POLICY &

PROCEDURES

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The production and post production equipment in the Department of Communication Studies (DCS) is for the sole use of Communication Studies students enrolled in production courses and who have shown appropriate skill in the operation, handling, and maintenance of all requested equipment. Students in production courses must also:

1. have been assigned a project in that production course for which they have need of equipment,
2. have registered with the Integrated Media Coordinator (IMC) or media technicians and
3. have Secure Digital High Capacity (SDHC) card, headphones, card reader, and an external Firewire Hard Disk Drive (FW-HDD).

In addition to these requirements, students requesting the use of the Department’s equipment must show an understanding of these policies and must agree to and adhere to them in full. These policies have been established to ensure that students enrolled in production courses get fullest possible access to the equipment needed to be successful in the production classes in which they are enrolled. Students wishing to produce their own projects can submit their production proposal to the Office of Student Media - WMSU-TV. If their proposal, production schedule, equipment list, and treatment are accepted by the general manager and/or advisor of WMSU-TV then they will have privilege of reserving the department’s production equipment during the time slots specified in their shooting schedule as long as those time slots do not conflict with the needs of students in the Department’s classes.

The staff of the New Technologies Program (NTP) reserves the right to withhold equipment and facilities from individuals or groups that DO NOT have appropriate skill in operating and maintaining the equipment and facilities.

Registration

• All students enrolled in production classes must register with the New Technologies staff in order to check out any production equipment or facilities. A current Morgan State University Bear Necessity Card, a current and frequently checked email address, a current course schedule, and a working and valid cell phone number are required for registration. If a student does not have a cell phone, an on campus extension or local landline number is acceptable. A third party’s mobile phone number is not acceptable.
• Students must pass a policy test prior to reserving and checking out any equipment.
• Registration for equipment and facilities check out privileges will take place during the first three weeks of the semester. No equipment may be reserved or checked out, during those first three weeks. It is highly recommended that students NOT miss the registration period.

FIELD EQUIPMENT

Field Equipment Reservations & Check-out Procedures

• Reserve your time slot with either the Integrated Media Coordinator in CC 360 or the Media Technicians in CC 362 at least one (1) day before you want to pick it up. Include in your reservation request any other pieces of equipment you may need (e.g. microphones, boom poles, field lights, etc.). Be advised: if you’re checking out a lot of equipment, you may want to have someone help you to carry it.

• Reservations must be made in person and not over the phone. In addition, reservations are non-transferrable. In other words, Student “A” cannot pick up equipment reserved by Student “B” even if both are working on the same group project.

• Your requested time slot will be entered into the reservation system that shows your name and the equipment requested. If your name is not in the reservation system at the time of pickup you cannot checkout any equipment. No exceptions will be made.

• The time slots available for equipment reservations and pickups are as follows:

  • 9:00 a.m. - 9:15 a.m.

  • 1:00 p.m. - 1:15 p.m.

  • 5:00 p.m. - 5:15 p.m. (Late Checkout)
    
    Late check out at 5:00 p.m. is available only if a staff member will be present at 8:45 p.m. for equipment returns. If no staff member is available to check the equipment back in, then 1:00 p.m. will be the last scheduled pickup time. Late check out is primarily to aid students during periods of high demand.

• You will forfeit your reservation if you arrive 15 minutes late or later for your check out period.

• There is an equipment agreement form that must be signed by the student agreeing to the following:

