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.

A team of international researchers led by Tomas Stolker in the Netherlands has imaged a young gas giant exoplanet near a 12-million-year-old star. The planet is orbiting a star at which planet formation has finished, while the same-aged companion star still has a planet-forming disk. The researchers…

Leiden researchers, Professor Remko Offringa and co-applicants Salma Balazadeh and Frederic Lens received an NWO-XL grant (2.5 million euros). Together with researchers in Wageningen and Groningen, they will study the genetic and environmental drivers of woodiness. From plant to molecule, the groups…

The sustainable production of hydrogen could potentially be made more efficient by adding a cleverly chosen salt to the process. Researchers at the Leiden Institute of Chemistry (LIC), in collaboration with physicists at the University of Twente, have discovered that the type of salt present in the…

How do you progress from an immense gas cloud somewhere in the universe to a star with planets? Research by Astronomy PhD student Martijn van Gelder sheds more light on the earliest phases of this process. He will receive his doctorate on November 24th.

How do galaxies form? That is what astronomer Mariska Kriek will be researching in the coming years. She received an NWO Vici grant of 1.5 million euros to study galaxies in the early universe. ‘This research uses new and unprecedented observations from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). These allow…

Simulations of galaxy formation provide much more information about galaxies than a telescope. Simulations have been improving significantly in recent years. Astronomer Evgenii Chaikin made such a significant contribution to this field that he graduated with honours on February 27th.

An international team of scientists, including Xander Tielens of Leiden Observatory, has used space telescope Hubble and the ALMA observatory to show that UV radiation from massive stars can prevent planets from forming. The researchers publish their findings on 1 March in the journal Science.

Nienke van der Marel has been awarded the New Horizons Prize in physics for her pioneering research on planet formation. This prize is given to young, promising researchers in physics or mathematics. The astronomer and her colleagues found the first observational evidence for 'dust traps' in disks around…

Lecture + Q&A

Using the James Webb Space Telescope, an international team of researchers, including Leiden Professor of Molecular Astrophysics Ewine van Dishoeck, has discovered a palette of hydrocarbons in a planet-forming disc around a young, low-mass star. The results confirm that discs around very lightweight…

The discovery of a planet far too large for its sun defies models about the formation of solar systems and planets. In a paper in Science, researchers, including Yamila Miguel of Leiden Observatory, report the discovery of a planet more than 13 times heavier than Earth orbiting the ultracool dwarf star…

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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…

International researchers have, for the first time, pinpointed the moment when planets began to form around a star beyond the Sun. Using the ALMA telescope, in which the European Southern Observatory (ESO) is a partner, and the James Webb Space Telescope, they have observed the creation of the first…

PhD defence

PhD defence

Didactics

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.

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…

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…

An international team of astronomers led by Ardjan Sturm of the Observatory has made the first two-dimensional inventory of ice in a planet-forming disk of dust and gas surrounding a young star. The researches, including Melissa McClure, used the James Webb Space Telescope and publish their findings…

PhD defence

Didactics

The layout of a dissertation must meet certain requirements. Special rules also apply if the dissertation was written with others or if a commercial edition will be published.

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.

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.

PhD defence