Update

The HIVE is working PART TIME ON CAMPUS as well as REMOTELY.

Please explore this  website for the most up-to-date information.

General FAQs

Recording FAQs

Editing FAQs

General FAQs

Where is the HIVE located?

The HIVE is part of the Trefny Center, located in the Green Center, 2nd floor, Room 211. Currently, HIVE staff and students are working part time on campus as well as remotely. Please check our current hours for availability.

How do I check out equipment?

We do have limited recording equipment available for checkout during specified hours. You may reserve equipment 48 hours in advance, for a week maximum, through our SCHEDULER link. Otherwise, Mines students and faculty can use their smartphone, tablet, or other device to record video or images. If needed, you may also be able to rent equipment from local camera stores.

I need to record an event/lecture, what are my options?

You may schedule assistance with filming a special lecture, seminar or other event on the Mines campus through our SCHEDULER link. To ensure availability of HIVE staff and equipment, 72 hours notice is needed for filming an event. If your event is for admissions or marketing purposes, please contact the Communications and Marketing department. Another option is to check out recording equipment through the Scheduler link.

I need to make a marketing video, what are my options?

The HIVE does not have the resources for marketing solutions.  If you would like to create a video for marketing purposes, and it will be shared outside of the Mines community, it is recommended that you reach out to the Communications and Marketing department for assistance.

I have a student project, what are my options?

For student projects (Senior Design, Capstone, Goldmine, course assignments, etc.), we do have limited recording equipment available for checkout during specified hours. You may reserve equipment 48 hours in advance, for a week maximum, through our SCHEDULER link. Otherwise, students  can use their smartphone, tablet, or other device to record video or images. If needed you may also be able to rent equipment from local camera stores. Footage can then be edited on select computers in CTLM Computer Commons using Adobe Creative Suite which provides professional editing tools for student use. There is also other free video editing software available. These include:

YouTube Video Editor

If you upload your videos to YouTube you can use their built-in editor for basic edits. The resources below will walk you through how to do that:

OpenShot Video Editor

OpenShot Video Editor is a free, open-source video editor for Linux, Mac, and Windows. OpenShot is designed to be an easy to use, quick to learn, and surprisingly powerful video editor. Easily cut, slice, and edit any video or film.

Blender

Blender is a free and open source 3D creation suite that comes with a built-in video sequence editor allows you to perform basic actions like video cuts and splicing, as well as more complex tasks like video masking or color grading. Please note that the learning curve for Blender may be steeper than the other free tools. 

iMovie (Mac specific)

With iMovie for iOS and macOS, it’s easy to browse your clips and create videos, including 4K-resolution movies. You can even start editing on iPhone or iPad, then finish on your Mac.

Do you have any example projects available?

Yes! Since 2015, the HIVE has worked with Mines faculty, students, and staff on a vast array of projects. Check out the HIVE Portfolio to gain inspiration for your next project.

I have a question that's not listed, who can I contact?

Feel free to contact the Jeremy Bellile at jeremiah.bellile@mines.edu. You can also call 303.273.3094.

Recording FAQs

What recording services does the HIVE provide?

The recording services available include self-service use of our two Voiceover/Screen Capture studios as well as the Lightboard and Green Screen studios (Self-Service Guide here). These may be scheduled, during specified hours, through our SCHEDULER link. Please visit our SERVICES page for additional information on how we can support the editing of your recordings.

What are some tips for producing the best recording?

General Tips

  • Find a space free of distractions, potential interruptions, and background noises (email notifications, phone, appliances, cars, dogs, etc.).
  • Have a script to follow to clearly convey your purpose and objectives. Consider ways to have students think about, work with, and/or respond to the learning from the video.
  • Include audio and visual elements that are complementary (PowerPoints, images, etc.). You can also sketch out a storyboard to plan images to coordinate with the audio script.
  • Test audio clarity and volume. Built-in cameras or laptop microphones may not be the best quality. Instead, try using a lavalier or USB mic. The HIVE offers some options that you can check out through our Scheduler.
  • Quality will be best if your equipment can record at 1080p, 60 frames per second. PowerPoints should be set with a 16:9 aspect ratio.
  • Practice, pacing your words naturally and enthusiastically. Try filming yourself while you practice, then watch the video and make adjustments as needed.
  • Consider your vocal tone, inflection, pronunciation, and enunciation. Also, consider how fast you are talking and how that may affect the clarity of the video.
  • If you do make mistakes, these can be edited out by the HIVE or by using editing software. When you realize that you made a mistake, pause, address the HIVE directly and ask them to remove the part that was incorrect. The more specific you can be, the better. For example, say something like, “please remove the last sentence,” or “please remove the whole last slide, I’m going to redo it.” Then pause again and continue with your recording.
  • Always keep videos short, chunking learning content. Do multiple 6 -12 minute videos instead of an hour long lecture.
  • It is helpful to add an introductory clip (to preface the content) and an outro clip (to wrap up what’s been learned).
  • Be mindful of copyright and accessibility issues.

