[commedia] FW: Somerset Film and Video March e-bulletin

[Michelle McGuire]

Forwarded From: Somerset Film & Video <info at somersetfilm.com>
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SOMERSET FILM AND VIDEO / MARCH 2002 / E-BULLETIN
MONTHLY UPDATES ON MOVING IMAGE EVENTS AND ACTIVITIES IN AND AROUND SOMERSET


CONTENTS:
    THE NEW NETWORK MEDIA CENTRE
    FIRST LIGHT
    SINIMA
    WEST SOMERSET WORKSHOPS
    HTV DOCUMENTARY
    ŒSOMERSET SCREEN¹ ARCHIVE SHOWS
    ŒOPEN SCREEN¹
    CINEMA OBSCURA
    THE ACCESS TRIPOD
    INSTITUTING DATA EXPOSITION / I+DAT[A]
    BECTU


THE NEW NETWORK MEDIA CENTRE
Reed-Holland (Architects) have drawn up the building regulation drawings and
these were submitted to the Building Inspectors on 13 March.  Meanwhile
tenders are being sought for the main works to be carried out from three
Bridgwater building companies.   Initial repairs are underway at the moment.
Specialist contractors such as heating engineers have also been lined up.
The Government Office South West (UK Online) contract will be signed this
week.  It now looks as if we will be able to start inviting the public into
the building from early June.  At this stage we will run taste workshops,
pilot courses and open days. A full programme of moving image production and
new media courses is contracted to start at the Centre and elsewhere in
Somerset from 1 October 2002.
In addition to funding already promised from UK Online, New Opportunities
Fund, Sedgemoor District and Somerset County Councils, applications have
been made  to South West Screen and to the Regional Arts Lottery Programme
for the Media Centre project.
At this stage we haven¹t fixed a name for the Centre ­ a lot of suggestions
have been considered but as yet nothing quite works.   The building was once
a police station, then a petrol station and car showroom, most recently a
furniture shop.   You may imagine the range of suggestions this history has
elicited!  Everything from ŒThe Stretch¹ to the ŒFilm Station¹.  Your
suggestions would be welcomed ­ by email, phone or in person!  But quickly
please!
The process of making the Media Centre is being well documented .  Alex
Smith is covering  the making of the project on DV, while Jesse Lawrence is
recording progress with 35mm b/w stills.
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FIRST LIGHT
Working with ŒCalling the Shots¹ eight films are being made with young
people in Wellington, Taunton, Minehead, Frome, Weston-super-Mare, Clevedon
and Bristol (x2).  These are principally funded by The UK Film Council First
Light fund.
The Taunton Halcon Estate film ŒHome¹ has been completed and delivered to
First Light.  It has been well received.  The Wellington film will be
delivered this week.  The Minehead and Frome films will be completed during
the Easter holidays.
There was a screening of the six Bristol and Somerset completed films last
Sunday ­ 24 March ­at the Clevedon Curzon cinema. A coach was hired to bring
young people from Wellington and Taunton.   Some 85 young people attended
this successful show.
Again with ŒCalling the Shots¹ we are currently applying to make six further
films ­ projects in Chard, Shepton Mallet, Frome and Bristol area.
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SINIMA 
The Social Inclusion In the Media Arts (SINIMA) project will enable 25 young
people to devise and produce their own film.  This is a joint project with
Action Track Performance Company and Take Art! rural arts development
agency.
An excellent launch evening was held at the David Hall in South Petherton on
14 March.  This eight week project is due to start on 8 April and will be
based mainly at the Amulet Theatre in Shepton Mallet.
