Jeffrey Bradbury and TeacherCast
A few weeks ago, while in Philadelphia for the ISTE conference, we were lucky enough to spend some time with Jeffrey Bradbury. An avid ScreenFlow and Wirecast user, Jeffrey is well known in the EdTech scene as the creator of Teachercast, and as teacher helping fellow teachers. We sat down for a quick interview to see how an education pro uses Screenflow to it’s full extent!
How long have you been screencasting and approximately how many screencasts have you made? Have you tried any other screencasting applications besides ScreenFlow?
I have been creating 2-3 educational screencasts a week for the past 10 years and have been a Screenflow user for most of that time. I have used other screencasting applications such as Camtasia and Quicktime; however, although I have a great professional relationship with each of those two companies, I find Screenflow simple and easy to use.
For what purposes to do you make your screencasts? Who watches your screencasts, and how do they access them?
In 2011, I created TeacherCast.net as an educational website where I can provide educators worldwide with the resources they need to help their students. My podcasts and videos were all edited using Screenflow on YouTube, MediaCore, and my website TeacherCast.net.
What kind of studio or set up do you have (a picture, showing your monitors and macs and mic and whatever else you use would be great!)
My studio is comprised of five computers: One windows machine that I built from scratch a few years ago, two Macbooks, an iMac, and a 2013 Mac Pro.
What do you find to be the most challenging aspect of creating your screencasts? Why?
The most challenging aspect of creating my screencasts is one of quantity vs. quality. I need to be able to have a screencasting setup that allows me to create, edit, and export content very quickly. There are times when I’m creating an online course and need to create 20 or more screencasts in a weekend. Seeing as all of these videos are custom branded, I need an application that not only allows me to keep consistent quality but also enables me to export a large amount all at once. I have a two-step process for this using both Screenflow and Final Cut Pro X.
What’s the process you use for creating your screencasts?
The first piece of advice I give anyone creating a screencast is, “One Screencast…One Recording.” It is easy to stop recording when you make a mistake or go on to the second step of the screencast. I find it much easier to think about the editing process before I begin the recording process. I may start the editing process with a recording that is 30 minutes long and end up with a final product that is only 3-4 minutes. Having one piece of media also helps keep you organized in the long run. To begin my screencasts, I open all the necessary tabs in my browsers or applications. I then record my screencasts, edit them in Screenflow with all of the actions and call outs, and, from that point, I export to an mp4. Once I have that final file, I import it into Final Cut Pro X and add the intro and music to add my own branding before exporting the final .mov.
Do you have a screencast that you’re especially proud of? And why?
As an orchestra conductor, the one thing that is always a chore each year is the creation of our concert programs. I decided to create a screencast one day to help others learn how I was creating my booklets. This has been one of my most popular screencasts and it definitely received the most comments.
What other programs/accessories do you use besides ScreenFlow to create your screencasts?
In addition to Screenflow, I am a power user of FCPX. I use FCPX for all of my final edits and to add my company branding. I use a Logitec C920 USB HD Camera and an AT2005 microphone attached to an 1802 Behringer Mixer. I also integrate my WireCast broadcasts into my screencasting programs.
What advice would you give to other screencasters or video makers?
The main thing is to have fun! Don’t worry about YouTube numbers, just focus on creating the screencasts that help YOU learn because, chances are, others will learn from them too.
Besides ScreenFlow what’s your favorite program for the Mac?
Telestream WireCast, Final Cut Pro X, WordPress, Apple Keynote, Evernote, Pixelmator, and Google Apps for Eduation.
Interested in more from Jeffrey? He just published a blog post about Wirecast! See why he thinks every school needs to be live streaming!