[CMA TV] Community Video and the Internet - a toolkit

[Bill Best]

The Community Media Association welcomes the release of the Our Video
community toolkit.  The CMA was pleased to have worked with the National
Computing Centre on this project, and to have contributed four chapters
and the Appendix to the community video manual.  Partner organisations
drawn from the CMA membership have also contributed to the toolkit and
helped proof read the submitted work.

The toolkit aims to demystify the subject of video production and
distribution and will make a positive impact on community video projects
in the UK and beyond.  The Our Video toolkit will shortly be available
on the CMA website for download.

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From: "Ed Downs" <Ed.downs at ncc.co.uk>
Date: Fri, 5 Aug 2005 09:43:47 +0100

Diane and colleagues

As you  are well aware we have been running a project to help community
groups produce their own short videos and distribute them on the
Internet - with minimal "expert" support. The guidance is now available
as a 200 page book, with a CD containing a film about making films and
an electronic version of the toolkit. It is also available on line
at www.ourvideo.org <http://www.ourvideo.orgwhere you will also find
examples of the work produced by some groups, and the source code for
the web site. All this is released under a creative commons licence and
as open source code.

If you would like to receive a complimentary copy of the book and CD
please e-mail your POSTAL address to gumi at ncc.co.uk <mailto:gumi at ncc.co.uk>.

If you would like to work with us on the development and dissemination
of this material, please also contact us at gumi at ncc.co.uk
<mailto:gumi at ncc.co.uk>

Finally, thank you for your assistance with this work during the last year.

Regards.

Ed

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Producing videos and putting them on the internet - a guide for
community groups

The National Computing Centre (NCC) announced the release of a practical
guide for use by community groups who want to produce videos and
distribute them on the internet.

Over the last 12 months the NCC have been working to develop a toolkit
which takes the mystique out of video production and distribution. The
target was a guide which is readily understood by those who have very
limited, or no, knowledge of the processes.

This work began with the observation that the necessary technology, in
the form of digital cameras, computers and broadband connectivity, is
now widely available, but most videos are boring. The major barrier is
the skill to make something “watch-able”. People are interested in
video, and with this starting point they can acquire IT and media
literacy, as well actively participating the media world.

The toolkit was developed and repeatedly refined by media professionals
and community groups working together. The results are a printed book
with a CD. The CD includes the whole toolkit along with additional
material, notably a series of video tutorials on how to make a video –
for those who don’t like text! This is all available on a web site which
also holds the videos made by the groups and further resources.

All these products are being made available under Creative Commons
licences which mean that anyone can take the content and reuse it as
they wish, as long as they attribute the original source and are not
making money from the exercise. Indeed the software which manages the
content of the web site is release as Open Source software on the same
basis.

"This is all about enabling people to actively use new media. We are not
interested in limiting use through control of rights, and we wish to
develop a community of people who will take this forward. This was
developed with public money, for communities and they can take it
forward as they wish" said Ed Downs, the project manager.

Anyone interested in obtaining further information about this work,
copies of the toolkit, or continuing to the ongoing dissemination use
and development of the toolkit should contact gumi at ncc.co.uk

This project was funded through the North West Brain initiative with
funds from the European Union.

National Computing Centre
NCC is the UK's leading IT membership organisation, serving corporate,
vendor and government communities. We champion the effective use of IT
to maximise the competitiveness of our members' business. We do this by
providing impartial advice and support, best practice and standards and
personal and professional development. NCC is a social enterprise.

http://www.ncc.co.uk

Ed Downs
National Computing Centre
Oxford House, Oxford Road
Manchester M1 7ED
ed.downs at ncc.co.uk