Screencasting 101.2 Podcamp CT - Slides

Podcamp Ct was a great success. Not a glitch as far as I could see. The facility was fantastic and several times I heard people say they had never had wireless access that was so good. I agree, it was rock solid and fast.

For myself I had mixed feelings about the presentation I gave on Screencasting. As before I have converted the slides to PDF and you download them here.

My goal has always been to get through the presentation slides all the way to the end. I so far I have not.

The presentation goes too deep. Even the demo I used to introduce the presentation was too involved. Well, real learning involves making mistakes, and embracing those mistakes is the path to success. As Mary Pickford said,

"If you have made mistakes, there is always another chance for you. You may have a fresh start any moment you choose, for this thing we call 'failure' is not the falling down, but the staying down".

So not failure. I got some valuable feedback from the people who attended, thank you all and I'll give it some more thought through the next week as I prepare this presentation for Podcamp NH. I'll comment on those changes when I post the recording I made of the presentation in, hopefully in a couple days.

As always there were many fascinating presentations, more than any one person could see - 4 tracks running at the same time. I particularly enjoyed one late in the day on the international implications of being online.

I met a lot of fun and generous people. There was a two hour lunch, time for lots of talk and lots of great restaurants within a couple blocks of the facility we were in. Afterward there was more time to talk at nearby bar. A really good event. It was big, but on a human scale and it gave me weeks of things to think about.

#169 Screencasting 101.1 at PCB5

In the last post I attached a PDF of the slides I used for a presentation on Screencasting I delivered a few weeks ago at Podcamp Boston. In this episode I've embedded a screencast that I made from the slides and the audio I recorded during that session. I've also included just the audio, which is part of the Video StudentGuy feed and will show up on iTunes if you're a subscriber.



Chapters & Timecode:

00:00 Preface
03:50 Introduction
13:53 What is Screencasting
15:45 How to do it
21:20 Workflow
29:00 Tools
31:35 Screencast Demo
41:30 Screenflow and Captivate
44:25 Online Screencasting Software
49:10 Other Editing Tools
55:08 Suggestions from the audience
57:20 Closing thoughts

The screencast was just too large to host on my Libsyn.com account. I don't know if I'll be doing enough of these to justify upgrading my account, so in the short term I'm going to look at TubeMogul and Blip.tv as a no cost solution. I'll let you know how that turns out.

You can view the source video and also download a copy of the file here at Vimeo.

I'm going to upload an updated version of this screecast in a week's time following a presentation I'll be making in New Haven at Podcamp Connecticut. And again, a week later following a third presentation at Podcamp New Hampshire.

If your interested in screencasting I promise to make it worth your while to watch the next two screencasts because I plan to include some, maybe lots of new material. I'll note in the Chapters & Timecode section if there's new material.

#168 Summer Vacation

Here's a short explanation of the past three months

Projects

• I finished a corporate promotional video for an integrated circuit manufacturer in Massachusetts. I partnered with Lou Goodman and we worked together shooting and editing the video. And I completed a 30 second commercial for the living history museum, Plimoth Plantation.
• Even as I continue to look for a full time video gig I'm still volunteering my time to shoot and edit video for my former school, Boston University Center for Digital Imaging Arts

Plans
Everything always takes more time that you think

• but I'm committed to learning how to maximize Worpress so I can transfer the Video StudentGuy site over to a self hosted Wordpress site with it's own domain. I want to develop a daily blog, add a number of interactive features and introduce video and still images.
• Once I've got that nailed, I'll move on to producing a portfolio site
• I continue to do audio production for another Podcast - The Post Movie Show
• I'm working on a series of screencasts demonstrating how to edit in FCP using mostly keyboard commands.
• I hope to turn my experiences into a presentation at some of the podcamps I've listed below.

Events

• PAB10 Ottawa - great show and great people. What can you say about those Canadians except they're so nice!
• DSLR video events through Avid, Rule and FCPUG. Lots of buzz about that I need to spend a show talking about that.

Podcamps Boston, NH, CT and Montreal in September and October

• Montreal - Sept 11 & 12

• Boston - Sept 25 & 26

• Connecticut - October 16

• New Hampshire - October 23 & 24

I'll be attending an introduction to Wordpress workshop at the Microsoft NERD Center in Boston Monday August 30.

• It's closed, but there's a presentation later that evening also at the NERD, courtesy of the Boston Wordpress Meetup Group on how to insert video into Wordpress

#155 It's a Wordpress World

If you want to put your video on the web and you don't know a lick about website creation, look into Wordpress.

Producing media and distributing it online requires a platform that provides a base from you can attract interest and develop a community. I think its fair to say that self promotion on the internet is not a common skill set of most production oriented media producers. One of the best ways to step into this critical space and feel as though you have some control over the process is to produce a blog using Wordpress.

