CommunityStream

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CommunityStream

• Using video stories and streaming technologies to
  capture and extend
• community engagement activities.
• By Ken Newman and Paul den Hertog

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So even granny can be an online reporter these
days?
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YES!

• but don't forget to read the fine print.

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You might need to know a thing or two about

• Making a script
• Considering locations for the shoot
• Planning the shoot
• Lighting equipment
• Audio equipment
• Camera's
• Shooting your video
• Capturing your video
• Editing your video on your PC
• Adding sounds
• Saving the file to the required format
• Publishing it onto a server
• If you don't know these things, creating
• a video can be quite a puzzling experience!

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Hmmmm, seems puzzling allright,

• So how can we demystify
• the process of creating
• an online videostory?

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Production kits and templates

• Students from Portsmouth and Amsterdam will
  develop specific step-by-step production
  templates and easy-to-use production kits.
• These kits will probably consist of a laptop,
  camera and foolproof guidelines, enabling the
  community to share their stories online.

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So they've made a video, what's next?

• Publishing the story while retaining ownership is
  difficult using commercial hostingproviders such
  as Google.
• Therefore we will build an easy to use
  videoserver based on Ubuntu and Wordpress µ.
• Wordpress µ is already packed with lots of
  features we need and has a very easy way of
  adding functionality such as a videoplayer,
  through the use of plugins.
• We will connect our server to the Triple L
  repositories so anybody can find and reuse the
  video's produced.

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So what kind of stories are we talking about
anyway?

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Example one A one-off event

• Students of community theatre in CCI recently
  produced a Halloween performance/party/activity
  in an underpriveliged housing estate. The story
  of the activity, told by interviews with the
  students, footage from the activity itself, and
  some comments from the audience/participants, is
  a valuable resource for others undertaking
  similar projects.

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Example two An ongoing activity

• One of the groups to have expressed interest in
  working with MLA in the CommunityStream project
  is Amsterdam based ZO! Culture.
• Kids from underprivileged backgrounds are given
  opportunities to participate in various
  activities of youth culture like hiphop dancing,
  rapping, theatre or gospel festivals. Working
  with this group might typically involve training
  group members to make their own video stories and
  supporting them with their initial production.
• Once they have some skills and confidence with a
  particular production procedure template they
  will become eligible to borrow the relevant
  production kit to continue producing their own
  stories.

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In conclusion . . .

• We will . . .
• Develop production kits and templates
• Assemble student/community production teams
  consisting of NL/UK members
• Educate local communities who are currently
  unable to get their stories online
• Develop a portalsystem where they can view
  video's, write comments and do other
  cool web 2.0 things
• Have communities learn from eachother through
  videostories
• Disseminate our results _at_ Next years DIVERSE

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So, .....

• ...do we actually think that we will empower all
  who are currently left behind?
• No,
• but we do feel however, that our project will
  enable at least some people to educate others and
  publish their stories online.
• We also feel that producing and publishing these
  easy-to-use step-by-step guidelines and providing
  the local communities with the necessary tools,
  will result in a new generation of digital
  journalists publishing great stories online!