Video Production Roadmap

We have developed several guides on how to record your own lectures. 

• Create an Instructional Video without Presenting Slides
• Edit a Zoom Recording in Screencast-O-Matic
• How do I record and share a Zoom meeting?
• How do I record a Video Lecture?

We can record an in-person class, guest lecture, or other special course event. Please plan at least two weeks in advance. To make a request, fill out a Video Services request form.

These are larger projects that need to be planned well in advance. Working with our principal media producer, we will create a project plan, consider all people involved—their roles and responsibilities—and develop a storyboard, shot list, or interview questions. To make a request, fill out a Video Services request form.

If you capture the likeness of anyone—whether for a video, image, or audio-only—you will need to ask for permission from each person. The Office of General Counsel has talent release forms.

Two options to collect the signatures on forms

• You can download and print a talent release form (.docx).
• You can create a Qualtrics form from a University Relations template to collect signatures. Check out the Talent Release Google doc for directions.

Most modern smartphones and tablets come with a high-definition camera. So all you might need is an external microphone, a tripod, and a smartphone/tablet holder to attach to the tripod.

Media equipment available to borrow

There is video equipment available to borrow free of charge to all CEHD faculty and staff. You can find a digital handheld camera, external microphones, smartphone/tablet holders, and tripods. View a complete list of the items available or fill out the Media Equipment Request form.

If you have existing footage and need help editing (adding a title screen, cutting out segments, compressing it for online delivery, etc.), you can fill out a Video Services request form.

We highly recommend you caption your videos. Captions not only benefit those who may be D/deaf or hard of hearing, but will also benefit someone sitting in a noisy location, ensure your viewers understand what is being said, and help those whose primary language is not English.

If you’re posting your video on YouTube, adding captions will improve your video’s SEO and increase its ranking order in the search results.

Doing it yourself

Many streaming services have the ability to automatically generate captions. Keep in mind, you will need to edit these captions to ensure they are accurate, timely (captions appear when the words are being spoken or noises are happening), and have proper punctuation. Doing so will improve readability of your captions.

• In Kaltura MediaSpace, edit the automatically created captions. You can use the alignment tool by typing and uploading the transcript. Watch a video tutorial on using the alignment tool (2 mins).
• In YouTube, edit the automatically created captions. You can also use YouTube’s Auto-sync tool. Type the transcript of your video, and the Auto-sync tool will sync the text as captions throughout your video.

Having someone do the captions

• If your video is for a CEHD course, we will complete the captions for you. Upload your video to Kaltura MediaSpace, add cehdvid@umn.edu as a collaborator, and fill out a caption request form.
• The Disability Resource Center has a captioning unit that will caption videos if a student in your course has an accommodation letter. Contact them at icu@umn.edu.
• You can pay to have an external company caption your video. Our team uses rev.com and find their work to be satisfactory (although not perfect), reasonably priced, and has quick turnaround times.

The official media management tool supported at the University of Minnesota is Kaltura MediaSpace (mediaspace.umn.edu). You have unlimited storage and can share a direct link to your video. You can also add University members to the videos to edit or view your videos. 

Alternatively, you can upload your video to YouTube or Google Drive. YouTube displays ads even if you set the privacy settings to “Unlisted.” Only “private” videos will not see ads. 

More instructors are asking students to show their learning through digital media assignments, such as creating digital stories. We are happy to provide you with assistance in giving these types of assignments. Please fill out the Video Services request form. Please plan at least two weeks in advance.

Because the Digital Education and Innovation team is not fully equipped for event recording, your best option is usually to reach out to the central Office of Information Technology Video Services and the Event Onsite Video Support webpages. There is a fee for service but it’s well worth the money because they are familiar with the event spaces and manage the process for you.

These projects often fall out of the scope of our video services but we can provide consultation. To make a request, fill out a Video Services request form.