Today’s Plan:
- WL #2: A How To Video
- Review Schroeppel’s chapter on “Composition”
- More Schroeppel practice
- For Next Session
Work List #2: A How To Video
This week’s challenge will be working on a “How To…” video. Developing instructions takes us into the realm of technical writing, what in that field is called “documentation.” I’ve put a reading from Mike Markel’s Practical Strategies for Technical Communication into the files section of Canvas.
While learning some principles for documentation is useful, my focus this week is on shot composition. I generally expect these videos to be a “talking head” video that then uses cut-aways and voice overs to walk us through steps. As a boardgame fan, I almost always go to Youtube to search up a “how to play” video before I read the instructions. Commonly, these are “talking head” medium shots with cutaways. But these can also be what I call “lofi”–simply still pictures and voice narration.
Content Expectations
My expectations are that these videos:
- Will be around 1-2 minutes long
- They will have an introduction, a materials overview, and a series of at least 4 steps
- Each step will likely require 2 shots
- There will be some kind of conclusion that ends the scene
Note: if you are a bit overwhelmed, then it is okay to use still pictures for your cut aways. I will be focusing on shot composition; if it is easier for you to put a voice over a still image, then go for it.
Formal Expectations
The formal expectations all come from Schroeppel’s first chapter:
- Shots are set up with a tripod (I’ll be looking for camera jiggle)
- Shots are aligned using the rule of thirds
- Shots are balanced
- When possible, shots include angles
- Shots attend to leading lines and backgrounds
Don’t worry about audio quality here–I don’t expect you to use an external microphone. Those of you with previous experience are welcome to experiment with microphones, but those who are new can simply focus on framing and recording shots. At this stage, shot composition is my core concern.
Review Schroeppel
I think I just did that, since the project expectations are a brief overview of the chapter.
More Schroeppel Practice
To Canvas.
For Next Session
I want to focus first on writing quality instructions before we start shooting video. Developing instructions takes us into the realm of technical writing, what in that field is called “documentation.” I’ve put a reading from Mike Markel’s Practical Strategies for Technical Communication into the files section of Canvas. While Markel addresses video instructions, his practical advice focuses on print instructions.
I’ll ask you to read the Markel .pdf and draft a set of instructions for a simple task for Wednesday’s class. You can use the sample instructions on page 418 as a model–just remember to add a section on what materials someone would need to execute your task. Also pay particular attention to guidelines on pp 411-413 as you draft.
Please print two copies of your instructions and bring them to Wednesday’s class.
