How to record an online course, lecture or talk that people finish watching

How do you record an online course?

Treat it as two jobs: recording a clear person and recording clear slides. Get both cleanly on their own, then combine them in editing.

1. Write an outline and split the course into short lessons.
2. Choose a quiet room with soft furnishings.
3. Set up one camera at eye level, plus a second angle if you can.
4. Mic the speaker with a lavalier or a close dynamic mic.
5. Light the face with one large soft light.
6. Capture slides and screen demos directly from the computer.
7. Record a 30-second test and check sound on headphones.
8. Record lesson by lesson, with a short pause between takes.
9. Edit: cut mistakes, add slides, titles and subtitles.

What is the best setup for talking head plus slides?

The most watchable format puts the speaker and the slides on screen together, or cuts between them. That means recording the speaker on camera and the slides as a clean screen recording, at the same time or separately.

Element	Basic	Better
Camera	1 camera, eye level, chest-up	2 cameras: front and 30-45 degree angle
Mic	Lavalier on the speaker	Lavalier plus a backup recorder
Light	1 large soft light at 45 degrees	Key, fill and a background light
Slides	Screen recording on the presenter’s laptop	Capture device on a second computer
Teleprompter	Notes beside the lens	Teleprompter for scripted intros

A second angle lets you hide edits. Without it, every cut to remove a mistake shows as a jump.

Lavalier or shotgun microphone?

Use a lavalier for most course and lecture recording. It stays the same distance from the mouth whether the speaker turns or walks, and it hides under a collar.

A shotgun mic on a stand just out of frame sounds more natural, but only in a quiet room without echo. In a typical meeting room or classroom, a shotgun picks up the room, and the result sounds distant. Whatever you choose, record a backup.

How should you light a course video?

One large soft light at about 45 degrees to the face, slightly above eye level, does most of the work. Add a weaker fill light on the other side to soften shadows, and a small light on the background so the speaker stands out.

Turn off overhead fluorescent lights if they flicker on camera, and keep windows to the side, not behind the speaker.

How do you capture screen and slides?

Record the slides at the source. On a laptop, a free screen recorder such as OBS Studio works. For lectures in a venue, put a capture device on the HDMI line from the presenter’s laptop to the projector, so you record exactly what the audience sees.

Ask for the slide deck as a file too. If something goes wrong with the capture, the editor can rebuild the slides from the file.

How do you record a live lecture with an audience?

A live lecture or conference talk adds two problems: you can’t stop for retakes, and the room is noisy. Plan for both.

• Audio: take a feed from the venue sound desk and put a lav on the speaker as backup.
• Cameras: one camera tight on the speaker, a second wide or on the audience for questions.
• Questions: make sure every question from the floor goes through a microphone, or online viewers won’t hear it.
• Slides: capture from the presenter’s laptop, not by filming the screen.
• Permission: tell the audience they are being recorded, and agree with speakers how the recording will be used.

If remote viewers need to join live, see our hybrid event setup guide. For whole conferences, see conference video in Taipei.

What happens in editing?

Editing turns raw recordings into lessons people finish. The usual steps:

1. Sync camera, audio and slide recordings.
2. Cut mistakes, long pauses and off-topic sections.
3. Place slides full screen or beside the speaker.
4. Add titles, chapter markers and lower thirds.
5. Clean up audio and set even loudness across lessons.
6. Add subtitles. Subtitles help viewers who watch without sound and make the content searchable.
7. Export each lesson in the format your course platform needs.

Short clips from the best moments help promote the course on social media.

How much does it cost to record a course: DIY vs crew?

DIY works for screen-recorded tutorials and simple talking-head lessons recorded over many days. Hire a crew for flagship courses, one-off lectures you can’t repeat, and conference talks.

Option	Cost (NT$, before tax)	What’s included
DIY with rented gear	Camera kit 1,800-2,500/day, audio kit 1,000-1,500/day, lighting kit 1,000-1,500/day	Gear only
Studio-style session	8,000-12,000 per session	2 cameras, up to 4 mics, lights, up to 2 hours, edited episode
Lecture recording, 1 camera	Half day 13,000-16,000; full day 22,000-26,000	Camera operator, audio, recording
Extra camera	+9,000-11,000 half day; +15,000-18,000 full day	Second angle with operator
Highlight reel	8,000-10,000	60-90 second summary
Social clips	1,600-2,000 each; 5 for 8,000-10,000	English and Chinese subtitles

See event videography for lectures and conferences, podcast production for studio-style lessons, and clips and editing. Studio-style lessons use the same setup as a video podcast; see the video podcast setup guide. All prices are on the pricing page. To book, ask for a quote.