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This topic befuddled me when I first began teaching. I mean, the idea is to have gear for each kid – where did this sharing notion come from?
Well, I’m into my seventh year and I know the drill. Our most precious resource – our children – are in a perpetual state of getting the short end of the stick. I know my class is an elective and not the guts of what they need to know (although the organizational and critical thinking skills they learn are essential to life after high school). But as a newly departed English teacher, I know the essential classes are also feeling more than a pinch.
So – when the concept of shared gear was first presented to me, I faced the dilemna of what to do. Buy a few really good high end cameras so the kids could learn how to use good equipment and have professional results – OR get a bunch of low end cameras that still had the essentials and get gear into as many student hands as possible.
I believe in learning hands-on, so it was a hands-down decision. At my first school the principal had already purchased a beaut of a camera (Sony three chip 900) and he managed to pull together the money to get a series of Canon ZR camcorders.
At my current school after the requisite purchase of the impressive cameras (principals have a thing about impressing folks), I got ten Canon Elura 100s, which have manual controls and mike inputs/headset outputs. This was reduced to 8 with some sticky fingers and no lock on my office door within a year, but now with a security cage and an additional five cameras I picked up on the cheap and two purchased by our Digital Media Club, there are enough for the class.
So – we have cameras. The first year at McNair I got to tripods after getting some essentials to start up the program – and regretted the flimsy ones I got at the last minute. Not one survivor after the first two years.
Now I have five Velbons – four 607s and one older Videomate II.
Mikes – again, I went low-end. Ten dollar Sony stick mikes with mini-jacks to plug into the cameras. As I go along I plan to purchase lav mikes and better quality stick mikes/cables.
Five 20 inch reflectors for basic lighting lessons and later use in the field on stories.
Organizing the students is next. I’ve seen other schools without enough gear share a camera with ten or fifteen students. Lots of book work there and not enough hands-on. I’ve seen less of a stretch with five students to a camera. That means two students are watching most of the time. IF you can cobble together enough cameras (and don’t forget digital still cameras shoot pretty decent video, as do the Flip and Aiptek brands), the ideal seems to be two or three. I’m stuck with three, so that one student is the producer/reporter, one the editor/camera assistant, and one the cameraperson. They are supposed to rotate with assignments, so everyone has a chance to do each.
Regarding checking gear out – KISS. And I mean really simple. I have a composition notebook labeled “GEAR.” On each page is a day and date – when it’s time for students to head into the field, I open the cage and check out gear (or my TA does this) by writing down the name of the student assuming responsibility, the number assigned to the gear (E2 would be Elura 100 #2) or just USB for USB cable/FW for firewire cable, mike for microphone and trpd for tripod. When students return the gear, we just cross out their name and the gear.
At the beginning of the year on the front page of the notebook I make a list of all major gear and its condition, so this year I have Eluras 2-8 (numbers 1 and 9 went missing/presumed stolen) with notes about which ones need a bushing so they can work on tripods, which ones are having tape problems. No note means no problem.
About ten minutes before class ends, I call “TEN!” and ask for cameras to be returned. Five minutes before the bell I call for computer shutdown and for students to be seated. I do a camera count and make teams turn off and clean up around their workstations right before the bell rings – do this often enough and they will clean up automatically. They can’t leave if the station isn’t clean/computer turned off.
If a student’s camera is still downloading/capturing I’ll usually tell them I’ll take over and complete the download and put the gear away when it is done.
I’m always looking for ways to improve…and have heard of folks using index cards and more complex systems, but this seems to work for me right now. And if you’re just starting out, it’ simple enough for you too.
…of students. Man, I should NEVER have thought English was difficult compared to two sections of broadcasting and one of drama. The big difference is I live and breathe video, so I’m loving it.
Rather than putting VIDEO cameras into the paws of my eager charges, I’m handing the cameras over in still mode and having them do a run-through of composition and then manual control.
