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Learn From These Lessons

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Close Up Lens Sony FE 28-70mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS

Leave Them Laughing! Humor Makes the Spot Memorable

Case Study
8 min
Learn how MCC Mike DiMestico used comedic techniques to create a memorable spot on Operational Security.
Rear Adm. Edward Cashman Conducts a Radio Interview

Let Your Subjects Do the Talking

Case Study
10 min
Study this technique of letting your subjects get the message out in an informal yet informative tone.
The camera of U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Deven Schultz, 17th Training Wing Public Affairs broadcast journalist records an interview with Tech. Sgt. Latosha Enoch, 17th Training Support Squadron military training flight chief, in the Military Training building, on Goodfellow Air Force Base, Texas, Aug. 4, 2020. Schultz collected historical documentation of how the different units around base responded to COVID-19. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Abbey Rieves)

Choose Your Interview Location Wisely

Case Study
14 min
Watch the 1st Combat Camera Squadron demonstrate the value of carefully choosing an interview location.
OS2 Jason Kostem Conducts Photography Collection aboard USS Dewey

Keep Viewers Engaged with Creative Composition

Case Study
5 min
Watch and take notes from this training reel that delivers a lot of sizzle in a short clip from Operations...
Lt. Cmdr. N. Cody Schaal is a Navy Industrial Hygiene Officer, Deputy Director of the Environmental Health Effects Laboratory, and the Occupational Environmental Health Department Head, Naval Medical Research Unit Dayton (NAMRU-Dayton). Schaal is in one of NAMRU-Dayton’s operational exposure labs where scientists can simultaneously test chemical exposures with environmental stressors to assess potential health effects.

Achieving Good Lighting Outside the Studio

Case Study
5 min
Watch an example of good lighting achieved during an interview shot outside the studio by Defense Department...
South Korean youth eating ice cream cone at Grace Stables.

Understand the Why: Aligning the Message to Your...

Case Study
2 min
Learn the value of applying a communication strategy to your visual product.
A drill instructor with Fox Company, 2nd Recruit Training Battalion, introduces himself to new recruits on Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, S.C., June 5, 2020.

Repurposing Gems from the Archives

Case Study
2 min
Watch a positive example of how some creative thinking and musical overlay helped this USMC tweet go viral.
A U.S. Marine puts on ear protection before shooting on the Weapon Training Simulation System at Robertson Barracks in Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia, April 29.

Promote with Meaning

Case Study
2 min
A positive example of a Marine Corps video that compels the target audience to participate in the campaign in...

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Check It Off

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U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Andrew Cranley, 423d Security Forces Squadron Base Defense Operations Controller, monitors base operations at RAF Molesworth, England, Sept. 8, 2023. SFS members at the Base Defense Operations Center are responsible for coordinating security on the installation and remain ready to coordinate responses to ensure the safety and security of the community and mission.

508 Compliance Audit: Website or Application

Checklist
7 min
Ensure your website, web applications and software are 508 compliant with this checklist.
Close up of two hands typing on a laptop keyboard.

508 Compliance Audit: PDF Document

Checklist
3 min
Ensure your PDF is 508 compliant.
A U.S. Air Force Reserve KC-135 Stratotanker from Grissom Air Reserve Base, Ind., performs an aerial demonstration over Bowman Field in Louisville, Ky., April 17, 2021, as part of the Thunder Over Louisville air show. The annual event featured more than 20 military and civilian air craft this year. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Dale Greer)

Aircraft Incident Response

Checklist
2 min
Be prepared to respond quickly and efficiently to an aircraft accident or incident that occurs on or off base.
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Hostage Situation Checklist

Checklist
2 min
Follow this guide when you're navigating a hostage situation to ensure you don't miss important tasks.
A sailor takes photos out the back of an open aircraft, with another aircraft flying nearby.

