Our first-year Television & Video Production students have been studying the basics of camera operation, composition, and sequencing since the beginning of September, and we’ve turned them loose on the BCIT Burnaby campus to see what they can do!
The students are visiting the trades and technical areas at BCIT to bring short stories back, which are then being edited (and we’ll hopefully have a few to post online soon as well).
The process:
- Practising camera skills including operating the camera itself and composing shots properly and getting clean audio
- We bring back the raw footage and screen it all with the class to identify problem areas and look for solutions
- After critiquing the footage, everything is loaded onto our server so students can practise editing what they shot. This helps to identify any missed opportunities and better-prepare them for the next time out the door.
- At the beginning of class next week, we’re going to look at the edited footage so we can see the entire process from production right through to delivery
So it’s been a bit of time since the last update, mostly because it’s been very, very busy in the Broadcast Department at BCIT. Our programs have all been undergoing curriculum reviews to ensure that we’re delivering content that matches employer and student needs alike – it’s an ongoing process to help deliver the best Broadcast education in Western Canada!
We have also undergone a number of staffing changes, including welcoming Randy Singer as the Acting Associate Dean for the Broadcast Department, as well as a number of new instructors who are teaching into the Television Program this term:
- Michael Moss – Technical Introduction
- Dan Moscript – Production Planning
- Dave Berenbaum – Post Production (Avid Media Composer)
- John Foster – Organizational Behaviour
And just a few quick photos from this week, showing what our new students, and our returning second-years are up to in their first week of class!
Big Info Session at BCIT
Come out and meet us at the BIG info session & Program Expo!
If you’re interested in seeing what the BCIT Television and Video Production program has to offer, drop by BCIT’s Burnaby campus on Wednesday, March 2nd from 5-8pm.
The entire Broadcast Department will be set up in TownSquare A/B so visitors can meet our students and faculty, and have a look at the Television and Video Production program’s P2-HD production workflow combined with our new Broadcast Pix and EVS replay unit for live production!
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This semester our first-year students will be producing 16 thirty-second commercial spots over the next couple of months (2 per week). The goal is to train students in the entire production process, from pitching an idea, right through to production and post. This isn’t all about just running out the door with a camera and shooting, but about the planning, logistics that need to go into making a production happen.
By strange coincidence, the first two commercials this year are alcohol-related!
For a bit of background, each student production company (usually group of 5) is required to produce two 30-second commercials this term, and we stipulate that at least one of them must be a real client (to give the project a bit more of a reality-check).
First up was a project for Heineken Beer which illustrates the old saying about, boy meets girl, boy chooses the wrong beer, other boy who chooses the “right” beer gets the girl.
Second up, was a spot for Industry Bar & Grill in Richmond selling on the idea that no matter what might happen by accident, it’s all good for this bar’s patrons!
This week has been the first time we’ve taken our new first-year students out to work with their equipment around the BCIT Campus in a “production capacity”.
Students have been out practising the camera, audio, and composition skills they’ve learned over the last few weeks to produce short segments about some of the trades and technical students at BCIT. We’re looking for proper technical control of the camera (focus, aperture, white balance, audio levels), proper use of microphones (which mic to use, where to place it for optimum pickup), and how to compose shots to make it interesting for viewers.
After shooting, we head back to the broadcast centre to spend the afternoon in the edit suite with Final Cut Pro, putting all of the footage together so we can do some critiquing in class and learn about what worked and what didn’t.
A fairly busy day, but great hands-on experience!
Many people are probably familiar with open-source software, but when was the first time you’ve seen an open-source HD Cinema camera?
The “Apertus” is being developed by a team of international enthusiasts to give total control over inexpensive HD imaging hardware, allowing filmmakers to potentially develop their own alternatives to commercial offerings from Sony, Panasonic, Red, etc.
While it’s definitely still a work-in-progress, this sort of project would’ve been cost-prohibitive a few years ago. Now, the cost of the camera hardware (minus lens and audio) is only around $3,000 – and the software is free!
While it might not be as user-friendly or have a workflow as efficient as a camera from one of the major manufacturers, it does prove how quickly technology is changing, and how quickly people are exploring new options as they become available.
Check out a sample movie (click through to Vimeo for the HD version)
