Several respondents to my poll "Intro Video: Yes or No?" asked for information and tips concerning how I made the intro video for my class "Music as Cultural Expression." This prompted me to put together a basic step-by-step outline for those who would like to do the same.
Although I have had some experience in video production, for example, as one of the contributing editors for Macworld Magazine, I wrote 40% of the first book on QuickTime, Mastering the World of Quicktime (Random House, 1993), most of my experience in video production is in the music and audio department; I worked in Hollywood for 6 years and also wrote The Macworld Music and Sound Bible, which received the Computer Press Association Award.
I strongly believe that current tools put this sort of classroom enhancement within the reach of anyone who is willing to give it a try.
The video is embedded below. Following the video are the production details, including links to the equipment I used. I will be happy to answer any questions about this.
Production Details: I recorded the video using my point-and-shoot Olympus SZ-10 camera on a small tripod. The tripod was positioned to place the camera about an inch above an extra monitor, upon which I was slowly scrolling the "script" using Teleprompt+ software (Mac OS version; it also runs on IOS). Note: This could have been done with a laptop that had a built-in camera, and I've done similar videos with such a configuration.
Because the audio recording on my camera is not up to my standards, I simultaneously recorded the audio into my laptop using a Yeti Blue Microphone using the free program, Audacity (runs on Mac or Windows). I transferred this second recording to my desktop Mac using DropBox.
I was standing in front of a Prism Green Screen Backdrop that was affixed to a Ravelli Video Background Stand, both of which I purchased a month ago for the purpose of creating series of instructional videos for my book Final Edit, The Final Hours of Your Final Draft (those videos are currently in progress). I also used a Fancier Studio 3000 watt Video Lighting Kit consisting of three soft-box CFL light boxes on stands. I found several videos on YouTube to instruct me in the use of the green screen and the placement of the lights.
I used TeleStream's ScreenFlow software for all of the editing. I took all Telestream's online tutorials after purchasing their software, but I've also been reading the e-publication ScreenCastsOnline on my iPad for a couple of months (This is published by ScreenCastsOnline.com). Along the way, I saw a tutorial that suggested replacing the soundtrack that had been recorded with the camera's microphone with one recorded simultaneously using a better microphone, in this case, the soundtrack I had recorded with my Yeti Blue microphone, and that convinced me to do so.
After completing this video, I purchased a Contour Designs ShuttlePro V.2 to speed up the editing stage of my workflow. This tool in my left hand, in conjunction with my Kensington Expert Mouse (track ball) in my right hand, has streamlined my ScreenFlow work considerably. I highly recommend both if you plan to to multiple projects.
The entire process took a little less than 2 days.