action, animated, synthetic or AI-assisted.

Do not submit or publish:

• Pornography, nudity or explicit sexual activity; nonconsensual intimate imagery; sexual exploitation; or sexualized or exploitative depictions of minors, including synthetic depictions.
• Targeted harassment, credible threats, doxxing or hateful abuse directed at protected groups.
• Stolen, pirated or infringing material, or content whose intended use is prohibited by an applicable asset license.
• Deceptive impersonation, fabricated endorsements presented as authentic, or deliberately misleading thumbnails, credits or metadata.
• Unlawful violent material or material encouraging serious real-world violence. FilmsAI may restrict graphic real-world violence for safety or editorial reasons. Fictional horror or a fictional depiction of criminal conduct is not prohibited merely because that conduct would be unlawful in real life.
• Blank, silent or substantially empty uploads, misleading loops, duplicated material or other padding used to inflate runtime, views, eligibility or earnings.

Mature themes, strong language, fictional violence and horror may be permitted with accurate ratings and presentation, subject to the other rules. An age rating, including 18+, creates no exception to prohibited-content rules. Legitimate brief pauses or other narrative choices are not, by themselves, evidence of artificial padding.

6. Categories, ratings, audience, thumbnails and branding

Accurate metadata and maturity guidance

Use accurate titles, descriptions, categories, ratings, thumbnails and credits. FilmsAI may correct metadata to improve accuracy, discovery, safety or programming. A routine classification correction alone does not establish misconduct or automatically disqualify otherwise eligible work.

FilmsAI uses age-guidance labels including All ages, 7+, 13+, 17+ and 18+. They are FilmsAI classifications, not certifications from a film-rating board. They describe content suitability; they do not verify a viewer's age or change creator-account eligibility. Do not suggest that prohibited content is allowed because it carries an adult rating.

Content directed to children

Creators must accurately disclose, when submitting or when asked, whether children under 13 are the primary intended audience, one of the intended audiences, or not an intended audience. Contact FilmsAI before publication if the answer is uncertain or the submission form does not provide an appropriate field.

Family-friendly content, animation or a low maturity rating does not automatically establish that content is child-directed. Conversely, an adult creator account does not establish that the creator's films are directed only to adults.

FilmsAI may review the classification and hold publication or particular features while assessing the appropriate audience presentation and privacy safeguards. A creator's answer does not replace FilmsAI's own assessment or any applicable legal requirement. Do not deliberately misclassify an audience to avoid review.

October runtime and watermark rules

Regular October uploads must be at least 30 seconds long. Halloween contest entries must be at least 90 seconds long, with no maximum, under the separate Halloween Contest Rules.

For new uploads from October 1, 2026, creators may include their own personalized branding or watermark on the left side. Other platform or generator watermarks are not accepted. FilmsAI branding may be added to programming shown in a livestream authorized under the applicable agreement.

These rules do not authorize unlawful removal of copyright-management information or violation of license-required attribution. Use an authorized watermark-free version or obtain the necessary permission. Do not submit a version whose mandatory attribution or watermark obligations are incompatible with the submission rules.

7. Quality, review and curation

Submission does not guarantee publication, placement, promotion, audience size, monetization or continued availability. FilmsAI may consider rights readiness, originality, craft, narrative coherence, disclosure, technical quality, accessibility and fit with the platform.

FilmsAI may manually review submissions, request corrections, restrict distribution, change classifications or decline content. Publication, a verified badge, a metadata correction or promotion is not a legal clearance or confirmation that every rights claim has been verified.

8. General creator-program and monetization standards

Publication and payment eligibility are separate. Each announced sponsorship, contest, award or other program has its own applicable eligibility, calculation and payment rules. A past program does not promise a future program or monthly payment.

Creators must have the rights necessary for the actual commercial uses involved. Exclusion from a payment program does not cure an asset license that is incompatible with hosting, streaming, promotion or another authorized FilmsAI use.

Do not manipulate account activity, views, likes, runtime, credits, duplicate uploads or payment information. FilmsAI may remove ineligible runtime or uploads from the relevant calculation under the applicable program rules. Good-faith errors, administrative corrections and deliberate fraud will not be treated as interchangeable.

