University of Southern California

Video Quality Guidelines

Video is an important story telling and visual medium. We have all seen poor video where the subject is not framed well or the camera is shaking thus making the viewer seasick. The key for quality video is to plan your video. Below are some general guidelines to help you create quality usable content for USC’s YouTube channel.

• Know your audience. Ask yourself who is going to watch this video and why? Not everything tells a visual story so don’t be afraid to create audio podcasts if your content does not make for compelling video. There are great hosting sites like SoundCloud.com, iTunes U, and Slideshare.com.

• Set your goals. What is the real purpose of the video you want to produce? Is it to inform, sell, persuade, instruct or recruit? What do you want the audience to take away from the video? What do you want them to do with the information? Be clear about the answers to these questions.

• Focus your message. Video does a great job of compressing information. You can communicate a great deal more in a seven-minute video than a 20-minute speech. Trying to communicate too much, or adding too much extraneous information, will dilute the power of your video production.

• Tell a story. Every story has a beginning, middle and end. It has a plot, characters and action. You will engage your audience by telling them a story. It can be subtle. It can be told visually, with graphics and footage. It may or may not use actors, real people or a voiceover. Each project will demand a different approach. When you tell a story, you are adding to the entertainment value of your video. Information presented as entertainment will be better received and better retained.

• Get permission. Get releases from all of the people in your video. Download release form. Be careful about who or what else is in the shot (people who have not signed releases, logos, background music).

• In your speaker invitations and agreements, be sure to add language that explains that the event or speech may be recorded for archival purposes and may also be broadcast on USC’s networks and websites. And please remember to get a signed release if at all possible.

• Make sure to respect copyright and intellectual property. See copyright policy. This includes music rights. YouTube and USC University Communications adhere to copyright laws and music without clearance rights issued or permission will not be allowed. There are many stock music libraries available for minimal cost if music is required.

• Shoot your video. Here are some tips for quality video:

  • Use a tripod.

  • Be sure to light the subjects in order for them to be seen clearly.

  • Be sure the image is in focus. Most video cameras have an “auto focus” setting which will help you.

  • Audio is very important. Place the microphone close enough to the subject to capture audible, intelligent and comprehensible sound. If interviewing a subject, use a lavaliere microphone attached discreetly to the subject’s clothing.

  • The audio should be free and clear of hum or buzz.

  • Frame the subject from the head-on perspective to avoid framing subjects in profile, especially speakers. In general, frame the speaker in a medium shot (just below the sternum to the top of the head).

  • Be sure to check your frame’s background. Is there anything or anyone behind the subject that is distracting? For example, is someone eating in the frame thus distracting the audience from the subject/speaker?

  • When interviewing a person on camera, frame the subject in the right or left third on the frame leaving two thirds of the frame “empty.” Have the off camera interviewer stand or sit on the side of the camera of the “empty” space thus directing the interview subjects eye line to fill the space. Have the interview subject look at the interviewer not directly into the camera.

  • Direct the interviewee to answer the questions with complete thoughts. For example: How long have you worked at USC? Appropriate answer “I have worked at USC for 10 years.” Not “ten years.”

  • When using multiple cameras, vary the shot styles between the cameras. Camera A should be a wide shot while camera B is a medium shot. Varying shots will increase interest and enhance production values.

  • Keep camera movement and zooming to a minimum unless fully skilled in the proper technique and equipment.

• Edit your video. There are many simple user-friendly editing software programs out there. And you might already have one as it came with your computer. Use iMovie, Windows Movie Maker, or YouTube even has a basic editing tool on its site. A simple edit for story and visual content will increase the value of your video. No one wants to watch five minutes of a speaker shuffling his/her papers before speaking. Edit. It helps.

• Give your video a title and identify persons speaking with their name and title if applicable. Knowing who is extolling the information is quite helpful to the audience.

• Brand your video. Be sure to include your school’s logo and where appropriate, USC’s logo as well. Include motion graphic or static bumpers of your current logo. Be sure to use the most current and officially approved logos which can be found here on the USC Identity website.

• Share your video. Be sure to let your audience know where to find your video. You can send links via email or publications and drive traffic to your video.

• Credits should be succinct and to the point. Who made the video? In most cases a team of people within a specific university department or school produces a video. With that in mind, the school or department not the individual is the producer. Use the proper graphics and logos for your end credits. All detailed credits, i.e. directed by John Smith, should be added to the written description of the video that is posted on the video’s page. A long list of individual names from all those involved within a department and school is inappropriate for placement on the USC Channel. This is especially the case for all videos created for University Communications.

• If you must include a list of people to thank due to contractual or other obligation, please keep it short and quick. Your audience is interested in the message and the story not the person that provided lunch for your crew.

• Submit Your Video
  To submit your video for placement on the USC YouTube Channel, send the appropriate video file (see technical guidelines) to Meredith Cruse at University Communications (Meredith.Cruse@usc.edu). You may send it using file-sharing programs such as Dropbox, Box.net, YouSendIt, etc., or via thumb drive, external drive, or DVD. University Communications will review your video and if deemed appropriate will upload to YouTube. Please email the video’s title, description and tags as well.