Voice-over Dubbing Arrangement

April 20th, 2011 by robmcbride

Voice-over dubbing arrangement:

1. Equipment:

From now on until submission deadline (Apr 29, 2011), a set of voice-recording equipment is available in the Post-Production Suite. It includes a lip mic, a cable and a Panasonic camera.

You can use these equipment for voice-over dubbing. Please return them to the original place properly and turn off equipment after use.

Please bring your own earphones to monitor the audio.

2. Voice Dubbing Room

Room G22 (Adjunct Room) is available from 10am – 6pm until April 29 (except Easter Holidays) for VO dubbing. You can sign out the key from Equipment Office during its opening hours. Please return the key to Equipment Office after use, and the technicians will have a brief check on the equipment.


3. Procedure of VO dubbing

i. Connect lip mic to Input 1 of the camera.

ii. Tune the input 1 gain almost all the way up.

iii. Place the lip mic on the side of your lips (Don’t place it right in front of your mouth).

iv. Insert a tape and record as usual.

v. Monitor the audio meter and fine tune to get the best level.

vi. Capture the voice in the same way as capturing video footage. In ‘Log and Capture’ window, disable ‘video capture’ and ‘audio CH2′ under ‘clip settings’. Remember to revert the settings when capturing video.

4. Tips for VO dubbing

i. Speak loudly but naturally.

ii. The way to read the audio meter on Panasonic: The signal occasionally peaks in the red area (with about 2 red blocks), that’s equivalent to -12dB in FCP.

iii. If you bring up the audio level in FCP, you will bring up the background noise and echo as well. In short, the more adjustments you make in FCP, the audio quality will degrade more.

iv. Don’t use Sony A1 which doesn’t work well with the lip mic.

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Final Exam Notes

April 12th, 2011 by ajlibunao

Last session this Friday, will see us having an end of term paper. We’ll have it at the start of the lesson, so please be on time.

It will comprise a number of longer form written answers, similar to the mid-term paper. There will also be a multi-part essay type question to test your knowledge of the TV production process. In preparation for this, it would be worth getting to know two current issues…. first, the debate over the Government’s budget and/or the debate over current residential property prices, including rents. You don’t need to be experts on either, but should have a working knowledge of what the main issues/arguments are (which you probably have in any case, from your regular consumption of local news ?!).

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Video Tutorials: 3-point Lighting

April 1st, 2011 by robmcbride

Following are links to a couple of very useful You Tube demos that Ka Ho discovered, for classic 3-point lighting.  While they are well done, please bear in mind for most news and documentary situations, we will only normally achieve 2-point lighting…. ie. a key light (set more straight on to the interviewee rather than at 45 degrees as suggested in the demo) plus a back light (or kicker), working in tandem with the key light.  There won’t be too much shadow on the face because of the absence of a fill light, but if it bothers you, then try using the reflector (usually supported on a chair to one side of the interviewee) to bounce light from the key to that side of the face.  If you DO have a third light on location, it will invariably be used to do something interesting on the background.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AcMX1RcNRYA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gkfv78919ek&feature=fvw

V-light and Pro-light kits are availble for check-out. If you use them to set up 2-point lighting, you are recommended to use the V-light with diffuser as the main light, and the Pro-light (close the barn-door a bit to control the light shape) as kicker.

Diffuser and Blue gels are available in the kit.

As we only have 4 light kits, please request in the reservation e-mail if you need them.

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News Package Formula

March 30th, 2011 by robmcbride

News Package Formula handout: Click to download

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Simple Guide to Radio Mic

March 30th, 2011 by robmcbride

To get familiar with the operation of radio/wireless microphones, here is a simple step-by-step Guide to Radio Mics.

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Course Syllabus Spring 2011

March 30th, 2011 by robmcbride

Course Syllabi of JMSC 6093 Video News Production Workshop (Spring 2011):

Syllabus 6093 A – Spring, 2011

Syllabus 6093 B – Spring, 2011

Please mark these important dates on your calendar:

Class A: Mid-term Exam – March 11; Final Exam – April  15

Class B: Mid-Term Exam – March 12; Final Exam – April 16

*Mid-term Exam – Multiple-choice + Longer Form Answers; Final Exam – Longer Form Answers. Duration: 40 – 50 minutes.

