AllTheVideoPeople77
Public Access Is Powerful
In times of crisis, staying connected and informed becomes imperative. A recent report from American University showed that public access centers have become indispensable communication hubs during the pandemic. Our own San Francisco community media center is run right here out of BAVC Media. SF Commons is the city’s public access TV station, providing free or low-cost training, equipment, studio access, and a slot on cable TV, to any city resident. In a sea of corporate-owned media, SF Commons is truly free, by and for its communities. Training is at no cost, distribution is accessible and the station supports BAVC [...]
Now Available On YouTube: Exploring the VSW Archive – Early Video Art & Community Media in Western NY
On August 5th, 2020, BAVC Media streamed a video event with Visual Studies Workshop (VSW), and we're happy to announce that the recording is now live on YouTube! Over the last two years BAVC Media has been working with VSW in Rochester, NY to preserve their archive of early video recordings. The VSW Film and Video Collection holds more than 4,000 video tapes, many of which were made between 1970-1990 by artists, activists and collectives throughout New York State. This fascinating collection includes over 1,500 ½” open reel recordings from community access programs such as Portable Channel, SYNAPSE, [...]
Meet Leah Simon: Preservation Intern
Meet Leah Simon: BAVC Media Preservation Intern Working with BAVC Media as a preservation intern was a real treat. Coming to video preservation and digitization as a graduate student studying Folklore and archival theory, I had never worked with tape collections before BAVC Media. Not only was I able to apprentice with knowledgeable mentors like Morgan Morel, trained at the University of Michigan's Information Studies Program, or Anne Smatla who graduated from the L. Jeffrey Selznick School of Film Preservation, but through their mentorship, I was given the training to work with a wide range of tape material that I [...]
Now Available On YouTube: From Video Activism to Early Immersive Media
Stills from: Crip Camp (left) Mind of Universe (right) On June 3rd, 2020, BAVC Media streamed a video event highlighting the history of early video collectives The People’s Video Theatre (PVT) and Survival Arts Media (SAM) through their archive of preserved analog video. From their roots as video activists to their mind-expanding experiments with video art and early immersive media performances, the story of PVT and SAM is the story of early video’s growth into its own distinct form of expression and storytelling. A video recording of the streaming event is now available for viewing here! In these [...]
Smile and the Whole World Smiles With You…
...Except when you’re wearing a facemask. Like now, where it’s all Mad Max out there. Neighbors have morphed into strangers and people’s inscrutable expressions are concealed behind makeshift or store-bought protection, no one daring to look each other in the eye in case we’re doing something wrong. And on top of all that, 3 million of us in Cali lost our jobs. Deep anxiety? Check. Unfathomable consequences literally out of nowhere? Check. Government stepping up with a safety net? Like the t-shirt says, no one is coming. It’s up to us. I attended a Zoom thing hosted by [...]
BAVC Media Announces New MediaMaker Connect Mentorship Program
In the spirit of building the field, supporting nonfiction filmmakers to complete their projects, and facilitating connections between filmmakers at different stages of their careers, BAVC Media is proud to be able to provide 19 MediaMaker Fellowship alumni, along with 11 emerging filmmakers, with 5-months of one-on-one mentorship. Thanks to a generous award from the Kenneth Rainin Foundation, 2020 will be the inaugural year of MediaMaker Connect, a new component of the MediaMaker Fellowship. Between April and September of 2020, 30 filmmakers will receive feedback and counsel from industry professionals addressing their unique challenges from story development to post-production roadblocks. [...]
Support BAVC Media when you rent the new film SPACESHIP EARTH
Stream the new film SPACESHIP EARTH starting May 8th and 50% of all proceeds will go to support BAVC Media and our staff.
Walker Art Center: Preserving History, Art, and Conversations
Considered one of the nation’s leading art institutions, Minneapolis’ Walker Art Center has been a leader in musical and dance performances, contemporary design and fine arts, and cinema since 1940. BAVC Media’s Preservation Department has been collaborating with the Walker Art Library & Archives in recent years, digitizing selected one-of-kind videotapes showcasing just a sample of their extraordinary collection. One of the more prominent works of art located in the Sculpture Garden in front of the Walker Art Center is Spoonbridge and Cherry. A whimsically large bent spoon arches over a man-made lake, balancing a large red cherry with its [...]
The 13th Preservation Access Program recipients announced!
There is no doubt that recent events have thrown a curveball at everyone’s daily activities. Our team at BAVC Media Preservation wishes everyone a safe and healthy 2020 and we are grateful that our work to preserve and digitize important AV collections continues (albeit with modified workspaces). More than ever, documentation and learning are essential tools to collectively get us through uncertain times. With that, we are proud to name this year’s list of extraordinary recipients whose media is to be preserved by BAVC Media’s 13th Preservation Access Program. This Program is generously funded by the National Endowment of the [...]
Resources During COVID-19
These resources will be continually updated as we find new information and tools that may be valuable to our community during this time. Last updated July 13, 2021. Feel free to reach out if you have any suggestions. For more information about the steps BAVC Media is taking to stop the spread in our physical space you can read our Facility Policy and our SF Commons reopening plan. General Coronavirus Health and Financial Resources Coronavirus Update: Legal Information for Workers From the Legal Aid Network What’s Happening? (Media & Public Health Info) Includes sections: Why People Are Concerned, Public Health [...]
