UNHCR s Branded Video Templates

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1 UNHCR’S BRANDED VIDEO TEMPLATES

UNHCR’s Branded Video Templates

UNHCR has designed a branded video template making it quicker and easier for everyone to produce videos that look professional and follow our brand guidelines.

These templates are available for editors working in Adobe Premiere or Adobe After Effects.

• Fonts, logos, end cards, colours, and other visual el- ements are embedded in the template so your video edit will reflect UNHCR’s visual identity

• Follow these guidelines for correct use of the tem- plates

• By using the templates you contribute to building a coherent and consistent UNHCR brand, and making products easily and quickly recognized

Please note that you need to have Adobe Premiere or Adobe After Effects software and license to use the templates.

UNHCR’s Branded Video Templates

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Do’s

• Maintain UNHCR’s brand consistency at all times by using the template according to these guidelines

• Use the right video format (horizontal; square; vertical) for the intended output of your video

• Remember always to archive your rushes, project files and a clean “international” version you can re-edit and re-use

Dont’s

• Make changes to the templates (ie changing on- screen text size, colours, fonts, etc)

• Move the positioning of template items (locator, watermark, footage source, aston)

• Use Extra Features before reading these guidelines

• Use maps without getting clearance

This document provides guidance to help produce quality video content consistent with UNHCR’s global brand identity.

When UNHCR produces video content, it is important that we maintain a coherent look globally that is recognized and helps build trust and support for our work.

All offices should adhere to these guidelines, so we have a consistent look, across internal video products as well as communication products for public events, conferences, website, digital platforms, broadcast and social media.

Fonts, logos, end cards, colours, and other visual elements are embedded in the template; making it easy to reflect UNHCR’s visual identity through your video.

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3 UNHCR’S BRANDED VIDEO TEMPLATE

Definitions:

Feature storytelling/broadcast videos - These are UNHCR’s news and feature stories, ranging anywhere from 90 seconds up to a “short doc style” of up to 5 minutes, but most are around 90 sec-2 min30. They often are human interest-driven, developing characters and including multiple voices and scenes. They can also be hard news, for example about an emergency or a High Commissioner mission. They can be self-narrated, or follow a script, usually through on-screen text. Most but not all of these feature/broadcast videos are now built to be watched on digital UNHCR platforms, and also to air on international TV channels.

Social videos – A social video Is a short-form video crafted specifically to drive engagement actions and captivate views on social networks. Social videos are optimized for mobile; their format is square or vertical and length is typically between 30-90 seconds.

Fundraising/ Partnership videos - Fundraising and partnership videos are produced by the PSP unit. Fund- raising videos aim to raise money from private sector donors. Partnership videos help to raise awareness of our partner’s work for UNHCR. These videos appear on DRTV, newsletters, as well as social and digital networks.

Donor Visibility videos – Donor visibility videos are coordinated by DRRM and often produced in collaboration with PSP, if focus- ing on a particular event or mission. Donor visibility videos allow us to show how donor funds enable UNHCR to make a difference, demonstrating to a range of audiences how strong partnerships can benefit refugees. Of particular interest is the importance and value of unearmarked and flexible funding which allows UNHCR to respond to emergencies, protect in underfunded situations and scale up programmes.

If you wish to create a film for a donor you should contact your Regional Bureau and coordinate with the Donor Relations Officer (Visibility) before moving ahead. You can find more guidance in the Donor Visibility Guidelines 2021 to help you develop a balanced and proportionate approach, manage donor expectations and build meaningful and impactful content.

Internal/Event videos - These videos are often used to open an event and set the stage for proceedings. They usually address a specific set of UNHCR stakeholders (I.e. partners, donors), and are designed to inspire and rally support for the gathering. They are designed to be shown on big public screens (or, for virtual events, in a videoconferencing environment).

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Technical Guidelines:

Getting Started

This section offers technical guidance for the new motion graphics templates (MOGRTs) and Project Template used throughout UNHCRs video creators. Step- by-step instructions on how to install and use MOGRTs, start and export a project following the preferred technical specs and nomenclature. Click on the “see video”

under the sections to watch quick tutorials.

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MOGRT

What is a MOGRT?

Simply put, a MOGRT (motion graphics template) is a nice, neat file containing an entire motion graphics animation that can be used in Premiere Pro or Rush. This makes it easier for you to edit animated graphics without having to go into After Effects and create them from scratch.

Source: motionarray

Getting Started with MOGRTs:

• Download folder containing the MOGRTs called : UNHCR_

MOGRTs_2021

• Place that folder locally on your computer. It can be in your Documents, Desktop, Downloads or anywhere you choose as long as it stays there.

