student presentations on videos that have poor sound quality is very
frustrating. If at all possible, ask for an external microphone to
be used during the shooting. The microphones that are built into the
camera are typically of poor quality. The best procedure would be to
put a wireless lavaliere microphone on the speaker.
Don't turn off
the lights just to have an optimal view of the Powerpoints.
Let the camera
operator know several seconds in advance when the presentation is
about to start so that s/he does not miss taping the opening
If at all
possible, have the student introduce him or herself by name on
camera so that scorers other than the course instructor can later on
identify which students were assessed.
advance with the camera operator what to focus on during the student
presentations. Guidelines for the operator should include the
Start with a
wide-angle shot that establishes what the physical environment
looks like in which the speakers move around.
enough into the speaker so that facial expressions can clearly
Don't zoom in so
close that body behaviors happen off-camera.
Make sure to
catch a full view of each visual (Powerpoint) in the
presentation. Typically, some panning between the speaker and
the projection screen will be required for that.
present in a group that generates interaction between the group
members and/or the student audience, make sure to capture some
of that interaction by panning and zooming in or out.
If there are
questions from the audience, try to quickly adjust the
microphone so that those questions can be heard.