Production Style Guide I AM ANIMAL HEALTH Project Overview BACKGROUND The “I Am Animal Health” video series features MSD Animal Health employees in quick, one-minute video clips. Each video highlights the employee’s unique viewpoint and experiences as an MSD Animal Health employee. This video series is produced in a consistent, professional manner so as to weave a cohesive look throughout all the video segments. Each video utilizes interview and b-roll footage as well as still photographs captured on-site or submitted by the employee featured.
Series History The series – premised on “bringing our purpose to life” – launched in 2017 and features an employee each month.
Project Platforms The series is available to both internal and external audiences, including current and prospective employees, new hires, social media followers, industry stakeholders, customers and more on the following platforms: Global Company Website U.S. Website Sync MAH Facebook Page MAH Twitter Page MSD Twitter Page MAH LinkedIn Page MSD LinkedIn Page
Series Examples
Dr. Alexandra Reilley, Marta Nowak, Cody VanCleave,
U.S. Poultry Technical Services Intergovernmental Veterinary Health U.S. Companion Animal Senior Territory Manager
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LOGISTICS & APPROVAL PROCESS Participating countries are responsible for: • determining which employees to film • selecting, funding and coordinating a local filming session (country representatives are encouraged to share this style guide with their contracted agency in advance of filming) • ensuring featured employees receive the IAAH Toolkit documents in advance of filming (see slide 5) • purchasing/securing backdrop (background paper) for filming (see pg. 8) • collecting photos from featured employees (see pg. 15) and maintaining copies of signed release forms • funding and providing transcriptions (and English translations, if applicable) of all interviewee source footage
• Upon completion of filming, country representatives should notify lesley.sullivan@merck.com, who will coordinate delivery of their source footage, transcriptions and photos to a contracted agency for editing and production of the final videos.
• Lesley Sullivan will manage internal approvals of the final videos with the appropriate country representative, the featured employee, Global Communications and Legal.
• Lesley Sullivan will manage the launch of the final videos internally and externally (see ‘Project Platforms’ on page 3).
• Please direct questions regarding this process to Lesley Sullivan.
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SELECTING CANDIDATES IAAH TOOLKIT Selecting Candidates Our goal for this series is to celebrate the great diversity within MSD Animal Health through roles, depth of experience, backgrounds and more. Please be mindful of this when selecting candidates to be filmed. Also ensure that selected candidates embody our core company values that are found in our Strategic Framework.
After determining your list of desired candidates to film, please vet them with human resources and secure approval from their manager and the country manager before reaching out to the candidates.
IAAH Toolkit The “I Am Animal Health Toolkit” contains reference documents and forms for featured employees as well as for interviewers. Please take time to review the toolkit materials and note that they should be shared with featured employees for their review and/or completion in advance of filming.
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TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS VIDEOGRAPHY FORMAT Personal perspectives blended together with beautifully captured cutaways is key to telling our story. To align imagery with our approachable, casual message, the things that can help bring more emotion are shallow depth-of-field imagery styles. Imagery should always appear realistic and highlight a sense of warmth and energy. To ensure consistent brand standards, it is critical that videos are of high-quality, demonstrate excellent production values, and are distributed in the proper format and resolution.
Production Equipment Camera equipment should produce a shallow to medium depth-of-field. Wide apertures, long focal lengths, short-focus distances, full-frame camera sensors. - Recommended aperatures: minimum - f/2.6 maximum- f/8.0 - Recommended focal lengths: 70-600mm
Acquisition Standards For interviews, use lighting setup as noted in the schematic on page 8. For b-roll find a place with bright, even lighting that does not cast shadows on the interviewee’s face. Cameras must be appropriately white balanced and color temperatures adjusted for the environment being captured. VIDEO - All footage must be captured at 24 fps - High definition, 1080p, 1920x1080 (16:9) aspect ratio *There is no need to record 4K or utilize steadicam. AUDIO - Use professional lavalier/lapel microphone for audio capture - Digital recording standard: 44.1 kHz sample rate, 16 bit minimum - Audio peaks should average around -8 dB (from clip) - Maximum level is 0 (clip point) - Audio clipping is to be avoided at all costs
File Delivery VIDEO - Required file formats include: Apple ProRes 422 and MP4 - Stereo 48kHz Audio. *Not MPX files. PHOTOGRAPHY - Required file formats include: High resolution .JPG (5,616px × 3,744px) - Portrait or Landscape “I Am Animal Health” Production Style Guide | Page 6 TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS-VIDEOGRAPHY CONTINUED...