In the past my thinking was to get them out and shooting video as quickly as possible…but last term I saw a remarkable improvement in their ability to “see” after the learning comp/man controls and have decided to back into my usual assignments this year.
So they cleaned out my camera cage and have been happily trying to find relationships of thirds, leading lines, closeups, framing, etc. Then I run them through downloading into iPhoto, exporting as a movie and importing into iMovie. (This kind of paves the way for the animation assignment.)
The first student nearly got to the finish line this afternoon, with others close behind. Of course most of the class is between just finishing the shooting and still trying to download and one or two latecomers (we’re still balancing classes) are just getting started.
Monday I’ll do a thorough software review with handouts – IF the blasted copiers are working. Go figure – four copies for 70 teachers and usually at least two broken down at any one time.
But back on course…here’s my game plan thus far:
Day one – Hi and how are you and welcome to my world. Hand out syllabus, photo/video releases and camera liability forms. (I want to be able to use any student work at any time – and our district is very rigid about even using work that a student may have contributed to as a writer or editor.)
Day two – Heres a camera and review ALL of the major bells and whistles. The expectation is that they will focus each week on a review of what they already know from having used it (this week was lens, lens cap, still mode, zoom, LCD, viewfinder) and then looking at what they will need to know for the next assignment (next week is manual iris, white balance, manual focus).
Day three – Review basics of composition with lots of examples (thanks to Lori Oglesbee/I downloaded a photo composition PowerPoint she created as the basis for the lesson) and then sent the kiddos out into the field.
Day four – Today they nearly all finished shooting and came back to download into computer.
Word of advice when having multiple students in several classes use the same gear for still work: fortunately the cameras number the shots sequentially, so the solution was to have a teammate take a mug shot of a student, then that student would shoot their entire assignment and then shoot a mug of the next student, who would then shoot their assignment.
Before the next class came in, as I put cameras on to charge (thank goodness I have a prep between classes to do this), I shot a sign titled “Fourth Period” to separate the work of the two classes. And when the second period kids picked up the cameras today, I shot another sign titled “Second Period.”
For this one assignment they download each camera onto the same computer/same login and then create individual files in iPhoto and drag and drop their photos into it.
The next step is getting the movie they export into iMovie to add titles. There is to be a project title (Composition) and then a lower third title that explains why each shot fits one of the required composition elements of the assignment.
Final note: even if students don’t get this assignment (or any other project assignment), I always critique their work with suggestions for improvement. They have the option to redo their work and turn in again for a higher grade BECAUSE my philosophy is that they are there to learn, not get a grade. Strange though…only had one or two students ever take me up on this offer…on the flip side, they have rarely complained about a grade.
Rough diagram 7/09
I’m like a proud moma hen, strutting around with her new brood of chicks. Still working on changing the studio from dual purpose (English/Broadcasting) to single purpose and thought I’d slow down for a few minutes and post a diagram of what she looks like.
Funny … no matter how long the trip is, the return is faster. Returning to California over Hiway 108 and down through Sonora was a familiar and yet strange trip. Ron and I had been on the route more than thirty years ago as newlyweds. So while it was familiar, it was also new to us.
The photos posted are near the summit of the road…going up we ascended a thousand feet in less than a few miles. On the trip I shot the same scenes several ways…will use the photos as part of the composition lesson on the rule of thirds and horizontal and vertical framing. How many ways can you frame the same scene? What details can you pick out that would make another image? What can you see that your audience might have missed?
From now on, go to the VJ classroom blog for announcements – I want to separate out my classroom assignment blog from this (more or less) professional blog. Depending on whether you are looking for class assignments or the latest real world assignments, you’ll find it at the VJ classroom.
As of today, July 14, Vice-Principal Solari called me to see if we can produce two videos for freshmen informational sessions. Go to the Real World Assignments for details.
Oh – and keep reading here if you want. But don’t expect anything related to school to appear here.
a grandson visits scenes from the past. The church of St. Francis de Asis in Rancho de Taos. Mearle Jean Green was here sometime after 1910 we believe. I tried to duplicate a few of his shots on this trip…will do a comparison when we get home.
