2.8: 27 Ways To Improve Your Online Video (by Jeff Hino)

Video continues it’s meteoric rise in the world of online learning, with no end in sight. However, we all know there can be a wide variation in production quality. I offer the following guidelines to help anticipate issues that can make or break a video. But I do so fully realizing that dancing cat YouTubes can command millions of viewers: we should only be so lucky with instructional videos going that viral. So, knowing that rules are made to be broken, here we go:

  1. Is video an appropriate medium for delivery of this content?
  2. Are the learning objectives built into the video?
  3. Is this video educational? Will the learner learn something of value?
  4. Is this video unique? Is there another product or resource already available?
  5. Does the camera work demonstrate good composition?
  6. Are camera moves (tilts, pans, zooms) employed appropriately, effectively, and smoothly?
  7. Are scenes stable and free from distracting camera movement?
  8. Does the video employ the effective use of close-ups, medium, and wide shots?
  9. Do subjects/scenes demonstrate proper exposure?
  10. Are interior subjects/scenes well lit?
  11. Is the audio clear and free from distortion?
  12. Is the audio mixed with proper levels for narration, interviews, music, and wild sound?
  13. Is the script well written, provide an effective narrative, and exhibit elements of good storytelling?
  14. Are interviews used effectively?
  15. Is the overall program design appropriate for the intended audience?
  16. Is the program appropriate in length?
  17. Does the video demonstrate good editing, with smooth flow of content, ideas, and storyline?
  18. Are video transitions used appropriately and effectively?
  19. If used, is font size, color, and the amount of text appropriate, and “video safe” (text doesn’t bleed off the edges of the screen)?
  20. If used, are graphics video safe and used effectively?
  21. Does the video encoding demonstrate sufficient quality for distribution?
  22. Are all video images, stills, and music copyright approved?
  23. If appropriate, have model releases been obtained?
  24. Is there any content in this deliverable that should not be accessible to a mass audience due to intellectual ownership issues or safety issues? (For example, showing a worker on a construction site who is not wearing a hardhat.)
  25. Is the content accessible to vulnerable populations if this is an audience need? If the video is federally funded, is it compliant with any specific accessibility requirements (i.e. video captioning)?
  26. Are credits included for all relevant contributors?
  27. Are appropriate and approved logos for partner agencies employed?