/nit-conf-2020-speaker-pack

Speaker Kit (Natives in Tech 2020)

Wela'lin, thank you, speaker.

We are here to create space for you to inspire and lift up yourself, your people, and your beliefs. You may speak to any topic, style your talk however you want, and make your presentation yours.

Recording your talk

You can prepare your talk as normal. You can prepare slides if you choose, or just record yourself. We do suggest you record yourself even if you have slides, as your presence and ideas are why folks are watching.

If you choose to prepare slides, prepare them as normal. First, please record yourself giving your talk, advancing your slides as normal, talk as if the viewers can see what is on your slides. Second, after this, please record the slide timings for us. This might feel weird, but this two step process will help us create a mashup of you talking and slides later. This isn't too dreadful, don't worry! We are here to answer your questions.

Whether or not of if you have slides, we ask that you record yourself first. That is, your face (not your slides) giving your talk. If you have slides, you should speak to them and progress them as normal. If you don't, then just speak and there is no second step for you! :)

Not sure how to record yourself? See Recording options.

Want the settings/format? See settings below

Once you've saved your recording, you have to watch it back. I know, I know, you don't like to watch a recording of yourself. Neither do I! But, we're going to post this online, so we should check it.

If you used slides, spend this time with your screen partitioned in half. Have your slides open and recording (that is, to a new file) in one window while you watch your recording of your face. Advance the slides in your recording when appropriate.

Almost done! At this point, you should have:

  • One video file of your fantastic self.
  • Optionally, one video file of slides you use.

Fantastic job. Now just choose an uploading option that works for you.

Thank you.

Recording

Recording software options

OBS

OBS is a multiplatform open source software for video recording and live streaming.

To download OBS, please visit https://obsproject.com/download and choose your Operating System's installer download. When you first run it, it should run a wizard 🧙. Opt for recording quality, and pick the default canvas resolution of 1080p.

To learn more about how to use OBS for your streaming and recording, please visit OBS Wiki.

OBS outputs to MP4 by default, you don't need to change it!

Streamlabs

Streamlabs is a live streaming software for Windows that is built on top of OBS. It also allows you to record and save your stream.

To download Streamlabs OBS, please visit https://streamlabs.com/slobs/download. When you run SLOBS the first time it should run a wizard. If prompted, check the resolution is at least 1080p and that you're optimizing for recording quality, not streaming speed.

To learn more about how to record your stream see their tutorial - How to Record on Streamlabs OBS

SLOBS outputs to MP4 by default, you don't need to change it!

Quicktime

Quicktime is a recording software and player for Apple macOS. If you own a Mac, you already have it installed.

To learn more about how to record using Quicktime, please visit Apple Quicktime tutorials.

Quicktime defaults to MOV which is problematic please try to make your output is MP4 or MKV or AVI at 1080p.

Settings for all options

  • We're happy to accept videos in any format, MKV, AVI, or MP4. We'd prefer not to take mov files, but it's okay if that's all you can send. We'll work it out, just don't send your slides last minute please!
  • We want recordings resolution of at least 1080p. That's 1080px wide, at least. You can record in a larger format if you want, but beware of file sizes!
  • Opt for recording quality in the wizard.

General recording tips

  • Cameras don't produce good pictures with too much or too little light.
    • It's best if you try to record midmorning or midday
    • If your light is too low, use neutral lighting behind your screen.
  • Camera and eye position matters!
    • While presenting, you should put your slides fullscreen. This helps your eyes focus on the center of the screen.
    • Try to place your camera directly above your screen, so that you look like you're looking at the camera when you look at the screen.
    • Just like real speaking, it helps to look at your audience sometimes. That's your camera!
  • Wear what you want!
    • Avoid wearing greenscreen-like coloured clothing. Even though we're not greenscreening, it tends to block badly.
    • Try to avoid wearing the same color as your background. If you're wearing white on a white background, you tend to get really washed out.
    • Jewelery on the wrists can cause dragging or scraping sounds if you rest your hand on a laptop (with a mic) while speaking. Either don't do that, or don't wear bracelets.

Uploading

You have some options, don't worry.

If you have your own space to host your video where we can download it (such as your own website, and a direct link to the file, please do not use a Youtube embed or otherwise. Just drop the file into the host.)

If you have a Google account that you're comfortable signing in with, you can drop your presentation in to this dropbox after signing in.

If you'd prefer not to have a Google account, no problem! Please email ana@nativesintech.org and we will set up a bucket for you to upload to with s3cmd.