home  articles event report Focus on Community Video: Notes on the Community Media Day in Bristol
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Focus on Community Video: Notes on the Community Media Day in Bristol |
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Written by plugincinema
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Notes on the lecture
(12th June 2003)
plugincinema took part in the recent Community Media Day 2004 at the Cube Cinema in Bristol. One of the groups presenting were First Born Creatives, a Bristol based group of community video makers. They had an interesting take on the best method of approaching community video and the following article is based on notes taken during their talk:
First they set where community video exists within how many people see the hierarchy of moving image:
 First Born Creatives perceived that this hierarchy exits and is based upon the relative values of quality and distribution people assign to each type of media. From this, it can be seen, that the types of moving image are separated into two broad categories within the overall hierarchy: the more professional (and expensive) TV, adverts and cinema exists at the top (with cinema being the peak) while community video, wedding videos and home videos exist at the bottom (with home video being the bottom) – again, due to a differing level of skills, time and resources available for each. The reason given for the large gap between these two groups of moving image artefacts is due to the huge perceptual (and resource/cost) gulf that exists; while people may see community video as being of more 'value' than a home video, there is a greater perception of 'value' between TV and it.
However, community video can have another layer that adds a differing value than the quality/distribution scale: follow-up. If community video is made simply by the filmmakers coming into an area, making the film then leaving – this can be perceived as a lack of depth in looking a the issues, indeed looking the main reason for being for this type of video: community. They suggested that community video makers adopt a layered approach, where the filmmakers build into the project several points of interaction. These can include screenings of the film, post-film discussions or the making of a second video. These additional layers, it was suggested, are important to keep the 'value' in community video and to give it a standing that takes it outside the perceived hierarchy of moving images. .
Further Information First Born Creatives
http://www.firstborn-creatives.co.uk/home.html
Bristol Indymedia
http://bristol.indymedia.org/
Thanks to Rob and Shaun from First Born and to BIMC and the Cube Cinema for hosting the event and all those who helped out. |
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