Educational Video for Where I Work

[Ed Fiebke]

Hello -

First, I am a full-time ICU/CCU nurse. However, I hold a strong passion towards music composition and video recording/editing. The hospital administration to I work supports and thoroughly enjoys assigning "extra projects" for its employees. These projects could be anything from updating patient care plans to be used hospital-wide, to providing educational in-services to its employees to, well, video-taping these educational in-services for the "off-shift" employees. So, for the past few years, I've been video-taping these educational in-services. I have a BLAST doing these projects! It provides me creative opportunities as I learn and grow to develop better video shooting & editing techniques. Also, because my 1st degree happens to be in Scoring Music for Films, these projects allow me to write simple film music.

With regards to the actual video shooting & editing, I learn as I go. This web site has been a HUGE source of helpful information for me. This particular video is one that I "produced" earlier this year. Without a doubt, it is no where near the caliber video that you all are able to provide. But I hope, as you might view this video, that you might see a "rough gem" that simply needs more polish through eduction, practice, hints, tips and guidance. Don't worry. I know that my videos won't win any awards! LOL! But I do appreciate thoughtful feed back as I work to produce a better video.

Usually I just "point and tape" then edit these educational in-services. I don't write the content and I don't normally create the graphics. I just attempt to help put it all together so that my co-workers can watch, learn, and, hopefully, be mildly entertained.

Here's the link to the .mov file. Hopefully, you might learn some healthcare-related stuff while viewing this video. It is meant for a specific, targeted audience. But it is an example of what I do. Please let me know if you have problems viewing this particular video. It is about 16 minutes in length. Enjoy. :)

http://www.toolivenurse.com/Muse-Med...ate-ForWeb.mov

[Paul Cascio]

Ed, first I must ask if you have a job for my duaghter who just passed her NCLEX exam? :)

As for the video, the most important thing is to improve the audio. If I can't see the TV screen, I can still learn. But if I can't hear it clearly, only the graphics, which look nice, provide any info.

I would try to get a mic for anyone who speaks. Even cheap lavaliers from Radio Shack are better than any on-camera mic.

I like the opening, but again, the audio was not up to par.

[Ed Fiebke]

Hi Paul -

First, thank you for taking the time to watch and comment on the video. Also, congratulations on your daughter passing the NYCLEX. It's a hard test! I'm afraid that the job market for nurses is a bit dry in my area. Although I live in New Lebanon, NY, I work in Great Barrington, MA. The pay is generally better over the state border in the Berkshires. But our "sister hospital" has been laying off its workers including nurses. It's my understanding that the job market for nurses in the New England area, as a whole, is quite dry. Tell your daughter to keep on sending in those resumes, though, and have her tell those potential employers that she's flexible (willing to work those dreaded "off-shifts", willing to float to different departments, etc.). If there are openings for nurses in hospitals, they tend to be on the night shift. Float positions also tend to be more available as well. Without a doubt, this is a tough economic time for all, including nurses which is unusual. But, I can say with confidence, that there will, eventually, be more nursing positions available even in the not too distant future. The nursing force is aging with many set to retire. I read in one article that in a few years there will be a 15+% vacancy in nursing positions because of this. If she doesn't have a job now, she will. Also, if there aren't positions in hospitals, there most probably are in long-term care facilities. They're usually quite understaffed, at least they are in our area. Good luck to your daughter, Paul!

Now . . . regarding the sound to my video. . . my presenter WAS wearing a lavalier microphone. (I actually though the sound was my strongest point! LOL!) I most probably need to do a better job in mixing the sound for video format. Now, I was not wearing a lavalier microphone when I taped her in-service. She caught me by surprise when she started asking me questions during the video-taping!! LOL! The sound of my voice was being picked up by her lavalier microphone, so I know that it was weak in the video. But I was using a rather trusty microphone when I recorded my voice over the credit-music. I guess I need to also practice my sound-mixing chops! LOL!

