Applying the Brand
Videography
High-quality videography is an essential and powerful medium that can articulate and elevate the distinctive qualities of the University of Maryland brand. It accomplishes the following:
- Provides a genuine view of campus life, academic initiatives and community engagement. Content that showcases real experiences connects the university’s story with a broad audience.
- Includes the breadth and depth of people, perspectives and departments across campus.
- Integrates well-recognized campus locations and branded elements — logos, colors, clothing — in a natural way to augment the brand experience.
Planning Videos
Pre-production, before filming begins, is one of the most important parts of the video creation process. It’s when producers/directors conceptualize the details of the video. Here are some steps that we recommend you integrate into your workflow to ensure a successful day of filming and straightforward post-production.
Identify the video’s audience, scope and goal or messaging
- Example 1: A 60-second lighthearted video for current students in your school/college to celebrate the end of the semester to be distributed via social media.
- Example 2: A touching three-minute video with sit-down interviews that emphasizes the importance of continued giving to support students, intended for alums and donors to encourage philanthropy.
Conduct pre-interviews
- Have a brief (30-minute) conversation with the subject to gain a deeper understanding of what they will be talking about.
- This will help you craft more targeted questions and may lead to some surprising insights that you can incorporate in the filming.
Scout locations
- Visit the space where you plan to conduct an interview or film B-roll ahead of time.
- Pay attention to the sound, lighting, foot traffic and any other factors that might impact your shoot.
- Look for interesting spaces with depth.
Develop storyboards, story outlines and shot lists
- Draft a storyboard or story outline based on the pre-interview(s).
- Think through how specific B-roll can amplify different aspects that will be covered in the interview.
- Draft a shot list of all the B-roll you plan to capture. This will ensure that you don’t forget anything on production day, and will also give you an opportunity to brainstorm creative shots.
Secure signatures on releases
- Appearance Release: provides UMD with permission to use a person’s likeness and voice. Participants should sign this before filming begins.
- Materials Release: provides UMD with permission to use creative content (i.e. photos or videos) captured by another individual. The owner of the original material should sign this before publication.
Shooting Videos
Interviews
- Select locations with clean backdrops and minimal ambient noise.
- Utilize diffused, natural window light or incorporate artificial continuous lighting to illuminate the subject and create a natural-looking environment.
- Record two camera angles, when possible: one primary (wide) and one secondary (tight) for visual variety.
- Conceal lavalier (clip-on) microphones when possible. If not possible, make sure wires are tidy and the lavalier is properly placed.
Inside / Artificial Continuous Light
Inside / Artificial Continuous Light
Outside / Natural Light
B-roll
- Incorporate natural light that draws attention to your main subjects.
- Use strong compositional elements: leading/converging lines, rule of thirds and framed subjects.
- Capture unique angles and perspectives to increase visual interest.
- Record scenes from various distances and with different focal lengths.
Editing
- Organize your footage and project in a clear and consistent way, especially if collaborating.
- Craft a compelling story through interview, narration or text on screen that will achieve the video’s goal and resonate with the intended audience.
- Align video messaging with the university’s strategic plan. Highlight the excitement of student learning, the accomplishments of faculty, and the impact that the university has on local and global communities.
- Include standard features, such as captioning and audio descriptions, so videos meet web accessibility requirements.
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Resources
Video Library
The Office of Marketing and Communications houses a library of curated video content on Terp Vault. This content is available for University of Maryland schools and colleges, freelancers doing work for the University and media outlets.
Graphics
The Office of Marketing and Communications provides a selection of standardized video assets for consistent branding across departments.
Recommended Software
The University of Maryland has an enterprise account with Adobe Creative Cloud, which includes the industry-standard video editing software Premiere and After Effects.
Permissions and Releases
The Office of Marketing and Communications has a standard adult release form and minor release form that allows the use of video content showing students, faculty and staff in marketing, promotional and editorial materials.
If you are capturing video at an event or large gathering, you are encouraged to display language informing attendees of this.
Aerial Imagery and Drone Flights
The University of Maryland campus in College Park is in the FAA’s Flight-Restricted Zone. Commercial drone operations are possible, but must be performed by FAA-licensed pilots under an authorized waiver through FAA Part 107 processes.
A collection of aerial videography is housed within the university’s digital asset management system, Terp Vault.
Need help?
Request video support from the Office of Marketing and Communications.