BAVC Media

Bridges Symposium - Spring 2023
2023-05-12 18:00 - 21:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | CA
Bridges Symposium Event

C﻿ome celebrate the film works of BAVC Media’s 2023 Bridges Fellows! These young filmmakers have spent a semester creating a variety of film works. This event will feature a reception, with works from throughout the semester on view throughout the BAVC spaces, and a screening of the fellows’ culminating projects.
M﻿ore details to come!

Urban Promise Academy Student Screening
2023-05-11 17:30 - 19:00 (America/Los_Angeles)
Watch films created by UPA 8th graders and participate in a Q&A with the filmmakers.

Screening at the UPA Gymnasium on May 11th from 5:30-7pm.
Watch the films created by Urban Promise Academy 8th graders during their film classes taught by BAVC Media. Screenings will be followed with Q&A’s with the student filmmakers.
Free Pizza and beverages will be served.

Next Gen Celebration - Spring 2023
2023-05-09 17:00 - 19:00 (America/Los_Angeles)
A celebration for BAVC Media’s teen Next Gen programs. Come celebrate with all three Next Gen classes: Animation, Factory, and SNAP!

Join us to celebrate the teen students in the 2023 BAVC Media Next Gen program. We will screen student works from the Animation, Factory (Live Video) and SNAP (Audio Storytelling) classes, with each program followed by a Q&A with the student artists.
T﻿his event is free and open to friends, family members, and extended community of the students.
Attendees will need to sign in at the front security desk on arrival, and will then be guided to the Fisher Board Room by a student.
﻿The KQED building is fully accessible.

How To Make Your Work Sample Work
2023-05-03 16:00 - 17:30 (America/Los_Angeles)
Join us for a virtual workshop delving into the art of selecting a compelling work sample for applications, fellowships and festivals!

Learn practical tips from an experienced panel of editors, producers and filmmakers in the industry on how to make your sample stand out and represent the integrity and heart of your project(s). We will watch and review real samples together, hear live feedback from our panel and end with an open dialogue. Bring your questions!
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Panelists

Ricardo Acosta, Film Editor, Story Editor, Creative/Editorial Consultant
Blair Barnes, Producer (formerly at Vimeo “Staff Picks”)
Jin Yoo-Kim, FIlmmaker, Producer, Co-Director of MMF

Moderator

Isa Nakazawa, Director of Community Engagement

W﻿ork Samples

K﻿evin Truong, Mai American
Ann Kaneko, Jin Yoo-Kim, Manzanar, Diverted: When Water Becomes Dust

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Panelist Bios
Ricardo Acosta, Panelist
Ricardo Acosta is a film editor, script consultant and member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and the Canadian Cinema Editors. Acosta moved to Canada from his native Cuba, where He study and work at the Cuban Film Institute. He has been an Alumni and Adviser of the Sundance Institute’s Documentary Editing Lab, and the Music Composition and Sound Design Lab. A few of his editing and story consulting credits include: Once Upon a Time in Venezuela (2020), The letter (2019), The Silence of Others (2018), winner of GOYA, ALMA, and the Berlinale Panorama Documentary Audience Award, Sembene! (2015), and Marmato (2014). His films have premiered at Sundance, Cannes, and IDFA, among other world film festivals. He is an Emmy winner and nominee for the Canadian Industry Genie and Gemini Awards, Canadian Film Editors Association Awards and Canadian Screen Awards.
Blair Barnes, Panelist
Blair Barnes is a creative from South Central Los Angeles. He was formerly 1/4 of the Staff Picks team at Vimeo, where he served as Curator. Prior to Vimeo, he contributed to the production and creative teams at Wieden+Kennedy and VIRTUE, the creative agency by VICE.
Jin Yoo-Kim, Panelist
JIN YOO-KIM is a Bolivian-born Korean American filmmaker who directed and produced for TAKE OUT WITH LISA LING. She produced and impact produced MANZANAR, DIVERTED: WHEN WATER BECOMES DUST, co-produced and impact produced A WOMAN’S WORK: THE NFL’S CHEERLEADER PROBLEM, co-produced K-TOWN ‘92, and impact produced for TRY HARDER!, WAKING DREAM, BLOWIN’ UP. She was an American Film Showcase envoy to mentor Ladera Sur’s 2023 inaugural audiovisual lab overseeing 12 fellows in Chile. She was an impact mentor for the 2022 A-Doc x Haverford Impact Lab for LIQUOR STORE DREAMS, a regional board member for DPA, was a 2022 US – South Korea NextGen Creative Fellow and a 2022-2023 Sundance Women to Watch Adobe Fellow. Jin was also a 2020 Sundance Creative Producers Fellow, a 2020 Film Independent X CNN Original Series Docuseries Fellow, a 2020-2021 Redford Center fellow, a 2020 Film Independent Doc Lab fellow, and a 2017 Firelight Media Impact Producing Fellow. She received her MFA in Film from USC and a BA in Psychology and Cinema & Media Studies from Wellesley College. When she’s not working, Jin is eating her way through LA, growing an edible garden to share with her husband and son.
Isa Nakazawa, Moderator
Isa Nakazawa is an Oakland-based writer, educator, and radio host. After graduating from Wesleyan University in 2008 with a dual degree in Sociology and American Studies, Isa jumped coasts to join Youth Speaks, one of the country’s leading spoken word and literary arts organizations, as a teaching artist and poet mentor. She is currently the Director of Community Engagement at the BAVC Media, a community media hub and resource for media makers in the Bay Area, serving over 7,500 filmmakers, activists, and artists every year. No matter the medium, Isa leads with her curiosity, attention, and fundamental belief in the interconnected nature of the liberation of all people. Shake the syntax, shake the world.