FilmsAI may receive commercial sponsorship or advertising revenue. Only the amount expressly committed to a particular creator or prize pool is allocated to that pool. The September promise that FilmsAI retains $0 from its $2,000 pool does not promise that every future commercial sponsorship will be passed through in full.

9. Music rights

Ensure that the actual use of music is authorized, including the relevant composition, lyrics, sound recording, performances, synchronization with video, and distribution or performance uses. A general statement that music is "commercial" or "royalty-free" does not establish that every intended use is covered.

A personal-use or noncommercial-only license is insufficient for a monetized submission and may also be incompatible with other FilmsAI uses. For example, a Suno Free/Basic track subject to noncommercial terms is not eligible for a monetized submission on that basis. Verify the terms applicable to the particular track, its creation and acquisition history, and any remix or third-party contributions. A current paid subscription alone does not prove rights in an older or differently licensed track.

FilmsAI may request supporting records. These creator responsibilities do not eliminate any licensing responsibilities that applicable law places on FilmsAI itself.

10. September 2026 Creator Sponsorship: closed-program record

September submissions closed September 30, 2026 at 11:59 PM Eastern Time. This section records the announced program and the operators' funding and payout clarifications. It does not reopen entry or impose newly introduced disqualifications retroactively.

Funding and allocation

The total pool is $2,000, with 100% allocated to eligible creators and $0 retained by FilmsAI.

A personal friend of Paul Hawkins contributed $1,500. Paul Hawkins personally contributed $500. These were private contributions, not corporate sponsorships.

$1,600 September-upload pool: Allocation is based on each included creator's combined eligible September-upload runtime relative to the combined eligible runtime of all included creators. It is not based on views, watch time or the number of times a film is streamed.

$400 original-creator pool: This separate pool is for qualifying original creators who uploaded to FilmsAI before September 1, 2026. It is not included in the leaderboard's $1,600 September-runtime allocation. The applicable original-creator allocation is included in each qualifying recipient's final payout calculation; this update does not introduce a new allocation formula for that pool.

Krista Gable and Paul Hawkins do not receive September pool allocations. Their excluded content is not included in the creator-runtime denominator.

September-upload eligibility and exclusions

For the $1,600 September-upload pool, the announced requirements were submission during September by the stated deadline, at least 30 seconds of eligible runtime, work created in 2026, an individual creator's own qualifying work, the required commercial rights, and compliance with the then-applicable submission and program rules.

Collaborative work, work created in 2025 or earlier, uploads shorter than 30 seconds, unauthorized assets, duplicates intended to increase eligibility, artificial padding and otherwise ineligible content did not qualify for that pool. Otherwise compliant older works could remain on FilmsAI without qualifying for September-upload payments. October's permission for collaborations does not change September eligibility.

Leaderboard, review and payments

The September Leaderboard records eligible September-upload minutes used for the $1,600 allocation. It is not necessarily a creator's complete payout because an original-creator allocation may also apply. Arithmetic or eligibility errors may be corrected under the applicable September rules; an unrelated new rule is not a basis for retroactively reducing an existing entitlement.

September payouts and individual emails stating the exact total, including any applicable original-creator allocation, are scheduled for October 5, 2026. Keep your PayPal link current under Dashboard → My Profile → Edit Profile. If PayPal is unavailable in your country or you have a payout question, email krista@filmsai.com rather than sending a social-media direct message.

If missing payment information or an unresolved issue prevents completion of an individual payment, FilmsAI will communicate the issue and work to resolve it. This does not authorize forfeiture of an amount owed or a newly imposed platform deduction from the announced pool.

11. Creator profiles, spotlights and discovery

Creator profiles may contain a biography, links and a Creator Spotlight statement. Featured Videos, Creator Spotlights, Category Spotlights and other discovery placements may rotate to broaden discovery. No particular placement, audience size, program eligibility or payment is guaranteed.

Profiles and supplied promotional materials must accurately represent the creator and the work. Do not fabricate qualifications, endorsements, collaborations or ownership.

