The studio

 

Studio's come in all shapes and sizes. They can be turned around to do this and that. Some are big and some are small like mine, but its what the camera sees that makes the studio what it is.

Overhead Camera

 For many demo's the best shot so the student can see is the overhead shot, but mounting a heavy camera over your head is not always best, so using the DJI Osmo is great because it is light and small and easy to hide.

Not editing for me

When he is not editing for me my son is working on this own channel Colin the conductor putting up run run throughs and working on graphics for tweets
 

Organ Lesson

 Whist the students are on holiday I am having a lesson from the famous organist Tom Horton. He is battling to try to improve my left, righthand hand, feet co-ordination.

Colour Syncing all the cameras

 When ever we create a video we always use a multiple camera setup. to improve the view for certain shots or perhaps to concentrate on a different person. Setting the colour up is so important so the viewer can't tell they might be taken on different types of camera.

Making Shorts

 When making short videos, it usually takes longer to set up all the cameras and lights and sound, than it does to set up the experiment and record it

Timelapse of cress germinating and growing

 Timelapse of cress germinating and growing

Using the canon r5c

 Using the canon R5C to get up close on the action when investigating how to stain plant cells to make them easier to see.

Staining

Staining cells is one of the hardest things for the students do do. First is all the preparation  and then getting the staining right only to struggle with seeing what you are suppose to see at the end. And today we didn't. There is always next week.
 

Video and Podcast

 We felt is was probably better to make a video and a Podcast at the same time. We make a Podcast and film us talking. The video is more popular then the Podcast some weeks.

Timelapse

 Setting up a 5 day time lapse of plant seeds sprouting. Using a light box to achieve consistent lighting

Infrared Themometer

 The infrared thermometer has been out quite a bit in the last few days, having a check of the temperatures. Ambient air temperature is one thing, but the temperature of what you are about to touch is equally as important. Metal surfaces can get very hot.

Hot enough to fry an egg

Its hot enough to fry an egg. So we tried it. We discovered that I break eggs badly, but we did succeed.

 

Wacom Tablets installed

The new Wacom tablets have arrived and have been installed. This should enable the students to access all the files and write on them to save paper. The machines are powerful enough with 32GB RAM and fast processors and more economical than buying touch laptops.

Paperless classroom

 

How to best get rid of paper. We have used laptops, Microsoft surface or iPads with pens. So we are trying out using Wacom tablets to write on, for Maths and Science papers and then email them to the students.

More new Toys

 A selection of some of the new toys that came through the post today. Topics for more videos as well as using them in the lab to help the students understand. Doing experiments is just about the most important part of science teaching.

Lumix and Rode

Still one of the easiest grab and shoot setups. The Hybrid Lumix FZ2000 and either a rode shotgun mic or the Rode Wireless lav mic. The system is fast to use, has ND filters, has a reasonable zoom and reasonable aperture. No messing around to get it setup.
 

Vertical wind turbine

 Investigating the vertical wind turbine working in low air speeds, with the annometer in the background, to see how much electricity could be generated.

New Toys

 

New Toys arrived today. A long Scale Galvanometer, a stand to hold ticker tape - I have been looking for one of these for years and a semi-circular prism that can be filled with any liquid - should make for some interesting Physics

Hyperdeck Shuttle

 One of the most useful tools for online teaching - the Blackmagic Hyperdeck shuttle. All the clips of experiments and demos and third party film clips can be placed on here and played back during the lesson and using the shuttle just selecting the bit that is required.

Trying to Id the camera

 Trying to Identify the camera, is it a Rode, or a Tascam, or a Smallrig - No its a Canon

Two camera Straps

I like  a hand strap but carrying the canon R5C around is very heavy and I don't always want a cage setup. But using the smallrig cage I was able to attach the hand strap as well as the neck strap.
 

Canon R5C with cage

 I have been unsure whether to put a cage around the canon R5C but in the end decided that adding a few extras might be worth it. The side handgrip is my favourite for handhelds.

Editing - the longest part of video production.

Editing is not just about putting the clips in order and syncing the sound, but about choosing the best angles to show what you want, using B-roll at the right place and publishing the video in portrait, square or landscape.
 

Last Minute Research

 Its never too late to get hold of those latest figures even if its moments before you go online. Getting those figures accurate is important.

Inside or Outside

Giving the students something to explain,
why the magnet falls slower outside a @pascoscientific
ruler than inside it #iteachphysics

 

6,500,000 views

 ​Really pleased in getting so many views on the channel.

Filming with the R5 C

 Using the Canon R5C with two shotgun mics plugged into the Tascam sound device. One shotgun on the camera the other on the boom. Using the 24-70mm EF 2.8 lens for good head and upper body of me doing a demo

Lights

 The main light for video conferencing and zoom, but an overhead light Rotolight Neo 2 overhead to provide  good overhead illumination without shadows when doing experiments.

Simple transformation

 Using a backdrop to create an illusion. The backdrops don't need to be large, but turn any photography, video space into something much better.