Day 8: Capturing Signer Video

Goal

Learn what makes source video useful.

Learn

• Good capture starts before any model runs. The signer needs visible hands, face, upper body, and enough signing space.
• Use stable framing, clear lighting, consistent distance, high enough resolution, and a background that does not hide hands or face.
• Consent is part of capture quality. Sign-language video can reveal identity, disability status, language community, and personal expression.

Example

• Capture checklist: face visible, both hands visible, wrists not cut off, elbows usually visible, no strong backlight, camera stable, signer centered, no confusing background motion, consent recorded, file name assigned.
• A clip with perfect lighting but no consent is not usable for a responsible dataset.

Practice

1. Create a capture checklist with three sections: camera, signer visibility, and consent.
2. Use it to grade one existing video as keep, review, or reject.

Checkpoint

Deaf-first note