Getting Started With Video and Animation for STC Summit 2014

Cynthia Chin-Lee and Mary Martyak

Why are we here?

Video is everywhere

Innovate, or be left behind

Chinese proverb:

“Tell me and I'll forget; show me and I may remember; involve me and I'll understand.”

2#stc14, How to Get Started With Video and Animation

Animation Example

Installing a DIMM


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vWlcO00anj8

Video (live action) Example

Automating Server Management


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sSH5o1KMjoI

A Journey: Producing Video and Animations

Here is a story…

About how a doc team delivered their first video and animation as part of their customer documentation.

Based on… The Hero With a Thousand Faces, by Joseph Campbell (1949)

The Writer’s Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers, by Christopher Vogler (2007)


The Ordinary World


Team is aware that something is missing or there is an opportunity to do something new.

What Is vs. What Could Be…. What do I want to convey…concepts, instructions, or

entertainment?

Will it give me a competitive advantage?

Will it be easier to follow and more interesting?

Help the customer to understand how a product works?

Help to maintain the product and reduce service calls?

Will I be able to update content quickly via the web?

#stc14, How to Get Started With Video and Animation 7

Call to Action


A unique idea is spawned, but 0ur world becomes unbalanced.

Choosing Animation or Video Things to think about

When you don’t have access to the real product

Software tools available

Cost effectiveness of resources (staff vs contract)


Refusal of the Call


Change is hard.

Justify the Project Why should we do this?

Enhance (not replace) the documentation

Ongoing demand for alternatives to standard docs

Customers don’t like to wade through a lot of documentation

Demos increase awareness of products

Fill the gap between marketing materials and product documentation

Customer and employee training can share best practices

Get feedback from customers and employees


Find Allies Find allies from other groups who support the

project:

Service

Marketing

Product mgt

Customer training

Employee training


Meeting With the Mentor


I need a mentor with experience, valuable insights, and magical tools.

Who Can Help Us? Where to look for mentors

Attend an STC conference

Look for other groups at your company who are using multimedia

Look on the web


Develop a Project Proposal Develop a video project proposal. Include:

Purpose, benefits for viewers

ROI

Audience definition

Concept and task overviews

Accessibility and localization requirements

Required hardware and software

Budget

Project schedule

Contributors


Sample Video Project Proposal


16

Page 1Objectives

Proof of Concept

HW/SW Resources and Budget

#stc14, How to Get Started With Video and Animation


17

Page 2

Staff and Roles

Mentors

Video Procedures

Schedule


Video Editing Software iMovie (Mac) $15

Windows Moviemaker (free)

TechsmithCamtasia ($299)

Adobe Captivate ($899)

Avid Media Composer ($999)


Crossing the Threshold


I’m committed to this idea and ready to jump in.

How do I begin?

Identify Requirements for the Animation or Video Write a concept document

Staff are assigned for specific work

Objectives are explained

Content of the animation or video is described

Components of the media are listed

Concept document is approved by Pubs team and management


Sample Video Concept Template

Sample Video Concept Template

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Video title

Script and storyboard writer

Objective

Duration

Video components

Topic overview

Main content

Conclusion

Staff


Tests, Allies, and Enemies


Production work begins.

We meet some friend and foes.

Who will join us?

Production Begins Content is identified:

Storyboard developed

Script developed

Detailed schedule for production work


Sample storyboard

Sample script

Sample Storyboard


Sample Script

25

Script title

No. of lines in script

Front matter

Procedure overview

Main content


Approach the Innermost Cave


Team encounters problems. Staff becomes discouraged. We need to be proactive and confront the challenges.

Production In-Depth Issues can arise when:

Shooting video/screencast

Creating sequences

Capturing screens

Creating image files (jpg, png, etc.)

Creating and revising front and back matter

Recording audio narrations

Creating captions

Reviewing prototypes#stc14, How to Get Started With Video and Animation 27

The Ordeal

28

Results might not work out as expected.How do I keep the team motivated?


What Can Go Wrong? Need to prepare for when:

Schedules are moved in

People resources are lost

Script is technically incorrect

Tools are missing or inadequate

Recording locations not available


Seizing the Sword

30

The reward is within reach


Your Reward Take possession of what you have earned so far

What has been accomplished is clear and the goal is in sight

Realize the significance of what you are doing

Share your accomplishments outside of your team

Celebrate the team’s efforts


The Road Back

32

Using their honed skills and tools, team pushes the idea forward and are victorious.


Assembly, Integration, and Proof Owners assigned, and resources available for:

Reviewing script text for accuracy

Reviewing script implementation

Comparing audio narration to storyboard

Comparing closed captions to narration

Verifying audio narrations are in sync

Soundtracks applied appropriately

Revising video or animation, based on reviews and comparisons


Resurrection

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Any final ordeals are overcome.


