Inspiration on a Friday

Not sure if you have noticed, but I like to point out little inspirations that I find out in the world.  Most times, these are examples of interesting, well done, and effective videos.
This first video I stumbled across today.  It is very clean video due to its minimal nature.  This style could easily be applied to educational video.
As for this second video, I felt the creators took advantage of music to help move the video.  The music dictated the pacing of the video and not the other way around.  This is a really well done commercial.

Now the best for last.  I got to see James Bond Spectre this weekend.  This opening sequence is one single tracking shot.  No cuts.  Just amazing how the choreographed the camera movements to make this happen.  How does one fluid take make this scene feel to you?  The use of the shot switching from up close to overhead makes me feel like I am a fly there, observing the moment.

Always keep your eyes open, you never know what you might find.

This semester make sure to check out the EHE College Commons!!

Welcome, new students and faculty to the EHE College Commons. Located in Ramseyer 260, the College Commons is open and staffed 46 hours a week to meet all of your needs.

LX8A0858

For new students and faculty:

If you’re looking for a comfy location to lounge while reading a book, the loft area is perfect – complete with big cushions, giant bean bags, and rolling desks. On the main level, there are plenty of tables available for individual or group study sessions. We also have a large number of desktops, both Macs and PCs, open for any student or faculty member to use.

The EHE College Commons is also a perfect place to hold an academic event. The tables and chairs can be arranged in a variety of ways to accommodate your specific needs, whether it be a group discussion, a poster session, or a speaker presentation. Microphones, laptops, projector screens and large rolling whiteboards are available for use during events. For more computer-based events or meetings, reserve our SmartBoards or Collaboration Table, which are ideal for giving interactive lectures and technology workshops.

LX8A0848The College Commons is maintained by the EHE Educational Technology department, so don’t fret if your teacher assigns a project that requires a quality video or audio recording. For a recording project off campus, we have hundreds of cameras, tripods, and audio recorders that are free for checkout to EHE students, faculty, and staff. For a more professional video or audio recording, you could reserve one of our state-of-the-art recording spaces in Ramseyer Hall. The One-Button Studio is a user-friendly studio with a green screen, microphones, a video camera, and a Mac to do the mixing and editing. The Whisper Room is a user-friendly sound booth that can be used for professional grade voice-overs and screen recordings.

For new and returning students and faculty:

LX8A0856The College Commons equipment loan process has gone through a few policy changes for the new year. Our Program Assistant Andy Vogel would like to note a few changes to the equipment loan process.

If students have paid their learning tech fee, all they have to do is present a Buck ID, and they can rent out equipment such as cameras, tripods, and audio recorders from The Commons. One significant change from last semester is that equipment is now due within ten business days of checkout. Students can renew for two more loan periods (unless there is a waitlist) a semester. Faculty gets a full term to borrow equipment. If equipment is returned late, students will have to pay the full price for that piece of equipment. Other details will be given to you when you go to check out equipment.

We can’t wait for you to try out some of our services!

 

 

5 Tips for recording in the Whisper Room

microphone-309680_640Here are some great tips for recording in  EHE Edtech’s Whisper Room!

1. Know your script!

Remember to have your script prepared so that recordings can be completed efficiently, and practice it before you come for your appointment.  Waiting for the recording session to practice your script will waste valuable time and effort.

2. Make sure you’re at the right volume. 

Pay attention to audio levels with whatever program you choose to use.  It is always a good idea to do a test recording of a few sentences of your script, and listen to it, before spending the time to record your entire script.  You can adjust your speaking volume and your distance from the microphone until you get the result you are looking to achieve.  Also be aware that any sounds in the room will be recorded.  Avoid clothes that make noise when you move, excessive mouse clicks, and paper shuffling.

3. Figure out what program you want to use to record. 

In the Whisper Room, we provide the programs Garageband and Audacity. Choose which program is best for your project (Is it a long recording? Is there music involved? etc.). Garageband provides more tracks and mixing options; Audacity is a straightforward voice recorder.  We do provide step by step directions to use Garageband both in a written document located in the Whisper Room and video format: Whisper Room Tutorial  

4. Cut out what you don’t need. 

After recording go back to the audio timeline and delete the audio that you know you don’t need.  The beautiful part about Garageband is that it is a non-destructive editor.  This means that you can always pull back the part of your audio that you over trimmed to its original length.  For more on this topic watch the Whisper Room Tutorial: Whisper Room Tutorial 

5. Save and export correctly.

Saving and exporting with the programs offered can be confusing for some. Use the direction sheets provided in the Whisper Room, or watch the Whisper Room Tutorial to make sure your audio content is saved and exported in the correct format.

Happy Recording! – Edtech Multimedia Team

Whisper Room Tutorial; The Making Of:

This tutorial was created in order to address the need for a video guide explaining how to use the Whisper Room, from start to finish. The tutorial covers everything from turning on the room’s equipment to utilizing the computer’s recording software. We at EHE EdTech strive to make our services comprehensible to all levels of technical expertise and this video was made with that goal in mind. It provides easy-to-use instructions that will be sent to the user upon reservation of the Whisper Room. This will enable the user to familiarize themselves with the space before their scheduled recording time, and it will also serve as a reference guide during the recording session if any issues arise.

In order to best serve the target audience for this tutorial, I cast myself in the role of the client during its creation, going through all of the steps a client would in creating a project of their own. As I went through the recording process I made a note of all of the necessary steps to obtain a successful final project. After making my list I went back through it to make sure each step was streamlined and easy to understand. After this, I wrote a comprehensive script for the voice over and recorded my voice over in the Whisper Room.

With my voice over track as a guide, I shot live footage of each of the steps and recorded screen captures of the recording software. From there, I matched the illustrative video footage to the audio track, in Adobe Premiere, and made revisions until it became the product that you see today.

Overall I feel that the video is effective and serves its purpose well. Using the knowledge I gained from producing this tutorial, I am able to make more tutorials on nearly any EdTech subject. I am proud to say that this instructional video has become a benchmark for EdTech’s production quality.

 

Science Meets Art… Remember Simplicity for Inspiration

Video… It can envoke emotions. It can inspire. It can commemorate. When done right, it is powerful. Simplicity can lead to the most beautiful and touching art.

In honor of David Bowie…

Here is an article about the creation of the video.
http://www.vox.com/2016/1/11/10750056/david-bowie-chris-hadfield-space-oddity/in/10513435

 

The video creator, Chris Hadfield, is a real-life scientist and astronaut. He has a YouTube channel where he shows simply, basic scientific principles. See these examples.

Remember to keep things simple and to not take life too seriously.