Guidelines for Department Videography

We understand making good and compelling videos can be difficult. In order for you to make videos that meet TWU's branding and accessibility standards, we have put together these guidelines.

Suggested Equipment

Ring Light + Tripod
Phone with a minimum video resolution of 1920x1080
Lavalier mic for phone or this option for iPhone only
Shotgun Microphone
Editing software: Apple iMovie, Microsoft Movie Maker, Final Cut Pro, or Adobe Premiere, KineMaster, WeVideo or InShot
Other recommend application: Teleprompter (you can find free teleprompter apps in most app stores on mobile devices; PromptSmart is an example of a free, easy to use one)

If you use free video editing software, you must choose the option to remove the company’s branding/watermark.

Royalty-Free Music Downloads

Quick Tips

Photo Release Form: Whether they are faculty, staff or students, anyone on camera must complete the TWU Photo Release Consent Form.

Logo use: Use current TWU logos on lab coats, print materials on walls or embedded in the video itself. Ensure these logos and branding follow TWU brand guidelines. The Office of Marketing and Communication has branded backdrops and banners that can be checked out in Denton for department use in videos. Houston and Dallas should check with the Student Life or Admissions offices for banners and backdrops that can be checked out by departments.

What not to wear: Wear solid colors that will not conflict with your surroundings or background. For example, if your wall is white, refrain from wearing white. Avoid distracting/busy patterns. Avoid attire featuring other universities, and when possible, colors clearly associated with other schools, such as burnt orange or green.

Outdoor filming: Find shade on a sunny day to avoid harsh light. It will reduce shadows on your face and any squinting. Cloudy days are great. Morning/evening when the sun has yet to fully rise/set also provides great lighting. Be mindful that wind noise can affect audio.

Indoor filming: Make sure there isn’t a bright light (from a lamp, window, etc.) behind you, as it will overpower you and cause you to be in a shadow. Remember, different light sources are different colors, so that may affect your outcome.

Audio: If someone will be talking in your video, find a location that has little-to-no background noise. Use a lavalier or shotgun microphone to capture clean audio. If you are using the microphone on your phone, make sure it is close to your subject for any shots including dialogue.

Filming: Film horizontally (preferably) throughout the entirety of the video as this will be usable on most social media platforms. Avoid any shaking during your shots by using a tripod or makeshift stand for your phone. If your shot requires movement, walk at a slow pace while steadying your hands to focus on the subject. Avoid movement while recording if possible.

Editing: Keep your video short and to the point. If possible, try to deliver your message in less than a minute. Make sure any music, video clips, etc. that are used are royalty free and not copyrighted.

Closed captioning: All videos produced for use by TWU or to promote TWU are required by law to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). This means that videos with spoken word must be closed captioned by a real person prior to use. Autocaptioning cannot be used as it doesn’t fully comply with ADA (captioning requires proofreading and corrections). The Center for Development, Design, and Delivery may be able to provide captioning support if the video is in support of academic requirements.

Miscellaneous: Hide the microphone cord by looping it under clothing. Watch/listen to your clips when you're done to ensure everything is recorded well.

Approval/Distribution

Review: Please submit all videos before publication to MarComDesign@twu.edu Please allow 4 days for approval.

Sharing online: Approved videos can be posted to TWU Online, a special account that gives branded exposure to your video and allows you to embed it on a website or to share a link with others. Request this during the review process.

Social media: Videos can also be posted to pre-approved TWU social media channels. Please complete the social media application if you wish to create a new, TWU-affiliated account.

Closed captioning* (so important, we mention it twice - see above): There are two key ways of doing this for social media:

The text is added to the video during the editing process.
For YouTube, Facebook and Instagram, the text is added to the video when it is uploaded. This is the preferred method for social media.
- However, depending on the site, the file types you need vary.
- If this is too complex, please add your text during the editing process — but note that we may request the original video file (without text) and a separate text file before posting on TWU’s institutional pages.

*All videos produced for use by TWU or to promote TWU are required by law to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

Increased exposure: The Office of Marketing and Communication also may use your videos in other places, such as the TWU website or social media. The videos most likely to be used will:

Be highly engaging and creative for users to watch
Meet all branding and ADA requirements
Do a good job of meeting the other video guidelines listed above
Fit the ideal dimensions of whatever platform it will live on

Page last updated 10:55 AM, July 21, 2023