  1. The student will use the borrowed equipment only for academic purposes and only for faculty-approved projects as part of his/her course assignments.
  2. The student received the equipment in good condition (unless otherwise noted on the form).
  3. The student accepts full responsibility for the security of the equipment and accepts liability for loss, non-return, damaged, or confiscated items left unattended.
  4. The student will keep borrowed equipment secure and protected from excessive heat or cold, excessive moisture, dust and shocks (e.g. equipment should not be left in a car all day).
  5. The student will not make any changes, alterations, modifications or repairs to the equipment.
  6. The student will pick up borrowed equipment by presenting their Bear Necessity Card and will pick up equipment on their scheduled pick up time.
  7. The student will forfeit their reservation 15 minutes or later after their reservation time.
  8. The student will return the equipment 15 minutes before the next checkout period.  In the case of non-compliance the student agrees to have all future reservations cancelled, and have a hold placed on his/her account.  The hold will be removed after the student submits a written letter of explanation describing in detail why she/he was late, what was done (if anything) on their part to prevent the late return of the equipment, and what he/she will do to prevent future occurrences from happening.
  9. After the second offense, the student’s account will be marked as inactive for ten (10) full business days.  During an “INACTIVE” period the student will be ineligible to make any equipment or production facility reservations.  After the third offense the student’s account will be marked as inactive and a review of the student’s behavior will be held.  If it’s deemed that the student is chronically late, poses a risk to the equipment and/or his/her fellow students’ ability to reserve equipment, the student will have all access to the New Technology Program’s equipment revoked.
  10. The student will advise the Integrated Media Coordinator at 443-885-3961 of any change in contact information within 24 hours of such change being effective.  Failure to notify the staff of such changes will result is violation of Morgan State University’s Policy on Academic Dishonesty.  Additionally, the student will have a hold placed on their accounts and will be ineligible to reserve or checkout any NTP equipment or facilities until the information is corrected.
  11. The student will advise the IMC or IMT immediately at 443-885-3961 of any damage or loss and will submit the required written statement describing the situation in which the damage or loss occurred.
  12. If it is determined by review that the damage or loss of equipment was caused by student negligence, the student will make arrangements with the IMC, Program Directors, and Department Chair to provide indemnifications. The student will lose the right to use any equipment until the case is resolved In the case of theft not caused by student negligence, the student will be exempt from any penalties as long as a police report is submitted together with the written statement describing the event in detail.
  13. In the case of theft not caused by student negligence, the student will be exempt from any penalties as long as a police report is submitted together with the written statement describing the event in detail.

• There is a three hour and forty-five minute (3:45) limit on the use of equipment. Signed out equipment must be returned 15 minutes prior to the start of the next scheduled check out period (regardless of your actual check-out time). Returning the equipment late hurts you and your fellow students. You wouldn’t want someone else taking time away from your reservation so please be courteous and bring the equipment back on time. Chronic lateness will not be tolerated and may lead to check out and reservation privileges being revoked.

• Students can schedule a reservation for two time slots in one day. Students cannot schedule more than four reservations per week. There is extremely high demand for field equipment during mid-terms and finals. Plan your productions accordingly.

• NO equipment will be checked out over-night.

• NO equipment will be checked out for weekends, for university breaks/vacations/holidays.

• Equipment that belongs in a kit or set cannot be split into individual pieces (e.g. you cannot check out just a tripod or just a battery, etc.).

Field Equipment Check-in Procedures

• Students must return the equipment 15 minutes before the next scheduled checkout time. Check with the New Technology staff during your pickup time to ensure that you know when the equipment must be returned. Having another student return your equipment is acceptable, however you are still responsible for the condition of the equipment and for the time of the return. It will be your responsibility if your friend brings the gear back late or damaged or not at all.

• The student must be present during the entire check-in process.

• Equipment should be returned in an orderly fashion. Bring it back in the condition in which you received it. Students will be asked to reorder their gear if it’s returned in a less than acceptable fashion.

• If there were any issues or problems with the equipment during your production, you must report it to staff no later than the time of return and check in. Any damages or missing components not reported during check-in are the responsibility of the student.

• Please note that the internal memory for the Sony audio recorder will be wiped clean upon its return.

Field Equipment Tips & Hints

• If you believe that the three hours and forty-five minute session isn’t enough time to complete your production you may reserve two slots in the same day, back to back. This gives you seven and a half hours in which finish your task, and students aren’t required to bring their equipment back until the second session has expired. Please note however, that you will forfeit your reservations if you arrive 15 minutes late.

• Some items use AA batteries for power. These batteries may be depleted before you can finish your production, so you may want to keep a fresh set handy just in case.

• The New Technologies staff cannot ensure everyone will be able to make any reservation whenever they need or want. The staff is not able to prevent or “hold” any equipment from getting reserved by another student. It’s highly recommended that you plan and schedule your reservations in a manner in which bests suits you and your project deadlines. It’s also recommended that you check your equipment out on time because some items will be granted to students on a first come first serve basis.

