How to Make Instructional Videos
Online videos are no longer just for entertainment purposes. They
are now also used for instruction in educational or practical matters,
from house repairs to business procedures. Teachers can now show them
in classrooms (how to plant a seedling, how to bake a cupcake, etc) and
businesses can now use videos for training personnel.
With the proliferation of video-sharing websites, broadcasting
videos over the Web has become easy. What is more essential to learn is
how to create our own videos.
Plan. Start with planning. Create a storyboard with
drawings or photos of what should appear on the video. Write down
procedures as the pictures are arranged in order, or better yet,
prepare a script.
Prepare equipment. Prepare the equipment. What kind
of video camera will be used? Phones can also be used although quality
might differ. What else are needed to record and shoot the
instructional material? Is there a need for a microphone? How about
video editing software?
Rehearse. Before shooting, go over the storyboard
or script again. Set up the props and equipment. Rehearse first before
shooting, so the lights can be checked, as well as the sound.
Shoot. Begin recording the instructional video.
Hopefully, there is another person who can handle another camera (for
different angles), or one camera (for steady shooting) while one person
narrates or demonstrates the procedures. Be careful with background
noises and visual interruptions.
Shoot in sections. If the instructional video is relatively long, record it in parts, scenes or segments.
Film everything that’s needed. Get
all the sound that could be used for editing. View the clips already
taken, and determine if there are still some scenes missing to make the
step-by-step instructions more precise and understandable. Things to
consider: Can the audience hear the audio? Are the procedures logical
and easy to follow?
Edit. Use editing software. Add effects, scene change graphics and other enhancements to improve the quality of the video.
For some online resources on editing and sharing, check out the following links:
- AviDemux
is a free video editor designed for simple cutting, filtering and
encoding tasks. It supports most video formats like DVD, VOB, AVI,
DivX, XviD, WMV, MPG, MP4, AVI, MOV, MKV, DV, and FLV.
- Movica
is a a graphical editor for Windows Media (.asf, .wmv), MPEG files and
FLV files. It allows users to select or delete multiple portions from a
video file, as well as support joining of video/movie files.
- Down-Tube lets users download a video from YouTube
- FLV Downloader for downloading from YouTube, Google Video, and others
For the video sharing sites where users can upload their completed instructional videos, check out Blip.tv, Flickr, TeacherTube, YouTube, 5min (a video hosting site for videos under five minutes in length), Graspr and Howcast.
Sources:
“Basics-Video editors.” Retrieved June 3, 2009 from
http://www.videohelp.com/tools/sections/video-editors-basic
“How to Make an Instructional Video.” Retrieved June 3, 2009 from
http://www.ehow.com/how_2107969_make-instructional-video.html
“Tools Directory.” Retrieved June 3, 2009 from
http://www.c4lpt.co.uk/Directory/Tools/video.html
(Published 15 June 2009, Smart Communications, Inc.)
