Dear instructors. In this unit, we’re going review several preparations for recording a course video.
Please review with us.
Before getting started, please make the following preparations:
Finding a suitable place before recording is the first priority.
Since instructors have different habits and preferences, the definition of a suitable place varies.
From classrooms, offices, laboratories, to one’s own home,
Any place that makes you feel relaxed and enable you to express yourself freely and openly, is a suitable place.
Creating a comfortable environment can help you relax,
and relieve your nervousness when facing the camera.
So making a cup of hot coffee, pulling out your favorite chair,
and settling into the most comfortable sitting position, will help to create a relaxed atmosphere.
The optimal length of a course video is around 9 to 12 minutes,
it should not exceed 15 minutes lest the audience lose their attention.
So instructors must reorganize the course structure,
and divide the course into smaller units.
You can divide your course into sections based on the theme of the course,
and then divide each section into big and small units,
until each unit only contains one concept that can be introduced within 15 minutes.
Divide your course in such a tree structure will ensure a well-organized course structure.
Once you created your course structure, you can start to write the script for each video based on its topic.
The structure of your script can be divided into four parts:
Introduce the course objectives as the unit introduction for one minute.
Preview the takeaway points from the course by outlining the points for one minute.
Present the course content, which is the main body of your video, within 12 minutes.
Conclude and review the takeaway points from the course for one minute.
At the end, instructors can arrange a Q&A session or testing time for student assessment.
If you use a webcam, it should be placed around 50cm in front of you.
If you use a camera or video-recorder, it should be placed around two to three steps in front of you.
Also, the level of your camera should equal the level of your eyes,
or one finger below your eyes,
so that your face and eye expressions look natural
instead of having a round face or weird eye angle on the screen.
Also, the camera should be placed on a tripod; try to avoid handheld shooting,
to avoid camera shake.
The quality of sound reception would decide the quality of your video, so no matter you use a headphone, a desk microphone, or a boom microphone,
make sure that it is close enough to your mouth to project your voice clearly.
Also, place the microphone to the side of your mouth, or at a 45 to 90-degree off-axis angle below your chin,
or at a 90-degree vertical angle near from your nose.
Do not place the microphone in front of your mouth to avoid picking up plosives and pops.
Usually, indoor ambient lighting such as fluorescent ceiling lamp is insufficient for video recording,
so it is suggested that the instructor place a lamp on each side,
and place an off-camera reflector beneath your chin,
so that you will look pretty in the video.
If you also want to record your handouts, PowerPoint slides, or operations on the computer screen,
you need to install supporting software. It is suggested that you use EverCam or Camtasia,
they are easy-to-use and record high-quality videos.
If you’re interested, you can google these software and take a look.
We will introduce them in the following units.
Examine what color best contrast your skin color, and wear an outfit in a color contrasting with the background to make your look more three-dimensional,
or wear accessories and themed clothing to showcase your own style; these are good ways of self-expression and to create a professional image.
Also, put on some makeup to enhance your complexion, so that you look more photogenic and energetic in the video.
Any teaching aid or tool that can help you to relax or serve as a prompter,
such as physical models, tablets, virtual audience, and big-character-posters,
would be great assistants for recording your video.
As for useful equipment and tools, we will introduce in the following units.
In this video, we’ve run through how to prepare for course video recording.
We will soon release a more detailed tutorial video for course recording,
to help you pick up the tips for creating digital teaching materials, and become an expert in video recording