Requirements
The producer of a video is responsible for meeting the following requirements, except when a vendor is functioning as producer; then the SUNY Oneonta employee directing the vendor is responsible for meeting the following requirements.
The Office of Communication and Marketing will remove from all SUNY Oneonta media any video that does not meet the following requirements.
Aspect ratio
Video must be produced in high definition with an aspect ratio of 16:9 (1,920 pixels wide x 1,080 pixels tall), except when produced for social media platforms (e.g., Snapchat or Instagram Stories). Hosting archived copies of Snapchat and/or Instagram Stories on video social platforms is acceptable.
Copyrighted material
Copyrighted material may be used in a video with the written consent of the copyright owner. Such consent must be forwarded to the Office of the President. Direct questions about copyright and usage to the digital media producer.
Closed captioning and live captioning
Videos hosted on the SUNY Oneonta website or social media platforms that support closed captioning must be closed captioned. Live-streamed videos hosted on the SUNY Oneonta website or social media platforms must be live captioned.
YouTube will automatically caption in English. However, prior to posting an automatically captioned video, its producer must ensure such video’s accuracy.
Videos embedded directly into Facebook must be closed captioned either manually or by using a SubRip Subtitle (SRT/.srt) file.
Videos appearing on Instagram and Snapchat cannot be closed captioned because those platforms do not support closed captioning.
Release agreement
Except in the absence of a reasonable expectation of privacy, each person recorded for a video production must complete a Release Agreement and forward it to the Office of the President.
Guidelines
The following are suggestions for planning and shooting a video successfully.
- Video is a comparatively difficult and time-consuming communication tool. Consider whether producing a video will be an effective way to meet your communication goal.
- Storyboarding (diagramming what will be seen and heard throughout the video) can help identify the strengths and weaknesses of a proposed video prior to beginning production.
- Brevity is desirable. Audience retention tends to decrease significantly after two minutes.
- Identify talent that best represents SUNY Oneonta. Effective talent comes across well on-camera. The Office of Communication and Marketing holds a casting call every year to identify student talent for videos. Contact the digital media producer for information about this.
- Use a professional video camera and peripherals whenever possible. A tripod is especially important. It keeps the camera steady and helps it maintain focus.
- Be mindful of sound quality. Use a microphone whenever possible. When it is not possible to use a microphone, get as close to your subject as possible. Record in places where background noise is minimal.
- Varying shots will help make a video more interesting visually.
- Background—or as it’s called in the video production industry, bed—music can add interest to or shape the tone of a video. SUNY Oneonta, through the Office of Communications and Marketing, subscribes to an online service providing downloadable, royalty-free music. Contact the digital media producer to request access to this service.