Aerial Photography Checklist

Checklist
2 min
Be prepared to capture the moment and remain in communication with the crew on aerial missions.
MRF-D conduct low-light, live-fire range

Low Light Operations Checklist

Checklist
2 min
Prepare for low light and night-time situations to effectively document your mission.
Reserve Soldiers train at Fort McCoy for Operation Cactus Gunnery

Convoy Operations Checklist

Checklist
2 min
Be prepared to handle a variety of situations to stay safe and get the imagery you need.
required_shots_crime_scene_hero

Sensitive Site Exploitation Guide

Checklist
5 min
Use this checklist to help document SSE investigations, such as mishaps, crime scenes and mass graves.
U.S. Marines with CLR-37 Conduct a MCCRE

COMCAM Train-Up Preparation Guide

Checklist
2 min
Follow this checklist to ensure you're ready and have completed all necessary tasks before deployment.

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Download Templates

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Isreali Defense Forces (IDF), Sgt. Yuval Italiano, left, and Sgt. Ofir Holzman, assigned to IDF Combat Camera Company, listen to instructions from Spc. Samantha Schaffling, assigned to 55th Signal Company (Combat Camera), in “Technical Lanes” event, during the 2023 Spc. Hilda I. Clayton Best Combat Camera Competition at Fort A.P. Hill, Virginia, May 24, 2023. The annual multi-day competition tests the physical, tactical, and technical proficiency of visual information and public affairs specialists across the DOD and participating international competitors. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Noah Martin)

Mission Strategy Worksheet

Template
2 min
Fill out this worksheet with the strategy and assets needed to ensure visual imagery is successfully captured.
U.S. Air Force Maj. Patrick Bracken (left), 92nd Air Refueling Wing chaplain and Tech. Sgt. Amanda Wilson (right), 92nd ARW religious affairs specialist, look over documents at Fairchild Air Force Base, Washington March 2, 2023. Chaplains and religious affairs specialists advise Airmen and give religious and moral support to service members and their families. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Lillian Patterson)

Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) Template

Template
1 min
Easily create your own standard operating procedure with this Microsoft Word template.
Visual Information Specialist Cole Fraser works on a graphic design project.

Visual Information and Video Production Plan

Template
1 min
Use this template to craft a comprehensive VI Plan for the imagery and video strategy of your next mission.
22 ARW

During a Crisis: Events Log

Template
1 min
Use this template to stay organized and keep a record of PA/VI involvement during a crisis event.
Illustration of two people discussing the visual branding guide located between them.

Visual Branding Guide

Template
2 min
Use this template to document your product's branding criteria to ensure consistency in implementation.
Passport photos are cut into the required measurements by a 502nd Air Base Wing photographer prior to customer delivery at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland. Active-duty members and civilians who require passport photos must have an authorized agent at their location’s passport office sign a work order form before scheduling a passport photo appointment. (U.S. Air Force photo by Joshua Rodriguez)

Passport Photo Template

Template
1 min
Use this Photoshop template to lay out a perfect passport photo.
Media Interview

Media Ground Rules Agreement

Template
3 min
Use this template to cover media rules and expectations during ongoing operations.
909th ARS flight crew going over a pre-flight checklist

Visual Information Plan

Template
1 min
Use this template to craft a basic VI plan for the imagery needed for your next mission.
American Forces Network Shines Spotlight on Wolf Pack

OPLAN Appendix 10 to Annex C

Template
1 min
Use this template to give COMCAM specifics, including situation, mission, execution, admin and logistics, etc.

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Learn How

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A volleyball player spikes a volleyball, and an overlay of yellow boxes, arrows, crosshairs and dotted lines trace the path of movement of the player and ball.

How to Use Motion Tracking in Adobe After Effects

How To
14 min
Watch how to use three motion-tracking techniques in After Effects for text, callouts and screen replacement.
A gridded three-dimensional space with text "3D" that looks three dimensional.

How to Create 3D Text with Adobe After Effects

How To
15 min
Watch this School of Motion video to see three simple ways to add 3D text using Adobe After Effects tools.
Photo of two service members holding and reviewing paper documentation. Yellow strokes outline the border of the papers and a yellow arrow is pointing from the paper to an illustration of a computer with a mouse pointer on an empty data entry field.

How to Create Your Own SOP Document

How To
10 min
Follow these simple steps to author any standard operating procedure or SOP document.
A silhouetted person throwing a ball in a park. Movement is indicated by arrows, angles and dots.

How to Use Adobe After Effects for Character Ani...

