Planning your Screencasts

The level of scripting required for your screencast will depend on the type of recording you are doing. For example, if you are narrating over images or slides and know exactly what you want to say, a highly scripted text might be necessary.

However, if you are creating tutorials or screencasting a program where your commentary is tied to the actions on screen, a more flexible script with guiding bullet points (rather than full sentences) may be a better option.

If you’re using a webcam as part of your screencast setup, reading directly from a script the entire time may not be ideal. In informal recordings, occasionally referring to your notes can be perfectly acceptable.

The software used for screencasting in the Microstudio is OBS Studio. OBS allows you to overlay different video and audio sources in real-time (e.g., screen + webcam). While the options are virtually limitless, a series of presets have been created to simplify the recording process. These presets are called scenes.

The default scenes set up are:

• Webcam only (full screen)
• Screen only (full screen)
• Blank
• Screen (full screen) + webcam (small, positioned in one corner)

During recording, you can easily switch between these scenes using the Stream Deck. Switching between scenes can be helpful if you want to emphasise specific parts of your screen. For example, at the conclusion of the screencast, you might want to display the webcam in full screen instead of a static desktop.

Planning these scene switches during the scripting phase can help inform your script, save time during recording, and make the final video look more professional.