HANDOUT for Producing Engaging eLearning Video On a Budget (AKA Down & Dirty Video)

A former actor and director, Greg Owen-Boger is now the Vice President of
Turpin Communication, a presentation and facilitation skills training company
based in Chicago. Schooled in management and the performing arts along with
his entrepreneurial spirit, Greg brings a diverse set of skills and experiences to
the organization. He joined Turpin in 1995 as a cameraman and quickly worked
his way up. He now serves as a communication trainer and coach for Turpin’s
largest clients. Since 2006, he has overseen all aspects of their eLearning and
blended learning platforms including instructional design, script development,
video production, on-camera coaching, and LMS deployment. He also appears
on camera as a subject matter expert.

Earlier this year Greg led an initiative to launch Find Your Focus Video, a
production wing of Turpin Communication, which helps eLearning professionals
and small businesses create effective web-based videos on a budget.

Greg is the Director of Technology for the Chicagoland Chapter of ASTD and is
the Managing Director of Interrobang Theatre Project.

greg@turpincommunication.com || 773-239-2523

turpincommunication.com || findyourfocusvideo.com

Producing_Engaging_eLeraning_Video_Budget_Handout_Draft_1_10_23_12.docx page 1
Copyright ©2012 by Turpin Communication

Video Production Basics

Video Production 1. Start with a well-planned instructional design
Principles for with clear learning objectives
eLearning 2. Consider your brand

Then:
• Identify video opportunities to support #1
• Shoot video consistent with #2
• Eliminate distractions for both

Camera Type, Placement When choosing a camera, consider:
Angle & Framing • Standard vs. high definition
• Media storage and communication with editing
software
• Audio quality & capture method

Place the camera a good distance from you and zoom
in. Putting the camera too close can distort your facial
features.

Angle the camera so that it is at eye level, which is
the most natural placement from the viewer’s
perspective. Placing it too high or too low can look
strange.

youtu.be/Im-d5sFe2GQ
Frame yourself in an interesting way. Follow the rule
of thirds and position your head within the frame at
roughly the intersection of the lines in the illustration.
The rule of thirds

Allow some headroom and looking room so you
don’t appear cramped.

Adjust the tilt so that horizontal and vertical lines in
the shot appear level.


Lighting that Flatters Flatter your facial features by lighting yourself
well.

It’s best to start with a dark room and build a 3-point
lighting plot from scratch.

Point 1: The Key Light (brightest) should be positioned
behind the camera, off to the side and at roughly a 45
degree angle above your head.

Point 2: The Fill Light (second brightest) should be
placed on the opposite side of the camera and used to
youtu.be/wC0V9nA_Iic fill in the shadows created by the Key. It too should be
about 45 degrees above your head.

3-point lighting Point 3: The Back Light (dimmest) should be placed
behind and to one side. It provides dimension to the
video by lighting your hair and shoulders.

Diffuse the light to soften the shadows. Use diffusion
materials purchased from a camera store or improvise
using parchment paper or vellum.

Everyone’s features are different, so start with the 3-
point lighting scheme and make adjustments for your
particular situation.

Audio Capture Built-in microphones may not be good enough.

If using an external microphone, place it a natural
distance from you to capture the volume level
suggested by the camera. It should not be in the shot
nor create shadows.

Your best option is to plug the microphone into the
camera itself. If that’s not an option, capture a second
audio track through a computer and synch with the
master track when editing.

If the audio you capture has a thin quality or has faint
echoes, do what you can to soften the hard surfaces in
the room. Hang acoustic foam panels or draperies on
the walls, and lay down carpeting.


Setting Up Your Studio Consider the best location to meet your goals.

Shooting in the learner’s natural habitat is often a good
way to connect with them.
• Should you be in an office or out in the field?
• Would it be better to be in a branded or green
screen studio?

Decorate your set to work in harmony with your
brand; try to keep things balanced and eliminate
distractions. Avoid sets that look too sterile, staged or
cluttered.

Green Screens Green screens require extra care when setting up
the shots.

The screen should be free of wrinkles, and it’s best to
have several feet of depth between the subject and the
backdrop. This will separate the subject from the
inserted surroundings.

Lighting
You can help that separation by lighting the screen and
the subject independently. The screen should be lit
evenly using diffused lights from above or the sides.

The subject should be lit using three-point lighting. It’s
youtu.be/M_WdLkaOUic helpful if the back light is rather strong providing even
more contrast between the subject and the screen.

Wardrobe, Hair & Keep your appearance appropriate for your
Complexion organization, choose items that flatter, and
eliminate distractions.

When choosing your wardrobe, opt for solids that
contrast with each other and your surroundings. Avoid:
• Loud patterns and stripes, which can cause video
“noise.”
• White, which can negatively affect the white
balance setting on the camera.

Pay attention to your hair. Keep it off your face, and
get rid of fly-aways.

