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WHAT IS PUBLIC ACCESS TV ? A community television access center is your center, it is TV by and for the
community. Public access was started in the late 60s, as a channel provided through cable companies, supported
by federal law for public,education, government and available to individuals to express their opinions and views.
There are many different types of access centers based on the needs of a community. Some are run by an
independent non-profit like MSVcTV while others are run by cable companies,schools or municipalities. One thing
they all have in common is the goal of facilitating the production of TV programs by and for the local community.
You can create programs for public service, documentary's, talk shows or just about anything you like, it's up to
you to make it happen
HOW DO I FIND A PUBLIC ACCESS CENTER NEAR ME ? Of course there is the Internet with many centers listed
but more that are not. So, you can contact your local cable provider to see if they have a channel available, most
do in one form or another. Don't be surprised if you meet with confusion as public access is little understood even
by some cable companies who have it. At MSVcTV we have folks who make videos that end up being seen on
many other cable networks for two reasons. One: other cable networks don't offer any facility to make programs
and only play what is brought in, if it meets public access guidelines which sometimes is hard for them to
determine. Two: when a program is made at MSVcTV or most other independent stations it meets those
guidelines and is identified as such assuring that it is compliant with FCC and cable commission guidelines. If you
have a public access channel available but no clear way to make a video for it, thanks to the Internet you may be
able to work with one of the independent centers if you are Internet savvy and they are also.
WHAT ABOUT PUBLIC ACCESS ON THE INTERNET ? More and more public access centers are on the Internet
in one form or another these days because it is the future. Some stations live stream their programs just like on
TV while some have selected video on demand like MSVcTV or, some are just informational. There are many
video sharing web sites which have literally millions of videos you can watch but they are usually limited in length
and your video can be hard for people to find. If you can get with a station that has Internet video capabilities so
much the better because your program may then be available for friends, relatives and others to watch wherever
they may be. And if you are a group involved in outreach this can be a great tool.
WHY IS THERE SUCH A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN PUBLIC ACCESS STATIONS ? Public access is market driven
by each individual community and the availability of funding. In some larger cities public access stations have full
time paid employees and programs like daily news broadcasts that rival the major networks while some are not
much more than a place that will play tapes and DVDs that are brought in. And there are those in smaller
communities, like MSVcTV that operate strictly on volunteer help and limited funding. It is up to you as to what
your local access center is and what it offers.
WHAT IF I DON'T KNOW HOW TO MAKE VIDEOS ? Making TV isn't as complicated as you might think. The
majority of people who join a public access station have little or know previous experience with video cameras,
editing or production. Public access welcomes members of all ages, from every education and career
background. MSVcTV like most public access centers offers training and the tools to help you make your
programs.
WHAT ARE THE ADVANTAGES OF CREATING VIDEOS AT A PUBLIC ACCESS CENTER ? First, you are in
charge of your own message or program and you reach the whole community on TV. Second it's inexpensive. As
a member you have access to thousands of dollars of equipment and the guidance to use it. Heres an example:
suppose you want to make a program on gardening tips, you could hire someone to make it for you which will cost
a minimum of $1000 per finished minute. That means a five minute program is going to cost you $5000!,Or you
can do it yourself for the cost of a membership and the time. Third, at the end, the video is yours to do with as you
like, you own it! When someone else makes a video for you not only will they charge you allot of $$ they will most
likely retain copyright which controls use of the product. Lets face it, there is really no downside to making your
own video and it can be allot of fun too.
WHAT ARE THE ADVANTAGES FOR A NON-PROFIT GROUP AT A PUBLIC ACCESS CENTER ? Non-profit
groups have long been a mainstay at public access because it is such a great way to get out your message and
more importantly it can be a great asset in obtaining grants and funding. An integral part of a grant is
documentation and being able to video your project as it progresses to completion is looked upon very favorably
on a grant application as well as showing your ability to network with other non-profits. Also for most types of
funding, being able to show what you do is allot more effective than just writing about it
community. Public access was started in the late 60s, as a channel provided through cable companies, supported
by federal law for public,education, government and available to individuals to express their opinions and views.
There are many different types of access centers based on the needs of a community. Some are run by an
independent non-profit like MSVcTV while others are run by cable companies,schools or municipalities. One thing
they all have in common is the goal of facilitating the production of TV programs by and for the local community.
You can create programs for public service, documentary's, talk shows or just about anything you like, it's up to
you to make it happen
HOW DO I FIND A PUBLIC ACCESS CENTER NEAR ME ? Of course there is the Internet with many centers listed
but more that are not. So, you can contact your local cable provider to see if they have a channel available, most
do in one form or another. Don't be surprised if you meet with confusion as public access is little understood even
by some cable companies who have it. At MSVcTV we have folks who make videos that end up being seen on
many other cable networks for two reasons. One: other cable networks don't offer any facility to make programs
and only play what is brought in, if it meets public access guidelines which sometimes is hard for them to
determine. Two: when a program is made at MSVcTV or most other independent stations it meets those
guidelines and is identified as such assuring that it is compliant with FCC and cable commission guidelines. If you
have a public access channel available but no clear way to make a video for it, thanks to the Internet you may be
able to work with one of the independent centers if you are Internet savvy and they are also.
