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Wellesley College Research Guides

SOC/AMST 251: Racial Regimes in the United States and Beyond

Storyboards

A storyboard is the equivalent of an outline for a paper. When you create a media project, you start with a storyboard.

Storyboards serve the following purposes:

  • Allows you to gather your ideas before you begin working with video or audio content.
  • Encourages you to think about all elements of your digital story: visual, textual, audible.
  • Allows you to quickly sketch and try out different ideas Helps identify resources needed to complete the project and whether you can find them or need to create them yourselves.
  • Generates questions that can help you decide whether your scope is achievable or not.
  • Are works in progress, just like outlines. They’ll change as you work on your project
  • Serve as a quick reference: Did you address all the required elements, such as length and content?

If you’re writing a full script out first, it shouldn’t be longer than 2 double-spaced pages or reading it will take longer than 3 to 4 minutes.

Tools for building storyboards 

Storyboard Templates

2-column storymapping approach - Scroll down to the bottom of the page to Story Table Handouts

 

Recording Tips

If you plan on including a video of yourself speaking, Zoom will probably work just fine for you. To learn some basic tips on how to improve the quality of your computer webcam recordings, watch this video.

If you have a smartphone, chances are it’s more than powerful enough to record quality video. Make sure that your phone is fully-charged and that you have enough free space to record. To learn about best practices when recording your video with a smartphone, watch this video.

Podcasts, voiceovers, bears, oh my! Take stock of your background noise: fans, A/Cs, dogs barking, kids playing. Do what you can to minimize those sounds — turn off the fan, close doors to muffle loud noises in other rooms. But remember: it's not the end of the world if you can't control the noise around you.

When recording only audio, there are two options:

  • Computer: Record in Zoom, and Zoom will provide an “audio_only” file!

  • Smartphone: Smartphones should have built-in recording apps!

    • iPhone: Voice Memos

    • Android: Voice Recorder

The EarPods that come with most Apple products have built-in mics, which capture your voice just as well as some external microphones do!

Finding Media

If you'd like to distribute your media beyond the classroom, you should search for content in the public domain or under Creative Commons. 

The Media Libguide is a great summary of resources.

 

What is Creative Commons? Check out this guide or this infographic

Editing Tips

📹 Video Editing

We generally recommend iMovie for beginners. It's easy to use, there's a lot of online resources, and it has excellent auto-save functions.

Name Compatibility Skill
iMovie

🍏 (Apple only)

Also available on Wellesley lab computers

 Beginner
KDenLive 🍏 + 🪟 (Apple and Windows) Beginner/Intermediate
Adobe Premiere Rush

🍏 + 🪟 (Apple and Windows)

Only available on Wellesley lab computers

 Beginner/Intermediate
DaVinci Resolve

🍏 + 🪟 (Apple and Windows)

Needs fancy-ish computer to run!

 Advanced
Adobe Premiere Pro

🍏 + 🪟 (Apple and Windows)

Only available on Wellesley lab computers

 Advanced

🎧 Audio Editing

If you follow the tips and techniques outlined in the 🎙️ Recoding Voiceover tab, you should be able to just record audio in the video editing program that you choose. All the video editing software listed above has built-in audio recording capabilities.

If your audio needs higher-level editing like background noise removal, here are some programs we suggest:

Name Compatibility Skill

Audacity

Use the 64bit installer or the dmg, not the Muse Hub option!

 🍏 + 🪟 (Apple and Windows) Intermediate
Adobe Audition

🍏 + 🪟 (Apple and Windows)

Only available on Wellesley lab computers

 Advanced

In-Person Support:

 

Documentation and Tutorials:

iMovie

 

🏫 Choosing a Recording Environment

Podcasts, voiceovers, bears, oh my! Try to find a quiet place to record your audio. Take stock of your background noise: fans, A/Cs, dogs barking, kids playing. Do what you can to minimize those sounds — turn off the fan, close doors to muffle loud noises in other rooms. But remember: it's not the end of the world if you can't control the noise around you.

💻/📱 Choosing a Recording Medium

The easiest way to record audio for your project is probably in the same software you'll use for editing. iMovie, Kdenlive, Premiere Pro, and most other video editing softwares have built-in audio recording tools.

🎙️ Microphones

We highly recommend checking out a Samson Go USB Mic from Knapp EQ to record voiceover content! Reserving equipment via R&R is recommended but not required :)

If you don't want to trek to the Mods, the EarPods that come with most Apple products have built-in mics, which capture your voice just as well as some external microphones do! 

⛔ We not not recommend using AirPods or other bluetooth headphones.

🗣️ Technique and Tips

  • 1️⃣🚫 You don’t need to record in one take! Find natural pauses in your script and record segments.
  • 🪑 We recommend recording in one sitting, if possible. Different settings introduces some complications for your final video essay, like distracting changes in background noise, volume, etc. Splicing clips together seamlessly is much easier when they all sound the same!
  • 🐢 Speak slower than you think you need to!