MCSL Video Capture Job Aid Manual

UNIVERSITY OF PORT HARCOURT

MACARTHUR CLERKING SKILLS LABORATORY
(MCSL)

CLERKING SKILLS VIDEO CAPTURE

JOB AID MANUAL
Version 1.0
07/16/2015

MCSL Video Capture Job Aid Manual

2
Table of Contents

Welcome
Introduction
Objectives
Pre-requisite Skills
Target Audience
The laboratory features
1. The Studios
The Cameras
Medical Couch
2. The Cafe
3. The Control room
The server
The computers and camera controllers
The audio mixers and cordless microphones
Tips for good video capture

Welcome

MCSL Video Capture Job Aid Manual

Welcome to the MacArthur Clerking Skills Laboratory, this is an audio-visual laboratory

where clinical clerking skills are captured, recorded, stored and used as instructional
models for medical students in the University of Port-Harcourt to perfect their skills in
the particular medical clerking skill that needs perfection. Here, the medical Doctors,
and professors come in with patients to demonstrate a clinical skill, sometimes, the
students pose as patients for a skill to be performed. These activities are recorded and
produces as instructional models for the medical students to perfect themselves in such
skills.

Introduction
The purpose of this job aid is to guide the academic staff of the University of PortHarcourt in charge of the MacArthur Clerking Skills Laboratory located in the
Universitys teaching hospital to capture an effective video of a clerking skill to edit and
produce as a good instructional model.

Objectives
At the end of this manual, MCSL staff will be able to capture good clerking skills without
missing any demonstration carried out by a medical doctor, professor, or a medical
student.

Pre-requisites Skills
This job aid is written for the staff or new recruits in the MCSL that already is familiar
with video editing, how to operate the server, how to control the cameras, can use the
computer, and have basic knowledge of the Microsoft Windows XP/Vista/7 or Mac OS-X
environment.

Target Audience
The target audience for this job aid include all members of the MCSL (the director and
the assigned academic staff of the University of Port-Harcourt) member of staff of the
department of curriculum studies and educational technology of the University of Port
Harcourt, and the medical practitioners assigned to MCSL.

The Laboratory Features

MCSL Video Capture Job Aid Manual

The MCSL has six studios, each having four cameras and a medical couch. There is a
caf equipped with 30 desk top computers, and a control room where recording and
production takes place and also houses the server.

The Studios
This where the skills are carried out, and there are six of them. Only the medical
practitioner performing the skill and his patient are allowed in this room, or two medical
students posing as a doctor and a patient. This room contains four Closed Circuit
Television (CCTV) cameras, a medical couch, and a desktop computer.

The Camera

There are four cameras in each of the

studio, one on each corners of the room.
And one in the caf and corridor of the
laboratory
The CCTV cameras can be panned left
or right, up or down, and can be zoomed
in or out depending on what the user
wishes to capture

The Medical Couch

MCSL Video Capture Job Aid Manual

This exam table is where the medical

examination (Clerking skills) takes
place, the medical doctors or medical
student posing as a doctor carries any
particular skill while the patient or
student posing as a patient is lying down
on the medical couch. But the position
of the patient or student posing as one
lying on the couch is highly controlled by
the medical doctors or students posing
as one.

The Caf

This room is called the caf, there are

30 desktop computers in this room, and
are all connected to the server in the
control room. This is where the student
comeback to watch the playback of the
medical skills they want to perfect
themselves in. Each of the computers
has ear phones connected to them for
clerking skills that requires audio. In this
same room the students can watch a
live clerking skill performance
happening in any of the studios which
the staff in charge would.

The Control Room

The control room is where the clerking skills happening in all six studios in the MCSL
are captured, edited, and produced for instructional purposes. This room houses the

MCSL Video Capture Job Aid Manual

server, the audio mixers, and the control desktop that controls all the cameras in the six
studios, caf and corridor of the MCSL.

The Server

There are three servers in three different

server racks, one of the server stores
the audio files from the six studios, one
of the other two servers stores all video
files, and the third server is for backup,
in case the other two servers are full.

The Computers and Camera Controllers

MCSL Video Capture Job Aid Manual

All the cameras in the MCSL are
connected to the two computers in the
control room. Here, all events in the six
studios are recorded, and produced.
These computers are also connected to
the server which can access the server
for video or audio files for editing and
producing.

The camera controllers are connected to

each of the desktop computers in the
control room and if any skills is being

7
performed in any of the six studios, the
controllers can be used to control the
cameras capturing the event, despite
the room or camera.

MCSL Video Capture Job Aid Manual

The Audio Mixers and Cordless Microphones

The audio mixers are used to increase

or reduce the volume of the audio being
recorded, it can also be used to fine
tune the audio for clarity and sound of
the audio after editing.

The microphones in MCSL are cordless,

these are given to medical doctors or
students posing as medical doctors to
wear on ears or wear on their clothes as

they carry out the clerking skill so the

staff in charge can get a good audio
which minimizes the issues of
synchronizing the audios and videos
when editing.

Tips for good video capture

The four cameras in the studio are positioned on the top middle four walls of the studio,
the camera close to the door is called the door camera, the one close to the window is
called the window camera, close to the medical couch is the down camera and the on
the side opposite the medical couch is the up camera (MCSL, n.d.). The patient or
student posing as a patient may lie in a position where the lags face the window camera
and head the door camera or vice versa.

The window and up cameras.

Tips
1. The most important piece of thing you have to do is to steady the cameras in the
studio because your video will turn out much better with a steady shot.
2. The microphone on the cameras is not very powerful so give the medical doctor
or the medical student posing as one a cordless microphone to wear on the ear
or shirt.
3. Dont film into lights, or into the window, make sure that you turn on the
florescence lights which are positioned on the patient
4. Avoid distracting backgrounds. If the bright light is casting the shadow of the
rotating fan on the wall, turn off the rotating fan and turn on the air conditioning
system in the studio to make the doctor and patient comfortable and relaxed.
5. Limit panning zooming in and zoom out while filming. Dont zoom in too close
or too far. For best results, use the window and door cameras to focus on the
opposite sides of the patient facing the cameras. Example, if the patients head is
positioned under the door camera and the leg under the window camera, focus
the door camera from waist to leg of the patient, and the window from waist to
head. In that way, you wont miss any action taking place
Use the up camera for aerial view shots, this could be when the doctor is introducing
himself and what skill is to be performed to the patient, and when thanking the patient at
the end of a successful clerking skill.

If you follow these tips, you will have a steady shot, a good audio, and a good quality
video making editing a lot easier.

References

Alexandra, K. (n.d.) 9 tips to Capturing Great Video. Retrieved July 16, 2015, from
https://blogs.cisco.com/partner/9_tips_to_capturing_great_video
University of Port-Harcourt (n.d.) MacArthur Clerking Skills Laboratory. Retrieved July 16,
2015, from http://ciit-uniport.ng/vlearn/course/index.php?categoryid=6