Videos – supporting learning,collaboration and changeHelpful hints on Videos

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Videos... more than could!

Nowadays, many people use a smartphone, perhaps a tablet as well. Or / and they have long

ago switched their analogue camera for a digital device, which they could also use for

making videos.

Could...

Perhaps they even made some videos. Well just for the fun for it. Nothing “remarkable”...

Hearing “video” lots of people more often think in standards of Hollywood – high tech

equipment, perfect lightning, crispy sound. Going directly to the next Oscar ® - Award.

There are lots of examples of films with very low budget, that became famous and attracted

lots of attention. And there is the story of videos on You Tube that got millions of views

not only because they showed some sort of so-sweeeeet-kittys. Also, because of their

message.

Digital storytelling is a growing important tool, also in all fields of education, project

management, internal & external communication.

Potential of Videos

So in short: Videos have this potential among others:

● Giving quick overviews even to very complex issues

● Looking behind false fronts or adding important details

● Supporting (and also enabling) people to tell their stories, their point of view, their

fears / hopes / ideas

● Foster the initiation, brain storming, first steps, conversion of projects (and of

course give accounts on them)

● To learn together and from one another in a collaborative way

And you have the ways and the potential to plan and make such videos! So let’s start!

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A good story

Joe Lambert, co-founder of the “Center for digital storytelling” (Berkely, CA, USA) names

seven elements for a good story (Source:

http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Instructional_Technology/Digital_Storytelling):

Point of View – Who is the narrator and why is he/she talking to us?

● Dramatic Question – Desire – Action - Realization

● Emotional Content – What are the emotions associated with your narrative?

● The Gift of your Voice – What does your narrator sound like?

● The Power of the Soundtrack – What music sets the mood for your story?

● Economy – Keep it short and succinct.

● Pacing – The rhythm of the story helps set the tone

● (interesting addition: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SHRuAi-Z3oY)

Four steps on the way to videos

So, the following four steps can be helpful in moving on the way:

1. Watch different short videos

● Like some of these ones http://www.creativenarrations.net/stories

● or here http://www.projectaspect.org/our_films?page=babacar

● or here http://www.townofrigolet.com/home/stories.htm

Why did you like / dislike the story?

Look at the “fever chart” of the film (fast, slow, boring, fascinating...) – when was it high /

low?

In which way, were aspects used like lightning, using sounds and music, positioning and/or

moving the camera (see also here http://www.mediaknowall.com/camangles.html) ...?

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2. Get to know & choose your toolsRemember the word “could” in the introduction. On the way from “could” to “let's do it”,

its very useful to make experiments with your devices, take a look on the manual, think

about the things you could need during making the video and for completing it (yes there

are videos, you won't need to use editing tools, and there are some that will need them).

Often, a tripod is very useful, especially if you do interviews.

3. Make a storyboard

● Outline your story / the questions you will use in short sentences.

● Make a scribble on your planned “fever chart” of the story.

● Search for stories and people that back up information given in your video.

● You could also prepare a more elaborate storyboard, based e. g. on research of

potential places you will film, combining it with photos you took.

● Show your storyboard other people and ask for their comments, ideas, questions...

4. Remember basic rules (and dare to brake them, because that's the plan) such us

● People / objects in front of a window / the sun might be shady afterwards

● filming people / things from a great distance is a good idea for overview and might

be tricky for showing details

● “stuff around” the people / objects you are filming can be distracting (and also

offer interesting “comments”)

● Looooong sentences (monologues) might get boring after a while

● to many threads of different stories in one film vs. showing different views

● a shaky camera could make viewers nervous

see also http://m.wikihow.com/Make-a-Short-Film

and http://www.bbc.co.uk/films/oneminutemovies/howto/

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Selection of helpful tools:

Microsoft MoviemakerDownload http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-live/movie-maker#t1=overview

Tutorial http://www.teachertrainingvideos.com/winMovieMaker01/

Apple Imovie Download: http://www.apple.com/mac/imovie/

Tutorials: http://support.apple.com/videos/#imovie

...for youtube users (needs google+ account)http://www.youtube.com/editor

alternative software (free):http://www.freemake.com/free_video_converter/

Tutorials: http://www.freemake.com/how_to/

Lightworks: http://www.lwks.com/

Tutorials: http://www.lwks.com/index.php?

option=com_content&view=article&id=69&Itemid=192

openSource alternative http://www.virtualdub.org/

Tutorials: http://granjow.net/virtualdub-tutorial-editing.html

https://frapsforum.com/threads/raffriffs-awesome-virtualdub-tutorial.739/

jing: http://www.techsmith.com/jing.html

http://m.wikihow.com/Create-a-Video-Screencast-with-Jing

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Videos editing with Appshttp://features.en.softonic.com/how-to-edit-videos-in-whatsapp

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.kaushal.androidstudio&hl=de

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.androvid&hl=de

tutorial http://www.ilovefreesoftware.com/30/android-2/how-to-edit-videos-on-

android.html

Vinenot only for apple also for android – make very short videos https://vine.co/

how to: https://support.twitter.com/articles/20170317#

and this one has helpful hints not only on vine but also generally on the first steps

http://www.boston.com/yourtown/news/beanstalk/2013/02/4_story-

telling_tips_for_makin.html

Other toolshttp://www.movenote.com/ (combination presentation with video comments - there are

tutorials on the Homepage!)

https://mixbit.com/ record, edit and publish videos and collaborate with others, remixing

them

http://www.magisto.com/ (making / editing videos)

Audio: http://audacity.sourceforge.net/

Tutorials: http://manual.audacityteam.org/o/man/tutorials.html

Storyboards:

http://generator.acmi.net.au/storyboard (building storyboards with up to 24 frames based on

own pictures or existing storyboards)

http://www.printablepaper.net/category/storyboard (templates)

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Alternative or additional you could also use tools likeCowbird http://cowbird.com/ telling stories with pictures & sound

Mozilla popcorn maker https://popcorn.webmaker.org/ combine text, videos, audios, effects

– remix existing projects

This compilation / text by

Christian F. Freisleben is under a Creative Commons Licence cc_by_nc_sa

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