Film Making at the Library: The Mac Media Lab

Story by  CINDY REID    Photography by PAUL NURNBERG

Attention all aspiring filmmakers from age 10 to 100! If you have ever watched a YouTube video and thought “I could do better than that,” or have a photos and video clips you would love to make into a special family keepsake, the St. Helena branch of the Beaufort County Library has everything you need to see your cinematic vision come to life. The Mac Media Production Lab/ Sound Lab is brand new, the equipment is of professional quality, and all of it is available to use at no cost to library patrons.
Melanie Florencio, Computer Lab Instructor at the St. Helena branch, says the goal of having the equipment is “Providing access freely to everyone. In this case, access to graphic design tools, 3D animation and filmmaking hardware and software.”
Any Beaufort County Library card holder may use the equipment at the St. Helena branch, but of course it would be unfamiliar to most so the branch offers classes and has video tutorials available for training. Melanie, who holds a BFA and MA in Sequential Art from SCAD, teaches the filmmaking classes as well as computer instruction at various branches. “People have been using the media equipment for various purposes,” Melanie says, “Our professional audio equipment has been used to record oral history memories and media professionals have used our Mac Media Lab equipment to create local projects, such as self guided tours for Friends of Hunting Island.”
The film making and sound design equipment at the Mac Media Production Lab/Sound Lab includes Panasonic HD flip cameras, Canon Powershot digital cameras, Panasonic production quality camcorders, a boom microphone, wireless microphones, the Green Screen, Final Cut Pro X, and iMovie. They also have tripods for camcorders, mini tripods for digital cameras and SD card readers.
“Whether you are a hobbyist or professional you have the capacity of creating a feature film here at the library.” She continues, “Not only do we have cameras we have Final Cut Pro, an editing software program, and we have Green Screens, which are used to project background images.” The software includes Logic Pro; which provides software instruments, synthesizers, audio effects and recording facilities for music synthesis; and GarageBand, a software application that allows users to create music and podcasts.
And that’s not all- for folks interested in graphic design, animation and game design the equipment also includes: Adobe Photoshop CS6, Adobe Photoshop Elements, Adobe Illustrator CS6,Sketchbook Express, Daz 3D Studio, Poser 9,Blender,Unreal Development Kit, iStopMotion, Anime Studio Debut, Swift Publisher and Makerware.
In addition, the St. Helena Library received a $25,000 grant via the Library Sciences and Technology Act funded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services, administered by the State Library of South Carolina, that enabled the library to purchase the following equipment:
Makerbot Replicator 2 3D printers (2)
Makerbot Digitizer Laser Scanner (1)
Little Bits  (Snap Circuitry Kits)
Bristle Bots (Small Robotics Kits)
Arduino Board Kits (Computer programming, robotics)
Raspberry Pi Computers (Computer programming, robotics)

Annual Teen Film Fest

Beaufort County Library organizes an annual Teen Film Fest, held  annually in October, for teens ages 11 to 17 years old. The teens can enter as teams or individuals. There are no restrictions on the film’s story theme, length or budget. The only caveat is that the films cannot use copyright material, including music. Amateur films submitted by teens from around the county compete against each other and the contest screens the finished works at Plaza Stadium Theater in Beaufort and at Park Plaza Cinema on Hilton Head Island.
“It is important to have an opportunity available for young people to express themselves creatively,” said Melanie, the film fest’s organizer. “Beaufort County has been the feature location for many award-winning films and by having the Teen Film Festival, it gives young people a chance to create a fresh new perspective on a familiar place.”
Reaching out to younger patrons is vitally important to the library, in fact the St.Helena branch is the only branch that has a Teen Librarian, Shay Brooks, and boosts a dedicated teen area that includes a teen lounge.

Filmmaking Made Simple

Melanie says that although the equipment may be intimidating at first, there is an established method to break down a good idea into simple steps and get it on film.
Write the script.
Story Board the script. This is a visual breakdown of each scene including camera distance and angles.
Use the camera and record the shots. Patrons can use the library cameras inside the library for interior shooting, and they can shoot exterior scenes on the library grounds while accompanied by a library staff member.
Edit the filmed shots on Final Cut or Imovie.
In addition to filming at the St.Helena branch, movie makers can also use their own filmed video by bringing it in on a flash drive or CD. For those so inclined they can also make a movie using the Stop Motion station, which can do claymation among other neat effects. Melanie says it is not difficult, in fact a “nine year old boy did one!”

Beaufort Film Tradition

Beaufort has been the home to some of those most celebrated films of the past, such as The Great Santini, The Prince of Tides and The Big Chill as well as the children’s series Gullah, Gullah Island, and so it is only fitting that we have this rich treasure trove of filmmaking equipment so readily available to residents who can be inspired by the past and by the unique beauty of our locale to create something brand new.

For further Information:
• Melanie Florencio, Computer Lab Instructor
Office number 843-255-6547 ,
email mflorencio@bcgov.net

• Beaufort County Library, St. Helena Branch
6355 Jonathan Francis Sr Rd
St Helena Island, SC

Programs and classes are listed on the library website www.beaufortcountylibrary.org