Content Creation Basics - Tips & Tricks for Making a Video

Feb 9

As “student” teachers, we are all coming into the PIDP program and the Facilitating Learning On-line Fundamentals course with a diverse amount of experience in creating videos. Regardless of whether we are all-new to content creation or are a videographer extraordinaire, it never hurts to step back and do a little review of some of the basics to consider what we might do differently to make our videos look just a little bit better, maybe even more professional, to help foster student engagement.

In this lesson, we will be focussing on consciously thinking about some of those aspects that will help in the presentation of our our “selfie” recorded content. Using short videos, we will consider where we position ourselves and our camera, create awareness about how we look in the light, and look at how the capacities of our equipment will impact the final look of our videos.

Before we jump in, it would be great to know where your current skill level is, and a little bit about your experience. With that as our aim, I would ask that you answer the following questions:

Name

First Name

Last Name

Would you say you are experienced in creating video content?

This is all new for me

I have some experience, but know I have room for improvement

I am pretty comfortable with my video production skills

I am very experienced at creating videos

What do you consider the most important consideration in creating a good image?

Think About Where You are in Relation to Your Camera

With that out the way, let’s jump in. You have your recording device, you know what you want to say, and you are ready to make a video. Many folks plunk their computer down on their desk and start recording. However, before you do, I would suggest taking a step back to really thinking about how your setup will look in your recording.

Think About Your Lighting

Ready to hit record now? Hold on, we haven’t considered the most important factor in creating a visual image. Light.

OK, the photographer in me is showing with that answer. But as you watch the next video, really consider when the speaker looks good, and when they do not. What is it that is making the difference?

The next time you are set to create a video, instead of just sitting in your usual spot, give conscious consideration to how things will look, then site your recording device. What about the background you might ask? This is absolutely an important consideration, but I would suggest you prioritize how you will look in the video first, and the background second. After all, your viewers are here to see you, not your lovely bookcase. You want to make sure that your background is clean and professional, without any distractions or movement behind you. You have the option to stage your background, or even just hang up a curtain behind you and block it all out. Conversely, most devices allow you to electronically change the background or blur it altogether. I’m personally not a fan because the effect can be eerie if parts of you fade in and out of the video view, but hey, as long as you choose with a full understanding of what the impact will be, you do you.

Think of the last video you created. How many of these decisions did you consciously consider before hitting the record button? Did you achieve the desired imagery, and if not, what might you do differently next time?

Think About The Strengths and Weaknesses of Your Equipment Capacities

When it comes to creating video, there is an important partner that you should make an effort to get to know very well: your equipment. Knowing what your equipment is capable of will go a long way to help you decide what device(s) to use in different circumstances, and how you might get a little bit of a boost in your efforts to achieve good quality videos.

Have You Considered a Personal Brand?

Finally, one thing you may want to consider is personal branding, even for something as simple as our teaching videos. I would suggest you reflect on what colours, font, background visuals, hair, makeup and clothing choices, speech patterns, music, etc, will align with the aesthetic you want to portray. Consciously display the image you want to project, and maintain consistency to communicate your branding. That will provide a lot of unspoken cues about who you are, what you represent, and what you are looking to achieve, and it will have a high impact on elevating your professional messaging.

Wrapping Up

If you take nothing else away from this, I hope you take away a desire to make conscious decisions for your future content creation. How you site yourself in relation to your camera, how you use light, and how you take advantage of your equipment capacities will show up in the visual presentation of your videos. For a final thought, I would really value if you could answer the following questions in the Asynchronous Collaboration Forum, as they will help form the content of my synchronous course.

After reviewing this material, do you still have the same opinion on what the most important consideration is for creating a good image, or has your opinion changed. Why?

What presentation or technical skills do you think would be most valuable to review to improve your videos?

Thank you so much for joining me here. I look forward to hearing your thoughts and collaborating further on how we can share tips and tricks to help each other create high quality content for on-line teaching!