Before choosing a video:
Identify your target audience
- Defining audiences will inform what design and teaching approach you wish to see delivered in the video you choose.
- Consider the level of skills and knowledge that learners already have.
Identify the type of video – a marketing video, promo video, Panopto recording, instructional tutorial?
- What is the most appropriate type of video to support your course?
When choosing a video:
Are all copyrights cleared?
- Is there use of images, registered logos, art-works reproductions and music tracks that need copyright clearance?
- If the video is licensed under Creative Commons, then check the exact CC license (there are a few) and how you need to credit the source https://creativecommons.org/
Content
- Is the content relevant, concise and meaningful?
- Are the benefits explained at the beginning and reinforces at the end?
- Have the objectives and main goals of the video been fulfilled? Will learners know more after viewing?
- Is the video practical (does it indicate what to do and also how to do it?)
- Are there errors in facts or inaccuracies presented?
- Are complex terms simplified and explained?
- Is the video overwhelming, covering too much?
- Is content organised in small manageable parts (‘chunks’)?
Audience experience
- Does the video manage expectations well?
- Is there a sense of completion?
- Does the video promote thought and discussion and encourage viewers to apply new knowledge?
Design
- Are viewers directed to pertinent information, or are there excess of words and design elements that are irrelevant and distract from the message.
- Design elements in each scene flow naturally from the previous scene?
- Colours supports each other (not clashing with each other)?
- Perspective: clear sense of distance between elements. Are they too far / too close to each other?
- Scale/proportion: relative sizes of elements (against each other) lead attention to a focal point?
- Hierarchy: elements that lead the viewers in order of significance.
- No advertisements laid over the video.
- No external links (that are not relevant and which we cannot control).
Frame composition
- Are images cut off the frame and hard to see?
- Are there redundant frames that work as decoration, and do not convey meaningful information?
- Consistent shots, or natural transits from one shot to the other.
- Frame balance: equilibrium between elements in the frame (symmetrical/asymmetrical/radial).
- Frame aspect ratio (recommend 16:9, not 4:3).
Lighting
- Are frames lit well? Can viewers see the content clearly?
- Are there unnecessary shaded area resulting from bad lighting?
Audio
- Is there excess use of irrelevant words, gaps, or utterances such as ‘um…’, ‘hmm…’, ‘ahh…’, ‘err…’
- Does the audio support the visuals and vice versa – or do they ‘compete’ on attention?
- Is the sound clear, or is there ‘back-noise’, hiss, clicks or other sounds that distracts from the main subject?
- Are there sync issues, such as someone talking but the voice comes a few seconds after we see them speak?
- Is the volume level adjusted (not too loud; not too quiet?)
Tone of voice (of speaker/narrator)
- Clear, objective, credible, with authority (established speaker), and engaging?
- Speaks directly to viewer (not speaking ‘at’ views)?
By Gil Dekel. 9 July 2016.
Photo of video camera © Jakob Owens/Unsplash. Used with permission.
Video Quality Assessment – a checklist (and guidelines) by Dr. Gil Dekel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
References:
Angel, Eduardo. (2014) Cinematic Composition for Video Productions. Accessed 8 July 2016, from: http://www.lynda.com/Video-Filmmaking-tutorials/Welcome/189404/367706-4.html
Dekel, Gil. (2012 [2014]) Streaming Knowledge / Words into Objects: a research method. Accessed 8 July 2016, from: http://www.poeticmind.co.uk/research/ideas-into-practice-words-into-objects-research-method-art/
Dekel, Gil. (2014) Dr. Dekel’s 10 most important rules for Graphic Designers. Accessed 8 July 2016, from: http://www.poeticmind.co.uk/research/dr-dekel-10-most-important-rules-graphic-designers/
Dekel, Gil. (2015) How to run an effective webinar. Accessed 8 July 2016, from: http://www.poeticmind.co.uk/business/how-to-run-effective-webinar/
Dekel, Gil. (2016) 8 learning strategies that promote understanding: Interpretive Learning. Accessed 8 July 2016, from: http://www.designtoolbox.co.uk/strategies/8-learning-strategies-that-promote-understanding-interpretive-learning/
Humber The Centre for Teaching & Learning (n.d.) Content Building Checklist for Instructional Videos. Accessed 8 July 2016, from: http://www.humber.ca/centreforteachingandlearning/media-studio/resources/content-building-checklist-for-instructional-videos.html
Humber The Centre for Teaching & Learning (n.d.) Content Building Checklist for Instructional Videos [PDF file]. Accessed 8 July 2016, from: http://www.humber.ca/centreforteachingandlearning/assets/files/MediaStudio/PDFs/Instructional%20Video%20Quality%20Assessment.pdf
New York Film Academy. (2015) The Zero-Budget Filmmaker’s Checklist. Accessed 8 July 2016, from: https://www.nyfa.edu/student-resources/zero-budget-filmmakers-checklist/
Rimmer, Trina. (n.d.) 10 Tips for Becoming a Better Designer. Accessed 8 July 2016, from: https://community.articulate.com/articles/10-tips-for-becoming-a-better-designer
Wikipedia contributors. (2016) Visual design elements and principles. Accessed 8 July 2016, from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Design_elements_and_principles