Necessary Media Requirements

• Students must bring their own SDHC memory cards for recording (these cards should not be used to hold any other forms of media).

• Students must bring their own SDHC card readers (no cameras will be used as card readers; no Title III card readers will be used for student projects).

• Students must bring their own FW800 Hard Disk Drive (HDD) to edit (no support will be provided for USB 2.0 USB 3.0 or eSATA HDDs). This drive must be formatted for the Macintosh operating system. The staff will be available to assist with formatting your HDD, but please note that doing so will permanently erase all data on your drive, and your drive won’t be recognized by Windows machines.

• Students must provide their own headphones with 1/4” adaptor (no headphones will be provided with field equipment)

• Students CAN NOT USE ANY Maxwell or JVC Mini DV tapes in the equipment (only Panasonic, Sony, and FujiFilm are allowed).

Post-Production Facilities

All labs are for use only by those enrolled in production courses scheduled by the Department of Communication Studies. In addition to these policies, the use of computing resources is also subject to all policies established by Morgan State University’s Computer and Information Technology Use Procedures and Guidelines. Smoking is prohibited in all public buildings in Maryland.

DO NOT switch equipment around without approval from the IMC or his/her staff.

During open lab hours, the technicians are responsible for the basics of maintaining the integrity of the lab’s operation and providing end-user support for basic application assistance. More complex issues that cannot be resolved by the technicians should be taken to the IMC. Neither the IMC nor the technicians are alternatives for learning the necessary applications. For extensive assistance with specific applications, users should consult the appropriate documentation or see their instructors for training assistance.

Post-Production Facilities Policy & Procedures

• Students and faculty alike are required to store their project files, media files, and motion graphic files on their own external hard disk drives. These drives should be at least 500 GigaBytes (500GB) in size and MUST have a Firewire 800 interface. You can check with the IMC about finding the best price and hard drive for purchase.

• All lab workstation users will login to the “Guest” account and will have full access to the production software. The account will be wiped clean after you logout, so do not save anything to the computer that you do not want deleted. Please make sure you logout of the machine after you are finished with your session to give the next user a fresh machine to work on.

• Use the computers in the open writing lab located in CC 238 for other course work. Do NOT use the lab computers for web surfing or any course work unrelated to production. Use the computer lab located in CC 238 to download any files necessary for your project.

• Please clean up all of your material (paper, trash, etc.) before leaving the computer lab. The labs will be closed for cleaning for three hours if too much litter accumulates. Such closures will be as necessary and may not be announced in advance.

• Do not move, remove, or alter any furniture in the labs.

• There is absolutely NO eating or drinking in the post-production labs at any time. Water in a closable container and water ONLY is permissible. The first offense will result in a warning. The second offense will result in the lab being closed for one (1) full business day. It is not our intention to be unreasonable, it would be nearly impossible to track each individual student’s offenses so the New Technologies program staff will treat the student body as a whole on this matter. It is also our hope that everyone adhere to this policy. We’d prefer not to see a workstation rendered useless due to a minor mishap with a Pepsi© bottle.

• Users will be given assistance, guidance, and basic troubleshooting help with technical problems related to their assignments and academic tasks. The New Technologies staff members will not act as personal assistants will not help students on a one-on-one basis to complete their graded course work. Doing so violates the University’s academic dishonesty policy.

• The technicians will give users an official warning to finish up work at 15 minutes before closing. At closing, the technician will announce to all remaining users that the lab is now closed. Users should be ready to leave at the posted closing time. In the event users do not leave the lab after it has closed, the technicians will switch off computers.

• The posted lab hours may change based on the available hours of the Integrated Media Coordinator (IMC) or technicians. In general the labs are open from 9:00 a.m. until 9:00 p.m. If there is no one available to monitor and secure the lab after 5:00 p.m. it will be closed when the IMC leaves for the day. Such early closures will be posted beforehand.

• The staff reserves the right to remove and/or permanently ban from using the equipment anyone who is obstinate or disruptive to the staff or the students using the facilities.

