61 Videography MSCI brand guidelines DIFFUSED AND DIRECT LIGHT With direct light the light will hit the subject without any filter. This creates a hard light which can be useful if you are trying to achieve a particular dramatic quality. In contrast, diffused light will use some form of interference between the subject and the light. This can be achieved by using a filter, gels or a reflector. This will create a softer look. For corporate videos, diffuse light is preferred. BOUNCE A bounce light, is a light that has been reflected. • Foam bead boards have a matte surface and will create the softest bounce light. • Reflectors with silver reflective material can create a hard light. • Bounced light in the form a reflector can be very versatile. You can create a key, fill, backlight, and even illuminate objects in the background with reflective material. AVAILABLE LIGHT This is what already exists at the location. This could just be the sun, street lights and signs. • If you’re using the sun as your lighting source, be sure to carefully plan for the weather and sun placement. • Early morning and late evening are great times for soft golden lighting. • Keep a track of time: the sun changes intensity and color quite quickly towards the latter end of the day. If you’re working with a green screen, be sure to use a well-lit production, but generally you can make do with a simple three- piece lighting setup if shooting indoors. Furthermore, if you’re shooting outside or in a particularly well-lit area, you may be able to get by with a reflector or single key. DRESS CODE FOR PHOTO SHOOTS AND VIDEO For guidance on dress code for videos, please refer to page 80 of the guidelines. MUSIC Background audio gives videos a more professional feel and tempo. Selecting and sourcing music can be a rather tricky subject for corporate video. Your options may be limited by how the video will be used. Regardless of the end use, your music needs to be licensed and royalty-free to avoid social media takedowns and potential legal trouble. We recommend bright and uplifting music, but are open to different genres if it is appropriate for the message being conveyed. We prefer instrumental tracks to those with vocals, as most of our videos have either spoken or written words and lyrics will cause unwanted distraction. Always download a watermarked preview to test the track in your project. Depending on the type of video project, you may find that music isn’t required throughout. Sizzle videos might need end to end music, but an interview or promo video may benefit from only sporadic music or a bookended approach. Music can be more powerful when it is used intermittently, to better accentuate a point or climax in the video. VOICEOVER ARTISTS The voiceover artist that you choose will quite literally become the voice of our brand. The right voice can create a real, lasting emotional connection between our brand and our customer. The wrong voice can create negative emotions towards our products and services. Make a short list of the emotions that you are trying to evoke and look for a voiceover artist whose voice best embodies those emotions. Our videos are generally targeting an international audience, and for some English may be a second language. Therefore, a clear accent which will be understandable by most of your audience would be ideal. For this purpose, opt for a middle range American or British accent. Whichever is the final selection, you should always aim to select voiceover artists that denote gender and racial diversity. When selecting a voiceover artist, consider beyond the current video and how well they represent our brand long term. People can form an emotional attachment to a voice and connect it intrinsically with the brand, which makes choosing one that speaks to MSCI’s brand values critical. You should also make sure that the voice over artist is going to be available in the future so that we can continue to use them. INCORPORATE OUR VISUAL BRANDING Be sure to always use our corporate font and design elements. These can be featured at the beginning of the video, have them in the bottom corner throughout the duration of the content, and/or include our intro/outro screens. CAPTIONS While it is important to use subtitles, it is even more important not to burn them into the video and be sure to have a transcript, for a better user experience, if the video is destined for web upload. PRIORITIZE CONSISTENCY IN VIDEO CAMPAIGNS If you’re creating a video series, consistency should be considered. People should watch our videos and recognize the style, format, and general message, as it will make the overall campaign much more impactful as a result. It’s typically a good call to have a similar intro and/or outro in the video series, and to opt for similar video lengths, as well as following same general tone.