Tips for Filming Yourself

  • Elevate your webcam to eye level or higher. Look at your webcam instead of your screen when you are trying to emphasize a point.
  • Check the lighting. The light source, whether a lamp or natural light, should face you. You might add a desk lamp, focused on you, to increase lighting.
  • Check that the visible background is not cluttered. It is ok to have a few objects that relate to the topic of the video in the background. Do not film yourself against a wall as you will likely become more washed out or in a location that has no relationship to the video content. If the camera is focused on you, the background will be blurred out, causing you to look clearer.
  • Wear solid colors to create fewer distractions. Wear clothing that contrasts well with the background you have chosen.
How can I record a Lecture or Presentation using Zoom?

Zoom is a web conferencing and recording tool that can be used to capture audio, webcam video as well as computer screen content. Among other features, Zoom allows you to use a virtual background, share your screenshare a whiteboard, and annotate a shared screen or whiteboard. An added accessibility feature when using Zoom cloud recordings is that it will transcribe your recording

If you are using the whiteboard or other screen writing tool, we recommend using a stylus when possible to make writing on your trackpad easier and more legible. If you have formulas already developed in MathLab or LaTex, you can copy them onto the whiteboard for you or students to work on.

Our TUTORIALS Self-Recording link and the following guides and videos will provide you with more information on using Zoom to record your lecture/presentation:

What is the difference between a "local" and "cloud" recording in Zoom?

Zoom has two different options for recording meetings: “Record on this Computer” and “Record to the Cloud.”

  • Record on this Computer: a local recording in Zoom means that Zoom will save the recording file(s) directly on the hard drive of the meeting host’s computer as a MP4 video file. Once the meeting has ended, Zoom will convert the recording and open the location of the files. Below are the default recording directories.
    • Windows: C:\Users\[Username]\Documents\Zoom
    • Mac: /Users/[Username]/Documents/Zoom
    • Linux: home/[Username]/Documents/Zoom
  • Record to the Cloud: a Zoom cloud recording stores the meeting recording in the cloud and not on your local computer. This option records the video, audio, and chat text to the cloud, which is viewable from a web browser. Zoom cloud recordings also include a transcript that is automatically generated and is visible at the recording link. If enabled, the cloud recordings can also be downloaded to your computer.
    • Note that you may need to enable the Viewers can download option for the video. To do this, visit your Zoom Recordings Manager and click by the video for which would like to change the settings. Next, make sure the Viewers can download option is enabled. Click .

More information regarding Zoom’s cloud and local recordings and their limitations can be found at the following links:

How can I utilize a green screen background in my Zoom recordings?

You can schedule an appointment for our Green Screen studio, however there are some other ways to implement green screen keying techniques into your recordings!

If you record a lecture in Zoom, you can use a Virtual Background as a simple background replacement solution. However, the HIVE can be more creative if you are able to set your Virtual Background to this CHROMA GREEN background. The HIVE can edit out the background and replace the background with anything, including presentation slides.

Ex:

Note: To ensure the editing process goes smoothly, please follow these instructions to set Zoom to record your video to a separate MP4 file than the screen recording.

  1. Visit to https://mines.zoom.us/, then Sign In.
  2. Click Recordings on the left menu, then click Settings on the top right of the screen.
    Scroll down to Cloud recording and make sure the following options are checked:

     

    • Record active speaker, gallery view and shared screen separately
      • Active speaker
      • Shared screen
  3. Click SAVE

This allows Zoom to generate separate video files for your video and the shared screen. This provides more editing flexibility.

How can I record the screen on my PC, Mac or iPad?

Depending on your operating system, your computer will probably have a standard screen capture tool included which you can use. See the information above for using Zoom for this purpose. Visit our TUTORIALS Self-Recording link as well as the following pages on the Continuity of Teaching for information on other ways to record your screen:

How can I add narration and SLIDE timings to my PowerPoint presentation?

Faculty can add narration and slide timings to their existing PowerPoint presentations. The following Microsoft Office guides will walk you through how to create a presentation with multimedia for your students:

What are best practices for creating accessible media?