The camera and lighting can make your complexion
look unattractive. Improve your skin’s appearance by
applying a light layer of skin-tone powder. Reapply
often to tone down shine created by the lights.


Editing When editing, keep things simple. Avoid the
temptation to use fancy transitions and effects. They do
little to advance the learning, and call too much
attention to themselves.

When shopping for editing software, look for the ability
to:
• Export and work with course-building software,
SCORM and LMS
• Import a variety of video & image formats
• Run multiple video & audio tracks
• Edit sound including noise reduction
• Add text & titles


Engaging Learners On Camera

Find your focus. The key to looking & sounding natural on video is to
Be yourself. be engaged. This means you need to be in control of
Only better. your thoughts, your movement and your speech.

To do this, work hard to:

• Find your focus: Pause to calm your racing mind
and to think clearly.

• Be yourself: Make sure the person captured on
video looks, sounds, and acts like the most
professional and conversational version of the real
you.

• Only better: You may need to adapt to the
complexities of video by slowing your speaking
pace, moving less, smiling more, and so on.

Identify Who You Are Address a single person with whom you have a
Talking To friendly relationship.

Doing this, rather than speaking to a faceless group of
people, will make your video feel more personal. It will
also positively affect your tone, enthusiasm, and word
choice.

Make solid eye contact with the camera’s lens. Avoid
looking to the side or beyond the camera; both will make
you appear as if you’re disengaged or reading from a
script.

youtu.be/P2p2I_MPing


Be Clear, Concise, The first step to a successful video shoot is to start with
Conversational, Not an excellent instructional design from which a script or
Scripted detailed outline can be written. (see handout, page 8)

Then, the key to sounding spontaneous and conversational
is to wean yourself off of it by creating notes from which
you can improvise.

We recommend this process.

Start with Excellent Instructional Design

Write Script or Outline for Video Portions

Gather Thoughts, Make Connections
youtu.be/wzsAezUbAvQ
Create Notes that you May or May Not Use

Review Out Loud

Smile, Engage Your Friend, and… Action!

Other Recommendations • Learn to sneak a peek
• Be patient & ask it of others
• Take breaks
• Break it down into manageable clips
• Understand what can be edited & what can’t
• Do as many takes as it takes
• Do not settle for just OK, but do not strive for
perfection either

Coaching Others It’s critical for the on-camera talent that
direction/coaching come from just one person.

Help them understand:
• They don’t have to be memorized or be perfect
• They should sound conversational
• Let the personalities shine and keep their
enthusiasm up

Coach them:
• To pause, think, breathe
• Engage the camera (one person, friendly
relationship)

Keep things pleasant, be patient, take breaks, and help
them break their script down into manageable clips.


SAMPLE Excerpt from a Shooting Script

Clip Visual Content Notes
Clip 6 Video of Greg Once you’ve zeroed in on the one person you’re speaking to, you’re more likely to sound conversational
and natural. However, if you’ve done your planning, you probably have a script or at least an outline that
you’re working from.

So, how do you follow your script, engage your friend AND sound conversational? The answer lies in not
memorizing your script or using an ad hoc teleprompter. While these ideas may seem logical, they don’t
work because:
• Stiff
• Unnatural
• Reading

Instead make notes for yourself and improvise around them.

Now, I’m not recommending never writing out a script. The exercise of writing it out can really help you
focus your thoughts, surface new ideas, and logically string concepts together across multiple video clips.
But once the camera is rolling you need to abandon the script, scribble notes, place them within eyesight,
and improvise your way around them.

Clip 7 Cut, fade back Here’s how I do it. Pull script into view
to Greg • For me, no more than 2/3 page and refer to it.
• Before camera rolls I look at my script
Should I write on the
Here’s my script for this shot you’re watching right now. I have it right here out of the shot so I can white board? Just hold
reference it at any time. But before we turned on the camera, I jotted down some notes on a white board a marker?
and placed it right there (point to white board placement). Before hitting record:
• Review notes, get my head together
• Engage the camera
• Go

Sometimes I can get through the entire clip without any trouble. Other times I need to sneak a peek.
(Show example.) It should look like I’m looking into thin air and grabbing a thought. But it’s a learned skill,
and I’m not always successful. Experiment and see what works for you.

Clip 8 Fade through As I’ve said, the goal should be to sound conversational. This can be challenging if your script is too long. Use this fade as an
black, back to Now, you may have noticed that we just faded through black in the edit. This is a technique you can use example of what to do
Greg to cut your script into more manageable chunks, which will make you more likely to sound conversational to break a clip into
and natural. manageable chunks.


NOTES


HANDOUT for Producing Engaging eLearning Video On a Budget (AKA Down & Dirty Video)

Recommended

Recommended

More Related Content

Viewers also liked

Viewers also liked (8)

Recently uploaded

Recently uploaded (20)

HANDOUT for Producing Engaging eLearning Video On a Budget (AKA Down & Dirty Video)