Do I have a communication shape? I think it may be a crumbling slope, maybe a slump.

David Robertson [CC BY-SA 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

I have systematically done less and less writing since leaving University. Short sweet and to the point is often my modus operandi now.  Running after small children kind of gets in the way of sitting in a café with a notepad.  I am excited for the Youshow to help me start to flex those writing muscles again.  So a quick stretch and let’s hit the ‘gym’.

My job is very visual.  I capture content on video either through a camera, or downloading content already posted on the web.  I manipulate these sequences of images into something that hopefully is engaging and relevant to students.  Most of my projects are based around interviewing subject matter experts. For the most part I control the image acquisition by manipulating the camera to produce an image I like.  I have a bunch of constraints on what I can do.

Time:  thousands of academics have talked about duration of learning through media. So listening to their wisdom and adding my own experience I try to keep video down to 6 minutes or less. Digestible bits.

Size: High Def video takes up a lot of room.  So I have to balance files size vs quality vs frame size.  Full HD on the camera I use shoots 5gb per minute.  So a 10 minute raw video is 50gb. I have settings on my camera I can use to reduce this, but this file size doubles because I have to back it up.  So one copy of the file goes into special backup drive, and the other file on to my system.  Then the editing software makes a nice editing friendly version, so more file space is used up.   Wait, wait, wait.  I seem to be heading down a rabbit hole of technical detail.  Maybe I will save that for another post. Suffice to say I have to try to keep file size down and quality up which is a balance.

Space: Where to shoot is a constant struggle.  Doing interviews often lead to the clichéd look of professor sitting in front of a wall of books.  We have no actual studio space on campus.  Often I book a meeting room which can work well. Although bus noise can be an issue since there is a bus stop just outside of our building.

I try to keep the look of the visuals more simplistic and clear.  Limit camera movement, subtle lighting, clear audio.

The work I do is nicely varied; sometimes planning and shooting chemistry lab scenarios for students working on their chemistry labs at home, sometimes interviews with subject matter exports on topics ranging from pre-confederation history to Aboriginal taxation issues to overviews on the work of Plato.

Sometimes while trying to figure out how to explain something visually I get to  research different video techniques whether that be lighting, editing, or slit scan

Am I bragging? No. Am I having fun? Yes.