"Common Elements of Effective Screencasts"
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About the AuthorJoseph Friedman was born and raised in Los Lunas, New Mexico. He graduated from New Mexico Tech in 2010. He now works doing freelance marketing for local Albuquerque rock bands. Contents |
Screencasting TodayThe idea of video help for computer software is not a new idea. The Video Professor has been selling video tutorials of popular software since the late 1980’s. The real difference between screencasts and professional video tutorials is the ease in which individuals can create and share this type of knowledge. There are not many empirical studies of screencasts in current literature. However, plenty of informal tips, guidelines, and primers exist online. These tend toward practical help, such as which programs to use or which equipment to buy. However, some blogs propose new and interesting applications and techniques for screencasting that challenge standard screencasts. These ideas can be compelling, but they are backed by experience or preference, not by empirical research or relevant theories. A list of common screencasting genres, or applications and the fundamental differences between them is discussed next. Following that will be a list of common elements that every screencast would benefit from by incorporating. Then I will discuss novel ideas, techniques, and applications in screencasting. Genres of Screencasting Screencasts can fill a variety of niches, and as the audience changes so must the screencast. Listed below are the most popular genres of screencasting, what each means, and how they differ. Short How-to This is common screencast genre; these videos focus on how to accomplish a single specific task. These are short, from 90 to 120 seconds. Jon Udell praises the short how-to because a useable screencast can be made in one take, and “almost anybody can create one, blog it, and thus make it discoverable by search, tagging, and word-of-mouth referral” (Udell: What is Screencasting?; 2005). Tutorial The most basic and broad screencast genre is a tutorial of a software product or process. These videos run from the generalized to the very specific, and the length can vary accordingly. Longer tutorials might incorporate several programs, and show how they can be used together to solve a problem. Educational Screencasts can be effectively used in educational settings (Pinder-Grover, 2008). Conceptually difficult aspects of a lecture could be recorded in a screencast in order to be used as a resource for students. These screencasts can be created on the fly in class, which reduces extra workload on the professor. However, screencasts are not used just to record lectures. A screencast could also be assigned as a means for students to demonstrate their knowledge of a concept or process. In addition to this, screencasts can be used as feedback for student questions outside of class, and these responses can be made available in subsequent semesters (Garner, 2008). Conversational Demo This genre of screencast seeks to familiarize a potential or current user on the basic uses of a software product. A conversational demonstration will run longer than tutorials or how-to videos, provide more generalized information, and try to prove the usefulness of the product or process. An important feature of this genre is the conversational tone of narration. The narration is not formalized; instead it takes a more fluid and natural approach to project authenticity and transparency. The narration can also take a question-and-answer format with two narrators. Commercial Demo This genre of screencast seeks to demonstrate a software product or service that is for sale. A screencast is the perfect medium to show off what a program can do. These can form a dual role: they entice and educate the consumer at the same time. Software Review A screencast can be used to create a visual software review, one that shows and tells the audience your experience. Software reviews are similar to software demos, except a review focuses on the overall experience and a demo focuses on the software. Feature Story Jon Udell, famous for his coining of the term "screencast," uses a screencast to tell a story about the evolution of a Wikipedia page. His screencast shows how the collaborative process works over time for the Heavy Metal Umlaut article. This screencast shows the evolution in a way that another medium could not capture. Concept A screencast is the perfect medium for illustrating a virtual concept. For example, Web 2.0 is explained in popular concept video The Machine is Us/ing Us created by Michael Wesch at Kansas State University. This video isn't purely a screencast, but its screencast sections are used to illustrate the change from physical into virtual space. |