How To
14 min
Watch how to use Adobe After Effects to develop motion-based graphics and animation.
Illustration of 3D shapes floating in space lit up by two different colored lights and an ambient light. Sketches on top of the illustration show the direction and angle of the lights. One 3D square is outlined in sketch lines to show where the light creates reflection and shadow.

How to Use 3D Lighting in Adobe After Effects

How To
10 min
Watch and learn how to manipulate 3D lights and cameras in Adobe After Effects to enhance 2D motion graphics.
Graphic image of a service member running. A purple wall is in the background with a door that says "Not an exit" and a graphic image of a target.

How to Use Adobe After Effects to Track a 3D Camera

How To
4 min
Watch how to use the 3D tracking camera in Adobe After Effects to develop motion graphics and animation.
Illustration of reports with a large letter A and B labeled over them. A grid pattern, check marks, line graphs, pie charts and arrows float behind the reports in the background.

Optimize Your Content With A/B Testing

How To
6 min
Follow these steps to user-test your social media content and better reach your public.
Future operations officer participates in a COVID-19 virtual subject matter expert exchange

How to Read an OPORD

How To
5 min
Walkthrough a sample Operations Order (OPORD) and understand the key takeaways of the situation or mission.
an image of a yellow helicopter

How to Package a Video Project into a Movable Fo...

How To
2 min
Follow these steps to package your video projects using the Project Manager feature of Adobe Premiere Pro.

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Review Policy & Doctrine

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Cyber Yankee prepares DoD, government, and business for potential cyber threats

DoDI 5535.12

Policy & Doctrine
15 min
Reference DoD Instruction 5535.12 DoD Branding and Trademark Licensing Program Implementation (29 April 2020).
Maj. Gen. Denise M. Donnell, New York Air National Guard Commander and Assistant Adjutant General, and Master Sgt. Elliot Butler, 313th Recruiting Squadron C Flight Flight Chief, talk to Air Force delayed entry program members before a ribbon cutting ceremony at the C Flight office in Brooklyn, N.Y., May 24, 2023.

DoDD 5535.09

Policy & Doctrine
5 min
Reference DoD Directive 5535.09 DoD Branding and Trademark Licensing Program (19 December 2007).
Dr. William Burnett, Technical Director of Commander, Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command (CNMOC), and Mr. James Griffith, National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) Director, Source Operations and Management Directorate—along with other NGA personnel—received a detailed overview of CNMOC with a full brief and engagements with subject matter experts. CNMOC directs and oversees more than 2,500 globally-distributed military and civilian personnel who collect, process and exploit environmental information to assist Fleet and Joint Commanders in all warfare areas to make better decisions faster than the adversary.

DoD Directive 5105.60

Policy & Doctrine
25 min
Reference the DoD Directive 5105.60 National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) (July 29, 2009).
14&15 July l MC Symposium

DoD Directive 5160.48

Policy & Doctrine
8 min
Reference DoDD 5160.48 Public Affairs & Visual Information (PA & VI) Education & Training (Nov. 20, 2017).
La. National Guard monitors Medical Supply Data [Image 11 of 13]

DoD Data Strategy

Policy & Doctrine
21 min
Reference Executive Summary: DoD Data Strategy (30 September 2020).
Sailors assigned to Defense Media Activity operate cameras during Vice Adm. John Nowell, Chief of Naval Personnel, and Fleet Master Chief Wes Koshoffer's town hall event

DoD Directive 5105.74

Policy & Doctrine
14 min
Reference the DoD Directive 5105.74 Defense Media Activity (DMA) (Change 1) (August 29, 2017).
Photo of knowledge management center Airman

DoD Directive 5400.07

Policy & Doctrine
6 min
Reference the DoD Directive 5400.07 Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Program (April 5, 2019).
Senior Airman Oriana Beard, American Forces Network Kunsan broadcast journalist, prepares to go live on the radio at Kunsan Air Base, Republic of Korea, April 6, 2020. AFN broadcast journalists are expected to host four hours of live radio and produce content for social media and television daily.

DoDI 5120.20

Policy & Doctrine
15 min
Reference DoD Instruction 5120.20 American Forces Network Program (January 18, 2023).
Newest DINFOS Graduate

DoD Military Communicator Competency Model

Policy & Doctrine
1 min
Reference the DoD MCCM (21 January 2021) for a comprehensive list of training and education requirements.

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