MEDIA
BBC LEEDS - COMMUNITY RADIO & INTERNET PROJECT
The BBC's all_2gether_now project has been running Leeds-wide for several years. Schools, clubs, societies, community groups and others are given space on the Leeds pages of the BBC's national website. The idea is to give local people a voice and a place to air their views. Flatlands has been taking part for two years or so. Hundreds of people from Burmantofts and Harehills have benefited from training with BBC Leeds. If you would like to get involved in this or any other Flatlands project get in touch. Details on the Contact Us page.
Click here to go direct to the Flatlands BBC Club web pages
Film Making
Funding is in place for Flatlands to make a "short" film with Vera Media. This is a chance to gain training and experience in film making. To get involved call Jerry Appleyard on 07708 216316.
Ways to get involved / skills / roles
Pre-production (planning & research): Devise / create / plan the overall theme / look of the video. Production Manage: make all the arrangements to get a crew and equipment to the right place at the right time. Research interviewees and locations. Write questions.
Production (filming): Direct: give instructions to the rest of the crew; get everyone working together well. Camera operate: framing, composition, moving the camera, basic controls such as zoom, exposure, focus. Sound Record: sound levels, microphone choice & position. Boom swing: correct way to hold and move a mic on a boom (pole). Lighting (if necessary). Interview people. Act. Write a script or commentary / narrative links.
Post production (editing): Watch the footage (rushes). Log the filmed footage. Prepare for the edit: make decisions in advance (sometimes called a paper edit). Edit: learn how to press lots of buttons; work alongside the editor, making decisions about the shape & content of the video. Choose or create music.
Where Do We Go From Here?
Where we go in the future in terms of Media projects will depend on who gets involved and what funding we can raise, but here are some of the ideas that have been put forward:
COMPUTER RECYCLING: Millions of machines are thrown away every year by large companies updating their equipment. If we could collect some of these, we could recondition them and get them out to people in the community who would like a computer but can't afford one. This would lead to jobs and training opportunities too.
EUROPEAN COMPUTER DRIVERS' LICENCE: Courses to attain the minimum standard in computer literacy required by employers.
BASIC SKILLS: Roll-on, roll-off courses in computing for hard to reach groups.
ACTING AS A FEEDER FOR LOCAL COLLEGES AND CONTINUING EDUCATION CENTRES: Many people are reluctant to walk into a college or university. They may be happier to come to the more relaxed Flatlands Centre. They can then prepare for the big leap in to further education in their own good time.
FLATLANDS WEBSITE PROJECT: We aim to build a top website which community groups, artists and individuals will participate in and see as a central resource.
DESKTOP PUBLISHING: We need up-to-date, state-of-the-art equipment, so that any community group or individual can come in with a few scraps of paper and go away with a professional-looking newsletter, flyer, poster, form, circular, advertisement, whatever - or even ten thousand of them, if that's what they need. Beyond that Flatlands intends to become a publisher of books, CDs, films, videos and educational materials.