Reel Stories Workshops
2023-02-25 10:00 - 2023-04-22 15:00 (America/Los_Angeles)
Scroll down to see our offered workshops for specific dates and times. Go to check out to see our sliding scale tuition codes!

Overview of Workshops:
Reel Stories Workshops are designed so you get to deep dive into specific filmmaking topics and strengthen your creative skills over the course of just one day. Workshops will be held bi-monthly on Saturdays, for 4-5 hours. All equipment, tools and snacks will be provided by Reel Stories!
All workshops are held in-person with Covid-19 safety measures at Oakstop in downtown Oakland.
Each workshop is unique, so please read the description for your desired workshop carefully and then choose it from the drop down menu when you purchase your ticket.
Workshop tickets are sliding scale, please pay what you can using the discount codes listed when you purchase your ticket! All proceeds go directly to the cost of running the workshop and paying our awesome instructors. Scholarships are also available.
Questions? Email ReelStories@bavc.org
Workshops are open for gender-expansive youth and young women ages 12-24 of all skill levels – the only requirement is that you are excited to learn something new!

Current Available Workshops:

🎬 Documentary Workshop:
Time: 10am-3pm
Date: February 25th, 2023
About: Deep dive into Documentary! Learn about the different types of documentary and learn how you can celebrate and share your story in endless ways through a documentarians perspective.

🎬 Stop Motion Animation Workshop:
Time: TBA
Date: April 22nd, 2023
About: Celebrate Earth Day by creating a film from your recycling bin! Learn the basics and history of Stop-Motion animation, then put your new-found skills to the test by creating your own short Stop-Motion project using found objects.

FAQ
Covid-19 Safety:
Masks are required unless participants are actively eating/drinking or acting in front of the camera. Masks and sanitizer will be provided by the Reel Stories Staff. When you buy your ticket, you will be asked to provide your vaccination status. If you are not vaccinated, you will be asked to provide a negative covid-19 test (Rapid Antigen Tests OK) taken 24 hours prior to your workshop. All Reel Stories staff are vaccinated. Read Reel Stories’s full covid policies here: click.
Refund Policy:
100% Refunds are available up until one week before your scheduled workshop. After that, refunds are not available but you may switch your registration to a different workshop at a later date if spots are open.
Who We Are:
Reel Stories is a non-profit organization created in 2013 in Oakland, CA to train and empower the next generation of young women and gender-expansive filmmakers. In 2021 Reel Stories merged with BAVC Media, a 45-year-old media arts nonprofit organization with a mission to inspire social change by empowering media makers to develop and share diverse stories through art, education and technology.

