With the implementation of new technologies in schools, having a high-quality broadcast TV studio in place can help your school reach a wider audience and keep everyone informed and engaged. Whether your school is just starting from scratch or looking to improve an already existing broadcast TV studio, this informative guide will walk you through everything you’ll need to consider when it comes to cameras, camera accessories, lighting, audio gear, as well as live streaming equipment. We will be teaching you how to build, upgrade, and enhance a broadcast TV studio for your school’s morning announcements and news programs.
Essential Gear for Creating a Broadcast Studio
Unless your school already has a well-stocked AV department, chances are you’ll need to start from scratch when putting together all the equipment to outfit your broadcast television studio. Here are the essentials you’ll need to get things started:
Camera
Image quality, autofocus performance, low-light performance, lens selection, and live streaming support are all crucial factors you should be considering when choosing the right camera for your school’s broadcast TV studio. A camera that meets these requirements allows you to produce high-quality, engaging, and informative content that captivates and informs the audience, making it an important investment.
- Image Quality – A camera with good image quality is essential for capturing clear and detailed visuals. This is a critical element when producing engaging and informative morning announcements and other video content.
- Autofocus Performance – Since your school’s broadcast TV studio will likely be staffed primarily by students — none of which being trained camera operators — having a camera with good autofocus performance will help ensure that the subjects within your video content remain in focus.
- Low-Light Performance – Having a camera with good low-light performance allows you to capture clear videos with minimal noise, even under challenging lighting conditions such as dimly lit studio environments.
- Lens Selection – Choosing the right lens is important when producing video content as the lens dictates what your camera’s field of view is. When choosing your camera, it’s prudent to invest in one that has a healthy selection of lenses available. This gives you a wealth of options to choose from depending on what you’re shooting — such as a wide-angle lens for establishing shots or a telephoto lens for close-ups.
- Live Streaming Support – With live streaming becoming more popular than ever, choosing a camera with robust live streaming support makes it easy for your school’s TV studio to broadcast live events, news, or other content directly to remote students, interested parents, etc.
Here are three camera suggestions to consider when outfitting your studio, depending on your budget:
Low Budget Option: Panasonic HC-VX981K 4K Ultra HD Camcorder
Medium Budget Option: Sony FX3 Full-Frame Cinema Line Camera
High Budget Option: Sony FX6 Full-Frame Cinema Camera
Camera Accessories
A camera is just the beginning when it comes to setting up a school broadcast TV studio. There are a variety of camera accessories that can help elevate your studio’s production value. This will allow you to produce broadcasts that are more polished, professional, and engaging for viewers.
One of the most important accessories you should invest in is a sturdy tripod equipped with a fluid head. It will help stabilize your camera when filming, allowing you to produce smoother, more stable footage. A good tripod should be sturdy enough to support the weight of your camera and allow you to easily adjust the height, angle, and framing of your shots. You may want to invest in a tripod dolly as well if you want your cameras to be mobile while filming. This will allow for more advanced camera movements.
External video monitors also play a vital role as well. They make it easier for camera operators to see and frame shots while filming, and provide other important information such as focus, exposure, etc. A good monitor should be color accurate and be large enough to clearly see the details of your shot. Other useful accessories include teleprompters and external microphones. Teleprompters allow the presenter to read from a prepared script while maintaining eye contact with the camera, reducing potential mistakes during live broadcasts. Meanwhile, external microphones help improve the audio quality of your broadcasts.
Here are some suggested camera accessories to consider when outfitting your studio:
SmallRig AD-100 FreeBlazer Heavy-Duty Carbon Fiber Tripod with Video Head
Atomos Shinobi 7″ Full HD IPS Touchscreen HDR Photo and Video Monitor
Proaim TP300 Universal Tablet Teleprompter Kit
Lighting
Lighting has a significant impact on the quality of your footage. Even the best camera in the world won’t do you any good if your school’s broadcast TV studio doesn’t have the proper lighting setup. You’ll need to consider the size and layout of your broadcast TV studio as well as the overall look of your broadcasts when determining how to set up your studio’s lighting. The subject of studio lighting is a world unto itself and can warrant a dedicated guide of its own. Although, for the purposes of this introductory guide, you will want to invest in a combination of key, fill, and background lighting equipment to create well-lit scenes commonly seen in typical morning announcement style broadcasts.
