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Online Instruction

Getting Started

This section will provide basic tips and helpful information when getting started with media creation.

  • Know your equipment - Make sure and set time aside before your video shoot to familiarize yourself with the equipment you plan to use. Information and assistance can be found in a variety of places like Youtube, Media Commons Consultation, or even a getting started guide available for most media equipment.
  • Charge equipment and clear memory cards - The biggest reason people run into problems during a video or audio shoot is because they forgot to charge the batteries on their equipment and/or forgot to clear up space on the memory cards needed to save files. This is especially true when using a smartphone for video or audio recording as space can fill up quickly.
  • Don't Forget Audio - Many focus on video quality and composition and leave audio as an afterthought. Poor audio quality can be extremely distracting and really bring down the professionalism of a shoot. Something as simple as recording audio to a smartphone, set closer to the subject of the video, can greatly improve audio recording quality.
  • Test shoot - One of the easiest ways to reduce concern for issues is to do a test record for 5 or 10 seconds once all of the equipment is setup and in place. This will let you know if lighting levels are good, if audio is recording properly, and if the shot is composed in a way that you envisioned. It takes very little time and can save a great deal of frustration down the road.

Video Creation Resources

This section will discuss the studio and technology resources available in the University Library Media Commons

 

Media Commons Loanable Technology Program

  • Media Commons Loanable Technology Program information and reservation links can be found (here)

Media Commons Studios

  • Media Commons Immersive Media Studio and Self-Use Booths' information and reservation links can be found (here)

Video Creation

Tips and information on Video Creation using a variety of media creation software can be found in the links below

  • Media Commons Video Creation Guide (here)

Illinois Mediaspace

Mediaspace is an Illinois run media content upload and viewing resource much like youtube.

  • Tutorials and resources on how to use Mediaspace can be found (here)