Local Healthwatch: Video and Audio Guidance

Transcription

1 Local Healthwatch: Video and Audio Guidance January 2013

2 Table of Contents [ 01 ] Overview 04 [ 02 ] Videos 04 [ 03 ] Code 04 [ 04 ] Captions, Subtitles and Transcripts: Overview 04 [ 04a ] Getting Started: Captions / Subtitles Defined [ 04b ] Captions [ 04c ] Captions / Subtitle Style (not on YouTube) [ 04d ] Closed Captions Only [ 04e ] Captions Requirements [ 05 ] Captioning When You Can't See the Speaker 08 [ 05a ] Narration [ 05b ] Dialogue [ 05c ] Sound Effects No Dialogue [ 06 ] Subtitles 09 [ 07 ] Consider Captions & Subtitles in Production 09 [ 08 ] Transcription 10 [ 08a] Why this is Important [ 08b ] How to Make Transcripts [ 09 ] YouTube Captioning/Transcripts 12 [ 09a ] Transcript File [ 09b ] Auto-Captions [ 09c ] Adding Captions Manually [ 09d ] Editing [ 09e ] Uploading/Downloading [ 10 ] YouTube Video Search Engine Optimisation 16 [ 10a ] Video metadata 2

3 [ 10b ] Video Title [ 10c ] Video Description [ 10d ] Video tags [ 10e ] Video thumbnails [ 10f ] YouTube Advanced Settings [ 10g ] Comments & Responses [ 10h ] Video Location [ 10i ] Captioning Tools [ 11 ] Video Healthcheck 19 3

4 [ 01 ] Overview This document is to help you with the creation of online video and audio, which has a very specific set of criteria that differs from those used in television production. We have provided guidance on general issues for you to be aware of especially around accessibility - as well as guidance for using YouTube specifically. [ 02 ] Videos When creating online videos, you need to keep videos as short as possible to maintain interest. It is important to deliver the key message of the video straight away. as many users will not watch it all the way through. If the subject is broad or complex and requires a longer programme, consider making a series of videos on the subject instead. [ 03 ] Code HTML5 is the code used to build newer websites, and the latest W3C approved code standard. It aims to standardise elements on a page and to reduce the use of plugins. In the past, you needed a plug-in such as Flash or QuickTime to listen to music and video. Now, with HTML5, you can place video on a website as easily as you would an image you just put a video inside some video tags. This works for audio too (albeit some formats are not supported by all browsers). [ 04 ] Captions, Subtitles and Transcripts: Overview Captions, subtitles and transcripts for videos (and transcripts for audio files or podcasts) are a requirement for any video and audio content, to achieve compliance to accessibility. This policy is an important part of making online content available to as many people as possible. Please note that unless otherwise noted, all aspects of this document apply equally to captions and subtitles. Transcripts have a unique and different set of guidelines and criteria of acceptance, also described within this document. [ 04a ] Getting Started: Captions / Subtitles Defined Captions and subtitles (and transcripts) are the audio elements of a video in written text format. This generally means the narration or dialogue, but sometimes they also include information to help people follow the dialogue, such as descriptions of music, background noises, ambient audio and other sounds in a video s audio track. 4

5 Captions and subtitles make videos accessible to a wider audience by allowing people who cannot otherwise understand the audio track, to follow the content. This could be people who are hard of hearing, are in a noisy environment, don t have audio on their computers or who speak other languages. The difference between the two are simple, but very specific. Captions are primarily for the hearing impaired. Subtitles are written for hearing viewers in another language. In practice, captions are in the same language as the video's audio track and subtitles are in a different language. For example, with a bilingual English/Welsh website, we would have clearly labelled Captions (for English text) and Subtitles (for Welsh text). [ 04b ] Captions Captions are defined as "synchronized text equivalents of audio information in the same language as the audio, conveying not only speech content, but also non-speech information such as sound effects, music, laughter, and speaker identification and location." Why we want captions: Captions provide missing information for individuals who have difficulty processing speech and auditory components of visual media (regardless of whether this difficulty is due to hearing loss or a cognitive delay). Captioning is essential for the deaf and hard of hearing They can be very beneficial to users with English as a second language or with reading and literacy problems, especially with word identification and meaning. Captioning has been related to higher comprehension and retention levels when compared to viewers watching the same media without captions. Since most captioning for the web relies on text, captions will ensure that they are indexed by search engines more quickly and accurately, meaning our videos will reach more people. 5

