Making
Media
Every piece of media you love went through the same stages: plan it, make it, polish it, share it, learn from it. This module is your production toolkit, plus the rules that keep you and other people safe: consent, privacy, copyright and credit. It sets you up for the Capstone.
- 00First Principlesp.2
- 01Plan & scriptp.4
- 02Storyboard & shot listp.5
- 03Shoot & record soundp.6
- 04Edit, publish & get feedbackp.7
- 05Ethics, consent, copyright & creditp.8
- ✦Self-check · Make it · 5 Questions · Side Questp.9
You'll need: pencil, calculator, a phone with a camera, earbuds or headphones, a free editing app, a timer and a quiet spot (a closet full of clothes is perfect).
Principles
A first principle is a basic truth you can build on. Making media is a process, not a magic talent. Pros follow steps, and so can you. Start with what you already know from things you've made.
What do I already know?
What is necessary?
Everything in this module is built from four bricks. Rate yourself on each one, then check the example to see if your rating holds up.
What is the objective?
By the end, you'll be able to plan, make and share a short piece of media, responsibly.
- 01Write a pitch and a two-column script.
- 02Storyboard and build a shot list.
- 03Shoot with good light and record clean audio.
- 04Edit, export, publish and use feedback.
- 05Get consent, protect privacy and credit others' work.
- 06Build a pre-production pack for your Capstone.
The list on the left is ours. Now make it yours. What do you want out of this?
How much do you know about making media right now? Shade the boxes in pencil. You'll come back at the end (p.9) and shade it again in pen.
Why start this way? When you know what you already have (1), what you need (2) and where you're going (3), you learn faster and you notice the gaps. Every module on the Media Path starts with these same three questions.
Plan it before you shoot it
Making media has three phases: pre-production (planning), production (shooting and recording) and post-production (editing and finishing). Most problems in post start as skipped steps in pre.
For (audience), a (format) that (what it does).
Example: "For new social media users, a 60-second video that shows how to spot a fake photo."
The two-column (A/V) script
| VIDEO · what we see | AUDIO · what we hear |
|---|---|
| Close-up: phone screen with a viral moose photo. | VO: "This photo got 2 million views. It's fake." (made-up) |
| Medium shot: me at a desk, reverse image search open. | VO: "Here's how I checked in 30 seconds." Music starts, low. |
People often speak at roughly 130–160 words per minute when talking normally. Plan with 150.
Leave room for pauses and visuals. Shorter is almost always better.
Write a one-sentence pitch for a video about something you know well. Then write the first two rows of its A/V script.
Read a paragraph aloud at your normal pace and time it. If you read 84 words in 36 seconds, what's your rate in words per minute? Now find your own.
Storyboard & shot list
A storyboard is your video as a comic strip: one box per shot, with notes on what we see and hear. Stick figures are fine. A shot list turns it into a checklist for shooting day. (Shot types are in Lens 6.)
Try it: storyboard a 6-shot version of your pitch. Under each box: shot type + what's said.
Shot list
| # | Shot type | What happens | Where | Done |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Close-up | Phone screen, viral photo | Desk | ☐ |
| 2 | Medium | Me explaining | Desk | ☐ |
| 3 | B-roll | Typing, scrolling, hands | Desk | ☐ |
| 4 | ☐ | |||
| 5 | ☐ | |||
| 6 | ☐ |
A 60-second video with shots about 3 seconds long on average:
Made-up: you film 5 minutes of footage to get 1 usable minute.
B-roll is extra footage that shows what you're talking about (hands, places, details). Editors use it to cover cuts and keep things moving. List 5 B-roll shots that would make your pitch more interesting.
Shoot it, hear it
Picture
- Face the light. A window in front of your subject is free, soft light. A window behind them makes a silhouette.
- Hold still. Use two hands, lean on something, or prop the phone on books.
- Wipe the lens. Pocket smudges cause a lot of blurry phone video.
- Pick a shape before you shoot: vertical (9:16) or horizontal (16:9).
Sound (this matters more)
- Get the mic close to the speaker's mouth.
- Soft rooms sound better. A closet full of clothes soaks up echo.
- Record room tone: 20–30 seconds of "silence" in the same spot, for patching gaps.
- Watch levels. Aim for peaks roughly between −12 and −6 dBFS. At 0 dBFS the sound clips (distorts) and can't be fully fixed.
A voice recording at 48,000 samples/s, 24 bits, 1 channel (mono):
Record the same sentence in a kitchen (hard surfaces) and in a closet or under a blanket. Listen with headphones. Describe the difference in two words each.