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WSET SOMERSET WORKSHOPS
A series of  three Œtaster¹ workshops in DV production were held in
Dulverton, Stogumber and Watchet.  These were intended to tie in with the
Exmoor Community Computer Centre¹s programme at Winsford where a new Artlife
funded series of introductory and intermediate workshops is now underway.
Robert Richards is tutoring.  Phone the centre on 01643 851594 for more
details.
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HTV DOCUMENTARY
The documentary formerly known as ŒA Brewer, A Sculptor, An Eeler and A
Pigeon Biter¹ is now being Œon-line¹ edited at Denhams Productions in
Plymouth.  Next week the production moves to Wounded Buffalo for the sound
dub.   The director is James Callow.  Latest word on the transmission date
is 24 April at 2330 hours.
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ŒSOMERSET SCREEN¹ ARCHIVE SHOWS
The final archive shows of the Take Art! sponsored Œseason¹ ran successfully
at Seavington Millennium Hall on 21 February and at Midsomer Norton Town
Hall on 17 March.  120 people attended the final show with regionally
produced contemporary short films shown as well as TSW Regional Archive and
locally sourced archive.  Based on the good take up and feedback this
season, Take Art! is advertising Somerset Screen shows for 02/03.
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ŒOPEN SCREEN¹
35 people attended an Open Screen at Bridgwater Arts Centre on 22 February.
Nine students attended from Weymouth College with a variety of HND course
work to show.  Bridgwater College students showed A level course work.  The
evening also featured films from Torr Webster, Charlotte Stirling, Michael
Barrie and others.  Good work with a good response.
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CINEMA OBSCURA
Wiveliscombe's independent award winning film club (Best New
Film Club BFFS 2000), has been awarded a grant from South West Screen to
develop outdoor projections of site-specific, re-interpretive, or new film,
within the locality.
We are looking to appoint a film professional to undertake a feasibility
study; to include identification of possible venues, legal, health and
safety, and technical issues, necessary equipment, light conditions and
costs.
The feasibility study runs May/June 2002
Fee: £1,500 inclusive.
Send a letter of application outlining your approach to the task and a
current CV, with references, to John Alder, Chair Cinema Obscura,
Pennistones, Town Mill, Wiveliscombe, Somerset  by Friday 19th April 2002.
Thanks for your help,
Regards
John Alder - Chair Cinema Obscura
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THE ACCESS TRIPOD
Infinite Blue Productions is working with a design engineer to devise and
build a tripod for use with a wheelchair.  The Access Tripod will enable
wheelchair-users to operate a camera independently and professionally.
The Access Tripod project has drawn up a design specification for the tripod
and is now developing an initial model which will undergo trials and
modification.
The end stage of the project will draw up construction plans of the
prototype tripod which will be placed on this website for download by
individuals and organisations for copyright-free and non-profit use.  The
plans will be drawn to enable individuals to be able to make and adapt the
tripod for their own use.
Since publicising the project, many people have contacted us wanting to know
more.  This includes numerous wheelchair-users, both recreational and
professional camera operators, from around the world.  There is a clear
demand for The Access Tripod.
We welcome your input to the project and are currently looking for the
following:

