Script Info

Pause a little between features to allow room for editing/transitions.

Instructional technologist – sitting at a desk or shoot close-up hand shots only

Break up the video of close-up hand shots with tips of how the camera feature can be used.

Title Slide– Videography for Dummies/Intro to Video Photography

Add background music

Scene 1 (20 secs.)

New camera user w/box and all accessories strewn on the floor.

Voiceover:
So you've got a camera and all its accessories. You’re excited and ready to make a short & simple video
that can be shown to your students. At this point you are asking yourself, "Where do I begin?"

Scene 2
(Video Log-Day 1)- webcam
Script:
This is me on Day 1 of my school project: Create an Instructional video.

Talk about clueless. I’ve never been one to play around with cameras, not even on cell phones.

Well, here I am.

(pause)

The best thing that can come out of this:

Hopefully, sharing my experiences will break through any resistance you have to using video as an

instructional tool.

1
Insert Text – Getting Started
(Medium shot of instructional technologist in classroom setting)

(PowerPoint slide on overhead-record screen)

Scene 3

In this video, I want to share with you a few things to help you get started using video as an instructional
tool:

#1 Basic Camera Functions

#2 How to borrow a camera

#3 Tips for good video production

#4 Essential Editing Techniques

#4 Along the way, Georgia Perimeter College faculty will share some of their experiences with the using

video as an effective instructional tool.

2
Scene 4

Insert Text - Meet the Camera

Record Voiceover:

The JVC camera (close-up shot of box) is available for check out by faculty from the Center for Teaching

and Learning located on Georgia Perimeter College’s Decatur campus. Items are available on a first-

come, first-serve basis and all they ask is that the items be kept for a maximum of 2 weeks to provide an

opportunity for all faculty to have access to them as needed.

Scene 5

Record Voiceover:

For loans, please contact:

(Insert info below as text on screen or using PowerPoint slide on overhead)

Peggy Curney Davis at pdavis@gpc.edu or (404) 244-2264

Pamela Moolenaar-Wirsiy at pmoolena@gpc.edu or (678) 891-2433

Visit http://www.gpc.edu/~ctl/resources_equipment_loans.htm for more information

3
Change position or angle facing screen (medium shot w/camera):
Scene 6
(Medium shot of technologist in classroom setting)
One of the #1 priorities when planning to record video is to always make sure that the camera has

enough battery power to last thru your entire photo shoot.

You can also record just using the power cord but keep in mind that it may limit your ability to freely

position the camera.

It may seem obvious, but available battery power will be one of your biggest concerns.

Scene 7
AC Adapter (close-up shot)

Close-up Shot of AC adapter connected to camera

Close-up Shot of adapter connected to power strip

Voiceover:

To charge the battery, connect the AC adapter to the connector located at the rear bottom right side of

the camera (below the power and record buttons).

Shot of blinking green light

Voiceover:

When the camera is charging, the access/charge lamp (located above the power & record buttons)

blinks green to indicate charging has started.

When the light goes out, charging has finished and the battery should be completely charged.

4
Scene 8

Battery Pack (close-up hand shots)

Shot of battery pack only

Shot of battery being removed

Voiceover:

In order to remove the battery, slide the battery button located on the underside of the camera in the

direction of the arrow. This unlocks the battery from the compartment and then it can be lifted out. To

reinsert the battery, slide it back into place following the direction of the arrows on the battery pack.

The battery pack will snap in place when it is secured correctly.

(close-up shot of camera)

Voiceover:

The camera’s 30 GB hard drive can store up to 37.5 hours of standard quality video.

Note that a single file cannot exceed 4GB in size.

This is about 1 hour of SD or standard video or 17 minutes of HD or high definition video.

5
On/Off Button
(close-up hand shot of camera on/off button)

Voiceover:

To turn the camera on rotate the on/off button upward while pressing the blue knob.

(close-up hand shot of opening/closing display screen)

Voiceover:

You can also turn the camera on/off by opening/closing the camera.

With the camera lens facing toward the scene you plan to record, simply flip open the camera using the

grooved notch (located on the left side of the camera) as a guide. This will turn the camera on.