*After importing them in Adobe Premiere, DO NOT move or rename UNHCR_MOGRTs_2021

Doing that will make your MOGRTs offline and you will have to re-import them.

We have organised the MOGRTs into 4 folders:

• ^{Wide 16x9}

• Vertical 9x16

• Social 1x1

• Subs & Text

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Installing the MOGRTs

1. Open Adobe Premiere Pro 2. Open “Window’’ tab

3. Select ‘’Essential Graphics’’

4. Click on the 3 bar menu in the Essential Graphics window 5. Select ‘’Manage Additional Folders’’

6. Select ‘’Add’’

7. Find the UNHCR_MOGRTs_2021 on your computer 8. Select Wide 16x9, Vertical 9x16, Social 1x1, Subs & Text 9. Click ‘’ OK’’

MOGRTs are now imported into Premiere Pro and are ready to use.

By selecting ‘’Local’’ you can manage which folders you want to see, depending on the type of edit you’re working on.

*The moment you click and drag a MOGRT onto your timeline, it will create a folder in Premiere Pro and in your projects folder called ‘’Motion Graphics Template Media’’.

Youtube tutorials we like:

Premiere Pro Basics:

See video

Premiere Pro Tips & Tricks:

See video

Premiere Pro Tips & Tutorial:

See Video

MOGRTs Tutorial:

See video

After Effects Basics:

See Video

How to intall MOGRTS See video

How to change text format See video

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Template (Project Folder)

Was is the Template (project folder) ?

The Template is a folder used to start every project and contains all the necessary assets and organisation to create a video edit. In order to have a common workflow across different UNHCR teams, we ask that you use it following the guideline below.

Starting a Project:

’The folder ” UNHCR_TEMPLATE_YYYYMMDD- country-title” should be renamed using the format Date – Country of the subject – Title, ex:

20210415-switzerland-how-to-install-mogrts”

The following assets should have the same name as your project folder:

1. Adobe Premiere project 2. Dopesheet (located in folder 2)

3. After Effects project (located in folder 6)

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Premiere Pro Project

The Premiere Pro project in the template is conveniently organised for you into “Bins” (folders inside Premiere Pro)

In the Bin “Sequences”, 3 sequences are “Preset” in the different aspect ratios used to create our videos.

• 1x1 for square videos for social media

• 9x19 for vertical video such as IGTV

• 16x9 for broadcast and full features videos

You should rename your sequences the same way you named your project + version

Ex: 20210507-switzerland-how-to-install-mogrts_16x9_eng The Bin ‘’Graphics’’ in your Premiere Pro project is linked to the Folder ‘’4_Graphics’’ in your Project folder and contains all the necessary assets. (Watermarks & Endcards)

Please keep the assets in your Project Folder and in your Premiere Pro project well organized. Think of the next editor who might have to work in your project eventually.

Import your video material into the Bin “ Media” , your audio material into the Bin “Audio” and so on.

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Video settings:

Format : H.264 Preset: Custom

Width/Height: 1920x1080 (16x9) - 1080x1080 (1X1) - 1080x1920 (9X16)

Frame rate: 50

Field order: Progressive

Bitrate settings: VBR, 1 pass at 20 mbps Check both boxes: Render at maximum depth and use maximum render quality. Please refer to the Hub in your region for specific delivery frame rates in your country

Exporting final projects from Premiere

1. Select the in and out you want to export from your timeline (home/i - end/o) 2. Press ctrl/m (PC) - cmd/m (Mac) or click

File/Export/Media

3. A dialogue box will open where you can decide on different settings. If you have used the sequences already in the project (YYYYMMDD-country-title_version) the settings should be already defined and correct.

4. If you need to change the settings, these are the settings you should use:

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Audio settings:

Audio format: AAC Sample rate: 48000 Hz Channel: Mono

Audio quality: High Bitrate: 160

Once you have chosen all the settings, click on the output name. This will open a box where you can choose where to export the file and how you will name it. Export the file to the 5_Export folder within your original project folder. Please use UNHCR naming convention for each of your videos:

YYYYTMMDD-country-title_version 5.

You are now back in the dialogue box (video/audio settings). You have 2 options; Export or Queue.

Export will encode one of your timeline at a time and will not let you do anything else in Premiere while it is encoding.

Queue will send the encoding to Media Encoder.

This option lets you prepare more than one timeline to be encoded at the same time and you will still be able to work in Premiere while Media Encoder takes care of the encoding.

Once you have prepared all your timelines to be encoded, press the play button (top right in Media Encoder)

6.

