Say My Name: The Importance of Knowing Your Students
In this article Josh relates some personal experiences where having a personal connection with his students made all the difference. He also gives a fun way that you can get to know your students more… beginning on the first day of school, so that you can create a classroom environment “where everybody knows your name”.
The Most Important Door in Georgia Video Production Education
SciFi is not the only place where you can enter a portal into another world. The outside door to room 305 at the Golden Isles College and Career Academy takes video production educators from around the state of Georgia to a world of real, relevant professional development.
The walking Dead of Media…
Radio isn’t dead… it’s more like a zombie. TV isn’t dead but it’s still making money and serving a purpose. Film and Movies aren’t going anywhere but they are changing. Just like the industries we serve, your classroom is changing and so should you.
Common camera supports used in the film industry
Too often our students are lazy and refuse to do the work to get the best possible shots. Sometimes though… we don’t teach them everything they need to know. This article provides some of the information we might leave out from time-to-time, as related to camera support systems.
What is Phantom Power?
Did you know that many microphones require a power source, just like your toaster? In addition, there are two different requirements depending on which microphone you are using, Phantom Power or Plugin Power. That can be confusing!
Failing To Succeed
This picture (John Paul Jones, Dave Grohl, and me) popped up in my memories today and set me back. This was the day I knew something had to change - 2/11/2010.
Long story short: I didn’t set up my own gear and got burned. The radio station had done a promotion for two weeks where listeners were able to ask these titans of rock music any question. It was a big deal. We had a real film crew with real lights and cameras for an interview. I was in charge of audio and cutting the BS and excuses- the audio wasn’t usable so the whole promotion was ruined. And it was my fault.
A Tale of Two PTZ Cameras: Newtek UHDPTX and Aida PTZ-NDI-X18B in Action
Explore the hands-on experience of using two PTZ cameras - the Newtek UHDPTX and Aida PTZ-NDI-X18B - in an NDI video production workflow. Understand their strengths, quirks, and suitable use-cases from real-life scenarios in an educational setting. Discover why the most expensive camera isn't always the best fit and how to choose the right PTZ camera for your specific needs.
Rundown Creator from a Student Perspective
In this article Josh talks with senior producers, Cora and Nicholas, about how Rundown Creator streamlines collaboration, offers user-friendly interfaces, simplifies script assignments, provides consistent templates, and takes the teleprompter anywhere. This is a must-read for high school and college educators seeking to enhance their video and film production courses.
NDI Workflow with the Panasonic AG-CX10
If you are considering adding the Panasonic AG-CX10 to your NDI workflow there are some things you need to consider. Josh gives us his thoughts after using the native NDI camera for over two years.
Workflow: Sourcing and Organizing a Daily, Live Morning Show
In this article, Josh explores the various aspects of running a high school broadcasting program, focusing on content sourcing, organization, communication, and asset management. It highlights the use of tools like Rundown Creator, Slack, and Google Forms to streamline the production process and facilitate teamwork. The piece emphasizes the dedication and pride of the students involved, showcasing the importance of fostering a sense of ownership and responsibility within the program.
BlackMagic Design Goes Big at NAB2023
10,000 square feet didn’t seem like enough. There were people stacked on each other trying to get a look at the new products, watch demos of the new tools, and just take it all in. That was the scene at the BlackMagic Design booth at NAB this year. Massive!
Newsroom Tools To Bring Your Program to the Industry Standard.
I remember it like it was yesterday. I didn’t know why I wanted to teach so bad. I didn’t know what made me want to learn all I could about the industry and stay ahead of the curve as best I could within the constraints of the classroom… but I learned that day. I sat there with one of my assistant principals and a county level employee and in no uncertain terms told the county IT person that I didn’t care about what made him comfortable (the discussion was my students needing the ability to use their personal google accounts on campus… more on that in a later article.); my only concern was making sure my students were comfortable when they got to the next level of their career. The reason I taught and I do what I do is to better prepare students for the next step in their career and make sure they are comfortable with what they are going to face.
I Love this Camera: Unboxing the Blackmagic Design Cinema 6K G2
Blackmagic Design spent some time working out the kinks in the first version of the Cinema 6K and Josh finally had a chance to get hands on with it. This article gives us his initial thoughts, and spoiler alert, he loves it.
ATTACKING THE IB Film COMPARATIVE ESSAY
One of the four major assessments in the IB Film program is the comparative essay. In this article, Adam gives us a look at how be breaks down this major assessment into minor steps with great results.
School Video Programs Have a Big Problem…
High school video production has a memory problem. Not that you forget things; instead programs don’t typically have a way to easily access files from previous projects, years, students, events, etc. A lot of programs have servers that serve as a repository for files but those are essentially poorly labeled file cabinets which aren’t typically easily culled to find files in a timeframe that is most often needed.
Copy and Paste Your Way To Great Content
Once again Adobe has irritated me! They always do at NAB. It’s simple… I spend weeks, months or years building a workflow to try to maximize my effectiveness as a content creator and Adobe basically throws that out the door with a new release.
Student Voice in Video and Film: Allowing Students to Produce a Passion Project
Giving students a voice in their projects should increase engagement and make the process more enjoyable for them and for you. Josh gives us a look at how he is going about this for his student’s final projects this year.
Teaching to The Test Pattern #117: Roundtable 4-13-23
Adam, Josh, and Tom meet again to talk about what’s going on in their lives including Josh’s love for BlackMagic Design cameras, Adam’s ebay bidding wars for VHS tapes and Tom’s upcoming trip to Las Vegas.
REVISITING A SCRIPT: FOCUS on CONFLICT & CHARACTER
Consider this: most films that you see focus on two characters talking up on the screen.
Sometimes, they’re doing something, but most times, two or more characters are sitting down (maybe they are eating or drinking) and talking -- we call that a talking heads scene because the audience is literally watching two huge heads (on the screen) have a conversation