6 [ 04c ] Captions / Subtitle Style (not on YouTube) If the captions/subtitles are being commissioned for video productions that will not be on YouTube, then you may have to provide direction to the production company for these. Do not use graphical captions, or subtitles. To keep file sizes small, use text-only xml files. They are easier to edit & update in-house, should that be necessary, without the expense of a third party. If you commission them in the.sbv format, they can be used instantly and easily for YouTube and added to DVDs too. Therefore, commission captions and subtitles delivered: un-styled un-formatted non-graphical In text only, ideally as.sbv files [ 04d ] Closed Captions Only There are two types of Captions: Closed captions must be able to be turned on or off at will. Non-closed (open) captions are printed on the video itself Closed captions appear only when the user selects this option, as opposed to open captions, which are a permanent part of the picture (making it impossible to change). Closed captions are the usual, more flexible option. [ 04e ] Captions Requirements synchronised to appear as close as possible to the same time as the audio; verbatim when time allows, or as close as possible; equivalent and equal in content; and accessible and readily available to those who need or want them The most important thing about captions and subtitles is that, when they appear on the screen, they are in an easy-to-read format. 6

7 Captions and subtitles should adhere to the following guidelines as much as possible: Captions appear on-screen long enough to be read. On-screen captions must display on no more than two lines. Captions are synchronised with spoken words. Speakers should be identified when more than one person is on-screen or when the speaker is not visible. Punctuation is used to clarify meaning. Spelling is correct throughout the production. Sound effects are written when they add to understanding. All actual words are captioned, regardless of language or dialect. Use of slang and accent is preserved and identified Translating speech to text sometimes requires creative use of punctuation, but always use good grammar. 7

8 [ 05 ] Captioning When You Can't See the Speaker A video's captions can transmit all of the following types of audible information: Narration Dialogue Sound Effects [ 05a ] Narration Off-screen Narration is depicted with text over scene [ 05b ] Dialogue Off-screen dialogue is depicted with the name of the speaker indicated in ( ) brackets. [ 05c ] Sound Effects No Dialogue Special effects, background, ambient audio indicated by the use of [ ] square brackets. 8

9 [ 06 ] Subtitles Subtitles are written for people who speak a different language to the one the video is in. They present the audio elements of a project (whether video, audio, podcast, etc.) in a language different from the one originally recorded in. They usually do not indicate information other than dialogue, and often are edited. Some may translate onscreen printed information such as a street sign. By and large the style, delivery and guidelines for captions applies to subtitles. The primary difference is that ambient or colour audio is not included (because the user can hear). [ 07 ] Consider captions & subtitles in production Closed captions appear only when the user selects this option. However, the video producers should be aware that, with captions selected, the lower section of the video will be partially obscured by the captions and their corresponding semi-opaque black background. This is exactly the same situation if subtitles are selected by the user. Therefore we recommend avoiding having vital information presented in an area of the screen that could be potentially blocked by the captions. Or having bright white areas along the bottom of the screen as the text will be much less visible (e.g. white on white). 9

10 [ 08 ] Transcription [ 08a] Why this is Important Transcripts are basically audio description, which makes video accessible to people who are unable to see it. It provides information about movements or actions which are important to the comprehension of the content and cannot be understood from the audio information alone. [ 08b] How to Make Transcripts There are two stages to creating a text transcript of an audio or audiovisual multimedia resource: 1. Generation of the transcript 2. Publishing the transcript on a web page Generation of the transcript is far more challenging and time consuming, as it involves listening to and writing down spoken content, plus any non-spoken audio information important to understanding. This means watching the video, in order to provide additional text to provide important information about visual events (in other words, text equivalents of what would be spoken as part of an audio description), so that people who are deaf-blind can understand the content. As a rule of thumb, the transcript should contain: All spoken content, including speaker name; Any additional contextual information relating to the spoken content, for example whether dialogue is whispered or shouted; Any non-spoken information without which understanding of the video or audio content would be reduced or lost; Any text that would be spoken as part of an audio description and visual events important to the understanding of the content; As with captions, onscreen visuals that inform or relate to the content or context of the video need to be indicated. As with captioning, there is a degree of subjectivity to transcripts. Capturing the spoken dialogue is the easy part you simply listen and record what is being said by whom. The trickier bit is conveying the colour, mood and atmosphere of the video. Some rules of thumb include: 10

