Here are some tips on getting the best audio and video that you can from home!
Framing
- First – make sure you are recording horizontally, not vertically!
- Make sure that you are in the middle of the screen, not off to the left or right unless the script calls for it.
- Check you headroom – this is how much space is between the top of your head and the top of the video. Use the image below as a reference to how much headroom you should aim for.
Sound
- Make sure you can record in a quiet place where other noise can’t be heard.
- We still need you to talk loudly and project! You need to give us more volume than you think since people will be hearing every word through speakers.
- Slow down, take your time, and speak clearly. We need to be able to understand what you are saying even more so since the sound can sometimes be distorted through speakers.
- If you are singing a song, please use earbuds or headphones to listen to your song instead of playing it from your device speaker. Then when you send us the video, send us the track as well. This allows us to mix your vocals and the song together to make sure both can be heard clearly!
Lighting
Make that any light source is in front of you, not behind you. For example, don’t perform with a window behind you, instead face the window and have the light be on your face.
Bad lighting – light source is behind
Good lighting – light source is in front
Pre/post roll video
When you start to record, don’t just hit the record button and then start talking. Wait 5 seconds before you start to talk to ensure that there is some extra video at the beginning. Do this at the end of your performance as well. Don’t just hit stop at the end, pause for about 5 seconds as if people are clapping for you before stopping the video. This helps us to edit all of the performances together.
Sending us your video
Once you record it, you need to send it to us! You can upload it to google drive or dropbox and send us a link, or you can send it to us using a free file transfer service such as wetransfer.com.
Bloopers
If you have any good bloopers, send them to us as well! We may just put together a blooper reel to provide some humor after the show is over…