Educators today are launching educational videos and are making money out of them. If you are a teacher, you must have thought about launching your online video lectures too. But, most certainly got caught off somewhere in the thought of how tedious this whole process is going to be. There would be A LOT of questions. From choosing the right equipment to set up a studio, it’s easy to get carried away. However, with a little guidance, you yourself can record videos for your online course.
Unless you have A LOT of money to invest, obviously.
From finalizing equipment to using correct techniques, being able to easily record videos for your Online course can be a challenge.
Worry NOT, we have got your back.
Through this guide, we’ll take you through the video recording process step by step.
We’ll focus on selecting the right set of tools on a shoestring budget. Later, run you through some guerrilla filmmaking tips for achieving professional results.
Lights, camera…action!
Table of Contents
Things You Need to record videos for your Online course:
- Camera : Sony Alpha a6000 / Sony Alpha 6400L
- Microphone / audio recorder : Zoom h1n handy recorder
- System : 12gb / 16gb ram, 4-8 gb graphics , i7 / i9 (8th / 9th gen), 128 -256 gb ssd (c-drive) etc
- Software : Premiere pro / illustrator / after effects for various editing & designing needs.
- Tripod: Digitek DTR 550LW Professional Tripod for Cameras
SMALL STUDIO SETUP
PLACE
You need at least a 10 x 12 (sq feet) room for a mini studio setup. Place A.C. on that corner of the wall which is farthest away from where the microphone/camera will be placed.
BACKGROUND
Finalize how you are going to deliver your content & place whiteboards/paper sheets / green boards etc. accordingly. For additional background, make it black/white/blue/grey colored.
CAMERA
Go for the mirrorless DSLR with low-light video recording capabilities. Place the camera at the right spot on a tripod stand and then adjust it. It’s advisable to place it at the same or a bit lesser height than the subject.
LIGHTNING
For low light videos only use the lights on the subject and avoid any kind of extra lighting. Use three-pointing lights on the subject for bright videos. For recording on Green/whiteboards use roof lights to brighten the room. Make sure that a direct reflection of roof lights does not fall on the board.
SOUND
Connect a professional microphone with your camera and check the sound quality by recording one or two-minute sessions. If there is a lot of reverb you might need some acoustic panels for your studio room. Place these acoustic panels on the sides, behind and in front of the subject (behind the camera), this will help in absorbing any extra sound.
RECORDING
Now you are ready to set the camera settings. You can ask an expert to guide you on the settings of your camera as well as the type of shoot you may want to record. Alternatively, you can just go through the camera setting guide to be able to do this yourself.
You are all set to record your trial content.
Read: Branding for your Online Education Business
VIDEO RECORDING
Once you are satisfied with the setup, you need to make your recording bit perfect. If you do not have a professional videographer, you can DIY it by following a set of recommendations.
- Always try to establish a positive connection with your audience at the very start of a video.
- Make sure your content is pre-organised, your content delivery becomes smoother and is more effective.
- Never make a single video of more than 30-45 minutes. You need to keep the interest of your audience. Divide lengthier topics wisely into multiple 30-45 minute videos.
- Always arrange your content delivery in a way that you can easily insert graphics, texting, animation and other visual content in your video. You may want to take help from an expert for this.
- Check your recordings immediately and see if it requires any improvement, do not leave this for later. Try not to record the whole video again but exactly the required parts. This makes work faster.
- Always do the re-shoots / filler-shoots exactly at the same spot and action you did before, as merging the video becomes easier.
- Make sure you do not wait/pause the screen/delay the ongoing content delivery as this breaks the interest of your audience.
- The closing/ending of a video should always be towards the satisfaction of the audience. For this, always try to inspire your audience to connect with you (over social media / educational platforms) for doubts queries or any such help they may need. Also, try connecting the audience to your upcoming/next content.
Next up, you can take the assistance of an editor to edit raw videos and make it upload ready for you. You can hand over a list of additional visuals (that you need to get added) for your editor. If your videos don’t require advanced editing then you may edit them yourself, but it would be time-consuming if you don’t have prior experience.
However, if you wish to edit the videos all by yourself, you can use editing & designing software Premiere pro.
Got Your Content Ready? GRAPHY is all you need to get started!
To Avoid Overwhelm When Recording Your Course
If this article has left you feeling bogged down, don’t.
Undoubtedly, it requires work and some initial investment to carry out, and it might seem like a huge task. But, really, it’s not rocket science. Knowing how to record videos for your Online course is something almost anyone could learn to do with a little time and effort.
Just know that you surely can do it. Moreover, you are always free to hire some help to get it done. Take things one step at a time. Build momentum and divide the process into small stages.
Bit by bit, it all comes together. Then, all of a sudden you’ll finally realize the work is done.
Got Your Content Ready? GRAPHY is all you need to get started!