Wordpress is one of many different blogging software platforms, such as Typepad, Blogger and Drupal, however I think it is the best combination of flexibility, power and accessibility for non web developers. There's a tremendous amount of learning resources for the uninitiated, with tutorials for the beginner at Wordpress.org and online in general. Even easier, you can go to Wordpress.com, create an account and start blogging in 10 minutes. There is even a video channel, Wordpress.TV that offers up a hefty dose of information for newbies.

There are meetups that take place all over the country, all over the world! I just found a Wordpress meetup in Boston that I'll be attending next month. Last month there was presentation by Adam Wood on how to customize a theme called Atahualpa which you can follow here. I found an interesting review of Thesis, another popular theme, containing lots of information about how a good theme simplifies blogging.

The really valuable thing about Wordpress is that is is more than just a blogging tool. It's a content management system (CMS) the organizes your content, tracks your marketing efforts and does other things CMS software does.

Finally you can attend, for next to nothing, Wordpress Camps all over the country. I just found one will be in Boston, close to where I live, in January. Even if you can't attend one, or you want to know what kind of sessions occur you can check out past unconferences online. A recent Wordpress Camp in Phoenix has some video of some their sessions, including how to put video online. Last week, about 700 attended WP Camp New York City and going by the list of sessions it must have been amazing.

#140 Podcamp NH Road Trip

Driving up to New Hampshire for Podcamp NH 09. Lovely cold fall day.

#56 Podcamp Boston 2

This episode of the Video StudentGuy is about the day I spent at Podcamp Boston last Sunday October 28. This is my first time attending a podcamp and I was really looking forward to it. Over all, it was a good experience. I'm sorry I couldn't have attended the previous day, I was in class There were a number of sessions specifically on video casting that I know would have been interesting. To top it off I was really tired, it was a busy busy week on all fronts. I never would have made it through the weekend if I attended both days. Next year I'll be done with school and I'll have a lot more time for user events like this.

By the way, just after I posted this I found this link to a video recorded during lunch, Sunday I guess, from the sound of it. Fool that I am I went to the cafeteria and ate lunch! Anyway, its an ad hoc discussion about the value of the conference as the nature of new media and new media producers matures. I feel very strongly that those of us who are about to launch our careers in video should be up to our armpits in new media. This is our wave. Thanks to Bob Goyetche for recording and posting this video.

On a side note there is a podcasting meetup that takes place monthly in the Boston area. CC Chapman is the contact person for this. It was on hiatus during the summer, but I spoke to him at end of the day Sunday and he said there will be something coming up soon. Like all meetups, its open to anyone, not just people producing podcasts. I hear about them mostly from Mark and Bob on the Canadian Podcast Buffet show, but I don't doubt they're friendly, congenial get-togethers no matter where they occur.

One note about the show, I start out with a rant about the venue, the Boston Convention Center. I've got some pictures I need to put up on Flikr. Obviously it had a significant impact on me, but it doesn't in any significant way detract from the quality of the event, I just tend to notice UI issues and the convention center definitely has a UI problem. If you're not interested in listening to me go on and on about it, just move ahead to 4:18, thats when my review of the sessions I attended begins.

I understand attendance was smaller Sunday than Saturday, and it felt somewhat subdued, so I didn't get a chance to meet a lot of people, but everyone I spoke with was happy to talk and share their ideas and knowledge.

Guido Stein - it's a Purl, man - knitting podcast
Jane Quigley - Digital Grit - exchanged cards, though I don have a card yet
Ben Ortega - Phive Tacos - another card
Faye Anderson - Anderson@Large - Citizen Jouralist - local politics, we had a nice conversation about the role of podcasting in political action
C.C. Chapman - Managing the Gray, Accident Hash - go to guy on the local meetups
Chris Penn - FinancialAid Podcast - cofounder of Podcamp
Chris Brogan - cofounder of Podcamp
Neil Gorman - Broken Toasters, Will Shatner and Podcaster Burnout - here's a link to a similar presentation he made at Podcaster's Across Borders
Beth Lawrence - Grow See This - we had a nice conversation at lunch
Gary Marriott Grow See This videographer - creativegeniuscollective.com Lead programmer at cyberwalker.com - he indulged my questions on videocasting production techniques

Sessions Attended

Recording Remote Interviews - Dan York
Software for recording Skype conversations:
Mac:

• Audio Hijak
• Wiretap Studio
  
• Conference Recorder 2
• Call Recorder

Windows:

• Hot Recorder
• Pamela 2.0
• Call Burner
• MX Skype Recorder
• SkyLook
• PowerGramo

Both:

• Levelator

Social Media for Business - Isabel Hilborn
Social Networking 101 - Chris Penn
Creating a Great Podcast Listening Experience - Jared Spool
-check out Chris Penn's site to see what I'm talking about.

