Tips for recording your video reading....
General tips on reading for your CUT video
- Your reading should start at the beginning of your chosen piece of work
- The video you send to us should be between 2 and 4 minutes long
- Please finish the reading at the end of a sentence, at a natural point to take a breath, ideally at a point which will make the viewer want to know more
- At the end of the reading, please include a few seconds, looking into the camera, to enable us to make a clean edit
- We will add to your video a CUT intro and ending, which will include your name, and the title of the piece; you may also include these at the start of your reading if you wish
- The reading must be of a piece of work which has been published on the CUT site
- The video is a teaser to encourage a reader to visit your Writer Profile Page and buy your ebook, so don’t give away too much of it
- You can read while standing or seated – the main thing is to be comfortable
- The background should be fairly neutral, to avoid distraction, and ideally at least 1 metre away from you
- You can read from a paper version of your work, or from an e-reader
- Please look up at the camera every now and again during the reading
- Your delivery should be natural, rather than over-dramatic; speak clearly, but not too slowly
- To get the volume right, check the projection of your voice by making a few test recordings first
- Practise by reading the piece out loud several times in advance; this will help when it comes to making your recording
Technical tips on audio and video
- Any digital video file is acceptable; mp4 is ideal
- Ideally use a camera not a phone to make your recording
- While recording, stand the camera on a stable surface, such as a tripod or table
- Natural light is best, unless you’re planning to use a special effect (as in this example by Brindley Hallam Dennis)
- If you are not using natural light, and not using a special effect, it is best to run a white balance first if your recording device has one
- Audio – test the adequacy of the results you get from the microphone on your camera first, but usually you will get a much better sound if you are able to borrow or buy a plug-in microphone to get closer to your voice – even a low-cost one can make a significant difference; try to avoid any background noise at all
- Video files are quite large, so you may not be able to email the final result to us at CUT; you may need to use a free file-sharing site such as DropBox
When you are ready for us to process your video, please email us at writerhelp@cutalongstory.com
We will then check the video, add the CUT intro and ending, and load it to the CUT YouTube channel, and set up a link to it from your Writer Profile Page.
To help you plan, here are links to a few examples of existing video readings:
Enjoy your video reading!