Add Videocasting to Your Bag of Tricks

Shellie Hall

You may have designed a blog for yourself or a client. You may even have produced an audio podcast. But on the Internet, nothing is constant but change, and the latest trend is video podcasts.
A few months ago, creativepro.com launched its own videocast, Get Creative, which I host. My background is in print, not video, and I had to pick up a lot on the job. Now I’m here to share the lessons I learned and prove that you don’t need a big budget or a Hollywood address to create an appealing, professional-looking videocast.
Step 1: Get a Camera
The type of videocast you want to create determines the kind of camera you should use. To capture interviews or events, a digital camcorder is best. MiniDV camcorders (Figure 1) win on price. Some of the best values in MiniDV recorders (as recommended by Consumer Reports) include the following:

• Panasonic PV-GS80, $250
• Sony DCR-HC28, $250
• Canon ZR800, $255

Figure 1. The Panasonic PV-GS80 MiniDV camcorder.
If you don’t want to invest in a camcorder, that’s okay! You can film your videocast with a webcam. They’re easy to find for less than $40, and many newer laptop computers even have built-in webcams.
I use both a digital camcorder and the built-in iSight on my MacBookPro to record my weekly Get Creative videocast.
Step 2: Make or Buy a Teleprompter
Unless you’re going to memorize your entire script or completely wing it, you’ll be happy to have a teleprompter (Figure 2). This device displays the text you’re going to say in front of the camera lens, so you don’t have to look down at notes.

Figure 2. A homemade teleprompter.
When I’m not on the road, I use my camcorder in conjunction with a teleprompter I built from instructions I found on Creativepro.com.
The video below is from the building of my teleprompter.

When I travel, I record using my laptop’s webcam and the $60 SeeEye2Eye portable teleprompter from Bodelin (Figure 3).

Figure 3. With this gizmo, you can look directly at a webcam. Note that this is a photo from the Bodelin site, not me on a bad day.
Step 3: Write a Script and Prepare it for Reading
Once you have a camera and a teleprompter, you need to come up with a script. Without a script or at least a list of bullet points, you may go off-topic and stumble over your words.
Once I write my script, I read it though a few times and edit it if it doesn’t flow well. I then import the text into an InDesign template I created (Figure 4).

Figure 4. I designed this unusual InDesign template with a teleprompter in mind.
The template’s page background is black, and the type is white and backward. This seemingly odd layout makes the type reflect off the glass of my teleprompter, which flips the letters so I can read the script in the usual way.
While this template works well with my large at-home teleprompter, you’ll need something else for a portable teleprompter like the SeeEye2Eye. FreePrompter’s
online teleprompting software works perfectly with the portable prompter.
In the following video, you can see I use the large teleprompter and FreePrompter to display the InDesign scripts.

Step 4A: Record Footage
Now you’re ready to record your videocast. But before you say, “Action!” consider the Top Ten Lessons I’ve learned while recording Get Creative.

1. Practice your script so you don’t stumble over your words or look like you’re reading from a PowerPoint presentation.
2. Turn the ringers off on all your phones and mute the volume on your computers. You don’t want to hear the “new mail” alarm sound during recording. Cut!
3. Have a bottle of water close by. If you need to take a sip during taping, you can edit those few seconds out of the final video. Also, if you have a lip balm, use it. You’d be surprised at what a difference it makes on film when your mouth is moist on the inside and the outside.
4. If you have dogs or cats, put them in another room. Once my cat jumped onto my shoulder in the middle of recording. That’s fine for CuteOverload, but maybe not for a professional video.
5. Act like you’re enjoying yourself. Speak to the camera as if you’re talking (or even flirting) with someone you like. And don’t be afraid — it’s just you and your camera. The video doesn’t become public until you make it that way.
6. Wear your hair and clothing as you normally do. However, clothing with plaids, stripes, and moiré patterns don’t translate well to film.
7. FLOSS. Do I need to say more?
8. Add some color to your face. Pancake or a base coat of face makeup is great for both men and women. Choose a color that’s just a shade darker than your normal skin tone. Pat with a sheer finishing powder to remove shine. It will make you look like one of the network hotshots.
9. Remember to breathe! When the camera comes on, your heart rate goes up, your pulse quickens, and the nerves can take over. Relax. Do some breathing exercises before you start.
10. Don’t record on an empty stomach. Having something solid in your stomach will take away any butterflies you might feel.

Follow these tips and you’ll look like a pro as you record your script.
Step 4B: Record Software Applications
When you want to record something happening on a computer, you won’t get good results by pointing a camera at the monitor. Instead, you need to use an application
like the $69 SnapzPro X from Ambrosia Software (Figure 5). Another
highly recommended application for capturing software in action is the $20 iShowU from shinywhitebox.

Figure 5. I use these SnapzPro X settings when capturing desktop action.
Step 5: Edit Footage
Next comes my favorite part: editing the videocast. During editing, you delete flubs, re-arrange clips, and add transitions, effects, and titles.
There’s a lot of video editing software out there, with a huge range in price, features, and complexity. iMovie (which comes free with your Mac) or Microsoft Movie Maker (free on a PC) are good places to start.
I use iMovie to edit Get Creative. To begin, create a new video project. I select the MPEG-4 format because it’s the most compatible for posting my files to YouTube while maintaining video quality.
To import video into your new project, you can drag QuickTime Pro and SnapzProX movies from your desktop into iMovie Clips window. To import video from a camcorder with FireWire, connect the camera’s FireWire cable to the FireWire port on your computer.
Your imported clips appear in the iMovie project window. Now you can edit clips, apply transitions, and add titles and effects. If you’re new to the app, learn it quickly by watching Apple’s online tutorials.
Step 6: Export and Publish the Videocast
After you’re satisfied with your videocast, export it in the format that yields the best video quality for the file size you need.
When you export a movie with plans to post it on YouTube, the video must be no longer than 10 minutes, and the file must be 100 MB or less. After a lot of experimentation, I came up with the following settings for YouTube exports:
Select File > Export. Click the QuickTime icon at the top of the resulting dialog box, then click on the little triangle next to the Compress movie for: option and select Expert Settings. Click the Share button.
Video Options
File Format: MP4
Video Format: H.264
Data Rate: 700 kbits/sec Optimized for Download
Image Size: 320×240 QVGA
Frame Rate: 30
Key Frame: Every 24 frames
Audio Options
Audio Format: AAC-LC
Data Rate: 64 kbps
Channels: Mono
Output Sample Rate: 44.100 khz
Encoding Quality: Better
Click OK.
Your file will now export to a compact MP4 file with excellent quality suitable for posting on YouTube. If you don’t have a YouTube account, don’t worry — it’s free and simple to sign up.
Have fun videocasting and send me a link to your videos. I might just show them on Get Creative!