Can AI Mark Homework — and Should It?

Marking an answer and understanding why a student gave that answer are not the same thing.

A student writes the wrong answer. A computer places a cross beside it. The score is calculated instantly.

But what happens next?

Did the student misunderstand the question, forget a unit, choose the wrong equation or make a small arithmetic slip? Perhaps they understood the science perfectly but struggled to put their explanation into words.

Those possibilities require different teaching responses.

As a tutor, I am interested in whether AI can reduce the time spent on routine marking. I am even more interested in whether it can help us use the time with a student more effectively.

My answer is a qualified yes. AI can assist with checking work and preparing feedback. How much responsibility we give it should depend on the task, the reliability of the system and the consequences of getting it wrong.

First, Does the Task Actually Need AI?

Automatic marking is not new. A quiz can compare a selected answer with an answer key. A spreadsheet can total the results. Neither needs a generative AI chatbot.

That distinction matters. A fixed answer checker follows defined rules. A chatbot generates a response and may interpret the same answer differently on another occasion.

Before introducing AI, I would ask: what extra educational value does it provide?

A quick score may be useful. An accurate explanation of a misconception could be more useful. A confident but incorrect explanation could make matters worse.

Multiple Choice: Easy to Score, Harder to Interpret

Multiple-choice questions are an obvious starting point. Once the answer key has been checked, recording correct and incorrect responses is straightforward.

Suppose a student chooses “current is used up as it passes through a bulb”. A carefully designed wrong option can point towards a misconception about electrical circuits.

AI could help draft a follow-up question:

“Would you expect the current just before the bulb to be different from the current just after it?”

However, selecting a wrong option does not prove why the student chose it. They might have guessed, misread a word or confused two ideas.

Equally, selecting the right answer does not prove understanding.

My next question would often be: “Why did you choose that one?”

The score starts the conversation. It does not finish it.

Numerical Answers: The Working Matters

Consider this simple calculation:

Speed = distance / time

A student travels 120 metres in 10 seconds.

Speed = 120 / 10 = 12 m/s

Checking the final number is easy. Assessing a less tidy solution requires more care.

What if the student writes 12 without a unit? What if they use the correct method but divide incorrectly? What if an early error carries through consistently?

Depending on the question and mark scheme, there may be credit for method or error carried forward. A correct answer alone may also be insufficient when working is required.

AI can help review a calculation, but it needs the question, the complete working and the relevant marking rules. A photograph adds another possible failure: the system may misread a minus sign, decimal point or handwritten digit.

I would want uncertain handwriting flagged before any mark was proposed.

In my teaching, I also want to know whether a student can estimate a sensible answer. If a walking-speed calculation produces 120 m/s, recognising that something is wrong is a valuable skill in its own right.

Written Explanations: Keywords Are Only Part of the Answer

Science answers are particularly revealing because a student can include the right vocabulary without explaining the mechanism.

Take this illustrative question:

“Why does increasing temperature usually increase the rate of a chemical reaction?”

A student writes:

“The particles move faster and collide more.”

That contains relevant ideas. A fuller explanation would connect increased kinetic energy with a greater proportion of collisions having enough energy to overcome the activation energy.

AI might help identify that missing link. But it could also demand unnecessary detail, accept an inaccurate phrase or produce feedback pitched above the student’s level.

The teacher must judge both the chemistry and the demand of the question.

A useful next step might be just one instruction:

“Add a sentence explaining why more collisions are successful.”

That gives the student something manageable to do. A long model answer may simply give them something to copy.

Essays: Fluent Writing Is Not the Same as Strong Thinking

For essays, the judgement becomes more complex.

A business student might write:

“If the café raises its prices, its revenue will increase.”

The sentence is clear, but the reasoning is incomplete. What happens to the number of customers? How sensitive are they to price? Are there competing cafés nearby?

AI could suggest a useful challenge:

“Under what circumstances might a price rise reduce revenue?”

That is a promising use of the technology: helping a teacher prepare questions that extend an argument.

However, essay assessment also involves relevance, evidence, analysis and evaluation. A polished paragraph may contain little substance. An awkwardly phrased paragraph may contain an excellent idea.

I would be especially cautious about feedback that rewards sophisticated vocabulary or penalises spelling when those are not part of the assessment criteria. Students with dyslexia, or those writing in an additional language, should have their subject understanding assessed against the intended objectives.

A tool should help us notice their ideas, rather than encourage everyone to sound the same.

Examination Questions: A Suggested Mark Needs Evidence

For practice examination questions, “mark this at GCSE level” is an inadequate instruction.

The tool needs the exact question, the correct specification, the relevant mark scheme and any necessary diagrams or source material. It should explain how each proposed mark connects to evidence in the answer.

Even then, the result needs checking. AI may apply a mark scheme too rigidly, overlook an acceptable alternative or award credit for an idea the student has not actually expressed.

Nor does a mark on one practice answer establish an overall examination grade.