11 Describe what you observe as well as what you hear. Always include what is essential to know, such as actions and details that would confuse or mislead the audience if omitted. For example, if the subject says as you can see and points to his new tractor, that needs to be included. When possible, describe actions and details that add to the understanding of mood, appearance, setting and atmosphere. For example, if the subject rolls his eyes to visually get across he is being blithe, this should be included. Describe as consistently as possible, using the same character names and terminology throughout a production, unless exceptions are warranted. Describe any obvious emotional states. Do not attempt to describe what is invisible, as a mental state, reasoning, or motivation. For example, if the subject chokes up and wipes away a tear, this is an important visual indicator of the mood. Include titles and credits, if any. Transcript Examples Example 1 - Here, non-spoken information is provided using italicised text with brackets, Speaker is indicated in bold, and offscreen speaker is indicated clearly: (Alistair sits in front of a painting showing the straw house and talks) Alistair: I will huff and puff and blow your house down. (Shot of the outside, where a wolf is approaching, howling) Man s voice (from outside the room): Not by the hair of my chinny chin chin 11

12 [ 09 ] YouTube Captioning/Transcripts Although we will cover off the basics here, please be aware that support for captioning and subtitles in YouTube is both sophisticated and constantly evolving. See latest guidance at: [ 09a ] Transcript File A transcript file must be saved as a plain text file without any formatting. There cannot be any special characters like &,, smart quotes or emdashes. Here's what a transcript might look like: FISHER: All right. So, let's begin. This session is: Going Social with the YouTube APIs. I am Jeff Fisher, and this is Johann Hartmann, we're presenting today. [pause] [ 09b ] Auto-Captions If the language spoken in the video and the text is the same (such as for captions in English), YouTube can synchronise the display of the text with the delivery of the speech automatically for you using autocaptions. This is extremely effective and easy to do. However, please ensure you watch it through carefully to ensure the captions correspond correctly to what is said. [ 09c ] Adding Captions Manually If Auto-Captioning on YouTube is not useful, you can add the timings manually. These are literally the hours/minutes/seconds/milliseconds position of where the dialogue takes place in the programme and is how the captions are assigned to that particular area. You do this by adding timing to your transcript to create an.sbv file. Please note that there are third parties that can do this for you or you can access software or freeware to do this. Here's what a (*.SBV) caption file might look like: the first numbers are the begin point and the last numbers indicate when the caption ends, e.g.: 0:00:03.490,0:00: FISHER: All right. So, let's begin. This session is: Going Social 12

13 0:00:07.430,0:00: with the YouTube APIs. I am Jeff Fisher, 0:00:11.600,0:00: >> and this is Johann Hartmann, we're presenting today. 0:00:14.009,0:00: [pause] Here are some common captioning practices that help readability: Descriptions inside square brackets like [music] or [laughter] can help people with hearing disabilities to understand what is happening in your video. You can also add tags like >> at the beginning of a new line to identify speakers or change of speaker. 13

14 [ 09d ] Editing On YouTube, you can edit auto-captions or your own captions directly online. Just follow these steps: Sign into your YouTube account On the Captions pane, click on any track. This can be the Machine Transcript track or your own. Click inside any line in the caption track panel (you can edit the text, but not the timing). Click OK to save your changes to a line. Click Save to save the entire caption track. 14

15 [ 09e ] Uploading/Downloading Once you've created your transcript or caption file, you can upload to YouTube to attach them to your video. 1. Mouse over your username located in the upper right corner of every page. 2. Click on Video Manager. You will then be directed to a page showing your uploaded videos. 3. Find the video to which you'd like to add captions/subtitles and click the down arrow located to the right of the Edit and Insight buttons. Select the Captions button from the drop down menu. 4. Click the Add New Captions or Transcript button on the right hand side of the page. You will be prompted to Browse for a file to upload. 5. Select a caption/subtitle or transcript file to upload. If you are uploading a transcript (no timecodes), select Transcript file, otherwise, select Caption file. 6. Select the appropriate language. If you wish, you can also enter a track name. 7. Click the Upload File button. In order to download auto-captions for a video, you must be the video owner. If this is true: Sign into your account On the Captions pane, click on any track. Click on the Download button. YouTube will then save a file called captions.sbv to your desktop. Note you will not necessarily be downloading the caption file in the format you uploaded it, so it is always recommended to save any captions file you make locally. 15

