Publications:
"Automatic Camera Control for Lecture Recordings"
Authors: Fleming Lampi, Nicolai Scheele, Wolfgang Effelsberg
Published in the proceedings of the World Conference on Educational Multimedia, Hypermedia and Telecommunications (EDMEDIA) 2006, Orlando, FL, USA.
Abstract:
This paper presents our approach to automatic camera control for lecture recording. The recording of lectures is a standard technique today. Different applications such as exam preparation, recapitulation, distance or on-demand learning can be supported. However, the video recording of a lecture creates considerable overhead in terms of personnel, and often the results are unprofessional and boring for the students. This paper presents a new approach to automatic camera control in order to reduce this overhead and improve the quality of the recording. Beginning with an abstract view on the “ingredients” of a standard lecture, their medial representation is discussed. We then propose a computer-based system to create the recording automatically.
"Automatic FSM-Based Video Directors for Lecture Recording"
Authors: Fleming Lampi, Stephan Kopf, Wolfgang Effelsberg
Published in the proceedings of the World Conference on Educational Multimedia, Hypermedia and Telecommunications (EDMEDIA) 2007, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
Abstract:
The manual recording of lectures is a common technique today. To enable an automatic recording of lectures we propose an approach based on a sophisticated finite state machine implementing video production rules. The main goal is to improve the quality of the recording and a higher level of engagement of the spectators. In order to test our approach we define the evaluation criteria and compare our approach to a finite state machine using fixed weights. This paper introduces the development of the criteria coming from typical questions of the director of a human camera team. In a second step we test the criteria with two finite state machines. A brief overview of the project status and its first results concludes the paper.
"An automatic cameraman in a lecture recording system."
Authors: Fleming Lampi, Stephan Kopf, Manuel Benz, Wolfgang Effelsberg
Published in the proceedings of the International Workshop on Educational Multimedia and Multimedia Education at the ACM Multimedia, 2007, Augsburg, BY, Germany.
Abstract
We describe the design and implementation of an automatic cameraman for lecture recording. A major problem with traditional lecture recordings is that they tend to be boring for the students, especially if only the slides and the audio of the lecturer are pre-sented. In a first step, we determine the tasks a real cameraman would have, in particular with respect to liveliness of the video. We then adapt these tasks to a computer system and show in detail how they can be implemented. In a second step, we describe how our algorithms support the virtual director system into which the automatic cameraman is integrated. We conclude that lecture re-cordings can be much more lively and interesting using our approach.
"A Virtual Camera Team for Lecture Recording"
Authors: Fleming Lampi, Stephan Kopf, Manuel Benz, Wolfgang Effelsberg
Published in IEEE MultiMedia Journal, vol. 15, no. 3, pp. 58-61, Jul-Sept, 2008
Abstract:
We present the design and implementation of a virtual camera team for lecture recording, based on the teamwork of a human camera team. A major problem with traditional lecture recordings is that they tend to be boring for the students, especially if only the slides and the audio of the lecturer are presented. In a first step, we determine the different roles in a human camera team, their tasks, and how they collaborate to apply cinematographic rules. We then transfer these tasks to a distributed computer system, our virtual camera team, and show how they can be implemented. We conclude that lecture recordings can be much more lively and interesting using our approach.
"Automatic Lecture Recording" (Video and Short Paper)
Authors: Fleming Lampi, Stephan Kopf, Wolfgang Effelsberg
Published in the proceedings of the ACM Multimedia Conference, 2008, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
Abstract:
We present our system for automatic lecture recording. In contrast to traditional lecture recording systems our approach aims to imitate a real camera team, consisting of multiple cameramen and a director, in order to make the recording more vivid. At first, we introduce the environment. Then, we present our approach, beginning with the director module, followed by the cameraman module and the sensor tools module, referring to the jobs of the respective human originals. The director is based on an Extended Finite State Machine, with transition conditions depending on input from sensor tools. The cameraman automatically controls iris, focus, etc., and also takes basic cinematographic rules into account. The video concludes with an example result of our virtual camera team of a real lecture.
"A Question Managing Suite for Automatic Lecture Recording"
Authors: Fleming Lampi, Hendrik Lemelson, Stephan Kopf, Wolfgang Effelsberg
Published in Interactive Technology & Smart Education, Vol. 6 Issue 2, 2009, pp. 108 - 118.
Abstract:
In this paper we present our automatic lecture recording system which provides an easy way to record questions from the audience. Coming from the human model we transfer the management of the question-answer interaction to the virtual camera team and amend it with features necessary for the collaboration in that team. We are able to record the whole interaction, to record the original voice of the questioner out of an audience without handing out a microphone or forcing him/her to walk to one, and to record a video of the questioner while asking. All activities of the interaction are prepared as sensor inputs for the virtual director so that it is able to switch to its appropriate context. As the software uses a simple graphical user interface in its first version, it is not a truly intuitive way to interact, but as mentioned in the section on our experiences and in the outlook, we currently work on a more natural interface.
"Automatic Lecture Recording"
Author: Fleming Lampi
Dissertation. Published online by the library of the University of Mannheim, Germany. 2010.
Abstract:
Lecture recording has become a very common tool to provide students with additional media for their examination preparations. While its effort has to stay reasonable, only a very basic way of recording is done in many cases. Therefore, watching the resulting videos can get very boring completely independent of how interesting the original topic or session was.
This thesis proposes a new approach to lecture recordings by letting distributed computers emulate the work of a human camera team, which is the natural way of creating attractive recordings.
This thesis is structured in six chapters, starting with the examination of the current situation, and taking its constraints into account. The first chapter concludes with a reflection on related work.
Chapter two is about the design of our prototype system. It is deduced from a human camera team in the real world which gets transferred into the virtual world. Finally, a detailed overview about all parts necessary for our prototype and their planned functionality is given. In chapter three, the implementation of all parts and tasks and the incidents occurring during implementation are described in detail.
Chapter four describes the technical experiences made with the different parts during development, testing and evaluation with a view to functionality, performance, and an proposal towards future work. The evaluation of the whole system with students is presented and discussed in the fifth chapter.
Chapter six concludes this thesis by summing up the facts and gives an outlook on future work.