Physical Set-up The Equipment iMacSpecial Edition-DV or Compaq DeskPro Minitower iMovie or Studio DV software included Super fast processor Large hard drive CD burner (internal in iMac) The computers could be connected in the following way: Power cord Ethernet cord (it's great to have internet access while making movies) One Firewire port with a Firewire cable connected to the camera (big jack to computer/small jack to camera) A Lightware or TV conversion device hooked up to the VGA output port on the back of the machine  Sony DCR-TRV330 Digital 8 Camera Records 60 minutes of footage on Hi8 tapes 25X Optical/700X Digital Zoom Captures digital photos and will store hundreds of individual still images USB Interface SteadyShot® and Super NightShot® Digital Stereo recording capability offers the same sound quality as Compact Disc recordings 2.5" SwivelScreen LCD Display Firewire (aka i.LINK or IEEE1394) allows for easy connection to Macs and PCs Analog-to-Digital Conversion (allows non-digital footage to be "digitized" into computer) The Camera can be hooked up in a variety of ways: Hooked to Firewire (small end) for exporting of rough footage and importing of finished video from the computer. Hooked to the VCR using the analog to digital conversion cable for exporting of finished video to VHS or for importing of analog video so that it can be digitized into the computer. VCR w/stereo input To make and play standard video tapes out of digital films and to export existing VHS footage to camera for use on the computer Lightware Projector To present computer applications and finished productions   Connecting the Equipment Equipment connections for iMac video production Equipment connections for PC video production   Troubleshooting with the iMac and iMovie Problems with the Lightware Projector: It may be necessary to go into the Monitors Control Panel and set the iMac to its highest screen resolution (1024 x 768) in order for it to work with a Lightware device. Freezes: Virtual Memory will make iMovie run better on machines with 64 MB or less of RAM. Otherwise turn it off. More Freezes: Increasing the amount of memory allotted to the program may cut down on freezes. If you have 128 MBs of RAM, try upping the program memory to 40 MB. Sluggish Hard Drive: As hard drive space dwindles, so will iMovie's ability to handle video. Always make sure to check that all finished films have been exported. "Camera not connected": Connect and turn on the camera before launching iMovie to import or export footage. "Could Not Find the Project": WARNING! Don't change filenames or move files within iMovie folders. Students love to do this and it will cause files to get lost. "Not Possible to Record to Your Camera": iMovie will only export to Hi-8 cassettes that are MP (Metal Particle) tapes and not to ME (Metal Evaporative) tapes. Problems with Saving: Save only to hard drive (no external drives or servers) until project is complete. These are BIG files (close to a gig or more) and most networks don't appreciate that kind of file size being dragged through them. Picture looks horrible: The video will look SO MUCH BETTER once it's exported to tape as computers tend to make video appear jerky or grainy. top

