CMS 4610: Video Posting

Create User Account

If you do not already have one, create a YouTube user account that you can use for this class. Your name must be included in the YouTube user account information. (If for some reason you do not want to use your real name, let me know and I will give you a pseudonym.)

Shoot your Episode

Follow these tips to ensure that you record high-quality  footage:

  1. YouTube is designed for horizontal aspect ratios. A vertical video will waste much of the available screen space. If you use a phone or tablet, turn it sideways so the video is wider than it is tall.
  2. Find a quiet place. Bad dialog recording is the most common problem with amateur video.
  3. Find a good background. It should be neither too busy nor too boring.
  4. If possible, lock down the camera on a tripod or stand. “Shaky cam” footage does not compress well for the web. If someone else is holding the camera for you, stress that she/he needs to keep it still.
  5. You’ll need LOTS of light, but if you shoot outside, try to avoid direct sunlight.
  6. Look directly and consistently at the camera or to a point just to the side of it.
  7. Orient your body either on the left or right of the frame. (Sitting directly in the center of frame tends to look odd, and it’s hard to cut together with other shots.)

For more help, take a look at the many good tutorials available on YouTube, including How to Shoot Good iPhone Video. Other good tutorials include one by Crutchfield and the iPhone Video Tips page. (Some of these are keyed to specific devices like Apple’s iPhone, but all include useful information no matter what device you are using.)

Upload your Episode

YouTube maintains a very useful How to Upload Videos page, with links to directions for computers, iOS, and Android devices. Each set of directions includes a link to a separate page about privacy settings.

To finish the assignment, please complete the following.

  • Upload the video to your YouTube user account by 11:59 p.m. on the date listed on D2L.
  • Include the required metadata, detailed below
  • Make sure your video’s privacy setting is set to “Public” or “Unlisted”
  • After the upload, post the video’s URL to the D2L “Your Video Episode URL” discussion topic. (You will find this below the “Class Discussions” forum.

Required Metadata

Your video’s YouTube metadata should include

  • A detailed and descriptive title
  • In the description, a detailed summary of your video’s content and major points.
  • In the description, at least one live hyperlink
    (You can link to one of your own accounts (e.g. Instagram), or you can link to our class syllabus landing page.)

Evaluating your Episode

I will use these five criteria to evaluate the success of your video.

  1. Clarity of content (video and metadata)
  2. Fluency of delivery
  3. Physical and vocal expression
  4. Video quality
  5. Audio quality

Each criterion will be evaluated on a 0-5 point scale.