Ever watched a live TV show and wondered whether it is really “live”? In today’s age of digital media, you may find yourself surprised to see what is really happening behind the scenes. Pre-recording “live” events can offer several advantages for the production team while preserving the intended programming feel. This production approach has transcended to virtual meeting platforms for the same reason.
Introduction
Pre-recording virtual presentations
Pre-recording a virtual presentation has several advantages for the solo presenter, which increase in importance when multiple presenters are involved. It allows you to re-record in case of critical mistakes made during the presentation or if you just feel that you were not satisfied with your presentation performance. This may be particularly advantageous for less experienced presenters, as this provides the opportunity for you to evaluate and improve your presentation with each recording. If your presentation only includes audio, i.e., does not include video in the recording, it is possible to re-record individual slides or sections of the presentation without it being apparent that it was modified. For recordings with a video feed of the presenter, it is generally recommended to record the presentation in one take, as any video edits will be noticeable, and the illusion of a live presentation will be broken.
Pre-recording a presentation is generally recommended for more formal presentations being delivered to larger audiences. In addition, when there are multiple consecutive speakers presenting, pre-recording has huge advantages. This is typically a request made by the organizers/production team of a virtual meeting for numerous reasons. Pre-recording significantly increases the polished effect and reduces technical complications that can degrade the professionalism of an event. In addition, the conference “timing” has greater chances of staying on schedule. Larger conferences are generally broadcast as a webinar where there are limited opportunities for live interaction with the audience throughout a presentation. To create engagement and the feel of a live presentation, interactions between the speakers and moderator can be pre-recorded. This can provide the most reliable flow, but if true “live” interaction is desired, a dedicated time may be allocated for live questions and answers with each of the speakers following their recording. For smaller virtual meetings, a live virtual presentation has significant advantages, as the speaker can directly interact with the individual audience members and encourage discussion, which will greatly enhance audience engagement.
Most pre-recorded virtual presentations are still recorded in one “take” without editing. But the introduction and closing need to be coordinated with the moderator’s introduction. Simply asking the conference organizers how you will be introduced and what will be shown prior to your recording can help you prepare the start of your presentation. You do not need to re-introduce yourself if a moderator has done a lengthy introduction, and you should aim to make the first 60 seconds as impactful as possible to engage the audience and convince them to stay for the entirety of your presentation.
Presentations can be recorded with a voice-over of the presentation slides with or without additional video of the presenter themselves. The addition of a video image of the presenter can be more challenging to produce, however it has advantages regarding communication and engagement of the audience, as a significant part of our communication is conveyed through body language and facial expressions. In this article we will cover some tips on how to produce a quality presentation recording. The principles of audio and video quality for virtual presentations have been covered in our previous articles and are equally important for pre-recorded presentations.
It is highly recommended that a 16:9 presentation format be utilized for recorded virtual presentations. This will conform to most screens that the presentation will be viewed on including mobile phones, tablets, laptops and desktop computers. For recordings with the presenter’s video feed, the location and arrangement of the video feed can vary. But these details are critical to establish from the outset, as it may influence the layout of the presentation slides and type of video recording captured of the speaker.
Most commonly the presenter’s video feed is overlayed onto the presentation slides. The position and size of the presenter’s video feed should be determined prior to recording the video so that the addition of a video feed does not block key parts of the presentation slides. Ideally a placeholder or box is incorporated into each of the presentation slides so that the presenter is aware of this when making and arranging the slides. This allows the presenter to work around the “video area” and ensure no information is blocked by their video (Fig. 1). When possible, customizing the layout of the presenter video feed with a square or portrait aspect ratio is preferred. In addition, the framing should be quite tight on the presenter’s upper body or face. This will minimize the amount of the presentation slide being used by the video feed, whilst still being able to clearly see the facial expression and body language of the presenter.
Fig. 1a: Original presentation slide layout
Fig. 1b: Modified layout with placeholder for 1:1 video of the presenter in the lower right corner. Images and text are moved out of this corner so that they are not obscured
Fig. 1a
Fig. 1b
The alternative to a video overlay would be the presentation slides and video can be arranged in a side-by-side layout. This will retain the format and layout of a typical in-person presentation slide. However, it will reduce the size of the slides considerably and result in dead space around the presentation and video as they can no longer fill the entire 16:9 screen format (Fig. 2). To minimize the negative effect of the dead space, a customized branded graphic can be created to creatively frame the two side-by-side video feeds.
Fig. 2: 1:1 Video of presenter arranged to the side of the presentation slides with resultant dead space indicated in blue
Several options are available for recordings that only require audio narration over the presentation slides. Keynote and PowerPoint both have built-in presentation and audio recording functions which provide a very simple and effective way to record a presentation. This will typically take you to a presenter view in which presentation notes are visible together with a preview of the next slide. A recording button is present to initiate the presentation recording (Fig. 3).