Past Workshops:

🎬 Motion Graphics Animation Workshop: (Past)
Time: 10am-3pm
Date: December 10th, 2022
About: Create a unique animation with After Effects! Have you ever created a film with a cool title you wish had an exciting animation to go along with it? Have some end credits that need spicing up? Or just want to learn the basics about motion graphics in after effects? Then this is the workshop for you! Learn the basics, then create and export your very own short animation with hands-on help.

Costume Design Workshop: (Past)
Time: 10am-3pm
Date: October 29th, 2022
About: Take your films to the next level with our costume design workshop! Increase production value by learning how to approach designing costumes for your characters, why costume design matters, and how it all enhances the greater narrative of your story. We will be learning tips for period pieces, analyzing examples from film and tv, and finishing the day with you drawing and picking fabric swatches for your own look!

The Art of Storytelling Part Two
2023-02-16 17:30 - 19:30 (America/Los_Angeles)
Throw out the rules and learn how to connect with your creativity to write and produce short form videos that stand out!

Join us for Part 2 of BAVC Media‘s Versed series “The Art of Storytelling” on Thursday, February 16th at Ninth Street Independent Film Center in San Francisco at 5:30pm pst!
Throw out the rules and learn how to connect with your creativity to write and produce short form videos that stand out! In this hands-on workshop, you will train in the ancient art of turning a vision to reality, by brainstorming then recording yourself in your medium (whether that be rap, poetry, comedy, or whatever you love).
Bring a smart phone and something you want to record (a poem, a rap, a song, a comedy bit, an announcement – anything!).
This workshop will be taught by Frak. Frak is a rapper from the Bay Area – he’s also a singer, battle rapper, producer, comedian, director & person. In this age where artists are expected to be more than just musicians, Frak straddles both sides, with hilarious viral skits, slapping records, and a convergence of both for sold-out live shows. & views across platforms. He has performed internationally on platforms such as BET, MTV, Sway, Team Backpack, Hiero Day, and his music has totaled over 100 million streams.
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Please note: If you have any access or support requirements in order to participate fully, please email Isa at isanakazawa@bavc.org. The venue is accessible for people using wheelchairs and other mobility aids.

The Art of Storytelling: Part 1
2023-02-09 17:30 - 19:30 (America/Los_Angeles)
Learn how to create and edit reels and other short form video for social media! Step your digital storytelling game up with BRWNGRLZ.

BAVC Media is back with a second year of VERSED – a series of free and low cost media workshops taught by experienced and independent artists.
We’re excited to kick 2023 off with a two part workshop series on the art of digital storytelling taught by independent Bay Area artists, Gretchen Carvajal (BRWNGRLZ) and Alex “Frak” Fraknoi.
In the first workshop, you will learn how to create and edit engaging short form videos from reels to more experimental formats. Whether you’ve never made a short form video before or want to take your video skills to the next level, this workshop is for you. If you’re an independent artist looking to share your craft, a small business owner wanting to connect with new audiences, or a social media manager at a nonprofit or company, you will learn tips and tricks to help you create and edit more engaging and connected videos.
This workshop will be taught by Gretchen Carvajal. Gretchen is a multidisciplinary artist from the Bay Area. As a 1.5 generation Filipina immigrant, she turns to art to excavate different forms of language through poetry, visual storytelling, glass bending, and adornment in order to tell stories that are universally accessible. An alumni of Youth Speaks SF and the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s First Wave Urban Arts Scholarship, she was raised under the school of thought that positioned the poet as not only a witness, but a historian of truth. Gretchen’s work has been seen in Vogue, Spotify, Variety Mag, and Button poetry. When she’s not writing and performing, you can catch her with her headphones on editing content or making earrings under her brand, BRWNGRLZ.COM.
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Please note: If you have any access or support requirements in order to participate fully, please email Isa at isanakazawa@bavc.org. The venue is accessible for people using wheelchairs and other mobility aids.

