Video Production – Educational Media Center

Introducing the Media Center Mobile Studio/Control Room (MCMS/CR)

The Media Center Mobile Studio/Control Room (MCMS/CR) was created in response to the increasing video demand during the COVID-19 pandemic and the social distancing protocol. The MCMS/CR has been instrumental in providing various live-streaming and pre-recorded campus and instructional programming including but not limited to: Convocation, Graduation, Board of Regents Meetings, Culinary Assemblies, The Reading Room series, Professional Development programs, Community Outreach and Marketing initiatives.

Tricaster TC-2, video production platform

After the pandemic, the MCMS/CR equipment upgrade has improved our studio setup while affording us the mobility of shooting on-location. Prior to the MCMS/CR equipment upgrade, in order to “take the show on the road,” the EMC staff had to disassemble and reassemble equipment from the Media Center Control Room and Studio to create a make-shift, mobile control room in order to provide a full-multi camera production on-location. The MCMS/CR eliminated the reconfiguration of equipment by consolidating them into a specifically designed mobile cart. It was a necessary step to providing a streamlined, flexible workflow to meet campus video production needs.

Designed with portability in mind, MCMS/CR allows our limited personnel to safely, effectively and quickly transport the main components of a professional control room to provide broadcast quality video production capability to remote locations on or off campus (e.g. Theatre, laboratory classrooms, and event halls).

Leeward Convocation: Production crew theatre backstage in the control room. — Convocation: Production crew backstage of the theatre.

At the heart of the MCMS/CR is the Tricaster TC-2, video production platform. One of the stand out features of the TC-2 allows for seamless streaming service compatibility with platforms such as Zoom, Skype, MS Teams, etc. enhancing the participants’ experiences providing two-way communication from the Media Center Studio to participants joining remotely. Additionally the TC-2 allows for delivery to most popular streaming services, e.g. YouTube, Facebook and other social platforms. This built-in streaming feature was integral during the pandemic to provide information to the masses when in large in-person events were restricted. At its core, the TC-2 is a multi-source video switcher for cameras, computers, etc. In addition, it has the ability to store and playback multimedia assets such as video roll-ins, graphics and audio. Additional systems allow monitoring, handling additional tasks for teleprompting, audience and production asset management from the control room and studio floor.

Production crew setting up for Culinary Assembly. — Culinary Assembly in The Ka’ala Room (GT 105).

While the MCMS/CR functions as a mobile solution, its primary function is for in-house production in concert with the EMCʻs studio floor and lighting system. While “docked” to the EMC control room console, the MCMS/CR continues all capabilities formerly present in previous studio set up while also extending its capabilities to include variable video resolutions, more audience interactivity, extended quality assurance and streamlined operations. In addition to its mobile capabilities, the studio/control room is available for instructors to create various media deliverables to enhance and compliment their in person and online courses.

The Reading Room: Production crew at the control room council. — The Reading Room: In-house EMC Control Room.

More information about the TC-2’s features and a few highlights:

Allows the audio operator the ability to control sound to studio for video playback
Live-streaming (Zoom web conferencing, YouTube, etc.) from studio and control room
Allows for talent on the studio floor to communicate and respond to web conference attendees (Zoom)
Ability to control studio lighting from the control room
Ability to prompt talent from the control room, off-air (with a teleprompter)
Ability to have cameras on-location and switch from the studio (remote studio)

Have an idea for videos that supplement course material or interested in a tour of our facility? Please contact Camden Barruga at extension #604 or email camden@hawaii.edu.

EMC, Featured Instructor, Video Production

Anatomy and Physiology OER Instructional Videos

The following is a guest blog post from I-Chia Shih, Assistant Professor of Physiology.

Allison in the studio with staff

For students who are studying anatomy and physiology (A&P), they know that this subject has a reputation for being a highly intensive class. Imagine if you had to learn A&P during the pandemic when classes went online and everything was shut down! When the pandemic started to affect our lives three years ago, our ways of teaching and learning were forever changed. After a year of the pandemic, Allison Beale (Physiology Lecturer) and I noticed that A&P students were in desperate need of more resources to truly learn the structures and functions of the human body.