Anyway. . . thank you for the watch and listen. And, congrats to your daughter!! Hope she lands a job that she likes. The nice thing about nursing is the wide-variety of specialties that exist within its field. It just might take some time before she finds herself in the specialty that she enjoys.

Cheers. . .

Ed

P. S. Since I shared this video, I spent some time watching other found here. Ohhhhhh. . . I have such a LOOOOOOOONG way to go and LOTS to learn before I even come close the the caliber and quality of video presented here! (I guess I won't be accepting an Academy Award for Video Recording/Eding anytime soon! LOL!) Cheers! :)

[Alan Melville]

Hi Ed,

If your camera is able, you need to do a white balance prior to shooting. Your colours are quite a long way out. Can you put a pastel coloured sheet behind the presenter, just hang it with tacks....... Pull your shot in a lot closer, your audience is interested in the presenter, the wall isn't doing anything to inspire anyone :) {if it were to fall down, now that'd be different and worth catching.......... ;) ] If your able to afford it, buy an umbrella studio light, if you can only afford one, place it to the front and side of your presenter, this will put a 'twinkle' in her eye which in turn, gives her 'life'. Below is a link to a very basic setup, it's for stills but in your case will work well and it'll give you an idea.The presenters audio is reasonable, your's isn't but that's been covered. These are easy things to do and will lift you production.

Lighting Options for Continuous Portrait Studio Photo Shoot from ALZO digital

Good luck. Keep at it and post your results !!!! :)
Cart yourself off to Admin, tell 'em you're going pro and this is what you need..... :) Tell 'em they'll save millions..... :)

Cya

Al

[Shaun Roemich]

Originally Posted by Alan Melville

Tell 'em they'll save millions..... :)

I know this is tongue in cheek but as someone who has on three different occasions worked at a hospital in the inhouse video production department, including currently on a casual basis, I can tell you that in the LONG run, it's actually cheaper to allow pros to work WITH practioners to produce the highest quality material consistantly AND get the learning message across in a time efficient manner.

We do a TON of nursing training videos (and other best practices) and have had the opportunity to "edit" practitioner shot material to TRY and salvage it AFTER the practitioner has spent WEEKS "massaging" it already.

No insult intended to Ed at all. Health care is ALWAYS looking for ways to save money and outfitting each department with a camera and an editing computer and then asking exceptionally trained MEDICAL staff to shoot and edit is NOT the way to do it.

My 2 cents, from the trenches...

[Ed Fiebke]

Hi Shaun -

You're point is well taken. Hiring a professional in any field, that works day in and day out on his/her craft, rather than use an amateur will most likely produce a better product. On a personal, note, though, I'm in the process of learning a hobby that brings me great joy. I made the initial offer to record and edit educational in-services, in part, because it offers me a wonderful opportunity to learn, practice and grow in world of video production. (My first degree is in Film Scoring which I learned almost 30 years ago. Although I never pursued that profession, the whole idea of film/video production is still a deep interest of mine.) So far, they're happy with the work that I've done. It works. It ain't marketable and I realize that. But, at present, it meets certain needs of my hospital's educational program. Heck, they're just happy that the night-shift (which is the shift that I work) are getting all of those mandatory in-services. My hospital also happens to be the second smallest hospital in MA. It's smaller than small! LOL! And, in part because of its size, it barely meets basic staffing needs. I know that there exists no money to hire a professional video production company. It will never happen. So, in my eyes, this is a "win-win" situation. I've been a nurse for a long time. I love my chosen profession. But, as you probably know, the health-care profession can be and is at times a tense and high-anxiety ridden profession. This hobby, at present, is proving to be an anti-anxiety hobby (better than Valium!) and is helping me keep my sanity! LOL!

