Skip to Main Content Skip to Main Navigation Skip to Footer
UNG Logo
  • Info For...
    • Accepted Students
    • Current Students
    • Parents & Family
    • Faculty & Staff
    • Alumni
    • Business & Community
    • International Students
  • Quicklinks
    • Directories
    • myUNG
    • Academic Catalogs
    • Athletics
    • Banner
    • Bookstore
    • Calendars
    • Campuses & Maps
    • Continuing Education
    • D2L
    • Employment / HR
    • IT Service Desk
    • Libraries
    • UNG Foundation
  • Admissions
  • Corps of Cadets
  • Academics
  • Cost & Aid
  • Student Life
  • News & Events
  • Athletics
  • About Us

Find the most up-to-date information on the Presidential Search site.

Marketing & Communications
  • Creative Assistance Request Form (CAR Form)
  • ServiceNow
  • Areas of Marketing and Communications
    Marketing & Creative Services News
    Photography Social Media
    Video Guidelines & Requirements Web Communications
    1. UNG
    2. About Us
    3. University Relations
    4. Marketing & Communications

    Video Standards, Requirements and Guidelines

    Creating effective video content is a time-consuming and rewarding process. It involves the careful planning and execution of storyboards, shoot schedules, set planning, editing, and more. 

    This resource has been created to help you with that process.

    Minimum Requirements and Guidelines

    Any video or multimedia, whether produced internally or by an outside vendor, should aim to meet the Division of University Relations' minimum requirements.

    To create the most professional and effective video, we also recommend following industry-standard best practices and guidelines as closely as possible.

    Videos Created for Marketing Purposes

    Videos produced for marketing purposes are videos that are created to promote the university, its campuses, its programs, its services, its facilities and more, to prospective and current students, parents, and families.


    All videos and multimedia created for marketing purposes, whether produced internally or by an outside vendor, must meet the Division of University Relations' minimum requirements. You also must contact University Relations before beginning your project.


    • Request a Video Consultation

    Before You Make a Video

    • Why Video?

      Know the Stats

      Sometimes no video is better than poor quality video.

      • 77% of viewers stopped a video due to poor quality.
      • 85% of people expect TV-like quality for every video they see online.
      • 62% of consumers develop a negative perception of your brand if you publish a poor quality video.

      (Source: Content Marketing Institute)

      Is Video the Best Medium?

      Consider if the information would be more effective presented in a different format, such as a webpage, a graphic, or another visual medium.

      Do You Have Time for a Video?

      It takes a lot of hours to plan, shoot, and edit a quality video, many times spread over several weeks. Start thinking about your video project two or three months ahead.

    • Minimum Requirements

      Videos Produced for Marketing Purposes

      You are required to contact University Relations to request a video consultation before beginning any video that is being created for marketing purposes, whether you are producing the video internally or externally.

      Videos produced for marketing purposes are videos that are created to promote the university, its campuses, its programs, its services, its facilities and more, to prospective and current students, parents, and families.

      Video Projects that Require Funds & Contracts

      University Relations will be notified by Purchasing of all requests for approval of funds or contracts for videography and will require 1) a project storyboard (PDF) prior to work beginning and 2) review and approval of the final draft before it is published.

      Contact University Relations to request a video consultation before you sign a contract or purchase equipment.

      Review All Requirements & Guidelines

      Please be sure to familiarize yourself with all of the Division of University Relations' video requirements, guidelines and best practices. Understanding technical and production requirements will help you to best plan the logistics and budget for your video project.

      Maximize Institutional Resources

      University Relations may be able to connect you with other departments who are working toward similar goals in order to maximize resources.

    • Planning Your Video
      The goal, target audience, storyboard and dissemination plan can impact what deliverables you need to create, as well as the level of standards your video must adhere to.

      What is the goal of your video?

      • Market a program or reach prospective students? (This will require University Relations approval.)
      • Provide tips or how-to?
      • Supplement an event or experience?
      • Instructional or for a class?

      What story are you trying to tell?

      • Create a storyboard to think about a script and visuals. Creating one will save you time, and will save money if you've hired a vendor.
      • What messaging or key points do you need to convey?
      • Will you need to shoot interviews, b-roll or use archive footage?

      Who is the target audience of the video?

      • For current students, consider putting it in UNG Connect.
      • For faculty or staff, consider putting it in myUNG or Microsoft Stream.
      • For prospective students and their families, you are creating official marketing materials, and the video quality must meet the highest quality standards.

      Where do you plan to share the video?

      • Are you putting it on YouTube or other social media?
        • Contact socialmedia@ung.edu to have your video considered for UNG's Official YouTube Channel, and remember to adhere to UNG's Social Media Policy for other platforms.
      • Are you planning on embedding it on or linking to it from the ung.edu site?

    Accessibility

    Include accessibility during the creation of your multimedia project. If you are purchasing video creation services, check with Information Technology and Purchasing on meeting ADA compliance.