Management Strategies   Some of the ways that schools have been using Digital Video in the classroom: Equation commercials Health "movies" Product or business commercials Instructional video for Band classes News magazine Time lapse Science video Martin Luther King Day celebration Documentaries Video Portfolios A Year in Our Classroom Schoolwide "Virtue Videos" Short features for Morning Announcements Veterans' Day Observance Public Service Announcements End of the Year Celebrations  Click here to find out about a great contest for student produced videos!   Scheduling Video projects can be completed in a week or may take place over the course of an entire school year. The key is to help your students get the most out of the equipment while they have access to it. Depending on how many groups will be using the equipment, a project could be completed in a two week check out session. But regardless of check out time, there is always a lot of work to be done before getting to the point of needing the equipment.   Steps for creating successful video productions Planning time Use the Technology Project Planning guidelines as you begin to plan the lesson. Involve students in discussions of outcome. Brainstorm and look at samples. Use Inspiration to help guide students' ideas. Keep realistic time limits in mind. Even one minute of well produced video can be the result of hours of careful editing. Script writing Again, use samples. Choose your genre (commercials, sitcom, news show, documentary) and write a short practice script while reviewing an example. True screenwriting may not be something that you or your students have tried before. Story Boarding This is probably the most important step in the production process. Get a hold of some storyboard templates that ask you and your students to consider: setting, camera angles, types of shots, picture composition, camera movement, actor movement and shot sequencing. Having students create detailed and logical story boards before ever touching the camera will save time and grief for everyone involved. See Sample Storyboard See printable Storyboard template Filming Roles and Training Take this as far as you'd like. You could have people working as camera operators, directors, sound and lighting technicians, set dressers and then doubling in as actors. It's important that everyone has a well defined role and that everyone is familiar with the equipment that they will be operating. Filming Other than training with the equipment, this is the first time that a group will need the camera. This is important to keep in mind as you schedule a class full of groups to work with one camera and one computer. Teachers have been known to lose all faith in their projects during this time. Filming can drag on and on if a tight schedule isn't kept. It's always difficult to maintain a balance of enough time for the students with the reality of time constraints. That's why you can include scheduling as part of the assignment. Students will need time to shoot, review and perhaps re shoot some scenes. As long as they have worked out the details in their scripts and storyboards, this should not be too painful of a process for their teacher. Editing Other than training with the equipment, this is the first time that a group will need access to the computer. This also can be a very time consuming process. The more students learn about the video software, the more they will want to add to their films. Setting clear expectations and time limits on groups who are editing will force them to be expeditious with their creativity. Final Video output This procedure only becomes difficult when it's done at the last minute. And it's always done at the last minute. Keeping finished video files on the computer is not wise. It clogs up the computer's memory, slows down its hard drive and makes accidents involving file loss more likely. Have students export their tour de force films as soon as they are finished.   Storing Finished Films On the Hard Drive Finished films can be stored on the computer, but they take up A LOT of space. Five minutes of video equals almost 1 Gigabyte of memory. Plus, the video will look SO MUCH BETTER once it's off the computer as computers tend to make video appear jerky or grainy. On the Camera's tape Finished films can be stored on the smaller Hi-8 tapes that are used by the camera. This keeps them digitally "pure," but doesn't allow the same ease of access as a VHS tape would. On the Web Finished films can be exported from iMovie or Studio DV in a variety of compressed formats. Compression degrades video (think about most video you see on the web) by decreasing picture and audio quality. However, some form of compression must be completed so that video can be shown on web pages or "burned" on to a CD. This sounds more complicated that it is. The software has a simple feature that allows you to decide what compression will work best for you. On a CD Since the computers come witha CD burner, it's easy to record your finished films this way. However, since the maximum space on most CDs is about 700 MB, most films over a couple of minutes long need to be compressed (see On the Web) before they are recorded or "burnt" on to the CD. On a VHS tape Finished films can be exported out to a VHS tape. This makes it easy to transport and show your videos almost anywhere.   Shooting tips Digital film making wonders aside, no amount of digital video tinkering is going to improve badly shot video or poorly recorded audio. If you and your students can get clear, steady shots and keep the camera's microphone close to the actors, the computer will help you do the rest. Use a tripod to keep the shot smooth and the camera from getting dropped (ouch). Set up your shots carefully. Pay attention to the obvious: lens cap, power, recording indicator, rainstorms. . . Pro Tip: Let film roll for five seconds before and after shots. This makes it easier to edit footage and let's your students yell, "ROLLING!" Very cool. Better to shoot too much than not enough. Try that scene again from a different angle. Don't leave the camera in one place. Move it around the actors looking for different angles and shots. Examine films and commercials for great ideas. Keep that built-in mic close to the audio source or buy a cheap external mic. Use the camera's pause button to break up scenes into different shots. Swinging around the camera during a shot will compromise audio and video quality. It will also make your audience feel seasick when they see the finished film. Keep scenes well lit and make sure your subject is always brighter than your background. Get on the Web and find a lighting technique cheat sheet or buy yourself a book. Lighting is hugely important when working with video and very little can be done to correct bad lighting during the editing process. Lighting Tips and Tricks Lighting for Video (links to a variety of sources) Encourage film and TV study (imagine that!) for ideas and encourage shooting innovations. There are huge collections of television commercials available on the web. AdCritic.com (teachers should do the searching on this site, but it is a great resource) top

Follow-Up   Technology Integration Resources Technology Integration: Project Planning Form KSD Student Technology Standards Online Tutorials Apple's iMovie Web Site- very informative! Apple's Making Desktop Movies 101- great step-by-step for teachers The Atomic Learning Library's iMovie tutorials - excellent information! Related Staff Development Classes Digital Video in the Classroom on the PC Digital Video in the Classroom Using iMovie Digital Video in the Classroom: Advanced Projects Frequently Asked Questions Why would I want to work with video in my classroom? Digital Video Projects are powerful ways to teach across the curriculum. The simplicity of the software will allow teachers to focus on their students' learning, rather than worrying about technical issues. The immediate enthusiasm of the students sets the stage for increased motivation, creativity and higher level thinking. I'm just getting used to word processing, how could I possible tackle digital film making? If you can cut, copy, paste and drag items around the desktop, you are ready to use digital video software. This kind of editing software is really made for kids to use and that's why most adults end up liking it so much. How can I do a class project with only one computer? Through careful planning. If a learning goal is established and the activity is carefully planned out with the different roles that group members will perform, there is really no limit to the type of projects that students can complete while sharing one machine. Best Practices Apple's Public iMovie Gallery   If you want to help make corrections or additions to this page, please email them to: Pat Regnart at pregnart@kent.k12.wa.us top

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