At a Glance

A screencast is a video where you demonstrate a website or software application on screen. In the Teaching Studio, you sit or stand at the podium and your screen appears on the glass in front of the camera lens, so you look directly at your audience the whole time you work. You appear in a small circle in the corner of the finished video while your audience follows your cursor.

Here are a couple highlights:

  1. Bring printed notes. The teleprompter displays your demo during a screencast, so it can’t scroll a script.
  2. If your software only runs on Windows, log into the MIT Sloan Remote Lab at least one week before your session.

Book Your Session

If this is your first time in the studio, you’ll complete an orientation before your screencast recording session. See [Book the Studio] for booking links and timing. When you book, mention that your project is a screencast so we can prepare the right setup, or start with a Consultation to plan it together.

Prepare Your Demo

Screencast shoots really benefit when you can plan your demo out in detail before you arrive. Here are some tips:

  1. Plan the full demo path. Write out every step in order in the notes you’ll bring to the studio. Include every screen transition and page you’ll navigate to. Rehearse until your mouse movements feel smooth and deliberate, and practice pausing briefly between steps. Those pauses give the editor clean cut points.
  2. Confirm where your software runs. The studio computer is a Mac. If your software is Mac-compatible or runs in a browser, we’ll load it directly. If it requires Windows, the studio connects to the MIT Sloan Remote Lab, which hosts the software used in MIT Sloan classes. New software can’t be installed, so check the list of commonly used applications while planning your session.
  3. If you’ll use Remote Lab, log in one week ahead. Visit sloan-remote.mit.edu at least one week before your session and log in once. Your first login sets up your profile and can take a couple of minutes. If you run into any issues, contact the STS Help Desk at stshelp@mit.edu and mention your recording date.
  4. Get your accounts ready. Log into any accounts your demo needs before recording starts. Passwords must never appear on screen; turn off password autofill so it doesn’t pop up mid-demo.
  5. Clean up the screen. Make sure the demo is easy to read (zoom level and font size matter), clear personal files off the desktop, and silence notifications. We’ll help you check all of this before you record.
  6. Print your notes. Since the teleprompter displays your demo, a scrolling script isn’t available. Bring printed notes to keep on the podium.

Attend Your Studio Session

A member of the studio team runs the session and stays with you throughout. You’ll work through your demo, pausing between major steps. If you make a mistake, keep going or repeat the step; we’ll cut mistakes out in editing. Between takes, return the demo to its starting state.

Before you leave, we’ll record a short clip of you for the video’s title card. It takes a minute. Strike a few poses and smile.

After Your Session

Screencasts get the same treatment as every studio video: editing, the MIT Sloan title card and closing animation, and captions. You have the option to review the rough cut online and you can request revisions before publishing.

Book Your Session

If this is your first time in the studio, you’ll complete an orientation before your screencast recording session. See [Book the Studio] for booking links and timing. When you book, mention that your project is a screencast so we can prepare the right setup, or start with a Consultation to plan it together.

Related Resources