As described in the first article of our series, some conference formats are better suited for pre-recording content than others. In part two, we will focus primarily on the ways in which content can be recorded and what needs to be considered in advance.
What should the recordings look like?
Even if it might seem a bit premature and ambitious at first: having an idea of what the finished video should look like right from the start helps immensely with the implementation steps.
Some conferences follow a process where a person—such as a moderator—handles the introduction or transitions between individual presentations before or after a talk, and multiple presentations belonging to the same session are uploaded later as a single video. Others, however, make the presentations available as individually selectable videos on the conference platform.
Especially when dealing with presentations from different people, it is important to get the speakers on board right away and prepare them for their task. For smaller conferences with a manageable number of presentations, someone from the organizing team can handle this personally, ensuring that the presenters are technically ready, know how to proceed with the recording, understand the deadline for submission, and so on.
If the presentations or program elements are recorded professionally in a studio, this step can of course be skipped. However, if the presenters are recording themselves, guidance and step-by-step instructions are particularly important. For many common tools, the providers have already created video tutorials that you can link to (e.g., GoToMeeting, Zoom, Webex).
Occasionally, there are virtual conferences that set more specific requirements, such as wanting the presenters to be visible on screen alongside their slides or requiring them to present against a uniform background. In such cases, you must provide additional support and explain how to achieve this.
What needs to be considered regarding the technology?
You should also communicate technical requirements to the speakers in advance. Find out which video formats can be uploaded to the conference platform. As a rule, all common formats are supported, but it is better to coordinate this beforehand and then inform the speakers if they are recording the videos themselves.
Also, draw attention to potential sources of distraction: Many apps are configured to pop up a window on the screen when a new email arrives or someone sends a personal message to the speaker. If the screen content is being recorded for a presentation, this is distracting. It is also better to set your phone to silent during the recording. Be careful with iPhones connected to the Mac on which the presentation is taking place, as an incoming call might appear there as well. While this is still a minor issue compared to a live session, it can still lead to the presentation needing to be re-recorded or edited, either in whole or in part.
Depending on the format and recording quality, videos can become quite large. Set a maximum file size in advance that the files should not exceed. If you don't want large 4K videos arriving, point out, for example, that a standard HD resolution of 720p is perfectly sufficient for a conference.
The video length is interesting from both a technical and content perspective. For virtual conference formats, 10-15 minutes is absolutely sufficient. This prevents massive file sizes while simultaneously encouraging discussions, for which there is often no energy left after watching several 30-minute presentations.
More interaction
Even after more than a year full of virtual meetings, many organizers notice that while videos are watched by many, they are often discussed only hesitantly. Watching content asynchronously without a live feeling contributes to participants quickly falling into a passive role, causing much of the character of a conference—which only becomes truly valuable through exchange—to be lost.
How can this be changed? For example, with a live Q&A session that takes place at a set time and complements the pre-recorded content by giving participants the opportunity to ask their questions. A live discussion can also pick up on content from the recorded program segments and offer a supplement.
With the help of recordings, you can also hold meetings in a quasi-live format. This means that the pre-recorded videos are released on the platform according to a fixed schedule. This has the advantage that the presenters can be present and dedicate themselves entirely to the concurrent chat to answer questions directly.
The team at the Association for Asian Studies had a creative idea to encourage interaction. Their conference this year included several hallway conversations. The idea behind it: at an in-person conference, participants meet in the hallway after presentations to discuss what they just experienced. Because such spontaneous hallway chats often generate good ideas, they wanted to replicate this in the digital space. Immediately after each pre-recorded session, a 15-minute video chat opened for a limited number of participants—a virtual hallway, so to speak. Anyone who wanted to express their thoughts on the presentation and felt the need for discussion was in the right place and could easily meet like-minded people. The participant limit also helps ensure that everyone has a chance to speak and that interested parties have to act quickly so as not to miss the opportunity.
Three options for recording presentations for virtual conferences
1. Video conferencing software
If the presentation or meeting is taking place in software like Zoom, there is a built-in recording feature that you can use to capture the content.
Although this is one of the simplest recording methods, complications can still arise if the computer freezes or the file cannot be played back afterwards. While it might be acceptable for a speaker to give a presentation a second time, it becomes a much bigger problem with discussions, as it is almost impossible to recreate them. Yet, these tools are ideal for recording discussions. If you want to start your recording from within the meeting software, you should always perform a test recording first to ensure everything works as planned.
It is best to save recordings to a local folder. While there is theoretically nothing wrong with saving recordings to external drives or cloud folders (Dropbox, Google Drive, etc.), this can sometimes lead to errors when converting or saving the file.
2. Presentation software
Presenters who use PowerPoint can use the built-in PowerPoint recording function. From the 2019 version onwards, it is even possible to integrate your own webcam into the recording so that the presenters are always visible. Older versions can only record audio to accompany the slides. Keep this in mind, especially if you want the presenters to be visible alongside the slides. Keynote, the presentation software for Mac users, also only allows for direct audio recording. Anyone who wants to include a webcam feed as well will need a bit more technical expertise to insert a separately created video recording into the presentation later on.
3. Recording software
Specialized recording tools for presentations include Snagit and Camtasia, which are not competing products but come from the same provider. Snagit is very well-suited for simple recordings, while Camtasia, with its slightly higher price point, is the better choice if you want to edit your recordings to add subtitles, effects, animations, or annotations.
You can also start a recording directly in your browser. To do this, use a screen recorder such as Screencastify. Be sure to check the features before choosing, as many of these tools are only seemingly free. Often, this only applies to the version with a very limited feature set. For example, you should only use the free version of Screencastify if your videos do not exceed five minutes in length. Anything beyond that is only available for about €40 per year.
A very easy-to-use, browser-based, and secure alternative that is truly free regardless of video length is Opencast Studio. There is no need to install anything here. You simply select exactly what you want to record (screen, camera, or both) and whether you want to include audio. Once finished, you download the file directly; nothing is saved on a third-party server.
Many universities already use Opencast for digital teaching and often have their own Opencast installation, so many researchers are already familiar with the tool.
When recording, it is recommended to use the Chrome browser because it records the video as an MP4, meaning it can be edited with standard editing software if necessary without having to convert it to another format first.
Recording and data protection
In principle, videos created for the conference are protected by copyright, just like posters or other files provided on the virtual conference platform. Participants should not be able to download the videos by default and are not permitted to make their own recordings. If someone wishes to redistribute one of the conference videos, they may only do so with the express permission of the organizer or the presenters.
Unlike conferences where presentations can be found publicly on YouTube or viewed by sharing a link, the videos in our Virtual Venue are only accessible after prior registration.
Do you know of any other useful recording tools? What approach have you had the best experience with, or where do you still need help? Please let us know.
