SCIENCE VIDEOS MADE SIMPLE
A short guide to making simple whiteboard-style videos for scientists
1. INTRODUCTION
This guide was created in early 2017 to guide a bunch of graduate students through the process of creating simple science videos for general audiences using whiteboards, stick figures, and video capture devices like smartphones (we used Apple iPods, which are no longer available, but the techniques still stand).
Since then the available technologies have improved – for instance, most smart phones will record good audio without the help of an external microphone, and recording apps have evolved. But the basic approaches and principles remain the same. For a more in-depth article on the underlying ideas and process, see here.
It’s perhaps more important than ever these days to make scientific knowledge and insights accessible to a broad audience. And with web platforms like YouTube, and smart phones with built-in video and audio (and in some cases video editing) capabilities, it’s never been easier for researchers to do this, and do it effectively.
The good news here is that there’s a growing group of individuals — casual learners — who are actively seeking out science-based information online; especially on YouTube. These are people who have had their curiosity or interest piqued, and are looking for specific information — often on how things work or why things happen.
The Power of YouTube
YouTube is one of the most widely used online platforms around. It’s where people go to be entertained, to satisfy their curiosity, and to learn how to do stuff. Video — and YouTube in particular — is increasingly becoming one of the the primary ways for younger people to get information.
While the numbers aren’t robust, something over a billion people use YouTube — over 180 million in the US. In 2016 it was estimated that, each year, people watch over 46,000 years worth of content, and that, each minute, 300 hours of video are uploaded–the numbers are probably a lot higher now. (Update: in 2024 it was estimated that over 2.7 billion people worldwide use YouTube each month – with over 900 billion views per month in the US – and 1 billion hours of content being watched globally each day [source]).
While researchers and universities have been exceptionally poor at tapping into this platform, others haven’t. ASAP Science for instance has over 9 million viewers in 2017, and over 1.3 billion views. And Minute Physics — one of the first sketch-video science channels — has over 4.9 million subscribers and over 400 million views in 2017.
These figures are exceptional, and few researchers will ever have this level of success. But it’s still possible to reach thousands, or even ten thousands of people, using short, engaging videos.
For instance, this short video on nanotechnology on Risk Bites was ranked #1 in YouTube searches in 2017, and had over half a million views then (in 2024 it’s over a million):
The video uses a sketch-based approach that works because it’s so simple. It also works, it has to be said, because the drawing is speeded up so no-one notices how bad it is!
Videos like this appeal to people looking for interesting science content because they are short, engaging, understandable, entertaining, and above all, authentic. Here, being authentic — coming across as a real scientists with something interesting, worthwhile, credible and trustworthy to say, and not as a PR person or someone trying to persuade or convert you — is extremely important.
Understanding what works
People watch amateur videos because they are authentic, and avoid polished videos because they are not. But there are still a number of guidelines and skills here that can substantially increase the success of science videos. And the secret here is to take the video production process deadly seriously, even if you are aiming for authenticity, and focusing on production quality where it matters.
Beyond this though, successful videos work by:
- Being specific and focused;
- Having an engaging story and style;
- Keeping it short;
- Keeping it simple;
- Having great audio; and
- Working within your limitations
This series of modules is designed to get you to the point where you can do all of this, and create 2-3 minute long videos that people want to watch!
Getting Oriented
These modules are designed to take you through the process of creating a simple, 2-3 minute sketch-video of a very specific aspect of the science you know or the research you do. You’ll be taken through a seven-step process of creating videos with a smartphone that will lead to a finished (or maybe close-to-finished) video by the end of them, and provide a skill set and set of resources to help you produce many more effective science videos.
We will be using a very similar technique to that used on the Risk Bites YouTube channel. This uses very simple stick figure-drawing techniques to create engaging and informative videos, that pretty much anyone can make.
The modules cover two techniques — whiteboard sketches, and pencil and paper sketches. The basic approach is the same in both cases, although some of the techniques differ slightly.
As an example video, we’ll be using the video “How do Air Filters Remove Particles from the Air”, which is available in two versions on the Science Showcase YouTube channel: one using pencil and paper, and the other using a whiteboard:
The whiteboard version of How Filters Work
Through the modules, we’ll be going through the following steps:
- Focus: Identifying the aim of the video, and narrowing this down to something that can be conveyed effectively in 2-3 minutes.
- Scripting: Crafting, editing and refining a tight, compelling ~300-400 word script that conveys clear, uncluttered, engaging and relevant information and insights.
- Storyboarding: Sketching out a sequence of video frames that will guide filming.
- Voiceover: Recording a clear and engaging narrative track for the video, using an iPod/smartphone.
- Filming: Using an iPod/smartphone and either pencil and paper or whiteboard techniques to film sketches for the video. (this guide was created when iPods were a thing!)
- Editing: Pulling together the narrative track and the video clips into a rough cut video, using basic PC/Mac based editing software
- Finishing Touches: Adding title slides and a sound track to the video, and completing it.
Next …
Modules:
Back to the OVERVIEW