Formal assessment requires particular care. JCQ’s current rules for centre-assessed work say that teachers must not use AI as the sole or primary means of marking. Teachers must review the work in its entirety and determine the mark using their own professional judgement. This is a formal assessment requirement, distinct from an ordinary homework exercise.

For me, the useful question is: “Can I justify this mark from the student’s work and the marking criteria?”

If I cannot, the AI’s confidence is irrelevant.

Feedback: What Will the Student Do Differently?

Potentially, feedback is one of AI’s most useful contributions.

A teacher could use it to draft a shorter explanation, suggest another example or prepare a follow-up question targeting a specific difficulty.

But feedback succeeds when the student acts on it.

“Develop your explanation” is vague.

“Explain how the increase in temperature changes the proportion of successful collisions” is more useful.

“Improve your evaluation” is vague.

“Give one condition under which your recommendation would no longer be sensible” gives the student a clear task.

I would usually prefer one or two carefully chosen actions to a page of generated comments.

There is also a difference between correcting work and rewriting it. If AI turns a weak paragraph into an impressive one, the finished paragraph may improve while the student’s understanding remains unchanged.

A better sequence is:

1. Identify the difficulty.
2. Give a hint or focused question.
3. Let the student revise their answer.
4. Check the new answer.
5. Try a similar question independently.

The last step matters. It helps reveal whether learning has transferred beyond the original exercise.

A Practical Way to Try AI-Assisted Marking

I would start with a small, low-stakes homework task.

First, mark a varied sample myself, including a strong answer, a partly correct answer and one with a plausible misconception. Then compare the tool’s suggestions against those judgements.

Look for patterns. Does it overlook missing units? Reward keywords without explanation? Misread handwriting? Give different marks when the same answer is submitted again?

An illustrative teacher-facing prompt might be:

Review this practice homework against the supplied question and marking criteria. First flag any unclear transcription. For each proposed mark, identify the exact evidence in the student’s answer. Distinguish a factual error from an incomplete explanation. Flag ambiguity rather than guessing. Suggest one short improvement task. Do not rewrite the answer or infer an overall examination grade. All judgements are provisional for teacher review.

A careful prompt can make the review more focused; it cannot guarantee accuracy.

I would check the proposed feedback before giving it to the student and make clear when AI had helped prepare it. Students should also be able to query a judgement.

Finally, I would count the checking and correction time. A tool that produces comments quickly has not necessarily saved time overall.

Student Work Deserves Care

Before uploading homework, teachers need to consider the information it contains.

Removing a name may not be enough. An essay could identify a student through personal experiences, family details or comments about health.

In schools, Department for Education guidance recommends approved tools, checks on how personal data is handled, and advice from the data protection officer or IT lead. Its wider guidance also retains professional responsibility for the accuracy and appropriateness of AI-assisted output.

For a tutor, the practical principle is equally clear: understand how a service handles uploaded work before entrusting it with a student’s information. Check retention, access and whether submissions can be used for model training.

For an initial experiment, invented answers are often sufficient.

What the Teacher Still Brings

After more than forty years in education, I remain interested in what happens between the written answers.

The pause before a student begins. The explanation they can give aloud but cannot yet organise on paper. The familiar mistake that has finally disappeared.

A homework submission captures only part of that picture.

In practical science, a written account also cannot establish whether a student can set up apparatus, make a careful measurement or recognise an unexpected observation. Those skills need to be observed.

Teacher oversight should therefore mean more than approving whatever the software produces. It means checking the evidence, listening to the student and deciding what would help them move forward.

Can AI Mark Homework — and Should It?

Yes, AI can assist with some marking tasks. It can also help prepare focused questions and feedback.

Whether it should do so depends on how well it performs on the actual task and whether the resulting process improves learning.

My aim would be to spend less time on repetitive checking and more time understanding the student’s thinking.

A cross beside an answer tells us that something went wrong.

The next conversation is where teaching begins.

So do I use it ? No. I go through the work with the student with the mark scheme and explain as I go through.

 

The Aim of Tuition Should Eventually Be Not to Need the Tutor

Perhaps the greatest success for a tutor is the day the student discovers they can increasingly do it without us.

A student arrives with a difficult question. We work through it together, the answer makes sense, and they leave feeling happier. That is a useful lesson.

But there is another question I want to ask: what will happen when they meet a similar problem on their own?

Will they know where to begin? Can they recognise what they understand and what still needs work? If the first attempt fails, do they have another approach?

As we reach the end of this series on private tuition, that seems the right place to finish. Extra teaching can help with today's difficulty. Good tuition should also prepare a student for tomorrow's difficulty, when the tutor is elsewhere.

A Better Result Than “I Can Do It When You Help Me”

There is a difference between following an explanation and being able to use it independently.

During a lesson, a student may follow every step of an algebra solution. Yet a few days later, faced with a slightly different question, they may be unsure how to start. The explanation made sense at the time, but they have not yet learnt to make the decisions themselves.

That is a signal to adjust the teaching. Perhaps I need to model my thinking more clearly. Perhaps they need a smaller step, a different representation or another opportunity to practise.

My aim is to move gradually from:

“Let me teach you this.”

through:

“Let us work out the next step together.”

to:

“Show me how you would learn this yourself.”

That final question asks the student to take increasing ownership of the process.

Recognising a Gap Is a Skill Worth Teaching

“I don't understand chemistry” sounds like an enormous problem. “I can balance the equation, but I don't know how to use it to calculate the mass” gives us somewhere to begin.

Students need practice in identifying the point at which understanding breaks down.

Take a GCSE calculation involving a reacting mass. I might ask:

• Can you explain what the question wants you to find?
• Which information have you been given?
• Can you calculate the relative formula mass?
• Where does the balanced equation enter the calculation?

Those questions help locate the difficulty. Over time, the student can start asking them without prompting.

Being able to say, “This is the part I need help with,” is progress. It turns a vague sense of failure into a specific problem that can be tackled.

Teach Students How to Choose Their Resources

An independent learner needs more than access to information. They need some judgement about which information will help.

A student revising a topic might have a textbook, class notes, a specification, worked examples and several videos available. Opening all of them at once can become an excellent way of feeling busy without resolving the difficulty.

I would encourage a more deliberate sequence:

1. Identify the precise question or skill causing trouble.
2. Choose one relevant explanation or worked example at the right level.
3. Close it and attempt a fresh question.
4. Check the answer and decide what to do next.

For example, a student struggling with simultaneous equations could study one worked elimination example, explain why the equations are added or subtracted, then attempt a similar question unaided.

The important test comes when the resource is closed. Can the student now use what they have learnt?

Asking for Help Can Be an Independent Decision

Independence does not mean struggling silently for an hour.

Teachers, scientists and other professionals ask questions, consult references and seek a second opinion. Students should learn to do the same with purpose.

Compare these two requests:

“I can't do question six.”

“I drew the force diagram and resolved the weight, but I don't know which forces belong in the equation along the slope.”

The second student has already done useful thinking. Their question makes the help more focused.

Sometimes a student cannot yet describe the difficulty so clearly. We can begin with something simpler: “Show me what you tried, and tell me where you became unsure.”

That is a skill we can practise together.

Mistakes Should Change the Next Attempt

Marking an answer wrong provides information. Learning comes from deciding what to do with it.

Suppose a student loses marks on a graph question. “Practise graphs” is a very broad response. The actual problem might be choosing a scale, labelling units, plotting coordinates or explaining the relationship shown.

A useful review has three parts:

What happened?	Why did it happen?	What will I do next?
I calculated the wrong area.	I treated a diameter as a radius.	Label the radius before substituting.
My explanation missed the question.	I described what happened but did not explain why.	Underline the command word and add the causal link.
I could follow the example but could not start alone.	I relied on seeing the first step.	Practise identifying the first step on three fresh questions.

There is no need for an elaborate error notebook. A few clear notes can help, especially if the student returns to the skill later and checks whether the change worked.

Practical Work Gives Students Decisions to Make

This is one reason practical work matters in my teaching.

In the classroom and laboratory, there are opportunities for students to move beyond following instructions and begin explaining their choices.

In a rates-of-reaction investigation, for example, I can start by demonstrating the method. As understanding grows, I can ask the student to explain which variable they will change, what they will measure and what they must keep constant.

Later, they can consider whether their results support a conclusion and whether an unusual result needs investigating.

The practical becomes a chance to ask: “What evidence would help you decide?”

That increasing intellectual responsibility happens within the supervision and safety arrangements the practical requires.

Revision Should Become a Plan the Student Can Explain

“Revise biology” is an intention. A useful plan identifies an action and a way to check its effect.

For example:

“On Tuesday I will draw and label the heart from memory, check it against my notes, then answer two questions about blood flow. On Friday I will try the diagram again.”

Initially, I may help construct that plan. Later, the student can bring their own proposal to the lesson.

We can then discuss whether it is realistic, whether it addresses a real weakness and how they will judge improvement. A short, achievable plan that produces evidence of learning is more useful than a beautifully coloured timetable that cannot be followed.

Reduce Support at a Pace That Works

Students do not all become independent in the same way or at the same speed. Confidence, anxiety, dyslexia, attention and previous experiences can all affect the support someone needs.

Some students may continue to benefit from a checklist, a visual prompt, an accessible text or a regular planning conversation. Using an appropriate tool can be part of working independently.

I might move from demonstrating a whole question to supplying a first-step prompt, then invite the student to choose their own approach. If they become overwhelmed, we can restore some support and build up again.

Nor does this mean every student should stop tuition at a predetermined point. There may be a new course, a demanding topic or an examination ahead. We should review what the lessons are achieving and how much support remains useful.

What Progress Might Look Like at Home

Parents may notice independence in small changes:

• Their child starts a task without waiting for someone to sit beside them.
• They describe a particular difficulty rather than dismissing the whole subject.
• They check an answer and try to explain the mistake.
• They arrive at tuition with a question they have identified themselves.
• They suggest what they need to practise next.

A helpful conversation starter is: “Show me something you can now do on your own, and something you still need help with.”

It makes room for achievement and uncertainty together.

The Best Final Lesson Reaches Beyond the Next Exam

Examinations matter. So do subject knowledge, confidence and the chance to recover after a difficult period at school.

But I also want tuition to leave students with habits they can carry into the next stage: recognising uncertainty, choosing a useful resource, asking a focused question, practising with purpose and learning from mistakes.

For me, a particularly satisfying moment is when a student can explain how they approached something unfamiliar: what they tried, what went wrong and how they found a way forward.

That is the direction I want our work to take at Hemel Private Tuition.

We may begin with, “Let me teach you this.”

The longer-term ambition is to hear, “I wasn't sure at first, but here is how I worked it out.”

The aim of tuition should eventually be a student who needs less of our help because they have learnt how to help themselves.

Video Editing with DaVinci Resolve 21 and Beyond The Timeline — How Raw Footage Becomes a Story

 

Video Editing with DaVinci Resolve 21 and Beyond

The Timeline — How Raw Footage Becomes a Story

Recording the video captures what happened. Editing decides what the audience experiences.

A camera might record ten minutes of a sailing afternoon: preparing the boat, sorting out a rope, launching, sailing and returning ashore. Everything happened, but does the viewer need to see every second?

Probably not.

The pleasure of being there and the pleasure of watching afterwards are different things. On the river, a quiet stretch can be wonderful. On screen, several similar minutes may tell the audience very little.

That is where editing begins. We choose the moments that help someone else understand and enjoy the experience.

For the sailing films, organ recitals, science videos and video podcasts I make, the question is much the same: what does the audience need to see or hear next?

This time you will…

Turn ten minutes of sailing footage into a two-minute film, then compare two openings: one chronological, the other beginning with a taste of the action.

You will practise arranging clips, trimming them and adding supporting pictures and sound.

What you need

• DaVinci Resolve and ten minutes of footage from one outing or activity.
• A safe copy of the original recordings.
• Headphones or speakers.
• Optional: a short voice-over and music you have permission to use.

The exercise centres on basic editing decisions that remain useful as Resolve develops. There is no need to master every page before making a coherent film.

Meet the Timeline: Time Across, Layers Above and Below

Think of the timeline as the working plan for your finished film.

Time runs from left to right. Clips are the pieces of picture and sound you arrange along it. The playhead marks the moment you are viewing; moving it lets you inspect different parts of the sequence.

A clip’s width represents its duration at the current zoom level. A long strip occupies more screen time than a short one.

On the Edit page, video and audio sit on separate tracks. A useful starting arrangement for this exercise is:

Track	Suggested contents
V2	Supporting pictures, known as B-roll, and occasional titles
V1	The main sequence of sailing shots
A1	Sound recorded with the main footage
A2	Optional narration
A3	Optional music

This is an organisational choice, rather than a compulsory layout. An opaque, full-frame picture on V2 normally covers the picture beneath it. Audio tracks can play together, so adding music does not automatically silence wind noise or speech.

Keep the picture and its original sound linked while making your first edits. It is surprisingly easy to move one without the other and discover that a splash arrives before the boat touches the water.

Cut or Edit: Which Page Should You Use?

Resolve offers two connected approaches:

• The Cut page emphasises speed. Its dual timeline shows the whole programme alongside a closer view of the section being edited.
• The Edit page provides a traditional multitrack workspace with detailed control over picture, sound and timing.

You can switch between them while working on the same timeline. Blackmagic describes them as complementary editing environments. For this first exercise, I suggest staying on the Edit page so the track arrangement is easy to follow.

Five Ideas That Make the Timeline Useful

1. A cut moves the viewer to the next shot

A straight cut changes immediately from one picture to another: hands releasing a rope, followed by the boat moving away.

Most of a sailing film can use straightforward cuts. The interest comes from the pictures and their relationship.

2. Trimming chooses exactly when a shot starts and finishes

Perhaps the camera ran for twenty seconds, but the useful action occupies only five.

Trim away the camera being repositioned, keep enough time to understand the action, then leave when the shot has done its job. These edits normally change which portion of the source appears in the film; they do not shorten the original recording on disk.

A ripple trim also moves later material to close or open space. Watch the rest of the timeline when using it, especially once several tracks are involved.

3. Transitions suggest a relationship

A dissolve briefly overlaps two pictures and can suggest a gentle passage of time. A fade to black can give an ending room to settle.

Neither is needed at every join. Try straight cuts first, then add a transition only where it improves the meaning or feeling. A dissolve needs spare source frames beyond the visible clip edges, so an unsuccessful transition may simply mean there is insufficient footage available.

4. B-roll gives an explanation something to show

B-roll is supporting footage: the sail filling, a hand on the tiller, water passing the hull or a rope being secured.

For example, narration might say:

“Once we were clear of the bank, there was enough breeze to get moving.”