“Finishing” the Final Product Owners are assigned to:

Attach front and back matter

Render final file output

Manage:

File transfers

Publication

Archiving of files


Return With the Elixir

36

The “ordinary world” becomes a better place.


Your Work Is Complete The video or animation is complete and

published for customers Documentation web sites

Marketing web sites

Training web sites

Corporate media sites

YouTube

Facebook

Twitter

Blogs


Video Library


Production phases and the finished product

How long should it be?

What makes a good tutorial?

What makes a good narration?

Accessibility and localization

File and publishing considerations

Be an evangelist

Oracle videos and animations

Resources and more information


Production Phases and Finished Product

Production Timeline

Concept

10%

Pre-Production

10%

Production

30%

Post-Production

45%

Finish

5%

40

Finished Product Structure Proportioned Scale

BrandedOpening

~6 sec

Front Matter

5% (~10 sec)

Intro and Conceptual Content

20% (~36 sec)

Main Topic Content

60% (~110 sec)

Conclusion

10% (~20 sec)

Back Matter

5% (~10 sec)


How Long Should Videos Run?


What Makes a Good Tutorial? Informs user who the audience is, and purpose of the video or animation

Provides user-friendly, concise, clear content

Includes instructions that are easy to follow:

Focused on essential features and one task

Easy-to-follow solution for a particular task

Short, sequential steps per screen build into a full procedure

Terms and images are consistent

Tutorials can be developed and compiled into a library of related tasks

Refers to additional, related documentation

Recaps the tutorial, shows user what the task accomplished, and points user where to go or what to do next


What Makes a Good Narration? Narrations complement the video or animation action

Appropriate style:

Simple text

Fluid, conversational voice

Simple declarative sentences with pictorial nouns and action verbs

Active voice

Address the second person, “you”

Keep a reasonably slow pace


Accessibility and Localization Accessibility

Captions in Oracle technical videos are required. The 21st Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act

(CVAA) has guidelines for: Captions Audio descriptions

Not necessarily so: As long as videos or animations have a counterpart in documentation, the accessibility requirement is satisfied. Confirm this with your accessibility representative.

Localization Oracle is currently not translating narrations or localizing video or

animations. Camtasia software can generate closed caption scripts files that can

be submitted to a translations group, edited, then re-imported to a Camtasia project to generate closed caption videos in other languages.


http://transition.fcc.gov/cgb/dro/cvaa.html

File and Publishing Considerations File considerations:

Video or animation use a consistent format and output is good quality Audio levels are consistent and output is good quality File format runs on a variety of browsers and platforms

PC, MAC, Unix machines Firefox, Chrome, IE browsers

HTML for browser access; MP4 for downloads

Publishing considerations: Upload restrictions Findability Download capability Supported file formats User comments


Be a Publicist Promote your videos or animations in:

Newsletters

YouTube

Oracle YouTube -- http://youtube.com/oracle

Media Networks

Oracle Media Network -- http://medianetwork.oracle.com

Facebook

YouTube

Twitter

Blogs


http://youtube.com/oracle

http://medianetwork.oracle.com/

Oracle Videos and Animations Oracle Server Documentation Sites:

Sun Server X4-2 animations Oracle Servers Video

Oracle Learning Library: Sun Server X3-2 animations

Oracle Endeca Information Discovery YouTube: Oracle Endeca Information Discovery Product Demos Oracle Endeca Information Discovery Screencast Series

Oracle NetBeans Media Library: NetBeans IDE 7.4 Overview Setting Up a GitHub Repository Using NetBeans IDE

Oracle Cloud Marketplace: Oracle Cloud Marketplace Tutorials and Videos


http://docs.oracle.com/cd/E36975_01/html/E49470/index.html

http://docs.oracle.com/cd/E52420_01/index.html

http://docs.oracle.com/cd/E22368_01/html/E38015/index.html

https://www.youtube.com/user/OracleEID

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nt_0ey1Ddh8&list=PLQI6jp6EE5H1L9dw0hNcDu_nm9cuDf2je&index=2

https://netbeans.org/kb/docs/ide/overview-screencast.html

https://netbeans.org/kb/docs/ide/github_nb_screencast.html

http://docs.oracle.com/cloud/latest/trial_paid_subscriptions/trial_paid_subscriptions_videos.htm

Resources General production:

Wikipedia:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video_production

Camtasia tutorials: To create, edit and produce videos:

http://www.techsmith.com/tutorial-camtasia-8.html

Accessibility: 21st Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act

(CVAA)http://transition.fcc.gov/cgb/dro/cvaa.html


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video_production

http://www.techsmith.com/tutorial-camtasia-8.html

http://transition.fcc.gov/cgb/dro/cvaa.html

Comments

Thanks for attending!

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Getting Started With Video and Animation for STC Summit 2014

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