2022 MediaMaker Fellowship Application Deadline
2022-02-14 23:55 - 2022-02-15 23:55 UTC
Apply to the 2022 BAVC MediaMaker Fellowship before February 14!
The BAVC MediaMaker Fellowship provides a unique opportunity for early-career documentary directors to grow in a nurturing community as they set forth to shape their films and their careers. BAVC Media is looking for nonfiction filmmakers with bold vision and a deep, authentic relationship to the stories they are telling, especially those traditionally underrepresented in the industry, to join in this immersive and participatory fellowship experience.
Over the course of a year, eight first-and-second-time feature documentary directors from across the U.S will work through the stumbling blocks of their projects with support from mentors and experts from across the industry. Developing skills, building relationships, and gaining insights that will continue to nourish their career and their craft long into the future—all while building strong bonds with fellow filmmakers. Along with tailored workshops, intimate conversations with established filmmakers, and in-depth feedback sessions throughout the year, fellows receive $10,000, paid festival attendance, and future opportunities from BAVC Media as a program alum.
Applications are open through February 14, but we encourage everyone to APPLY EARLY.
Apply to the 2022 BAVC MediaMaker Fellowship

First Day of The Factory (Next Gen Beginner Video)
2022-02-14 17:00 - 19:00 UTC
Youth Video Production: The Factory
Beginning Track: February 14 – April 1st
Mondays and Wednesdays 5:00-7:00PM, IN PERSON
Through storytelling techniques using DSLR cameras, creative cinematography techniques, unsynced audio, and more advanced post-production, participant filmmakers will create fiction, non-fiction documentaries, music videos, experiment pieces and public service announcements. Filmmakers are encouraged to explore issues important to them while also making videos that touch on issues of social justice.
Advanced Track: April 4th – May 20th
Mondays and Wednesdays 5:00-7:00pm, IN PERSON
This track expands upon the beginning video production track. Students with experience in video production (pre-production, production, post-production) are encouraged to enroll in the advanced track.
Apply to Next Gen

Bridges Fellowship Spring 2022 Begins
2022-02-07 16:00 - 19:00 UTC
There’s still time to apply!
In the Bridges Fellowship students, between 18-24 years old, will dive deep into the filmmaking field with technical training, career counseling, client-project experience, and earn a $500 stipend. Students will make connections between media-making and social justice while learning from local artists and entrepreneurs.
Spring 2022 Semester is February 7 – May 13, Tues/Wed/Thurs, 4-7pm
Apply to the Spring 2022 Bridges Fellowship

SF Commons Orientation - Nov 19, 2021
2021-11-19 16:00 - 17:00 UTC
SF Commons offers a wide variety of services to its members, including a regularly-scheduled timeslot on local cable channel 29, access to the equipment and services it takes to create a television show, and membership to a community of unique and gifted local producers.
If you are a San Francisco resident interested in becoming a public access Producer, attending an SF Commons orientation is your first step. Orientations are held twice monthly, and are mandatory beginning in 2016 for all new Producers.
Register

SF Commons Orientation - Nov 5, 2021
2021-11-05 16:00 - 17:00 UTC

SF Commons Orientation - Oct 22, 2021
2021-10-22 16:00 - 17:00 UTC

SF Commons Orientation - Oct 8, 2021
2021-10-08 16:00 - 17:00 UTC

SF Commons Orientation - Sept 24, 2021
2021-09-24 16:00 - 17:00 UTC

SF Commons Orientation - Sept 10, 2021
2021-09-10 16:00 - 17:00 UTC

Serial Storytellers- Basics of Production with Chris Martin! July 2021
2021-07-22 17:00 - 2021-08-05 20:00 UTC
Join us for this 3 part production series with professional Chris Martin! You’ll learn the basics of production, including budgeting!

About this event

**To receive the Zoom conferencing information, please register on Eventbrite and the link will be sent in the confirmation email. We will be using the same Zoom information each week. **
CLASS DESCRIPTION
Whether you’re creating a great narrative or documentary series, whether you’re a writer-director or writer-producer, you need the production chops to make it come to life. It is up to the showrunner to craft the story then bring it into production and post-production. Thanks to their unique position in the writer’s room, editorial suite, and the producer’s chair the showrunner is the critical role in any episodic project.
In this three part class, we’ll cover the basic steps of bringing your script from page to screen by looking at industry standard procedures behind live action and documentary production: scheduling, budgeting, hiring crew and the logistical planning needed to keep your production focussed, safe and legal. Whether this is your first project, or you’ve already shot hours of footage, this intensive will be an important guide to how episodics get made and what show business really means today.
The Details:
WHO: All Ages & Genders
DATES: Thursdays, July 22-August 5
TIME: 5 PM PST – 8 PM PST
WHERE: Zoom chatroom
ABOUT CHRIS MARTIN
Chris Martin is a producer, line producer, writer and story-editor with over twelve years experience in film, television, and commercials. A producer of five theatrical and documentary projects, and an Independent Spirit John Cassavetes Award nominee, his credits include Sorry to Bother You, 55 Steps, La Mission, Pushing Dead, Test, The Heartbreak Kid, Mistress of Spices, CBS’ Alive, ESPN’s Bonds on Bonds, Sundance Channel’s Big Ideas for a Small Planet, and Discovery Channel’s I (Almost) Got Away With It. A participant in the 2017 Cannes Marché du Film Producers Network he is twice finalist to the Sundance Institute Producer’s Lab.