Look up three types of microphones: a lavalier (clip-on), a shotgun and a USB mic. Which would you use for an interview outdoors in Edmonton in January? Why?
Cut it, share it, improve it
J-cuts and L-cuts. In a J-cut, you hear the next shot before you see it. In an L-cut, the sound of one shot carries on over the next picture. Both make edits feel smooth and natural.
Keep files organized. One project folder with subfolders: footage / audio / music / graphics / exports. Back up: a common rule is 3-2-1: 3 copies, on 2 types of storage, 1 somewhere else.
Captions help people who are Deaf or hard of hearing, and the many viewers who watch with sound off.
Show a draft to someone in your audience. Ask for two things that work (stars) and one thing to improve (a wish). Ask specific questions: "When did you get bored?" beats "Did you like it?"
You shot 1920 × 1080 (16:9) but need vertical 9:16 at the same height (1,080 px).
So pick your shape before you shoot!
In any free editing app, put two clips side by side. Drag the second clip's audio so it starts a second before its picture. Watch it back. How does it feel compared with a straight cut?
Respect people & their work
Consent & privacy
- Ask first, explain where it will be shared, and accept "no." People can change their mind later, too.
- For anyone under 18, it's good practice to get a parent's or guardian's OK as well.
- Check the background: house numbers, school or work logos, licence plates, location tags and screens can reveal more than you think.
Copyright in Canada
When you make something original, you own its copyright automatically. In Canada, copyright generally lasts for the creator's life plus 70 years (it was life + 50 until December 30, 2022; the change didn't bring back copyright that had already ended). Music, clips and images you find online almost always belong to someone.
Fair dealing lets you use parts of others' work, if the use is fair, for research, private study, education, parody, satire, criticism, review or news reporting. For criticism, review and news, credit the source.
Creative Commons licences
| BY | Credit the creator |
| SA | Share alike: share your version under the same licence |
| NC | Non-commercial use only |
| ND | No derivatives: don't change it |
| CC0 | No rights reserved: use freely |
Title · Author · Source · Licence
(Made-up image.)
"Prairie Storm" by Sam Lee, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0
Title ✓ Author ✓ Source ✓ Licence ✓. Link each part if you're posting online.
Search Openverse or Wikimedia Commons for a CC BY image you could use in your Capstone. Write its TASL credit.
A Canadian songwriter died in 1980. Under the current rule of life + 70, until the end of what year is their work protected? (Copyright runs to the end of the calendar year.)
This page is a general guide, not legal advice.
Quick self-check
Six questions, covering every stop. Show your thinking. Answers are upside down at the bottom; no peeking till you're done.
1 · What are the three phases of making media?
2 · At 150 words per minute, how many words fit in a 40-second script?
3 · Your audio peaks hit 0 dBFS. What's the problem, and what should you do?
4 · What is a J-cut?
5 · What does a CC BY-NC licence let you do?
6 · What are the four parts of a TASL credit?
Re-shade your knowledge meter
How much do you know about making media now? Flip back to p.3 and shade the meter again in pen (or shade this one). Did any of the four bricks on p.2 move from "Not yet" to "Got it"?
Capstone prep pack
Pros never show up to a shoot without a plan. Fill in this one-page pack for the media piece you'll make in the Capstone. It uses every step from this module.
1 · Pitch
For ________ (audience), a ________ (format) that ________.
2 · Which lenses will I use?
3 · Script outline
Hook → middle → ending. About how many words?
4 · Storyboard thumbnails
5 · Before I shoot
- Shot list written
- Consent from everyone on camera
- Background checked for private info
- Music/images are mine, CC-licensed or fair dealing, with TASL credits
- Audio test done (no clipping)
6 · Schedule
| Step | Date |
|---|---|
| Plan done | |
| Shoot | |
| Rough cut + feedback | |
| Publish / present |
7 · Who I'll ask for feedback
Next: take this pack to the Capstone in the full Media Path book.
Before you film, record or post: ask anyone who appears in your work for permission. If you're under 18, check with a parent or guardian before sharing online. Keeping it on your device is totally fine.
5 Questions
I Still Have
This module didn't answer everything. Good. Write 5 new questions it didn't answer, one of each type below. There are no wrong questions, only ones nobody's asked yet.
★ Star the one question you'd most like answered. You'll need it on the next page.
1What I'll find out
Break your big question into 2 or 3 smaller ones you could actually answer.
2Where I'll look
3How I'll share it
Who I'll share it with:
Done by: