Producing a Tutorial Video
Making videos are hard. They are expensive, time consuming, and supreme advocates of Murphy’s Law.
They are also incredibly rewarding, offering creative outlets and the opportunity to share a message to anyone who will listen.
I was requested to fully produce two online tutorials for students to use if they required assistance. The process was especially valuable, as I got to experience being the director, editor, and talent, ultimately gaining knowledge and experience in each position. However, by being in full control of the project, I was also the sole worker, making any and all problems something I would need to find the solution for.
I’m not gonna lie, the start was rough. I spent the first two weeks planning for the videos, writing scripts, and talking to potential talent. It took a while to gain momentum, but by the third week my talent was filmed and I was ready to begin my editing adventure.
My files however, were not ready, as my audio suffered an odd noise that persisted through almost my entire voice over. I managed to salvage an open and close, but had to scrap the remainder. Contacting my talent was a fruitless affair, so the voice over fell to me. I recorded the voice over myself, and then began editing by the end of the third week.
Editing was a lot of fun. The video itself is purposefully fast-paced and flashy to keep the viewer’s attention. The first video contained far more footage from myself, while the second required more from alternate sources.
I took advantage of POND5’s recently released a library of public domain clips. Any other source I borrowed from was clearly credited on the bottom of the screen. As both videos are educational and were creatively changed, the clips borrowed are under Fair Use. This is important if you use footage from another, as you never want to steal another’s work as your own.
By the end of the first month I realized how time consuming it is to make a video. I edited non-stop for nine hours a week through my shifts, until finishing a month and a half later.
The final product I think turned out pretty ok. Of course there’s small things I’d like to fix, but no filmmaker has ever created a truly “perfect” film. I am happy with the outcome of both videos, and believe I will only continue to improve with more practice.
I hope it will be of use to students in the future, and it was a pleasure to work on :)