WHAT ABOUT PUBLIC ACCESS ON THE INTERNET ? More and more public access centers are on the Internet
in one form or another these days because it is the future. Some stations live stream their programs just like on
TV while some have selected video on demand like MSVcTV or, some are just informational. There are many
video sharing web sites which have literally millions of videos you can watch but they are usually limited in length
and your video can be hard for people to find. If you can get with a station that has Internet video capabilities so
much the better because your program may then be available for friends, relatives and others to watch wherever
they may be. And if you are a group involved in outreach this can be a great tool.
WHY IS THERE SUCH A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN PUBLIC ACCESS STATIONS ? Public access is market driven
by each individual community and the availability of funding. In some larger cities public access stations have full
time paid employees and programs like daily news broadcasts that rival the major networks while some are not
much more than a place that will play tapes and DVDs that are brought in. And there are those in smaller
communities, like MSVcTV that operate strictly on volunteer help and limited funding. It is up to you as to what
your local access center is and what it offers.
WHAT IF I DON'T KNOW HOW TO MAKE VIDEOS ? Making TV isn't as complicated as you might think. The
majority of people who join a public access station have little or know previous experience with video cameras,
editing or production. Public access welcomes members of all ages, from every education and career
background. MSVcTV like most public access centers offers training and the tools to help you make your
programs.
WHAT ARE THE ADVANTAGES OF CREATING VIDEOS AT A PUBLIC ACCESS CENTER ? First, you are in
charge of your own message or program and you reach the whole community on TV. Second it's inexpensive. As
a member you have access to thousands of dollars of equipment and the guidance to use it. Heres an example:
suppose you want to make a program on gardening tips, you could hire someone to make it for you which will cost
a minimum of $1000 per finished minute. That means a five minute program is going to cost you $5000!,Or you
can do it yourself for the cost of a membership and the time. Third, at the end, the video is yours to do with as you
like, you own it! When someone else makes a video for you not only will they charge you allot of $$ they will most
likely retain copyright which controls use of the product. Lets face it, there is really no downside to making your
own video and it can be allot of fun too.
WHAT ARE THE ADVANTAGES FOR A NON-PROFIT GROUP AT A PUBLIC ACCESS CENTER ? Non-profit
groups have long been a mainstay at public access because it is such a great way to get out your message and
more importantly it can be a great asset in obtaining grants and funding. An integral part of a grant is
documentation and being able to video your project as it progresses to completion is looked upon very favorably
on a grant application as well as showing your ability to network with other non-profits. Also for most types of
funding, being able to show what you do is allot more effective than just writing about it
COPYRIGHT MSVcTV 2009 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
| serving Menahga, Sebeka,and Verndale MN. area on West Central cable channels 564/837/445 |
MENAHGA
SEBEKA
VERNDALE
community
TELI-
VISION
SEBEKA
VERNDALE
community
TELI-
VISION
| MAKING A VIDEO WITH PUBLIC ACCESS TV 1>2>3 |
| How to start? go ahead and watch TV, yep. On TV you will most likely find a few programs similar to what you want to do so watch and take notes. One of the best ways to make a good program is to study what others have done and do what they have done, take notes and ask how did they do that? As a member of a public TV access centre you will gain the knowledge to answer those questions and have access to the tools to make it happen. So here we go! 1: Make a plan, and the best way to do this is with a storyboard. A storyboard is nothing more than an outline divided into two sides, on one side will be all the directions for the action, props needed, camera angels and other details. On the other side are pictures (stick figures are OK!) depicting who is in a scene and where things are along with the script they will be saying. Good planning is esential to your project and saves a ton of tine later on. 2:Shooting the video. The rule here is to take your time and shoot and shoot over and over till you get a result you like. Make changes as much as you like but remember to note those changes on the storyboard for future refference. You may only end up using a fraction of the video you shot but you will have enough to pick and choose whats best in the end. 3: Editing: This is where you will decide what video clips you are going to use and in what order. Along with this you can add voice over narration, pictures, graphics, titles and background music. Editing may seem scary but it shouldn't, after all a basic video editing program comes with just about every home computer so how tough can it be? The storyboard is your guide to completing your project. Again it's not hard it just takes some time. This overview makes the whole thing sound really simple because it is! As a member of an access center you will have all the tools and help you need, every step of the way. At the end you will wil have a project that will reach more people than you can imagine on TV and in any other way that you want to use you video. MAKING A GOOD VIDEO CAN BE LOTS OF FUN FOR INDIVIDUALS, FAMILIES AND GROUPS SO WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? |