When Media Encoder has finished encoding, please review each exported video from start to finish to make sure it’s been encoded properly and that there are no errors or glitches.

7.

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Branding and visual guidelines

In this section, we will cover brand and visual guidelines to guide you on how and when to use different elements in the templates:

video formats, text on screen, subtitles, astons, brand logo, etc.

Please read these guidelines carefully to ensure the resulting products are on-brand and follow best practices. Only use the extra features (see below) if you are experienced in using the standard template elements.

These guidelines and templates have been developed based on a data-led approach and following market research. Our goal is to help build a coherent and consistent UNHCR brand, whilst driving results.

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How to choose your video format

1:1 (square) – edit videos in this format for social media (Facebook, Twitter, Linked In)

9:16 (vertical) – edit videos in this format for social media (Instagram, TikTok)

Inside your Premiere Pro project, there’s a Bin called

“Sequences”. Inside that Bin there are sequences ready to use for each format. When you’re finished with your 16x9 version, copy and paste your Timeline into the sequence, For ex: 1x1 and readjust your framing. See video

Why are social videos square and vertical? Square and vertical videos outperform horizontal videos on social media as they occupy more space on a mobile phone screen.

16:9 (horizontal) – edit videos in this format for feature storytelling (online or YouTube), broadcast, internal or conference videos

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• The font used in video templates is Proxima Nova Extra Bold. The main color for text is white; yellow (color code:

FAEB00) is used for highlights only.

Download font here

• The Almarai Font is the font used for the Arabic MORGTs. If you don’t download and install it, You will get a missing font message every time you open Premiere Pro. Download font here

• For videos, short sentences work best.

Aim for maximum 8-9 words per frame and avoid going over 3 lines.

• Avoid jargon and abbreviations. Use simple language only; imagine you are speaking to your grandma.

• If your sentence is too long, break it up across a few frames. Avoid long sentences running over more than three frames.

• Don’t use punctuation at the end of text frames. Capitalize the first word in a sentence to differentiate the start of a new sentence.

• If the sentence runs across multiple frames, only capitalize at the beginning of the sentence. Don’t capitalize each individual frame.

• Don’t use punctuaion on text frames (subtitles only)

• Text should generally be placed on the bottom of your screen unless it covers key visuals. If you place your text elsewhere, be consistent. Keep your text in the same location for each sentence to improve legibility.

• There are different text animation options available. Feel free to use different styles but try to avoid multiple animations styles within the same video.

How to use onscreen text: Title frames

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How to use onscreen text: Highlights

• Highlight key words only to create emphasis. Use key words sparingly to provide emphasis on your key messages. Only 2-3 key words per line.

• Don’t highlight conjunctions like ‘and’ (ex: UNHCR distributes blankets and kitchen utensils).

• Always use yellow as a highlight colour.

For technical guidance on how to use highlights: See video

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How to use onscreen text: Subtitles

• The font used for our subtitles is Proxima Nova Italic. This helps to differentiate the speech from the text frames.

• Use full punctuation in subtitles.

• Only use white on subtitles. Do not highlight words in subtitles.

• You may use yellow subtitles if you have two key speakers (for example, voiceover-white;

talking head- yellow).

• For social videos, most people watch videos with sound off. Add subtitles to all your videos.

• For longer features and news videos, also use subtitles. Even if people listen with sound more often, they are now used to reading the on-screen text, even in their own language.

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How to use watermark:

• The watermark uses the block white vertical UNHCR logo.

• It should always be placed at the top right of every video.

• The watermark should stay throughout the whole video, except on the end card.

• On-screen text should never cover the watermark.

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How to use gradients:

• Gradients allow you to make onscreen text more legible when text is placed against lighter shots by placing a subtle dark shading on a selected part of the screen.

Gradients should be used instead of drop shadows (shadow on text which makes the text appear three- dimensional). It is much cleaner and easier to read than a drop shadow. Drop shadows can appear messy and result in videos looking off-brand.

• To use gradients, simply drag and drop gradient on the video track under subtitles (See video)

• Do not use drop shadow on your text.

• Only use the gradients on frames where it’s needed. You don’t need to have it on the whole video if only two shots are hard to read.

• Use the middle gradient to accentuate text or assets that are located higher up in the screen. Please remember to Adjust to Position, Scale and Opacity to make it as seamless as possible. Works on all aspects ratios (16x9, 9x16 & 1x1). Note that the middle gradient is not a MOGRT but a .PNG file. (See video)

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How to use astons/lower thirds:

• Only include the aston when you see the person speaking on-screen

• Keep the aston up for roughly four seconds

• For UNHCR staff, put their name+

‘UNHCR, the UN Refugee agency’

on first reference and then name + UNHCR subsequently. (For example: John Smith, UNHCR, the UN Refugee agency) Do not include their job titles except for HC, DHC, AHC and Special Envoys.

