December News from the Open Media Foundation
December 2010
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Video Spotlight
| Special thanks to everyone who attended last month's Higher Definition of Media fundraising breakfast. If you were unable to attend, please watch the 7-minute video that we created for this event.
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Upcoming Classes/Events
| DOM Help Desk Hours
Thursdays 4:30-6pm
Your Voice. Your Media
December 1, Wednesday, 5:30-6:30pm
Field Production Workshop
December 1 & 2, Wednesday and Thursday, 6-9pm
4-Year Anniversary Party
December 3, Friday, 8-10pm
Intro to Studio Workshop
December 8 & 9, Wednesday and Thursday, 6-9pm
Your Voice. Your Media
December 15, Wednesday, 5:30-6:30pm
Producer Orientation
December 15, Wednesday, 6:45-8pm
Studio Upgrade Class
December 16, Thursday, 6-9pm
Final Cut Pro Workshop
December 18, Saturday, 11am-5:30pm
Holiday Closing
December 24, 25 and January 1
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Colorado Gives Day
| This holiday season, give a gift to your community
On December 8th, the Open Media Foundation is asking our community to log-in to GivingFirst.org, register, and make a donation to the Open Media Foundation. Or, if you don't want to wait until the 8th, you can schedule your donation now.
To schedule your one-time donation for December 8, 2010
1. Click here to go to OMF's Giving First Page.
2. Enter the donation amount.
3. "Is this a recurring donation?" Click: Yes. (Although you are not making a recurring donation, selecting "Yes" allows you to schedule a one-time donation in advance.)
4. "First installment date" Enter: 12/08/2010
5. "When should this donation end?" Enter: 12/10/2010
6. Click "Add to Cart"
All donations will be matched by FirstBank and the Community First Foundation, around 25 percent, depending on the total number donations given as a part of Colorado Gives Day. If you intended to make a donation this year or next, we ask you to take this opportunity to make your gift now to take advantage of these matching funds.
Colorado Gives Day is a new initiative to increase philanthropy in Colorado through online giving. Colorado Gives Day will take place during a 24-hour period starting at 12 a.m. on Wednesday, December 8, 2010. Donations will be accepted through the website GivingFirst.org, with a goal of raising $1 million in one day for Colorado charities. Minimum donation is $10 and all donations are tax-deductible.
Another great way to support OMF this holiday season is to purchase a gift membership or media production class for that special someone in your life who should be on TV. Give the gift of creativity this year and support OMF in the process. If interested, please contact Ann Theis for more details.
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First Fridays at Denver Open Media
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On the first Friday of most months, DOM hosts a free community event that spotlights local performance groups, musical acts, and nonprofit organizations. These events are broadcast live on Comcast channel 57 and re-broadcast on channels 56, 57 and 219. They are also available online.
This month Denver Open Media turns 4! Come on down to our studios on Friday, December 3rd from 8-10pm and help us celebrate. During this event, we will be spotlighting the most popular programming of Denver Open Media, as well as the audio-visual stylings of Bobby C Sound TV. To learn more about our "Best of DOM" programming competition, please click here.
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A Higher Definition of Media
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On November 9th, 2010 the Open Media Foundation held its 2nd annual fundraising breakfast, entitled A Higher Definition of Media. Guest speakers included: Senator Pat Steadman; OMF Executive Director, Tony Shawcross; OMF Board President, Marla Rodriguez and Youth Producers, Hassan Shah and TeRay Esquibel. Thanks to all of the volunteers and supporters of this event, we were able to raise over $25,000 in just one hour. For more information about supporting the Open Media Foundation, please contact Executive Director, Tony Shawcross. You may also contribute via our website, or better yet, maximize your donation by contributing via the GivingFirst website on Wednesday, December 8th as part of Colorado Gives Day.
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New Funding Opportunity for Local Nonprofits
| Leverage the work of your nonprofit with OMF's new grant
This new grant, aimed at local nonprofit organizations, is designed to give even more exposure to the great work being done in our community. This grant allows for up to 4 nonprofit staff members, interns and/or volunteers to receive the necessary training and equipment access to further promote their organization's programs, people and services. All content created will be submitted and aired on Denver Open Media's 3 Comcast cable channels and archived on our website for on-demand streaming.