__________________________

Hi Alan -

First, thank you for taking the time to view and comment on the video. Oh. . . lighting, framing, white-balancing. All cool things that I'm just beginning to learn how to do. To be honest with you, almost immediately after I posted this video I regretted pressing the "Submit" button! LOL! The video is soooooooo "not ready for prime time"! But the comments, so far, have been very helpful during my learning process. I sincerely appreciate the comments. But almost immediately I felt foolish posting it here. After viewing a number of videos posted here, AFTER I posted mine, I realized just how much I have to learn and grow. I kind of wish I made the time to view the posted videos BEFORE posting mine. I probably would have waited until mine were a bit more polished (which may be never! LOL!). Until recently, I didn't even notice that this particular "Show Your Work" forum existed on this bulletin board. It's a nice tool to have for anyone, professionals and amateurs alike, to have as a way to receive comments on projects to help fine-tune the craft of video production. (Still, this video was so not ready for prime time! LOL!)

Cheers. . . :)

[Shaun Roemich]

Hi Ed. Glad you took my post in the spirit in which it was offered.

Haven't had a chance to watch your vid yet as I'm on a slow connection right now. If I have some creative criticism to offer when I've watched it, I'll let you know.

[Alan Melville]

Ed,

Don't ever regret pushing the 'submit' button, there is a lot of talent on this forum and if you don't push 'that' button, you'll never tap into it........By pushing submit, you're fast tracking your improvement and admitting to yourself and your peers that there IS room for improvement in your hobby. Who knows, with a bit of a push, it may shift from 'Hobby' status to.... well one can never tell..........Think of it like this, if you had not submitted your video, we wouldn't have a benchmark to work off for you. Now, when you submit your next one, we have.....The learning and critique process is underway, that can only be a good thing, but keep the enjoyment, that's what it's all about.

Good luck.

Al

PS Hey, you reckon your hospital is small, my closest hospital, which is ~15 miles away, has 19 critical and 9 aged home beds...the area it serves has a 'massive' population of ~ 2000 people in the' tiny area' of ~ 4700 sq miles ..........check that out......!!!!

Shaun,

I know exactly where you're coming from..........applies to all professions / trades......

Al

[Ed Fiebke]

Shaun -

No problems from me. I sincerely appreciate your concern for quality products, especially for those products geared towards learning. Usually whenever new equipment is purchased, an educational video CD or video comes along with it. Also, I've watched many-a well produced DVD during nursing conferences. I appreciate the talent found behind making those educational DVDs. :-)

Alan -

Now, that hospital that you speak of is a small hospital!!! Our hospital has a total of 24 beds: 3 ICU/CCU beds (where I work), 16 med/surg beds and 5 maternity beds. It's amazing that we're still open, given the harsh economic climate around the area where I live. It may be small, but it's mighty. Small hospitals encounter unique challenges. I can only imagine that there some talented people working in your small hospital.

Again. . . thank you for the thoughtful feed back. I thought about taking classes in videography. Unfortunately, I don't have the time or money at present. Any extra educational time and money I do have usually goes towards nursing/healthcare focused education. There always seems to be something new to learn on how to keep people alive! LOL! (And, I guess that's a good thing!) I am thinking about purchasing some books on the subject, though. At the very least, there is this gem of a bulletin board. There is a lot of talent to be found here! :-)

Cheers. . . :-)

[Brent Hallman]

Hi Ed,

Here are a few thoughts...

1. White Balance (it was said before but it really is critical)
2. Framing your shot... nice wood panel, but the viewer is interested in the speaker :)
3. Audio...I heard a lot of rubbing of the mic...if this is a continual problem, suspend the mic above the talent just outside of the frame.
4. This video might be better set up as an interview instead of the talent rambling on and on...an interview set up would create more precise answers and you can re-ask questions if need be
5. Get the talent to smile! I understand this is a training/educational video... your intended audience will respond much more favourably if she was smiling and looked like she enjoyed being there!
6. And turn the auto iris off!

Anyway, I hope this helps...good luck with your future projects.

-Brent