How to Shoot Video that Doesn't Suck

by Steve Stockman (Workman Publishing Company, 2011)

A Handbook for Amateurs

How to Shoot Video that Doesn't Suck is a general-interest handbook for amateur videographers, focused largely on videos shared publicly online or among families. Since the videos I have in mind for teaching are worked examples and content introductions, some chapters are less relevant (e.g., "Location, Location, Location," which begins "Every video needs a Where."). However, much of the content applies, with ideas about planning, recording, and editing a video that serves its intended purpose for its intended audience.

The Case for Planning

Scripting and storyboarding can feel optional for instructional videos, because classroom lectures aren't tightly scripted. But as the book describes, there are many possible degrees of planning, and choosing the right one for the job at hand will save time and improve the finished product. The book's advice on planning, recording, and editing applies to a short worked example just as it does to any other video.

Video as a Student Skill

Today's job market includes the opportunity, and sometimes the requirement, for candidates to share video of themselves before or during the application process. Assignments that students submit in video format can be an opportunity for them to practice that process and the choices they make about presenting themselves. Connecting this to the Specifications Grading concept from Small Teaching Online, a script-drafting step built into the assignment would both teach students a highly productive workflow and result in a complete and correct finished product. In both directions, the book's central lesson carries over to the classroom: matching the degree of planning to the purpose and audience is what makes a video work, whether the instructor or the student is behind the camera.

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