-
Avoid a space that is too cluttered as it can be distracting to the viewer. If you struggle finding a space that gives you a clear background, you can hang a bed sheet or large cloth behind yourself (using a stand or tape) to give yourself a uniform background.
-
Choose a quiet space. Turn off anything that produces unwanted sound such as air conditioning, overhead lights, and anything that produce a hum.
-
Choose a space with lots of natural light, especially if you do not have access to lighting equipment.
Setting Up Your Recording
In this presentation we will go over video production techniques, hardware, software and tips to give you the tools to record videos at home. Keep in mind, the CVN Production Team will be working with you one-on-oneto identify your teaching preferences and come up with a solution to be able to record quality videos at home.
The three main components of video production will be Video, Audio, and Lighting. Before we get into that, though, let's talk about how to decide where you should record.
​
Location
Camera/Video
-
Make sure you are eye level with the camera. Avoid low angle or high angle shots
​
-
Make sure you are centered in the frame
​
-
If you do not have a webcam on your laptop or desktop, you can use the Logitech Webcam paired with a Gooseneck Stand.
Audio
-
Sound is essential in video, so make sure you are shooting in a quiet space.
​
-
Try to limit unnecessary movement, as your mic will pick up any rustling or extra sound.
​
-
If there’s loud noise while you’re recording, please consider re-recording the segment.
​
-
Your laptop microphone will pick up audio as well as headphones that have a mic attached. Be sure to select them as your audio input in your video recording software.
Lighting
An easy way to make your video look professional is to have good lighting. CVN recommends one of two options for lighting:
​
-
Option 1: Natural Light is better than artificial lights. Shoot in an area with lots of windows and face the light/window.
​
-
Option 2: You can also use a desk lamp or anything with a soft white light bulb. Use a lamp shade or a piece of paper to diffuse your light so the light won’t be too harsh. LED lights with a soft white temperate are good for this.
​
-
If you're using a backdrop screen, stand ~1 meter (~3 feet) in front of it and use 4 lights to prevent shadows
​
-
To diffuse light or to avoid creating shiny spots on your face, you can try pulling the light source back farther away from you or changing your light’s direction.
​
-
frame yourself with your back to your window/light source. Always keep your light source in front of yourself to avoid backlighting.
​​
-
If you wear glasses, adjust the light or move it further back to try and avoid creating a glare on your glasses
Other Recommendations
-
Using a tablet can help enhance your lesson since you can write directly on the slides. We recommend the Wacom Cintiq, iPad, or the Windows Surface. Any other tablet will also work.​
-
​
-
In order to have a perfect eye level shot, we recommend using a laptop stand or alternatively using a couple books to stack up on.
-
External keyboard or mouse will also help with your productivity if you have to stand your laptop.
-
An external monitor is also a great to work on if you have many windows open (ie. recorder app, powerpoint slides, browsers)
