Apple Motion Exam Study Cards - Free

Laura Dahl has created a set of study cards for the Apple Motion certification exam. he has prepared a printable PDF version and a downloadable version that plays on your computer using iFlash. Also check out her set for Final Cut Pro

Motion Sketches-Screenwriting Tutorials-Free

Built around Celtx, Motion Sketches is an online video series that explores contemporary approaches to media production development. From the big screen to the mobile screen, from live-action to the virtual camera - Motion Sketches presents a range of highly practical perspectives on developing a media project from concept to production - screenplay, design, story, development and delivery.

On June 4, 2008, Celtx went from beta to version 1.0. If you are looking for free screenwriting software, this is what you need.

British Film Institute - Video Clips - Free

The British Film Institute has a pilot site featuring video clips made available for free download to users in the United Kingdom under the innovative Creative Archive Licence, to stimulate creative re-use for non-commercial purposes.

Teacher.tv - Video segments on media

Teacher.tv is a British website that features online video on various topics of interest to teachers.

Among the videos on their site of interest to video teachers I found these, using their search criteria Media & Moving Image, Secondary Videos.

The Story of Movies Curriculum - Free

The Film Foundation is a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization, established in 1990, by Martin Scorsese and an esteemed group of fellow filmmakers — Woody Allen, Robert Altman, Francis Ford Coppola, Clint Eastwood, Stanley Kubrick, George Lucas, Sydney Pollack, Robert Redford, and Steven Spielberg — to protect and preserve our cinematic heritage.

The Film Foundation has created The Story of Movies project, the first-ever integrated interdisciplinary curriculum to expose new generations to classic cinema and to teach them about the cultural, artistic, and historical significance of film. This educational program is available, free of charge, to middle schools across the country, with a goal of teaching young students how to understand and interpret the language of film and visual images. Each teaching unit will include DVDs, a teacher’s guide, and a student activities booklet. The films for study are Robert Mulligan’s TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD (1962), Frank Capra’s MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON (1939), and Robert Wise’s THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL (1951). The response to this program from students and educators has been overwhelming.

They have a Lesson Library and Middle School Teaching Curriculm with a DVD for free.

Channel 4 - Breaking the News course - Free

The UK's Channel 4 has a really great four unit course available for free called Breaking the News. Course materials include PDFs and PowerPoints and video segments.

It can be used within the context of Media Studies, English, Citizenship and related subjects. The resources can be adjusted to suit the subject as well as the level of the student.
Students will learn to critically analyse television news as well as create their own news stories. They will use digital technologies as well as online tools to select, edit and produce news stories.
The course is made up of four lesson plans and corresponding student worksheets. It has been conceived using a concept map which sees the news (and indeed all media) as involved in a circuit of meaning. The structure has been informed by the key aspects approach that underlies most UK Media Studies courses. The news course can easily be integrated with the study of other media forms.

Final Cut Pro Practice Study Guide Cards

Laura Dahl has prepared study guide cards in PDF format for the Final Cut Pro Level One exam. You can print them out and cut them up with scissors. She has them arranged by chapter.

Proper method to coil cable

The over-under method of cable coiling is the proper method of coiling microphone cable. Check out this link to an instructional video prepared by a location sound pro.

Disksomnia - FCP Utility - Free

Digital Heaven has just release a freeware item of interest to Final Cut Pro / Express users. Here is what they say about it:

Hot off the press is Disksomnia, our latest freeware utility application that stops external disks from going to sleep.

Video editing and sleeping disks are a bad mix, particularly if you have media spread across several external disks. If you've ever moved the playhead to another part of the sequence and stared at the spinning beachball while a disk wakes up then you'll know exactly what we mean!

Disksomnia stops external disks from going to sleep (including those that ignore the Energy Saver setting to stay awake) by giving them a gentle poke every five minutes when Final Cut Pro or Final Cut Express is running. After installing and launching for the first time, Disksomnia is totally automatic and works invisibly in the background. There are no settings, no need to launch the app manually and best of all...no more sleeping disks.

Digital Heaven FCP Podcast - Free

Digital Heaven is posting a podcast featuring Apple certified trainer Martin Baker. He provides free Hot Tips for Final Cut Pro that will save you time and make your editing life easier.

Larry Jordan's Podcast and Newsletter - Free

Final Cut Studio trainer Larry Jordan has a free weekly podcast titled, Digital Production Buzz. Recent episodes discuss lighting, editing and microphones. You can download copies to your iPod or cellphone for free or watch them online on Gimp.tv. He offers extended versions of the podcast for $1.95.

Larry also has a free monthly newsletter that offers Final Cut Pro tips. He also offers periodic traijing seminars, which I have attended and are quite good.

School Video News - Online Magazine

School Video News is an online magazine for K-12 TV/video production teachers.  Their website has a number articles, often written by teachers.