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School Torque or Schools Broadcasting Australia P/L accepts no responsibility or liability for your choice of equipment or for it's suitability for your application We recommend that you consult widely and shop around. You can if you wish make use of our consultation services.
'THE CREW' recommends John Barry Group for sales, service and advice for anything related to video production. They know there stuff and they wont try to sell you anything that you don't need.
Contact Vince Clark 02 9439 6955
Entry level
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PV-GS 120 3 Chip DV Camera from Panasonic There are many low cost DV cameras in the market place. Most of them are great units. Some have cut costs by making support gear like chargers optional i.e. you have to pay extra for one if you want one. Batteries can be charged in the camera itself but this ties up the camera when charging. Most importantly if cameras are to be used for school production purposes they will need to have separate microphone inputs and headphone outputs. We also suggest getting a long life battery when purchasing your camera The PV-GS 120 camera from Panasonic is currently the best entry level camera on the block. As an added bonus it is a three chip camera for the same cost as some single chip cameras. |
Pro Level
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The XM2 camera from Canon is the camera we recommend for use for senior high school video production. this camera is far more professional in it's config. giving easy access to audio levels, iris control, focus, gain control as well as many other pro functions. The camera has a 20 times optical lens and the 3 chip sensors give fantastic picture quality. |
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Manfrotto for light weight tripods Don't skimp on the tripod At the end of the day you can have the best camera but if your tripod doesn't cut it your footage will suffer. For larger cameras invest in a professional fluid head tripod - (typically starting around $1000 Aust. mark.) Manfrotto make a range of cheaper tripods suitable for Mini DV cameras we recommend the 3001 tripod with a Quick Release Micro Fluid Head (pictured) |
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The emac from Apple : still the most cost effective solution AN IMPORTANT WORD OF CAUTION: the apple platform has undergone many changes in recent time in both computer operating system and computer structure. There are several incompatibility issues for graphics programs and editing packages. Older version of FINAL CUT for example will not work on the newer versions of the imac or other Mac computers with intel processors. If you are about to purchase new Apple computers check the compatibility issues with your dealer. There are upgrades for most programs at low cost. The 'Universal' version of Final Cut works on old and new macs. We do not recommend the Mac Mini for editing purposes. In all however the School Torque program still recommends the Mac platform as the most trouble free, cost effective and powerful solution for video editing. Editing Software We recommend the following: 'Final Cut Pro' from Apple and 'Premier' from Adobe for editing on PCs. 'After Effects' from Adobe for advanced editing and com positing. 'Photoshop' from Adobe for graphics and 'Lightwave' from Newtec for 3D animation. You will also need to inquire about site licenses. Education prices apply and the Adobe products come bundled at reduced rates. |
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The AW SW350 Vision Switcher from Panasonic The vision switcher is the heart of any multi-camera system it allows you to select any input source (camera or vcr) and switch it to the program output. Essential for live production - news, drama, dance, etc. This switcher has 5 inputs of either composite or Y/C video. It also has the ability to cut, fade, wipe or luma key. Looped outputs can be used to feed inputs to monitors. A very robust unit. |
The natural extension in developing a video production suite is the development of multi camera capability. A vision switcher enables you to switch vision from one of several camera covering the same event.
Some of these devices also give you the ability to perform fades, cuts, wipes, digital effect e.g. strobe mosaic, paint, down stream keying, chroma key and luma key. Some lower end vision switchers also include a inbuilt audio mixer.
If your school is developing it's media facility, you may want to ask yourself some or all of the following questions:-
* What gear do I need to achieve the required educational outcomes? Does the functionality of the piece of gear being considered allow me to double up on educational outcomes? Simple question but if you can double up functions you may be ahead.
* How many students need to access the gear at any given time? and therefore How many production units will I need?
* Does my teaching strategy allow me to divide the class into groups each engaged in different activities. If you can do this you can pace student demands on computer editing systems, cameras and related production gear.
* How big is the production space? Will it be adequate?
* What level of power is available to the site? (number of circuits, 3 phase or 240 volts). Lighting will take up most of your power needs.
* Do I need to hang stuff in the air? If so......how?
* Do I need to blackout the environment? Note if you are using curtains you may need to fire retard them?
* What level of support do I have if something goes wrong? eg lights blow, computer goes belly up, or camera goes ferrule?
* Is there other teachers interested in helping to develop the facility?
* Am I able to expand on the gear I buy to further develop facility?
* What is my development plan?
* Is new equipment compatible with the gear I already have? Is that important?
* Is a repaint needed? Studio walls are usually black . This allowing better control of lighting
* What are the hidden costs e.g. cables, plug boards, tapes, color gels etc.?
* What are the costs of setting up the space for accommodating the equipment eg shelving benches etc.?
* What about security?
* What are the operational costs associated with you equipment choice? These extra costs are generally not great, but they are annoying if you haven't included them in your budget!!!!....Once The Boss has spent, its often blood from a stone value to get extra to cover misc. expenses.
* What are the operational procedures I need to put into place to make the facility work? student access outside class time? tape management?, hard drive space management ? monitoring of student use of facility and of materials produced. (Last thing you want is for student to produce inappropriate material.)
* NB! Avoided if possible buying the latest computer or the new wizz bang camera that does amazing things! The first run of any new technology usually has several bug to be ironed out. Let some one else sort the issues before you buy otherwise you may be buying a problem.
* NB2!! For the reasons above at this point in time I would avoid all hard disk or DVD burning cameras. They produce inferior quality pictures and are highly problematic in the edit.
* NB3 Do you really want to shoot the story in HD. You will need a very quick computer to edit the footage. Also transferring HD footage to computer can be a real pain if you are not an expert in the area (and sometimes even if you are). I do recommend however that if you are purchasing new cameras they are wide screen capable. I also recommend that the cameras have separate mic and headphones inputs.
* NB4!!!! When it come to getting advice on what to buy or what features a piece of gear actually has, not a good idea to rely on the sales person at the local retail shop many of which are part time or casual employees. Do your own research.... Dont have time??? I guarentee an hour research will save you days of troubles shooting further down the track. an
Take the worry out of setting up your media facility.
SBA offers a complete consultation service to schools wishing to develop their media facilities. Every school needs a plan of development that provides a cost effective, user friendly and expandable solution for their electronic production needs.
With 20 years experience in media education we are the experts!!!
Contact Al Ellis 02 9522 8855 email: admin@schooltorque.comFor more info contact Al Ellis Ph 02 9522 8855, Fax 02 9545 4637