The tone of the video series is casual and approachable. Professionally produced, the series utilizes interview footage produced on a solid background lit to accentuate “radiant personalities,” b-roll footage and still photographs to show each interviewee in a friendly, current environment. Abstract elements help add a sense of energy and intimacy as the viewer “gets to know the interviewee.”
INTERVIEW
OFFICE and JOB-RELATED
B-ROLL
MORE ABSTRACT STYLISTIC
B-ROLL
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TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS INTERVIEWS Benefits Utilizing a portable solid backdrop on location allows for production efficiencies, essential to capturing all interviewees in a consistent and streamlined manner. Lighting is set once and the interviews conducted consecutively. Additional b-roll footage is scheduled in different locations if time allows. Setting up the production schedule this way enables the interviews to move more quickly while allowing for a consistent, high impact background. The look achieved is ultimately modern with a clean, focused feel, lit to accentuate “radiant personalities.” Editing between the interviews, on-location b-roll, and still photographs provides a casual, contemporary feel for the entire series. The interview footage and graphic package ties each video together while the specific b-roll footage individualizes each subject and maintains a freshness for the series.
Interview Recommended background paper is provided by savageuniversal.com 107” x 12yds. (2.72m x 11m) in the following color options: - 32 Light Gray - 60 Focus Gray - 27 Thunder Gray
Find distributors in your country by visiting Savage Universal’s website.
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TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS-INTERVIEWS CONTINUED...
Interviewee Specifications The interviewee should be positioned to one side of the frame, opposite the interviewer. They should speak and interact directly with the interviewer (who will be seated just to the side of the camera) in order to keep the interviewee’s eyes looking forward but not directly into the camera. They should be put at ease and asked to speak with all the enthusiasm they typically exude when engaging in great conversation. If they talk with their hands, they should be encouraged to do so. Cutaway takes of the hands should be included for potential edit coverage points.
Shoulders Up Chin Up Cutaway
Interviewer Specifications The interviewer should be positioned opposite the interviewee and as close to the camera lens as comfortable. Interviewer should ask each interviewee a question and instruct them to rephrase the question into their answer the best they can to ensure optimal footage.
For Example: INTERVIEWER: “What makes you proud to work for MSD Animal Health?”
INTERVIEWEE: “Being an Animal Health employee allows me to work in a field I’m passionate about, with some of the most talented people I’ve ever met. Not to mention, our products help us keep animals and people healthy. What could be better than that?”
Interviewer should ask the interviewee questions in a conversational way in order to get the answers in a relaxed tone. Start with interviewee’s background and work towards the questions about their thoughts on MSD Animal Health. The goal is to portray the interviewee in a relaxed, upbeat and professional manner.
Video Capture Specifications
Each interviewee should be recorded from the shoulders up at least twice to ensure the right footage was captured. Next, the interviewee should be captured from the chin up answering the same question. Cutaway takes can be recorded at the end of the interview or in between questions. Be sure to capture each take per question. See labeled photos at top of page for examples of each take. “I Am Animal Health” Production Style Guide | Page 9 TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS-INTERVIEWS CONTINUED...
Interview Specifications Interviewees are encouraged to speak in their native languages during the interviews, and then complete a second interview in English (if possible). Subtitles can be added to the videos to ensure that they can be leveraged in other countries.
Transcriptions Please include a transcription timecoded text file (.txt) of all interviewee source footage when submitting assets. If possible, include English translation as well.
