DIY Science Lab Video Recording

Preparation

Camera types

Your videos can be recorded either through a built-in laptop camera, external webcam, cell phone camera, or DSLR. The minimum specs you will want to record your video are 1080p (meaning the screen size is 1080×1920 pixels, considered high definition) and 30fps (meaning 30 frames per second.) These are the standard guidelines for videos intended to be streamed/viewed online.

External Webcam

An external webcam might be the easiest choice for you to record your labs. They hook into your laptop but provide much higher quality picture than most built-in laptop cameras. Some webcams like the  Logitech Brio webcam can record in 4K and can be mounted on a tripod as well as your laptop or desktop. When searching for the right external webcam, make sure it can record in at least 1080p at 30fps.

Smartphone (iPhone, Android) 

Most smartphones are equipped with very high-quality cameras in them. However, depending on the length of your lab, your phone might not have enough storage to record the entire session. For example, 1 hour of recorded video on an iPhone with the settings of 1080p at 30fps takes up 7.6 GB of data! Phones may also overheat if you are recording for long periods of time. Please research your phone brand/model and its video recording limitations before you film.

If you are using a smartphone, you will also need a tripod to put your smartphone on. We want a stable picture, and no one wants to hold a phone that long! A simple phone tripod such as the amazon fugetek smartphone tripod can either be placed on a tabletop or on the ground. Make sure your tripod is set up so that the smartphone is approximately eye-level with the person speaking.

How to use a smartphone or tablet as a document camera

DSLR

A DSLR, such as a Canon 5D or Sony a7, is a wonderful tool for recording your lectures! If you want to invest in a DSLR, check out techradar’s list of the best entry level DSLR cameras. DSLR cameras can record crisp, high-definition pictures with true-to-life color.

If you are using a DSLR, you will also need a tripod to mount your camera on, as well as an SD card to record your video on to. There are many affordable tripods suitable for DSLRs- just make sure your camera fits within the weight limitations of the tripod. (Most handheld DSLR cameras fall below the 6.6lb weight limit for the tripod linked above.)

If you would like to record straight from the camera into your laptop, (especially if you are using YuJa to record your lectures)  you will need a USB to HDMI capture card, along with the appropriate usb and HDMI cables to hook your camera into your computer.

If you are not recording into your laptop, you will also need an SD Card to insert into the camera and record your video on. After filming, the card can be inserted into your computer to transfer your video. Make sure the card has enough storage space to record your lab, and is fast enough for the data to be written to the card. A good rule of thumb is to make sure your card holds at least 64gb of data, and has a speed of 90 MB/s.

Built-in Laptop Camera

If you do not have access to a webcam or another recording device, you can use the built-in camera in your laptop. Most built-in laptop cameras are lower definition, and picture quality will not be as good as using another method. Check to see what size your webcam records in, and if it is below 720p, it will not be a good solution for recording your lab videos. (We recommend filming in 1080p, but if no other option is available, 720 can be acceptable for your filming.)

Should I record a 4K video?

If you have the ability (and storage space) on your device to record in 4k, then by all means, do! You can upload your 4k video directly to YuJa. The higher definition you can record your lab, the clearer the picture will be for your students!

Audio recording

Just as important as it is for students to see you clearly, they need to hear you clearly as well! Most of the microphones built into your laptop, smartphone, or camera will not be sufficient for your videos- especially if you are talking while using a fume hood!

Audio recording for external webcams (external or built-in)

There are many good clip-on mics that can be plugged right into your computer via your USB port. This USB microphone has a 20-foot cord, meaning you can be up to 20 feet away from your camera/computer while recording. If you don’t want to be tethered to your computer, there are wireless bluetooth options to give you more freedom to walk around during your filming.

Audio recording for smartphones

There are many wireless mics for smartphones that can plug in to an audio jack, or connect to an app. If you are recording via smartphone, research which mic will work best for you—if you have a newer smartphone, you might need an adapter to plug your mic in.

Audio recording for DSLRs

There are a range of good, mid-priced mics for DSLRs, like this Insignia lapel microphone. When researching mics, make sure that the audio jack is the same size as the input for your camera.

Filming

Make sure to test your camera and audio set up prior to your first shoot! You can do this anywhere, even in your own home. The better the understanding you have of your technology, the easier your filming will go.

How to set up for the best film shoot

If you are filming in a lab, most likely you are not going to have control over how the environment is set up. Make sure you have lots of lights turned on, to help avoid a dark or grainy picture in your camera. Also, if you have a choice of where you are working, make sure there are no windows behind you and your experiment. You want the majority of the light coming into the room facing pointed toward you and away from the camera. If you are working with a fume hood or in another situation where your back is turned to the camera, try to step away from the camera angle your body slightly towards the camera as you are filming to try to make sure you aren’t blocking the view of the experiment.

When setting up your camera, make sure it is at about eye level or higher with the person appearing on camera. If using a webcam attached to a laptop or a smartphone with a tabletop speaker, make sure you have everything on a high enough table that the camera can point slightly down at the experiment. Set up your camera far enough away that you have some wiggle room on either side of the picture—you don’t want to accidentally cut off your experiment!

Have at least one other person to help

You want to make sure you have at least one other person in the lab with you to monitor your recording device and, if possible, the audio through headphones. If you are using a fume hood or around particularly noisy lab equipment, you might instead want an additional person to narrate the experiment off camera. Have someone read a script or narrate what you are doing slightly farther back from the experiment, so that the noise is not as prominent. 

Recommended video length

If possible, think of breaking up your lab into several, smaller videos. Student attention spans can be limited! While planning your experiment, find natural breaking points to “chunk” your longer lab into several, smaller videos. 

After filming

Depending on the type of camera used, your video file may need to be converted to a readable format. If you video file ends in .mp4, .mov, .avi, or .m4a, you do not need to convert your video and you can skip the following step. Webcams, smart phones, and most DSLRs all record in either .mp4 or .mov; you will most likely only need to convert your video if you are recording on a high-quality cinema camera.

Converting to MP4 for easy distribution

If your video file ends in a more uncommon file type, such as .mxf,  you will want to convert it to an .mp4 or .mov to ensure student access. You can download the free handbrake software, an open-source transcoding software. A quick-start guide to using handbrake can be found at: https://handbrake.fr/docs/en/latest/introduction/quick-start.html. When using handbrake, the default preset Fast 1080p30 will be the best choice for converting your videos.

Uploading to UCI Yuja

Editing in Yuja

Are there certain parts of your video you would like cut out? For example, if you are setting water to boil, you might not want to make your students watch the process of boiling water. You can easily edit portions of your full video with the Yuja video editor. Please watch this video to learn more about editing videos through YuJa.

Sharing with your students