The viewer can see the boat gathering speed while the explanation continues. Supporting pictures can also cover an edit in a spoken piece, provided the edit preserves what the speaker meant.

5. Pacing is the rate at which the experience develops

Short shots can create energy; longer shots allow observation.

But fast cutting is not automatically engaging. If every shot lasts two seconds, viewers may struggle to understand the manoeuvre. If every shot lasts twenty seconds, the sequence may feel repetitive.

Ask: has this shot given the viewer something new, and have they had time to take it in?

Get Editing: Ten Minutes into Two

Step 1: Give the afternoon a simple story

Write one sentence:

“We prepare the boat, get afloat, enjoy the breeze and return ashore.”

Create a project, import your recordings into the Media Pool and organise them into four bins: Preparation, Launching, Sailing and Return.

For a straightforward first exercise, use footage recorded at one frame rate and match the timeline to it. Choose the intended frame rate before building the edit.

Step 2: Find the useful moments

Watch the footage and identify:

• A clear beginning.
• Actions that move the outing forward.
• One particularly engaging sailing moment.
• A satisfying ending.

In the source viewer, mark an In and Out around each useful section and add those selections to the timeline. Leave enough room around actions to refine their timing later.

You are choosing material for a story, rather than trying to rescue every recording.

Step 3: Make the chronological version

Build a two-minute sequence using this suggested allocation:

Section	Duration	What it establishes
Preparation	25 seconds	The boat, people and intention
Launching	25 seconds	The move from shore to water
Sailing	50 seconds	The main experience
Returning ashore	20 seconds	Resolution and a clear finish
Total	120 seconds	A complete short story

These are section lengths containing several shots, rather than instructions to hold four long clips.

Preparation might include a wide view of the boat, a close-up of a fitting and a short shot of the crew getting ready. One clear rope adjustment usually tells us enough; several repetitions probably do not.

Step 4: Duplicate it and open with the action

Keep the chronological timeline and duplicate it as “Sailing — Action Opening”.

Try this alternative:

Film time	Content
0:00–0:08	A strong moment from the sailing section
0:08–0:28	Return to preparation, with “Earlier that afternoon” if needed
0:28–0:48	Launching
0:48–1:40	Sailing, developing towards the featured moment
1:40–2:00	Return ashore and a brief closing thought

The opening creates a question: how did we get here?

It need not feature rough weather or a dramatic incident. A clean tack, an attractive low camera angle or an expressive crew reaction may be enough. Avoid replaying the entire opening later unless the repetition adds something.

Changing the order can improve the introduction while keeping the events understandable and honest.

Step 5: Refine pictures and sound

Remove repeated information and unnecessary gaps. Check that the viewer can follow where the boat is going and what the crew are doing.

Add a few relevant close-ups on V2. If those clips contain unwanted camera sound, mute or lower that sound deliberately.

Let useful natural sound remain: water, a sail filling, a brief exchange between the crew. Keep music beneath speech and listen for sudden changes in volume. Small audio fades can soften abrupt joins.

An optional extra is to let the sound of the next shot begin just before its picture appears. Hearing water before cutting to the river can make the sequence flow naturally.

Step 6: Watch both versions without stopping

Do not adjust anything during this viewing.

Ask someone unfamiliar with the afternoon:

• When did you become interested?
• Was anything confusing?
• Where did your attention wander?
• Did the ending feel complete?

The action opening may work better for a short social film. The chronological version may better explain a launch procedure. Choose according to purpose.

Personal Reflection: The Camera Remembers More Than the Viewer Needs

When I look at sailing footage, I bring my own memory of the afternoon. I know what the wind felt like, why we were waiting and what happened just outside the frame.

The viewer has only the pictures and sound I give them.

That is a useful discipline when editing. A shot can matter to me because I remember taking it, yet contribute little to the film. Sometimes the better decision is to leave it out.

I want the finished sequence to convey something of being afloat, while giving the audience a clear route through the afternoon.

The Same Timeline, Different Rhythms

For an organ recital, preserve the musical performance. Cut between synchronised views of the manuals, pedals and performer while keeping the sound continuous. A sustained phrase may need time to breathe.

For a science video, remove avoidable waiting while retaining the steps needed to understand the experiment. Label sped-up sections or time jumps, and preserve any timing that matters to the result.

For a video podcast, trim repetition and distracting pauses with care. Keep the speaker’s meaning and natural rhythm. A supporting image should help explain the discussion.

The audience’s needs determine the pace.

Why Professional Editing Adds Value

Filming provides the raw material. Editing turns it into something an audience can follow.

For a customer, that can mean a clearer explanation, a stronger opening, more intelligible sound and a film suited to its intended viewers. A two-minute highlight and a complete event recording serve different purposes; both can be valuable.

The value of editing lies in the judgement behind the selection, sequence and timing.

Your Challenge: Make Every Shot Earn Its Place

Take ten minutes of footage and make the two versions.

Keep the originals. Compare the openings. Notice what happens when you remove a repeated action, shorten a hesitant beginning or allow a good moment to last a little longer.