Production Lab Tips & Hints

• It’s a good idea to come often and practice the applications that are available on the workstations. The technicians may not always be there when you have a question, or may not have an answer at that time. The best way to learn anything is to practice as often as possible.

• Because of the heat generated by the workstations, the labs are kept at a constant 65° temperature around the clock. Because of that heat, the labs will stay at around 80° during normal use. If you are concerned about lab temperature, you might consider bringing a jacket or sweater.

• There are ten workstations in CC 361 and ten in the demonstration lab CC 358. Both sets of computers have the same software, so if one lab is full, or has a class in session you are free to use the other.

• It’s not a good idea to come a few hours before your project is due to start post production.

• Try to limit the amount of YouTube and/or encoded footage you use in your video projects. YouTube compresses their footage and having the software turn it into something else will take too much time. The same thing goes for audio.

• If you plan on using a USB 2.0 or USB 3.0 hard drive to store your projects on, please understand that you will have serious bandwidth issues with which the staff won’t be able to assist you.

• Report any issues with Department equipment promptly. Doing so will help the technicians repair or replace it before it hinders your production.

Production Studios & Facilities

Studios are for use only by faculty and those students enrolled in the production classes of the Department of Communication Studies. They are not to be used for anyone’s or any group’s personal gain. Students must be registered in Department production classes and must have shown appropriate skill in the operation, handling, and maintenance of all requested equipment in order to reserve a studio space. The studios available for reservations are TV Studio #1 (CC 356), TV Studio #2 (CC 356) and the WMUR Radio Studio (CC 357).

Studio Reservations & Check out procedures

• Production studios may be reserved only when they are not in use by classes scheduled by the Department of Communication Studies

• Production studios must be reserved at least two (2) days prior to “pickup”. Reservations must be made in person. Reservations may not be made over the phone and are non-transferrable. Student “A” won’t be let into the studio reserved by Student “B” even if both are completing a group project together. Your requested time slot will be put into a system that shows your name and the space needed. If your name is not in the system at the time of pickup you cannot gain access. No exceptions will be made. Reservations are limited to availability of studio spaces.

• Each student is allotted a total of ten hours per week for which they may reserve the studios if such hours aren’t already reserved for production courses. The studios, like the labs, will be closed after the New Technologies staff leaves for the day. Please check with the staff for any possible scheduling conflicts before you make your reservation.

• Students are allotted a total of ten hours per week to reserve the studios. The studios, like the labs, will be closed after the New Technologies staff have left for the day. Please check with the staff for any possible scheduling conflicts before you make your reservation.

• Students cannot reserve two different studio spaces at the same time. Groups of students attempting to reserve two studio spaces will have one reservation cancelled.

• Any student who reserves the space must clean it up at the conclusion of his/her session and be out of the studio within a half hour of the next reservation or a class.

• Please clean up all of your material (paper, trash, etc.) before leaving the studios. Students are responsible for the equipment and presentation of the studio space he/she reserves. All furniture and equipment should be returned to their original, organized arrangements. If a student leaves the studio in an unacceptable condition or is using the equipment improperly, that student faces removal from the reservation system.

• There is absolutely NO eating or drinking in the studios at any time ever. There is no eating and drinking near, or away from the cameras, lights, or set pieces. There’s no eating and drinking in the control room or in the area just outside the control room and studio On the first offense, those present will have their accounts marked as inactive for five (5) full business days.

• Any furniture used from outside or inside of the studio must be placed back in its original location.

• The student with the reservation is responsible for any guests (e.g. your interviewee) who do not follow policy. Please make sure you inform them of all related policies beforehand. The holder of the reservation will be penalized for any breach in policy made by an outside guest.

Studio Tips & Hints

• Remember to plan for prep-time when making your reservation. The studio won’t be set exactly the way you need it, or the last group may have had the sound board arranged for their production in a unique way. Plan for at least an hour of preparation time so you don’t cut into your needed production time.

• The lights in the main studio take a few minutes to warm up to their brightest levels, so it’s recommended that you turn them on about ten minutes before you begin production. Those lights aren’t meant to be adjusted in anyway, so do not redirect them.