Deadline of Final Project – April 29

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Gardener and Sequences Grades

March 22nd, 2011 by ajlibunao

Do note that the marks for the gardener project and the phone/shock sequences have been sent to the class mailing list.  

If you have any questions or have not received the email, please contact me at ajlibunao@gmail.com.

aj

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Mid-Term Tests Q&As

February 26th, 2011 by ajlibunao

There will be a mid-term test in the next class.

JMSC6093A: March 11, 2010 (FRI)

JMSC6093B: March 12, 2010 (SAT)

—————————————————

Q1: What kind of questions will there be in the mid-term test?

A: The questions will be mainly based on your shooting experience and editing principles. The types of questions are meant to test your working knowledge of video news production, rather than specific technical details. Example:

Multiple choice….
When shooting a static shot, you should keep the tape rolling
for…
a.  1 to 2 seconds.
b.  5 to 7 seconds.
c.  10 to 12 seconds.

And for longer question….
What is a cutaway shot and how is it used in editing ?  Give
one or more specific examples of a cutaway (using diagram if
needed.)

Q2: What should I study for the mid-term test?

A: You can study the “Shoot Yourself” and “Glossary” handouts to make sure you understand what have been covered in class. However, there is definitely no need to memorize the definitions of technical terms. If you have attended every class and understand what we have taught, then you should be quite well-prepared. Also, sleep well before taking the test!

Q3: How long is the test going to take?

A: It will take about 40 minutes to finish.

Q4: How about if I cannot attend the test?

A: Contact us at rob@robmcbride.com or alibunao@hku.hk.

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Gardener Project

February 22nd, 2011 by robmcbride

Please download this audio file (Right-click –> Download) for the voice-over.

You can find the music for the montage part on the Macbooks in post-production suite (music_gardener.aif, highlighted in red).

Copy them to your scratch disk. You can then import these files (File –> Import –> Files) into your project and use them.

And the script for your reference.

Deadline of Submission (Updated):

Class A: Mar 11 (Fri)

Class B: Mar 12 (Sat)

For “Montage” part, please shoot footage for this part. And we will edit the “montage” together in the next class, after the mid-term test.

Equipment Office is open as usual during the reading week. The earlier you sign out gears, the more gears are available.

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Project Submission Guidelines

February 20th, 2011 by ajlibunao
To submit the your project, please prepare the following:
i. A QuickTime (mov) video of your edited project
ii. A screenshot of your Final Cut Pro timeline
Name  the  files  in  this  format:  subclass_name_project  title  (e.g.  6093A_john_star_ferry.mov, or 0052_mary_graham.mov)

Procedures of exporting QuickTime video in Final Cut Pro:
i. Make sure you are on the timeline window
ii. Press  “Shift‐Z”  to  view  the  whole  timeline.  Clear  the  unnecessary clips/gaps in your edit
iii. Clear the in/out points on your timeline (Mark -> Clear In and Out)
iv. Change  the  audio  settings  to  mixed  mode  (Sequence  ->  Settings  -> Audio Outputs -> Stereo Mix)
v. Render your sequence if necessary (Sequence -> Render All -> Both)
vi. Choose “File” -> “Export” -> “Export QuickTime Movie”
vii. Name your file and choose the destination to save. Make sure you have checked “Make Movie Self‐contained” option, so that you are exporting an independent QuickTime movie
viii. View  and  check  your  exported  file  by  “Right‐click”  ->  “Open  with QuickTime Player”

Procedures of creating a screenshot of your FCP timeline:
i. In Final Cut Pro, press “Shift‐Z” to view all the clips on the timeline.
ii. Press “Command‐Shift‐3” on the keyboard to create a screenshot. You will hear shutter‐release sound.
iii. A screenshot will appear on the desktop as “Picture 1”. Rename it.

Submitting your assignment:
i. Name  and  double‐check  the  files  properly.  Put  them  in  a  folder with the same naming format.
ii. Submit  your  folder  to  a  harddrive  located  on  the  shelf  of  the  Post‐Production Suite.
iii. Send an e‐mail to Rob/Ka Ho/AJ to confirm submission

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