Shorter videos are better than longer videos

Think about when we look for something. Do we typically want to sit down for 10-30+ minutes trying to find the answer to the question? Or do we want a quick, direct video that answers the question within a few minutes? Think also about our students’ attention span. Quick, direct, to-the-point videos are best when possible.

Shorter videos are easier to edit, fix captions, and change if needed for the future.
1. The “rule of thumb” is that it will take three times (minimum) as long to edit the video than the video itself. For example, a 1-hour video will take 3 hours to edit, while a 5 minute video will take 15 minutes.
If possible, avoid recording full lectures and pointing students to them if they missed the class. Having to sit for an hour plus gives students anxiety-- When will I find the time? What if I get distracted? How should I ask the professor questions if they come up?
1. Additionally, if we have shorter, pre-recorded videos of our lecture, we do not have to worry about starting the recording when we are live and/or editing them afterwards. We can just point students to the recordings.
  1. Worried about students not showing up to the synchronous class? Link the pre-recorded videos to the Content area in D2L and set a Start date for a few days after that particular class.

Create a quick script

This can be word-for-word or just a bulleted list of topics and important information you want to share. Word-for-word will sound a bit more stiff and formal while a bulleted list will sound a bit more natural. Both will prevent awkward pauses and make editing the video easier later.

Make sure to print it so you can have it off to your side if you are not using a second screen!
A slideshow will work too, but we recommend using a script or bulleted list in conjunction with it. This way, we can focus on putting important information on the slide rather than cluttering it with too much.
Full, word-for-word scripts can also be used in place of closed captions while we find the time to correct them.

Record a Short “Tester”

The “Tester” ensures that our recording setup is working as expected before we spend too much time recording. Just a few seconds, 5-10s, should be enough. Make sure to say something and, if we are screen recording, make sure to check that as well (and/or switch between screens).

Sharing a website/Slideshow/program?

Open them before recording. This will make it a lot easier to navigate to the appropriate website/program while recording and also help prevent awkward pauses.

Practice runs

Running through the presentation once or twice before recording can help prevent long periods of silence. It can also help us find sentences that while reading makes sense but may not make as much sense when we speak it out loud.

Using a Webcam?

If we are using a webcam, avoid having windows in the background. Sunlight fluctuates often and webcams tend to over-compensate for the unexpected extra light or dimness. Optimally, we want as little natural light as possible, this way we can control the amount of light. Using thick curtains or blinds will help reduce this overcompensation. If we find that it is too dark, we can get ring lights or LED studio lights to help us better control the lightning in our recording.

Also, try to get your webcam at least eye level or a little higher. This will prevent us from “looking down” at the viewer and also help force us to look up.

Healthier for back/neck posture.
Use whatever you have-- cardboard boxes, books, etc. If we want to spend some money, a Laptop stand will also work

If we mess up, do not fret!

Very few of us can actually run through a script perfectly the first time (not even professional actors! Look up blooper reels of your favorite movie). When we do mess up a word, it’s fine. No one will notice if we cut a part out (it may be a bit more obvious if we use a webcam). Take a few minutes to pause and figure out how far back we want to go (we recommend at least repeating the start of the sentence, though it may be more optimal to go back to the start of the previous sentence or bullet point). Then, do a quick clap to create an audio spike. Then take the recording from there. When we are done, we can use Panopto’s Editing Tools to trim the bad parts out.

Also, do not go overboard with trimming video! We are instructors first, not professional actors nor video editors. If we are embarrassed, sure, we can cut out that particular part. But if we have a few uhm’s or uh’s and other filler words, it’s not the too much of an issue. It also shows that we are humans and can still make mistakes.

Familiar with another screen recorder and/or video editor?

You can use Panopto as the host to share your video; no need to use the recording tools nor the editing tools

Ready for the next step/more professional video/audio?

In-built laptop webcams and microphones are probably good enough in most cases. However, if we want optimal video and audio quality, we should get a dedicated webcam and/or microphone. Logitech makes a wide range of both, with varying price points, and is a great starting point. The Library also has several podcasting kits for great audio and of course there is the Digital Media Laboratory Podcasting Room which has high-quality microphones already set up.

However, if our teaching style favors more lecture-based content or we need to draw diagrams or equations, check out the Lightboard Studio. The Lightboard Studio allows us to create professional-level video using a transparent glass board at just a click of a button. Just bring your own USB stick!

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Panopto: Tips for Screen Recording