Conversely closing the camera turns the camera off to preserve the battery.

6
(Close-up hand shot of lens cover)

Voiceover:

If the camera is ON and you open the camera and see a black screen (instead of the scene you want to

record) and you are trying to figure out why, most likely the camera lens cover is closed.

(close-up of lens cover switch)

Voice over:

Rotate the lens cover switch (located at the very front of the camera on the left side) to open the cover.

When not using the camera, rotate the lens cover switch to close the cover in order to protect the lens.

7
(close-up of open camera)

(close-up of display screen)

Voiceover:

The display screen or monitor is the area in which you “focus” and “frame” your scene or video shot.

Just as a picture frame, “frames” a scene, the display monitor is the frame for your video camera shots.

(close-up of Play/Rec button area)

Voiceover:

On this panel there are several buttons but the only one we really need concern ourselves with at this

point is the “Play/Record” button. For all intents and purposes, let’s just pretend the other buttons are

not even there. We’ll talk about them in the next video.

You’ll need to press the Play/Rec button to Record - or to playback a previously recorded video clip

selected from the index screen.

(Close-up of index screen)

Voiceover:

When the camera is in the playback mode, the index screen for all available videos appears on the LCD

screen.

8
(close-up of index button )

(Insert text - Index button)

Voiceover:

When the index button is pressed during the record mode (as opposed to the playback mode), a

maximum recording time (in hours) appears on the screen which indicates the available space on the

camera’s hard drive.

One hour of standard video takes up about 4 GB of hard drive space.

(insert text 1 hour of SD video = 4 GB space)

*Remember, your video footage is being stored on the hard disk drive inside the camera. Since there is

a limit to how much can be stored (30 GB) you want to be aware of how much storage space is available

so that you don’t run out of space in the middle of a project!

Pressing the index button once more brings up a battery life meter which gives you the percentage of

battery life remaining as well as the approximate time available in minutes.

9
(Insert text - Select/Set Button)

(close-up of Select/Set Button)

Voiceover:

The Select/Set button helps you find your way around you’re the thumbnail images of your video clips

displayed on the camera display screen.

(close-up of index screen displayed)

Voiceover:

You will move the Select/Set button north and south & east and west to highlight the desired clip.

Finally depress or press the button down to select the clip for playback on the LCD screen.

10
(insert text – Quick Check List)

Now, for all practical purposes, the parts of the camera that we have just briefly reviewed are all you

really need to be familiar with to get started:

(list on PowerPoint)

Voiceover:

Lens Cover button - Make sure it’s open

The Display Screen – Frame your shot likes it’s a still image.

The PLAY/REC button – “Trust me, you can forget to press record”

Index button –Monitor available battery power and disk storage space often

Select/Set button - Review your video clips as you go along

FACULTY FOCUS

(Insert Steven’s Corporate/Online segment)

11
(Insert text – Accessories)
(medium shot of technologist in classroom setting)

Now, as far as accessories, you will find that a tripod will turn out to be an excellent investment even if

you use a digital camera or a video camera only rarely. By using a tripod, you don’t have to worry about

the camera shaking due to a “shaky hand.”

And it is also great because it frees the video photographer from being behind the camera. This is

convenient because it allows you to be a part of the scene being recorded.

The tripod that I use is under $20, compact, lightweight, and very easy to setup.

Folded it is 11” tall

Fully extended it is 42” tall

You just pull the legs outward in order to extend them to whatever height you prefer. Rotating the

extended leg to the right will lock it into place.

FACULTY FOCUS

(Insert Miller’s segment on Distraction)

12
(close-up shot of mounting screw)

Voiceover:

It has a universal camera mounting screw which is good for still cameras and smaller sized video

cameras. To mount the camera to the tripod, simply align the camera stud hole located on the bottom

of the camera with the tripod stud or screw. Rotate the camera clockwise to secure it in place on the

tripod.

(Medium shot of rotating platform)

Voiceover:

The camera platform is fully rotational

(Medium shot of handle , panning left & right and up & down)

Voiceover:

It has an easy to manipulate pan/tilt handle. Use the pan/tilt handle to position the camera to frame

your shot as desired.

