Vultr Video Creator Guide

Updated on July 31, 2023

Introduction

Welcome to the Vultr Creator Program. We are excited to have you as a contributor to help expand our documentation library. The major purpose of the program is to offer our customers and the global developer community critical information that guides them when developing solutions on Vultr's Global Infrastructure.

Our primary purpose is to grant developers access to readily available documentation that is beneficial when creating solutions using Vultr Infrastructure. Whenever a developer thinks of a new idea, there should be an easy-to-follow resource that guides them on how to turn the idea or challenge into a production-ready solution.

To ensure that your videos are shot, edited, and delivered to match the minimum Vultr standards. Please read and follow this Video Creator Guide before requesting or submitting a video assignment in the Vultr Creator Dashboard.

Prerequistes

Before following this guide, visit the:

How to Request an Assignment

Log in to your account on the Vultr Creator Dashboard.
Choose a title from the Available Topics, or navigate to the Video Assignments, click Request Assignment, and suggest a new idea you think is a great addition to Vultr YouTube Channel.
When your assignment is ready, the state changes from Requested to Allocated. If we add new suggestions, be sure to check the notes on your assignment before you begin.

For a complete guide on how to request your assignments visit the Introduction to the Vultr Creator Dashboard guide.

How to Submit Videos on the Vultr Creator Dashboard

Access your account on the Vultr Creator Dashboard.
Navigate to Video Assignments.
Click on your Video Assignment.
Scroll down on the page to find the Submit section.
Read through the Rules and Guidelines. When ready, check the I have read to accept the terms listed in this Video Creator Guide.
Click Continue to start the Submission Wizard.
In the Upload section, click Upload to look up the Video File on your computer.
Monitor your upload progress, when complete, click Continue to submit your Video for review.
Verify that your Video Assignment state changes to In Review.
We will review and validate your video, and send you a payment proposal if we approve your submission.
If you accept the proposal, we will publish your video after verifying that you've been paid.

For more information on how to submit your videos and accept payment proposals, visit the Introduction to the Vultr Creator Dashboard guide.

Style Requirements

As a basic rule of thumb, make sure you shoot, edit and post-produce your video based on the following Vultr Video requirements.

Audio

Shoot your video with well-balanced audio channels. Make sure your audio balances between the L-R channels without bias to a single side.
For the best quality, capture audio in the .wav format for easy fixing in post-production when using an external recorder.
Avoid extra echoes in your audio files when capturing audio using your on-camera microphone.
Do not use any special audio effects in your video. For example, don't auto-tune your voice.
Capture high-quality audio as you can. Viewers can forgive poor video quality, but not poor audio quality.
Edit out any hissing sounds, echoes, and shakes from your audio using special software such as Adobe Audition.

Video

Shoot your video in a well-lit area with proper soft lighting. Make sure all parts of your face are visible, and the audio syncs with your facial reactions.
Export videos for submission in the .mp4 format. When shooting in a format such as .mov, use a media converter to transcode the file to the .mp4 format.
Avoid grain (noise) in your videos.
Do not overlay important parts of your video with any widgets. Make sure a viewer can see all parts of your video and that all steps are clearly explained.
Thoroughly explain the steps in your video without over estimating the viewer's skill level. If you must, state the required skills at the start of your video.
When shooting your video, follow the outline submitted to Vultr as it is. Do not deviate from the outline or introduce any non-declared sections in your video.
Use static backgrounds when shooting your video. Do not shoot with non-static backgrounds such as public places because this diverts the viewer's attention.
Keep a smile and show an engaging facial expression. Avoid capturing videos under stress.
Keep your videos short, but highly detailed.
Be straight to the point. Do not introduce unnecessary jokes that may deviate the viewer's attention from your video subject. Keep any history, or introduction aligned with the video.
Do not import animated characters into your video. For example, animated explainers or transition cartoons.
Use transitions sparingly. If you must, use smooth transitions when switching scenes in your video.
Transparently perform all steps in your video. Do not hide any steps except for critical IP Addresses, passwords, your personal Email Address, and long installation or configuration code outputs (that may take above 30 seconds to finish)

Use Active Voice

In your video, strive to use active voice instead of passive voice. When referring the viewer to a specific resource or configuration file linked in your video description, be straightforward about what they'll achieve with it. For example:

Correct: To correctly set up your Nginx host configuration file, copy and paste code from the sample configuration file linked in the description section of this video.

Incorrect: By downloading the file linked in this video's description section, you will have got a free template to edit and you will be able to create new Nginx host configuration files faster like a bullet.

By using active voice in your video, your instructions are shorter, easy to understand, and straightforward.

Friendly Tone

Be friendly in your tone. Instruct the viewer to follow all video steps in a very friendly manner. For each step, describe in detail why it's important, and what the viewer will accomplish.

Use Consistent Terminology

Avoid using multiple variations when referring to the same product, service, or function. For example, if you choose to use UI for user interface, stay consistent.

If you choose to use DB Server with an extra explanation of what it is, be consistent instead of using it interchangeably with Database Server in the video.

Different users have different keyboard layouts. If you refer to Control, do not interchange it with Command unless you explain what keyboard type or OS it should be run on.

External Resources

We encourage you to upload important code or configuration samples to public locations such as GitHub for easy retrieval. We may copy your repository to permanently save it to the Vultr Creators repository and avoid any sudden deletions to avoid 404 errors.
Do not provide referral links in your video description unless pointing to specific Vultr products and services.
Do not link to other providers that offer services similar to Vultr. If needed, link to the main resource. For example, if your video is about migrating a managed Redis database from AWS to a Vultr Managed Database for MySQL, link to the specific provider resource instead of the root URL.

Engagement

Encourage users to like your video if they found it useful.
Use a friendly and engaging tone to allow the viewer to share feedback in case your video steps fail while your test in the video is successful.

Recommendations

To publish high-quality videos that meet the minimum Vultr standard, we recommend the following tools to shoot, edit, and post-produce your video assignment.

Software: Adobe Premier Pro, Final Cut, Wondershare Filmora, Adobe Audition.
Shooting Equipment: DSLR or Mirrorless Cameras, shotgun or lavelier microphones.
Vultr Creator Dashboard: To request, and submit your video assignments.

Thank you

Thank you for choosing the Vultr Creator Program. As a video creator, ensure to follow this guide, and the Vultr Creator Program Guidelines to successfully request and submit your videos. If you have any questions about Vultr Creator Program or your content assignments, please raise a support ticket on the Vultr Creator Dashboard.