Our newsletter Editor, Daniel Foster, caught up with a Camtasia Studio user, David Frazier. David was kind enough to share his story and screencasting insights with us. Enjoy!
Meet David Frazier, State of Alabama technology trainer
With budgets being cut left and right, classroom training often suffers..and workers can fall further behind on technology. But as trainers like David Frazier have discovered, screencast videos are the perfect way to get people up to speed on new technology--quickly and inexpensively.
What is your role as IT instructor...who are you training and what kind of skills do they need?
I work for the State of Alabama, Department of Finance, Information Services Division (ISD). Primarily, my job is to train state employees on the software that my department offers to state agencies.
For example, our newest software is for web conferencing. It's relatively easy to use but it still needs to have some familiarization training and most employees don't have the time or the knowledge to "play" with something to learn it--they need to be able to use it productively right away. That's where I come in; get them familiar with the software in as short a time as possible.
As far as the skills of the people I train, that can range from very little computer skills to IT Directors. We don't specifically offer IT software. We offer products and services that cover anything from networking services, data storage, telephone support, to email, and a lot more.
How long have you been working with video and screencasts?
As far as my own skills, video is relatively new for me, within the last 3 years to be exact. It has all been self-taught; surfing the web and using the TechSmith website to get a lot of how-to information. I also go to one of those "mega-churches" that has its own TV station and uses a lot of video during their services; so I pick the brains of the people that work there to get ideas on how I can or can't do something.
What got you interested in screencasts as a way to deliver training? What problems does it solve for your department and/or you personally?
My interest in video training really came about coincidentally. I came on to ISD to teach in the classroom, but that really didn't pan out as expected. Then one day, one of our PC Techs came by my office and said "Hey Dave, you need to check out this website called TechSmith; they have video editing software". I went to the website, saw a free Camtasia download and started "playing" with it. My mind started turning and I thought to myself, "web page", "training", "easy access", "that's it, video training". The rest is history.
This "Web" training can and does solve several problems, not just for our department but for all state agencies that use our products and services. Our state is currently in proration: big budget cuts, no new hires, no new programs, no raises, and a of course no training because there is no money to send people to classes. People still get trained on highly technical programs; but for the administrative assistant, supervisor or manager, training on products like Microsoft software or our web conferencing software just doesn't exist.
I started with our email service and scripted, recorded, and edited a complete program for it. I have done the same thing with several other services also. Yes, I know companies like Microsoft do offer their own online training and they are very good but are general in nature. I like to put a homespun flavor to my videos. I like to use examples that our state employees are familiar with so they can relate to the topic being discussed, customized just for them and our environment.
Using the video training will save tons of money because people don't have to go somewhere to be trained--they stay at their desk. There is no money spent for the necessities of travel, they can train where they want (even at home), when they want, and what they want (I have started using the table of contents feature so users can go straight to a specific topic and not have to listen to the whole session).
Click to watch one of David's latest screencasts
How did you go about learning Camtasia...and what were the most helpful resources?
I used to dabble with editing when VHS cameras were the rage. But unless you had all of the sophisticated gadgetry to edit VHS, it was very basic editing. But it gave me a basis to start from; so when I learned of Camtasia and downloaded it, I was able to start playing right away. I took a couple of weeks of trial and error to really learn the software. I used the TechSmith forums to learn from others and honestly, I just watch what was being done on television; transitions, openings, closing, effects, things like that. Once I figured out what I could and couldn't do with Camtasia Studio, I really started experimenting.
This may be a plug for him, but the one outside resource that probably helped me the most was the book Camtasia Studio: The Definitive Guide by Daniel Park. In it he explained in layman terms everything about Camtasia Studio you ever wanted to know and then some. I have corresponded with him through email on a couple of issues and also have gotten a lot of answers from him through the user forums on the TechSmith website. His information was invaluable to me.
What was the biggest mistake you made along the way?
I am a perfectionist when it comes to putting out training videos; I want them to be perfect. And if you were to watch my very first video to my most recent, you would see how I have matured. But I am still in my infancy and still have a lot of room to grow and improve.
Although I have stumbled along the way, I don't think there were any big mistakes made. HOWEVER, keeping track of everything has turned out to be my downfall. I did delete (permanently) about a month's worth of work because I had just gotten so bogged down with saving everything. This is not a Camtasia Studio problem, it's a user thing--how to properly file, keep in order, maintain everything during a project. That is probably my biggest mistake thus far.
What kind of feedback do you get about the videos?
