Thread by @robertghrist

i get a lot of questions about how to make math vids...
my workflow is so byzantine, it's not worth writing up.
but...for those making vids for fall semester in a hurry: a thread of advice...
/1

for quick lo-rez vids, you do not want to stand in front of a camera or be filmed at a board. nononono...
write on paper or a digital pad, and then do voiceover.
splice in visualizations if you got 'em.
that's the basic winning formula.
/2

equipment:
1) wacom tablet or ipad (i don't apple...)
2) software to capture digital pen motion with pressure sensitivity (i use @ScrbleApp)
3) software to do screencap vids (i use @snagitapp)
4) audio recording software +
5) video compositing software (both @creativecloud)
/3

the $$$ part is the @Adobe @creativecloud -- it's not cheap, but it's powerful. you can find cheap stuff if you work at it. but you *need* good audio/video compositing and something like @MediaEncoder for getting the file specs right.
/4

my workflow for quick lecture vids:
1) write out lecture notes on paper in screensized chuncks
2) *slowly* and *neatly* write/record on tablet
3) while looking at notes, record the audio
4) in compositing, splice the video & speedup/slowup to match the audio
5) encode & upload
/5

the important part is that you record the audio speaking normally, then speed-up the writing to match. this avoids the khannish "umm, you uh... take the integral, the integral, of, the uh...".
talking and writing at the same time is awful.
/6

again, to be clear, this is *not* my workflow for high-quality videos --- that is a hot mess.
but for quick & dirty vids for fall semester that still have a nice flow, this will get the job done.
/7

want to see an example? here's a sneak peek of the "LO-REZ" version of Applied Dynamical Systems volume 2...
(yes, the hi-rez volume 1 is not finished...)
/8

final words of wisdom:
1) chunk your lectures so that all vids are <10 mins
2) get a decent mic
3) learn a bit of audio engineering / hire someone to write you some custom filters...
4) put your vids on @youtube for all to see
5) work hard & be happy...
/9=end