Location, Location, Location in Online Learning

Today, we're going to talk about course filming locations. While it is often overlooked, it is not something to be forgotten because location is one of the most important aspects of any type of recording or live session. I would encourage you to aim to have a background and environment that are going to be conducive to students learning. If you’re doing this at home, that's not always the case. You may have to find new locations, rent a studio, or completely go out of the city! It's going to depend heavily on what your home situation is, and the learning environment you want to share with your students.

To help you address this situation, I’ve got some ideas that I’ve tried myself and they work very well when your home situation doesn’t allow for a calm environment. Don’t be afraid to ask people to help you out especially if you have to move locations!

Finding a studio.
This isn't exactly the cheapest option, but it is an option. Usually, in large cities, there are plenty of studios that are available for some sort of rental. You can choose really any kind of studio, including dance studios. It depends on what your preferences are. You can even look at using peerspace.com which is a lot like Airbnb, but for hourly rate options and more business focused.

Another thing that you could do, is to use workspaces or co-workspaces. Workspaces are extremely handy because they generally provide everything that you need to get the job done. These types of studios or co-workspaces are a great tool for when you might have a little bit of a chaotic house. Who am I kidding, we all probably have extremely chaotic houses!

Workspaces usually come with rental fees, and this can be detrimental to your pocketbook. However, it is going to be worth it in the long run, especially if you're creating evergreen content. If that's the case, then what you'll want to do is make sure that the space is either fully rented out, or you're able to share with other people who aren't going to be bothered by you recording a video.

Changing locations.
If going to a workspace isn't really your vibe, then you're probably going to want to try something completely different. This can be anywhere from going to a park, going to a completely different city, or even heading out of state.

No matter how you decide to choose your location, be it for beauty or enjoyment. Make sure that you are going somewhere that isn’t going to interfere with the recording. You don’t want to fight other types of sounds. If you're going to an outdoor location, definitely consider getting some sort of mic pack. That's going to help your audio be clearer than those done on a phone or on a camera.

Another part about changing locations is that you need to be aware of the time investment. You’ll have to add in travel time, additional set-up time, and shifting shots. This can add quite a bit of time if you don’t have anyone that can help you. Here’s the thing though, if changing locations helps you get the work done, then do it. If it's not going to help you get the work done, then don't do it. Easy peasy.

Recording at home.
For some, this can be a very daunting idea. You may have kids, pets, roommates, or a spouse, or you may live with your family. Any of those situations are going to make recording your content a little more difficult. This is where it's important to recall what your family schedule is. You can also work after hours if that is available to you.

There are definitely different ways to figure it out, just make sure that when you're recording at home, you have the same high-quality equipment. Also, a big thing to remember with any type of live session is that your background matters. You don’t want your background to be off-brand or distracting.
One of the easiest ways to take care of this is to either buy a background online or just use a sheet. There are also room dividers available online for a reasonable cost. If you don't have those options available to you, then you can also create backgrounds in Canva. It's a little more time-consuming but the result is worth it.

Going Forward
Whether live or recorded, how you do your type of content is going to be very important. Don't forget that going out into the world and showing where you are, is a great way to introduce yourself to your students and help them see. This is me and this is who I am.

The only big difference between recording and doing a live session, is that a live session requires you to be more engaged with your students. Live sessions require a lot of work, but probably about the same amount of work as a recorded session. Keep this in mind as you construct your courses, and as always, if you'd like me to take a look, email us at [email protected] to set up a one on one!