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- One hundred years later…
At some point I’m going to have to start thinking about how to tell a story with these photos. And for some reason I’ve been compelled to shoot stills on this trip rather than video, although I did get some hummingbird shots up at the State Vietnam Vets park (they were actually trained attack buzzingbirds who in Kamakazie moves tried to intimidate me into leaving their realm).
In the early teens (and I’m speaking 1910-1916-ish) my husband’s grandfather was a traveling photographer, based out of El Paso, Texas. Acquaintance of a local named Pancho Villa (their wives hung out together), he partnered with another photographer to run Alexander and Green’s photo shop.
When I married into the family (1972) we found boxes of old glass plate negatives in a garden shed…some mildewed, others still tightly wrapped. There were shots of pueblos and the little burg of Taos.
Well Mearle Green’s grandson has returned to the site of some of his silver halide scenes. Today we wandered the dirt and rock byways of the Taos Pueblos, trying to see if we could see what Mearle saw way back when. Some of the locals have suggested we give the library archives a shot tomorrow to see if there is any written history of his visits…today though was just for sightseeing.
Tomorrow Ron will hit the library while I hang out with a local lady, working with her children on (of course) storytelling with sound and visuals. With all of the history of storytelling in the Native American cultures, I think this will be a breeze.
In the beginning I had ten Canon Elura 100s to run my broadcast program at Ronald E. McNair High School. Two were heisted over the past few years. Of the eight remaining, two have tape carriage problems and three (not the same ones of course) had the threads stripped in the tripod holes. The latter is fixable…just drill out and insert a slightly larger bushing with the correct diameter threads for the tripod (thanks to Larry Nance for his suggestions and a couple of samples).
Now…I have to make a rather quick decision about whether to fix the cameras with carriage problems or purchase new. Now these cameras can still be used for still photos (I do have a couple of assignments that require stills only)…so what to do?
The cost of a Canon fixit via mail runs around $160 including shipping. Been there done that and they do a good basic job. Pretty quickly too – in time for school in a few weeks.
Now for the hard part (oh I dread this) – checking out what is on the market. Used to be simple.
But there’s more out there and many more formats. Mini DV, flash cards, hard drives, DVD. Personally I reject the hard drive and DVD camcorders. The latter is a gimmick – the only real use I would have for them is shooting sports when I need to do a quick turnaround and get copies out for other teams. Camcorders that record to hard drive would cause issues in determining who shot what – I will have two periods of about 36 students each this coming term (July-December and then a second batch of 72 in the spring). Tapes and flash cards allow the media to be labeled with student names and removed from the camera.
So here goes. My dream camera would have the following:
Removable media
Manual iris/aperature, focus, white balance
Mike input (and I think this will be the issue this time out)
Decent zoom (15x or more)
Headset out to monitor sound
Variable shutter speed
Top loaded (if tape)
I’m not concerned about the CCD/CMOS size…they’ve gotten better over the past few years. I am very concerned about the non-tape cameras being compatible with my antiquated eMacs.
So now on to my favorite photo site in the whole universe – B&H Photo Video to check the specs.
So here goes…first choose “Camcorders,” then “Standard Def,” cause I don’t think our eMacs can handle high def. I’m checking out both Mini DV and Flash formats. “Standard” camcorders (we can’t afford even Prosumer). I’m not choosing an optical zoom…want to see pricing first. LCD size is not an issue. And I’m not choosing a price range…want to see what you get for the bottom/top ends.
My choices are two Aipteks ($59 and $89), eleven Canons ranging from around $219 to $599, six DXGs from $79 to $89, six JVCs from $179 to $269, ten Panasonics from $149 to $359, nine Samsungs from $149 to $299, four Sanyos from $174 to $219, and eight Sonys from $229 to $329. Fifty two possible candidates.
Now to choose which features I have to have. Manual controls and mike input/headset out. Let’s see what makes the cut this time.