The timeline is where a collection of recordings becomes an experience someone else can share.

Make a Video — One Skill, One Short Film at a Time: Week 3 High, Low or Eye Level? — How Camera Height Changes the Story

 

High, Low or Eye Level? — How Camera Height Changes the Story

Make a Video — One Skill, One Short Film at a Time: Week 3

Film the same person doing the same thing from three camera heights. How different can one ordinary moment feel?

A person sits at a table and opens a notebook.

At eye level, we might feel that we are sitting opposite them. From above, we see more of the page and the arrangement of the table. From below, the person may appear more imposing, while the notebook becomes harder to see.

Nothing about the action has changed. We have changed the position from which the audience watches it.

That is this week’s filmmaking skill: choosing a camera height deliberately.

In Week 1, we used wide, medium and close-up shots to show where we were, what was happening and which detail mattered. In Week 2, we considered framing and background: what should the viewer notice?

Now we ask: where should the viewer be looking from?

You do not need a new camera, an elaborate set or complicated editing. You need one simple action and three different viewpoints.

What You Need

• A phone or camera that records video.
• One willing adult subject, or an object you can film yourself.
• A notebook and table, or another simple activity.
• A stable support, tripod or steady pair of hands.
• About 20 minutes to record and compare three short clips.

Choose a quiet, uncluttered setting with reasonably consistent light. A seated subject makes the exercise easier because all three heights are within comfortable reach.

This week’s success is three recognisable, usable clips filmed from clearly different heights.

Camera Height and Camera Angle: Related, but Different

Camera height means how high the camera is relative to the subject. Camera angle means whether it points upwards, downwards or straight ahead.

A camera can be low but point horizontally. A high camera can also point horizontally. Height alone does not tell us which way it is looking.

For this exercise, we will combine height and angle in three familiar ways:

Viewpoint	Camera position	Where it points
Eye level	Approximately level with the seated person’s eyes	Roughly straight towards them
High	Above their eye level	Down towards their face, hands and notebook
Low	Below their eye level	Up towards their upper body and face

“Eye level” is the subject’s eye level. If someone is seated, the camera may need to be considerably lower than the standing camera operator’s eyes.

That small adjustment can make a large difference.

Eye Level: Meet the Person Where They Are

An eye-level shot often feels direct and familiar. We can see the person’s expression without obviously looking up or down at them.

For our notebook example, position the camera opposite the seated person, with the lens approximately level with their eyes. Frame their upper body, hands and notebook as comfortably as possible.

This is a useful starting point for an interview, a spoken introduction or someone explaining an idea. It can help create the feeling of a conversation.

If you are filming yourself, look at the lens when addressing the audience, rather than continually watching your own image on the screen.

Try This

Record the person sitting quietly, opening the notebook and looking at the page. Let the clip run for about eight to ten seconds.

Watch it back. Does the viewer feel like a participant in the moment? Can they see both the person’s expression and enough of the action?

Eye level is a starting point, not a guarantee of a successful shot. A distracting background or awkward framing can still get in the way.

High: Reveal More of the Activity

Now raise the camera above the subject’s eyes and point it down towards the same action.

You may see more of the tabletop, the open pages and the position of the person’s hands. The shot can become more about the activity and less about meeting the person face to face.

This is particularly useful when the viewer needs to understand a layout: ingredients on a work surface, components on a desk, or notes being organised.

In my teaching and filming work, visibility matters. If the important information is on the table, the camera needs a position from which the audience can actually see it. A high view can help explain a task that an eye-level view partly conceals.

Try This

Repeat the notebook action. Keep the camera above eye level and tilt it down enough to show both the person and the page.

Ask yourself:

• Is the notebook easier to see?
• Is the person’s expression still important in this version?
• Does the shot feel more observational?

A high-angle shot can sometimes make someone appear smaller or more vulnerable. It can also simply give the audience a clearer view of what they are doing. Its meaning depends on the scene.

A gently elevated shot is not the same as a directly overhead shot. Looking straight down at the notebook is a useful extension, but it is a different viewpoint from our main comparison.

Low: Give the Subject More Presence

For the third clip, lower the camera below the person’s eyes and point it upwards.

You might place it near table height, provided the table does not block the action. Keep the angle moderate at first.

The subject may seem taller, more imposing or more prominent. You may also reveal a different background: a ceiling, a light fitting or a previously hidden shelf.

Outside, a low viewpoint can place a subject against the sky. Around a sailing boat, it can emphasise the height of a mast or the scale of the rig. In a studio, it might give a performer a stronger visual presence.

Try This

Record the same person opening the same notebook again.

Compare what you can now see with what you have lost. The person may dominate the frame, but the writing surface may almost disappear.

That trade-off matters. A visually striking angle is useful when it supports the purpose of the film.

Low angles are sometimes associated with power or threat, but they can also suggest admiration, scale, humour or a child’s viewpoint. A low shot of a friendly musician need not feel threatening at all.