Key lights are the main lights used to illuminate your presenter(s), and should be positioned to create even and flattering light on their face(s) without obstructing your camera(s). The aptly named fill lights are used to fill in any shadows while background lighting will ensure that the rest of the scene is properly lit as well. There are many options when it comes to lighting equipment, including tungsten or LED continuous lighting, as well as light modifiers such as softboxes, umbrellas, scrims, etc.
Here are some suggested lighting equipment and light modifiers to consider when outfitting your studio:
Aputure Light Storm 600D Daylight LED Light
Aputure Light Dome II Softbox
Litepanels Astra 6X 105W Bi-Color LED Panel
Audio
The audio quality of your broadcasts is just as important as their video quality. Subpar audio quality can be very distracting and makes it challenging for viewers to comprehend your broadcast. When outfitting your broadcast TV studio, take care not to overlook the importance of having good audio recording equipment in place. The most essential piece of audio equipment for a school broadcast TV studio is a good quality condenser microphone.
Condenser microphones come in a variety of form factors and sizes, ranging from desktop ones (like those commonly seen on late night talk shows), boom poles, or even compact, wireless options that can be warm on the presenter like lavaliers. Any of them will do a good job over the built-in microphone included with your camera. For the best results, you’ll want to connect the microphone(s) into a mixer or audio interface and have someone manage the levels, EQ, etc.
Whether or not to soundproof your studio is another important consideration as well. This will depend on the size and location of your studio, along with the amount and prevalence of ambient noise present within its vicinity. It’s always a good idea to minimize outside noses as much as possible — if not eliminate them altogether. Installing sound absorbing acoustic panels, soundproof curtains, and ensuring that all doors and windows are closed during recording/broadcast can be helpful to help keep outside noise to a minimum. In extreme cases, you may need to enlist the services of an acoustical engineer to address noise-related issues.
Here are some suggested audio equipment options to consider when outfitting your studio:
Shure SM7B Cardioid Dynamic Studio Vocal Microphone
https://www.adorama.com/shsm7b.html
DJI Mic Compact Digital Wireless Microphone System/Recorder w/ Lavalier Mic
Rode RODECaster Pro II Integrated Audio Production Studio Console
Audio-Technica ATH-M50x Professional Monitor Headphones
Streaming Outputs
In order to transmit its broadcasts to classrooms throughout the school as well as to an external audience, your broadcast TV studio will require a number of specialized live streaming hardware/software along with a stable high-speed internet connection. One of the most important pieces of the puzzle is a live streaming encoder. This essentially converts the video and audio feeds from your camera and audio equipment into a live stream that can be transmitted over the internet through the various live streaming platforms such as YouTube and Twitch.
Live stream encoders can be either a dedicated piece of hardware or software that runs on a computer (or even a combination of both in some cases). If your studio has a multi camera setup, you will also want to invest in a switcher as well to switch between the various video feeds. Additional cabling and networking equipment may also be required depending on your school’s broadcast TV studio setup.
Here are some suggested live streaming equipment options to consider when outfitting your studio:
Teradek Vidiu X: Live Streaming Encoder
Blackmagic Design ATEM Mini Live Pro
Elgato 4K60 Pro MK.2 Capture Card
Broadcast Studio Equipment Checklist
To recap, here is a checklist of the essential equipment you will need when outfitting your school’s broadcast TV studio:
- Camera(s)
- Tripod(s) with Fluid Head
- Tripod Dolly
- Teleprompter(s)
- Key Light(s)
- Fill Light(s)
- Background Lighting
- Light Modifier(s)
- Microphone(s)
- Audio Mixer
- Monitor Headphones
- Acoustic Panels
- Live Stream Encoder
- Video Switcher
- Stable High-Speed Internet Connection
Conclusion
A well-appointed broadcast TV studio at your school is a worthwhile investment that can help your school reach a wider audience and keep everyone informed and engaged. Whether you’re building your school’s broadcast TV studio from scratch or upgrading an existing one with new equipment, choosing the appropriate cameras, camera accessories, lighting, audio, and live streaming gear are essential. Remember to keep image quality, autofocus performance, low-light performance, lens selection, and live streaming support top of mind when selecting a camera.
Be sure not to forget key accessories such as sturdy tripods with fluid heads, external video monitors, and teleprompters. Having the proper lighting as well as quality audio recording equipment in place will go a long way to help elevate the overall production value of your studio’s broadcasts. Finally, remember to have a stable high-speed internet connection in place so that your live streaming equipment can transmit your broadcasts without interruptions.
