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About the Video Studio
The Video Production Studio in Main Library Room 308 is used to create videos with professional equipment, and is available to all Faculty, Staff, and Students of the University of Illinois.
The Media Commons Video Production Studio is equipped with the following:
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- A backdrop system with drapes in black, white, blue marble and grey marble
- Standing Green screen
- Studio Lighting
- Seven (5) daylight balanced studio fluorescent light fixtures mounted to a truss system
- Two (2) free-standing white-balance adjustable lights with diffusion umbrella
- One (1) Apurture LS C300D Key Light
- C-Stands, Diffusion, Flags, etc
- Two (2) Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 6K Pro
- Sigma 50-100mm Lens
- Sigma 18-35mm Lens
- 2TB SSD (~ min @ 6K Blackmagic Raw Q5)
- Two (2) Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera
- Lumix 35-100mm Power-Zoom Lens
- 1TB SSD (~ min @ 4K Blackmagic Raw Q5)
- Blackmagic Design ATEM Mini Extreme ISO video switcher
- 8 HDMI Input with individual capture @ 1080p in h.264 codec
- 1 TB SSD (~ min @
- Program output capture @ 1080p in h.264 codec with Da Vinci Resolve XML timeline of live cuts
- Allows for live-switching, coloring, and graphics work to fully produce a video without requiring post-production for recording or livestream
- Provides both upstream and downstream keying abilities for title overlays, lower thirds, and/or background inserts
- Mac Studio M1 Ultra
- Audio Recording Equipment
- MOTU 1248 Audio Interface
- Allows for individual recording of up to 12 microphones (embedded in camera feed or direct to DAW software) at up to 96kHz 24-bit
- Digital mixer with DSP (EQ, compression, reverb) for live stereo mix-down to ATEM Switcher
- Two (2) Wireless Lavalier Microphones
- One (1) Shotgun Microphone
- One (1) Stereo Pair of Room Microphones
- MOTU 1248 Audio Interface
- Teleprompter
- Please bring your script in .txt or .rtf split into blocks with space for breath and pacing. This can be copied over from another document type during the reservation, but will require additional time.
A staff member to operate the studio – can help with lighting, camera setup, audio setup, recording and a bit of post-processing if we have time at the end of the appointment
- Adobe CC 2022 & 2023
- Ableton Live 11.2.6 Suite
- Blackmagic ATEM Software Control
- Da Vinci Resolve Studio 18
- Final Cut Pro 10.6
- Garageband
- Handbrake
- iMovie
- Logic Pro 10.7
- OBS
- Reaper
- Stream Deck Config
- Zoom
A reservation in the Scholarly Commons Video Studio will generally adhere to to the following schedule:
- Pre-production: 15-30 minutes (incl. lighting, camera & mic setup, teleprompter, etc)
- Shoot: Dependent on length of reservation (plan ~5 minutes shooting time per minute of footage to allow for multiple takes)
- Post-production: 15-45 minutes (incl. color correction, green screen, audio processing)
- File Transfer: 15-45 minutes (dependent on amount of footage shot and processing to be rendered)
Note: if you are an experienced video editor, we can simply transfer the unprocessed footage to you and avoid most of the Post-Production and File Transfer time needs. Please note that the footage out of the Blackmagic 6K has a data rate of ~/min and the Blackmagic 4K has a data rate of ~/min
The Scholarly Commons does not currently provide editing services. Instruction on the basics of editing can be requested as a separate consultation appointment.
Video Production Studio Policies and Procedures
Responsibilities of Scholarly Commons Staff
- The studio will be initially prepared in a clean and efficient manner for ease of use and instruction.
- A staff member from the Scholarly Commons will also instruct the patron on the basic usage of the camera and lights, as well as the workflow for capturing video and audio. This will be based on the needs of the patron.
- The staff member will assist with moving the data captured from the Video Production studio to a hard drive provided by the patron, if desired.
- If asked, the staff member will be happy to set up a future appointment to instruct on the basics of video editing.
Responsibilities of the Patron using the Video Production Studio
- Patrons must bring their I-Card to verify booking
- Patrons are responsible for bringing a storage device (preferably USB 3.0 or faster) to save the data once the video shoot is completed (or check out an external drive from the Loanable Technology Help Desk). DO NOT RELY ON THE SCHOLARLY COMMONS FOR LONG-TERM STORAGE OF FILES – THE HARD DRIVE OF ANY OF OUR MACHINES MAY BE WIPED AT ANY TIME.
- Patrons should come to the appointment ready to record video and have rehearsed/memorized their script.
- Patrons are responsible for any props needed.
- Patrons will follow instructions of the Staff member regarding care and treatment of the equipment
- Only individuals directly involved in the recording of the video will be allowed in the studio.
Please note that the library is not responsible for any damage that may occur on equipment as a result of media borrowed from the library or used internally.
Talent Release Forms
Per the University of Illinois Public Affairs website, “If you are planning to use an individual’s image or likeness in media such as photographs, video, etc., you should request written permission to do so. Releases should also be completed and signed by any talent working with companies or individuals shooting photography, video or audiotape on University premises. Use the forms below accordingly.”For more information and direct links to Talent Release Forms