• Report any issues with department equipment promptly. Doing so will help the technicians repair or replace it before it hinders your production.

Necessary Media Requirements

• Students must bring their own FW800 Hard Disk Drive (HDD) to capture a High Definition feed from the studio cameras (no support will be provided for USB 2.0 USB 3.0 or eSATA HDDs). This drive must be formatted for the Macintosh operating system. The staff will be available to assist with formatting your HDD, but please note that doing so will permanently erase all data on your drive, and your drive won’t be recognized by Windows machines.

• Students must provide their own headphones with 1/4” adaptor (no headphones will be provided for studio equipment).

• Students CAN NOT USE ANY Maxwell or JVC Mini DV tapes in the studio (only Panasonic, Sony, and FujiFilm are allowed).

Penalties, Violations, & Unqualified Users

Damaged, Malfunctioning, Lost, and Stolen Equipment

Students should check their equipment before they sign their Equipment Loan Agreement. If a problem is found at that time, the IMC will make every effort to fix, replace, or note the condition before the student leaves. If the student does not take the time to test or check the gear, they are assuming responsibility for any damage that is found when it is returned.

Students who return equipment that is malfunctioning or damaged must submit a written statement describing the conditions in which the problem occurred. If the student used the equipment properly, the student will not be held responsible for the normal wear and tear of the equipment as long as the issue is brought to the IMC’s attention.

Any student who loses equipment or has it stolen must submit a written, signed and dated statement describing the conditions in which the theft occurred. Additionally, students must file a Baltimore City Police report or an equivalent report with the police department in the town or precinct where the incident occurred. A copy of the police report must be submitted in conjunction with the student's written statement. In the case of theft NOT caused by student negligence, the student will be exempt from any penalties as long as a police report is submitted together with the written statement describing the event in detail. Failure to submit either of these reports for review will be considered negligence and make the student fully responsible for the lost or stolen equipment. Please note that if equipment is stolen, the student who signed out that equipment must immediately call the office to alert the staff that the theft has occurred and that an appropriate police report is in progress.

Returning Equipment Late

Regardless of whether the equipment was checked on time, students must return all field equipment 15 minutes before the next checkout period, or at the close of business if the equipment was checked out at the last check out time. Returning the equipment after that period will be considered late. Students returning equipment late will have all future reservations cancelled, and have a hold put on their accounts. During a “HOLD” period, the student will be ineligible to make any equipment reservations. The hold will be removed after the student submits a written letter of explanation describing in detail why she/he was late, what was done (if anything) on their part to prevent the late return of the equipment, and what he/she will do to prevent future occurrences from happening.

After the second offense, the student’s account will be marked as inactive for ten (10) full business days. During an “INACTIVE” period the student will be ineligible to make any equipment or production facility reservations. After the third offense the student’s account will be marked as inactive and a review of the student’s behavior will be held. If it’s deemed that the student is chronically late, poses a risk to the equipment and/or his/her fellow students’ abilities to reserve equipment, the student will have all future access to the New Technology Program’s equipment revoked.

Students who fail to return equipment within one (1) day of their reservation will automatically be marked as inactive for ten (10) full business days. Students who fail to return equipment after being one day late will have their accounts marked as inactive, and will have their behavior reviewed to see if it poses a risk to the equipment and/or his/her fellow students’ ability to reserve equipment. If so, the student will lose all access to the New Technology Program’s equipment.

Repossessions

As per the Equipment Loan Agreement, students are responsible for the safety and well-being of production equipment as soon as it is checked out in their names. Equipment repossessed due to being left unattended will result in a hold being placed on the student’s account for ten (10) full business days and all future reservations will be cancelled. A letter will be issued to the student stating when and where the equipment was repossessed. After the second offense the student’s account will be marked as inactive for twenty (20) full business days. Equipment left even outside of the room you are in is considered unattended; please keep a close eye on your checked out equipment.

