Video Creation and Production Preparation Resources: Production Stages - An Overview

Using slide creation software such as Google Slides or PowerPoint works very well for creating a storyboard for your video. In fact, organizing all of your content in either of these two softwares will accomplish 80% of the preparation work for your production. Once you have completed your slide show, take the time to review and correct the following before proceeding to the next stage:

• spelling (Pasting your text into a word document to use the spell checker is a quick way to do so)
• images (Images with watermarks, writing over the images or a copyright symbols are copyright protected and cannot be used without permission)
• layout for each slide (make sure what is shown has readable texts, is not too busy or crowded to distract the viewer from the message of your production)
• complete and correct your citations 
• create a narration script for your production (You can use the Word spell checker for this as well)
• select your music

The following checklist items will position you to have all of your content organized and format ready for use in ShotCut or iMovie.

• Create a folder on your computer to house all of the production content. 
• Save all of you slides in PowerPoint or Google Slides as jpgs. Be sure that these are renamed to reflect the sequence order on your production (e.g. slide 1, slide 2, etc...)
• Add your music clip(s) (mp3 or mp4 format) to your folder.
• Add a copy of your narration to this folder as well.
• Record your narrations one slide at a time and save these audio files in the folder as well. Be sure to rename these to reflect which slide these are to be synchronized with)
• Save any preexisting video clips you will use in this file.

If you are using ShotCut, an open source video editing software, you can download it on you Windows or Apple Computer as both is supported. This software is available at https://shotcut.org/download/

This stage of your production is very detailed. There is a ShotCut tutorial tab which provides video instructions about using this software. During this stage you are putting all of your content on a timeline in the software and synchronizing it all into a fluid well timed video. I will also post a video demonstrating the process of putting the content together in ShotCut. A suggested order for loading the content is as follows:

• Load the jpgs one at a time on the video 1 line. THEN immediately add the same numbered narration audio clip on the audio 1 line below it.
• Adjust the length of the video clip to ensure it is timed to play during that narration slide. 
• Continue this sequence until you have entered all slides and all narration clips into the software. 
• Lock the two completed channels on the timeline with the lock located at the left side of the channels.
• Create an additional audio channel and add you music clip to it. 
• Be careful to reduce the music volume to prevent it competing with the narration audio. 
• If you need to adjust your narration volume, unlock that channel and lock the music channel. Locking prevents the content from changing its timing.