Behind the scenes monitor

We saw an opportunity when the EMC asked if anyone needed help creating instructional videos. Allison and I proposed the development of high-quality OER anatomy videos for human anatomy and physiology. This idea later evolved towards developing videos for all anatomy and physiology students at Leeward CC and beyond, with the intent of providing support materials for an OER lab manual. To create these videos, Allison worked closely with Camden Barruga and his Video Production team from the Educational Media Center (EMC). The EMC staff, including student assistants Theo and Audrey, and Theater staff, helped to set up everything for a multi-camera production including set design, lighting, video and sound in the Media Center Studio. This teamwork, through numerous recording/editing sessions, generated 19 OER demonstration anatomy videos for our A&P students. Check out the PHYL_141L playlist and PHYL_142L playlist of videos. Allison’s goal was to provide students with the necessary resources so that they will be able to watch and learn about the bones, muscles, heart, and other organ systems. In addition, she covered the dissected structures of the sheep brain, sheep heart and cow eye to offer students a closer look at the real structures as if they were dissecting the specimens themselves. These videos are a product of the tremendous amount of effort and passion we put in to help our students learn and reach their professional dreams.

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Have an idea for an instructional video or series of videos? Would you like more information on services the EMC Video unit provides? Perhaps a tour of the studio to get the creative juices flowing? Please feel free to contact Camden Barruga at ext. 604 or camden@hawaii.edu. We look forward to collaborating with you to take your project from conception to completion.

EMC, Featured Instructor, Video Production

Leeward CC Writing for College Success Series

A guest blog post by Tasha Williams Moses, formerly an English instructor and currently the Tutoring Services Coordinator.

Tasha Williams Due to the global impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, continuing and prospective Leeward students face unprecedented challenges with online learning and have many questions. As the 2021 OER Leeward OER Creation Incentive Award recipient, I’ve created a 10-part video series to assist students with navigating online learning during the pandemic and beyond.

I designed this project due to my interactions with students in online classrooms and tutoring services. They have encountered new academic, financial, and emotional difficulties due to the challenges of writing in online environments. The pandemic has exacerbated many socio-economic challenges, and this equitable and inclusive approach addresses topics students face who are affected by the digital divide.

With a focus on online and hybrid writing classrooms, the series aims to help students who are grappling with developing their writing skills amid the ongoing fallout of the pandemic. The video series can assist ENG 100 students and instructors with the following:

Write a structured academic essay
Analyze and apply text(s) to logically support an argument
Apply reading, writing, and critical thinking strategies in other contexts
Apply study skills to improve learning

It was a great collaboration with the EMC! This was my first venture into recording educational videos. Camden and his video production team were really insightful and helpful throughout the whole process. You can access the series playlist on the Leeward Writing Center’s YouTube channel or click the links to the individual videos below. They are licensed CC BY-NC so feel free to use them.

AV Services, Leeward CC, Video Production

Leeward CC Commencement 2022

“Wonder twin powers activate!”

Les and Garrett on laptops
While we are not that wonderful, nor twins, we did activate! AV Services and Video Production units of the Educational Media Center (EMC) teamed up once again, with the help of student assistants, volunteer staff, and DMED students to provide video services for a livestream of the 2022 Leeward Community College Commencement Ceremony. Hard work pays off. We spent countless hours setting up, testing and preparing newly acquired equipment, (thanks to HEERF) that allows for seamless video streaming of live events and streamlines workflows, to ensure that commencement would be an enjoyable experience for all.

Camden and Iban configuring equipment
This new equipment reflects the EMC’s commitment to helping the campus deliver products that are technologically current and of high quality. We are trained and knowledgeable to make the best use of the tools available. In other words “we got the tools, we got the talent.”

AV rack Switcher control panel

Check out the Commencement livestream and pre-show if you have the chance.

While livestreaming has been a new service for commencement during the pandemic, the EMC has risen to the opportunity to expand the service to programs such as Convocation, marketing initiatives, and instruction to provide widespread outreach to our campus and surrounding communities.

For more information about AV Services, visit our website or contact one of our Electronics Technicians, Garrett Chaves or Iban Urmeneta.