Food & Drink

As stated in the individual sections, food and drinks are strictly prohibited in all areas except for the student lounge. Only water in a closable container is permitted in the post production labs and control rooms. No food or drink is permitted on the TV studio floors. Students found with prohibited food and/or drink must leave the lab/studio immediately. He/she will be given a written violation and will have all future reservations cancelled. Students who violate this more than twice will have her/his reservations cancelled and their account marked as inactive for ten (10) days

Falsified Information

Students submitting incorrect or fabricated contact information to the NTP staff are in violation of Morgan State University’s Policy on Academic Dishonesty. Additionally, they will have a hold placed on their accounts and will be ineligible to reserve or checkout any NTP equipment or facilities until the information is corrected.

Unqualified Users

Students who have not proven to the NTP staff that they are capable of using, maintaining and securing production equipment will not be able to reserve and checkout the field equipment. Students may schedule a time with their relevant professor and/or the NTP staff for a training session on the use and maintenance of the equipment in question. The student will be tested on his/her knowledge if they decide to test with the relevant professor. Training with a NTP staff member will not require a test. Training session times with NTP staff are based on availability.

If the student shows appropriate knowledge after the training session he/she will be eligible to reserve and checkout the corresponding piece of the equipment.

Disputing a Delinquency / Penalty

If a student wishes to petition the Department to dispute his/her penalties, he/she must request an appointment with a review committee through written correspondence with the IMC, who will make arrangements to convene the committee at their earliest possible convenience. All penalties will be considered valid until the committee has reached a decision.

The committee will consider the student’s written statement, the police report (if applicable) and/or any other documentation submitted by the student and listen to the student’s oral explanation of events. Oral testimony of witnesses may be offered to corroborate events. Failure on the student’s behalf to check equipment before signing it out is not a valid excuse and the student will be held responsible for all missing/broken equipment.

The committee will make the final decision about the student’s liability within a few days of the meeting.

Quick Notes

PERSONAL SAFETY

The doors to the studios and edit labs must remain opened during scheduled hours and only while the Integrated Media Coordinator and/or integrated media technicians are on the clock. Once the late shift for the technician is over all students must leave the premises. The parking across the street from the Communications Center and the roads and paths back to main campus are dark at night. If you feel uncomfortable leaving the Communications Center after hours, you may call Campus Police for an escort at ext. 3103. This is a free service and you should not hesitate to use it.

PERSONAL PROPERTY

The New Technology Program is not responsible for the personal property of students, so do not leave belongings unattended in any of the facilities. NTP staff are prohibited from accepting personal belongings from students.

FIELD CAMERAS

The field cameras are delicate and will be damaged if the right care isn’t taken with them. Do not rush in setting them up or taking them down and do not shove them in their bags haphazardly when you are finished with your production. Damaging a field camera due to negligence has a 100% guarantee of NOT getting another one attached to it. Carefully remove the battery and take off the tripod plate when you are returning the camera.

These cameras are in constant rotation, and are used by many different people for many different situations. It would benefit you and your production to check the camera before beginning any field work. Check the focus and white balance, the microphone settings and phantom power. You should also check the record setting, timecode settings, and other menu items just in case they were changed by a previous user. We have no objection to you resetting the camera to its factory settings. Lastly, report any issues that you may have had with the camera.

FIELD LIGHTS

Like other equipment, the field lights are delicate and must be handled with care. Bulbs have a tendency to fall out of their sockets and/or break. These lights are also dangerous if not handled correctly. Make sure that the outlet into which you’re plugging lights can handle the power of some of the larger wattage lights. Some locations may not have a steady or reliable current, so make sure not to trip any breakers with the higher wattage lights as well.

The lights get extremely hot, so they should be the last thing turned on and the first thing turned off in a field production. Pack them away once they are cool enough to touch. Also, watch any low ceilings or fixtures if the field lights are going to be on for a long period of time. Make sure the light stand’s legs are opened all the way and that everyone is aware of their location; use sandbags if necessary to secure their locations. A quick pre-production discussion with your crew is beneficial in working out how many lights and related materials (e.g. stands, extension cords, soft-boxes, reflectors, etc.)you’ll need. Remember that one person cannot carry that much equipment so plan ahead.

