Thank you very much for supporting us in our joint effort to create an effective event of research exchange online, for a worldwide audience. This format is presumably new to most of us and here we offer legal, practical, and pedagogical guidelines for the preparation, recording, and uploading of your presentation.
1. Preparing your presentation
Length: Your presentation should be 15-20 minutes (you may go 1-2 minutes over the limit of 20 minutes if absolutely necessary, but please not more).
Copyright and General Data Protection Rules (GDPR): Your presentation will be accessible to only registered participants only. However, since it is technically impossible to completely prevent illegitimate use of digital material, please note:
(a) It is absolutely necessary that presentations are prepared in full compliance with the rules for using copyrighted material in public lectures and the GDPR rules (i.e., faces of test subjects in pictures should be blurred unless explicit permission has been given); it is the presenter’s responsibility to ensure that the relevant rules are observed.
(b) We encourage you to include a copyright statement in your video (on your title slide and/or in the slide footer).
Content—pedagogical aspects: We assume that during the past months you have had some experience with teaching online, recording lectures via zoom, youtube, etc., or listening to recorded lectures. Since we may be at different levels of technical prowess, we simply need to refer those of you who wish or need to learn, to e.g. youtube lectures on how to use your phone, camera, zoom, or other recording platforms.
It is clear that we as academic researchers may be less focused on ‘effective communication with visual media’, but if you want to challenge your ‘default settings’ a bit, here is a video-clip with good advice on presentation modes, for your inspiration: www.youtube.com/watch
We also would like to draw attention to this youtube clip on ‘zoom tips’ (e.g. how to create smooth and fast transitions): www.youtube.com/watch but please feel free to use any platform you deem suitable to produce your video session.
1. Recording your presentation
You need a bit of preparation to film yourself, so that the viewer can focus on the message you will tell in the video. It is not very complicated and does not require professional equipment. Read this short guide and your video will look much better with minimal effort.
• Use your smartphone or laptop and choose the highest quality for the video that’s possible on your device.
• If you use a smartphone always remember to turn it horizontally.
• Place your smartphone or computer in eye level. E.g. on books or if you have a tripod use that.
• Do not hold your smartphone in your hands, since that will shake a bit (If somebody else film you, make sure she/he has something stable to lean the phone on.)
• Look into the camera on your smartphone or computer (not the screen).
• Use an external microphone if you have one (e.g. of the headset of your phone) usually their quality is better than the build in microphones in laptops. (Otherwise it is very important to be in a very quiet room that is not too big).
• Be aware about your surroundings:
- It should be not too big (to ensure the best sound)
- It should be quite natural so the viewer will focus on you and your message, and not the surroundings.
• Make sure the lightning is good. That means that you have either a window or a lamp in front of you (not behind you), and that you don’t have a very strong lightning spot from above.
• Before you press ‘record’ make sure that you are fully in the picture but neither too close not too far away, i.e., your head and shoulders should be visible.
• Look at this short video. Here the main points are explained and visualized in only 4 minutes and 37 seconds: www.youtube.com/watch
2. Uploading your recorded presentation
The deadline for submitting the final video presentation is as stated in the decision letter August 1, 2020. In order to upload the video file please go to rp2020.wetransfer.com .