Get Filming: One Action, Three Heights

1. Choose a Repeatable Action

Use the notebook example from Week 1:

1. Rest both hands beside the closed notebook.
2. Open it.
3. Look down at the page.
4. Pause.

Keep it simple enough to repeat without much rehearsal.

2. Keep the Main Ingredients Consistent

Use the same person, table, notebook and lighting. Keep each clip a similar length.

Leave the zoom setting unchanged where possible. Maintain roughly the same distance from the subject, accepting that the framing will shift as the camera moves.

This is a practical comparison, so the three images do not have to match perfectly. You are trying to make the effect of viewpoint easy to notice.

3. Record Eye Level, High and Low

Film one clip from each position. Keep the camera still during each take.

Hold for a couple of seconds before the action begins and after it finishes. Those quiet moments give you useful room for editing.

Check each recording before moving on. Make sure the face or important detail is in focus and the action is visible.

4. Compare Before You Edit

Play the clips one after another, initially with the sound muted.

Ask:

• What do I notice first?
• How close do I feel to the person?
• Which view explains the action most clearly?
• Which gives the person the strongest presence?
• What has appeared in the background?

There is no single correct favourite. Different answers reveal different uses.

5. Make a Short Comparison Film

If you already have a familiar editing app, place the three complete clips in sequence. Add simple labels: “Eye level”, “High angle” and “Low angle”.

Aim for about 25–35 seconds. Music, transitions and effects are optional; the comparison itself is the point.

If editing feels like an extra hurdle, simply play the three recordings in order. You have still completed the exercise.

The Background Moves Even When the Subject Does Not

This week builds directly on our framing exercise.

Raise the camera and you may replace a busy wall with a relatively plain tabletop or floor. Lower it and you may introduce a bright window or ceiling light.

A shelf behind the subject’s head can disappear with a small change in height. A previously hidden distraction can appear just as easily.

Before recording, look around the whole frame. Check the corners as well as the person.

Moving the camera a few inches may improve a shot more than adding another piece of equipment.

Three Ways to Use This in Real Filming

A Science Demonstration: Show the Person, Then the Process

Use an eye-level view to introduce the experiment and a higher view to show hands, apparatus and the working area.

The camera position should answer the viewer’s immediate question: who is explaining, or what is happening?

For this week’s practice, use harmless everyday materials. The notebook teaches the camera skill without adding the demands of an experiment.

An Organ Performance: Decide What the Audience Should Experience

An eye-level or gently raised view can show the performer and instrument. A higher angle may reveal hand movement across the keyboards. A moderate low angle can emphasise the performer and the scale of the organ.

Each view contributes something different. The choice depends on whether the moment is about the musician, the technique or the instrument itself.

A Sailing Film: Show Scale or Explain the Deck

A low viewpoint can emphasise rigging against the sky. A higher view can make deck arrangements easier to understand.

Try the comparison with a securely moored boat before adding the movement and distractions of filming afloat. Choose a stable position and keep clear of working ropes and crew.

Pro Tips: Small Adjustments, Better Results

Start with modest angles. A small change often gives a clearer comparison than an extreme view.

Move the camera, not just your eyes. Bending down while leaving the phone in the same position does not change its viewpoint.

Keep your subject comfortably framed. Watch for accidentally cropped heads or hands that leave the frame during the action.

Avoid placing a wide-angle camera very close to a face. Close camera positions can exaggerate the apparent size of nearer features, particularly with a strong upward view.

Check focus and brightness. A new angle may introduce a bright window or dark background. Use the controls you already understand to keep the important subject clear.

Support the camera safely. Use a suitable tripod or secure support. Do not improvise an unstable camera position above someone or climb onto furniture for this exercise.

Choose the angle for a reason. “It looks different” is a good beginning. “It lets the audience see the page” is a more useful filming decision.

A Personal Reflection: Make One Decision at a Time

With the cameras, visualisers and studio facilities available to me, there are many ways to cover an activity. The useful teaching question is still a simple one: what does this position help the viewer understand?

That is why I want this series to build one skill at a time.

A beginner does not need to manage camera height, sound, lighting, performance and editing as one large task. Three short clips provide a manageable experiment with an immediately visible result.

I would rather make the first goal concrete: record the same action from three heights, then explain one difference.

That explanation might be as simple as, “I chose the higher view because you can see the notebook.” It shows that the filmmaker is beginning to make a deliberate choice.

Optional Challenge: Choose the Best View for a Purpose

Once you have your three clips, choose one for each of these purposes:

• Introducing the person.
• Showing what they are doing.
• Giving them a stronger visual presence.

You can reuse a clip. There is no requirement for each purpose to have a different answer.

Then record one additional shot to improve your chosen view. Perhaps the high camera needs to come down slightly so that you can see the person’s expression. Perhaps the low shot needs a small sideways adjustment to remove a ceiling light.

This is how useful camera choices develop: record, watch, adjust.

Conclusion: Give the Viewer a Place to Stand

A camera does more than record an event. It gives the audience a position from which to experience it.