MICROPHONES

While the use of a microphone seems elementary, there are some important things to keep in mind to sound professional. First, never touch the microphone, especially while it is live! Make your adjustments or have someone from the production crew help adjust and test your microphone before going live. It is annoying to your viewers when they get an ear full of your mic noise. Second, never hit or tap your hand or any object on or near your microphone. While this may not be a problem for Communication Studies students, it is common for guests or interviewees, so brief them ahead of time. And last, always speak directly into the mic. Never talk off-axis, or with the mic pointed in any direction except directly at your mouth. Omni-directional microphones may pick up a wider pattern than condenser microphones [shotguns] but most microphones pick up sounds best when the sound hits the mic at the center.

The wired and wireless lavaliere [LAV] microphones are two things; 1) extremely delicate and 2) extremely expensive. Please take even more care with them than you would any of the other microphones. The thin wires are extremely prone to staying in whatever form you put them in, so please do not ball them up and shove them into their pouches. Wrapping them around the four fingers on your hand then clipping them with the lapel clip is the preferred method of putting them away.
When you’re thinking about which mic to choose, remember that each mic has its pros and cons. The wired handheld microphones are faster to deploy, and are best used in 90% of your field operations. The wired LAVs are going to give you very little hassle over the wireless ones, and are better suited for your sit-down interview scenarios. The shotgun works well as a handheld in extremely noisy situations, and is fantastic in picking up natural [NAT] sound in most electronic news gathering [EFP] situations.

HARD DISK DRIVES

Once again, any student using any workstation in any of the production and/or post production facilities must provide their own Firewire 800 (FW800) Hard Disk Drive (HDD). These drives will be used to store all media files, project files, graphic files, audio files, and supporting files that you will be need to complete your assignments. Saving and/or writing files to the department’s computers is not acceptable; any files found on the workstations will be deleted immediately.

To be more specific, your drive must have a FW800 connection, must spin at a minimum of 7200 rpm, and are formatted for the Macintosh (Mac) operating system only. Bus powered, or portable laptop drives are acceptable, but will cost you more money. Either the IMC or the technicians can aid students in formatting their drives for the Mac which will erase all data on the drive.
Thumb-drives, flash-drives, or using USB, USB 2.0, USB 3.0, or eSATA are not acceptable.

Contact the IMC or NTP technicians for additional help in selecting an acceptable drive. Updates to drive prices may be posted on the NTP bulletin board located in the student lounge.

HEADPHONES & AUDIO ADAPTORS

It is the responsibility of the student to supply his or her own headphones. The New Technology Program does not provide headphones with field equipment or for any of the production/post production facilities. Editing your video project without headphones is acceptable, but you may not be able to hear much on high traffic days. You won’t be able to hear anything in the ProTools lab without headphones and the proper 1/4” adaptor, so headphones are required.
Students who wish to purchase headphones of high quality are recommended to do research before they buy. Low quality headphones will not allow you to mix or record properly, as certain frequencies will be inaccurate causing your recording to sound “bassy” or “tinny.” These will be the headphones you use for all field audio and studio recording and mixing sessions, so choose carefully.

** Full size stereo headphones that fit around or on your ear, and do not have emphasized bass or noise canceling are strongly recommended. **

Other factors to consider in purchasing your headphones are:

1. Full range frequency response (as flat a line as possible in the frequency response)
2. Comfort - make sure they rest lightly and comfortably on the ear, creating a controlled environment for better sound.
3. Connectivity - ability to use either 1/4” or 1/8” (3.5mm) connectors. Many headphones used for recording come with the 1/4” adaptor, so you won’t have to buy one from somewhere else.
4. Cable length - having some slack while moving is preferred for field recording. Some headphones will allow you to choose between coiled or straight-length.
5. Portability - can they fold? There might be a trade-off between the portability and comfort of the headphones.

NOTIFICATIONS & CHANGES TO THIS DOCUMENT

Announcements and notifications of any policy changes will be posted at the equipment check-out room, the edit labs and the studios. They will also be available through the department’s Facebook fan page. Students should make an effort to read these signs and online notices to keep themselves updated especially when nearing a semester/holiday break as checkout procedures and hours of operation are likely to change.