Teaching Artists Video Workshop 8/31/2020

The Why

Streaming and online teaching is a necessity now but will also become part of the schoolroom in the future. This book, and the workshop upon which it is based, is intended to help teaching artists develop video communication skills and better understand how to teach in the virtual space.

The virus has changed the DNA of the classroom. While the virus will pass, the use of online teaching will not. Educators and students are becoming confident using and connecting with artists who are not physically present in the classroom. Your online content can and should be a part of the new classroom.

As you develop these skills, you will be better able to offer your services to schools. You will also be building content that will support your in-person classes and assemblies. Videos that teach a class now can be used as post show/class resources later. And finally, you will be taking a step toward saving your voice and art for the future. With your work on video, your ideas and activities can be used by others far into the future.

Keep your mind open to new opportunities as you work on these skills. You may find how you end up using them is not necessarily what you imagined starting out.

TWO THOUGHTS
In the online world, geography means nothing. You can as easily reach Maine as you can Florida. While local opportunities may have constricted, the range of schools available to you has increased.

Right now, it is not about what you want. It is about what they need. Teachers are overwhelmed and cannot add to their 'to learn' tasks. They don't need an assembly. They might not need an art class. What they do need is help. Think about how your art can help them accomplish their current classroom goals. How an your art activity make a math concept clear? Can you provide a drama game that develops self regulation skills? Align yourself beside your teachers and think about how what you do can be a tool in their rapidly changing classroom.

And the How

What makes a good teaching video?

A good teaching video is like a good classroom presentation. It is direct, well thought out, succinct and personable.

Connect with your viewer. Think that your audience is just on the other side of the camera lens.

iPad screen bad. iPad camera good. If filming with an iPad, look at the camera, not your device screen!

Tips

An intro can be one topic even if you go over many basic concepts. Just save the deep dive for another video.

The camera is still. You move.

Keep it short and succinct. Discipline yourself to teach a concept or two per video. (See 'Sharing' section for information on how to gather your videos for your audience to use at their leisure.

Phrase your videos. Create breaks in which your audience can lock in the info you just gave them. This can be created by a text overlay of a teaching point or even a verbal "So, did you get that? We just saw that...".

Onscreen text is your friend. Support what you have just said and show with text (short, succinct) for those learners who learn better with text.

Your setup.

Choose your space wisely.

Win the battle before it starts. Find a quiet space away from traffic, air conditioning and adorable but noisy pets.

Pay attention to your windows. Use your window as a source of light, not as a backdrop. If you are filming into an open window, you will be in silhouette and your video murky.

BE CHEAP.
Start with the simplest solutions and learn the basics. If you start by dropping a lot of cash on equipment, you might be purchasing something you really don't need.
LEARN FIRST, SPEND LATER.

Your backdrop.

Your background can be a composed set, a bare wall or a large piece of green fabric. What is seen behind you can distract from or throw focus to you and your activity. Pay attention to what is in back of you.

BONUS FOR YOUR STUDENTS: They are in your house now and can get a glimpse into your studio world or workspace. This intrigues them, makes them hungry to learn what you have to offer.

Lighting

Lighting can as easy as using the natural light in your room or it can involve setting up lighting stands and soft boxes. Start with what is most simple and least expensive. Work up from there.

Natural light: Keep it in front of you. Do not, I repeat not film with a brightly lit window in back of you. Just don't do it.

Clip lights: These can work well and are inexpensive. Make sure all of the bulbs match. Do not mix wattages or incandescents with LED's.

Fluorescents: Fluorescents will not have a lot of color agndcan make you look a bit washed out. Their light is even and can work well on a green screen. Fluorescents are not dimmable.

LED panels: These will be your most expensive choice but will also give you a range of colors and are dimmable.

And take heart brave souls, you are not the only one experiencing this...

If you are going the green screen route.

NOTE: Purchased green screens will be sewn to be longer than wide. You want yours to be wider, not longer. No one cares if they do not see your feet. Sorry.

MATERIALS: While you can purchase green screens and lighting kits on Amazon, for smaller, closer to the camera needs, green fabric from Walmart or posterboard from Dollar General works very well.

FABRIC: choose a bright green, not too dark, thick/soft fabric. If you can easily see light through the fabric... not good. You want a fabric that absorbs rather than reflects light.

Two yards of five foot wide fabric is a good place to start. Green screen apps are very forgiving so sew two panels together if you need a larger screen.

Here is a good choice.

Not such good choices
(too dark, too shiny).

POSTERBOARD: Here is a
good shade for green
screening.

Not so good. (closer to your
skin and clothing colors).

NOTE: Basically, you are looking for a color that is not in nature, not in your skin or clothes and that will not reflect green onto your skin.

Cameras

For most of you, the best camera will be the one right next to you, your smart phone or device. These have excellent cameras and, if you stay close to the device, decent sound. They also have the necessary editing software. Start with your smart device and work up from there.

Stands

Stands are actually pretty easy. There are only a few variations and they can all fit your smart device or DSLR camera. If you are using your laptop's camera well, there's a stand for that.

Do I Need a Mic?

Maybe not. If your space is quiet and you are able to be close (an arm's length or slightly farther) from your device, your sound quality might be just fine. If not, there are a lot of mics out there for you. This is a place where you do not want to go to cheap (if you are purchasing a mic). It might cost you $100 or more to get what you need. Read reviews before you purchase.

Make it easy on yourself.
Start with a clean slate. Film away from traffic noise, tv and children if possible.

Closer is better. Stay within an arm's length of your mic if possible.

Fashion sense.
Compose your outfit. Choose a color and pattern that sets you apart from your background.

Simple is good. If the background is composed, go plain. If the background is solid, you can choose an interesting pattern.

A few thoughts about surprise and camera work.

Editing: video formats

Editing

1. MP4 (when in doubt, go with this one)
Provides high quality video while maintaining relatively small file sizes. Readable by most platforms and devices.

2. MOV
MOV is a popular video file format designed by Apple. A very high-quality video format but creates larger files.

3. WMV
Small file sizes but not compatible with Apple devices. Users have to download Windows Media Player for their iPhone or Mac.

There are many editing apps out there and which you choose is often determined by the device you are using. For basic teaching videos, any of them will work and all will be similar in what they provide. The apps may look a bit different but they will all have the same 'parts'.

Planning is editing.
Film only what you need! Figure a 10 to 1 ratio of time spent moving raw footage to a polished clip.

Living in the Virtual World

Livestreaming allows you to interact directly with your students while mixing in pre-recorded video as needed. Using a streaming service or app such as OBS, Streamyard, Vimeo or eCamm (for Mac users), the can be more fluidly and artistically accomplished than by screen sharing through Zoom. Streaming apps can actually send their feed directly to Zoom. That means your school can use Zoom, you can use eCamm (or whatever) and it all works. Streaming apps can also feed to multiple services such as Facebook and YouTube at the same time. Your streams can be recorded and used as resource files themselves.

Converting Video Files

Get this: Smart Converter
(Start with the free version). Drag and drop to the format you want.
Can convert video to sound files. Excellent app.

And a thought about digital hygiene.

If you are not sure what has been viewed and searched on your computer, it is a stunningly bad idea to use it for your livestream.

There is no more efficient way to end your teaching artist career than by presenting dubious content to a class of fourth graders (who will definitely google what they saw).