THT 198: Brown (Fall 2019)

Your final project involves creating your own PSA. For that, you're going to need resources like:

• Cameras, microphones, etc.
• Quiet space for recording sound / editing video
• Software for editing your video
• Audio editing software
• Images, music, and videos you can reuse *legally*

So how much money should you spend on acquiring any of that? 

NONE.

It's all available for free at Penfield Library.

VideoPad video editing software is available on Penfield's lobby computers, in Penfield Classroom 113 (aka Classroom 1), and in the Multimedia Production Rooms.  

Alternatively, you can download it yourself for free:

Your life will be easier if you edit your sound separately from your video, and then add it into your video after the fact. Trust me on that!

Audacity is the audio-editing software available on library computers.  You can also download it for free on your own computer:

Most of what you find online is copyrighted. That means you can't reuse it legally unless you have the creator's permission--with a few exceptions.

1. Creative Commons materials can be reused in accordance with their licenses. If something has a Creative Commons "Attribution-NonCommercial" license, you can legally use that (without anyone's permission!) as long as you cite the original properly, and don't earn any money from your project. 
   
   Learn more about finding and using Creative Commons images, video, and audio here. 
    
2. Fair Use of a copyrighted work lets you use *parts* of that work as long as you meet certain criteria. You can read more about fair use here, but you'll probably be happier if you skip the reading and start watching this video around the 6:22 mark:
   
    
3. Public Domain resources are fair game for you to use however you like. How do you know something is in the public domain? The simplest answer (unfortunately) is to assume that nothing is, unless it was published before 1923.
   
   If you want to get into more detail than that, take a look at Penfield Library's guide to the public domain. 

Citing Creative Commons Resources

Remember, you're required to cite your sources in the credits of your video.  That includes citing any images, music, or clips you're using that you didn't create yourself. 

If you're going to film a video, you're going to need equipment. Most of what you're likely to need for this project can be borrowed from the library for one week.

Take a look at all the equipment you can borrow: 

• Camcorders
• Microphones
• Tripods 
• And more!

(And did I mention this is free to you as a student?  Get your tuition money's worth--borrow this stuff!)

Got a noisy roommate making it hard to record audio, or just need a quiet space where you can focus on video editing?  

The library has Multimedia Production Rooms you can reserve.

The computers in there have all the software you need, plus there's a microphone ready and waiting.