Video Guidelines

Creating videos for the web

Considerations for your video

  • Is the content of the video current? Does it present outdated footage or information?
  • Does the video meet IU’s accessibility standards?
  • Does the video echo the tone and voice of the site?
  • If the video already exists, what has the engagement been with the video?

Create and place your video

  1. Shoot your video in 4:3 or 16:9. Currently 16:9 is the standard.
  2. Choose where you place your video carefully.
    1. The video should match the topic of the page, address the primary audience of the page, and fit with the voice and tone of the website.
    2. Marketing-focused videos should be placed in a location where they don’t interfere with the essential content users are trying to find (information about admissions, requirements, etc.).
    3. How-to videos, or any other videos central to the page’s message, may need more prominence on the page.
  3. External videos (videos hosted on YouTube, Vimeo, or Kaltura) should be embedded into the WCMS.
  4. Caption your videos to meet IU’s accessibility standards.
    1. YouTube provides auto-generated closed captioning (CC), but it is almost always incorrect. Each video’s CC must be edited for accuracy and timing.
    2. There is a transcript field for every video chunk used in the WCMS framework. A transcript is required for every video.
Learn more about web accessibility at IU

Banner video guidelines

  1. Banner videos should be shot specifically to fit the WCMS banner area: 1800x600 (3:1).
    Note: Most videos aren’t shot at 3:1, which is why banner footage needs to be shot very intentionally.
  2. Banner videos do not have audio and do not require closed captioning; however, a transcript is still required.
  3. Banner videos require .mp4 and .webm files to be uploaded to the WCMS, and may not be hosted on external sites. Banner videos also require a fallback image and a mobile image.
  4. For optimum speed, the banner image file size should be no larger than 2MB. Although there is a 30 second maximum for video banners, the more content you have on the page (a lot of text, big images, etc.) the more likely your page load and video speed will be affected. Videos should be no longer than 15 seconds.
Learn how to add video banners in the WCMS