Film Sessions

W.R. Davies Center | Room 328 (Woodland Theater)

Thursday, April 13, 2023

Session A | 10:30-11:30 am 
Session B | 1:00-2:00 pm 
Session C | 2:15- 3:15 pm 
Session D | 3:30-4:30 pm 

Friday, April 14, 2023 

Session E | 8:30-9:30 am 
Session F | 9:45-10:45 am 

Film sessions are 60 minutes in length, comprised of three film presentations each. Presenters will have 20 minutes to introduce, show and facilitiate discussion about their film Films should be no longer than 15 minutes in lenth. The Woodland Theater is a typical movie-style theater with a large projection screen and tiered seating. The purpose of an oral presentation is to share your research with an audience in the form of a film. It is typically a synopsis of your research.

Professional Courtesy  

NCUR offers an opportunity for participants to observe, learn, and practice professional etiquette common to all disciplines. Presenters should remain in the room until all presentations in their sessions are complete. The other presentations may offer new insights, and all presenters deserve the same audience and respect. Spectators at sessions should enter and exit oral and performing arts session rooms between (not during) presentations.  

Film Presentation Guidelines

• You should arrive at your assigned classroom at least 15 minutes prior to the start of your session to transfer your digital presentation material to the computer and ensure that it opens properly. A room monitor will be available for technical assistance in each room.

• Use a USB drive or the cloud to retrieve your presentation. It is strongly recommended that presenters have backups of their presentation materials

• If there are any difficulties during the presentation, please inform the moderator who will contact the building monitor and the technical support team.

• The film may be up to 15 minutes in lenth; if your film is longer, you will not be able to show all of it. An additional 5 minutes is available for an introduction and questions.

• Try to visit the location of your presentation ahead of time to familiarize yourself with the space. 

• You can save your presentation to the Cloud and/or bring digital presentation materials on a USB flash drive. It is strongly recommended that presenters have backups of their digital presentation materials.   

• You should arrive at your assigned classroom at least 15 minutes prior to the start of your session to transfer your digital presentation material to the computer and ensure that it opens properly.  

  • If you are using audio or need an internet connection, check that everything is working properly. 

• Plan your presentation with your audience in mind 

• Think carefully about your central message. 

  • What do you want the audience to know by the end of your presentation? 

  • Most people will only remember a few take-home points from your carefully constructed presentation (if that!). 

    • There's no point in getting bogged down in minutia that the audience can't really process anyway.  

• The most important parts are the beginning (to draw the audience in) and the ending (to wrap up, to inspire). Put some thought into how to make these parts of your presentation have an impact. 

• Plan to attend the entire hour-long session. 

  • You will go in the sequence listed in the conference program. 
  • Refrain from coming late or leaving early. 

• Show respect for fellow presenters – ask questions, and pay attention when they’re speaking. 

• Consider planning out the answers to anticipated questions. 

  • Regarding your sample, analyses, future directions, etc. 
• Avoid colloquial slang, derogatory terms, etc.  

• Thank your mentor(s) and others for their contributions. 

What to Avoid

It is usually not required that you use visuals for your presentation, but they can often help the audience follow along with your research. If you use Google Slides, Microsoft PowerPoint, Prezi, or other programs: 

• Avoid the temptation to put too much text on your slides; the audience can get bored or overwhelmed and might not be able to clearly see all the words if you've used a small font (less than 20-pt is considered "small").  

• Avoid font types that are hard to read or look unprofessional. 

• Avoid putting words on a busy background that makes the words hard to read. 

• Avoid using font color that doesn't contrast with the background (in other words, your audience can't read gray text on a black background).  

  • Think about audience members who may be color-blind or visually impaired

• Avoid distracting behaviors or verbal tics (“um,” “like,” and “uh”). 

• Consider your body language (e.g., arms crossed can come across as you not wanting to be there). 

• Avoid turning your back to the audience. 

Handling Audience Questions 

• Be sure to leave some time in the end. The moderator will help you with this. 

• If a questioner is soft-spoken, repeat or paraphrase the question so everyone hears. 

• Avoid long, meandering answers. 

• Don’t make something up if you don’t know the answer. Offer to look it up and get back to the person, and be open to someone in the audience knowing the answer. 

• Give positive reinforcement to questioners (smiling, nodding, “that’s a good question”). 

• If someone is attacking you or otherwise being rude, remember that this usually comes from someone who wants to show off or appear smart in front of everyone. The other audience members will recognize the rudeness and be on your side! Stay calm, answer as best you can, and acknowledge it when he/she makes a good point (smiling and nodding can disarm an attacker). 

• People will often talk to you right afterward. Avoid running out right after your presentation if you can help it. 

• Audience members may email for a copy of your presentation or to ask further questions. Be sure to follow up with them

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