Steps to Success in Producing an Educational Videotape

Abstract

LEARNING OUTCOME: Estimate resources and plan procedures necessary for production of high quality videographic educational aids. In site-based observations of students in quantity food preparation laboratories, hand washing was found to be the leading sanitation deficiency (average rating 3.1 on 5-point scale). Resources available to produce a training videotape targeted specifically for hand washing included the videographic unit of a state cooperative extension service. Steps involved in production were: script development, review and editing; review of file tapes for usable footage; securing permission to use selected sites; selecting and rehearsing student actors prior to filming each scene; reading the script on to a master tape; preparing text and graphics to be integrated with visual images; selecting and editing visual images and matching them with spoken text; adding title, logo, credits; selecting background music; duplicating the master tape. Total time involved was 300 labor hours to produce a 10-minute finished tape. Total cost was $9980.00. To date, approximately 900 tapes have been distributed free of charge. A survey of viewers (n=50) resulted in a mean satisfaction rating of 4.2 (1=not helpful to 5=very helpful). We concluded that successful video training tapes must be professionally produced, but this undertaking requires knowledge of the procedures, attention to detail and abundant resources.