So far, I have had great reviews from people who have seen my videos. I do some on-camera work, but mostly just narrate video captures. One of our email techs watched my videos and came down specifically to say how good they were and is recommending them to all new clients.
Some great feedback I got was from the Director for Mental Health, who requested that we use captions on the videos so that our hearing impaired employees could get the same training as everyone else. I thought "Wow, I hadn't even thought about those employees", I was embarrassed to say the least. Out of ignorance, I started searching for this capability but was shocked at the cost for this kind of software and backed off. But then, I happened to mention this to a tech support person there at TechSmith when I had called for a completely different problem and she said "Oh yeah, we have that" and she told me where to find captioning [currently available in Camtasia Studio only -Ed.]. Needless to say, when I saw how easy it was, I added the captions to the video he reviewed previously, he was overjoyed and wrote letters to my CIO and my supervisors about it. He was thrilled. I am so glad that I am able to reach those employees as well.
Screencast video with captions
Can you give a quick run-down of your process for making a screencast? How do you get from concept to finished product?
I don't consider myself a professional when it comes to video and I am not as polished as those that come out of film schools or had classes in video. I have a degree in business administration and nothing in marketing. So again, I am self-taught and I try to use a lot of common sense techniques.
Generate topics
My ideas come from several sources, obviously, our products and services, especially new ones, like the web conferencing tool we just recently released. Other sources include other divisions within ISD. The customer service manager asked for a video showing how to correctly fill out the forms they require. I am currently doing a video for our CIO, selling our services to other agencies. The personnel department wanted an employee orientation video so all new ISD employees get the same information.
Write narration
Once I get the idea of what I want to do and the goal I want to reach, I storyboard it to some degree, really just an outline on the order of progression.
Then I script it, literally, word for word. I have a form I use that has four columns to it: Action, Narration, On-screen activity, and File location/Clip title. I write the narration first: introduce the subject, teach the subject, and then close it out. This usually takes me several days to complete. Each time I go through the script, I see changes that need to be made, the order of presentation changed, or just see something I didn't think of at the time. I don't like to rush this part because to me, this is where a good video starts, the planning and writing stage. But at the same time, I have to say "enough" and continue on with the project.
A sample page from David's 4-column script
Write actions
Once I am satisfied with the script, my next step is to go back to my script, open up the software I am going to teach, and start stepping through the demo. I need to make sure that the script and the steps being taken in the software coincide with each other. As I progress along, I add comments in the Action column of what I need to do and at what point it must be done: file > open, move the cursor here and click, etc.
Once that is settled, I'll start thinking about what happens on the screen: zooms, pans, what callouts I need, where to put transitions, things like that.
Record
Next I record my narration. I have to admit I use different software for that, just because I am more used to it. I also edit the narration and take out all of the "ahhhs" and my breathing sounds.
Then I start the screen recording process. I print out the script, set it in front of me, and rehearse several times before recording. I've also learned to break my recordings and audio narrations up into segments instead of doing them all at once. I'll break at a natural stopping point, like a change in a subject, then come back and press on with the next step. It's important to double-check that all my audio and video settings are the same as before, especially if the break spans more than one day.
Here's a tip I have found REALLY useful! I had a subject out of order in an almost completed video and realized that it needed to be at a different point in the presentation. But because I record "modularly", I was able to just swap the two sections with each other, rather than redoing the whole video. It was so much easier.
Edit
Once recording is complete, I then go into the editing phase. I add all the scenes to the timeline, edit out the bad and keep the good, sync up the audio, add the transitions, callouts, zooms, and all the while I am saving, saving, saving.
The last thing I do before publishing is add the captions for our hearing impaired employees. Then watch the video one last time to make sure I am happy with it and publish it so it can be put on our website.
You mentioned that you're using the new Camtasia Studio 7 now...any favorite features?
Yes, the one thing I like particularly is the Library where you have intro and exit graphics. I was using Adobe Visual Communicator for this before and they have some good graphics. But this added feature is really good. I just hope that you will get some more of these from Digital Juice and make it available to us all. To me, it really adds a touch of the professional side to each video. I also like the new Sketch Motion Callouts where you "draw" a circle or a box. I added all of this to my last video even though it was already published and on the web.
Sketch Motion Callout
What are your top three tips for a new screencaster (independent of which software they use)?
- Storyboard/Outline your entire project to stay on track.
- Record all of your narrations and videos modularly. It's easier to re-record a part of a video than the whole thing.
- Do something different with each video. Be imaginative with your ideas and editing. Don't get stuck doing the same thing each time. Watch how others do things and see if you can adapt them to fit your situation.
