- Find some way of sending instructor the vlogs you did for class 12. These could be an mp4 file or uploaded to YouTube. If you choose the private option, make sure to put jsaxe@comm.umass.edu as a viewer. Here’s a quick tutorial on how to do so:
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NnIRD7UaYz0[/youtube]
- Record several vlogs. Review what you did last week to see what worked and could work better. Experiment with new elements: backgrounds, include someone else, demonstrate a hobby, what else? Here’s basic guidelines:
- Try out two vlog modes: 1. Talk directly to a webcam, generally in a seated position; 2. Use the smart phone selfie video mode to do a version that may be more mobile, including some shots of the immediate environment, e.g. books, food, photos, friends, what else?
- Before doing the actual recording, do a test recording of each mode: place yourself in front of the camera and record some “blah, blah, blah, today is…I’m here….the weather is…for breakfast I had…” Play it back to see how it looks and sounds. MAKE SURE YOUR VOICE IS CLEARLY AUDIBLE.
- Record at least two iterations of the two topics you wrote about. They should be in a three to five minute range. Do a first one, view it, assess what works and what might work better, and then record a follow-up. For second iteration, instead of recording a second take of what you just recorded, keep on going with the topic you started, somehow carrying on the development of whatever ideas you started with.
- IMPORTANT NOTE: Consider Lighting – better illumination helps color resolution and sharpens focus. This might mean turning on a light or two – though be careful about backlight meaning strong light coming from behind that might put you in silhouette.
- Review, assess, and render.
- Watch them all to see how they came out. What worked, could work better?
- Render them into a format that we can see in class, ideally a mp4 format. Figure out how to get the video file from your smart phone to your laptop so we can view it.
- Be prepared to show two of the four tests in class.
- Bring laptops.
- Write reflective journal notes on what you’ve done thus far:
- What have you learned? What’s worked? Could work better? Where might you go next?
- What’s the value of doing this process? Are there ways it might be integrated into the curriculum in other academic disciplines?
- How would the vlogging process be best integrated into this class?
- How might we set up a UMass vloggs channel? What kinds of topics? How best to solicit vloggers?