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Subject:Re: Professional how-to videos From:Chris Morton <salt -dot- morton -at- gmail -dot- com> To:techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com Date:Mon, 27 Jan 2014 10:31:57 -0800
There is a sample, entitled *Narrated Product Video*, to examine if you *View
Full Profile* (in their parlance) of my LinkedIn profile (*<LI>*
.com/in/ChrisMorton).
First, start with a script and an accompanying storyboard (however rough
the latter may be—you're not in Hollywood). Specifically, know in advance
what you need to show so you can get the accompanying footage to tell the
story.
I first recorded my raw video using TechSmith's (relatively inexpensive)
Camtasia software. Note the judicious mouse movement, slowing it down and
hovering over buttons to give the narrator an opportunity to call them out
by name and the viewer to see what it is the narration is conveying.
(Refrain from superfluous mouse movement.)
Once I had the raw footage, I then also used Camtasia to edit it during
"post-production" (this is also where I added the zooms).
For the audio, use a quality microphone. I have a mid-level Shure that's a
sort of workhorse mic. It connects to an optional Shure USB adapter, then
to my laptop. Use a windscreen with the mic. Learn about mic placement; in
this case, I held the mic very close to my mouth, perpendicular to my face.
The narrator should be able to articulate very clearly and have a pleasant
voice that modulates well. No upspeaking, please! (Look that up.) Use a
good set of closed-ear headphones for monitoring the audio; my $85
Sennheiser HD280 Pros connect directly to the Shure USB adapter.
For the recording software, the open source, cross-platform Audacity is an
excellent choice. I recorded all audio in my car, parked in a quiet
location. As I inevitably made mistakes, I just kept on recording, knowing
that I could easily edit out the flubs later (again using Audacity). Speak
clearly and distinctly. Do not be drinking any cold beverage (including ice
water) as you record, for it constricts your vocal chords. Sit up straight
and breathe deeply as you record. If recording several audio portions over
the course of separate days/sessions, use Audacity to "normalize" the
volume between the segments.
With all the raw video and audio bits, you can now match them up in
Camtasia. It takes a little practice, but you can tighten up audio as
needed to match a video portion, or stretch out a video portion (add
frames) to match a piece of audio that's already been tightened up as much
as possible. You'll quickly get the hang of it after watching the Camtasia
tutorials and then practicing with the software a bit.
Good luck!
Chris
On Mon, Jan 27, 2014 at 7:41 AM, Peter Neilson <neilson -at- windstream -dot- net>wrote:
> On Mon, 27 Jan 2014 10:29:31 -0500, Gene Kim-Eng <techwr -at- genek -dot- com> wrote:
>
> Write a script
>> Storyboard the video
>> Clutter-free shooting environment
>> Proper lighting
>>
>
> Sometimes if one lacks a proper recording studio for recording sound the
> interior of a car, parked in a quiet area, will suffice.
>
> Not for video, though. The only good videos in cars seem to be the Russian
> dash-cams.
>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=itMdLTd1l4E
>
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