courses@JLR

First, be aware that the multimedia lab on the second floor of Meyer library is at your disposal. This is a cluster of Mac computers set up to handle audiovisual projects. Note that you are in charge of your own files, so if you work here it's recommended that you bring an external hard drive or other means of storing them. Consultants at the tech desk are available to help you during regular hours (you can see on the list which ones are multimedia trained).

There are three Kodak zi8 video cameras dedicated for our class, which you can check out from Christian (in the sub-basement of BLD 120). The tech desk can also check out some equipment for short-term use.

CS2C is a course in multimedia production taught by Kenneth Chan (the manager of the tech desk and multimedia lab). He has made all his materials and resources available there, so that's a great place to start!

important steps

1. conceive project (brainstorm, storyboard, script)
2. determine editing tools (software program, your own computer or lab, storage drive)
3. obtain video source (shoot, rip, download)
4. convert video source if necessary, and make a BACKUP copy!
5. edit, saving frequently
6. render/export your video
7. make the file as small as possible, upload

source

Your video source can be recorded by you or appropriated from an existing video. The brief manual linked above explains how to use the Kodak zi8 cameras. To retrieve your video, just plug it into a USB port and it will appear like a hard drive called NO NAME (video files are in the folder DCIM). Kenneth links to some tutorials from digitaljuice.com with further tips on video production.

There are many places to find existing video sources, from the Internet Archive to freeware/addons/pages (like keepvid) that allow you to download streaming videos from YouTube and other sites. You may need to convert such files into a different format before you can work with them in an editor. MPEG Streamclip is a great free program for clipping and converting videos (it's on the multimedia lab computers).

You may also wish to record video from your computer screen as you surf the internet or do software actions. There are various applications that do this, and the blog ProfHacker has a tutorial on several (with further suggestions in the comments).

editing

Whether you have a Mac or PC, you probably already have free video editing software on your computer.

For the popular Windows Movie Maker on a PC, there are many tutorials (text or video) that will get you started.

iMovie '09 is installed on the multimedia lab computers (and on macs with iLife '09), and Apple has beginner tutorials. This is significantly different from earlier (pre-2008) versions of iMovie through iMovie HD -- if you have the previous edition you can also still find tutorials.

Final Cut Studio is installed on the multimedia lab computers -- and if you're deciding to use Final Cut you're probably already familiar with it. But Kenneth also has an introduction.

copyright

Since this is an educational activity offering critical commentary, you may legally use copyrighted material in your project without permission under the auspices of fair use. If you wish to take footage from a digitally protected form (like a DVD), you should be aware that the DMCA's anti-circumvention provisions stipulate that cracking encryption is illegal even for the purposes of fair use. You can read an overview of Stanford's copyright policies, and there's additional information and resources athttp://fairuse.stanford.edu.

examples of student videos

media production

Last updated 738 days ago by Julie Levin Russo