Operative Definitions

• Easy. (definition 4a) Free from pain, annoyance, or anxiety (www.merriam-webster.com)
• Quality. (for purpose of our presentation). Fit for intended purpose.
• Video. Radio with pictures! Professionals know that nothing matters more than how multimedia sounds. When audio is involved, it must not distract and should be easy to listen to.

(Quick-tip: Determine your best option to obtain reasonably clear narrations/audio and learn basis equalizing and compression techniques with free software “Audacity”. Create short, targeted videos around voice-overs, music-beds, other available audio, etc…)

Easy 1-2-3 Video is about being confident using available equipment and technology to organize multimedia projects to produce acceptable results with minimal work and maximum fun. This is achieved by:

1. Planning.  Setting objectives, outlining content, establishing style, defining “success” and determining workable path to get there.
2. Production.  Capturing what has been planned, striving to be efficient and productive.
3. Post-Production.  Putting the “magic of digital video” together making our multimedia/video look and sound great. If steps 1 & 2 are done carefully, this final step is the easiest!

Note: This is not strictly a linear process. With experience, one learns how to use available equipment and technology for best results. Each step of the process impacts every other. Please be reflective, determine what works and use previous “successes” to guide future planning, production, and post-production.

Video in Classroom

Teacher-produced lesson videos are powerful tool sif content is targeted towards student needs because material can be presented in three distinctly different contexts/teaching modes:

1. Introduce ideas in video
2. Watch video (created around limited set of ideas supporting lesson)
3. Review/discuss what the video is about

Less is more: Teacher-produced videos can exactly meet a given lesson/unit and can be integrated into lesson plans with precise knowledge of how long that section of content-delivery will last. Students will immediately settle down and be ready to watch teacher-produced videos.

Shorter videos are better:  

• More-fully meet students' needs and more-fully meet production needs.
• Creating short, targeted videos is key to keeping production easy.
• Keeping length short forces us to plan presentation to work with available collaborators, equipment, time, technology, etc...
• Minimize production time – create plan that meets intended purposes and quality expectations.
• If organized and reasonably-well captured, “post-production” is minimal.
• Videos of up to 8 minutes (typical YouTube length) works well.  Follow this rule of thumb:  Up-to 1 minute long for each year of age for your intended audience.  Less is even better.

While many are available via YouTube and other services:

• Please be respectful of copyrights
• Be aware digital formats are changing, what works today (especially when downloading videos) may not work or be gone tomorrow
• Videos are most effective when they are extremely short and directly tied to a teacher’s lesson -- they more-fully engage students and stimulate dialog
• Students respect when we model the media skills they want to learn and the life-long-learning that 21st Century Learning demands.
• Kids like to work with teachers that are humble (Note:  teachable) enough to continue to learn and share emerging technologies.
• If I do not actually model the technology skills I share, today’s students quickly see whether or not I actually have the foundations, skills, motivations, and creativity to apply the media skills I advocate. We give back to the profession when we acknowledge the importance of actively using technologies we have access to.
• If the purpose of including a video in a lesson is to model an activity, nothing is more effective than a short video that exactly shows the situation, environment, school community, and even classroom that the activity will be used in.

Planned Productions versus Real-Time Events

Sometimes we are covering an event instead of producing a short educational piece for a lesson. These types of projects should be approached carefully (TIP: This writer suggests you AVOID providing videography for events if you are just getting started.  Everything in our 1-2-3 video presentation does applies, however, steps 1 and 2 need to be done “on the fly”, often “catch-as-catch can"). 

It is difficult to improvise and fully anticipate production and post-production needs for "real-time" event. It is also easy to fall into the trap of shooting far too much video, much more than could possibly be used for a short, targeted production. This wastes time -- potentially huge amounts of time.

Videography services for weddings and family events are expensive – there are good reasons for this. If possible, defer creating videos of events unless you have a strong personal interest / connection. And remember, “impromptu planning” is a form of planning too!

Easy Video Home | Process | | Tips 'N Tricks | Examples

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