More tips on making how-to videos
Posted: September 6, 2008 Filed under: Self-promotion, Video, Work | Tags: arts and crafts, felt food, how to, tutorials Comments OffI blogged last month about making a how-to video (paper flowers) based on an assignment at work. Since the column the video accompanied is a monthly feature, I got another opportunity. This time the subject was felt faux food. You can check out some examples at Megan Cooley’s blog (she’s the star of my video).
I learned a few more things I thought I’d pass along:
- Avoid reflective tables when taking stills (doh).
- Recording the audio of the instructions in a separate take is good. But encourage your subject to write out a script. Use short declarative sentences in said script. This will save you lots of audio editing work.
- Be creative with your still/static shots. Like with the sandwich stacking.
- Use titles/text to save time. It’s just as effective as the narrator’s audio instructions.
- Kids provide great ambiance.
Learn to use Google Maps API
Posted: September 3, 2008 Filed under: Great tools, Maps | Tags: API, code, google maps, how to, programming, tutorials Comments OffEver wonder what goes on below the hood when you generate a Google Map?
White Rock Solutions wants to give you a clue and teach you to do it within your text editor.
I first noted White Rock’s tutorials last month. The early tutorials I reviewed were ideal for people just starting out. In the meantime, White Rock has uploaded several advanced Google API how-tos that will teach you to:
- Sign up for a Google Maps API
- Create a custom template
- Add map controls
- Add placemarks to a map
- Add standard info windows
- Add tabbed info windows
By the fourth volume, you’ll have started from scratch and written code to create this:
If you’re interested simply in creating a custom map on the fly with a WYSIWYG interface, go to Google Maps and dive in or follow the basic tutorials at White Rock or any of the resources Mark Luckie notes at this useful 10,000 Words post.
But if you want to know what all those JavaScript commands in the source code mean, then White Rock’s tutorials will spell it out in plain English. Unless you’d rather dissect the code yourself.
The challenge facing young journalists? Being agile
Posted: August 22, 2008 Filed under: Blogging, Great tools, Industry, Reflections | Tags: blog rings, career resources, careers, journalism, journalists, tutorials 2 Comments »Where will I be working next month? Where will I be working next year? What’s the best platform for this story? How do I learn video storytelling?
These questions speak to one of the biggest challenges facing young journalists today: the need to be agile.
A quick bit of context: I’m writing this to participate in a blog ring of young journalists. This month’s topic relates to the challenges facing young journalists. I’ve been a working journalist for just about three years. And in that time I’ve observed that staying in this field for very long will require flexibility.
As someone else noted, a good attitude will give you a foundation. I want this post to be constructive, not discouraging, so I’m linking to resources that can help you become agile in terms of…
Tutorials for those starting out with Google Maps
Posted: August 8, 2008 Filed under: Great tools, Maps | Tags: google maps, howto, mapping, mashups, tutorials 3 Comments »
White Rock Solutions has some accessible tutorials for getting started with Google Maps, which I discovered from a comment on an earlier post.
I like what I see here. Most of this covers areas I’m already comfortable with, such as creating a custom map, adding placemarks or lines and sharing maps.
But I appreciate White Rock’s step-by-step thoroughness, the effective use of screen grabs and the easy, tabbed interface.
If you aren’t using RSS yet…
Posted: April 6, 2008 Filed under: Great tools, Video | Tags: common craft, Great tools, lee lefever, online training, rss, sachi lefever, tutorials, Video Comments Off… you should be. If you work in the media, you need this tool to keep track of the thousands of ideas, tools, projects, tips and events that are cropping up in blogs and other online media.
The video below will get you up and running better and faster than I can. Common Craft is a great site I only recently discovered and added to my own RSS feed in Google Reader. Lee and Sachi Lefever form the Common Craft team, based out of my hometown of Seattle, and they put together paper cutout animations that are fun to watch and easy to absorb. Check out the archives of the Common Craft Show for more essential video training.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0klgLsSxGsU&hl=en]