Mojo kits for multimedia storytelling class
December 19, 2007 in Academics, Multimedia Course, video
Last week, I submitted an itemized list for the multimedia storytelling class at Eastern Illinois University (see here for syllabus and here for FAQ). Below the fold, I’m pasting the list I sent to my department head. Each “kit” costs about $400, and we plan to have one kit per student by the time the class is up and running. #
The biggest issue with coming up with the kits was the video camera. There were only two entry-level video cameras that has a mic input, and none with a headphone input as well. As this is a beginning class, it was hard to justify the additional hundreds of dollars that would be necessary to get gear with both mic and headphone inputs. #
These kits would also be useful for a campus media outlet that wants to get into multimedia in an inexpensive manner. #
So here’s the list. Feel free to add comments below. #
Canon ZR800 Mini DV Camcorder ($189.00): #
Backup Battery ($59.95) #
Nady sp5 Microphone ($24.99 for 3): #
microphone cable ($11.79): #
Camera Bag: Lowpro Nova 1 AW ($25.08): #
Impact #800 Tripod with 3-way Panhead (24.95 ea.): #
or #
Slik SDV-20 Tripod (24.95 ea.): #
Olympus WS-300M 256MB Digital Voice Recorder ($59.99) #
Put together, the price for each kit is: #
$189.00 Camera
$9.00 Mic
$11.79 Cable
$25.08 Bag
$24.95 Tripod
$59.99 Audio Recorder
$59.95 Spare Battery
———
$379.76 #
Disclaimer: Prices and availability may vary by the time of purchase. #
Looks like a great setup!! Will the student incur any fees for taking the class?
Good list Bryan. I can see why you have chosen the Olympus recorder, but I have encountered problems with them and Macs. Some of the models are incompatible with Macs. And they record in WMA, rather than in wav or MP3 format. On the plus side, the Olympus recorders are very good value. In the BBC, we tested out some iRiver T30 MP3 player/recorders and the quality was pretty good in most situations using the built-in mic. At the UBC School of Journalism, we use Roland Edirol R-09s, but they are pricey.
alfred,
I have an earlier version of the Olympus (WS-100, I believe), and haven't had any problems, other than converting the WMA to an mp3, which we do with a program called EasyWMA, which costs $10 per copy. Love to have an edirol or some such, but again, it's a little pricey for this class.
Brad, the students will pay a $60 lab fee for the class, but that's not nearly likely to cover the initial start-up costs.
A good start, particularly with the attention to detail you've shown by including an extra battery. The microphone cord is a little too short, though, which makes me wonder about its inclusion altogether. If the microphone is only to be used for stand-ups, then it is of extremely limited functionality and there is little value added to the kit.
I agree that a microphone — particularly a shotgun — is invaluable for higher-end work, but I think this set-up might pigeonhole students into thinking, "The only reason this microphone is here is so I can act like a TV reporter." If the budget does not allow for equipment that will assist in properly demonstrating the importance of audio in multimedia storytelling, I would begin to rethink my options rather quickly.
From my viewpoint, a midrange point 'n' shoot digital camera would be a worthy piece of equipment to include in lieu of a Mini DV camera. In addition to speeding up workflow, it would allow students to capture still images as well as video, thus helping them develop a stronger sense of both types of visual journalism.
If they needed to capture a sit-down interview and were worried about the sound quality, a simple lavaliere microphone routed into the voice recorder would likely provide sound quality surpassing that of a low-end camcorder (meanwhile allowing monitoring via headphones). Importing the files to an NLE and syncronizing them would be extremely easy, too. (On that note, won't Olympus' software convert WMAs to WAVs? The latter should really be used as an intermediate format instead of MP3.)
Maybe I'm biased by my background and strengths, but I think your kit might encourage storytelling techniques that have been adopted from other mediums and are therefore not well-suited for online presentation. I believe one should have a variety of tools to choose from and combine as necessary to create the elements needed to tell their story.
Alfred, if even the $10 software Bryan suggests is too much for you — particularly if you're filling a classroom of computers, or wan students to be able to use their own computers, there are a few free WMA to MP3 utilities out there. I haven't tried them, but you might check them out:
Switch (http://www.nch.com.au/switch/)
VLC Media Player (http://www.videolan.org/)
There's also a web site which does free conversions of files under 100MB in size:
http://www.zamzar.com/
For anyone pinching pennies, if you can use a digital recorder without the music player functionality that the WS-300M provides, our staff has been happy with some Olympus WS-110 recorders we bought this fall; they're a little cheaper.
And one question for Bryan: if your video camera *did* have a headphone jack, do you have any recommendations for a good set of in-the-field headphones? We've just invested in a higher-end Panasonic DVX-100B video camera for our growing multimedia operations, and getting a decent set of headphones for videographers to use to make sure they're capturing good sound (especially if using an external mic) is next on my shopping list. Should we get noise cancelleng headphones to knock out background noise, or is that overkill? Thanks for any advice, if you've got any expertise in this area.