Reel Stories is an Oakland-based nonprofit that aims to train, mentor and support the next generation of female/non-binary filmmakers and creators. Our small yet mighty team has been working relentlessly to transition all of our in-person workshops into a digital-friendly format for people of all ages, genders and backgrounds. We encourage you to share and enjoy access to our content no matter where you are in the world – welcome to our online community! No one is turned away due to lack of funds.
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email with instructions on how to access the Zoom chat.
For questions, please email Program Manager Alexandria Bordas at alexandria@reel-stories.com.

Serial Storytellers - Scripted Pilots: Table Read!
2021-07-10 11:00 - 14:00 UTC
Join BAVC Media for our annual Serial Storytellers table read! 12 writers will share pages from their pilot episode & we want your wise feedback!

About this event

**To receive the Zoom conferencing information, please register on Eventbrite and the link will be sent in the confirmation email**
Thank you for your interest in joining us for our annual table read! Please read the information below and complete registration.
Serial Storytellers is an artist development program from BAVC Media for diverse emerging writers and future showrunners between the ages of 18-25 that are interested in developing either a fiction/scripted or nonfiction/docu- series. This program is a 10-session intensive writing and producing class taught virtually via zoom.
Join us and our 10 Episodic TV Writers with Actors at a very special VIRTUAL Table Read
DATE: Saturday, July 10
TIME: 11AM-2PM PST
Professional actors will be reading the 10 pages from each writer’s pilot episode!
Format: Each writer will do a quick intro of their script, read their work, and audience will have 5 minutes to offer feedback. There will also be opportunities to follow up with each writer!
The Awesome Writers!
WREN LEE (They/Them); JARRED GREGORY-GRIMES (he/him); MIRACLE EVERETT (They/Them); GAVIN HUSEIN (they/them); TRI-AN CAO (she/her/hers); CHLOE SAMILLANO (they/them/their); SYDNEY REDD (she/her/hers); ERUM JAFFREY (she/her/hers); KRISTAL SOTOMAYOR (they/them); REA KAPUR (she/her/hers); SEAN SMITH (they/them)

Serial Storytellers: Episodic Producing – Full Series
2021-07-01 17:30 UTC
Learn the ins and outs of developing and producing a series with Chris Martin (Production Manager, Sorry to Bother You).

About this event

Creating a great series not only needs a sparkling script but a showrunner who can make it come to life. From Game of Thrones to Insecure, it is up to the showrunner to craft the story then bring it into production and post. Thanks to their unique position in the writer’s room and the producer’s chair, the showrunner is a critical role in any episodic project.
This three-part class will cover the basic steps to bring your script from page to screen. We’ll go through industry-standard procedures: scheduling, budgeting, casting, finding locations, hiring crew, and other logistical planning to keep your production focussed, safe, and legal.
Whether this is your first project, or you’ve spent time on set before, this intensive will be an important guide for how to produce a series and what production really looks like in today’s industry.

Dates: July 1, July 8, July 15
Times: 5:30-7:30pm PST with optional “office hours” until 8:00pm, and a mid-session break
Location: Online
Who is this for? These sessions are designed for filmmakers, actors, writers and other creatives interested in learning fundamentals of producing episodics (television, web series, and other digital formats) in a supportive digital community space.
Instructor: Chris Martin

July 1
Part 1: Understanding how episodics work – what does it mean to plan for multiple slices of a single story in the real world?

