Grad Studio Training

This will take aproximately 30 mins to complete. Access will be given usually within 48 hours of successful completion of this training

It is recommended to take this training on a laptop or other, non-mobile device

Training Process OVerview:

Welcome to the Grad Studio training. Successful completion of this fully online training will provide you with permission and swipe access to the studio. The training will take place in three stages:

Watching our two-minute intro video.
Reading and familiarizing yourself with general studio operations below
Demonstrating your knowledge of the studio via a short online quiz at the bottom of this webpage

General Grad Studio Operations

Location + Swiping IN

The Grad Studio is located in Grad Center Tower E, off of Thayer St in Room 123. Enter through the door under the spiral staircase using your swipe card

DO NOT swipe in or knock on the door before your reservation time. Someone may still be working in the studio. Swipe, then pull the door towards you. Then push the door forward instead of turning the handle.

The door can get jammed sometimes so you may have to push hard.

about Reservations

Reservations are required.

Trained MML members can reserve the studio for up to 4 hour sessions.
Reservations should include set-up and break down time.
You are responsible for being packed up and out of the studio by the end of your reservation to ensure the next reservation can begin on time. Sticking to your reservation time is one of the best ways to being a good community member in the studio
Reservations can be made on the main Grad Studio page

Studio Layout

Camera + Monitor

Next to the entrance, we have Sony Ax53 Camcorder mounted on an accordion arm, that can be raised or lowered. There is also a 56" monitor behind the camera that can be used to help frame your shot

Recording + Lighting Station

Our recording station is outfitted with a Black Magic Hyperdeck (on the right) which will record directly onto a USB thumbdrive, and light (DMX) controller which will allow you to change the brightness and temperature of the studio lights.

Backdrops (White, Green, Black)

We have a variety of backdrops you can use consisting of flat white and green paper rolls which can be rolled up and down, as well as black curtain which is on a rail system

Entering the Studio

When you come into the studio it may be very dark as the lights should be off.
The switch will be on the right next to the fire extinguisher.
This will turn on the overhead studio lights, and camera.

Setting Up Before Recording

Is Everything On? 😂

This section will go over how to check to make sure the studio system is running correctly and how to fix some common issues

1. Flip the light switch on and off TWICE to turn on the studio lights and camera.

- You will hear a little jingle from the camera as well as see a live feed on the flip-out camera screen.

2. Turn on the large monitor and confirm its showing a live feed from the camera

- - the power button located on the backside of the monitor near the bottom right of the screen and press it on.

3. Confirm the microphone is working

- Standing near the recording and lighting station look at the recording device preview window and the audio interface and say something out loud. You should see green lines grow and shrink as you speak. If you don't, contact us at MML@brown.edu.

If you can confirm the above, then it is extremely likely that the studio is working correctly and is ready for recording. Yay!

Choose a backdrop

What background will you use?

We have two paper roll options, green and white. White is a more traditional clean backdrop. Green is often used as backdrop for a technique called "keying" or green screening, which allows you to change out the background for almost anything as part of the editing process. If you are unfamiliar with using green screen in post-production editing, here is a tutorial you can follow. We also have a black curtain on a rail system.

Using the Paper Rolls

The paper rolls are operated on a chain pulley system hanging on the right side of the studio.
Slowly, pull down on one side of the chain to lower the paper, and on the other side to raise it.

Using the Black Curtain

Make sure the paper rolls are fully raised and out of the way
Pull the black curtain across the back of the studio to act as a backdrop, making sure there are no visible seams

Composing your shot

Now that you have confirmed the studio is working correctly, its time to compose or frame your shot.

