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Video Viewfinder
Keith Kyker and Christopher Curchy
A Trip to the Video Viewfinder Mailbag
It’s hard to believe that we’ve been writing Video Viewfinder for 4 years.
That’s right – if you’ve been following along, you’ve read many installments of
our humble column since the summer of 1996. And you’re not the only ones
reading. Video Viewfinder is one of the most popular features on our web-site,
SCHOOLTV.com where we post columns. We distribute Video Viewfinder columns to 9
media journals. Media educators in Florida, Kansas, Pennsylvania, Oregon,
Washington, Nebraska, Colorado, Missouri, and Ohio get their quarterly dose of
"the video guys."
Since the column’s inception, we’ve always invited your questions via e-mail.
And you certainly haven’t failed us. So, as we kick-off the fifth year of Video
Viewfinder, we’ll share some of the questions and answers that we think you’ll
find useful.
Enjoy! And keep that e-mail coming.
Question: We’re buying new televisions for the classrooms at my school. In
the past, some teachers have complained that the screen was too small. How big
should classroom TVs be?
Answer: Apply the "2 x 8 Rule," which has been around since the days of 16mm
projectors in classrooms. Basically stated, no audience member should be closer
than 2 times, nor farther than 8 times the width of a screen. So, if you have a
25-inch TV screen, no one should be seated closer than 50 inches, nor farther
that 200 inches from the screen.
Question: I teach my high school TV production class with a heavy emphasis on
the technical aspects. Across town, the TV production teacher teaches mostly
television acting, directing, and set design. Should we get together and
standardize our curriculum?
Answer: The same course taught by two different teachers could result in very
different educational experiences. It doesn't really matter if the teachers are
across the hallway or across the continent. Most teachers focus on what they
like to do, and what they think is important. Differences in course content can
be good. We, as teachers, bring more than our training to the educational table.
Most course outlines are written to allow for such diversity. We are provided
with standards and competencies, not daily lesson plans. We don't need to
"homogenize" education by making sure everyone teaches the same thing. If one
teacher spends longer on a topic of television production than another teacher,
what difference does it make? It's probably because they're good at it! As long
as both teachers are teaching the basics and covering their school system's
course requirements, everything is fine.
Actually, it sounds like both you and your fellow teacher would benefit from a
temporary exchange. Why not schedule a visit to his or her school to teach the
students about the technical side of television? Then, your colleague can visit
your school and work with your students on the artistic aspects of production.
Question: I've been reading about television production in other countries,
and the terms PAL and SECAM keep popping-up. What do they mean?
Answer: In simplest terms, TV signals around the world are not compatible with
each other. The three most-common standards are NTSC, PAL, and SECAM. The
signals are produced and recorded differently in each system. TVs and VCRs made
for those systems won't work with the other systems. (The differences are the
number of lines of resolution, the number of frames-per-second, and the
frequency at which color is processed.) NTSC is used in the USA, Japan, Korea,
etc. PAL is used in most of Europe and Africa. SECAM is used in France, and most
of Asia. Remember, TV was invented by different people in different places at
about the same time. It is only natural that the systems are different.
So, if you go to France, and buy a TV, it is probably SECAM and won't work with
United States programming. A foreign language teacher bought some recorded
videotapes when she went to Spain. They were recorded in PAL, and our school
didn't have a VCR to play them. You can probably make-up your own examples.
Question: What is the best way to clean my VCR?
Answer: Of course, the best way to clean the VCR is preventative cleaning. In
other words, try not to let the inside of your VCR get dirty! We recommend that
only high-quality blank tape be used in your school VCRs and camcorders. This
tape should be new (when possible) and dedicated for school use. Don't let your
students record their projects on an old, abused videotape that has been used at
home. Provide storage for these tapes, so they don't "live" in the student's
bookbag or car.
Occasionally, VCRs get dirty. The best way to clean a VCR is with a new,
high-quality blank videotape. Do not use a consumer head-cleaning tape. Most of
these products contain abrasive cloth that can damage your VCR. Remember, your
VCR's video head is in a recessed slot only 4 microns wide! A hair or speck of
dust can clog this slot. A high-quality tape will gently wipe over the head, and
remove the debris. Put the tape in, and let it play for 10 or 15 minutes. (Of
course, you will just see "snow" on the TV.) Then insert a recorded program, and
check the picture quality. Repeat if necessary. If after 2 or 3 repetitions,
your picture quality is still poor, take the VCR to your local video repair shop
for cleaning. Most shops will perform a thorough cleaning for less than $50.
Question: My elementary school has recently purchased video equipment. We are
making plans to produce a news program and video projects with all grades (K-6).
Another school in our district started off with only 6 students involved for the
entire year. My principal is adamant that this not become an elitist activity.
We want to involve as many students and teachers as possible. How should I
proceed?
Answer: School television production certainly doesn't have to become an elitist
activity. Your mail mentions two types of production, (1) news show production,
and (2) video project production. Let's tackle the news show production issue
first.
Make a list of jobs that need to be performed each day on your news show. Nine
or ten students will probably be needed. Add a couple to cover absentees, and
you'll probably need a crew of 12. Most TV teachers use some form of written
application. Create your own, or use the one from our recent book, Educator's
Survival Guide to TV Production Equipment and Set-up. We like to use character
and citizenship as our criteria for selection, with heavy emphasis on teacher
recommendations. We repeat this process three or four times a year, giving us an
entirely different crew every few weeks. This way, dozens of our students get a
meaningful, extended television production experience. Even younger children can
lead the pledge, or provide the "Word of the Day."
This leads us to your second type of production -- video projects. Try to get
the teachers in your school involved in the production of curriculum-based video
projects. As your students complete their projects, feature them on your news
show. Perhaps language arts students are interviewing storybook characters, or
making video book reports. These are great news show features! We offer 25
curriculum-based video projects in our book Video Projects for Elementary and
Middle Schools.
Carefully select your news crews, and make the news program an outlet for
student creativity and success. This approach will allow many students of all
ages and levels to contribute. A student doesn't have to be in the TV studio to
contribute to the school news show.
Question: What's a good way to evaluate video projects? These things tend to
be a group effort, but I like to give grades on an individual basis.
Answer: Grading video projects can be difficult, especially when several
students are working on the same project. Here are three ideas to consider.
First, give work-in-progress grades. Every time an important step in the
production process is completed (storyboarding, script, raw footage) make sure
to give a grade. Don't base the entire grade on the final video submission. This
way, you can evaluate each individual's progress as the project is produced.
Secondly, don't be afraid to give both an individual AND a group grade. This is
especially important when specific tasks are assigned. If the video project is
worth 100 points, think about 50 points for the individual grade, and 50 points
for the group grade. This encourages everyone to do his/her part, and also
encourages group success. Finally, realize that students perform at different
levels. Even your best students will struggle at times. Make sure that everyone
tries his or her best. Grade process, not product.
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