Opening the recorder
With Novel, you can record video profiles to showcase your skill and personality to your targets. You can click the "Record a video" button to open the video recorder. This button appears in the following places:
In the "Videos" section of the Profile card on the dashboard if you don't have any videos saved.
In the videos page (which is accessible by pressing
on the Navbar) pressing the
button on the top bar or within the main section of the video list page.
Recording a video
Once you have opened the recorder, you will be presented with a screen that looks like this:
To start recording, simply press the Record button to start recording. On mobile devices, you can press the Camera button to switch cameras between front and back cameras.
Recording tips
Managing your recording environment is key. Here are some tips to help you get the best recording:
Lighting - Make sure you have good lighting. Natural light is best, but while recording indoors, make sure you have a light source in front of you.
Background - Make sure your background is clean and tidy. A plain wall is best, but if you have a busy background, make sure it is not distracting, and doesn't take focus away from you
Sound - Make sure you are in a quiet environment. When recording on a mobile device, make sure you are not covering the microphone.
Positioning - Make sure you are in the centre of the frame. When recording on a mobile device, make sure you are not covering the camera.
Appearance - Make sure you are well presented. Dress as you would for an interview.
Using the recorder
Once you've started the recording, you'll see the recorder:
The maximum allowable length of each video is 3 minutes, after which the recording will end. While you may be able to manually upload videos that are longer, we recommend keeping your videos to 3 minutes or less. This is because:
Shorter videos are more engaging - The average attention span of a human is 8 seconds. This means that you have a very short amount of time to capture the attention of your target. Shorter videos are more likely to be watched in full.
Shorter videos are easier to watch - If you're sending your video to a target, they may be watching it on a mobile device. Shorter videos are easier to watch on mobile devices.
Shorter videos are easier to record - It's easier to record a shorter video. You are less likely to make mistakes and you are less likely to run out of things to say.
After a recording of 10 seconds, you'll be able to pause the video with the
button, which will stop your recording. When the video is stopped, either after you've done so manually or have hit the 3-minute time limit, you'll see three buttons:-
Resume the recording. If you've hit the 3-minute time limit, you won't be able to continue.
Discard the current video without saving to re-record another video.
Save your video profile. You will be able to add a title and description to the video after saving it.
Now, you've saved your video profile. Read on further to see how to use it.