Abstract

Fueled by entheusiasm for the high-definition video equipment funded by the STF in 2007, students are asking for comparable audio equipment, additional camera accessories, and a DVD Duplicator. This new equipment will allow students to produce more professional projects and distribute their work as promotional videos or digital portfolios to potential employers.

Background

The students at the School of Drama are facing competition for employment in a realm that is becoming increasingly high-tech. Where headshots and paper resumes used to be enough, now professionally-produced DVDs containing clips, resumes, monologues, etc. are expected. In 2007, STF funds purchased high-definition video equipment, which dozens of students have now been trained on and are using consistently. Due to the successful use of this equipment, additional needs have been identified in three areas. The first is audio recording equipment, with shotgun microphones and portable audio recorders, allowing for professional recording in a variety of situations. The second is a steadicam unit, allowing for smooth video recording. The third is a DVD duplicator, allowing students to mass produce their final product for distribution to potential employers.

Benefits

The 2007 STF came with Lavalier microphones appropriate for recording individual actors. Students now want microphones appropriate for entire scenes, both closely miked for conversations as well as long-distance recordings for croud and extraneous audio. In addition, small hand-held recorders are requested for field work, including dialect projects, interviews, podcasting, etc.

The Steadicam system allows for video recording in any situation where the camera is not mounted on a tripod. The operator wears a vest to which a gimbled arm is attached. The camera attaches to the arm and can be moved smoothly in any direction. Not only does this system add to the safety of the equipment and operator, it also vastly improves the fluidity of the recording - so that the end result looks less like the Blair Witch Project and more like the Matrix.

The DVD Duplicator allows for the timely reproduction of the works that students produce. One intended use of this is the annual Showcase. Last year, the graduating class raised funds to produce 30 DVDs per student. These were distributed at the Showcase performance in Seattle & LA. There were not enough DVDs produced to hand out at the New York performance. The intent is to provide enough DVDs per student so they have enough to distribute and to offer reproduction services throughout the year as needed.

Student Access

Access to the hardware would be open to any registered UW student on the Seattle campus with sufficient identification. Film equipment will be available for 3-day check-out periods. Training on the equipment will be provided through classes offered each quarter. Students can register for these classes with the Senior Computer Specialist of the School of Drama.

Like the CSS model, we will limit students to only one reservation at a time, requiring any reserved equipment to be returned before being able to make a second reservation. This system prevents a single student from being able to monopolize a piece of equipment by continuous, consecutive reservations.

Editing equipment will be utilized on a first-come, first serve basis - if demand is high, we may implement a reservation process.

DVD Duplication will be open to all students. Students will be asked to provide their own supplies (burnable DVDs, labels and ink) or cover the cost of consumables used for their project. Expected costs range from free (no printing, discs provided) to approximately $0.50/DVD (department-provided discs with full-color printing). This is compared to approximately $3/DVD when outsourced.

The School of Drama will also endeavor to absorb all costs for DVDs distributed at school-supported events, such as the annual Showcase, where PATP students perform before talent scouts in Seattle, New York and Los Angeles.

Available Resources

A list of equipment available through the School of Drama will be posted on the Department web site, and a web-based reservation system has been set up to reserve equipment. Training on the hardware is being offered on a one-to-one basis and in periodic classes held throughout the quarter. Faculty members are available for coaching on improving both equipment-related results and artistic possibilities. The Senior Computer Specialist is available as well for assistance on using the hardware and editing softeware.

The DVD Duplicator will reside in the School of Drama offices and will be run by office staff. Due to the slow nature of the equipment (15 DVDs/hour), reservations slots will offered to avoid congestion. Reservations will be limited to 30 DVDs, and one person can only have one reservation at a time to avoid monopolization of equipment.

Installation Timeline

Once the STF budget has been received, the equipment will be ordered within 6 weeks and should be received within 4 weeks after that. Equipment will be tagged for inventory and available for use within 3 weeks of receipt.

Departmental Endorsement

As the School of Drama continues to evolve in the digital age, so do the needs of our students. Currently, the school offers students the basics of digital media equipment, thanks to our STF grant from 2007.

Looking ahead, the increased entrepreneurship of our students regarding digital media continues to grow in sophistication. Students regularly post their independent work on the internet, publish DVD’s and share their work via podcasting. The School of Drama hopes to provide students with the training and access to equipment that can expand their creative horizons. Accordingly, our STF grant proposal includes equipment that supports the creation, editing and dissemination of student work to a global audience.

The impact of the digital age on the traditional dramatic arts is profound. Each new generation of students finds new ways to exploit new technologies to further their creative and career goals. The narrative arts and digital technology are naturally symbiotic. Storytelling is the lifeblood of new media. As a leading program in America, the University of Washington School of Drama would like to set an example for student access to new technologies. In this way, our students will be better positioned as future innovators in the field.

As a member of the faculty, I can attest to the enhanced creative culture instigated by STF support among students. By continuing to improve our media technology offerings, we will maintain our competitiveness among universities, enhance our imaginative edge, and continue our advocacy for student-created work via new technologies.

Andrew Tsao
Associate Professor

Having this equipment will give UW students a step up from those at other schools. They will have the experience of producing works of art from concept to distribution. In the world of theater today, that ability is vital. Our students will have the ability to create and show the best of their work in high quality. They will have experience with the state-of-the-art equipment that they will be expected to work with when employed. They will have the ability to produce and distribute these works.

Having access to this equipment will also allow the students to realize how easily they can start with an good idea and end up with a masterpiece. This will create a huge advantage for those actors, designers and directors who graduate from our program, for they will thrive in this age of YouTube, podcasting and self-promotion.

Bill Dock
Senior Computer Specialist

Student Endorsement

As a young professional artist and actor in training, I want to come out of school prepared to work in the mediums that are being used in the
professional world. Those include the realms of voice over and film. Having access to
up-to-date technology allows me to come out of school with several things:

1. Versed in how to work in various mediums.
2. With professional quality film and voiceover reels that will go a long way in getting me work in the future.
3. An inside understanding of how the technology works that enables me to do what I do.

To these ends I am extraordinarily excited at the possibility of the School of Drama receiving up-to-date digital audio equipment.

Quinlan Corbett
PATP class of 2008

Being able to use such equipment both inside and outside the classroom will help us grow creatively and think in new and different ways thus expanding our imagination as an actor and/or director. We have to remember that there is a business out there and aside from constantly honing our inner skills, we have make sure that we can use those skills with what is happening in studios, stages, and the like. Learning to work with equipment that is being used on sets today will give us a familiarity and confidence that other schools may not have, therefore making us more competitive once we jump off the UW lily pad.

Patrick Cullen
PATP Student

Items

Below are the items making up the current proposal. The asterisk (*) beside items signify that they were approved by the committee. This however was not implemented correctly for our database before 2005, so earlier years may not show this.

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