The role of the show runner; the five phases of live action – what does it mean to move a script from development through post-production and final delivery / distribution? What’s needed and expected in each phase?
Crewing up – roles responsibilities and hierarchies of the set – who’s in charge?
The Sweet Spot Intro – Is your script ready?
Looking ahead: what are some of the decisions we should be considering once we have a good working draft

July 8
Part 2: From Script to Production – A non-creative but creatively critical look at your script as you consider production and post-production.

Script Analysis and Breakdown
Getting down to it: Introducing the Budget and the Schedule. Putting what you know about your script into real world terms: Time, Money and Quality.
Finding your cast, scouting and securing locations
Heading into Production: Getting the most out of prep.

July 15
Part 3: Managing Production and Post-Production

Production Do’s and Don’ts: call sheets, improvising the schedule. What are the questions you’ll ask yourself every day?
From Production to Post-Production. What to expect in the phases Post covers (editorial, sound, VFX / finishing). Aren’t you glad you have money left over
The Business: permits, agreements, contracts, releases. The paperwork.
More business: legalities, licenses, plus resources for royalty free assets.
Safety Meeting: Safety first and safety last. No dumb questions.
Is it a wrap yet? So how’s your project now? Trouble-shooting and brainstorming.

Chris Martin is a producer, line producer, and writer with over twelve years experience in film, television, and commercials. A producer of five theatrical and documentary projects, and an Independent Spirit John Cassavetes Award nominee, his credits include Sorry to Bother You, 55 Steps, La Mission, Pushing Dead, Test, The Heartbreak Kid, Mistress of Spices, CBS’ Alive, ESPN’s Bonds on Bonds, Sundance Channel’s Big Ideas for a Small Planet, and Discovery Channel’s I (Almost) Got Away With It. A participant in the 2017 Cannes Marché du Film Producers Network he is twice finalist to the Sundance Institute Producer’s Lab.

Become a BAVC Media Member and save 20% on this and other BAVC Media classes! Email membership@bavc.org for a discount code after you sign up.
Along with the young people who will already be taking this series of workshops for free, BAVC Media is able to provide 50% discount scholarships to full-time students and people who are unemployed – just email development@bavc.org.

Town Talks: Episodic Storytelling
2021-06-24 17:00 UTC
Join us for the first ever “Town Talks” – a monthly kick-back hosted by BAVC Media, convening Bay Area mediamakers to connect & share.

About this event

Bay Area Video Coalition (BAVC Media) is thrilled to announce Town Talks – a new virtual kickback, convening Bay Area mediamakers to mingle, connect, talk shop and tell stories of creative struggle and triumph. We will explore themes with guest artists like episodic storytelling, building your crew, recruiting on-screen talent, telling authentic stories and the nitty gritty of fundraising and distribution. In an intimate series of community conversations, we hope to host an intentional and inclusive space for creatives to break bread and exchange ideas.

Join us for our first Town Talks on Wednesday, June 24th where we will dive into the world of web series with the following local legends (you don’t want to miss this!):

Morgan Mathews and Gene Finley – Bit.
Josh Healey and Reyna Amaya – The North Pole
Florencia Manovil – Dyke Central

Conversation facilitated by Dawn Valadez

Get cozy with a drink, mocktail or snack at 5pm PST, the conversation kicks off at 5:30pm PST.

Building the American Dream
2021-06-05 19:00 - 21:00 UTC
An intimate screening and discussion in the East Bay

About this event

For those who cannot attend the San Francisco premiere at SF DocFest, BAVC Media is hosting a second screening in Oakland in partnership with local advocacy groups in hopes that more people can have an early chance to see this timely and powerful film.
Co-presented by StudioToBe and UC Berkeley’s Investigative Reporting Program along with local education and advocacy groups to be announced.
Doors open at 7 for a reception and discussion before the film.
Across Texas, an unstoppable construction boom drives urban sprawl and luxury high-rises. Its dirty secret: abuse of immigrant labor. BUILDING THE AMERICAN DREAM captures a turning point as a movement forms to fight widespread construction industry injustices. Grieving their son, a Mexican family campaigns for a life-and-death safety ordinance. A Salvadorian electrician couple owed thousands in back pay fights for their children’s future. A bereaved son battles to protect others from his family’s preventable tragedy. A story of courage, resilience and community, the film reveals shocking truths about the hardworking immigrants who build the American Dream, from which they are excluded.
“An eye-opener about the abuse of workers whose immigration status makes them victims.” – The Hollywood Reporter
“Chelsea Hernandez tugs at our heartstrings and puts fuel to a fire of righteous anger.” –FilmThreat