Video Capture Specifications
Although each interviewee will be unique, total minutes of filmed footage generally ranges between 15 and 40 minutes.
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INTERVIEW QUESTIONS Interview Questions The main goal of the below interview questions is to capture the “why” behind the ways in which an employee is specifically animal health. What does he or she specifically add to the company? • Can you state your name? • What is your job title? • How many years have you been with the company? • What first got you involved in the Animal Health industry? • What philosophy or mantra do you approach all of your work with? • In what ways do you find your work rewarding? What makes you proud to work for our company? • How do you feel our company’s products benefit our customers and their animals? • What does our tagline, “The Science of Healthier Animals” mean to you? • How have you been able to develop within the company in terms of your career path, acquired skill sets, etc.? • In your opinion, what sets our company apart from other ones? • The series is called “I Am Animal Health.” What makes you Animal Health? • If you submitted industry-related photos for consideration, can you talk us through those? • Is there anything else you’d like to add?
Speaking Guidelines Ask the candidate to say the following phrases a couple times: • “My name is _____ and I am Merck Animal Health” • “My name is _____ and I am MSD Animal Health” • Other than the phrase above, the employee should refer to the company as “our company” or “Animal Health.” He or she should not mention MSD or Merck during the interview, to ease in editing.
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SCHEMATIC Interviewee should be placed 5 feet (1.5m - 2m) in front of background on a stool or chair that does not have a back appearing on camera. Use the following background set up according to the schematic noted below.
Background to Subject 5-7ft. (1.5m - 2m)
Subject to Camera 8-10ft. (2.5m - 3m)
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TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS B-ROLL FOOTAGE Each interviewee should have a specific, individual focus for their b-roll footage highlighting their own industry-related interests or job functions. If possible, b-roll should be captured outside on location with natural lighting. If possible, interviewees should be asked to bring any associated props or materials that would help to illustrate their activity.
Possible Locations / Activities
- At desk or in lab - Interacting with colleagues - Stables - Outside with pet - At desk or in lab
Required B-roll - Wide Take of interviewee in location - 3 angles - Wide Take of interviewee in location - walking - Medium Take of interviewee in location - 3 angles - Close Up (CU) of interviewee’s face - looking into camera - Close Up of interviewee’s face - looking off camera - Close Up of interviewee’s face - framed ½ way out - Close Up of interviewee in action - doing action of choice - various (hands, smiling, eyes, etc.)
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TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS PHOTOGRAPHY To add a personal touch to the videos produced, each video should include 1 - 2 still photographs from the interviewee that supplement their story. These photos should be focused on showing the interviewee at a work or industry-related event. An example of this would be the interviewee with their pet, at an industry event or doing an animal-related hobby. For each submission, there needs to be a signed photo release form from all people captured in the photo. To obtain a photo release form refer to the IAAH Toolkit. Full contact information can be found on page 17.
All interviewees’ photos should be submitted in advance of recording. This way, the interviewer can be sure to address the photos to be used during filming. Photos should be submitted to Barnstorming for assessment and inclusion in the video. Photos can be scanned if not available digitally. It is also preferable to include a still photographer on location to obtain additional photos of the interviewee.
This can include posed and candid photos during filming. The composition of these photos should include headshot style photos as well. Their photos will be used within the video and also on social media.
Still Photograph Size Specifications
PHOTOGRAPHY - Acceptable file formats include: High resolution .JPG (5,616px × 3,744px) - Please take landscape format photos when possible.
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INTERVIEWEE ATTIRE GUIDELINES • Interviewees are encouraged to bring multiple outfit options for filming. For clothing, blues, black and solid colors all work best for video. Avoid gray and beige.
• If an interviewee will be wearing jewelry, simple and tasteful pieces are key.
• Watches should be as non-reflective as possible.
• Ensure that makeup worn is appropriate for the interviewee’s skin tone and natural coloring and blot shiny skin locations appropriately.
• For additional details, reference the Attire Guidelines Document in the IAAH Toolkit. Interviewees should be sent this document in advance of filming.
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