Prep and Plan
Being prepared can minimize stress and increase your confidence. Click the flip cards below to view 3 key questions you need to consider.
Tip
Remember to start preparing and planning early. Drafting, learning new software and editing can be time-consuming.
Audience
The audience is central to your video creation. They shape what content you include, the language you use, and how you present the video.
Think about the different ways you communicate with your colleagues, parents, children and friends. You will need to tailor your video to suit their level of understanding.
Where will your video be watched?
You also need to think about where your video will be shared and who might therefore be able to access it. Is it going to be shown:
During a work placement?
On a public website?
In a student portal?
What is appropriate to share in one context (for example, a video for an assessment with your unit chair) may not be appropriate to show in another context (such as sharing openly on a public website online).
Tip
You have professional, ethical and legal responsibilities to protect privacy and to respect copyright. These dictate what you can show in your video and where you can share it. Think about the consequences of your video going viral?
Purpose - Why am I creating this video?
You will also need to understand the purpose of the video you are making. Before you start, ask yourself "what do I need this video to do?"
Click on the icons below to find out about different video purposes.
Sometimes a video will have one purpose but more often it’s a combination. Consider if your video has multiple purposes. If it does, which of these is most important to keep in mind as you plan?
Tip
Always check the assessment criteria so you understand why you are making the video.
Format - What type of video am I creating?
Once you have a clear idea about the audience and purpose of your video, your next planning step is to decide what type of video you want to make. Think about what technology you feel comfortable using, your time frame, and which video type suits your purpose.
Click on the plus icons to get a better idea of different video types.
Activity overview
This interactive image hotspot provides information on different video types. Each hotspot explores the usefulness in producing different video types. Hotspots are displayed as plus (+) icons that can be clicked, to present the information.
Hotspot 1
Narrated PowerPoint
- Software free to Deakin students
- Good skill for future work
- Pretty easy to include images, videos, music, graphs
- You don’t have to film yourself
- Good for informing an audience
Hotspot 2
Talking Head
- Engages the audience
- Can be made on your phone
- Uses both verbal and non-verbal communication strengths
- Need to feel comfortable filming yourself
- Good for persuading audiences
Hotspot 3
Screen Recording
- Can demonstrate a task in real time
- Recording is easy, editing is more difficult
- Don’t have to film yourself
- Tricky to juggle screen navigation and narration
- Good for instructing an audience
Hotspot 4
Animation
- Can be time-consuming to create
- Requires specific software skills
- Don’t have to film yourself
- Good for explaining difficult concepts
- Good for entertaining and engaging