From Video Activism to Early Immersive Media
2021-06-03 17:00 - 19:30 UTC
Watch the evolution of video art and activism in the archives of early video pioneers, The People’s Video Theater and Survival Arts Media

About this event

Join us as we follow the story of early video collectives The People’s Video Theatre and Survival Arts Media 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.
This event includes a screening and a Q&A session with former members of the collectives, Howard Gutstadt and Ben Levine, as well as NYU archivist Kelly Haydon. The entire stream will be recorded for future viewing.

In these 90 minutes you will…
• Gain context for and learn the importance of archival footages
• Understand the history of early video, with emphasis on community impact
• See remarkable footage from the archives

Background
The People’s Video Theater and its successor Survival Arts Media were pioneering video collectives active in New York State during the late 1960’s –1970’s. PVT-SAM along with the Videofreex, Raindance and Global Village, and individual artists defined analog video as a distinct creative medium as opposed to the independent filmmaking of the era. In February of 2020, 10 terabytes of digital files restored at BAVC Media from analog tapes in the PVT-SAM archive were accessioned to the NYU Special Collections Library in Manhattan. The breadth of the early video archival content spans liberation movements–such as those organized by women, LGBT communities and people with disabilities–downtown SOHO artists and culture, video street theater, environmental and health issues, live immersive media performance, electronic art works and the Artists Craftsman Anthology.
In March of 2020 Netflix premiered Crip Camp, an deeply moving documentary film about the heroic personalities and collective struggles and fights involved in bringing rights to the disability community. This documentary contained a number of arresting images from archival video and film sources, and among these were clips from Camp Jened, a summer camp where teenagers with disabilities were given the opportunity to be themselves. In a beautiful twist of fate, the Camp Jened footage was captured by members of PVT, who were in the right place at the right time and were the right people to do it. Through their unique documentary methods the PVT members were able to capture the personalities and struggles of the camp goers, and playback the video images allowing the teenagers to see their own images reproduced on television.
This event includes a screening of archival content from the PVT-SAM collective. Some of this material was used for Crip Camp, while some of it hasn’t been seen by the public in over 40 years. After the screening there will be a Q&A session with former members of the collectives, Howard Gutstadt and Ben Levine and NYU archivist Kelly Haydon.

About the Guest Speakers
Howard Gutstadt and Ben Levine (People’s Video Theater – Survival Arts Media)
Howard Gutstadt and Ben Levine were early members of People’s Video Theater in New York in the early 1970s. The collective traveled the region with their Sony PortaPak cameras, playing back video for their subjects to facilitate discussion and participation in the storytelling process, and documenting various counterculture and liberation movements.
Howard Gutstadt and Ben Levine went on to co-found Survival Arts Media, which explored the use of video in diverse areas including: improvisational street theater, political activism, artistic biography, public access television, and immersive multimedia performance.
Howard relocated to Berkeley, CA in 1978 to establish Digital Image Productions and work with Sony and Autodesk Corporations to develop software tools for artists. Today he lives in San Francisco, CA, where he is a consultant and educator focused on the intersection of contemporary arts and moving media technologies.
In 1976 Ben moved to Maine and founded the documentary and distance learning lab at the University of Maine In Augusta. He later became an independent producer of community education and social issue documentaries. Working within marginalized communities, he adapted PVT/SAM’s community participation methods using video feedback, founding Speaking Place in 2010 to document and revive endangered languages.
Kelly Haydon (NYU Elmer H. Bobst Library)
Kelly Haydon is the Audiovisual Archivist for Special Collections at New York University’s Elmer C. Bobst Library. Previously, she was the Preservation Manager at Bay Area Video Coalition. She holds degrees from NYU’s Moving Image Archiving and Preservation Program (where she is also an adjunct professor) and School of Visual Arts. In addition to XFR Collective, she is a volunteer archivist at Third World Newsreel.

