Thanks to digital technology like Apple's iMovie, the cost of non-linear editing has become very affordable in recent years. The basics of iMovie are easily learned in a few lessons. Students can actually figure out the system themselves given time to practice. You can create great packages and projects on iMacs using consumer-level camcorders available for well under $1,000, including graphics and simple transitions.
The biggest single improvement in the technical quality of our monthly magazine show happened the day we purchased two G-4 computers and the Final Cut Pro software for true digital, timeline editing. Students picked up the Final Cut basics very quickly and by shooting on our three Canon GL-1 mini-DV camcorders, we've gotten to the point where the pictures we're turning out are incredible for the high school level.
The only caution about editing on a sophisticated system like Final Cut Pro is this: because you can get everything frame-accurate and exactly the way you want it, the digital editing process can be a little more tedious than cuts-only, linear systems, which many professional stations still use everyday. A reminder: broadcast story-telling is still done in a linear fashion--with a beginning, a middle and an end--whether you use timeline systems or deck-to-deck systems to piece it all together. A good story is a good story, no matter what technology you use.
Our SVHS editing equipment, which we still use for our weekly in-house school news and announcements show, comes from JVC and Panasonic. There are other manufacturers out there. Contact your local dealer for more information about consumer-level, affordable SVHS/VHS editing equipment. And don't be afraid to shop online for broadcast equipment and accessories. Depending on the shipping costs, great deals can be found for schools by shopping the Internet.
The key component for our control room is the modulator which enables our signal to travel across the city to the Mediacom facility, where our programming can then be sent out via the local cable system. Since 1989 our magazine show has been seen citywide. Live productions or taped playbacks can originate from our classroom/studio. We've produced live talk shows, entertainment programs, and even done our magazine program with live anchors introducing the already edited news stories and features. Check and see if your local cable system will provide time on an access channel for your school's productions, and ask about a modulator for your studio.
Another great addition to our school in the fall of 1992 was the Channel One equipment which allows us to watch their newscast everyday, and to playback our productions to the entire school. Channel One provides TVs for every classroom, a satellite dish, a playback unit for the library or media center, and in addtion to the newscasts, hours of free educational programming each night on the "Classroom Connection" for your school to record and use for one month. This is where "STN Productions" can be accessed. STN Productions includes programs which provide instruction in broadcasting techniques and also shows student-produced work from all over the United States.
