As I do every year, I’m taking this week off from writing new blog posts. This week I’ll be re-running a few of the most popular posts in 2020.
Many of us are making more videos than ever before as a way to deliver instruction and or to simply keep our students updated about school. With time and practice you might become adept at using the editing functions in your favorite video software. You can also improve your videos without having to learn a bunch of editing tricks. Here are some simple things that we can do to improve our videos without having to learn a whole bunch of editing techniques.
1. Look at the camera, not the screen.
It’s natural to look at the screen on your phone or laptop while recording. When you do that, you’re not looking at the camera and not making eye contact with your virtual audience. Practice looking at the camera.
2. Elevate your camera.
Put your camera at eye level or slightly higher. Doing that accomplishes a few things. First, people aren’t looking up your nose. Second, it makes you look a little thinner and can improve your lighting. Third, I’ve found that elevating the camera makes it easier for me to remember to look at my camera instead of the screen.
3. Adjust Your Lighting
If you can, try to use relatively bright and even lighting around yourself. Doing this can eliminate shadows being cast on your face and can improve the overall visual clarity of your video. A ring light can be helpful in casting an even light but even just adjusting the position of a lamp on your desk can improve your lighting.
4. Pay attention to your background.
Try to make your background interesting but not distracting. A large bookcase can make a nice background that is interesting but not distracting. An outdoor setting also makes a nice background, outdoor backgrounds can make lighting tricky. Try to record at a time and place that doesn’t cast a lot of shadows. If you want to attempt making a green screen video, here’s how you can do it with Zoom.
5. Adjust your sound.
If possible, try to use an external microphone instead of the microphone built into your laptop or mobile phone. even a simple 3.5mm microphone can reduce background and echo sounds. Often the wired earbuds that come with some smartphones include a microphone that can be used for recording. If an external microphone isn’t an option for you, just turning off audio playback (muting your speakers) while recording can improve the quality of your audio recording.