Timeline
➜ People’s Video Theater began in the early 1970’s as a group of documentarians using the first portable video recorders as a substitute for film in recording the lives and struggles of underrepresented communities and identities.
➜ PVT Realized that they could videotape their subjects, then playback the images to the subject could watch themselves on screen. This was the first time many of these people could see someone like themselves on television
➜ Eventually the screenings moved from indoor theaters into the street, where public closed-circuit television performances were held. Ordinary people could participate in performances and see themselves on screen as they were performing
➜ PVT turned into Survival Arts Media as the members became interested in creative immersive multimedia experiences, using synthesized and manipulated video signals in creative and artistic ways to create previously unimaginable visual imagery and textures.
➜ 10 TB of footage from ½” Open Reel and U-matic audio cassettes was digitized through BAVC Media’s Preservation Access Program and will be held in NYU’s archive.

Media Activism: Creating Impact After The Credits Roll
2021-05-13 17:00 UTC
Learn directly from the insights of the Crip Camp Impact campaign!

About this event

Do you want your film to spark real change after the credits roll? On May 13th, meet the team behind the much buzzed about, Oscar-nominated Netflix documentary, Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution, who not only crafted a vibrant and nuanced film, but are using it as a tool for catalyzing conversation and creating meaningful social impact. BAVC Media is honored to co-host this virtual event with Crip Camp and People’s Video Theater, providing a unique opportunity to learn directly from the insights of the Crip Camp Impact campaign to ignite inspiration about how you too can center impact from the very beginning as you develop future projects.

Media Activism: Creating Impact After The Credits Roll
Presented by BAVC Media, The People’s Video Theater, and Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution
*Live Q&A will follow the discussion*
Thursday, May 13th
5pm-6:30pm PDT
***ASL interpretation and captioning will be provided.

Hosted on VimeoPro
RSVP required – FREE to attend

[ID: Event graphic is green on one side with a scanned film photo taken at Camp Jened presumably in 1971 in which 4 masculine-presenting young folks are looking casually at the camera, wearing summer clothes, and smiling. Two are sitting in wheelchairs and two are standing behind (wearing glasses). The Catskill forests are in the far background. On the other side of the graphic, blue text on cream reads “Media Activism Creating Impact After the Credits Roll; Thursday, May 13th at 5pm PDT, Streaming on Vimeo, RSVP Required, FREE to attend; Co-presented by: Crip Camp Impact Campaign, People’s Video Theater, Bay Area Video Coalition”]

Tags

Town Talks: Expanded Cinema
2020-10-13 17:00 - 19:00 UTC
Town Talks: Expanded Cinema

About this event

BAVC Media and CiNEOLA are thrilled to co-present another Town Talk exploring expanded cinema, participatory storytelling, interactivity and questions of memory and belonging with filmmakers Rodrigo Reyes and Miguel Novelo. Town Talks is a virtual community conversation, convening mediamakers to break bread and exchange ideas.
Miguel Novelo is an experimental media artist, filmmaker, and cultural event creator from Yucatan, Mexico. He uses new media, interactivity, and expanded cinema to create immersive sound and expanded image experiences that generate platforms for participatory storytelling. His latest project, an interactive documentary called La Marea, is now showing on CiNEOLA.
Mexican director Rodrigo Reyes makes films deeply grounded in his identity as an immigrant artist, crafting a poetic gaze from the margins of both cultures, using striking imagery to portray the contradictory nature of our shared world, while revealing the potential for transformative change.

Tuesday, October 13th | FREE | 5pm PST / 8pm EST
Via Zoom (link will be sent closer to date) – RSVP REQUIRED

CiNEOLA is a platform for Latin American stories, connecting audiences with diverse representations of Latinoamérica on film.
Bay Area Video Coalition (BAVC Media) is a 44-year old community media organization located in San Francisco, California, with a mission to inspire social change by empowering media makers to develop and share diverse stories through art, education and technology.

Please email us at BAVC Media@bavc.org if you have questions for the artists that you would like to submit in advance.
Closed captioning services or sign language interpretation will be made available upon request – please let us know by October 11th if you require interpretation, captioning, ot if there are other accommodations we can possibly provide to make this program accessible to you.