#55 Wk40 Directing Actors

Podcamp 2 show coming up. Got me to thinking about how to make each show easier for someone to get into if they're listening for the first time.

Actors in the scene we directed and shot are Hannah Barth and Ed Hoopman.

Laura, John and I created a short film based on a scene from The Blue room. The class is about directing actors and I was the director, Laura the DP and John handled the sound. These soft skills are very different feeling from all the technology skills we've been learning. Its spinning around like a child in clockwise fashion, then reversing suddenly to a counter clockwise spin. You feel totally different, dizzy and yes nauseous.

I had a great experience in this new role, but to be honest, I had a lot of problems figuring out exactly what the responsibilities of a director are and how he/she relates to the production crew.

As always, there's never enough time, but in this module it seems everyone was frustrated by the compressed production schedule.

#54 Wk39 Directing Actors

I forgot my pop filter and you're going to hear it. I apologize and promise it won't happen again, I just don't have time rerecord. I've used a limiter and have compressed it a little to save your ears, I hope that does the trick. If you find the popping too annoying, just pass to the next show, though I think it's worth the bother.

The first week of the Directing Actor module. Our instructor, Steven Maler, Creative Director of the Commonwealth Shakespeare Company led us through several exercises that put us in the position of the actor, so we could see first hand what an actor needs from a director to deliver a great performance.

I'm not ready to channel Stanislavski, but I get the point of method acting. Reading scripts in front of the class and improvising dialogs between characters shifted our focus radically from the technical aspects of production and editing. It wasn't that difficult and I think the teacher gets a lot of the credit.

Another new idea we learned was the concept of the beat. Check out the link, I don't know how well I explain it. It's pretty important, both for the actor and director. The point is to know what good directing can accomplish.

The last part of the show I get kind of moody and cow eyed wondering why I bother and what's the use in trying. Somehow, when I think of Jeff Daniels, I feel all better. Let me know what you think

Finally, I'll be joining the seething throng at Podcamp Boston 2 at the Boston Exhibition Center this coming Sunday October 28. I'll be the guy with the Canadian flag bandanna. I hope you check it out.

#53 Wk38 Avid Edit Lab

I'm trying out a new, scaled down intro, whadya think?

Here are a few podcast recommendations in the show:

• Canadian Podcast Buffet
• Coverville
• Macbreak Weekly

Podcamp Boston 2 is taking place Oct 26-28 at Boston Convention Center. Registration is free and there's a lot of seminars presented by regular people who have their own podcasts. During the sessions there's a lot of give and take between the audience and presenter, so everyone has the opportunity to contribute their experiences. I plan to be there on Sunday.

The Avid Edit Lab module finishes this week and I've got the highlights. I also have some comments to make about editing and the rocky road Avid has led me on.

We spent about 4 hours in our Saturday class critiquing the films we handed in. Nothing is ever finished, you just pick a point in time and stop. The critique was great, lots of useful comments and everyone was engaged. Two Film projects and eight people, so there was a lot of variations on how the same problems were solved.

#44 Filmmaking Manifesto #4

This is the last post that where I discuss the 13 proposals in the Filmmaking Manifesto from Mike Jone's blog, Digital Basin from earlier this summer. I've learned a lot, have you? During these episodes I've tried to stay focused on Mike's ideas and how CDIA measures up against it from my narrow perspective as a film student.

I plan one more show on this topic where I talk about what I've learned personally. It's not a recap or summing up, though I will probably spend a few minutes doing discussing just that. What I'd really like to do is reflect on some things that were a little too far off topic to include previously as well as some actions I want to take.

This week I'm going to cover the following items:

• 11 - Creating Personal Stories
• 12 - Collaborative learning
• 13 - Teacher as facilitator

As far as personal stories are concerned, I'll elaborate on the writer's block I've experienced. Happily in the previous post in this podcast I believe I have beaten off. Look at #43 for more details. I haven't read much on how to write, but I was strongly affected by Stephen King's book On Writing and since he's the kind of author you either love or hate, I included two reviews of the book.

I'm very interested in the use of wikis and wikia for collaborative learning. There are applications for business, education, content managment, anything. I cite Podcamp as a place that uses wikis for scheduling presentations. It's anarchic, but in the right situation it can be the right tool. You should listen to Mike's audio presentation on Blogs, Wiki's and the new world order.

On the subject of teaching again, I invoke the words of Kahlil Gibran on children.