For more information about Video Production and our services like livestreaming, visit our website or contact Media Specialist, Camden Barruga.

EMC, Video Production

The Reading Room

When you think of a reading room you think of a cozy, quiet space filled with books and comfortable furniture where you sit with a cup of hot chocolate or coffee and explore a literary universe filled with galaxies of characters, styles, genre, and points of view. Three years ago, Leeward Community College embarked on a project to record local literary talent – to hear them perform their own works and to explore their creative process.

When Language Arts faculty member Ann Inoshita approached the Educational Media Center’s Video Production Unit with a request to record a local author, then Production Manager Les Matsuura saw this as an opportunity to create a unique archive of local talent. Matsuura said, “I’ve always had a soft spot for oral histories and the documenting of events, individuals, and content of historical and cultural value. When Ann came to us with her request, I proposed creating a series with the intent of building a library of local talent sharing their works and their creative process. Ann loved the idea of being part of something that might be useful to students interested in creative writing and to the larger community as well. She has taken on the role of producer, identifying and inviting Hawaii’s talented writers to be a part of The Reading Room. She’s also taken on the role as host of the program.”

Juliet S. Kono reads an excerpt from her book. Ann Inoshita attentively listens — Host Ann Inoshita and guest Juliet S. Kono on set

Asked to describe The Reading Room, Inoshita said, “The Reading Room is recordings of author interviews and readings… These literary recordings include many Hawaii authors and are a valuable resource for courses.”

The programs are designed to invite viewers to join the host and artist in an intimate and comfortable setting. Now in its second series of recordings, the set has evolved from a minimalist set with a coffee table and books floating in black limbo to a fireplace chat type of setting. The series has an artistic open designed by Jordan Teruya that fits perfectly with the intended mood. Additionally, Inoshita has noted that the open has helped contribute to the Reading Room brand. “The opening sequence contains theme music and video that introduces the audience to The Reading Room. This is a recognizable brand that many faculty from various campuses have identified and respect.”

The Reading Room Slate

The creation of a library of local artistic talent and providing a resource for anyone interested in the creative energy behind literature in Hawaii would be a motivating force for anyone in production. The Media Center’s Video Production Unit finds itself in that enviable situation with the potential to make significant contributions to the literary community and the establishment of Leeward Community College as a documenter and preserver of artistic endeavors in Hawaii. Inoshita appreciates the energy the Unit brings to the project. “The production team has great direction and technical skill to create high-quality and professionally made videos…The Video Production staff share the vision and passion of The Reading Room. Collaboration is a positive experience as we record literary performances. I look forward to continued support and collaboration”

L-R: Camden Barruga, Ann Inoshita, Jessica Dela Cruz, Theo O'Neal, Les Matsuura, Mike May, Juliet S. Kono, Jordan Teruya — Cast and Crew of The Reading Room

To view the Reading Room videos click on this link: The Reading Room.

If you would like to produce a video highlighting a project or event you’re involved with, contact the EMC Video Production Unit at ext. 0604, or submit a services request form at Video Services Request.

EMC, Video Production

INBRE Student Scientists

EMC Video Production Unit Captures Amazing Student Scientists Conducting Research at Leeward Community College

Two students conducting a science experiment

For the last 17 years, Leeward Community College has provided students opportunities to conduct research projects that actually contribute data to larger biomedical research efforts.

Student conducting a science experiment

Each summer, teams of students are recruited to be part of INBRE, the IDeA Network for Biomedical Research Excellence, a program of the National Institutes of Health. Under the guidance of Professors Kabi Neupane and Helmut Kae, these students learn research techniques and lab skills in well-equipped labs right here on campus. They collaborate with researchers at UH Manoa, making contributions that have real scientific impact. Even more, their work could ultimately have global implications, feeding the hungry, increasing agricultural productivity, curing presently little understood diseases.

A few months ago, the EMC’s Video Unit partnered with Drs. Neupane and Kae to document the activities of these remarkable students…and they are remarkable. These young scientists are amazingly comfortable, knowledgeable, and poised in the lab environment. They are mature and eloquent, and all of them demonstrate an impressive level of passion and excitement for their projects. The videos produced help to highlight the professionalism and quality of the program.

