Creating Video

Introduction

Archiving begins from the moment of creation, when you record raw video footage on a camera. At this key stage, there is important information about the video that must be captured to enable identification, authentication and use of the video later on.

This information is known as metadata. You can create video metadata in an automated or manual fashion. You can do it in the camera and embed it in the video file, or record it separately in a spreadsheet, text file, email, or handwritten note. You should also collect any documents related to your videos, such as consent forms or production notes.

Archiving also begins when you create new edited videos using editing software. The choices you make about what to output and keep from your editing project can affect a video’s usability later on.

A Scenario: A Video in Context

http://youtu.be/03P83yQhjd8. This video was recorded on April 9, 2012 in Homs, Syria, showing that an upsurge of violence occurred in the lead-up to a UN-brokered ceasefire agreement that called for a withdrawal of heavy weapons from built-up areas and a complete cessation of hostilities on April 12, 2012.

Note how the videographers state the date and location in which the video was recorded in the video’s audio. This basic metadata is central to the video’s significance, and allows it to be verified, understood and contextualized in relation to external information, like the date of the ceasefire agreement.

Caution!

Protect sensitive information

Video metadata can contain private or sensitive information like names or locations that can put you or other people at risk. If you have sensitive data, choose methods of capturing metadata that allow you to either encrypt the data, separate it from other data, or keep it in a safe location. Be aware of what metadata your camera embeds automatically (case in point here).

Get informed consent

You cannot be sure that sensitive information will never be compromised. Consider the risks to yourself, and inform the people you are filming about the risks and get their consent to be filmed. See WITNESS’s Informed Consent tips for more information.

Be safe when recording

See WITNESS’s Safety and Security tips for more information.

What’s Next

What Metadata to Capture
What specific information is most important to capture.

How to Capture Metadata and Documentation
Different methods for capturing important information.

Outputting Edited Videos
Tips for making outputs that are easily usable later on.

Encryption

The process of encoding your files using a cryptographic algorithm so that only authorized parties with a “key” (e.g. a password) can decrypt them. The two main types of encryption are symmetric-key and public-key. Symmetric-key encryption uses the same key, or password, to encrypt and decrypt information. Public-key encryption uses one key to encrypt, and a different one to decrypt, and is more secure.

Authenticity

The quality of being genuine, not fake or counterfeit, and free from tampering. Authenticity means that an object was actually created by the person represented as its creator, and that it was actually created at the time and place that is represented as its time and place of creation. Video footage that has been manipulated or altered but is represented as if it had not been, for example, is not authentic.

To authenticate a video means to verify the relationship between it and its creator and point of creation. Documentation about who created something, when and where it was created, and the chain of custody can provide a starting point for this authentication process.

Metadata

Any information about a video: from technical information embedded in the file that allows the video to function, such as format and duration, to descriptive information about the content to help you understand or find it–such as keywords, security restrictions, geographic locations, and so on. Metadata is critical to any future use, and is important throughout the archiving process.

Despite what is sometimes said, images almost never speak for themselves. They require context and description to make sense, to corroborate their factuality, and to be accessible beyond one person’s memory or desktop.

Metadata can be automatically generated and embedded in the file, such as with technical metadata, or it can be manually recorded on an external medium, such as with descriptions, security flags, and keywords in a database. Metadata capture sometimes needs to be manually enabled on your device, such as with GPS or location services.

Archiving

The practices and decisions that support the preservation, authentication, use, and accessibility of content with enduring value.

Embedded Metadata

Metadata that is stored within the digital object it describes. Some embedded metadata, such as file size, are essential to the functioning of the file, and are always written to the file by the device or software system. Other embedded metadata are non-essential and can be optionally added (e.g. rights information). Embedded metadata is not guaranteed to be accurate—for example, if your camera is set to the wrong date. Embedded metadata stay with the digital object as long as the object is intact, but can be intentionally stripped or altered. Embedded metadata can be lost if a file is transcoded to another format.

In This Section

Introduction
What Metadata to Capture
How to Capture Metadata and Documentation
Outputting Edited Videos

Key Concept: Authenticity

The concept of authenticity is based on the creator and the context of creation.

This information must therefore be documented in order for authentication/verification to happen. Learn More

Key Concept: Metadata

Capturing metadata at this stage – before it is lost or forgotten – is critical for the identification, authentication, and use of the video. Learn More

Takeaways

The most important metadata to capture when recording a video are: date and time, geographic location, basic description, safety and security requirements, and who shot the video.
Other information can be added later to aid understandability and findability of the video.
There are many ways to capture information, including using camera settings to automatically embed data, or using a separate pre-formatted template like a spreadsheet.
Different ways of capturing information have different safety and security risks and logistical requirements.
When creating edited videos, output at full resolution, name your video files consistently, and keep your project files.