 All Media

  • Use pre-written notes or a script to organize and segment information, ensuring that content and images are presented clearly and properly.
  • Use descriptive headings to organize content with bulleted or numbered lists. Font should be
    at least 14pt.
  • Identify which visual content needs to be described audibly such as images, graphs, calculations, names and titles, etc.
  • Be specific and address referenced items by name. This helps non-visual audiences to identify what item is being called out. For example, instead of pointing somewhere on the page and saying “in this equation”, the instructor says “in the equation y equals m x plus b.” AVOID: “as we see here”, etc.
  • Provide additional written information to graphs or images if unable to describe effectively through speech/text.
  • Dictate then explain formulas and other calculations while working through them. Clearly voice thought processes as calculations or demonstrations are completed.
  • Any handwriting should be legible and clear.
  • Ensure the colors used for text and the background have enough contrast to ensure accessibility. Refer to WebAIM: Contrast Checker and Color Contrast Checker – TPGi.
  • Use underlining, bold, and italics to distinguish information. Color is not the only tool used to convey important information.
  • AVOID: using all capital letters, special characters, blinking or flashing content (3 flashes/blinking within 1 second).

Lightboard and Green Screen Recordings

  • Make sure clothing is darker, preferably solid, avoid lettering/words on your shirt, and that the color does not interfere with the colors of the text used on the Lightboard. For Green Screen recordings, please avoid wearing green, stripes or busy patterns.
  • When diagramming on the Lightboard, be sure to explain what you are drawing or your thought process while drawing it (see above).

Closed Captions and Transcripts

  • All videos should be closed captioned with a time stamped transcript provided. It is recommended that captions should be white font on black background. Approved Mines online courses or approved accommodations through Disability Support Services (DSS) will be captioned through our vendor.

Other Resources

Editing FAQs

How long does it take to edit a video?

Our student editing team works part-time so it may take one to two business weeks from the date you upload the footage, to provide a first draft of the video. If the video needs added graphics and custom animations, it can take longer. After you receive the first draft, we ask that you review it thoroughly and provide us with any edits. Each editing cycle can add approximately one week to the timeline.

What do I need to provide before my video is edited?

The HIVE requires an editing script for in-depth editing. The editing script contains cues for PowerPoint slides, images, video, or other resources so that the HIVE can place these items in the proper sequence of the video. If you have multiple retakes, please indicate the time frames for the final version. Review the HIVE Script Guide for details.

How does the HIVE editing process work?

Once your video is assigned to our HIVE team, they will begin editing the video. This involves rearranging, adding and/or removing sections of video clips and/or audio clips; applying color correction, filters and other enhancements; and creating transitions between clips.

After the initial editing is complete, the video is reviewed by the project’s HIVE Lead, who will ensure that the video meets our quality standards. The approved video will be uploaded to Vimeo and a link will be emailed to you for review. If you have any revisions or edits, these will be applied to the video and follows the same process until the final version is approved by you.

What resources can I use if I want to edit the video myself?

Footage can be edited on select computers in CTLM Computer Commons using Adobe Creative Suite which provides professional editing tools for student use. There is also other free video editing software available. These include:

YouTube Video Editor

If you upload your videos to YouTube you can use their built-in editor for basic edits. The resources below will walk you through how to do that:

OpenShot Video Editor

OpenShot Video Editor is a free, open-source video editor for Linux, Mac, and Windows. OpenShot is designed to be an easy to use, quick to learn, and surprisingly powerful video editor. Easily cut, slice, and edit any video or film.

Blender

Blender is a free and open source 3D creation suite that comes with a built-in video sequence editor allows you to perform basic actions like video cuts and splicing, as well as more complex tasks like video masking or color grading. Please note that the learning curve for Blender may be steeper than the other free tools. 

iMovie (Mac specific)

With iMovie for iOS and macOS, it’s easy to browse your clips and create videos, including 4K-resolution movies. You can even start editing on iPhone or iPad, then finish on your Mac.

How can I get my video closed captioned?

The HIVE will coordinate closed captioning for pre-recorded videos in approved online courses (processed by the OLED) or approved accommodations through DSS. Captions are uploaded directly to the video in Vimeo and the general turnaround time is one week. Please contact the HIVE Manager for more details. We do not caption live lectures, student projects, or other videos.  Microsoft Stream, Canvas, Zoom, and YouTube have capabilities for closed captioning these types of projects. Please visit our TUTORIALS Self-Recording link for more information.