16 [ 10 ] YouTube Video Search Engine Optimisation The following info is specific to increasing your video s visibility to search engines (specifically Google). We recommend using YouTube as a place to easily place your videos, unless you have a specific strategy for rich media in your organisation. [ 10a ] Video metadata Video metadata is the information that surrounds your video: Title, Tags & Description. Video metadata plays a large role in the visibility and consumption of video on YouTube and helps search engines find your videos. [ 10b ] Video Title Titles are an important tool to describe your content and compel users to click on your video. Think of them as taglines or magazine headlines that will pique the interest of potential viewers. Remember to: Include relevant keywords to maximize search and discovery traffic, but always accurately portray content. Place keywords first in the title and branding (such as your show or channel name) at the end. Try to keep titles to around 75 characters or fewer including spaces and not to exceed 100 Characters including spaces. [ 10c ] Video Description Begin your description with the most relevant information. Only the first few sentences of your description show on a video watch page and next to the thumbnail in search results. Include the keywords used in the title and that will be included in the tags, as well as additional relevant keywords. Follow a structure or template for all of your video descriptions to create uniformity and always include: Link to your channel page and a subscription link with a Call To Action (CTA). Links to related content/sites/videos/channels/users referenced in the video with a CTA Links to social media accounts with a CTA. The that turns links into hyperlinks (URL shorteners are great to track clicks) and exclude the country/language code from the URLs as IP/Location detection should redirect user to relevant content. 16

17 [ 10d ] Video tags Tags should always be topically accurate and concise. In addition to content specific tags create a set of standard tags for your channel that can be applied to any video you publish. These tags should apply to most of the content you produce. [ 10e ] Video thumbnails Thumbnails, along with your video title, act as mini marketing posters for your content on YouTube. YouTube creates an automatic selection of thumbnail images drawn from stills of your video. Always choose the best one you can according to the following general guidelines: Clear and in-focus Bright, high-contrast Close-ups of faces are good Visually compelling imagery Well-framed, good composition Foreground stands out from background Accurately represents the content [ 10f ] YouTube Advanced Settings Embedding on other sites: Allowing other users to embed your videos can also help the seeding process. Videos may get more views within the context of a relevant website than on YouTube. All views are counted on YouTube. Syndication: Let people see your video on their mobile, ipad and TV enable syndication. [ 10g ] Comments & Responses Video Responses Do not allow video responses or commenting on your videos unless you have resource to police the comments and be aware that it is not easy to get unwanted comments deleted. Privacy Set to public so the video is available to all to watch License Select the standard YouTube license 17

18 [ 10h ] Video Location Adding video location to a video makes that video more relevant to users in/near to that location. [ 10i ] Captioning Tools More information on captioning and tools for this purpose can be found here 18

19 [ 11 ] Video Healthcheck Commissioning 1a Does the video already exist? (Check another local Healthwatch or organisation has not produced a similar one you can use) 1b Do you have a clear idea of what the video should say, how long it should be, who it is aimed at, who can approve the script and who can sign off the finished video? 1c Have you budgeted for captions and, if necessary, subtitles? Describing your video 2a Do you have a YouTube account to upload videos to, if not set one up only with approval from head of local Healthwatch 2b As you upload the video, make sure you have followed instructions in this document for naming and description 2c Have you linked back to your local Healthwatch site in the description of the video? 2d Have you used a full range of tags to help your video be found Captions / Transcriptions (a legal requirement for public sector sites) 3a Have you created a transcription of everything that is said and happens in the video? 3b Try using YouTube s auto caption feature to save you from having to add timings by hand 3c Add a full transcription of the text either at the bottom of the video description field in YouTube or on the page on the site you are embedding the video in or both. 3d Watch the film with the sound turned off. Does it make sense? Subtitles 4a Is it important for the video to be understood by people who are not fluent in English? 4b If you have a caption document with timings (which you can download from auto caption), you can then send this for translation as long as the numbers for timings are left alone 4c Do not have your video editor burn subtitles into the video, make them refer to this document. 19