Tag Archives: education

Making Science Videos with Your iPad: Part 8

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This is the final post in the series describing how to use the iMovie app for the iPad.  In this tutorial, I cover how to view your finished product, how to make copies, and how to share your project with the world.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this series and will let me know about any projects you complete using the iPad.  In the future, I will be looking at other movie editing programs for the iPad as well as the iMovie 11 version for editing with your computer (for best viewing, select the HD version and full-screen options (see menu bar at bottom of player window).

Science Video Tips: Say What?

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In the last post, I started talking about some of the challenges in using an iPad to shoot video and audio.  I mentioned some of the issues with audio in particular.  Some of these points are relevant to any device you may be using to capture audio.

For example, during interviews should you record your voice (as the interviewer) along with the response of your subject?  The answer is yes.  It will make things much easier when you sit down to edit your movie project later, especially if you are not going to be able to edit soon after shooting.  Although it may be clear from the interviewee’s answer what you asked, it’s not always apparent, especially if your subject tends to ramble and does not answer your questions directly.  Another consideration is that although I plan my questions ahead of time, I always think of something extra to ask during the interview (these unplanned questions often yield some of my best footage).  You can remove your voice during the editing process so easily that there is no reason not to record it.  Also, depending on your desired interview format, you may wish to record both interviewer and interviewee and retain both in your finished product.

So overall, the iPad did pretty well in recording audio, even in situations with a lot of background noise.  I did find, however, that I needed to get pretty close to my subject in order to have their voice record well enough to be distinguishable from the background.  That tended to interfere with framing the shot I wanted.  Because what my subjects were saying was more important (in this situation), I compromised on the visual aspect.

I did not try using a lavalier (lapel mic) with the iPad during this field test. However, a lavalier would definitely enhance the audio of any movie project and avoid the problem mentioned above.  In the future, I will look into appropriate adapters for connecting a lavalier microphone to an iPad and give it a test run.

A Real World Test of the iPad to Shoot a Video II

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In the last post, I began describing my experience using the iPad to shoot and edit video.  This was my first movie project with the iPad in a “field” setting.  The previous videos were done in a controlled setting (my home office).

So, how did things go in the real world where you don’t have so much control over your surroundings and subjects?  You never know whether there will be problems with background noise or shy interviewees who are self-conscious on camera.  Well, it went better than expected.  There was quite a bit of background noise to contend with, as you might imagine at a conference. However, I got around some of that by scheduling interviews in quiet corners away from the crowds. Of course, I wanted to capture some of the noise and activity surrounding the meeting events, so I did try some interviews in the midst of loud crowd scenes.

I was surprised at how well the microphone on the iPad picked up my subject’s voice in spite of the background noise.  However, I ended up having to import those clips to my full iMovie version on my computer to decrease the background noise and enhance my subject’s voice.  These expanded options are not available on the iPad version of iMovie.  All you can do is raise or lower the audio on the clip, but this will raise the volume of the background noise along with the desired audio track. I may do a tutorial later to show how to enhance an audio track (e.g., someone’s voice) while dampening the background noise (using iMovie 11).

Another thing I noticed with the iPad is that it was easy to accidentally cover the mic openings with my hand, especially when my attention was diverted toward dealing with my interview subject.  So I had to be careful how I held the iPad while shooting video.  If you make this mistake, it will definitely muffle your audio, rendering your interview useless.  This has never been an issue with my camcorders, which are designed for capturing video and audio.

In the next post, I’ll continue my critique.

Making Science Videos with Your iPad: Part 7

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You may have worked with or are currently working with a professional videographer or film crew to do an interview or even an entire documentary about some aspect of your science. If so, you may be thinking that this is the only way to incorporate this type of media into your program.  However, that is not necessarily the case.

In this series of tutorials, I’ve tried to illustrate how you can use equipment you may already own plus inexpensive software to develop your own videos that highlight your research or to augment your lectures, if you teach.  In part 7, I show how to use the iMovie app for the iPad to create a movie trailer for your iMovie project (for best viewing, select the HD version and full-screen options (see menu bar at bottom of player window).

A Real World Test of the iPad to Shoot Video I

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I decided to try out my iPad and iMovie app in a real world situation this week.  I wanted to make a video about some aspect of a conference I attended (SWS/INTECOL) this week in Orlando.  There were several options, but I settled on a video about the SWS Undergraduate Mentoring Program. I was participating as a mentor and was able to do a few interviews with my iPad and additionally shoot some of the events and activities.

Here are my observations regarding the iPad and iMovie app.  I found it convenient to use my iPad to shoot video and stills  because I also used my iPad to take notes during sessions as well as carry the conference schedule (electronic version) and have access to the Internet even when there was no wireless available.  I did not have to lug around a camcorder plus computer plus notebook plus  meeting schedule book. It was all on my iPad.

If I ran into someone I wanted to interview, I was able to whip out my iPad and shoot away.  It was also convenient to shoots clips directly into the iMovie timeline.  The trick was to shoot short clips that could more easily be manipulated or deleted later without having to scrub through long  clips looking for a specific  section.

The downside was that I found it awkward to hold the iPad steady and position the camera lens where I was comfortable and could see my subject.  See these brief clips illustrating what I mean:

I found myself yearning for my Sanyo Xacti, which I can handle with one hand like a pistol (in fact that’s what it looks like) and can hold as steady as a rock.  Granted, I did not practice much beforehand with positioning my iPad for doing interviews….compared with the time I’ve spent shooting interviews with a camcorder.  Although I did not try this approach, I think a possible solution would be to set up your iPad on a stand on a table with the lens facing the subject.  You could then be in the scene I if you chose to without worrying about a wobbly camera.  Of course, you may be going for  that unsteady effect and want some camera movement.

In upcoming posts, I’ll continue my critique of the iPad camera and the iMovie app as well as conclude my series of tutorials.