Recommended Equipment

Here you'll find a list of the common items you need for this class. Not all items are necessary as we have the components in the lab, but having your own equipment will give you the advantage of time and convenience. Please note, I have listed links to the items at Amazon so you can read customer reviews and judge for yourself.

COMPUTER
Though it is not necessary to purchase a computer for this program, owning your own has distinct advantages. Having your own computer at your disposal allows you to work outside of regular lab hours. And, you will be working many hours outside of lab.

Here I am recommending a laptop and a desktop. Since we will be working primarily in Final Cut Pro, it is necessary to own an Apple computer, one that can handle video. These recommendations were made for the Fall of 2010. Use these as a baseline guide.

For Laptops I recommend the MacBook Pro. It has the necessary Firewire 800 connection and HD graphics card. Make sure you choose a hard drive with a spin of 7200 RPMs.

    LAPTOP - Low end
  • MACBOOK PRO 15"
    2.4GHz Intel Core i5
    4GB 1066MHz DDR3 SDRAM - 2x2GB
    500GB Serial ATA Drive @ 7200 rpm
    SuperDrive 8x (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
    MacBook Pro 15-inch Glossy Widescreen Display
    Backlit Keyboard (English) & User's Guide
    None
    AppleCare Protection Plan for MacBook Pro (w/or w/o Display) - Auto-enroll
    Under $2100
    LAPTOP - High end
  • MACBOOK PRO 17"
    2.66GHz Intel Core i7
    4GB 1066MHz DDR3 SDRAM - 2X2GB
    500GB Serial ATA Drive @ 7200 rpm
    SuperDrive 8x (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
    MacBook Pro 17-inch Hi-Resolution Glossy Widescreen Display
    Backlit Keyboard (English) & User's Guide
    None
    AppleCare Protection Plan for MacBook Pro (w/or w/o Display) - Auto-enroll
    Under $2600 with 3 year warranty

For Desktops I am going to recommend iMac. It is not as convenient as laptop but it is less expensive and more powerful.

    DESKTOP - Low end
  • iMac 21.5"
    3.06GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
    4GB 1066MHz DDR3 SDRAM - 2x2GB
    1TB Serial ATA Drive
    ATI Radeon HD 4670 256MB
    Apple Keyboard with Numeric Keypad (English) and User's Guide
    **NOTE keyboard configuration is up to you. I prefer the one with the number pad.
    8x double-layer SuperDrive
    Apple Magic Mouse
    None
    AppleCare Protection Plan for iMac - Auto-enroll
    About $1520 with 3 year warranty
    DESKTOP - High end
  • iMac 27" (best deal)
    2.8GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i7
    4GB 1066MHz DDR3 SDRAM - 2x2GB
    1TB Serial ATA Drive
    ATI Radeon HD 4850 512MB
    8x double-layer SuperDrive
    Apple Magic Mouse
    Apple Keyboard with Numeric Keypad (English) and User's Guide
    None
    AppleCare Protection Plan for iMac - Auto-enroll
    Under $2200

You can purchase online at the Apple store. Click the Educational Store in Left panel. Use the College's zip code 03246. The college is listed under the old name (New Hampshire Community Technical College). Click purchase for yourself.
–OR–
You could print out these descriptions and take them to any Apple store. You will need a college ID or a letter from the college stating that you are currently enrolled in classes. You can get this letter in Student Services.

HARD DRIVE
Western Digital External Hard Drive: My Book Studio
http://www.amazon.com/Western-Digital-FireWire-External-WDBAAJ0010HSL-NESN/dp/B002RL8IH2/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

*NOTE: Everyone has a preference for external hard drives. Here are a few guidelines to follow when deciding on a hard drive. Choose the brand of external hard drive of your preference. Make sure it has a 7200 RPM hard drive with a Firewire 800 connection and is Mac compatible. You will use at least 500 GB per year so a 1TB is preferable.

This hard drive will ONLY be used on Mac computers, so mac sure it is compatible with Macs. Trying to use this HD on both Mac and Windows will cause problems. Just about any hard drive can be formatted for Mac. However, for the path of least resistance, you should search out a Mac compatible HD.

The one I have listed here, may no longer be in production because technology changes so rapidly. If this is the case, research the newer version. It does have some software to be installed so read the directions carefully before operating.

CAMERA:
HIGHER-END
Canon T2i with lens
http://www.amazon.com/Canon-T2i-3-0-Inch-18-135mm-Standard/dp/B003MAKXMA/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1278332400&sr=8-3
with this you will need a SDHC card
http://www.amazon.com/Transcend-Class-Flash-Memory-TS16GSDHC6/dp/B0015AOK1O/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1278332655&sr=1-7

You also need a microphone option with this. Again this is a high-end option for serious filmmakers.
Contact me if you want to go this route. mplace@ccsnh.edu

MID-RANGE
This is just an example.
Canon Vixia HF20 About $800
http://www.amazon.com/Canon-VIXIA-Memory-Internal-Optical/dp/B001OI2YTC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1278338622&sr=8-1

Go to the Canon website to get the specs for this camera and look for one similar to this.

ULTRA LOW-END
Flip Cam
http://store.theflip.com/en-us/products/SlideHD.aspx

http://www.amazon.com/Flip-SlideHD-Camcorder-NEWEST-VERSION/dp/B003FMUPA0/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1278338966&sr=1-6

**NOTE: This is NOT the best option for the class. It is very limited and the quality is below that of the others listed. It is good enough to tell a story with. You will need a tripod with this camera.

SOFTWARE
This is a list of the current Software we are using. Always try to purchase the latex version when buying software.
Final Cut Pro Studio
Maxon Cinema 4D (v.11.5 currently)
Adobe After Effects CS5
Adobe Photoshop CS5
Adobe Illustrator CS5
**NOTE: It may be less expensive to purchase Adobe Production Premium CS5 as it includes all of the Adobe products listed above and more.

Any questions, please email me. mplace@ccsnh.edu

Michael Place
Media Arts and Technology
Lakes Region Community College
379 Belmont Rd.
Laconia, NH 03246
(603) 524-3207 ext. 6605