I use my Mac for...
Road safety talks
QHi Malcolm, can you tell us what it is you do? Malcolm Farrar: I use Aperture, Keynote and Final Cut Pro to create interactive road-safety presentations, which I then deliver to schools and colleges throughout Shropshire in the UK. Over the last academic year, I put together and delivered more than 160 presentations and reached more than 5,000 students aged 11 and up.
QHow do you get through to your target market? MF: It depends on their age, where they live (rural or urban) and how much time I have with them. I also take into account any previous road safety education they may have had. Each presentation has a personal feel to it, because I use videos and photos – edited using Aperture – of local roads and crossing points the students actually use. The most important thing is to deliver the presentations in a fun, memorable way, which includes researching the latest music to include in the talks. I aim to entertain, engage and educate – never pontificate!
QWhat content do you cover in your talks? MF: As well as talking about factors such as texting while driving, and how to be safer as a pedestrian, the two topics I talk about most are wearing seat-belts (it’s amazing how many students copy their parents and don’t wear one) and speaking up in a vehicle if you feel unsafe.
QDo you spend more time in Final Cut or Keynote? MF: I spend hours in Final Cut. FCP X is so user-friendly – it’s easier to edit video and audio than in previous versions. When I’m preparing the videos for use in my presentations, I have to think of ways to grab the young audience’s attention. I play around in FCP X’s video effects browser and with the colour correction until I think the clip is engaging enough. The rendered clip is then embedded into Keynote and, combined with Keynote’s transitions, it makes for a professional, fun and memorable way to get my messages across to young people.
QWhat’s the best thing about working on a Mac? MF: Where do you want me to begin? They’re reliable for a quick and easy setup in the classroom, you can just lift the lid and instantly start your work. I love the way it syncs to peripherals too – it’s so handy to be able to wander around the classroom or hall while controlling the presentations. I’ve even tried AirPort Express as a link to wireless speakers in class. My MacBook Pro both looks and sounds professional – especially through my Bowers & Wilkins MM1 speakers. You can multitask with different desktops or screens, have compatibility across programs, and enjoy superb graphics.
QSo you’re very much Mac and not PC, then! MF: I started on a Windows laptop, but switched five years ago because the earlier versions of Movie Maker and PowerPoint struggled to handle the file sizes. PowerPoint couldn’t embed the videos, so it struggled with file paths. The presentations would often stall, losing momentum as well as the kids’ attention.
I like to look cool in the classroom! Believe me, when you walk into a room and pull out a Mac, a whisper goes around the room, and then you know you have them from the off.