CITL One Button Video Studio

The CITL One Button Video Studio (OBVS) is a simplified, automated video recording studio, housed in the Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning building. The One Button Video Studio is an excellent tool for recording short studio style lectures, practicing or pre-recording conference presentations or speeches, recording over a green screen, or recording an in-person interview. The studio is designed to run with minimal staff support and minimal configuration, and requires no prior experience with lighting, sound, or video production. With the One Button Video Studio, you can also integrate PowerPoint slides, a logo, and/or one of several pre-configured backgrounds.

Using the One Button Video Studio

  1. Review the Studio system overview videos below
  2. Use the Schedule an Appointment button below to request an available 1-hour appointment between 8am-4:30pm, Monday through Friday. Appointments must be requested at least 2 business days in advance. You will receive a confirmation email and additional support materials.
  3. Once you have reviewed the instructions here and the support materials in the email confirmation, if you still feel you need additional assistance, contact citl@niu.edu for support options.
  4. Create and practice your presentation, including a PowerPoint presentation if desired.
  5. Bring two flash drives, one to store your recording and a separate flash drive containing your PowerPoint if you plan to use one. Every 10 minutes of video takes approximately 1 GB of space, so you can ensure that your flash drive has sufficient space available.

    For a variety of reasons, we strongly recommend recording short videos (5-10 minutes). If you plan to record a single video that will be 40 minutes in length or longer, your flash drive will need to be reformatted for exFAT files. A member of the CITL staff can assist you when you are recording your videos. Existing contents of the flash drive will be deleted when it is reformatted.

  6. Select the clothing that you will wear. If you are using anything that requires the green screen functionality (including backgrounds and PowerPoint presentation integration), choose solid colors over patterns, and avoid green and gray.
  1. Follow instructions in your confirmation email to access the CITL building, enter the Studio, and proceed to the One Button Video Studio kiosk.
  2. Insert your recording flash drive in the recording port on the right side of the kiosk workspace. The system will power up, turning the lights and the configuration panel on.
  3. (Optional) Insert the flash drive with your PowerPoint presentation in the presentation port on the left side of the kiosk workspace. Load your presentation on the left screen using the mouse and keyboard, then play your slideshow in full screen mode.
  4. Use the button panel to configure your recording, including turning on/off the logos, greenscreen, backgrounds, and presentation, as well as positioning the presentation in the recording. Watch the right monitor for a preview of your selections.
  5. Once configured, begin recording by stepping on the red floor button.
  6. You will see a countdown from 5 and then the system will begin recording.
  7. When finished, press the red floor button again to stop the recording.
  8. The recording will stop, process, and copy to the flash drive.
  9. When instructed by a message on the right hand monitor, remove the flash drive from the recording port. Your recording is now stored in MOV format on your flash drive.
  10. If used, close PowerPoint on the left monitor and retrieve your presentation flash drive.
  11. (Optional) Use the Review/Upload station to review your recording and/or upload to OneDrive or Kaltura.

Schedule the Studio

Once you have reviewed the support information for the One Button Video Studio and are ready to schedule an appointment, use the button below to request an available 1 hour appointment between 8am-4:30pm, Monday through Friday. Appointments must be requested at least 2 business days in advance.  You will receive a confirmation email and additional support materials.  Once you have reviewed the instructions support materials in the email confirmation, if you still feel you need additional assistance, contact citl@niu.edu for support options.

Schedule an Appointment

One Button Video Studio Overview Videos

One Button Video Studio Quick Demo (1 minute)

One Button Video Studio Walkthrough (12 minutes)


One Button Video Studio Frequently Asked Questions

How do I make an appointment to record my lecture using the One Button Video Studio?

Email us at citl@niu.edu to request a 30-60 minute One Button Video Studio appointment at least 2 business days prior to your requested appointment date and time, including a brief description of your project type and any special needs. You will receive a response within 24 hours from a staff member who will meet with you to open the Studio for you and provide technical assistance if needed. The hours of operation for the studio are 8 am - 4:30 pm, Monday through Friday.

How long can my recording be?

Most research on video for learning recommends keeping videos short - in the 5-15 minute range - with multiple short videos as opposed to a single long video. Other than this recommendation, the One Button Video Studio allows you to record as long as you would like, within the capacity of your flash drive. Usually, 10 minutes of video requires 1 GB of storage.

In addition to this requirement, typical flash drives can only save individual files of up to 4 GB, which limits you to around 40 minutes of continuous recording. If you need a longer video, your flash drives will need to be reformatted for exFAT files. A member of the CITL staff can assist you when you are recording your videos.

Contact Us

Center for Innovative
Teaching and Learning

Phone: 815-753-0595
Email: citl@niu.edu

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