The creative expression of OSU’s new brand, themed by the Out There concept, is a great opportunity to create emotional video content that inspires our audiences.

Branded content creators across all colleges and units can follow these tactics and connect to a growing body of similarly styled and themed content and messaging, from print to the web and interactive media.

Widescreen

The common screen ratio for video production is the 16:9 standard of HD television. For OSU, we’re moving to a new wide-screen format. For branded video, the new standard is the 2:35 screen ratio. This ratio includes cropping the top and bottom of the image to create a more cinematic, panoramic view. In many viewing situations, the image will be “letter boxed,” or have black bars appearing at the top or bottom. This will be similar to how a large-format feature film appears on a standard HD television.

2:35 format is the visual marker of a cinematic experience. Traditionally, it has separated epic motion pictures from standard television programming and lower-budget films. We want to use this wider frame to emphasize the epic quality of the Out There narrative.

The widescreen format creates a panorama of opportunity. It showcases our stunning Oregon landscapes and historic campus in a cinematic style, and it also allows us to capture the drama of the experiences that our students and faculty acquire across the country and around the world.

To our prospective students, this format expresses the cinematic potential of their lives. Their stories are just beginning. They should experience the thrill that is Out There, ahead of them, in the open space spaces beyond their current experiences. It expresses the unlimited potential of their education and their future selves. It’s a sweeping narrative that’s just beginning.

You can download a 2:35 crop graphic to use in your video editing in our video assets library.

Framing

The opening and closing sequence of any Out There branded video should include framing that immerses the subject (or subjects) with a vast landscape of possibility around it. This immersion of the subject in its surroundings is intended to exploit the widescreen frame. It  also symbolizes the vastness of the canvas on which OSU works, the confidence of our people to strike out alone and explore and challenge themselves, and the scale of  the global problems we hope to solve.

This framing embodies potential. It visually conveys the idea of possibility. From urban landscapes to college campuses or open natural vistas, this framing is flexible and works in any location. But it does require additional planning and thought on each video project that employs the new brand.

Long Takes

Long takes that are lushly composed build drama and tension. They increase the sense of mystery and anticipation. Employ long takes whenever possible. Add dynamism through the composition, or through the use of music, sound design or narration.

Stable shots

A widescreen approach benefits from a stabilized or locked shot. Closeups, handheld shots and detail shots can be useful for storytelling, but the overall composition of the video will benefit from carefully selected stabilized or locked shots.

Logo use

We offer a growing range of animated logos to close any video. All existing downloadable graphics can be found here. Check back to learn about recent additions.

When to use the brand

Not every video needs to follow these brand specifics. Only videos that embody the Out There marketing messages. News, educational videos, lecture content or grassroots videos may, by necessity, require a standard format. There’s nothing wrong with standard formats.

But for branded videos that are crafted around the Out There narrative, these tactics should be followed.