Keys to getting your programming and/or bulletin information on the District’s new TV channel – KHGN Time Warner Cable channel 17 I have an idea for a TV program for my campus… now what? 1.) Put your program idea in writing. Make sure you address the key questions of “audience, appropriateness, prerequisite knowledge”. You may want to storyboard the idea… in other words, develop a visual communication of what the audience will see and hear during the production. Public Information staff will provide training on developing storyboards. 2.) Make sure you talk to your campus principal or department head for final approval of the idea and the final storyboard. Keep your principal or department head involved as the “story” comes together. 3.) Keep in mind that programming is usually structured for time frames including 15, 30, 60, 90, and 120 minutes. 4.) Once you have developed the story and secured approval for the project with your principal, it is time to “shoot”. KHGN Service Request Form (.doc) or Service Request Form (.pdf) What are the different methods for “shooting” the video? 1.) You can use a standard camcorder, digital camcorder, or simply use still digital pictures. Digital pictures with a narration (voice over) are one way of communicating a message. Typically, you would use a digital camcorder to collect both audio and video at the same time. In addition to digital cameras and digital camcorders you may have on campus, the Instructional Television department also has digital camcorders, tripods, and lighting you may check out for a period not to exceed 3 days. These are a shared resource, and there are only 6 cameras available for checkout. If you absolutely need a camera for a longer period of time, please contact the TV station manager, Allen D. Aleshire. These cameras will not be checked out for personal use – so please do not ask. 2.) For major productions, you can contact the District’s TV station to schedule staff to “shoot” the production. This will take coordination with other projects throughout the District. Please use KHGN’s service request form for these requests. After I shoot the video, how do I get “post-production” assistance? 1.) There are several ways of creating titles, special effects, transitions, and credits. One way is to utilize Movie Maker II which is a component of the Microsoft Windows XP operating system. 2.) The District’s new TV station also has several video editing systems set up just for this purpose. At the TV station, you can get assistance or simply work with equipment that may not be available at the campus level. The TV station has 3 primary levels of editing video. The lowest level would be to use Movie Maker II which is very effective for most production needs. The second level up would be utilizing Adobe’s Premiere Pro software for video editing and post production. This software has some higher end features like working with multiple video and audio components at the same time. If you aren’t familiar with Adobe Premiere Pro, you may need to attend training first… or let the ITV staff assist. The third level includes use of the District’s new AVID Media Composer Adrenaline. This system enables users to produce the very highest quality programming with all the bells and whistles. What if I just have information that I want to get out to the public… tell me about the options available. There are several options available to get information out to the public. These options depend on the audience, timeline, and amount of time to produce. In order to simply post information on the scrolling bulletin board that will run for quite a few hours of the day on KHGN, make sure you send the information you want posted to your campus principal. All bulletin information will need to be approved by the campus principal first. We will need the following information for the scrolling bulletin board: a. The information must be sent electronically (no faxes, or copies) – email is the best method. You don’t have to format it in “Word” to send it in. You can just send an email with the information in the message portion of the email. b. You must include the preferred time you want the information to air. c. You must include the dates you want the information to air. d. YOU MUST DOUBLE CHECK SPELLING OF NAMES and other information. IDEAS for campus videos: “Celebrating Successes at ____________”, “News & Information” (produced by kids – at any age), “Special Projects” (community projects, health & wellness, environmental, etc.), “Concerts and More” (Band/Choir concerts). “Technology & Internet” (Kids produce a weekly/monthly technology tips/best web site show). Keys to making sure the pictures you want are included in HCISD publications: Public Information used to come to our campus and take pictures, what has changed and how does this affect me? In the past, the District relied on 35mm still pictures that not only cost in film, but also processing. Sometimes, we weren’t sure what we shot or how well they would work until we got the pictures back. Digital photography has changed all of that. With today’s digital cameras, you know exactly what you shot and can review it instantly. Since all campuses now have cameras and shoot quite a few digital pictures, we decided to take advantage of our new digital experience to help serve you better. The best pictures are taken on the spot… sometimes when there is no planning. We want you to send the best 3 – 5 pictures of each event you have on campus to the public information office via email at: hcisdpic@harlingen.isd.tenet.edu Each picture needs to be named as follows: campuseventdate.jpg. If you have multiple pictures, then the filename should be campuseventdate1.jpg, campuseventdate2.jpg. This email account was set up just for pictures. These pictures will then be housed on a server so that they can be used for publications, news releases, newspapers, KHGN, PowerPoint presentations, web pages, and other types of print and electronic media. Here are a few easy guidelines to help make the process easier… 1.) Only send the top 3 – 5 pictures you shoot. We don’t have room on the servers for all digital pictures taken. This helps us know which ones you feel best represents your campus… you get to choose which ones are used in HCISD publications, web pages, and TV. 2.) Please take pictures using the highest settings on your digital camera. The resolution should be at least 1,000 pixels wide. The quality setting should be on high. 3.) Send original pictures instead of ones that are cropped, resized, or retouched. 4.) Because the file size for attachments in the district is limited, please send only 2 at a time with each email. 5.) Types of shots we need as a “standard” – student projects, students working in groups, students working with teachers, students receiving recognition, students at computers and in libraries, student/teacher/staff having fun, field trips, superintendent visits to your campus, TAKS preparation, student organizations, band, choir, sports. 6.) If you are outside, keep the sun at your back. 7.) If you are using flash, keep the subject between 6 and 15 feet away from the camera. Too close will result in washing out facial features… too far away will be dark. The success of this new way of utilizing the best pictures depends on you. It will take a while to get used to, but in the end, you will see the pictures you want in HCISD publications and other media. You just need to identify campus staff that already take quality pictures and ask them to send the best to the Public Information/KHGN TV office. Public Information/KHGN staff will depend on you to assist with taking pictures of events at your campus and identifying which ones you want to see in publications. The Public Information/KHGN staff will offer training in taking digital pictures and shooting quality videos throughout the year. Staff development also offers classes in both digital imaging and video as part of their regular training sessions. Please feel free to give us a call at 3484 for questions, concerns, and suggestions. Welcome back!!! We look forward to working with you to highlight the “best school district” in the valley. Public Information/KHGN Staff     Top Allen D. Aleshire Chad Bender Charlene Rodriguez Amanda Schultz Javier Araiza Jr. Andres C. Torres