Eye level can bring us into a conversation. A higher view can reveal an activity. A lower view can give a subject greater presence.

Those are possibilities to explore, rather than rules to memorise.

This week, take one person, one notebook and one ordinary action. Record it from three heights. Watch what changes.

Then choose a viewpoint and finish this sentence:

“I put the camera here because…”

When you can answer that, you are beginning to direct the viewer’s experience.

You can find a lot more details on the website that accompanies the series at https://makingbetter.video/

Make a Podcast — One Skill, One Short Recording at a Time · Week 3 Find the Sweet Spot — Where Should the Microphone Go?

 

Find the Sweet Spot — Where Should the Microphone Go?

Make a Podcast — One Skill, One Short Recording at a Time · Week 3

A few centimetres can change how your voice sounds. This week, let your ears choose where the microphone belongs.

You have recorded your first introduction and found a suitable recording spot. Now keep that location and explore something smaller: the space between your mouth and the microphone.

A distant microphone can make you sound as though you are speaking from across the room. Move very close and you may hear more breath, heavier bass or a sudden thump on a word beginning with “p”.

As a teacher and filmmaker, I see value in giving people one manageable improvement to work on. A clear recording made with confidence is a worthwhile achievement.

This week you will…

Compare close, distant and slightly off-centre microphone positions, then choose one that gives you clear, comfortable speech.

Allow about 15 minutes.

What you need

• Essential: a phone with a recording app, or a microphone connected to a recorder or computer.
• Essential: the quiet recording spot you chose last week.
• Essential: two or three sentences to repeat.
• Optional: headphones for hearing small differences.
• Optional: a microphone stand and pop filter.

Use the same equipment for all three recordings.

A few things to know

1. Distance changes more than volume

A closer microphone usually captures more voice relative to the room. Further away, reflections and background sounds become more noticeable relative to your speech.

Some directional microphones also make your voice sound bassier at close range. This is called the proximity effect; it does not happen equally with every microphone.

2. Your breath can hit the microphone

“P” and “b” sounds can send a puff of air towards it, producing a low thump called a plosive.

Moving the microphone slightly beside your mouth can help: speak past it while keeping its recording face directed towards you. You are testing a small change, not turning away completely.

3. Find the part that actually records

Some microphones record through the end; others through the side. Check the instructions rather than assuming.

With a phone, identify the microphone opening used by your recording app and keep it uncovered. Treat the distances below as starting points, not universal rules.

Get recording: three positions, one voice

Use this sentence:

“Welcome to my podcast. Today I’m talking about something I enjoy. Perhaps the best place to begin is with a simple question.”

The “p” and “b” sounds make it useful for spotting breath thumps.

1. Settle into position. Sit comfortably and support the phone or microphone securely. Speak naturally. If you have an input meter, check that your louder words do not reach the red or clipping indicator.

2. Record A: close and central. Place the recording opening roughly 10–15 cm from your mouth, directly in front. Record the sentence, followed by two seconds of silence. Save it as “A — close”.

3. Record B: further away. Move it to roughly 40–50 cm away, still facing you. Repeat the sentence at the same speaking volume. Save it as “B — distant”.

4. Record C: slightly off-centre. Return to roughly 10–15 cm away, but move it a little to one side, perhaps 20–30 degrees from straight ahead. Keep its recording face aimed towards your mouth while you speak forwards. Save it as “C — off-centre”.

5. Keep the comparison fair. Leave manual recording settings unchanged if available. A phone may adjust levels automatically; that is fine, but note it. Avoid adding filters or noise reduction for this test.

6. Choose and repeat. Listen to all three, then record a fresh 20-second introduction using your preferred position.

Listen back

Listen for three things:

• Clarity: can you understand every word easily?
• Breath and tone: are there thumps, excessive breath sounds or an overly boomy voice?
• The room: do echoes and background noises distract from your words?

The loudest recording may initially seem best. Adjust playback volume so each voice sounds approximately equally loud before judging quality.

Pro tips

Make your position repeatable. Note the distance and take a quick photograph of the setup. Keep your head reasonably steady during recording.

Change one thing at a time. If the close recording sounds too bassy, move back a few centimetres. If breath thumps remain, try a pop filter. Listen after each change.

See it and hear it

Show three photographs labelled close, distant and slightly off-centre, with the mouth-to-microphone distance visible.

Pair them with the three short audio clips. In a demonstration video, show each position, then play its recording without music.

Your small win

You have finished when you have saved three comparisons, chosen a position and made one usable introduction.

You do not need a perfect “radio voice”. You need words your listener can follow.

Take it further

Record your chosen position twice: once looking forwards and once turning towards notes beside you. Does the sound change?

Try placing your notes where you can read them without turning away.

The sweet spot is something you can hear

Microphone position is a practical choice involving your voice, room and equipment. Today’s experiment gives you evidence for that choice.

Three short recordings. One useful decision. A clearer voice for your next podcast.

More next Saturday