In this step, you will find examples and an explanation of each video format, but remember: video making is a creative process, so don’t let formats limit your imagination. Build on them to find and create your own style that fits your message.

Communication, Research

Education, Research

Victoria Nyst's love for sign language was sparked when she accidentally ended up at a deaf school while studying African linguistics. The university lecturer has since been awarded a Vici grant to research the history of these languages.

You can quite simply make videos with your webcam or smartphone. This format is used mostly when you want to give a quick response or update.

This format can include interviews and discussions. Usually two or more people are recorded. However, sometimes you only see the interviewee, and the questions may appear as text on the screen. This format is usually used outside of the studio. So feel free to think of a place which best fits your n…

A web lecture in most cases shows a recorded lecture, often in combination with interactive slides or a blackboard. The lecture recording can be made available afterwards or streamed live for students who cannot attend the live lecture.

Communication, Working effectively

What distinguishes a documentary from other formats is that it uses people and situations in real life to give voice to different opinions, provide a statement on a societal phenomenon and/or give insight into a world that is not easily accessible. If you want to record a documentary, it is important…

From the start of your PhD you make agreements with your supervisors concerning your personal development and the supervision you receive. These agreements should be recorded in a Training and Supervision Plan. This plan contains agreements concerning your research, supervision, training, and potential…

A talking head is a video in which the presenter is recorded from the waist up. This format usually includes visual aids like slides, a board, an object or an animation. This can be recorded in your office, at home or in the studio. If you consider recording in your office or at home, you might want…

Academics from Leiden University have started a campaign against cuts at universities.

Six researchers from Leiden University have received an ERC starting grant. This grant of on average 1.5m euros will enable the researchers to launch their own project, form their own research team and develop their best ideas.

Seven researchers from Leiden University have been awarded an ERC Starting Grant. This will enable them to start their own project, build their research team and put their best ideas into action.

Your dissertation layout must meet certain requirements. Special rules apply if you have written your dissertation with others or if you are publishing a commercial edition.

On 11 July 2024, a gathering was held to celebrate the start of the construction of the new University Sports Centre (USC). Rugby players and a pole dancer from USC Leiden played a role in the celebration. A video was also shown, giving a whistle-stop tour of the new building.

Animation is a fun way to explain complicated theories and concepts, in which the visual aid plays a central role and is based around a storyline. An animation can be a stand-alone video with a voice-over but can also be used as part of a talking head video or screencast.

When you use a screencast, you record the changes on your computer screen, and enhance this with a voice over. You can use different supporting software & hardware, like PowerPoint or a drawing tablet. In some cases this is used in combination with a webcam recording or an animation.

A fiction film portrays a narrative with well thought out characters as realistically as possible with the use of actors, lighting and decor. The strength of a fiction film is being able to relay a deeper meaning in an entertaining and artistic way.

This academic year 49 promising international students will start their master’s degree here thanks to a Leiden University Excellence Scholarship (LExS). The students, all from outside the EU, were welcomed in a special ceremony on 5 September. Who are they?

The Academic Language Centre is organising an introduction to Ukrainian with the Russian Studies/Russian and Eurasian Studies programmes. This six-part course is meant primarily for people who are in contact with refugees from Ukraine.

Study support

Whatever editing programme you choose to work with, an editing project generally follows the same workflow. Below you will find more information about each step in the editing process.

Armed with sunglasses, a thick layer of sunscreen and several bottles of water, over 3,300 students have arrived in Leiden for their introduction week. The start of the 55th EL CID happened to be on the hottest day of the year.

Work has begun on an accommodation complex for international PhD candidates and postdocs at the Leiden Bio Science Park.

February 8 saw the launch of the Medical Delta ‘Sustainable Hospitals’ Interdisciplinary Thesis Lab. The research projects will touch on different aspects of healthcare. The students hope they will be able to offer practical solutions to make hospitals greener.

Before you start creating text and visual content for your educational video, make sure you have a clear picture of your learning objectives and how you are going to assess these. When you have established these, you can further develop what you want to teach. Keep in mind that there is already a lot…

Demonstrations can be used to show and explain a skill or procedure in a setting from practice, like a lab or (fictitious) courtroom.

Didactics

Research

Leiden University is known for its pioneering research and teaching. By offering education to professionals (lifelong learning), we want to bring this research and teaching expertise to the field and thus further increase our impact on society. With the aid of a grant from Leiden University Academy,…

Smiling faces, a mass dance and a bit of awkwardness: after two ‘corona editions’ of EL CID, the Leiden introduction week is back with a vengeance this year. A total of 3,412 first-year students from Leiden University and University of Applied Sciences Leiden, accompanied by 486 mentors, started EL…

After seven months of hard work, the participants in the Research Traineeship Programme concluded their research on Friday 2 September with a pitch and a poster presentation.

Audio podcasts or audio recordings have a broad range of opportunities in education. Podcasts can be used to transfer knowledge (audio lectures), record interviews, record instructions for a field trip or to make a short radio documentary on location. Podcasts are a flexible medium, the small file size…