(Medium shot of technologist in classroom setting)

As a new videographer, for the most part it’s probably best to reposition the camera when it is off or

plan to edit out that portion of the video footage. That way the viewer doesn’t have to be aware of any

jerky motion in the middle of a scene.

FACULTY FOCUS

(Insert Bad Movements/Hake’s Accessibility Segment) It can be a little annoying!!

13
(Insert text-Production 101)
(medium shot of technologist in classroom setting)

Let’s face it, most of what you'll learn about video production, you’ll learn by trial and error. Experiment

with different lighting conditions. Experiment with different camera angles. In other words: experiment,

experiment, experiment!!

FACULTY FOCUS

(insert Ramming’s digital project/book trailer segment)

14
(medium shot of technologist in classroom setting)

Here’s a few things to keep in mind:

(Insert text – What’s the Plan)

Just as an English Instructor advises students to never start writing a paper without a plan

(a thesis statement &supporting arguments)

never start recording a video without a plan of action. Take the time to sketch out details regarding

what you want to record and why. The professionals call this a storyboard. It can be doodled on a

writing pad but the time you spend up front thinking about what you want to communicate, how you

want to communicate it, and where, will save you lots of time and frustration during the actual video

production.

FACULTY FOCUS

(Insert Ramming’s clip on Rubric)

15
(Insert text –The Rule of Thirds)

(medium shot of technologist in classroom setting)

Frame your scene using what the professionals call the "The Rule of Thirds".

Now that you are a budding videographer, and you will start to notice that you are viewing video scenes

on TV and at the movies from a different perspective.

Imagine a tic tac toe board laid out on the display screen. Instead of your strategy being to make your

move in the center space, according to the rule of thirds, you aim for the corner spaces, the top or

bottom third of the screen.

This strategy tends to allow the viewer a better idea of the subject’s perspective. It incorporates

“leading or looking room.” In other words, the viewer has an idea of the direction the action is headed.

Unless it is intentional for creative purposes, avoid leaving lots of empty space above a person’s head.

(reposition camera to show excessive head space). Voiceover: “Doesn’t look too good, does it?”

16
(Insert text – What’s your Angle)

(medium shot of technologist in classroom setting)

Compare the results of shooting from a slight angle as opposed to directly head on shots. If you take

several shots from different perspectives, when you edit your video you'll be able to put together a

sequence of 4- or 5-second shots of your subject, rather than one 20-second shot from a single

perspective.

FACULTY FOCUS

(insert Hake’s clip on using video found online in the classroom)

17
(Insert text – Make Room for Error)

(medium shot of technologist in classroom setting)

If you make a mistake while you are talking: simply stop and pause (PAUSE FOR EFFECT & START OVER)

for a couple of seconds, then say the whole phrase over again.

When editing, you can cut the pauses and errors from the video production.

When you tell this to whoever you are recording, it generally makes them feel more comfortable and

takes off some of the pressure not to make a mistake.

FACULTY FOCUS

(Insert Steven’s Anxiety clip)

18
(Insert text – Break it up A bit)

(medium shot of technologist in classroom setting)

When viewing a video, people tend to prefer shorter scenes or episodes as opposed to long scenes. Try

thinking of your video production as a collection of short scenes that that tell a short story:

FACULTY FOCUS

(insert Ramming’s Interdisciplinary clip)

19
(Insert Text - What you see is what you get!)

(medium shot of technologist in classroom setting)

Pay attention to your surroundings. Take the time to rearrange furniture, move clutter off a desk, or

push plants out of the frame of your shot, if it improves the setting.

FACULTY FOCUS

(insert Ramming’s clip on Screening Day)

20
Voiceover:

Generally the Automatic Camera Settings for the variables listed work well enough for a new

videographer.

(insert clip of PowerPoint, Automatic Camera Settings)

Using the camera’s manual settings to control these variables is beyond the scope of this video.

