Tuesday, July 2, 2013

Screen-casting series at Lynda.com looks really useful for creating video tutorials for photo students.


Turning in projects on the M Drive from RCTCartdesign on Vimeo.

Lynda.com has a great series called “Screen-casting with the Mac” that covers, from start to finish, everything you need to know about creating screen-casting tutorials for students. I’ve been making a lot of these since I started creating a hybrid version of Intro to Digital Photography, and according to the Lynda series, I have been making a lot of mistakes. You can see some of the issues in the video above.

My tendency has been to sit in front of my computer with a microphone attached to a USB port and go to town. Usually, I use iShowU HD to record video. Usually, I record the video. I have to run through it twice or three times to get it right. Mostly, I have to get my mouth accustomed to saying the lines that I think are important. Once I feel comfortable, I close my office door, turn off the air conditioner or heater, and try to get it one take.

Christopher Breen, the narrator of the Lynda.com series, takes a much more methodical approach. He actually writes a script complete with notes about shots he would like to accompany the voice over. He also outlines several other capture systems and discussions using still grabs from the screen and focused motion captures of small parts of the screen. Finally, he talks about assembling all of the parts in iMovie and creating voice overs to make everything really polished.

I am updating several videos this summer because of changes to the course, and I decided to adopt Breens’ more thoughtful approach. As opposed to just winging it while the computer records. A couple of thoughts since I have gotten started:
  • Continuity seems really important. In my unstructured videos, cursors are flying all over the place, and the portion of the screen I am capturing never stays still. I get a little sea sick watching the videos. And I am certain that it is confusing for students. I think careful consideration of how the screen looks from shot to shot is probably really important for learners. Especially learners with limited computer skills.
  • Using stills and focused motion capture to “zoom in” is always something I have admired, but never taken the time to work out. The effect highlights where you are clicking and important screen information. Again, with  learners who have limited computer skills, I think it is probably essential.
  • I have been attending a lot of video workshops at SPE events, and it is becoming clear that effective audio is as important as effective video. As I watch Lynda.com presentations, I am constantly impressed that this seemingly small part of the presentation is really important.
  • Writing the scripts down on the computer before I say the words is going to help keep the videos focused. Learners lose interest really quickly, and if I could keep important videos between five and ten minutes long, I suspect they will retain more information. I can already see that writing an actual script is going to help with this. Plus, I can make the computer read back the text to me, and listen to my words before I say them. Turns out, when I write, I either sound pretentious or condescending. Listening to my words in the computer's voice lets me hear them like a nineteen year old hears them. 
  •  When I record the videos unscripted, I put in a lot of unnecessary asides. The scripts are clearly going to keep the videos focused.
  • Also, my school doesn’t offer any kind of transcription service, other than to hire a sign interpreter. By writing the scripts out before hand, I have already created a transcript. Additionally, I can take stills while I am creating the video, and use the script and images to create a printable PDF version of the instructions using Clarify.
On the other hand, this process is really time consuming. I have spent the better part of a work day getting started on my first script, and I am only about a quarter of the way done. Instead of knocking out a video in an afternoon, it is going to take days to prepare. It might get easier next time, as I have worked out the mechanics of how I am writing a script. I don't see how I can do this during the school year and teach a full load.