A plethora of options exist at the high end of media production. These tools and techniques are by no means necessary for good media creation. If you have access to them or perhaps already own some, however, they can certainly add to the quality of the production.
Video
DSLRs
DSLR's (digital single lens reflex) cameras give excellent video quality but are expensive and cannot record for long sessions, with many having 10 to 20 minute recording limits. These shorter times are a result of software limitations (due to tax surcharges on video cameras) and equipment overheating. However, since instructional video best practices suggest limiting your videos to 5 to 8 minutes, these shorter recording times are not a significant problem. In fact they may be a great way to remind yourself to chunk video into even shorter portions.These cameras have great advantages in lens selection because they can be swapped and in light sensitivity due to their much larger sensors.
Paul and Scott in the ASCTech studio can demo DSLR cameras for your consideration.
LED Lights
Many consumer LED lights give excellent, even light quality. Some also allow you to choose the color temperature, which can be useful for obtaining accurate video color balance. unlike older incandescent and tungsten lights, LED lights do not generate heat, which can be a problem in small offices or studios. LED lights now run roughly the same price as equivalent older style lights. The ASCTech studio can demo an LED light kit.3-Point interview kit
A common three-point light system uses a main light on the subject (keylight), a lower intensity fill light to reduce shadows on the side of the face away from the key light, and a backlight (hairline light) to define the subject and separate from the background. The ASCTech studio has a permanently installed 3-point light system that you are welcome to observe or use when you film in the studio.
Teleprompter systems
Professional teleprompting software are generally somewhat expensive. These systems allow you to reflect text in front of the camera and keep your eyes looking directly into the lens of the camera, as though you were directly addressing the viewer.
This means that your eyes will constantly be looking away from the camera onto your laptop or tablet. Two ways to handle this. One, arrange the camera and computer with the text consistently off screen so that you were always looking slightly off screen for example to the right of the camera. Two, memorize and speak extemporaneously while doing the recording. One great advantage of filming is that you can reshoot sections that don't go well and insert that clip into the recording in post production.
You may wish to consider how consistent the lighting and clothing will be for doing this. It's somewhat jarring to have the same speaker change clothing, hair styles, etc. in a short video, so you may want to limit the number of retakes that you doing unless you are not using the video along with it and you doing a voice over PowerPoint.
Please note: in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, all instructional videos must have captions. More information is available at the US Department of Labor, as well as by contacting the ASCTech Academic Technology team. Although ASCTech does not transcribe instructional videos, the Ohio State University's Web Accessibility Center offers a transcription service that does a excellent job for a very reasonable amount of funding.
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