Lehigh University Videography Guidelines

Video tells a moving story. It communicates Lehigh’s traditions and accomplishments, and celebrates its community. It conveys the true Lehigh experience and brings its brand to life in authentic and dynamic ways.

UCPA’s Role | Production and Asset Bank

UCPA produces original video content throughout the year. If you have a stellar story idea, submit it via our content submission form. UCPA also provides access to select video footage for your use in Asset Bank.

Can Staff/Faculty Members Make a Video About Lehigh?

Yes! You do not need to be an expert to make a great video. These guidelines can help.

Permission to Video on Campus

Lehigh staff and faculty do not need special permission to capture video on campus, but best practices should be followed to ensure a respectful approach to your production.

• Always communicate with instructors or staff in advance of capturing video in classrooms or offices.
• If you intend to video an individual or small group rather than a crowd, introduce yourself, mention your project and its intended use, and ask for permission to proceed.
• For large-scale, multi-use video productions (i.e. a broad marketing campaign video), ask participants to sign a release form before production begins.

Third Party Producers | Freelancers and Subcontractors

Advance permission is required for third parties producing video on Lehigh property. All requests should be sent to Communications and Public Affairs.

Additional Help With Your Video

Lehigh’s Digital Media Studio is a great resource for equipment, editing software, studio space and in-depth advice around video creation.

Lights, Camera, Sound, Action!

Equipment

• Camera/Smartphone: You do not need an expensive camera to make a great video. Consumer model digital cameras and smartphones capture excellent high-resolution footage.
• Tripod: Essential for steady shots.
• Microphone: Good sound is key to your audience’s experience. Your sound quality will improve with the use of an external microphone like a shotgun mic. Lavalier microphones are excellent for interviews.
• Lights: Professional lighting can cost from a few hundred to a few thousand dollars. There are many affordable solutions. Natural light can be used when lights are not available. Consider capturing footage outside (be mindful of noise) or use a large window as a light source for interviews.

Framing and Settings

Framing

• Most video is framed horizontally unless it is intended for vertical-format social media.
• If you need video for horizontal and vertical versioning, consider using wide shots to allow for cropping in post-production.

Frame Rates (Frames Per Second)

• Most cameras and phones have standard presets to choose from.
• If you are producing video for TV broadcast, use 30 or 29.97 frames per second (fps).
• 23.976 fps provides a more traditional cinematic look.
• Sports should be filmed at 60 or 120 fps. The increased frame rates capture more fast action, and this format can also be used to create slow-motion effects in post-production.

Resolution

• 1080p is a standard resolution for high-definition video and works great for online videos.
• 4K creates higher quality imagery but it uses more storage space and sometimes requires professional editing systems.

Your subject sits in front of your camera. A light source illuminates them. A microphone captures the sound. The story unfolds.

Location

• Choose a location that supports your story and allows some control of light and sound.
• Get creative and plan where your subject will sit, and what will be in the background.
• Scout your location in advance if possible.
• Interview one person at a time unless the project calls for a simultaneous interview with multiple cameras and/or microphones.
• Frame your subject to the left or right of center, with an attractive composition filling out the rest of the frame.
• Do not interview people with their backs against a wall, try to have some space behind the subject to add a sense of depth.
• Be mindful of visually busy backgrounds that distract audiences from the speaker.

Set Up

• Arrive with plenty of time for setup.
• Place your camera on a tripod for interviews whenever possible.
• For social media, hand-held shots can be used to capture the energy of the Real brand.
• Set up your light (or use natural light).
• Set up and test your microphone audio.
• Select the appropriate camera settings for your project.
• Take a few minutes to review your setup.
• Make any refinements to framing, lighting, and sound.

Interviewing

• Sit behind the camera and slightly to one side.
• The subject should be sitting at a slight diagonal to you, so they are looking across the lens when they make eye contact with you (see examples here).
• Make sure your eyes and the camera lens are at eye level with the interviewee.
• Ask the interviewee to look at you when answering questions.
• Avoid having the interviewee look into the lens unless the video specifically calls for it - like a direct funding appeal or a presidential message to alumni.

During the Interview

Interviews are all about flow. Keep it conversational. If things go awry, calmly reframe the conversation. Do a little research first and show genuine interest in the speaker and their story.

• Plan your questions and share them with the subject ahead of time. Consider asking for their input on the most important discussion points.
• Start the interview by asking for your subject’s full name and spelling and their title or year of graduation (for students and alumni). Your editor will thank you.
• Explain that you will be having a natural conversation, and that they need not deliver perfect sound bites.
• Remind the interviewee to look at you and not the camera.
• Ask open-ended questions to avoid yes-or-no answers. This makes editing easier.
• Avoid making verbal responses when your interviewer is talking. Use head nods and other visual cues to show your interest.
• If a response isn’t to your liking, do not put the subject on the spot, circle back to the question later and ask it in a different way.
• Interview brevity can help keep your subject focused and at ease, but make sure you get the story you came for to avoid the need for a follow-up interview.
• Take breaks if needed, and revisit the conversation with fresh energy.
• If they speak passionately about something you had not planned, go with it!

B-roll is the icing on the cake. It is the visual coverage for your narrative edits. It establishes the scene, provides context and paints a picture for the audience. Remember that you may be familiar with Lehigh, but the audience may not know where the story is taking place. You have to show them.