Adam,
I was hoping for a longer mic cord, but that's all I could find at the time. I'm not so concerned with lav mics, and I don't think the point 'n' shoot is what we're aiming at with this class (although the video camera includes a "still capture" ability). I do hope to convince students to record some audio via the digital recorder rather than the video camera, fwiw.
Fair enough. One other observation before I pipe down, though: you can save a good amount of money by choosing a generic battery that is equivalent to the Canon.
I looked at the generic batteries, but saw some bad reviews that sort of scared me away. Not certain the effect would be the same.
It's impressive but I think the following kit is even more rounded out as it allows for more in-field work and also text – it's the kit being carried by Reuters
http://souralba.wordpress.com/2007/11/26/on-reute…
Now the N-95 is free in the UK with most phone contracts, keyboard is cheap and so are the other parts and I think it would come in at a similar price to the above but offer more flexibility…
That cannon seems like a nice alternative to the FLIP cameras. Nice find!
Bryan:
That's a good set-up and similar to what we have for our News Production students. Given the level of funding we get, though, we're nowhere near one kit per student. While we have an adequate number of digital recorders (also Olympus), we're struggling by with two Canon ZRs, which get a pretty good workout. I prefer the miniDVs to higher-quality point and shoots which can produce excellent video, but don't give the students the hands-on experience of working with "real" video.
Craig, I blogged about the Reuters kit last week. It's a nice setup, but unfortunately well outside our price range. It requires a mobile phone contract and the list price for the phone is $699. Even with discounts, the price of the phone is more than the whole kit I'm proposing.
Fair enough – couldn't see the Reuters link in the wee sma' hours but that's an incredible price in the US for a phone that is free in the UK. Wow. (admittedly that's free with a contract but £35 for 1000 mobile minutes/700 sent texts and unlimited landline calls)
Craig,
Welcome to the U.S. telecommunications industry.
I'm sure there's some sort of "rebate" they give, but it's definitely not going to be free. Only the most stripped down cells (no camera, tiny cheap plastic case) are "free" w/contract here.
Anyone checked out Belkin's iMic Pro (on Amazon for $30)? I use these for my multimedia classes and the recording quality is leaps and bounds ahead of any standalone digital voice recorder that costs less than $150. Yes, you need an iPod to attach the mic to but the files are recorded as MP3s (no conversion necessary), there's no batteries to keep track of and it's the size of a thumb drive.
Brady,
I haven't used the iMic Pro, but I believe Mark Hamilton has. While it sounds good, again, the additional expense of an iPod makes it cost prohibitive for this class. If I had a student who was trying to set up their own multimedia kit, I might suggest such an option instead of the digital voice recorders.
I just started reading your blog, but I really enjoy it. I'm a college student and it would be really nice to have some of these things in my classes!
Sorry that's "iTalk Pro" (not iMic)!
And yes, this is better for students (the vast majority of whom own iPods already)
Thanks for the great post/discussion!
Brady,
I think you're making an incorrect assumption about how many students own iPods. I have several students who have iPods, but quite a few others who have mp3 players, and even a few who have no mp3 player at all. What do I do if a student *doesn't* have an iPod?
I have to provide equipment that all students will be able to use. Like I said, if a student were working with their own iPod, that would be great
What I meant is that this is the #1 option (in my opinion) for students setting up their own 'kit.' Obviously, any journalism department requesting monies for iPods will raise some eyebrows. Sorry if that came off unclear!
As long as we're on the subject of multimedia, what about a server? Doesn't all this video and audio eat up TONS of space and need to be streamed from somewhere if it's being published online? I'm curious about how you're planning on handling all those gigabytes.
Brady,
Great question. The video and audio will be stored on student server space while it's in production. We will probably have to end up getting some more storage space on our department server eventually (I'll need to check with our IT guy about that). I know some departments require students in video classes to purchase their own firewire hard drives. That may be something we need to consider down the road, but not yet.
If it's put up on the web, it'll most likely be done through a service like Blip.tv or similar. If it's published eventually by the student newspaper, then they'd put it up on the College Publisher servers, most likely.
Re: the iTalks and iPods. I have several students who use them and the sound quality is great. The problem is the same one you get with any handheld and inexperienced users: handling noise. The noise isn't as bad with the iPod as it is with some other units I've tried, but it's an issue.
What if you kill the audio recorder? When you're on a budget, I think you can cut an audio recorder and instead try to focus getting a better video camera with mic and earphone inputs. Encouraging students to shoot video without both those tools develops bad habits. With an earphone jack, the video camera could also be used for capturing audio.
Brendan,
There are no better video cameras within at least $250 that have headphone jacks (most don't even have mic inputs). As well, we're going to work with audio only at one point, and also introduce Soundslides. Neither require the use of a video camera.
In a more advanced course, they will be given the chance to work with higher quality cameras and spend more time on the whole process.