Some Good Questions
Questions to ask yourself prior to "taping" something.
by Glenn Koenig
If you ask yourself these questions, you're much more likely to be successful than if you just plunge ahead.
1. Who is the audience? The idea is to start with who you expect to watch the
results and then work backwards. Start with the person or people who you imagine
will watch the recording you are about to record. What can you say about them?
• How many of them are there likely to be?
• What is their interest in the topic?
• When will they likely have the time to watch the recording?
• How long are they likely to sit and watch the recording?
• What are they likely to want to see and hear, specifically, while watching
the recording?
• What do you want them to know about the topic of the recording when
they've finished watching it? What do you want them to do, if anything, after
watching it? What do you expect them to remember over the long term? Will they
want to refer back to it? If so, how will they access the specific parts they
want to review?
2. Media
• How will you get the recording to the intended viewers? Over a network?
On recorded media, such as cassette or disc? Streamed? Downloaded?
• What is the cost of distributing the recording in this manner?
• How long will it take to prepare the recording before the viewers have
access to it? Will the content still be relevant to them by then?
• Given how many viewers you expect to have, what will the cost per viewer
be (the total cost of recording or "production" and the cost of distribution,
divided by the number of viewers). Is that worth it to you? Or worth it to them?
3. Recording
• How will you decide what exact images and sounds you need to record
in order to satisfy the criteria described in items 1 and 2, above?
• What changes in the event (that you wish to record) will you have to
make to accommodate the recording process? Where will you put the cameras? The
microphones? The wiring, other equipment, etc.? How will you have to instruct
to the participants so that they won't cause "trouble" during the
recording process (start before you're ready, walk out of the shot, put down
the microphone, make extra noise, talk too long, etc.)?
• During the event, what may be presented or happen that should be recorded?
Will there be slides shown? Charts displayed? Other video projected on a screen?
Will audience members be invited to comment or ask questions? How will their
voices be recorded?
Further discussion on planning for a recording is available in the article Making a Good Recording.