Simple Green Screen Studio

Video Tutorials for Teachers

I am no more a professional videographer than I am a baseball player, but to someone who has never before seen baseball, I can show them what I know as a small stepping stone (I did play little league as a kid). The pandemic has forced me to push myself in technology, and has had some added benefits for my students. 

About 7 years ago I began to make simple video tutorials for my students, and 2 years ago, I began to learn how to use a greenscreen we had in my school. When the pandemic hit, what little I knew was a good stepping stone for what I do now. Again, I DO NOT claim to be a professional, for me, it is a tool. Just as I do not polish my hammer, I am not real concerned that my videos be refined for public broadcast, they are a means to deliver information to my students and subscribers with very few bells and whistles.

This video shows you my studio set up. below is a list of my supplies and links to where they can be found.

Microphone for iPhone with 12 ft cord. This is very important for good sound quality and fairly inexpensive. Bluetooth mics are available too, but they cost more and the reviews are sometimes poor.
 
Greenscreen: I use clips and removable hooks to hold it up.
 
Gooseneck Clip: Works for a variety of phones.
 
Tripod:  Mine is a bit different, but the ball head is great for use, and even for personal photography, this is a really good tripod. You can go cheaper or use what's on hand though.
 
My touch lamps were from Ikea.
 
I have a heavy duty apron I love, it's sort of my "video uniform." 
 
Shotcut Download: https://shotcut.org/download/ Be sure to download the FREE version. They have a paid version too, but the free one is VERY good.

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This video below is a BASIC tutorial on how I use the Shotcut program to edit my greenscreen videos. There are many more tutorials on YouTube, but this includes the main stuff I use in most every video. I keep it simple. Many of my videos are just my hands demonstrating some technique with flashcards. Those I upload directly with my phone, but when I need to use a greenscreen this is how I do it.

I think the biggest mistake people make is to have poor audio. Even if the video image is low resolution, if the audio is clear, this VIDEO shows why. You may be tempted to add music tracks to videos to appear more "hip" to your students, but I find that music in my previous videos was a distraction. For instructional videos, keep is simple and clear. The purpose is singular, to clearly pass on information.

I hope this was helpful. If so, consider subscribing to my YouTube channel for more.