Using Rapid VideoGettin’ Hi-fi from Low-fi!

Mark Chrisman & George Aston

Introduction

Session Outline

• Introduction• Design Principles and the Brain• Film/Video Technique (with examples)• Recording Devices• Workshop

Design Principlesand

The Brain

Must Read

Learning from Design

Picture Superiority Effect – pg. 152

• A picture is worth a thousand words– Is a video is worth a million?

• Pictures are generally more easily recognized and recalled

• Pictures and words together are even better

Example• Step 1: Tie a Starting Knot, then make the right end into a

"loop" by simply doubling it back onto itself. • Step 2: Take the left end and pass it around to the right,

going behind the right loop.• Step 3: Continue the left end around the right loop to end

up in front. • Step 4: Start to feed the left lace into the "hole" that has

just been made.• Step 5: With the left lace now through the "hole", grab

hold of both loops and start to pull the knot tight. • Step 6: Continue pulling on the loops until the knot is

firmly tied.

Immersion – pg. 112

• A state of mental focus so intense that awareness of the “real” world is lost…

• Perceptual and cognitive systems are challenged at near capacity, without be exceeded.

• Optimal immersive experiences involve both rich sensory experiences and rich cognitive engagement.

– Adapted from the theory of Flow by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi

Example

Storytelling – pg. 186

• Not just words – use imagery and emotion. • Uniquely human and engaging• Fundamental elements are:

– Setting– Characters– Plot– Invisibility – When engaged the medium becomes forgotten.– Mood– Movement

• When successful, the audience will experience and recall events better – it becomes part of them.

Example

von Restorff Effect – pg. 204

• Noticeably different things are more likely to be recalled than common things

• Two types:– Differences in Context– Differences in Experience

Example

Classical Conditioning – pg 32

• Influence appeal of design using positive and negative imagery or sounds

Example

Do any of these sound like you need to have a HD camera and other expensive equipment to

engage the learner’s brain?

Film Theory Outline

• How to apply motion picture theory basics • How to use simple production techniques• What tools to use for developing video content • Creative ways for delivering video content

Composition & Editing

Wide Shot Medium close-up

Over the shoulder Close-up

Added layering Medium Shot Wide Shot

Camera Angles (Advanced)

• Point of View (POV) shot • Ariel shot (convenient with small sets)• Cut-away (objects)• Cut-away (reaction shots w/out dialogue)• Freeze frame• Follow shot (pan or zoom)

First-person (hand held)

Rule of two thirds

MontageKuleshov Experiment (1918)

soup a girl wedding funeral

Audience who the expression on the actor’s face was different each time he appeared, depending on whether he was "looking at" the plate of soup, the girl, or the coffin, showing an expression of hunger, desire or grief respectively.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kuleshov_Experiment

Same reaction shot

Low-fi Tips

• In-camera editing• Slow pans and zooms• Walk arounds• Tri-pod or Hand held

Tools

Sound & Lights

Sound

InternalMic

ExternalMic

Audio Quality

Lighting Tips

• Limit Your Light Sources• White Balance• Avoid Backlighting• Low-cost Illumination

Talent & Props

Low-fi Talent

• Paper drawings and cut outs• Characters, puppets and toys• Still images• Friends in your office

Cheap props and Photoshop

Still graphics and Audio

Editing Tools

Production Tools• Apple Final Cut Pro editing• Adobe Premiere editing• Apple iMovie editing• Windows MovieMaker editing• Adobe Captivate, Powerpoint

Free• Jumpcut edit & host• YouTube capture, annotations, captions and hosting• Qik capture, hosting & stream from mobile device• Ustream capture, hosting, stream from mobile device• Eyejot capture and hosting• 12seconds capture and hosting• GoAnimate flash animation and hosting

Workshop

Activity: Break into 3 groups and use the provided storyboard template, props and camera to create a quick (and very lo-fi) training video. Keep videos under 3 mins.

Equipment: Flip cameras

Props: • Group A – Paper Cutouts• Group B – Real People (You!)

WorkshopTraining Scenario: How to build a PB&J

Time: 30 Minutes

We realize that it’s right before lunch, but please don’t eat the props

Times Up!

“I would have written you a shorter letter,

but I didn't have time.”- Mark Twain