This column was originally published in The Davis Enterprise on Sept. 24,2009
It’s flu season, and as the first seasonal flu works it way through my household, I’m all too aware of what that means. Davis Media Access (DMA) just finished shooting a three-minute PSA with the Yolo County Health Department. The PSA was created to raise awareness of both the seasonal flu and novel H1N1 virus, and outlines steps for prevention and care.
Volunteers Stephen Pitt and Martha Teeter worked with DMA staff member Clifford Garibay. The team went out to Woodland to shoot footage and edited it here at DMA’s facilities on Fifth Street. Catch the video on DCTV Channel 15 on Davis Comcast, at http://davismedia.org or on YouTube. Thanks to Yolo County Health Officer Dr. Joseph Iser for working with DMA on this project.
DMA is the community media center for the Davis area and we provide multiple opportunities to learn media production skills and share local content. Much of this content is geared at enriching our community’s understanding of important issues. Both Pitt and Teeter have participated in multiple training opportunities, and both are working on their own independent projects as well.
DMA currently has several training opportunities in the works. Tonight’s Field Camera Workshop [tonight being Thursday, Sept. 24] is recommended for experienced volunteers who are comfortable with video recording equipment, and takes place at DMA at 7 p.m. Earlier this month, we held a similar workshop for volunteers with little to no experience with video cameras.
Also coming up is a workshop on three-point lighting. Three-point lighting is the best place to start with video lighting basics, a must-learn skill for those interested in video production. DMA will show you what it is, how to do it, and how to use it to best of your ability. This workshop will take place Oct. 1 at 7 p.m.
Please reserve your seat at any workshop by emailing cgaribay@davismedia.org. Attendance at a DMA General Orientation is a prerequisite for all workshops, and the next orientation takes place Wed., Oct. 14 at 8 p.m. DMA’s orientations and trainings are free and open to the public.
In addition, on Sept. 29, DMA offers “Sofa Film School,” also starting at 7 p.m. Participants will learn how to dissect films as they watch them, a skill essential for honing one’s own film craft. Facilitator Garibay says it’s “a little like film theory for everyone, but without the semantics.” This presentation is part of DMA’s ongoing “Open Media Sessions.” Every week, Garibay covers one of the many topics that surround the hands-on process of community media. Through discussion, activities and presentations, he hopes to provide participants with the tools needed to create and distribute their own media.
In other news, DMA is preparing information regarding the upcoming election on Measure P. Earlier this week, DMA staff and volunteers taped a forum sponsored by the Slide Hill Park Neighborhood Association and held in Birch Lane Elementary’s Multipurpose room on Sept. 21. We’re preparing to host a panel discussion for both the Yes and No on P camps early next month. These programs will air on both DCTV Channel 15, be uploaded to http://davismedia.org, and audio for some will air on KDRT 95.7 FM.
For more information, please visit us on the web, call (530) 757-2419, or drop by the offices at 1623 Fifth Street.
Autumn Labbé-Renault is executive director of Davis Media Access and writes this column monthly. Contact her at autumn@davismedia.org.