1:07pm
All Sonys eliminated. The flash card versions have virtually no manual control and no mike input. The mini dv version has the manual control, but no mike input.
1:09pm
All Sanyos off the list – minimal anything I need.
1:18pm
Samsungs eliminated
This is getting frustrating…I’ve made note of some models that almost have what I want in both mini dv and flash card…but no mike inputs so far.
1:24pm
Panasonics and JVCs eliminated. Interesting to note that many of the flash camcorders have few if any manual controls.
1:25pm
Not even going to consider the DXGs…all they have are 4x digital zooms.
1:26pm
Success – of sorts. The Canon ZR930 has a mike input, but no still ability. Its says no headset input, but I’ve found in the past that the AV port takes a headset (no guarantees). Manual focus and exposure…not white balance. Cost is around $199.00.
1:30pm
More success, but at a price. The Canon FS22 flash camcorder has it all for $599. Let’s see – one of these or three of the 930s?
1:33pm
The Canon ZR960 has nearly everything – lacking still capability – $244.
The ZR950 does stills, but has no mike input – $219.
1:38pm
A few more – FS21 has what I want at $499, as does the FS200 for $319, and the FS11 for $349.
Kind of glad to see Canon still makes cameras with options…and I’m hoping the chargers and batteries can cross over. I try to keep everything the same brand because if I lose something or something goes down, chargers and batteries and remotes (etc) can be substituted.
On to the final brand.
1:41pm
That was quick – Aiptek eliminated due to digital only zooms.
(CORRECTION JULY 12) There are several models with 3x and 5x zooms. I was only looking at standard def models. See first comment below.
Now the internal debate: what do I really need to teach properly? Do I need cheap cameras so as many students as possible can be shooting/editing? In other words just a point and shoot? Do I want more – manual controls so students can learn a bit of what the professionals do? Mike inputs?
A lesson learned during the workshop I taught at San Joaquin Delta College this summer was that using professional editing software made the difference. Students saw the power and possibilities. They didn’t have Final Cut Pro at home and would never have even guessed at what they could do without the three day exposure this workshop gave them.
It’s time to sit back and consider these things…I have my meeting with my principal tomorrow and want to be clear in my head what I am teaching and what I expect students to learn so I can make the argument for the gear that will do the job.
July 20 Update
I must say the tech support at Focus is excellent. Here’s the latest they sent me/couldn’t take care of this earlier because I was out of town.
Try pushing the tick bar all the way up or all the way down and see if you have a blinking LED light on your unit, if not or you still don’t see a preview screen the unit will need to be sent in for repair. If not under the 2 year warranty, there is a $495.00 flat rate for repair.
If you wish to send your unit in, please first fill out an RMA form and send the unit in with the RMA number we will issue you. The RMA form can be found here: http://focusinfo.com/rfi/rma_request.asp
So I’m off to the control room to see if this works – we’ve had the unit for more than five years.
Another update July 9 at 9:46pm
Well, tried to do the factory default reset as shown below. Didn’t work. Still can’t bring up the preview screen. I’ve emailed Focus again to see what they suggest next.
Update at 8:30pm
Got the following advice from Focus Support:
You might want to try a factory reset which will set the unit back to factory defaults, you may have something routed wrong.
The factory reset is done by holding down the Shift and Setup keys while powering the unit on.
Original post:
Does anyone out there have one of these or have you worked with one?
We’ve got one in the studio at my school and I’m having a HARD time getting some of the features to work.
I’ll go web-cruising (again), but would appreciate a say-hi from some of you hidden experts out there…
Go figure. One of my top audience draws this past week is a very dark photo of an Arri 1K on a light grid.
That’s right up there with those folks who for a while overwhelmed me with “Three Daughters” and “Walk for Life.” Nothing to do with VJ-ing, but somehow a people-puller.
So come on … let me know what the fascination is.
Oh – the other big draw was 2097, the photo of the hole in the wall.
Don’t even ASK me to figure out what those folks were looking for…
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