How To Name Your Files To Streamline Your Video Project
Teaching Resources, Filmmaking, Production Guest Contributor Teaching Resources, Filmmaking, Production Guest Contributor

How To Name Your Files To Streamline Your Video Project

Are you looking for a suitable method of tracking projects for grading and archiving?  Here is a standard of practice I developed for our students about ten years ago that drastically improved our workflow process.  With hundreds of projects, shows, and events being produced each year, we needed a better system in place, and it had to start with project naming.

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7 Easy-to-Follow Steps for Writing a Video Script
Production Guest Contributor Production Guest Contributor

7 Easy-to-Follow Steps for Writing a Video Script

Writing a video script that will meet your goals and convey your vision into reality is a challenging process. What can ease up is that the whole process is a step-by-step organization that will eliminate the stress and help you take on this assignment strategically.

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Veteran Documentary - The Best Production Project
Filmmaking, Teaching Resources, Production Guest Contributor Filmmaking, Teaching Resources, Production Guest Contributor

Veteran Documentary - The Best Production Project

You get to do so many great projects with students when you run a video productions and broadcast journalism program.  News packages highlight some of the exciting things happening in your school and community, music videos bring out everyone's creative side, short films generate some unique narratives, and live sports provide a rush that is hard to beat.  We have all of these forms of production going on at Hoover High School in North Canton, Ohio, in what we call our NCtv Media program, and it makes for an excellent comprehensive education.

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How To Make the Fake Blood From The Evil Dead!</em>
Filmmaking, Teaching Resources, Production Kreativ Alchemy Filmmaking, Teaching Resources, Production Kreativ Alchemy

How To Make the Fake Blood From The Evil Dead!

The Evil Dead is one of the best horror films of the 20th century. It is iconic, campy, and filled with blood. The 1981 American supernatural classic was written and directed by Sam Raimi and it stars the most famous B movie actor of all time --Bruce Campbell. If you are interested in making a short horror movie this is a great place to start. Bruce Campbell spills it all and shows us how to make his infamous fake blood that actually shows up well on camera.

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Learn Easy Video Production and Streaming With This Free Book: The Unofficial Guide to vMix
Teaching Resources, Production, Streaming Kreativ Alchemy Teaching Resources, Production, Streaming Kreativ Alchemy

Learn Easy Video Production and Streaming With This Free Book: The Unofficial Guide to vMix

Video production can have a steep learning curve for someone just getting started. With back-to-school in full swing, we know that teachers don’t have time to read a full guide to video production and streaming. Wouldn’t it be nice if there was a concise solution to streamline your video production and streaming efforts so you can quickly get up and running creating content? Well, we have found it!

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10 Tips for Telling a Story Without Video
Theater, Production Guest Contributor Theater, Production Guest Contributor

10 Tips for Telling a Story Without Video

With radio, however, there’s an entire spectrum of opportunity which eliminates the need for—and expense of—costumes, makeup, props, backdrops, lighting, and special effects. In fact, you could launch an entire podcast series with a few friends in your kitchen or basement and your listeners would be none the wiser.

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7 Ways to Hide a Lav Microphone
Production Kreativ Alchemy Production Kreativ Alchemy

7 Ways to Hide a Lav Microphone

In this article, we’ll explore how to capture audio with a lav mic cleverly placed on the human body, just outside the camera’s view. You’ll learn how to use a special mic that is great for hiding because it is super small.

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Why School Newsrooms Are Moving To PTZ Workflows
Teaching Resources, Production, Streaming Kreativ Alchemy Teaching Resources, Production, Streaming Kreativ Alchemy

Why School Newsrooms Are Moving To PTZ Workflows

A school tv-station needs to reflect and emulate real-world studios in an effort to realistically prepare students for the workforce. Since the late 1990s, there has been an upswing of PTZ camera-based newsrooms popping up all over the world. Following suit, schools have also been switching to PTZ workflows. PTZ-based school newsrooms offer high-quality video, use the same technology as the professionals, and increase consistency and efficiency.

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Must-Have Affordable Camera  Gear for Beginners
Teaching Resources, Filmmaking, Production Guest Contributor Teaching Resources, Filmmaking, Production Guest Contributor

Must-Have Affordable Camera Gear for Beginners

The hardest thing about being a student filmmaker is not having the gear you need to start working on your craft. You are so eager to get started, but you don’t have anything to do so. Maybe you have the advantage of using your school’s gear for your projects, but you finally decide it’s time to start investing in your own because you don’t want to borrow anymore.

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Why Podcasts Should be a Part of Your Students’ Storytelling Arsenal
Production Guest Contributor Production Guest Contributor

Why Podcasts Should be a Part of Your Students’ Storytelling Arsenal

I teach Media Arts to high school students. We make daily shows for our local access channel, we learn photography, how to write a news story, and heavily focus on editing. I have replaced the radio assignments with podcast ones. Students will be much more likely to work for a company that does podcasting than a company that has a radio show.

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Top Free Browser-Based Audio Editors and DAWs
Teaching Resources, Production Kreativ Alchemy Teaching Resources, Production Kreativ Alchemy

Top Free Browser-Based Audio Editors and DAWs

If you are new to the world of audio editing and want to get your feet wet, here are four free browser-based digital audio workstations (DAWS) and four simple audio editors to try. If you are working on a video project that needs music or you want to further manipulate audio for an effect, these editors will make the process super easy. The benefit of using a browser-based editor is that you can edit a project on the go, at home, at school, and with a Mac, a Windows computer, or a Chromebook. There aren't too many limitations, and it is a great way to learn the basics so you can later choose a more professional DAW later.

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The Truth About Documentary Filmmaking
Filmmaking, Production Guest Contributor Filmmaking, Production Guest Contributor

The Truth About Documentary Filmmaking

In partnership with the Arizona Community Foundation, the Cronkite School launched a special year-long project to cover the rise of youth suicides in Arizona, including exploring the underlying causes and looking for possible solutions. The class is led by David Ariosto, an author and journalist who has managed, produced, and written for National Geographic, Time Magazine, NPR, Reuters, CNN, and Al Jazeera America — needless to say, I landed a pretty decent gig.

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Train Your Students on the Same Software Used by Professional Broadcast Crews
Teaching Resources, Production, Streaming Kreativ Alchemy Teaching Resources, Production, Streaming Kreativ Alchemy

Train Your Students on the Same Software Used by Professional Broadcast Crews

When student journalists lose the “student” predecessor, you want them to be as prepared as possible to take on the professional world of journalism. Ross Inception News Academic newsroom editorial system offers a scalable broadcast production system to schools that’s right on par with what professional broadcast crews use. Ross Video created an educationally-priced version of their pro system to give students the training they need for a seamless transition.

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