A teacher showing a video to students on an electronic tablet.

INSTRUCTIONAL VIDEOS PART 2: Production & Post-Production

Learning Outcomes

Use effective technology tools to create a video with images, movies, text, and audio files.

Overview

The instructional video project is meant to help you learn how to create videos that can teach a topic in a way that is engaging, active, collaborative, and memorable for your students. Alternatively, you can create a video that is an example of what your students would create to complete an assignment.

For most students, you will create an instructional movie for this project. If you think you would be better served by creating an audio project instead of a video project, then please talk to your instructor about it.

Step 2: Production (Shooting your Film)

The following video was created by professional video editors at BYU. They give some great advice on how to create a better instructional video. Some of these tips are about how to shoot your video, so be sure to check out their ideas before you set out to record! (It also has great tips for post-production editing as well!)

Step 3: Post-Production (Editing your movie)

Video Editing Tools

When choosing a tool to make your video, there are a variety of factors to consider: How much control do you need and want over each element of the project? Do you have the software required to do your project on a home computer, or would you need to come into a lab? Do you have time to come into the lab for an extended period of time during lab hours so you can complete your project? What features do you need in order to create your project? Keep these factors in mind as you explore the following tools and decide which to use.

You may choose from any of the following tools (or let me know about one that's not on the list, and we can talk about it). You can get more information on these, as well as links to online tutorials, on badgeschool.wordpress.com.

iMovie: If you're a Mac user, iMovie probably offers you the best blend of simplicity, versatility, and functionality. It comes FREE with most versions of a Mac computer and is also available as a FREE iOS app. It offers a lot more photo, video, audio editing, and animation functions (especially on the desktop version), a good-sized audio/sound effects library, versatile trimming and splitting features, multiple audio and video tracks, built-in narration, lots of transitions, and a smooth, stable platform with good playback features. You cannot use iMovie on Windows, but you can still use iMovie in the McKay school TecLab or at the BYU Library. Choose one or the other, though, since they sometimes have different versions installed. The biggest drawback of iMovie is that projects are a bit tricky to save to an external source, and this can cause frustration for students not using their own computer

VideoPad Video Editor: If you want the basic functionality of iMovie but don't have a Mac, VideoPad can be a great choice for you. Its user interface is not always as smooth as iMovie's, and while it has mobile apps on both Android and iOS app stores, the mobile versions are more clunky than the desktop version. The FREE version has limited features (e.g., tracks limited to 2 audio and 2 video tracks), but you can still make a pretty versatile project with the free version. You can download the software here (be sure to use the small link under the "Get it Free" heading, and not the big red button), and you can also access some tutorials about the software with this Getting Started Guide or this Youtube Channel.

Adobe Spark Video: This FREE, fully-online tool is as easy as creating a slide show. Start from scratch or use a template, then add video, text, and images within 4 simple but effective layouts. Seamlessly record narration and upload a soundtrack or choose from free stock audio options. You can even start working on a computer, then continue the same project on any Apple mobile device with the Spark Video iOS app. Spark would be a great choice if you need to create something quickly, but don't need a lot of flexibility in your method. Its easy and intuitive interface also make it a great tool for younger students to use to create their own projects. Some of its drawbacks are a video clip duration limit (30 seconds max), virtually no audio, video, or photo editing features, and highly limited flexibility.

WeVideo: This fully online program has about the same functionality as iMovie. There are a few things iMovie does that it doesn't, but there are also some great features that it does better than iMovie. For example, text/title manipulation can be cumbersome in iMovie, but is smooth, easy, and more versatile in WeVideo. It also features iOS and Android apps that afford seamless editing on the same project across devices (much like Spark). The drawback: WeVideo is primarily a paid service, with subscriptions ranging from $5-$16/month. The good news is that there is a free version that allows you 5 minutes of publishing time a month (which is enough for this project), but there is a large WeVideo watermark in the upper right corner of the screen. WeVideo also has classroom and school subscription options, so it is possible that your school could adopt it.

Adobe Premiere, Final Cut Pro, or Lightworks: If you're really serious about your project, feel free to use any of these professional video editing softwares. Premiere and Final Cut are available on various computers at BYU, and Lightworks is FREE for anyone using it for non-commercial movie making. Premiere is available exclusively as part of the Adobe Creative Cloud suite, which has varying monthly subscription costs starting around $20/month. Final Cut Pro is a one-time $300 purchase, but it can only be used on a Mac. These programs can have a steep learning curve, and it's not super likely that you or your students would have access to Premiere or Final Cut where you teach. On the other hand, you should be able to do just about anything you want with your video when using these programs.

Editing Process

Choose which editing tool you will use. To better help you decide, go to this Feature Comparison Spreadsheet, copy it, and highlight the features you will need the most. You can also take the quiz on the second sheet of the workbook to help you narrow down your choices. Make a decision based on the affordances of the technology and your individual circumstances. It is recommended that you complete your storyboard before determining which editor you will use because what you want to be able to do will determine which tool you need to do it.
Create/Edit the project using the tool you chose. Reference the Instructional Video Badge on Badgr.io for video requirements. Don't forget to cite your sources! Remember that you can use cameras—and Macintosh computers—in the McKay Building TEC computer lab. If you complete the project on their computer, be sure to bring a hard drive or large USB drive to backup the project. You probably want at least 16GB.
Upload the project to YouTube and your website/online portfolio.
Submit the Submission Form referenced in the badge.

Frequently Asked Questions

If you don't find an answer to your question, ask me so I can answer it and include it on this page.

How do I save in iMovie? iMovie '08 and later versions do not have a save option. The program automatically saves as you go, but places the files in a difficult to find location. This means if you're not using your own computer you'll have to collect your files and save them to an external hard drive and restore the files to their proper location when you go back to work on your project again. You can view a quick tutorial on how to do this by clicking here. Note that a thumb drive may not have enough space for your multimedia project, and you may need to buy or borrow a larger external hard drive—or at least a larger thumb drive that is probably has at least 8 gigabytes of free space.
How do I download a video from YouTube? There are lots of ways to do this, and they change all the time. The best idea is to use the savefrom.net method. To use this strategy, simply type in “ss” immediately before the YouTube URL (and following the “www.”) of the video you wish to save. This will take you to a screen that will give you the option of saving the file to your computer. Other ideas include keepvid.com and individual browser plugins.
What if the iMovie crashes when I try to export my video to YouTube? A common problem is you don’t have enough space on your thumb drive to complete this action. Try copying your iMovie library back to the desktop of the computer and launching the iMovie from the computer instead of your thumb drive.
What if my version of iMovie looks different than the tutorials I see online? iMovie has evolved through many different interfaces over the last few years. The functionality is the same, but it looks different. So if the tutorial teaches you how to do something, you can probably still do that thing, but will need to search for the location of the button in your version. Or you can google “How to do X in iMovie version. Remember to be specific about which version you are using.

Assignments

Complete all assignments and quizzes associated with this module on the Canvas home page.