Are you currently a producer or considering producing your original content? Or have you never used the Media Center or its services? We need your input to know what classes, services, equipment and programming our community needs.
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Discussion:
What would you like from your Media Center?
Do you take advantage or need technical assistance or training? What is missing? What is not needed?
10 Responses
Kamal S Prasad over 10 years ago
Advanced camera and lighting techniques. Using DSLR for video.
Sean Thorniley over 10 years ago
Basic technical training should be available to all. Training on lighting, editing/narrative and aesthetic as well as historical perspective of visual media. Many folks have some training and/or understanding, but have gaps and/or need motivation and encouragemt.
Randy Hall over 10 years ago
I agree strongly with the motivation and encouragement portion. There needs to be what amounts to community cheerleaders keeping folks engaged in and motivated to continue working on their media projects. Self-motivation is hardest for the youngest and most elderly of folks in the community, and can be a challenge for any of us on a regular basis.
Robyn Kasper, Secretary to the Board of Directors of the Community Media Center of the North Bay over 10 years ago
I agree wholeheartedly with Randy. I work full-time and its very difficult to become motivated after a long day at work. Alternatively, coming in on my day off is a challenge for many reasons. But what keeps me going is the satisfaction of accomplishment when I finish a show and put it on the air. We definately need to bring back the mentorship program at the Media Center, be it Staff, interns, or volunteers. Producing a show is a long process, and in that process comes moments of doubt. If one had a mentor to talk to, it would help people struggling with whatever piece of the pie is not fitting in at the moment. It's also good to have a second set of eyes to see what's working, what's not working, and to give advice and encouragement.
Sean Thorniley over 10 years ago
Basic technical training should be available to all. Training on lighting, editing/narrative and aesthetic as well as historical perspective of visual media. Many folks have some training and/or understanding, but have gaps and/or need motivation and encouragemt.
Ron Lastname over 10 years ago
Once a person gets started, assistance and support is needed to improve and stay motivated. Beginners are easily discouraged and need a mentor to keep going and get better.
Ideally, staff are available who can provide mentoring, expertise, technical assistance, and motivate someone to keep going and get better with their final product/service
Randy Hall over 10 years ago
Again, I agree with the sentiment that motivation and mentorship is needed. I am a local filmmaker (and I know of some other local filmmakers) who I think can help provide this mentoring, especially how to get out of a funk, writer's block, editor's block and so on.
James Curtis over 10 years ago
About Training and technical assistance I have received at C media: I have taken the classes in camera, studio production, and out door lighting, and editing. I have helped with switching for studio production, but there is more I could learn there about sound and adding text or using the green screen. I been talent in a live link shoot , but not the producer. I have been more confident in shooting and miking and lighting events such as bands, festivals, arts shows, public lecturers, or demonstrations. I like editing and have learned how to use 3-color correction and a lot of other tools to make a professional video to my own artist taste. I have also used the animation studio to perfect a 30 minute hand drawn cartoon. Also, with Trina De Matea and Sara Ataiiyan I helped set up an on going "North Bay Filmmakers" meet up group which started at the existing media center. I have been very happy with the instruction, technical help and procedural advise I have received from the staff in the nine years I have been producing at the current media center in Santa Rosa.
About what is missing: I worry that we won't be able to find the money to have enough knowledgeable staff to keep the center open the amount of hours it needs to be open to service the community as it should. I anticipate that the C media center will be operating at number of sites in Santa Rosa and even some in other cities through out the North Bay region. Some of the technical help, especially for distant locations could be on line and over the telephone help. Some staff could be SRJC interns or folks from the volunteer center. Another part which is missing is membership from subscribers and producer membership from more diverse communities. Fund drives may help this. The other missing or actually only just beginning to evolve part I see, is procuring a radio license for the TV studio, so we can broadcast live radio shows on TV, partnerships with other TV and radio stations such as KRCB and KBBF, streaming our programs online, working with other broadcasters such as AT&T who can air our programming on other channels, and otherwise make use of as many forms of media as possible.
What I see as not needed is a lack of firewall between our management's money making exploits and C media's three part PEG structure, that is it's free speech, public access mission, it's training service to the Sonoma County School system, or it's function to assist local government services. Nor do we need to dismantle the three part Public access
Roger White over 10 years ago
New equipment and technical updates are always on-going. But there is a larger segment of our city's citizenry who need to become technically educated and trained in order to be able to continue to provide the vibrant forum of open and free dialogue necessary for our civic duties. Accessibility to community media does this effectively, if supported. To reiterate, it is most important for the citizenry to have access to the persons who have the expertise to assist and to effectively train them. Such assistance has been the trademark of community media of the past.
As always it is always a challenge to get the word out to the community. This is where the City Council can use its resources and community service structures to take leadership in seeing that its community, through a variety of the community strategies that highlight the important part that community media can play . I posit that this is a basic democratic charge given to our elected leaders.
Damon Gault over 10 years ago
I am producing a docu-drama called Borrowed Time which put organ recipients in touch with their donor families, first meeting. Also have a scripted comedy and two screenplays I could use all the local help I can get.