Note: For fundraising videos,

different rules apply. You can keep the full job title and acronym, when UNHCR, the UN Refugee agency is spelled out in their soundbite.

• For people from external organisations or partners, put their name + organisation (ex: Jack Dorsey, Twitter). Avoid including job titles.

• If they are a displaced person, put their name + country of

origin and status (ex: Houssam, Syrian refugee)

The aston is the name + title and/or asylum/refugee status of speaker which should appear when a speaker is talking on camera. It is also known as lower-third or name strap.

How to use:

When to use a blue aston:

Use a blue aston when it’s a news video or has a strong social style.

When to use a yellow aston:

Use a yellow aston when it’s a Storytelling video. Storytelling videos

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How to use locator:

How to use:

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The locator shows the location where the event or story took place.

• It should be located on the 2nd or 3rd text frame of a video (roughly 5 seconds in).

• It should be placed in the left top corner. It should never be placed on the opening title frame as it will distract the viewer from the title.

• Format should be: City (top, yellow), Country (bottom, white)

• Do not add commas.

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How to use end card:

The end card is a short graphic at the end of a video featuring the animated UNHCR logo and a call-to-action (CTA)

• Always add an end card at the end of your video.

• The end card should be roughly 3-5 seconds long.

• Choose between two CTA templates: “Share this video” (for storytelling or news videos) or “Donate now” (for fundraising campaigns or in emergencies)

• Avoid adding links to your end cards. They won’t be clickable and there is poor data on usage.

• Check that the date at the bottom of the end card shows the year the video was produced

How to use:

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When to use half-screen end cards:

The half-screen end card works best when your video ends with a soundbite from an on-screen speaker. It allows for the final soundbite to run in parallel to the end card which shortens the overall length of the video and allows for more brand visibility whilst we still have the audience’s attention.

See video

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How to use partner or donor logo:

You can include partner and donor logos on an end-card. We have included a template for partner or donor logos inclusion on end-cards.

Aim to order donor logos or names alphabetically, in English or your local language placing pooled funding donors after the last government logo, then partners.

The UNHCR Brand Hub, our interactive brand guidelines website, contains all guidance and information about who we are, how we look and speak, and other key components of UNHCRs brand. You can access the Brand Hub here: Password: Brand@2021.

Please seek further guidance from the Brand Unit for inclusion of logos if needed. Download donor logos and Donor Visibility Guidelines on the UNHCR donor visibility intranet page.

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How to use the footage source:

• The footage source (see: “Copyright” in template) should usually appear for approximately 5-10 seconds (or for the duration of the licensed footage) on the right of the video frame. We recommend placing it towards the beginning, shortly after the opening.

• For social, do not place the footage credit on the opening as it will distract from the opening title.

• Remember to keep proof you have the legal right to license the footage, as it could come in handy in the event of a copyright claim.

When using footage from a 3rd party, partner or another UN agency, they may request an on-screen credit for the footage. This gives a visible on-screen record of the original source of the video.

How to use:

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Special Features:

Once you have mastered the basic elements of the template above, you will notice some Extra Features available. Some of these features require advanced editing skills. Please only use these features for their appropriate format, as detailed below.

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How to use a map:

Maps can be included in videos to help identify a country’s location. This feature is only available for use at Bureau and content hub-level due to sensitivities in using maps. Map usage in social video production also requires advanced editing skills.

How to use:

• All map usage needs to be cleared by the mapping unit. If you include a map, please contact mapping unit: hqmap@unhcr.org for approval.

• See the chapter on technical guidance for advice on how to use the map.

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When to use three bar transitions:

The three bar transitions are available to use as chapter dividers in news or explainer videos. They help to break up the video and add a quick mental pause between text-heavy videos. Or as a transition between an interview or multi-voice piece.

See video

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When to use letterbox format:

Piece-to-camera

The letterbox format is for a news piece-to-camera, generally featuring a UNHCR spokesperson or field officer. The format helps audiences to quickly identify the topic/headline of the video whilst scrolling through their Twitter or other news feed.

• Titles on letterbox formats should be maximum 5-6 words. They need to read like a news headline.

• Place subtitles in the bottom blue section

• Do not use the letterbox format for non-news products such as fundraising, storytelling, etc.

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When to use letterbox format:

Raw Clip

The top half of the letterbox format can be used standalone for a raw news clip. Sometimes you may not have enough footage to tell a full story but a clip alone with a headline can be just as powerful to share your message.

