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Useful Tips for Videotaping Oral Presentations

Prepared by Tom Davies, NERO

I. Lighting   Cloudy-bright conditions are ideal for videotaping an outdoor presentation. Such conditions allow enough light for the camera, but not so much that the audience and the presenter suffer under the intensity. If bright sun is your only option, try to get the audience and the presenter to face one another so that one has sun on the left ear, the other on the right ear. In most cases, you want to avoid forcing the visitors to face into the light source anyway, so this is common courtesy. The camera should have the light source (sun, window, etc.) behind it, so that it is shooting away from the light toward the subject.In dimly lit areas, such as interiors of historic structures, try to do the presentation near a window, with light on the presenter, not on the audience, or, if you can arrange it, use the same left-ear/right ear orientation as above. Be careful not to block the light coming through the window. Do not place the presenter in front of a window so that the camera is facing into the light. The camera's auto-exposure default setting will make for a well-exposed window but a silhouetted presenter; arty, but not very useful.

Avoid on-camera video lights if at all possible. Their glare is horrible, and they introduce a distracting element to the program.

II. Sound   What the presenter says on the recording is more important than how the presenter looks. If the presentation can't be heard, the tape is useless. If possible, you should use an earphone or headphones while taping. Think of earphones as a "viewfinder for sound." Earphones will tell you if you are picking up the presenter's voice well or whether background sounds are distracting, or worse, drowning out the presenter's voice. The cameras available from Harpers Ferry's AV Depot come with a single earphone that fits in your ear. Inexpensive "Walkman"-type headphones also work well, but with a monophonic camera you will only get the sound in one ear. Plug adapters that route monaural sound to both sides of a stereo headset are available in most electronics stores. This will ensure that you are hearing only (or mostly) the sound being picked up by the camera's microphone.

Try, if possible, to avoid windy days or locations with excessive background noise. If that is not possible, stand as close to the presenter as you can without distracting either the presenter or the audience. Use a wind-sock on the microphone. Some locations such as large rooms offer poor acoustics, and audio pickup is a challenge; best to test the audio before you do the real thing. If you can't avoid noisy conditions, and space or obstacles prohibit you from getting close enough to the presenter, the ideal setup is to use a portable clip-on wireless microphone system. These are available at camera and video supply stores. Or, to other parks in your cluster may have a wireless system that you can borrow.

Try to avoid running a wire from the presenter's microphone to the camera. This surely points you out as a part of the park staff and creates a trip hazard as well. The microphones on most camcorders are moderately unidirectional, that is, they tend to be most sensitive toward the direction the camera and the microphone are pointed. It is a good idea to avoid "looking around" with the camera during the presentation since the presenter's sound level will drop when the camera is pointed in another direction. Using headphones will help you to know when your microphone has strayed too far.

Realize that the person closest to the microphone is you. Be quiet. Coughs, yawns, snickers, whispers, muttered remarks, all will be captured loudly and clearly on the soundtrack.

III. Positioning   Get close enough to hear. Try to be no farther than ten feet from the presenter. You probably can't hear if you stand in the back of the audience. Use your earphones to hear if you are close enough. At the same time, don't spoil the experience for the rest of the visitors. Use a tripod or monopod if possible.

Try to position yourself at the front of the audience, but to the side so that you can videotape both the presenter and the reactions of the audience. Again, try to stand with the light source behind you and shining on the respective cheeks of the audience and the presenter.

IV. The Video   Be sure to begin taping prior to the program start, and make certain the camera is recording! Warm up and questions at the end are not measured as part of the review. It is not necessary to include these sections on the tapes you submit, unless they have specific relevance to the interpretive success of the program. Test to be certain all is working properly.

While the focus should be primarily on the presenter, the camera should at least once (and briefly) pan to the audience to show who they are, and sample their reactions to the presentation. When panning, try to rotate your body at the waist. Moving just your arms will result in a less-than-steady video. Keep your feet solidly apart so you don't begin to sway. Wiggle your toes occasionally to keep the circulation going. If you are going to be walking while videotaping, it is a very good idea to have a second person accompany you to ensure that you don't step into a ravine, bump into a priceless artifact, or otherwise create chaos. The video should reflect as accurately as possible the visitor's experience. The tape should not be edited, but be one continuous take.

V. Preparation   As the presenter must practice, so too should the videographer. Make sure that you can find all of the camera controls you'll need without looking. Spend some time with practice speakers at the same or similar locations to where you will be "officially" shooting. Check the sound quality, the lighting (remember the sun does move across the sky and will be in a very different place in the morning than in the afternoon. Play your practice video back. Listen to it, look at it. Determine what worked and what didn't.

Read the instruction manual.

VI. Conduct   You and the presenter should decide beforehand whether you should be introduced to the audience. It is best to have the videographer appear to be just another member of the audience. Once an audience learns that the video is being shot for anything even the least bit "official" it gives them one more distraction that the presenter doesn't need. If possible, the videographer should dress as the average visitor does and make every effort to blend in with the group. If you wear a uniform, you will become a secondary (or even a primary) target for the visitors' questions, even before you raise the video camera to your eye.

VII. Equipment   The tape should be submitted in full-size VHS format or on a DVD. If the original was shot on VHS-C or 8mm, it must be copied to full-size VHS before it is submitted.

Use good-quality videotape. Avoid the very cheap tapes which may have weak casings and easily-jammed tape. Anything around $4.00 per tape should be safe. Be sure your camera's battery is fully charged before videotaping. Read the manual's instructions on battery care and charging to be sure you have enough power to last for entire presentation. Excellent-quality VHS cameras are available from Harpers Ferry's Depot system for purchase. If you have no camcorder on-site, perhaps another park in your cluster will loan one for the purpose.  To make duplicate tapes, you will need a pair of RCA-plug cables to connect the camcorder to the VCR. See your instruction manual for guidance.

Postscript   With the great variety of parks in the system, not every presentation situation can be covered here. Feel free to send along any tips for successful videos that you have developed in your park to the Training Manager for Interpretation, National Park Service, Mather Training Center, Harpers Ferry, WV 25425. This document will be updated as helpful suggestions come in.

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Editor: STMA Training Manager Interpretation

 
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