Add a video

Instructions on how to add a video and its transcript to a page.

Videos must have both closed captions and a transcript. 

Videos should not be uploaded directly to our Media library. They must be uploaded to a video hosting service, for example, YouTube or Vimeo. Then embedded within the Basic text component.

On this page:

Upload a new video

Add a Basic text component to your page or put your cursor in an existing Basic text component where you'd like your video to go.

Select the Media icon in the formatting ribbon.

Select the Embed video tab.

Add the YouTube or Vimeo URL for your video (e.g.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_xOWTsLOEA).

Fill in the required fields:

  • Name: a title for the video. 

  • Length: the video duration (e.g. 2 mins 30 secs).

  • Summary: a short description of the video (e.g. Robyn Green from Robyn's Soap House talks about the challenges and rewards of turning a hobby into a business, how she found the information she needed, and some business success tips.)

  • Transcript: copy and paste in your transcript text. 

  • Licence: choose from the dropdown options. 

The restricted details section is optional:

  • Audience: e.g. Small business owner

  • Department: e.g. Business Victoria

  • Topic; e.g. Business

Leave the URL alias field blank.

Select Save video, then Embed.

On the next screen, leave the Display as option as Embedded with transcript. Adding a caption is optional. 

Click the Embed button to add this video to your basic text component. 

Video hosting platforms

YouTube

Using YouTube as your hosting platform is best practice for public videos as this makes them the most discoverable.

YouTube specifications:

  • Video file is H264 or MP4

  • Caption file is SRT

  • Thumbnail options:

    • Select a preferred screenshot image for each video and save it as a JPG (max file size 1MB)

    • Pick a timecode from the video and select it in the YouTube backend. 

Vimeo

If you use Vimeo, make sure the privacy settings for your video are set to "Public". If this is set to "Unlisted" or another option, it will mean the video player doesn't display on the transcript page. 

Accessibility requirements

Videos must have both closed captions and a transcript. When hiring videographers, it's important to include the following requirements within briefs or requests for quotes. 

Transcripts

The transcript must be provided as HTML text (not as an uploaded document). For more guidance, check out our guide to creating useful transcripts.

Closed captions

Closed captions are a text version of the audio information in a video that is timed with what's occurring visually. Captions should also identify who is speaking and include important non-speech information conveyed through sound, such as meaningful sound effects. 

When adding closed captions:

  • use a large font

  • use high-contrast colours

  • ensure the captions remain on screen long enough to be read

  • ensure the captions can be turned on and off by the user 

  • attribute speech to each particular speaker. 

Don't encode or embed your closed captions within the video itself as this means a viewer can't turn the captions off if they don't need them. Instead, upload the captions as a separate file when adding your video to the platform you're using, e.g. YouTube or Vimeo.

This option is also better for SEO purposes and can help allow for translated captions for non-English speaking viewers. 

Automated captions

YouTube may attempt to create automatic closed captions at some point after uploading your video. If this happens, an automatic captions file may appear in the viewer either automatically or as an option on the CC button. These auto-generated captions are often very inaccurate, which means they don't meet user needs or accessibility requirements. Please remove any automated caption files from your YouTube video before uploading it to the CMS.