{"id":2797,"date":"2023-05-16T10:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-05-16T09:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.ncl.ac.uk\/fmstel\/?p=2797"},"modified":"2023-05-16T10:11:32","modified_gmt":"2023-05-16T09:11:32","slug":"using-overlays-to-make-engaging-videos","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.ncl.ac.uk\/fmstel\/2023\/05\/16\/using-overlays-to-make-engaging-videos\/","title":{"rendered":"Using overlays to make engaging videos"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

This post, kindly provided by Module Leader David Thewlis, discusses the use of OpenShot Video Editor to add overlays into videos for teaching.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Check out the resources section at the bottom of this post for step-by-step guides.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Example taken from MEE8079, Assessment in Medical Education, 2023<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Why I use overlays?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I started my approach to online lecturing by recording in PowerPoint. Then I moved to recording in ReCap\/Panopto. Neither were quite right for me, I felt limited in my delivery compared to in-person teaching. I found using props difficult when you only take up a small portion of a screen and emphasis on what really matters can be lost when you can\u2019t feel the energy of the room.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I realised my biggest issue with my lectures was that I was relegated to a tiny corner and the slides had become central.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You want the slides to be condiments to what you\u2019re saying, not be the main event<\/em>.<\/p>Patrick Winston, How to Speak<\/a><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Bell Hooks<\/a> writes about academics hiding behind the pedestal lose engagement with the class. Unfortunately, online lectures can create a similar barrier between us and our students. Overlays is the approach I decided on to help reduce this barrier in my teaching.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I hope I am not the only person who spends hours watching videos on YouTube for inspiration. The videos I found most interesting (even if they were long) were simple speaker focused talks, which showed media when it was helpful. Replicating this type of content was my aim.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What can you use overlays for?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Overlays replace slides by allowing the speaker to have greater control over where and when to place media. You can incorporate pictures, videos, audio, and titles into a single talk with reasonably little skill (I have managed \u2013 you can too!). You can choose to direct focus in the frame. Wes Anderson has made a film director\u2019s career out of this skill, perhaps we can learn from it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Types of overlays:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n