 Technicians/engineers and camera operators to get involved in the design

 People (particularly wheelchair-users) who want to comment on the
prototype

 Donations and sponsorship to take the project beyond its initial funding.
The Access Tripod project is based in Bristol and Weston-super-Mare.
Millennium Award funding has enabled a first stage prototype to be built.
Additional funding is now being sought to develop and consult on the design
and bring it to completion.
We need your donation and sponsorship.  Before The Access Tripod can be
taken any further, additional funding is needed.  Without this, the project
will remain incomplete.  Please contact Infinite Blue productions via
Somerset Film and Video if you would like to help.
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INSTITUTING DATA EXPOSITION / I+DAT[A]
Tuesday 9 to Saturday 13 April 2002, University of Plymouth
The i+DAT[A] Exposition seeks to provide a rich environment for focused
critical discussion on the future of digital media.
The production of digital media content has radically transformed the
computing, communications and media industries. Educators and trainers,
artists and architects, publishers and broadcasters, curators and
archivists, are all faced with new digital opportunities to transform their
professional practice. These opportunities also bring legal, technical,
managerial, cultural and editorial issues. Even when standards and codes of
practice appear, digital data is by its nature unstable.
i+DAT[A] is organised by iDAT, the Institute of Digital Art and Technology
at the University of Plymouth, a new organisation engaged in the production
and distribution of digital media with a broad cultural remit across the
fields of art, industry and education. I+DAT[A] is partitioned into several
areas of interest, each of which is aimed at a particular target audience,
but is also designed to encourage participants to engage with sessions that
offer a complimentary or perspective on relevant digital issues. All events
have limited spaces and must be reserved in advance on a first come first
serve basis. As a requirement of the European Social Fund all participants
are asked to complete an ESF beneficiary form.
Conferences sessions take place daily in two simultaneous sessions in the
Sherwell Centre on Campus. Topics: Digital Archiving / Public-Private Sector
Digital Support / e-Learning / Digital Rights / Digital
Publishing-Broadcasting / Generative Media / Curatorial Practices /
Institutional Practices. Seminars and breakaway sessions will be held away
from the main partitions. Topics include: Digital Networks for the Arts and
Industry Digital Curation, a regional perspective Digital Rights and
Intellectual Property in the Digital Age. These are being timetabled around
the main conference sessions. Timings and locations will be announced on the
i+DAT[A] website. Practical digital media workshops that cater for the
conference sessions target audiences and initiate a regional collaborative
digital production network. Workshops take place in the Babbage Building New
Media Studios. A workshop fee of £20 per person will be charged. Software
available for exploration within the workshops include: Interactive
Authoring: [Macromedia Flash, Director, Roxio Toast]: Image: [Freehand,
Adobe Photoshop]: Web: [Dreamweaver, Java, CGI, Perl, BBEdit]. Audio:
[SoundEdit, Emagic Logic Audio, Sonic Foundry Sound Forge, Acid]. Video:
[Sorenson Broadcaster, Adobe Premiere, After Effects, Apple QuickTime Pro,
Apple QuickTime VR Authoring Studio, Terran Cleaner]. 3D: [Kinetix 3D Studio
Max, Cosmo Worlds VRML Builder]. Screenings: Evening sessions will be used
for the screening and performance of digital works. A performance will
follow the Generative Media conference (Thursday evening) and screenings
follow the Curatorial Practices conference (Friday evening). Exhibition: The
foyer of the Sherwell Hall Conference Centre will host a number of digital
events and commercial stands. Exhibitors include Submerge and MLA#2.
Companies and organisations wishing to use the venue to tie into specific
conference sessions should contact the Exposition organisers
contact at i-dat.org or through the Exposition booking form. Web Casts: The
conference and evening sessions will be webcast and incorporate a number of
online access points. For further details see the i+DAT[A] website:
www.i-dat.org/projects/idata The i+DAT[A] Exposition programme may be
subject to change without further notice. For up to date details on i+DAT[A]
speakers, timetable and booking forms please see:
www.i-dat.org/projects/idata or Tel: (01752) 232560 or Email:  HYPERLINK
mailto:scunit at plymouth.ac.uk contact at i-dat.org.
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BECTU
BECTU have called on DCMS minister Kim Howells to meet ITV union reps. As
fears grow for the regional programming  on ITV, the union, together  with
the NJU and electrician¹s  union MSF, have urged the Department for Culture,
Media and Sport to reduce the annual licence  payments that the companies
must make to the Treasury. These payments were fixed for ten years before
the collapse of advertising income  which hit the ITV network last year and
the unions want them to be reviewed on an annual basis to take account of
the companies¹ ability to pay. The squeeze on ITV funding has already begun
to hit jobs and local output, and the unions have warned that the network
faces "a permanent weakening of regional service". Concerns about regional
programming in ITV have coincided with the government¹s lengthy consultation
on a new regulatory framework for broadcasting. In a response to government
proposals for a new communications Bill, BECTU have told the DCMS that they
are opposed in principle to the channel¹s local licences falling into the
hands of one company. The union have also rejected a proposal to scrap the
current 15 per cent limit on ITV audience share that can be controlled by
any one company.
BECTU, www.bectu.co.uk