Effective video presentations

A few random tips. Some are specific to Cornell University.

• Get non-reflective glasses, if you wear glasses…
• If you’re on campus, talk to the video production folks, get a chromakey screen setup for professional look
• if you’re at home/ want to do it from your department, buy a chromakey (see suggestions below)
• you can configure Zoom to use the chromakey background (it works better with a physical screen than the virtual thing)
• when doing it at home/office
  • choose a background that is not too intrusive
  • choose one that matches your lighting (don’t make believe you are standing outside if you have indoor lighting)
  • test it out!
  • EDIT I have collected a few that will work for Cornell folks (YMMV)

Zoom can do both local and cloud-recording

• (Cornell-specific) cloud-recording automatically get moved to Cornell’s Video on Demand service
  • it does not seem possible to actually download the videos!
  • Videos can be shared from there

Suggested Chromakey materials (no endorsement):

• Chromakey background: https://www.amazon.com/Hakutatz-Collapsible-Reversible-Background-Photography/dp/B07D7SCF69/ref=sr_1_8?keywords=5%E2%80%99+X+7%E2%80%99+twist+collapsible+chromakey+green&qid=1583951989&sr=8-8
• Stand to hold it up: https://www.amazon.com/Fovitec-Collapsible-lightweight-Reflectors-Separately/dp/B00PLEX7Q4/ref=pd_vtp_421_1/140-3394104-6110526?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B00PLEX7Q4&pd_rd_r=8fa0de27-7b5f-4320-837a-cd8c30dbe537&pd_rd_w=jUoR5&pd_rd_wg=2qKZC&pf_rd_p=fd9c75b4-43e6-4220-9b33-6739e84937cc&pf_rd_r=T0Z383JVMG1NH7ZS08HF&psc=1&refRID=T0Z383JVMG1NH7ZS08HF

I then did a bit of experimentation with lighting in my office – you need the green screen to be illuminated homogenously, and you need the background picture to be similar in terms of lighting. See picture (you do not need the white screen on the left if you have enough light from the front)

Example:
(click on picture for video, will work for 30 days…)