Pace Sophomore Lara Gedeon has come aboard the Online Learning Center team for the Spring 2022 semester. Get to know Lara in this video she produced with Open Broadcaster Software and Adobe Premiere on an iMac here in the OLC.
Creating Explainers with Explain Everything
Explain Everything is a powerful (and subscription-based) application for creating multimedia video tutorials. Here’s an elevator pitch that caught my attention for our work here in the OLC:
A professor of mathematics at Pace brought her recent work with this app to my attention today. Over the past two years, she has recorded hundreds of “explainer” videos featuring math problems. Very cool!
Though it does not yet support adding live video to a workspace, it does record live audio, so you can talk while you work. Here’s what a blank canvas looks like:
Once you’ve recorded a session, you can use the editing tools within the app to make changes. This is very handy, and a good opportunity to add details to your presentation. Here’s a quick overview by a co-founder of the company:
Visual elements like backgrounds and gifs can make recordings fun, and also help demarcate content sections for re-watching ease.
Here in the OLC, you can create similar content by using our Wacom One and Open Broadcaster Software.
Have ideas for creating media like this? Contact us to set up a consultation or book studio time!
OLC Overview – The Recorded Webinar
Joe Seijo and I (Brian Hughes) just delivered a Zoom webinar for faculty called “Create Engaging Videos for Classes.” Here is the recording (which, for all of my emphasis on creating layered video, iconically doesn’t include my talking head overlay on my slides due to a heretofore unknown limitation in Zoom).
This session focused on strategies for creating videos as course content using Pace’s Online Learning Center. Whether the goal is a presentation, demonstration, or another format, we covered basic steps, creative options, and best practices for producing engaging videos. We provided an overview of the center’s technology and capacities, and also provided tips and best practices for those who record videos from home.
38 faculty members attended, and about again as many expressed interest in the recorded webinar to view at a later time.
Keep an eye out for in-person workshops in the future.
Please contact us to set up a consultation or production.
Lighting for video
When the subject of a video is poorly lit for the camera, resolution and color is lost. In general, more light is better (low lighting can be great, but the camera has to be up to the task!). We’re always working against the inverse square law of light, so keep this in mind when calculating the power and placement of your lighting.
To better light our subjects and sets, we’ve acquired a new set of lights:
You’ve never looked better in the OLC!
OLC Tutorial: Recording Annotation
Do you ever want to write, draw, or annotate text on screen during a live recording? The OLC has a Wacom One Pen Tablet that can allow you to record your drawings and annotations clearly for students to see. The image below is an example of recording in OBS while using the green screen, using the Wacom tablet to write in a painting app.
To record the Wacom, the OBS is set up as in the screenshot below. Make sure you have your green screen setup and your Chroma Key and Color correction Key already setup. Also, it is important to have the paint app open and displaying on the Wacom monitor before you record (or broadcast) it. Proceed to add in your Display Capture effect and select the Wacom Monitor. Once this is activated, layer your iMac Cam 2 and Monitor 2 accordingly, and you will have successfully setup to stream and annotate in OBS!
The Wacom Tablet is a mini iPad-like device normally used for drawing/graphic design purposes on softwares such as Paint and Photoshop. Below is an example of a professor using the Wacom Tablet to write and show examples of math problems while streaming it to his students, making it easier and clear for them to see.
Do you have any ideas for using the tablet? Reach out and let us know!
OLC Tutorial: Create Your Presentation with iMovie
For presentations that require basic editing, iMovie might be the right tool to use. With iMovie, you can make simple cuts and transitions, and add audio elements (a soundtrack!). Curious if this is right for you? In this 5-minute tutorial, OLC staff member Lara shows how to create a presentation video in a iMovie using a green screen.
For a more simple approach with only one “scene” (a slideshow presentation), see Lara’s tutorial on using Zoom.
A Day-in-the-Life Project
The Online Learning Center is currently collaborating on a project that hops on the trend “A Day in The Life of a College Student” where the subject, aka the student, showcases what a typical day looks like in their college life. This post features two examples of what these videos often look and sound like.
In day-in-the-life videos, students usually walk through the process of their morning routine in their dorm room, getting food, going to class, their activities between classes, and finish off with their night time routine. In our case it will be “A Day in The Life as a Virtual College Student.” The plan is to shoot a 2-3 minute video showcasing what a student’s life looks like taking online courses and how it affects their routine. After shooting the clips needed for this video, the plan is to cut and edit using quick jump cuts, just like the Tik-Tok trend, for comedic effects along with keeping the audience engaged. The goal for the video is to be realistic, fun, engaging, and most importantly, informative.
The video below is filled with aesthetically creative shots, lots of movement, smooth angles and transitions, and most importantly, the subject focuses on action content rather than talking to the camera for three minutes straight. This video also includes nice background music to keep the consistency going. The only thing missing is quick jump cuts, but this video is a longer-format vlog rather than a TikTok video.
This video below is fast-paced and the way it is edited along with the dialogue and effects definitely keeps the viewer engaged. It has a lot of comedic effects throughout such as the colorful collage of clips when transitioning, the voiceovers used when doing a specific activity, and the pacing of it. This video does feature some TikTok-style jump cuts, and for a YouTube video it definitely has quick pacing and stays consistent throughout the whole video. The sound effects and music were also a big plus in this video.
OLC Tutorial: Record Your Presentations with OBS
For presentations that require several “scenes,” OBS is a great (and free!) solution. For example, with OBS, you can transition between yourself speaking, your slide presentation, and showing your desktop. Curious if this is right for you? In this 12-minute tutorial, OLC staff member Lara shows how to set up and use OBS make engaging presentations.
For a more simple approach with only one scene (you presenting your slides), see Lara’s tutorial on using Zoom.
OLC Tutorial: Record your presentations with Zoom
Have a presentation slideshow and want to easily record yourself delivering it? OLC staff member Lara made this quick tutorial about how to make engaging slideshow presentations with Zoom:
Advice from Youtube
This short video on making instructional videos is worth watching. I think he gets the “energy” piece exactly right–and it’s hard to do in practice.,