    The webteam reserves the right to not embed videos onto our ung.edu site that do not meet minimum quality standards, follow best practices, meet branding guidelines, or meet accessibility standards.

    • Minimum Requirements

      For Any Video

      • No flashing or strobe effects.
      • Graphics added in post-production must not overlap the area where closed captions appear.
      • Typography must be legible.
      • Any text overlays must meet WCAG contrast standards.
      • Any text must be on the screen long enough to be read.
        • A good rule of thumb is to read it out loud two times, and leave it on the screen for that long.

      For Video with Visuals and Audio

      • Video must have closed captions.
      • Video must have a proofread transcript.
        • Transcript example.
      • Video on a page example with closed caption and external transcript
        • Multimedia at UNG

      For Video with Visuals and No Audio

      • Video must have a visual transcript that explains what is happening scene-by-scene.
        • Visual transcript example.
    • Guidelines & Best Practices

      Guidelines & Best Practices for All Videos

      • Videos cannot autoplay unless there is a mechanism to pause or stop the video.
      • When working with a video vendor, establish who is responsible for closed captioning or transcript services.

      YouTube Transcripts & Closed Captions

      • YouTube can auto-generate a transcript for your video.
        • It is best to copy and paste this transcript into a word processing document and edit the text before you send it to the Office of Web Communications or elsewhere to be used.
      • YouTube can also auto-generate closed captions.
        • Review and edit these, as they may not always be accurate.

      More Resources

      • WebAIM: Captions, Transcripts, and Audio Descriptions
      • Using YouTube with a Screen Reader
      • Using the HTML5 Player w/YouTube
      • Add subtitles & closed captions for YouTube videos

    Branding & Visual Identity

    • Minimum Requirements

      Visual Identity Guide

      • Adhere to the visual identity guide.

      Typography

      • Use the official university fonts (Sentinel & Gotham).
        • Request the official font files.
      • Approved Google Font substitutions:
        • Cantarell (Sans-serif)
        • Domine (Serif)

      Colors

      • Use colors from our official UNG color palette.
      • Avoid color combos that are used by other schools, i.e. red and black or yellow and black.

      Graphics

      • Any graphic or graphical element must be crisp, clear and high resolution.
      • If you need a custom graphic, contact graphics@ung.edu.

      Writing Style

      • All titles and text added to the video must be proofread for accuracy, proper spelling and grammar.

      Logos

      • Include the appropriate UNG logo(s) at either the beginning or the end of the video.
        • Contact graphics@ung.edu for university- and unit-specific logos.
      • UNG graphics, logos or text must not appear altered or distorted.
      • Videos may not contain any external logos or watermarks, including commercial logos, without prior approval from University Relations. This includes, but is not limited to, any of the following cases:
        • Logos on people's clothing.
        • Logos in the background of a shot.
        • Logos of the videographer or production company.

      Acceptable Logo Example

      This logo meets quality standard because it is crisp, high-resolution and has not been altered in any way.

      Unacceptable Logo Example

      This logo does not meet quality standards because it is distorted and low resolution.

    • Guidelines & Best Practices

      Typography

      • Don't use more than two fonts.
      • Avoid decorative fonts.

      University Writing Style

      • Become familiar with our writing style guide.

      YouTube Resources

      • How to Add a Branding Watermark.
      • How to Add an End Screen to Videos.

    Copyright & Permissions

    • Minimum Requirements

      Rights & Permissions

      • Ensure UNG holds all rights to the video and to all of the content included in the video, such as talent, music and pictures.
      • Some material used in an educational setting may not be copyright-free in a marketing setting, so be sure you are adhering to all terms of the content's license.
      • Any permissions or licenses received need to be documented.
        • This is the responsibility of the department producing the video, not UNG's or University Relations'.

      Music

      • There are various sources to copyright free music you may find online, or you can seek legal, documented permission from an individual artist.
      • Videos uploaded to YouTube with copyrighted music used without permission will be blocked by YouTube.

      Model Release Forms

      • Obtain a model release forms for everyone who appears in the video, even current faculty and staff.
        • It's best to get these the day of shooting.
    • Guidelines & Best Practices

      Formatting & Credits

      These are usually included on the last screen of a video.

      • Format copyright information as follows: (© 2020 University of North Georgia).
      • Include a production credit formatted as follows: (Produced by the Department of Science).

    Technical Production & Quality Standards

    • Minimum Requirements

      Video Quality

      • Must be shot with video equipment capable of recording at a minimum of full HD 1920 x 1080, 24 frames per second (fps) resolution.
      • Video output should be an .mp4 or .mov.
      • Video from web cams, such as Zoom meetings, video shot on older cell phones, or video that is a screen captured recording of people will likely not meet minimum quality standards.
      • Video must be well-shot: in-focus, steady, well-framed and with proper exposure and lighting.

