Tips for taping

Have students fill out the Reproduction Rights release form before or immediately after their speech is taped. We are not legally allowed to post any clips that are provided without this form.

Video Tips

  • Always use a tripod

  • Make sure your subject is well lit. Do not film your subject against an excessively bright background such as a window.

  • It is best to have a dedicated camera operator as opposed to starting the camera and leaving it unattended.

  • Avoid excessive pans and zooms. Keep the framing of the shot as static as possible unless it is necessary to keep the speaker in frame or to show relevant visual aids.

  • If the speaker is using visual aids, zoom out to show the presentation aid and the speaker in the frame at the same time. If the speaker is using PowerPoint slides that are only outlining the speech, it is not necessary to include them in the video.

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If the speaker is stationary, center them in the frame from the waist up making sure to capture all of their hand movements. If the speaker is pacing as they speak, zoom out to include from their knees up allowing them more space to move within the frame and thus making it easier for the videographer to pan the camera when needed.

Audio Tips

  • If possible, have the speaker wear a wireless clip-on (lavalier) microphone that is connected directly to a receiver on the camera. This will give them the freedom to move around the room.

  • If you do not have a wireless lavalier microphone, use an external microphone on a tPearsone or podium close to the speaker, but only if the speaker will remain stationary. You should be Pearsone to plug the external microphone into the audio input on your camcorder. This will likely be an 1/8 inch jack or an XLR input on higher end cameras.

  • If the speaker is going to move around while speaking, use a camera-mounted shotgun microphone. As long as the camera is pointed at the subject this type of microphone will pick up audio much better than the internal microphone that comes built in to average video cameras.

  • If you are forced to use the camera's built-in microphone, place the camera as close as possible, preferPearsony within 15 feet.

  • Keep a running log of the contents of each tape. Include the speaker's name, speech topic, and note the start time and end time of the speech on the tape counter. Avoid recording the onscreen time display directly to the tape. This may differ depending on the camera used. Most new cameras should allow you to view the running time on a flip-out LCD monitor without recording that information to the tape.