Keeping in mind Mayer’s Segmenting and Coherence principles, I decided to make a short video on how to properly maintain one’s wardrobe. To get a better idea of how I was going to go about filming something, which to me, was a daily part of my life, I’ve designed a short storyboard. The purpose here is simple, the storyboard provides me with a path to follow so that I don’t get overwhelmed when it comes time to film.

Narration:” First thing you want to do is gather all your laundry and arrange based on fabric.”

Narration:” Then, one batch at a time, you want to drop your laundry into the washer and add detergent.”

Narration:” Once done, we set our clothes out to dry, nice and evenly spaced.”

Narration:” Once dry, it’s better to iron your clothes before you store them.“

Narration:” Once you’ve gone through and ironed your stuff, you can then hang it up for when you need it so that it’s ready for the days ahead.”

I tried to use the storyboard to keep track of everything I wanted to mention. This also helped me plan out everything that I’d need to get done. More importantly, it also helped me remember what shots I needed to take and which ones I could leave out. Not knowing what shots to take when making a video is one of the most time-consuming hurdles, so having a set outline in front of me was the most helpful part.

Here’s a Rundown on the Script:

Shot One: I walk into my laundry room and film the clothes that need to be sorted as I explain while I talk over it. I opted to do it myself so the viewers know what the process should look like and my point gets across.

Shot Two: A simple shot of adding the detergent and getting everything set up with the timer, emphasizing that the process is well underway and showing how we’ve moved on to the next step.

Shot Three: Shot of the clothes drying up as I explain which method of drying I use and why plus it shows the user how it’s done visually.

Shot Four: Shot of me steaming my clothes. Explaining why this is done before storage.

Shot Five: A shot of my wardrobe after the management is done so I can explain and show how the management is done and why I believe doing this prior will help the viewer take care of their wardrobe better.

With a general idea of what I wanted to do I set about making the video with my smartphone. I’ve looked into a bunch of software that lets me edit videos to add and put together the shots as well as add the voiceovers.

Reflections

What was the Learning Purpose of the Video?

The purpose of the video was to teach people how they can take care of their wardrobe and how that in turn will make their life easier. Although it’s a mundane task, it’s a crucial part of our daily lives which is why I chose to highlight the learning aspects of the video rather than drawing too much attention to a complex storyline.

Which of the learning principles were incorporated?

The two that stand out the most are Mayer’s Segmenting and Coherence Principles because of the form of the video. It was purposely short and had the intent to provide value in terms of a learning outcome. I also wanted to incorporate Mayer’s Personalization principle because I wanted the video to be more casual. After all, that suited the point of my video better. I also wanted to make it as understandable to as wide an audience as possible to incorporate as much of the UDL Guidelines as possible.

What was challenging about Capturing Your Video

The first thing that struck me as a novice videographer is that what looks good from your point of view, isn’t necessarily what shows up in the camera frame. That makes it super hard to find the right show. Lighting is also something that I had to figure out as shots would appear darker than expected. Essentially, getting the vision that was in my head, onto the screen proved difficult. Additionally, this issue was aggravated by the lack of professional equipment, meaning I didn’t have different-sized lenses to play around with frame sizes. However, the experience was well worth it despite its challenges.

How would I Approach making the Video differently Next Time?

I’d spend more time planning the shooting aspect of it, and I’d focus more on having a more detailed script and a description of the shots I want to take. Putting the images that I have in my head, on paper in a descriptive manner will help me know what I’m looking for.