      Audio Quality

      • Audio must be crisp and clear.
      • Use an external microphone, such as a lavalier mic or cardioid mic.
      • Ensure foreground and background noises are well-balanced.

      High-Quality Video Do's and Don'ts

      Proper Lighting and Exposure

      Do not overexpose your subject.

      Do not underexpose your subject.

      Do properly expose and light your subject.

      Cropping and Backgrounds

      Don't include cluttered backgrounds.

      Don't crop or mask videos to hide backgrounds.

      Don't include recordings of video conferences.

      Framing the Shot

      Don't unintentionally crop off people's heads or bodies.

      Don't leave too much headroom.

      Do use the rule of thirds to properly frame and focus your subject.

    • The Rule of Thirds
      The rule of thirds is an industry-standard technique that divides the screen into nine quadrants in order to help with alignment and shot composition.
    • Technical Guidelines & Best Practices

      Audio

      • Avoid using a built-in camera microphone.
      • Audio should be recorded with audio equipment capable of 48kHz/24 bit.

      Length

      • Video should be between 2-3 minutes long at most.
      • 60-90 seconds is recommended, especially on social media.

      Rendering

      • Make sure your video is rendered correctly:
        • 1920x1080, mp4 h.264, 10-15 video bitrate – 128 kbps audio.
        • 2160x3860 (4K), mp4. H.264, 44-60 mbps video bitrate – 128 kbps.
      • Check out YouTube’s recommended encoding settings.

      Composition

      • Vary shot types, camera angle, focal length, and compositions for a more visually appealing segment.
      • All shots should be clearly focused and well-framed using the whole screen.
      • Unintentionally blurry video should be edited out.
      • Shaky video should be edited out.
      • Use a tripod or stabilizing equipment such as a gimbal for long steady shots or panning shots.
      • Distance and relevance between the subject and background creates a more engaging shot.

      Lighting & Contrast

      • Colors should be bright and have adequate contrast (avoid dull or low-contrast imagery).
      • Fixing an underexposed subject in editing can cause issues such as image noise and loss of detail.
      • Use a location with available light or use lighting equipment along with camera settings to help correctly expose your subject.

      Backgrounds

      Avoid cluttered backgrounds.

      Cluttered backgrounds are distracting.

      Add a prop in the background (the guitar) that relates to the subject.

      Avoid having the subject directly against the wall or in a location that has no relationship to the content.

      Using the hallway adds more depth and context to your location and content.

    • Interview Guidelines and Best Practices
      • Before the day of the shoot, give your interviewee the questions in advance so they have time to prepare their answers. Encourage them to think about short answers or "sound bites."
      • Give your interviewee some suggestions on how to dress for the interview. 
      • Do a run-through before you hit record so the interviewee can feel comfortable in front of a camera before the real take.
      • Consider shooting the interview segment more than once (at least two or three times) and select the best take.
      • Use a tripod.
      • Have the interviewee look at the person asking the questions, even if the interviewer is off camera.
      • Avoid having your interviewee look directly at the lens unless they are directly addressing viewers.
      • When interviewing a subject, stand beside the camera and ask questions at eye level (the interviewee should not be looking distractingly up, down, or to the side.)
      • Make sure the person is staying still – avoid swivel chairs or having them stand.
      • Edit out any filler words – ums, wells, etc.
      • Make sure there is no background noise.
      • Avoid the subject’s eyes from visibly moving from left to right while reading. Keep practicing and allow the subject more time to get comfortable with the material before you call the final take.

    Downloadable Assets

    • Intro/Outro Cards, Lower Thirds & Text Overlay Assets
    • Storyboard Template (PDF)
    • Storyboard Example (PDF)
    • Recording-in-Progress Sign (PDF)

    Additional Resources

    • Making Audio and Video Accessible
    • YouTube Learning Toolkits

    Staff

    Blake Poppell
    Blake PoppellProfile page

    Multimedia Communications Spec

    Phone678-696-2613

    Office locationHealth Sciences, 227, Gainesville

    UNG Logo
    • Contact Us
    • Request Information
    • Quick Facts
    • Campus Maps & Directions
    • Student Consumer Information
    • Campus Safety
    • Emergency Information
    • Employment/HR
    • UNG Policies & Procedures
    • UNG Alumni Association
    • UNG Foundation
    • Ethics & Compliance Hotline
    • Human Trafficking Notice
    • Equal Empl. Opportunity

    © 2023 The University System of Georgia and the University of North Georgia.

    UNG follows the section 508 Standards and WCAG 2.0 for web accessibility. If you require this content in another format, please send an email to the ADA Coordinator.

    Use of military-themed imagery does not constitute endorsement by the U.S. Department of Defense.

    • Accreditation
    • Accessibility
    • Privacy Policy
    Establishing Connection...
    AskNigel