Multimedia

508 Accessible Videos – Use a 508-Compliant Video Player

When you watch a video on your computer, the window that displays your video is called a “video player.” It usually has start, pause, and other buttons. You might not be aware that you’re using a player at all—you just watch your video. A fully-accessible video player (e.g. Section 508-compliant)

Jonathan Rubin

Ryan Leisinger

Gary Morin

Jun 30, 2014

508 Accessible Videos – How to Make Audio Descriptions

What are Audio Descriptions? Audio Description, also called descriptive video or video description, is an additional audio track that describes and gives context for essential visual information. Audio Description makes videos and multimedia accessible to people who have “low vision” (very poor vision), or who are blind, by capturing what

Jonathan Rubin

Ryan Leisinger

Gary Morin

Jun 30, 2014

508 Accessible Videos – How to Caption Videos

What are Captions? In a video, captions collect all audio information and describe them using text. They include not only spoken content but also non-speech information such as sound effects, music, laughter, and speaker identification and location (for example, audio spoken off-screen). Captions appear transposed over the visual elements in

Ryan Leisinger

Gary Morin

Jonathan Rubin

Jun 30, 2014

The more public information is digitized, the more it lands on or sprouts from social media channels. This is why there needs to be a greater level of awareness and consideration for those who can benefit most from that information—people with disabilities, since they have the least access to it.

Victoria Bitzer-Wales

Jun 30, 2014

Using Visual Content to Drive Engagement

When USA.gov was preparing to launch our campaign introducing the 2014 Consumer Action Handbook (CAH), we wanted to create highly-visual social content to see how it would do in comparison to standard text and link social media content.

Jonathan Rubin

Jun 23, 2014

Tips for Creating Great Video Interviews

At Kids.gov, we noticed a lot of our search terms were for different jobs: veterinarian, teacher, police officer. We offer links to these areas, but thought it would be great if we met and interviewed government employees in the

Arlene Hernandez

May 23, 2014

Common Mistakes in Government Video

Videographers in the federal government come from a variety of backgrounds—commercial television news, the armed services or broadcast/film school. Many of these individuals continue to hone their craft through the years, adopting new technology, taking training courses, learning new editing software,

Jini Ryan

May 09, 2014

Storyboarding is Key to Successful Storytelling

Communication professionals pride themselves on coming up with big ideas and big messages. But moving a great idea from conceptualization to execution can be challenging, especially when you want to keep your budget in check. Storyboards can greatly assist in this process, a strategy I found to be critical to the success of a new

Katie Gorscak

Apr 25, 2014

Storyboard: A Tool for a Successful Video

The script is king when it comes to creating a video. Once you have the words, it’s the pictures that will tell the story. Storyboards are a key component in video production. They serve as a guide during the production process, allowing the video producer to determine how the use of footage, sound bites, audio

Jini Ryan

Apr 11, 2014

Tips from NRC on Webstreaming Public Meetings

In support of open government, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s (NRC) expansion of webstreamed meetings has allowed more participants around the country to hear about existing and proposed nuclear sites. It was lauded in a recent White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) blog about the upcoming 2014 Open Government plans and achievements

Christine Kundrat

Danita Stenberg

Apr 07, 2014

Empowering Forest Service Scientific Experts to Educate the World Using Live Video

In July 2013, U.S. Forest Service fisheries biologist Pete Schneider launched a YouTube Live video event from the Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center in Alaska. The goal of the project was to not only deliver a reliable 2-month long, 24/7, live video stream where an international audience could witness spawning Sockeye salmon, hungry Dolly Varden, cunning

Donavan Albert

Nov 26, 2013

Create Section 508-Compliant Videos on Your Government Websites

It is undeniable the reach of online video into our modern lives. From cats in shark costumes riding on Roombas to the 2.1 million people live streaming the 2012 Super Bowl. Online video inspires us with TED talks and allows us to feel the rush of Felix Baumgartner jumping from space. With online video so

Ryan Leisinger

Nov 21, 2013

YouTube Releases New Features

YouTube recently upgraded to the new One Channel design. The new design emphasizes responsive layouts for mobile devices, tablets, desktops and laptops, and TVs. A single banner on a white background replaces a customizable background and color scheme. YouTube recommends using a single 2560 x 1440 px image that fits

Jason Kelly

Jun 07, 2013

Video copyright: How to avoid getting sued

Don’t include Internet music, video, or graphics in your video unless you understand the copyright. Yes, this is a pain, but companies take copyright very seriously and regularly file both takedown notices and lawsuits against offenders.

Jonathan Rubin

May 04, 2013

Accessibility Editorial Guidelines for YouTube

USAGov and USAGov en Español (formerly known as GobiernoUSA.gov) use social media to make government information easy for people to find, access, and use. Among the essential tools we use are videos, which we host on USA.gov and GobiernoUSA.gov’s YouTube channels.

Laura Godfrey

Aug 01, 2012

Government Video: Laws you need to follow

Government videos need to follow two main laws: People with disabilities must be able to fully experience them, and They must adhere to privacy laws 1. Making Video Accessible for People with Disabilities (Section 508) Federal employees are required by law (Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973) to make the materials they create

Jonathan Rubin

Jul 11, 2012

Find Free Video Stock Footage

If you’re creating video, stock footage can be your best friend. If you need shots of people walking around, a photo of Chicago, the sound of footsteps or a Latin soundtrack, someone else has already probably already created it and made it available for free!

Jonathan Rubin

May 07, 2012

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