Focus (adjustments to produce sharp digital images)

Exposure (adjustments required due to change in lighting conditions)

Color Balance (adjusting for correct color intensity)

Audio input level (adjustments for controlling the audio input level)

FACULTY FOCUS

(insert Steven’s clip on Nontraditional student)

21
(Insert Text – Relax & Enjoy)

(medium shot of technologist in classroom setting)

Continually remind yourself to Slow down!

Take a Deep Breath.

It’s your production which means you must be in control of it!

FACULTY FOCUS

(insert Steven’s segment on Anxiety)

22
(Insert text – Editing 101)

(close-up shot of camera)

(close up shot of USB cord)

(close up shot of USB connection to camera)

(close up shot of USB connection to computer)

(using smartboard record screen of what happens when USB is connected to computer)

Voiceover:

You can think of a tapeless camcorder as an external computer disk drive equipped with a camera lens.

Video is stored on the camera's hard disk as computer files. When connected to a computer via USB

port, the camera appears in the computer’s file directory as a temporary external disk drive, just like it

does when you insert a portable flash drive in the USB port.

23
Voiceover:

The USB connector is located on the right side front of the camera. Use the groove on the underside of

the camera to open the compartment. Insert the USB into the port on the camera and then into the port

on the computer.

Voiceover:

After the camera has been recognized by the computer, you can navigate through the directory

structure and copy video files onto the main computer drive just as you would from a junk drive.

24
(Insert text –Windows MovieMaker)

(Insert Ramming’s software clip here)

(Insert MovieMaker screen recording)

Voiceover:

Window MovieMaker software is a user friendly software used for adding a “finishing” touches to your

video.

The task pane on the opening page provides links which give you step by step prompts for how to use

features such as:

Importing video clips

Adding Titles & Credits:

Most movies start with Titles and end with Credits. The text is sometimes over some background video

or pictures, and at other times it's over a plain colored background. Good use of text style, color, size,

and page alignment makes a tremendous impact on the overall presentation of your movie.

Adding Background Music:

In seconds, MovieMaker makes it easy to add a music clip to your title or credit page.

Adding Transitions between scenes:

You probably have previously had some experience with inserting transitions between slides in

Microsoft PowerPoint software. “Fade” and “dissolve” are often used as subtle transitions.

Saving your video file:

Finally, the screen will give you step by step prompts on how to save your video in a format for emailing

or posting to a website.

25
(Insert text – Faculty Focus)
Student Video Production (insert text- English Instructor, Georgia Perimeter College)
Mary-Helen Ramming
Interdisciplinary Segment
Project Idea Segment
Software Segment (insert before Review of Windows Moviemaker)
Rubric Segment
Screening day Segment

Using Video in the English Classroom (insert text-English Instructor, Georgia Perimeter College)
Jean Hakes
Accessibility Segment

The Impact of video in the Speech Classroom (insert text-Communication Instructor, Georgia Perimeter
College)

Susan Miller
Confidence Segment
Camera as a Distraction Segment

Use of Video in an Online Speech Class (insert text-Communication Instructor, Georgia Perimeter
College)

Cynthia Stevens
Nontraditional Student Segment
Corporate Connection Segment
You Tube Generation Segment
Longevity Segment
Anxiety Difference Segment

26
(medium shot of technologist in classroom setting)

I hope I was able to Keep this instructional video Short & Simple!

Hopefully, you are now familiar enough with the video camera to get started experimenting with the use

of video as an instructional tool.

FACULTY FOCUS

(insert Ramming’s Project Ideas clip)

As your confidence builds, I’m sure you won’t hesitate to encourage your students to try their hand at

producing a multimedia project.

FACULTY FOCUS

(insert Steven’s You Tube Generation clip)

The best form of flattery is imitation so feel free to run with any of the ideas shared by the Humanities

Faculty members at Georgia Perimeter College.

FACULTY FOCUS

(insert Miller’s clip on Confidence building)

27
Final Scene (webcam)

Insert text Video Log, Day 30

Not only did I survive, but I produced my 1st instructional video.

It took persistence and a lot of help.

But what I learned is: there’s a lot of resources available out there.

I guess all I’m saying is: If I can do it, you can do it! And we certainly can do it together.

Credits Slide
Add background music & graphic to credit slide

28