Student Filmmakers - June 2008 - (Page 35) even then, you will find yourself forgetting what you have done. workflow for you and the users that is sustainable, affordable, and reliable. And it needs to live up to the hype of HD and help you produce better work, or it is simply at the functionality, and you will see that your studio cameras are serving a particular purpose. That purpose is separate from that of a small handheld camera. Perhaps you want a camera that can cross over between work outside the studio and inside the studio. It is true that more and more manufacturers are helping make that a reality. New protocols such as HDMI and even the introduction of HDSDI outputs on prosumer and pro cameras make a cross-over option more attractive. Before You Buy New HD Equipment Let’s back up a bit and assume that you have only gotten your feet wet, and are still looking to go out and buy some new equipment, or you have it in your budget for next year or the year after. You are looking at cameras, and you are excited about the technology. Hold that thought. Let’s ask some practical questions that will save you a lot of trouble. Ask yourself the following questions: (1) What will this equipment be used for? (2) Who will be using it? How many people total? (3) Does your program or work need to be broadcasted or archived in HD, or in SD, or in SD but 16:9? (4) Will this programming or work be used once only, and dubbed to a lesser format, or will you need to keep hours upon hours of footage for later use and editing? (5) How many weeks or months will you be shooting footage or will your projects take? (6) Do you have a good system in place to organize and archive existing footage and programs? (7) Do you ever access old material, or do you re-use it at a later date? You will find that if you have specific needs you are addressing, it will be easier to get the right equipment. That equipment needs to be the right price, serve your purposes, and have a media type and not worth the effort. Be prepared to buy different equipment than you thought you needed, and more new devices, programs, cables, monitors, and peripherals than you expected. Think the whole process through, and take six months to a year looking at all the factors, if you have the time. You want to move into the future, and you should. Just think it through, and don’t rush. Look at what you can now buy for $700$1000, and you will discover that these cameras have specs that suggest they may well outperform your old studio cameras and the best equipment you could afford even several years ago. True, but look again Buying Strategies As another option, do the math on getting an array of equipment. Maybe you should not buy 30 cameras of one type or Teaching Technology and Teaching HD I have spoken to countless people who insist that they do not need new equipment to make a good program, film, or video. Others have said that a story can be told with basic equipment. All of this is true. But we still expect our learning institutions to be part of the future, and for our students to learn not only the art form, the substance, and the meaning, but also the technology. Teaching technology is one of the most important things that can be done to further the education of your students. Students need to know that technology is ever-changing, and they need to be a part of that process. Let them learn, struggle, make decisions about equipment and workflow, and let them make mistakes. Nothing is a better lesson than a video that has been compressed and decompressed through so many formats that it is nearly unwatchable. Let them stare at the end of a cable, and wonder what it is. Give them an equipment manual, and ask them to look for the solution themselves. Have them find something in the manual that you don’t know. Teaching students about using HD is teaching the future. It is teaching students how to manage a tide of information, evolving standards, and changing media types. It is teaching, problem-solving, flexibility, and enduring patience. The students who can learn and thrive in this environment will be students who will get jobs in the industry, enjoy the personal satisfaction of mastering something difficult, and be prepared when it is their turn to spearhead new technologies. June 2008 studentfilmmakers 5
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