Camtasia Studio 4: The Definitive Guide (Wordware Applications Library)

In this chapter, we discussed several techniques for scripting the narration of your video, and then building a storyboard around it that placed the narration within the context of the envisioned screen visuals.

• Scripting the narration. As it conveys the feel of an in-person demonstration, audio narration is a critical component of your video. In order to best leverage that power, it is far better to script your narration ahead of time as opposed to winging it. After speaking with content experts and reviewing your audience and purpose, you’re ready to begin crafting a script. Remember to use consistent terminology that is appropriate to your audience. Making use of the special “Sesame Street” technique or the storytelling methods can also be quite helpful if used appropriately.

• Storyboarding your visual content. After writing out your narration, you can use it as the basis for a storyboard by adding visual cues (in the form of text descriptions or graphics) to individual sections of narration. Be sure to select a layout for your storyboard that matches your own personal workflow. Pay close attention to how your storyboard flows from one point to the next. And finally, don’t forget about the possibilities offered by Camtasia Studio’s Picture-in-Picture technology, which can afford you the opportunity to storyboard more visually complex, engaging scenes.

In the next chapter, we’re going to get really crazy and actually start working with the program. We’ll begin with the first step of recording your initial footage, using the Camtasia Recorder.