12. Creator promotion, external links and competing platforms

Promote yourself and your creative work

Approved destinations include your personal artist or filmmaker website, portfolio, creative business, studio, original projects, social profiles and personal creator-support pages. FilmsAI does not require exclusivity: you may publish, license, promote, distribute and monetize your work elsewhere.

FilmsAI's profiles, featured placements, discovery features and creator programs are not provided primarily as advertising, recruitment, audience-acquisition or fundraising infrastructure for competing video, AI-film, streaming, entertainment or creator-monetization services.

The distinction is the destination's actual purpose and presentation. An approved personal portfolio or social profile is not prohibited solely because its host also offers video or social functionality. A creator-owned domain is not automatically a personal portfolio when its primary function is promoting another platform's catalog, signups, memberships, recruitment or fundraising.

Redirects and solicitation

Do not disguise a prohibited destination through a custom domain, redirect, forwarding address, wrapper, masked link, QR code or similar mechanism. FilmsAI may assess the ultimate destination and practical function, not just the displayed URL or the name attached to it.

The same restrictions apply to profiles, website fields, Spotlight statements, upload descriptions, thumbnails, credits, on-screen or spoken calls to action, metadata and other FilmsAI features. Do not use those features primarily to recruit users or solicit funds for a competing platform.

Personal support links

Approved PayPal, Ko-fi, Patreon, Buy Me a Coffee and comparable personal support links are for the creator's own artistic or creative activity, including an approved creator-owned studio or business. They may not be repurposed primarily to raise money for another platform or an unrelated organization.

FilmsAI takes no percentage of money received through approved personal support links. External providers may impose their own fees. This is a rule about solicitation through FilmsAI's features, not a general restriction on how creators spend money lawfully received.

Review and enforcement

FilmsAI may remove a prohibited link, ask for an explanation or request a correction. An unclear link or honest mistake is different from deliberately concealing or repeatedly reposting a prohibited destination after notice.

Depending on severity, repetition and intent, deliberate evasion may lead to loss of promotional privileges, program restrictions under the applicable rules, removal of affected content, account restrictions or termination. An ordinary correctable link issue does not automatically forfeit an otherwise owed payment. The September funding commitments remain those in Section 10.

13. Enforcement, review and changes

FilmsAI may take reasonable action to enforce these Guidelines, the Terms, applicable program rules and legal obligations. For correctable issues, we may seek correction. Serious safety, rights, fraud, security or repeat-evasion concerns may warrant immediate action without advance warning.

Creators may request review by emailing krista@filmsai.com and identifying the account, content and decision. Good-faith criticism, questions or a lawful rights report are not, by themselves, violations. General moderation review does not replace statutory copyright or other reporting procedures and does not extend a legal response deadline.

We will identify material changes and their effective date and provide appropriate notice. Where renewed agreement is required, we will obtain it. Changes do not retroactively expand content permissions or eliminate amounts owed under applicable program terms. Urgent legal or safety measures may take effect promptly as permitted by law.

14. Reporting, rights and contact

Report content or account concerns to krista@filmsai.com, preferably with the relevant FilmsAI URL and a clear explanation. You do not need an account to submit a rights or safety report. Avoid sending unnecessary sensitive information or copies of exploitative imagery.

Copyright notices and counter-notifications follow the Copyright & DMCA Policy. Nonconsensual intimate-image reports use that policy's separate intimate-image removal procedure; copyright ownership is not required. Underage-account and personal-information requests follow the Privacy Policy.

15. Submission checklist

Before submitting, confirm your age and legal authority; rights to the full work and its assets; accurate contributor credits; accurate maturity and intended-audience information; compliance with the no-pornography and no-nudity rules; required runtime and lawful branding; and honest metadata and AI disclosures. For a collaboration or creator program, also check its specific eligibility and authorization requirements.

The checklist is a summary, not an additional program or a guarantee of acceptance or payment. The September record remains in Section 10; current Halloween eligibility and prizes remain governed by the separately published contest rules.

FilmsAI.com Current operators: Krista Gable and Paul Hawkins Contact: krista@filmsai.com