Self-recording

Production Process

Intensive, facilitated recordings like those elsewhere on this site can provide a lot of value of students, but they're not always viable. Your class may be too small to justify that amount of effort, or the content may change too frequently. Or it may simply be incompatible with your schedule; you may not have the time to work on scripts, develop new content, or come to a studio in-person.

Increasingly, faculty have expressed interest in creating their own recordings. This can be a great option, and though more of that work will be self-directed, we are still able to consult with you on creating a recording setup, employing best practices when you record and making your finished videos available to students.

Pre-Production

Pre-production largely entails providing you with the tools and skills you'll need to create your own material. This includes selecting webcams, microphones, lighting and recording software, preparing your presentation materials, and rehearsing your recording. This can involve additional equipment or can work mostly with your existing computer, depending on the level of production value you want to target. Once you've established this setup, it can remain in place for subsequent videos, allowing you to focus on content.

Production

When you record yourself, production will be on your terms. Record based on your schedule. Do more or fewer takes as you prefer. However, you will also be responsible for managing the technical side of the recording such as managing audio levels, screen capture, and saving the final files.

When recording on your own, you can incorporate additional tools if you're comfortable with them, like digital whiteboards or software demos.

Post-Production

Post-production on self-recordings is usually minimal and involves basic editing (such as trimming the start and end of the recording), uploading your video to a hosting service, generating closed captions for it, and sharing it with your students. The LSL can help with some of these steps, or you can perform them yourself if you're comfortable with them.

Interactive_Shehata_Online_Quiz_Trimmed.mp4

Example 1

Maher Said

Prof. Said has created his recording setup almost entirely on his own, and it reflects a particularly advanced example of what is possible. Using a combination of direct lecture, prepared slides, annotation, and freeform whiteboarding, he is able to choose a presentation modality that best compliments his content in any given moment.

This may seem like a lot to adopt if you are just getting started, but you can build to work like this, adding individual elements over time.

Interactive_Shehata_Online_Quiz_Trimmed.mp4

Example 3

Joe Magee

Prof. Magee worked with the LSL to prepare visuals for his self-recording, which he then conducted with NYU Stream's Express Capture tool.

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