Technical How-To for Video Creation
If you decide that creating your own educational video is the best choice, you will also need to learn some of the technical aspects of video production.
What sort of video do you want to create? Do you want to film yourself speaking? Do you want to film something happening in the world? Do you want to record footage of your computer or tablet screen as you perform a task on that device? Do you want to narrate as you write on the screen, such as while solving a math problem? These are some of the most common types of educational video, and for each one, you will need both hardware and software to create your final video product.
Video recording hardware
Filming something other than your face
These days, most current smartphones have excellent cameras. Holding your smartphone completely still by hand is nearly impossible, so finding a way of propping it up or using a mount or tripod will greatly increase the quality of your video. If you don't already have one, smartphone mounts (such as this example of a smartphone mount Links to an external site.) are pretty cheap.
Filming your face
Often, the easiest way of filming your face as you speak is to use a webcam. While some laptops (especially Macs) have good built-in webcams, other computers have none or a bad-quality one. You can purchase an external webcam to attach to the top of your display. Alternatively, you can use your smartphone to film your face as you speak. It will usually look the best if your camera is approximately at eye level while filming.
Filming what you're doing on your computer or tablet
You don't need additional hardware to record the contents of your screen – this can be accomplished with software, which we will discuss below.
Audio hardware
As mentioned above, audio quality is one of the primary things a viewer will subconsciously use to evaluate the quality of your video. It is thus very important to get as high-quality audio as possible. While many smartphones and some computers have good-quality built-in microphones, others do not. You can purchase a USB microphone. My favorite is the Blue Yeti Links to an external site.. It is also possible to use a USB microphone with many mobile devices Links to an external site..
Video recording software
Choose the right software to create asynchronous videos.
Tablet capture videos
A "tablet capture video" refers to a video in which you write on screen by hand while you narrate. Here is an example of a tablet capture video (you don't need to watch more than a few seconds to give you an idea of what the video will look and sound like):
If you want to create a tablet capture video but don't have access to specialized equipment, it's still likely that you can make this type of video using only the devices you already have at home. Take a look at this guide on creating videos where you show your handwriting while you narrate.
Optimizing your video's look and sound
Regardless of whether you are creating an educational video or any video about anything, if you want to improve how your video looks and sounds, check out these lessons on filming high-quality video.
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