Introduction to Teaching with the

Video Production Handbook, Fifth Edition

Goals

I have very high goals when it comes to teaching a basic video production course. I may even be accused of being a little too idealistic. However, I see the basic video production class as a “life skills” class. Most of the basics of the video production process can easily be applied to many other aspects of life. When my students complete the class, I want them to take new life skills with them, whether they go into a future of television production or choose another career.

So, as I cover many of the aspects of the video production process, I also look for ways to expand it to life in general. Concepts such as knowing who your audience is, understanding the production limitations and setting goals and objectives are part of every project, whether television production or not. Television classes encourage critical thinking and problem solving. In a day when many students prefer to work by themselves in front of their computer, video group projects draw students out and are especially meaningful as the group responsibilities are rotated among the students.

Since high definition (HD) production is now everywhere, we have tried to integrate it into each chapter, pointing out the difference HD makes in the production process. New equipment has emerged since the Fourth Edition of the book, and up-to-date information on this new equipment (such as DSLRs, 3D, cell phones, and flash memory) has been integrated. Some of these technologies are called out in sidebars throughout the book.

Distribution outlets are of the utmost importance; knowing where, how, and when your work will be distributed has important effect on how it is designed.

Interview with a Pro sections are designed to offer students a real-world perspective on how working professionals operate in the video and television industries. Each chapter concludes with an interview.

This book is aimed at the beginning video student This book is aimed at the beginning video student. The goal is to give the student a broad understanding of what it takes to put a video production together.

Chapter Organization

It is always difficult to organize a class, especially when it does not necessarily flow in a linear fashion. After almost thirty years of teaching television production, I still constantly adapt the order of coverage in the classroom. I understand that each person adopts what works best for them. That is one of the reasons that we have numbered each section within the text. It allows the instructor to quickly assign different sections, in whatever order the instructor desires.

You will see that the chapters move from the overview, which is the big picture, to slowly moving closer and closer to the small segments of the video production process. Once the foundation is built, students can add the other information, block by block, to create solid productions. Also, as already mentioned, each chapter concludes with an “Interview with a Pro” section.

The book’s table of contents gives a definitive list of the content for each chapter. Below I will give a couple sentences long review of the chapters to help you see the big picture:

Chapter 1: Overview of Video Production Chapter 2: Production Crew Chapter 3: Organizing the Production Chapter 4: Production Techniques Chapter 5: Writing for Video

The Production Elements Chapter 6: The Camera Chapter 7: Using the Camera Chapter 8: Shooting People and Objects Chapter 9: Working with the Talent Chapter 10: Audio for Video Chapter 11: Lighting for Video Chapter 12: The Background Chapter 13: Television Graphics Chapter 14: Recording and Viewing the Video Chapter 15: Editing Chapter 16: Distributing Your Production

This is a brand new chapter; distribution has dramatically increased in importance. Distribution often becomes part of the role of the production personnel. This chapter covers various forms of distribution outlets, including: traditional televisions, large screens, tablet computers, computers, cell phones, and multiple forms of online distribution. Teaching Video Production

Suggestions for Teaching Video Production

Supplemental Material