Do you want to create your own learning videos quickly and with your own smartphone – but don’t know how to approach the topic? That’s exactly what the blink.it rocketday is for! You can learn how our workshop on video shooting works and how you can become a video pro in just 6 hours in the article – with many photos and expert tips!

One tip that we trainers, coaches, and consultants often give regarding video shooting is: "Just start and gather practical experience: learning by doing!" – And it’s all about practice at the rocketday! As a participant, you will learn to

• create your own video concepts.

• record learning videos with your own smartphone.

• professionally edit and cut videos.

• effectively use your videos in your own online courses.

Reading tip: In this article, we have already explained the concept of the rocketday workshop.

In theory, it sounds incredibly complex, technical, and lengthy. Therefore, I was curious: Does everything really work in one day? To answer this question, I accompanied workshop leader Dennis Tröger and three participants for a day in August 2019. And I was amazed at how well the simple but brilliant rocketday concept works!

"Videos fit any type of training"

We often hear the objection regarding video shooting: "Videos don’t fit my topic." However, how diverse learning videos can be and how many different topics they can be used for becomes apparent at the rocketday with the participants.

The goals for the videos were very different:

• Martin Wagner (BwConsulting): Training projects and soft skills training at the Bundeswehr

• Dr. Jörg Wittenberg (Wegberater): Personal customer approach for coaching on professional challenges

• David Old Brand (Kaledonia): Support for English courses with videos on grammar topics

Three completely different topics and video formats. Do they fit together? Yes! Workshop leader Dennis promises: "By the end of the day, each of you will have a finished video!" – I am curious.

An important aspect of the rocketday: Getting to know and exchanging ideas with colleagues. This is how new ideas are born. (l: Martin Wagner. r: Dr. Jörg Wittenberg)

"The first 8 seconds must convince!"

Regardless of the topic, a central takeaway is always in focus: "In the first eight seconds, you must convince your audience that it is worth listening to you!"

PRO TIP NO. 1: Before every video shoot, you should think of answers to the three most important questions and be able to answer them within the first eight seconds of the video:

• What is the biggest problem of my participant?

• What solution do I offer for this problem?

• What value does my participant gain from the video?

Rough concepts have already been brought by all participants: That was the “homework” from the online preparation course. At the rocketday, workshop leader Dennis now gives individual tips and improvement suggestions for each concept.

Workshop leader Dennis gives important tips for starting out. (l: David Old Brand, r: workshop leader Dennis)

"Allow small mistakes!"

Speaking in front of people is naturally no problem for trainers and coaches – but speaking in front of the camera is a completely different matter. Anyone who has ever recorded and watched a video of themselves knows exactly what that means. Workshop leader Dennis stands in front of the camera a lot and knows why perfectionism is the biggest problem in video shooting. His tip to participants:

PRO TIP NO. 2: "Allow small mistakes and keep the authenticity high: I believe a person more when they make small mistakes and are simply human than when they are TOO perfect!"

The participants directly implement this tip: Tripod – microphone – set smartphone – position – camera on! Videos should be a maximum of three minutes to maintain the viewers' attention while still retaining a high density of information.

A tripod and a small microphone from the blink.it kit, combined with the correct settings on the smartphone, and the first video shoot can begin. (l: Martin Wagner, r: workshop leader Dennis)

Dennis uses the blink.it kit at the rocketday. You can download our purchase recommendations for technical aids like tripods, microphones, and lighting for free as a PDF here:

Videos don’t have to be perfect: Appear authentic and friendly, which encourages much more viewing. (Dr. Jörg Wittenberg)

After two to three attempts, all recordings are in the bag, or rather on the smartphone. Now 80% of the work is actually done. The remaining 20% are reserved for what scares most video beginners the most: The editing on the laptop.

"Less is more when editing"

Video editing and effects can be terribly complicated – but they don’t have to be! We at blink.it like to recommend the program Camtasia for Windows and Mac. The free version is absolutely sufficient for the needs of most trainers. Plus, the operation is easy and quick to learn, even for software beginners.

Video editing with Camtasia is not difficult and gives your recordings a professional look.

PRO TIP NO. 3: There are also a few simple rules for video editing that help you achieve a great impact:

• Don't use too many cuts to avoid restlessness in the video.

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• Show graphics, lists, or important keywords as overlays.

• Keep overlays visible long enough so that they can be read and understood.

Everything in the motto: Less is more! Keep the focus in the video on you and the important information you want to convey. With these tips, participants at the rocketday turned their first raw recordings into individual videos with a professional look. The remaining 20% can also be accomplished with fun and successful experiences!

At the end of the day, all three participants achieved the day's goal: Everyone leaves with a finished and edited video – and with the condensed knowledge from an intensive rocketday, with which the next learning videos at home will also succeed!

Video: "What is your most important learning?"

For us at blink.it, it’s not important to cram as much knowledge as possible into one day. Our focus is to anchor important learning effects in the long term and to provide you with the tools to quickly become a video pro.

That’s why at the end of the rocketday, I asked all three participants: "What is the most important thing you learned here today?" – Of course, I captured their answers on video fitting for the day (and edited them with Camtasia 🙂):

Do you also want to experience a rocketday as a participant? Then secure your spot directly! The number of participant spots is limited, so our workshop leader can truly address everyone individually.

No suitable location or date for you? Then just write to us with your desired location at rocketday@blink.it, and we will try to bring the rocketday to you as well.