Fig. 3a: Recording controls in Microsoft PowerPoint outlined in orange
Fig. 3b: Recording controls in Apple Keynote (outlined in orange)
Fig. 3a
Fig. 3b
Once the recording is completed, a video file can be exported from the presentation software (Figs 4 - 5), which will include a high definition (1080p with a resolution of 1920x1080 pixels) recording of the presentation slides and your recorded narration.
Fig. 4a: Exporting a presentation recording in Microsoft PowerPoint
Fig. 4b: Exporting a presentation recording in Microsoft PowerPoint
Fig. 5a: Exporting a presentation recording in Apple Keynote
Fig. 5b: Exporting a presentation recording in Apple Keynote
Fig. 4a
Fig. 4b
Fig. 5a
Fig. 5b
It must be noted that there are significant differences in the recordings of various PowerPoint software versions. The inbuilt slide show recording feature in most versions of PowerPoint will not record during slide transitions. This can create pauses between slides upon exporting the recording as a movie and result in audio gaps in the narration, if a speaker continues speaking over each slide transition. Recording the audio in a separate device or program can pose challenges in the timing of the slide changes that may not match the external audio recording. The latest version of Microsoft PowerPoint for Windows or Mac also allows for video recording, however this also pauses the video recording during the slide transitions and will create significant issues in the recording. This is designed such that the presenter needs to pause between each slide so that each slide can be recorded individually and then slides can be added/removed/re-recorded without having to record the entire presentation again. To address this issue, it is advisable to record the slideshow and audio in a separate application and not directly in Microsoft PowerPoint.
Many virtual presentation platforms such as Zoom also have recording capabilities. Pre-recording a virtual presentation can be as straightforward as starting a new meeting, sharing your screen and hitting the record button! This will typically record the presenter’s audio, the presentation slides being shared as well as the video feed of the presenter. In the Zoom platform, recording options for local recording, or recording to the cloud are available. It is recommended to record to your local computer rather than through the cloud as this will have better quality and minimize the impact of internet connection fluctuations on the recording continuity and quality. Recording settings are available in the Zoom platform and can be found in the account settings online (Fig. 6). The quality of the recording will also vary depending on your computer display settings and how the Zoom windows are arranged on your screen. Many of the recordings on these platforms with the automatically applied settings can be of very low resolution and not suitable for the purpose of pre-recording a professional presentation.
Fig. 6: Recording options which are selected in the online account settings to allow for local recording and optimization for 3rd party video editing software and are accessed through a web browser after logging into the meeting host account
For more tech-savvy presenters, the Open Broadcaster Software (OBS) is a free and open-source solution for customized recording of presentations and live streaming that is available for both Mac and Windows. This software allows for multiple sources to be recorded into one single video file and arranged in any custom format and resolution. Audio filters for audio noise reduction and video filters to enhance or add background video effects for those wishing to use a green screen can be applied prior to recording. These effects are recorded directly into the video file and will eliminate the need for significant post-production editing, if set up correctly. During the set-up of the OBS recording session the two video inputs should be added, one being a recording of the screen on which the presentation slides are being displayed, and the other being the camera or webcam video input of the presenter. The audio input is also added, and a noise reduction filter applied as necessary. The arrangement and size of the videos as well as the output resolution and recording quality should be set, maintaining a minimum HD resolution of 1920x1080. If you would like to record each of the video inputs in full quality for resizing and combining in post-production editing, you can arrange the slides and presenter video to record two side-by-side HD video streams into one video file with a resolution of 3840x1080. This is generally recommended if you are unsure of the final layout at the time of recording. By recording the video and audio into one file you can minimize syncing issues with the presentation timing for multiple audio and video feeds (Fig. 7).
Fig. 7: Recording full HD video of the presentation slides, presenter video and separate audio input into a single customized recording through OBS – www.obsproject.com
Pre-recording a virtual presentation can take some of the stress out of public speaking, and also provide the flexibility to manage the recording in your own time. The quality of recorded presentations can be very high and does not require complex video editing skills or extensive post-production time if set up correctly.
Some key points to remember for your recording:
- Confirm the format and layout of the recording required and how they will present it during the conference
- Record 2 - 3 slides of your presentation as a test prior to recording a complete take
- Check your audio quality for noise and volume
- Check your video quality, framing and sync with the audio
Once recorded, your video should be ready to be sent to the conference organizers using a file transfer service such as Dropbox, Google Drive or WeTransfer, and then you can sit back, watch and enjoy the conference!