Dr. Neupane

Dr. Neupane, Campus Coordinator for the INBRE program expressed his appreciation for the work the Video Production Unit provided. “We are extremely pleased with the high quality work and care of the Media Center Video Production staff. We would love to continue the partnership in future. The videos made will be used to highlight our undergraduate research program at Leeward CC. This will help us in our recruitment process.”

Dr. Kae

Dr. Kae, the Campus Co-Coordinator, was also appreciative of the effort put forth by the production staff. When asked for his impressions he said he was “…quite amazed with the production quality. I wasn’t really sure what to expect, but it definitely exceeded anything that we imagined it would look like.” He added, “The staff was very professional, and extremely courteous. They put our students at ease during filming, and really made this process as smooth as possible. I really appreciated the fact that they were cognizant of the work that was going on, so they tried to be minimally disruptive throughout the process.”

We look forward to continuing this partnership with Drs. Kae and Neupane, and having the opportunity to work with more of their students. Aside from creating noteworthy videos for our campus programs, our staff gets great satisfaction and enjoyment in meeting and working with our inspirational young scientists.

To see the videos about this program and these amazing students, click on this link: INBRE Playlist. If you would like to produce a video highlighting a project or event you’re involved with, contact the EMC Video Production Unit at ext. 0604, or submit a services request form at Video Services Request.

Featured Instructor, Video Production

Information and Computer Science Microbytes Revealed

Information and Computer Science Faculty: Blanca Polo, William Albritton, and Pete Gross are leading the effort in creating and sharing OER materials!

They created 78 short videos on a variety of computer science topics. The topics range from general information such as PowerPoint to more technical ones such as network security. Feel free to browse through the videos, which are available on the playlist.

The videos are licensed with a Creative Commons (CC BY NC ND) license, allowing anyone to use the videos as long as they are properly attributed. These videos may be linked to or embedded in your online course materials. If you need help with this, use our Technology One-on-One request form and one of the Educational Technologist will assist you.

If you are interested in creating your own microbytes or short videos, we encourage you to take advantage of the services of the Educational Media Center Video Production team who will work with you to create high quality OER resources for your students!

Video Production

Keeping Hawaii Safe

The Educational Media Center’s Video Production Unit partnered with the Hawaii Invasive Species Council to produce a second series of informative panel discussions covering topic related to the problem of invasive species.

Nearly ten years ago, the partnership produced its first series of shows that covered the Brown Tree Snake, West Nile Virus, Miconia, and invasive seaweeds. Now, a brand new series titled, “Line in the Sand,” takes on Little Fire Ants, the Coconut Rhinceros Beetle, Biofouling, and Rapid ‘Ohi‘a Death.

The series title comes from the need to take a stand, in essence draw a line in the sand, to control the influx and spread of invasive species and their threats to our economy, ecology, public health, and quality of life. It’s truly a biosecurity issue, and the stakes are extremely high.

Take, for example, the threat posed by Rapid ‘Ohi‘a Death. This fungal disease has struck over 55,000 acres of forest on the Big Island, weakening or killing ‘Ohi‘a, our dominant native tree species – all within the last decade.

First reports of dying trees started coming in 2010, and in 2014 the actual cause was identified. Work at all levels, from the federal government to State and community organizations, is now focused on identifying effective treatment strategies and controlling the spread of the infections.

Why? Beyond the beauty of the ‘Ohi‘a and its cultural significance, the ‘Ohi‘a is an ecologically significant species that provides both habitat and food for numerous forest plants and animals. As a major component to the forest canopy, it’s destruction could have serious implications for the health of the rest of the forest community and for our watersheds as well.

These are the kinds of topics taken up by “Line in the Sand.” Each program provides background information on the target species or problem, highlights the efforts to control them, and provides ways the public can play a role in keeping Hawaii safe from invasive species. Information is provided by experts in each subject area and the discussion is moderated by Christy Martin, Public Information Officer for the Coordinating Group on Alien Pest Species (CGAPS) here in Hawaii.

The programs air regularly on the University of Hawaii Cable Channel (Oceanic Digital 355) and on Educational Media Center’s YouTube Channel.