Minutes of Meeting 07-18-05

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Minutes: Monday, July 18 2005

Present: Moogie, Angel, AnnC, Andrew, Jim, Buz,

Checking the minutes: Angel clarifies, she meant speed up the painting intros, not to cut time off.

We approve the minutes.

Andrew proposes amendment to agenda: set time limit for show length

Buz: proposes discussion for setting restrictions / controlling on segment length

We decide to add short announcements to start of agenda for future meetings.

We approve the agenda.

Angel has announcement: She guested on a belive and plugged the show (Thanks Angel!) People called up, wanted a place to find out more. Need a public presence. Callers also asked for a copy of show to air. Moogie proposes having DV copies available. Also an audio promo would be good.

• • Renato was going to send out email asking for promo. Jim will send reminder.

Buz has DVDs. Jim missed some discussion of duplication price. Cost $30 for duplication. $0.40 for media. Jennifer mentions that charging for duplication machine is per-pass of 10 disks. Notes that there may be a deal if have an open contract. Angel notes that we may be able to do this ourselves to save cash.

Andrew notes that we didn't formally announce position.

• • Jim will send out email announcing availability of EP position, solicit "platforms" (statements from people interested in position).
  • Solicit interest in an artistic director position: Submit platform, proposal for what could be responsibilities filled.

Moogie: Might be good to schedule B-live announcements of show a couple of hours before repeats of the show airs. Would be good to have promo for this. We can

• • Moogie will contact be-livers with shows just before news reruns.

Moogie: comments that episode production went smoother than last time.

Buz: Spent a lot of hours to get stuff done.

-Took a long time to enter lower-thirds (had to be re-typed)

   Proposes producers submit pieces with lower thirds in advance of edit rush (or book another edit suite)

<Buz notes that "look" was a little rougher>

Notes about things we'd like to improve -No drop shadow behind credit rolls. -Template for lower-thirds * credits.

Moogie: Lets go to Monday edit-help as a group (or sub-group) to learn stuff like titles.

-Renato wanted to do fancier stuff with lower-thirds, Buz proposes making stylistic changes earlier, keep the design separate from the time crunch.

Ann: Do we have an artistic director? Do mock-ups and show to group, hand to TD. -screen-bug: would collide with cctv "bug" in lower right on channel 9. Moogie: can we disable the cctv bug? Andrew: yes, but has to be done manually, but done via script that Eli wrote.

Andrew: Jim has a tiny "bug" lifted from pavement chalk

Buz: Good Dog -- cctv font could be used to make it.

Moogie has to run.

We shift to critique: We agree to mention positive and negative when critiquing. AnnC proposes segment-by-segment rundown.

AnnC asks for clarification on order of pieces. There may have been some last-minute changes to order. Mentions that in an edit-suite, there was some discussion of piece being at end, didn't wind up there. Some "artistic" choices made in final edit.

Buz: Order was chosen from memory, may have

AnnC: Lets come up with some criteria for how we order pieces.

Jim will add agenda item for deciding on a rough formula for how we order episodes, eg. newsy pieces first, fun at end.

-Reporters roundtable: Andrew: should we have put one in? Can we reserve space for it in future?

Jennifer: Can be done at open studio, do it quickly.

Andrew will work on reporter's roundtable, Jim, Angel

AnnC: Volunteers to work on roundtable for Sept 15th show.

-Andrew's big topic: We did well at pulling things together. Wants to step back and ask: "What is a segment?" <Buz: last stretch was still a little hard.> What makes a story a news story? Are there structural elements that should be present? Visual elements? Do we want to impose structure or is it better for people to reinvent?

For example: Andrew forced Ann to get an outside shot of the building.

Buz: can we get someone to come in & advise us.

Ann: Her piece -- someone said to her: "if this is news, have to have the other side" Jennifer: Good to tell deeper story by showing both sides, but still okay to have an opinion. Andrew: conflict is a story. Two sides shows conflict.

Andrew: Lets add suggested structure point for producers: Show both sides Jennifer: There was supposed to be a producer's handbook for news. This could be part of it.

Another suggested structure point: Revise and resubmit. Give piece to others to give critical feedback, make changes.

Preference for doing critique offline: People are too nice at meetings, takes up too much time.

Ann: critique: Weather piece is amusing, Buz: not news. Ann: Humor may not be appreciated by all. Second piece seemed a little similar.

Andrew: Sexism? Sadism (car soaking people with puddle)? Drug references?

Buz: Hard to do. Lots of Steve's improv, hard to go in with a plan.

No weather? shorter weather?

Andrew: Lets do more feedback at next meeting: possibly go through pieces one at a time.

• • Jim will add agenda item for more feedback at next meeting.

Angel: Critique structure will be helpful. Get positive & negative, try to structure to avoid defensive statements. Listen first, respond after.

Buz objects to structure of criticism.

Andrew notes that for Matt & Birgit's piece, lots of offline criticism of borders, little structure to how criticism was given.

• • Jim add to minutes: Lets document timing of production, submission for show.

We go back to "Archiving" on agenda. Can we re-write clips to tape to keep DV clips with some edit leeway?

• • Angel and Buz will work with Artman to consolidate project onto a set of DVDs.

• • Jim will look into FCP archiving capabilities.

Options: DVDs? DV Tape? Disks too expensive.

• • Jim will add webpage/video segments on web to agenda

Next agenda item: Internship possibility for news group A contact of Andrew's is excited about our news program, parallels program she is working on at Tufts. She's considering a collaboration, agreed to come and talk to us about producing stories. Possibility of internship among Tufts students: We need to come up with a supervisor and a job description. Would be posted at start of semester, new student would be selected for academic year.

Question: What would intern do? Who would supervise?

Credit could be credit or non-credit. Credit would require about 12 hours a week. If internship was not for credit, more flexible, but might get less commitment.

Ann asks what intern could do for group. Andrew: continuity. Time availability of current members likely to change. Ann scowls. Competition: Concern that status of current news members will decline. Would like to have criteria for intern selection clearly stated.

Andrew: this may not be a CCTV internship per se. Might be separate benefits.

• • Jim will add recruitment to next week's agenda.

Ann: We need to decide whether this intern would be a good idea. Getting speaker to come would be a good idea though.

Buz: We can tape her presentation. Others think this is a good idea.

Angel: Process of taping, editing and archiving could be a good skill development opportunity for group.

Ann: Intern should have same powers as others in news group, clear responsibilities.

Jennifer: Interns should have a clear work plan.

• • Jim will add definition of intern role to agenda

We discuss cost-benefit of having intern. Philosophize about doing shit work for credit.

Will the intern be a member of group? Produce?

Angel reminds us to ask her to be involved when she's available. She want to be part of more projects.

New segment ideas: Andrew-Roundtable. Wants help. Jennifer wants to crew.

• • Jim will add treasury role to agenda.