1. Turn on the camera remote and receiver on the camera to use the zoom.

1. removing remote hanging off the recording station

2. turn on remote

3. turn on receiver

2. Standing on the subject mark, use the remote to zoom in and compose your shot.

3. You can also manually zoom using the lens ring on the camera

4. Adjust the camera height

- 1. Using two steady limbs, grip the L-shaped bracket attached to the camera and pull down or push up on the bracket to change the height of the accordion arm. The arm will stay in place after every movement. Never force the accordion arm,

Adjusting the Studio Lights

The studio is equipped with four studio lights, two for the subject (you) and two for the background

The studio is equipped with a controller (DMX) for the lights, which will allow you to change the brightness and color temperature of the lights by adjusting the sliders. This will require some experimentation, so for now, just know that the DMX controller looks like this:

Here are some examples of the kinds of lighting you can reproduce with the DMX controller.

The studio lights should only ever be manipulated using the DMX controller. Never touch or adjust the studio lights directly.

Recording

Now that you have composed your shot, lets get recording!

1. Insert your personal USB-C thumb drive into the USB extender cable on the right of the recorder.

- We recommend purchasing this thumb drive, but whatever you use, it must:
  1. - be USB-C 3.0 connector type
    - have at least 16GBs of storage
    - have a minimum of 150 mbps of read/write speed
- If you forget your thumb drive, the Grad Studio has one that can be used cabled to the cart. If using our card, make sure to wipe/reformat it before your recording.

2. Confirm/Set the USB as the destination on the recording device

3. Set the microphone recording levels.

- 1. You can adjust the recording levels by rotating the gain knob on the audio interface.
  2. To test, speak and look at the audio bars in the preview window.
    - If your voice causes the bars to expand and shrink but stay primarily in the high-end green range, then your levels are correct.

Below: demonstration of good/correct levels

4. Press the red circular RECORD button, then walk back to your standing mark and begin your recording session!

5. Press the blue square STOP button to stop the recording.

CONGRATS! YOU MADE A RECORDING!

Reviewing your Takes!

Make sure you are happy with your recordings, or make more! :)

You can review your recordings on the large monitor! To do so:

Locate and put on the headphones, found hanging on the right of the cart, this way you can review your audio as well.
Press the PLAY button after you have finished recording to review the files on the USB drive
Use the SKIP forward and backward buttons to select the file you want to review.
Press the INPUT button to exit review mode and return to recording mode
- Be sure the input is set to "SDI"

Transferring and deleting your recordings

This section is especially important if you are using the MML USB-C Thumb drive rather than your own

Remove the USB-C thumb drive from the USB extender
- There is no "ejecting" like on a computer
Use the rolling laptop cart to have a safe place to put your computer on
Connect the USB drive to your computer
- You may need an adapter depending on your computer
Drag and drop the video files onto your desktop
- The videos are .MP4 files, usually titled "HyperDeck_001....."
If you are using the MML drive,
- Eject the thumb drive
- Plug it back into the USB extender and wipe/reformat the drive

The Multi-User Editing Station

The studio has a high-end editing station that can be used by individuals or small groups to collaborate on projects. The station requires the same reservation system as the rest of the studio.

The editing station consists of:

A large tv monitor, with a Mac Studio connected to it.
Two bluetooth speakers on stands
A desk that can be rolled out
A wireless mouse and keyboard

Using the Station

Make sure that both paper rolls are raised and the black curtain is moved off to the side
Roll the table that is tucked under the monitor back to a comfortable viewing distance (5-8 ft)
DO NOT MOVE the speaker stands OR monitor.

4. Turn on the monitor.The power/setup button on the back right corner of the screen

5. Press the space bar on the keyboard or move the mouse to wake up the computer

6. Login as you would any other MML or public Brown computer: with your Brown Short ID (first initial followed by several letters of your last name) and your Brown password.

7. The bluetooth speakers should be automatically paired with the computer.

THINGS NOT TO DO

DO NOT UNPLUG ANYTHING.
Do not move the monitors in the space.
Do not touch the lights or light poles directly. Use the light controller (DMX) to change the lights instead.
Do not change any of the camera settings.
Do not move the speakers.

Some other things worth noting

There are overhead lights which are motion-activated, and can be turned on or off.
- - The switch is located behind the curtain, near the door.
  - We recommend having the overhead lights off when you record, but they may be useful during setup and take down.
There is a gym above the Grad Studio, which can be noisy at times.