First of all, let me say THANK YOU for knowing the value of quality story telling. The work you are doing is priceless and will bless MITS today and for years to come. We continue to show some of our favorite videos from 5 years ago, because the message is still true and the emotions still hit home. With that said, here are a few basic dos and don’ts to guide you on your MITS filmmaking journey:
DODo use the MITS logo (if it makes sense to do so), either in the opening frames or closing frames. The logo shows up best as green on white, black on white or white on black. You can download all three of those options (sized for HD video resolution) below.
Other versions of the MITS logo can be found on our Marketing Resources page in the Resources section. Do add text where appropriate (such as an overlay when someone like Francis comes on screen as an interviewee) or subtitles if someone’s words are hard to understand. Please use a clean, legible sans serif font, such as Arial, Helvetica Neue or Raleway.
Do add a “call to action” in the final seconds of the video. It could be something as simple as this screen shot (below) from Safeena's video. Do CHECK YOUR SPELLING. Please. Check your spelling.
Do use the “Ken Burns” slow zoom or pan effect if you show still photos for more than a few seconds. Makes it a little more interesting. Do use appropriate music. Allow the soundtrack you select to craft the experience as much as the images you capture. Instrumental, worship, Christian contemporary, or any secular genre are all fine. When selecting music, please refrain from using songs that are demeaning to women or use profanity. Consider the mission of MITS. |
DON'TDon’t use portrait orientation footage (as in vertical). Most video viewers are landscape (horizontal) orientation, so use all that real estate!
Don’t mix your fonts. Fonts are fun! Fonts are great! Don’t use more than two in the whole video. The exception to this would be a “word art” type video. Don't use fancy the transitions. Wipes, spirals, and zooms are for Star Wars. Calm down and use a cut, straight fade, fade to white, or fade to black. Don’t include an extensive credit reel at the end. Acknowledge the soundtrack artist, maybe flash your name or your personal production signature. But remember, this is about MITS! Don't forget to upload the final video file to the following locations:
email: info@madeinthestreets.org password: Africa.1 |