Considerations

• Remember, your audience might not know much about Lehigh. Establish a “sense of place” with your footage.
• Decide which images would communicate the story to a stranger: who are the subjects of the story, what are their main activities, and where are they taking place?
• Use a tripod for establishing shots and panning shots.
• Use handheld shots to capture sudden activities or to communicate energy.
• Make sure your camera is in focus.
• Try to record at least five to 10 seconds of each shot.
• Move around and get a variety of angles (the more the better).
• Vary shot types (wide establishing shot, medium shot, tight detail shot), camera angles, focal lengths and compositions.
• When in doubt, get more footage than you think you need.

B-roll examples

Establishing shot: The first image in the video. It can be wide shot, establishing a sense of place, or a close-up that conveys a mood. Think about which best suits your needs.

• Examples

Long/wide shot: Captured from a distance or with a wide-angle lens; gives a sense of place, and provides a visual impression of your story’s location.

• Examples

Medium/Mid Shot: Captured from a medium distance; draws the viewer into the action and provides visual detail. It is also a common framing for interviews

• B-roll Examples
• Interview Examples

Tight/Close-Up Shot: Captured from close proximity; conveys intricate details and can be composed to communicate project themes. Generally used as a follow-up to establishing, wide, and mid shots.

• Examples

Editing brings the story together. Interviews tell the tale, B-roll paints the picture. Music and graphics wrap it all up in a perfect package.

Software Considerations

Some videos can be edited on a phone, others on a laptop or desktop. Some require professional production software.

Professional Programs for Faculty and Staff

Adobe Creative Cloud | Contact the LTS Help Desk to see if you are eligible for a subscription

Magix Vegas

DaVinci Resolve

Final Cut Pro

Programs for Laptop and Desktop Computers

Windows Movie Maker

Apple iMovie

Programs for In-Phone Editing

Adobe Express

Apple iMovie (iPhone users)

Canva

Cap Cut

Editing Basics

• Video length depends on its purpose and platform. Web-based video averages one to three minutes. Social media reels average 15-90 seconds.
• Edit the interview first and use the subject’s responses to lay out your story.
• Edit your B-roll over the interview to cover any edits you have made.
• Make sure you show each interviewee at least once during the video.
• Don’t repeat B-roll shots.

Music and Audio

• Music sets the mood for your video. Choose something that conveys the right energy and is not too intrusive. You want the music to complement the video, not overtake it.
• Music costs money. Unlicensed music may cause legal or playback complications.
• Some sources of royalty-free music include Envato Elements and Adobe Stock.
• Make sure to use natural background sound from the B-roll in your editing mix to give your video a natural feel, but keep the volume low so it doesn’t compete with the interview.

Text on Screen: Lower Thirds

• A lower third is a text overlay that appears during the first appearance of an interview shot with the subject’s name and title.
• A lower third should appear once for each person interviewed in the video.
• It should include the person’s name and title. Graduation year, major or college can be included if they pertain to the video story.
• It should be up for a minimum of three seconds and a maximum of 10 seconds, depending on the information that needs to be read.
• Fonts and colors should align with Lehigh’s brand guidelines.
• Make sure the information is easily readable so that the text doesn’t get lost in the background.
• One Sheet Lower Thirds Intro
• Master Lower Thirds Template
• Detailed Tutorial for Lower Thirds

Closing Graphics | Lehigh Logo

• Lehigh University videos should close with a Lehigh-branded bumper that includes the Lehigh logo. In certain cases, a title, credits and copyright information are included.

If you plan to post your video online, be sure to provide captions and a transcript to make your video more accessible to all viewers. There are both free and paid services available for creating caption and transcript files for your videos. Many social media platforms will auto-generate closed captions. Make sure to review and edit them for accuracy.

Transcription and Closed-Caption Resources

• Adding captions in YouTube
• Adding and editing captions on LinkedIn
• Captions and subtitles in Vimeo
• Rev.com: Affordable, Professional Transcription and Closed Captioning Service

• If you plan to post the video on a website or in social media, you can first upload the video to YouTube or another video-sharing site and then use the embed code to embed it in your site.
• If your video appeals to a broad Lehigh audience, share it with University Communications to be published or featured on Lehigh's official YouTube channel.

Photography or video production that is carried out by the university or an educational or nonprofit entity and is intended for educational or public affairs use will be permitted (subject to logistical and security concerns detailed below). Use of photography or video for advertising of commercial products or services is prohibited unless given special authorization.

Generally, permission to photograph or capture video will be limited to pictures of the exterior of buildings or facilities. In the exceptional case where video capture or photography of interior property is permitted (for example, a video or still photographs being produced by Lehigh for its own use or in the case of a public panel discussion), a number of special circumstances in addition to the general ones of disruption, etc., listed above need to be considered, including:

• Have all the participants (including students or audience members) been notified of and given permission to the recording?
• Are alternative seats available for any audience member who does not wish to be recorded?
• Have copyright permissions been granted from all potential copyright holders?

In reviewing requests, the following will be considered: whether the purpose of the photography or video recording furthers the university's educational mission; the level of potential disruption to students, staff and faculty; the expense, inconvenience and/or potential damage to property of the university; and the potential for misrepresentation or misunderstanding of university association with the project. The names and trademarks of Lehigh University or any of its units may not be used in promoting a video or other project without specific advance permission of Communications and Public Affairs, even when permission to photograph or video record has been given.