DV for Teachers

Houghton Mifflin has posted 100 Words Every High School Graduate Should Know.

“The words we suggest,” says senior editor Steven Kleinedler, “are not meant to be exhaustive but are a benchmark against which graduates and their parents can measure themselves. If you are able to use these words correctly, you are likely to have a superior command of the language.”

Via Jason Kottke, who commented “Alternate title: 100 mostly useless words.” I say, Wrong, ignoramus breath. As Kleinedler says, the list is a benchmark, an indication of a person’s ability to use the language well. If you know many of these, and how to use them, then you’re likely to be able to read more widely, write more informatively or persuasively, and not get jerked around by manipulative language or rhetoric. The more you know about language, the better a thinker you can be, and (ahem, Jason) the better blogger as well. And Jason Kottke is an excellent blogger, whom I read regularly. He’s just glibly wrong this time.

Heath McKnight’s valuable list of oft-forgotten items includes a digital SLR. plastic forks, and toilet paper. To make a video? Yep. Read on:

I was recently a gaffer on a very low budget movie. We had everything we needed, experienced crew, lights, camera, sound, grip and electric, plenty of crafts and services and more. But there were several things we didn’t have, items that are usually overlooked when prepping for any kind of film or video production. My goal in this article is to help you put together a checklist of the “forgotten items” that are just as important.

Stephen Downes posts his legit (newbie) complaints about his MacBook Pro. There’s a lot to get used to there, and with all the help in the comments he’ll make the adjustment in no time. I want to point to an app mentioned in those ensuing comments – a referral to Pencil.

Pencil is an animation/drawing software for Mac OS X and Windows. It lets you create traditional hand-drawn animation (cartoon) using both bitmap and vector graphics. Pencil is free and open source.

I played with it a little on my Mac, and I was disappointed that there’s no type tool, but the price is right and I like that it exports to Flash, a PNG sequence, and to QuickTime on Macs.

TidBITS, the long-running Mac newsletter, today gives us A Personal Shopper for HD Video Editing Gear. Below is an extended quote so you’ll know you need to click through, read the entire thing, and follow their links to Mike Curtis’s recommended systems.

Mike Curtis lives and breathes HD. His Web site, HD for Indies, is geared toward independent filmmakers who are focused more on getting great footage and creating a movie than on the ins and outs of pushing HD video through a system.

If you’re looking to edit your own indie feature or starting a business editing video for others, Mike has taken on the role of personal shopper and put together three recommended Mac-based editing systems. In addition to the computer (all Mac Pro machines, but not necessarily the most powerful ones), Mike’s picks include LCDs and video monitors, RAM, graphics cards, HD capture devices, and multiple storage options. The bundles range in price from $9,000 for an entry-level system capable of editing uncompressed HD footage to $23,000 for a well-equipped system.

He’s worked out a deal with Silverado Systems (and he gets a cut of the order), but all the information is there, with notes and explanation, if you prefer an alternate vendor.

I’ve followed Mike’s site for a while, and even though I don’t shoot HD video, it’s always an entertaining and insightful read.

I’ve followed Mike’s site off and on for a few years now, and though I don’t have any HD equipment yet, I know it’s coming. Mike’s experience and insight will prove invaluable when the time comes.

John Bunting brings his class to the ITC today for a tour and a talk, about teaching, about technology, about trends, and whatever else comes up. I’ll post during the conversation.

As promised, here’s an update to the post. Several good questions, about open source software, and more.

Macosxhints has a keeper if you’ve ever needed to quickly grab part of a video in QuickTime. With the latest updates you can more easily place QuickTime Player Pro In and Out markers by frame. This will be a help in the labs.

Just a few minutes from another workshop on Windows Movie Maker. Here’s the PDF handout for keeping your files organized so you can move the project from one PC to another without losing files.

A Do-It-Yourself Studio Lighting Set Up. from the O’Reilly Digital Media Blog:

Want to set up a small photo studio in the garage or spare room, but don’t want to spend thousands of dollars on lighting equipment? A trip to the hardware store can provide you with most of the items you need to set up a studio for portraits and inanimate objects.

I’ve linked to similar stories before, but it’s always good to remember that it’s the result that matters more than the cost of the tools you use. In this post, Derrick Story (who also blogs at The Digital Story) points out proper settings for white balance. Pay heed, and if you need to, learn more from this search, or check out Ken Rockwell’s thorough but conversational explanation.

David Hague schools us on keeping your camcorder in tip-top shape:

I suspect the as a rule of thumb, the camcorder is dragged out for the summer holidays or special event and is given a quick wipe of the lens with the Kleenex after a breathy “hough” to steam it up, the LCD screen given a wipe down and at the end of it all, thrown back in the bag until next time. Well class, that is simply not good enough I am afraid, so listen carefully.

It’s not quite free software, but it’s a free calculator for planning DVDs in DVD Studio Pro, thanks to Ken Stone. You’ll need Excel, although I would guess one of the open source office suites would work as well if you don’t want to or can’t invest in Microsoft software. Ken says,

Bit Budget – Sometime ago I told the readers at my Discussion Board that I would try to obtain a Bit Budget for them. This week I was able to acquire the Bit Budget from Jeff, so here it is. This Bit Budget is for 4.7 GB DVD-5 single layer and 8.54 GB DVD-9 Dual layer Standard Definition DVDs and requires Excel to run. It is very easy to use, simply enter the duration for your audio assets, either AIFF or Dolby 2, Subtitle streams, motion menus, DVD-ROM content and the total run time for your video. Your average Bit Rate and Maximum Bit Rate will be calculated for you automatically.