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Preparation for recording videos
- 1. Preparation for Recording Videos Jörn Loviscach
- 2. In this video: • Preparing yourself • Preparing the workflow • Templates • Setting up the studio • Daily routine
- 3. Preparing yourself Do test recordings and have them checked: • “um”, lip smacking • Awkward gestures • Mumbling • Too slow / too fast • Looking the wrong way
- 4. Preparing the workflow • Workflow – Naming files – Where to store what – Backup • Checklist for daily routine
- 5. Templates • “Master” slides: layout, fonts, colors, branding, … • Project template: titles, banners, … • Presets: video/audio adjustments, …
- 6. Setting up the studio • Make situation repeatable • Indirect lighting • Keep microphone invisible • Sound check: – Boxy, muffled, …? – Power line hum or other noises?
- 7. Daily routine • Slides, script, or storyboard for today’s recordings • Close the blinds: no surprises by weather • Camera and mic adjustment • Reflections in spectacles, …
- 8. The LoCoMoTion project is funded by the Erasmus+ programme of the European Union. The European Commission support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
Editor's Notes
- Preparation for recording videos. A low-cost production requires thinking about many things upfront to prevent awkward editing sessions afterwards.
- First, I‘ll address some habits to get rid of; then, how to prepare an assembly line, so to speak. Templates save lots of work in the process; and so do some ideas on how to set up the studio. Finally, some preparation is to be done each day before recording.
- Some distracting or even annoying habits are hard to fix during editing. Make some test recordings and ask people for feedback, for instance on YouTube, whether or not they think you say „um“ too often or smack to indicate the start of a new topic. Maybe, you bury your hands deep in your pockets. Maybe you tend to mumble when there is no live audience. You may speak too slow or too hasty. Or you may not be looking into the camera when supposed to be doing so. Getting rid of all such behavior takes some weeks; so start early.
- Efficiency is vital for an inexpensive production. You need to set up a workflow and stick with it. How do you name files? Where do you put them? How do you backup the data? For instance, you can use two external drives to have separate sets of backups. Keep them disconnected from the computer most of the time so that malware can‘t easily ruin the backups. A checklist is great for the daily routine: Which programs have to be started? Which settings have to made by hand because they cannot be saved, for instance for the webcam?
- Templates enable you to focus on the content and the pedagogy. You do most of the design and settings upfront and then reuse that. Most presentation software offers master slides in which you can define the overall layout, fonts, branding and the like. Video editing software often offers ready-made templates. You may also create your own styles of titles and banners and save an otherwise empty video project to start all individual video projects from. Depending on the video editing program, you may be able to save settings for, say, color corrections and audio effects and reuse them everywhere.
- To keep the style of your videos coherent and to be able to redo a video maybe weeks later, your makeshift setup has to be repeatable. This includes the location, the lighting, your clothing, the placement of the camera and your position. You need to note down settings and put tape on the floor to mark positions. Indirect lighting is easier to reproduce because highlights and shadows cannot be at the wrong place when there are none. If you use a big microphone find a spot for it where it is close to the mouth but safely out of the visible frame of the camera. The sound quality is vital. You need to make test recordings to check for problems with resonances or reverberation. And to check for all sorts of noise.
- Beside the general setup, there’s a day-to-day routine. Standard presentations require slides, maybe a script for the narration. Khan-style videos are easier to create on the basis of a storyboard, that is: a sketch of what is going to be sketched. I prefer to create slides, scripts, or storyboards on the day of the recording or on the day before. This way, I still remember during recording which I ideas I had during preparation. To prevent surprises, for instance when the sun breaks through the clouds, you want to use artificial lighting exclusively. Each day, you want to check the placement and the settings of the camera and the microphone. And you have to look for random new problems, for instance reflections in the lecturer’s spectacles.