This grant provides a 50% membership discount to nonprofit organizations, reducing the total organizational membership cost to $500. It is designed for organizations prepared to build internal media production skills and includes up to 4 free classes to provide staff members, interns and/or volunteers with the skills they need to add television/video programming to their organization's marketing and outreach efforts.
This grant opportunity begins Monday, January 3, 2011. If interested, please click here for the application. (Please note: All organizations must be have a 501c3 status to qualify.) Click here in order to see all other OMF grant opportunities.
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| Spotlight of the Month: Sheila Schroeder and Woodstock West: Build Not Burn | |
Sheila Schroeder is an award-winning documentarian whose five films have screened in front of audiences from Mumbai to San Francisco and on television where her 2006 short, Crunch! currently humors audiences of The Documentary Channel. She carries her filmmaking mission "to amplify the voices of marginalized people," into the classroom where she is an Associate Professor in the Department of Media, Film and Journalism Studies at the University of Denver. An ongoing ally of the Open Media Foundation, this month Sheila talks about her latest film, Woodstock West: Build Not Burn.
Please provide a brief summary of your work as a filmmaker.
I have created five documentary films ranging from personal experimental documentary shorts to hour-long works. My films have been screened in over 50 film festivals from Mumbai to Memphis. My last two films, co-directed by Kate Burns, have received national distribution. "Crunch!" is screening on The Documentary Channel and "SoleJourney" is distributed by First Run Features.
What are the issues/information that you are trying to bring to a larger audience?
My filmmaking mission is to amplify the voices of populations with little access to mainstream media. As such, my films have examined issues of girls, sports and self-esteem ("See What I Got: A Story of Girls, Basketball, Confidence and Courage"), GLBTQ rights, ("Proud Alumni" and "SoleJourney") and women's rights, ("Sideshow). With my new film, "Woodstock West: Build Not Burn" I'm picking  up on some of the ideas about the value of senior citizens that were developed in "Crunch!"
What was your inspiration for creating the Woodstock West: Build Not Burn film?
My full-time job as a college professor brings me in contact with many great students. Two students about 10 years ago did a short piece about Woodstock West, a 1970 protest on the DU campus, for a class assignment. I was intrigued by the efforts of the protestors to avoid the kind of violence that was happening around them in the wake of Nixon's announcement about the invasion of Cambodia and the subsequent killing of four students at the hands of National Guardsmen at Kent St. University during a protest there.
What are you hoping to achieve with the Woodstock West: Build Not Burn website?
The website serves multiple purposes. First, it serves to legitimize and make real the film project. It's a great place I can send people interested in the documentary. Second, because of our web 2.0 efforts, the site is interactive. People can post stories of their own 1970 experiences. Through this we hope to create dialogue about this shared historical moment. Third, through features like a link to my blog and our News and Reviews section we can keep visitors up to date with all the current happenings surrounding the film. We chronicle speaking engagements, share photos, post video and generally give viewers something new to check out each time they visit.
What is your advice to any aspiring filmmakers?
I've recently been lamenting the fact that documentary filmmaking isn't for the weak. As such, if you're going to make a documentary, you have to have passion for the subject. The same holds true for any type of indie filmmaking really. Tell stories that are important to you, that move you, and the rest will take care of itself. At the same time, if you want to get your work out there, be smart about using web 2.0 resources like Facebook, Twitter, your own website, etc. Building an audience for your work on the front end has become a great way to garner support for the long journey.
Anything else you would like to add?
Life is way too short to sit around waiting for the "right" moment to make a film. Your voice is too important not to use so get out there and make your film!
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Updates for the DOM Community
| Important information for DOM series producers
Starting in 2011, DOM series producers will be required to submit programs that are equal to or less than 28 or 58 minutes depending on the overall length of the show. We apologise for this new stipulation, but as we continue the creation of new station identification and dynamic interstitial content, we require several minutes within each hour to display upcoming program information, theme blocks and underwriting support on each channel.
Additionally, we are taking this time to further promote upcoming classes, events and more importantly -- your shows! Submit a 15-20 second promo for your show and we will promote it during the interstitial period in your show's theme block! If you have any questions or concerns, please email our Station Director, Ann Theis and thank you for helping us make our local community channels look their best!
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