The Multimedia Studios located in 011 Business Building provide faculty and staff with a place to experiment with technologies to make them more productive in their teaching, research and professional careers. Below are ways you can prepare for your recording to not only get the most out of your time in the studio, but to also get a great piece of media to share with your audience.

Green Screen

Recording a lecture, interview, or presentation in front of a green screen allows a variety of backgrounds and graphic elements to be professionally edited into your video. In our green screen set-up you will be sitting on a bench in front of a camera with a teleprompter attached.

What to Wear

If you will be recording videos in front of our green screen here are a few suggestions to make sure you are wearing video-friendly attire.

• Solid-colored, dress shirts/tops work well on camera
• Avoid tight patterns such as pinstripes, checkered or herringbone
• Avoid clothing that is green or bright white
• Avoid jewelry that makes noise when you move

Slides & Scripts

Videos shot in front of the green screen have the option of using the teleprompter. The teleprompter can be used in two different ways:

Scripts

Before your appointment you can email multimedia@smeal.psu.edu a copy of the script that you would like to read from. When you come to the studio your script will be on the teleprompter and will scroll upwards on the screen while you read along. The multimedia specialist assisting with your appointment that day will manually operate the speed of the script scrolling.

Slides

In editing we are able to display PowerPoint presentations alongside your green screen recording (Green Screen Video + PowerPoint Example). You can either email your PowerPoint to multimedia@smeal.psu.edu or bring it along with you to your appointment on a flash drive. The staff helping you will then display your PowerPoint on the teleprompter, and you can manually advance your slides with the remote we will provide in the studio.

What to expect from RIIT Group Staff

During your recording a Multimedia Specialist from the RIIT group will be in the studio with you. We operate the camera, run the teleprompter (if being used), and will answer questions you may have about the recording/editing process.

Screencast

A screencast is a digital recording of computer screen output, also known as a video screen capture, often containing audio narration. In our studio we use Camtasia to record both your voice and screen simultaneously.

What to Wear

Even though you won't be seen on camera during a screencast there are still a few important guidelines for recording.

• Avoid jewelry that makes noise when you move
• Wear clothing you will be comfortable in if you are planning on sitting and recording for a long amount of time.

Visuals

Slides

The majority of screencasts recorded in our studios use PowerPoint to display information on screen. You can either email your PowerPoint to multimedia@smeal.psu.edu or bring it along with you to your appointment on a flash drive if that is what you are planning on using. A great feature in PowerPoint is it's annotation tools (Screencast + Annotation Example). Our computers are equipped with a touchscreen monitor that uses a stylus. With this stylus you can write on your slides, adding in additional notes or formulas.

Software and Web Tutorials

Camtasia can record the entire screen which is a great way to record tutorials in software like Excel or a tour of a website. If you have specific software or software add-ons that you would like to demonstrate to your audience you can email multimedia@smeal.psu.edu and request the software you would like to use. We will be able to load it onto the computer for you.

Tips

Notes

Bringing a printed copy of your notes or slides is a great way to stay on track during your recording. Just keep in mind that any noise, such as flipping over a piece of paper, is picked up by the microphone. We suggest not stapling your notes together, since this will cut back on the flipping paper noise.

What to expect from RIIT Group Staff

During your recording a Multimedia Specialist from the RIIT group will not be in the studio with you. We will help you set up your presentation or software and start the recording. Once the recording has begun we will leave the studio. If you need any assistance you can find a multimedia specialist you are working with located near the studio in their office.

Lightboard

What to Wear

• Wear neutral, dark colors, but avoid solid black
• Avoid clothing with a pattern or text
• Avoid jewelry that makes noise when you move

Planning your video

There is a shelf to layout your notes off camera so you can easily refer to them while presenting. If you fold an 8.5 x 11 piece of paper in half and write out the text you plan on writing on the board, this will give you an idea of how much can fit on the board and how to layout your notes.

What to expect from RIIT Group Staff

A multimedia specialist will be in the studio behind the camera while you record. Once you have filled up the board with notes and you are done speaking about them, the multimedia specialist will stop filming and clean the board for you. After that we will resume recording and you can continue with your next board of notes.