Hi there,

I'm looking for some advice. I'm involved in a project that targets disadvantaged areas using a mobile multi media centre (basically a van kitted out with mac books, a mac book pro and other equipment)

The van will run projects with people aged 11-19, with workshops on video, music, animation etc.

We are in the process of purchasing the equipment and we're looking for advice as to which camcorder and equipment to purchase taking in to account that we have a limited budget. We have been looking at the Sony HVR A1E because of it's relatively cheap price and HD capability.

Are you aware of any camera dealers who sell good packages?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Well one thing is important, editing in HD isn't all that easy compared to most other importing and editing procedures. I would say just stick with a standard definition MiniDV camcorder, you would save both money and time. Also some programs don't support HD export so you will be putting all that HD footage and then it exports and crunches it down to some lower non-HD resolution.

For cameras, I recommend the Canon ZR500

For editing software, I recommend the cheap yet effective Magix Edit Pro series

For tripods, they vary.
Buy the Samsonite Tripod (2601) and other Digital Camera Tripods at circuitcity.com
This is your basic tripod, nothing fancy, just three legs and movable head
some tripods (especially the larger ones) can really get expensive, some running up to the $1,000 mark and beyond.


editing computers, the mac mini is a GREAT machine for editing footage and their range is pretty decent for an apple computer and it saves tons of space (WILL NOT WORK WITH MAGIX, MAGIX IS PC BASED) it comes with imove pre-installed for basic video editing
For PCs, here is the mac mini equivilant
PC Club: ENP945VXR MINI PC W / DVDRW SUPER-MULTI Desktop
You may need to call your local PC people to make sure that this PC has FIREWIRE capability which is the ability to plug in camcorders into your computer since most miniDV do not run off of USB.

you may want to pick up a flat screen to save space but if you want to go on the cheap, CRT monitors are getting cheaper every day. you can go to a used computer store and pick them up for about $10-$30 a monitor

if you pick up the ZR-500, it has the capability of an external mic so you may want to pick up just a general hand mic that is relatively cheap.
Buy the Yamaha Dynamic Mic and Accessory Kit (MPK1) and other Musical Instrument and Karaoke Accessories at circuitcity.com
That is an excellent mic bundle set there.

And for a van, what are you using? a mobile home? A few friends of mine put one together similar a long time ago. They stripped the insides of it and put up two long tables and a generator to power up the machines. I suppose you want to make sure you use low wattage appliances so that you don't overrun your generator and cause fuses to blow. You may also want to put in one of those external AC units to cool down the van if its a mobile home because they REALLY get stuffy from heat generated from the monitors, computers and users.

I am also planning a mobile van computer center for me and a few friends. We have a chevrolet Starcraft van from the mid to late 80's with beautiful blue interior and a small bar. We're planning to strip out the seats, steam-clean the floor and plush interior and set up tiny desks with beanbag chairs so that people can sit on the floor and still have a desk. We will have a solar cell system running off of the roof in a pyramidal style format to recieve solar rays from both East to West. The solar cells will charge some dry cell batteries in which in return we have an DC / AC converter system which converts the 12v. DC battery into a 120v AC current capable of a few hundred watts. It's a project that has been planned for a few months or so. It will eventually be completed in time. =P

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