How to use:

• Titles on letterbox formats should be maximum 5-6 words. They need to read like a news headline.

• Only use this format for clips without any soundbites. Soundbites always require subtitles.

• Avoid using all caps on titles as it makes it harder to read.

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When to use headline text:

Headline texts are large text animations available to use in news or explainer videos. They can be used to emphasize a key question or fact.

How to use:

• Use to emphasize a key fact or question

• Don’t overuse them. Avoid using more than 1-2 times per video or they will lose impact.

• Use for news and explainer videos. Don’t use them in a storytelling video.

See video

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When to use bar reveal texts:

Bar reveal texts are available to use in news or explainer videos. They can help to emphasize a key fact.

How to use:

• Use to emphasize a key fact

• Don’t overuse them. Avoid using more than 1-2 times per video.

• Use for key words only, not full sentences.

• Use for news and explainer videos. Don’t use them in a storytelling video.

See video

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When to use audio waveform:

The audio waveform can be used when you only have a person’s voice recording (ie no visuals of the person speaking, no piece-to-camera).

This might be a stylistic choice or it could happen when a PI is in the field during an emergency and have limited time to script and record a piece- to-camera for example. You can also use it in an “audiogram”, a photo essay with a personal audio testimonial underneath.

The waveform helps the audience to understand this is an audio-led piece and encourages them to turn their sound on.

How to use:

• Do not use on videos where you already have a video of the person speaking.

• Include an aston as you would for a soundbite or piece-to-camera See video

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When to use countdowns:

Countdowns are available to use for listicle videos. Listicle is a term used for videos made up of a bullets or numbered list, often organized around a central theme. Video listicles provide viewers a way to intake knowledge in the most organized format possible: the list.

See video

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Delivering your video to Global

We want to see, and share, your work!

Please share your video with the Video and Social Media Unit. If it is an original production, it may be relevant to global audiences, and we can help amplify it. If it is a translation of another UNHCR production (I.e. a social video developed in HQ), the Video Unit will require the video to archive it.

Each video should be shared with global should get 3 similar edits:

READY-TO-PUBLISH VERSION (When in English, it is the “ENG” version) - this is ready, with music soundtrack and audio editing, effects and filters, and all branding. It cannot be re-edted.

“ASI” VERSION – This is the same as above, only without any on-screen text or voiceover script. It can be used by other UNHCR teams to do a version of your video in a different language.

INTERNATIONAL - This is the master, or archival, version. It has clean cuts of the

soundbites, without illustrative shots on top, longer individual B-roll shots, and uses natural sound, but no music soundtrack. The shot list time codes should reflect what is in the INT version.

See these guidelines about video formats and why there are so important for UNHCR.

The best way to share your video stories is to reach out to the Video and Social Media Unit for social video, to tell us about your project. If it is already edited and commissioned by global, then please send your material using a file transfer site like WeTransfer, alerting the Video Unit at hqvideo@unhcr.org and Social Media Team at hqmrpism@unhcr.org. Please ensure to always include the relevant bureau.

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Frequently asked questions

Do I need to use these templates for all UNHCR video?

These are the UNHCR video templates recommended by the brand team. All content pitched or published on global platforms will require usage of the templates. We recommend bureaux and countries to use the templates to help UNHCR build brand recognition.

If you are working on a “special project” (for example, a documentary film, or lead piece for the Olympics or Nansen Refugee Awards), you may choose to have a more creative approach. It is important however to follow the main brand guidelines for font, colors and brand logos.

Can I share these templates with UNHCR freelancers or creative agencies?

Yes, please share these templates with all UNHCR freelancers or creative agencies working with UNHCR.

What if you are working with an external who uses a different video editing programme?

UNHCR’s preferred editing software is Adobe Premiere and After Effects. We are unable to offer editing tools for any other

Will these templates work in Arabic?

Yes, these templates will be available in Arabic.

Can we use these templates on TikTok?

No, TikTok videos need to feel native to the app so only use the fonts and tools available within the app.

Where can I download UNHCR’s recommended font?

UNHCR’s primary font Proxima Nova can be found on Adobe Typekit.

One licence per office is also available upon request from the Global Brand Unit. Please send any requests at globalbrand@unhcr.org. If Proxima Nova is not available, you can use our secondary font Lato which is available for free download here.

Where can I source music clips to use in my video?

UNHCR’s Global Content team has a licensing agreement with Audio Networks, but that agreement strictly limits the usage of that music, and we cannot source audio for non-global or fundraising projects.

Got another question for the video unit?