Harlequins as Studio , Street and for Students later

Still thinking about easier ways to produce video. Eventually better bandwidth will take care of the upload speeds. Meanwhile need easier methods to record.

Central Exeter like other places is facing change. Harlequins is partly closed down and now expected to become Student Accommodation towards the end of 2019. Maybe some of the space could become a studio in the meantime? The photos show an area towards the middle where street space could allow a quick recording with hand held camera. Could there be short term use of a space? Who could offer some equipment? Could be sound only or stills as well as video.

Could try out the space during Exeter Arts Week, just a quick sample.

No info yet on how much retail space will be in a mix with the student accommodation. Exeter has so many projects for students it is possible they will have to offer more than just wifi to be attractive. Shared resources might include a Green Room for virtual / augmented reality and video recording. Seems a bit of a speculation but might be more expected over the next year or so. See videos below.

Possible benefit for others in Exeter would be if the Green Room was available some of the year for the public. Maybe other bits of studio. Students now produce mostly words but there may be more video or other forms of content expected. If they are in the city for accommodation maybe other resources will follow.

Exeter Street Arts continues as tag - #ExeStreetArts

Previously I have mentioned #tags and social media as an alternative to print / posters for promotion. The Exeter Street Arts event at the end of August is an example. News at the moment is that the poster in High Street near what is sometimes a calendar shop has vanished. See photo, just a bit torn off from the bottom. think I recognise the colour.

So maybe this is even more online till some point in August when posters return. There is a Spotify playlist, and Tweet links with events linked to those performing on the day.

This blog started with "wifi Exeter" so is a good place to put some links. I actually go home to edit photo on a desktop. But in theory video and blogs from the street could be in real time. Links welcome for examples.

Continues on Wild Show, Thursday and @wenotno Tuesday

Hustings Update, video plan

I will be taking a camera to the hustings tomorrow but not sure what to record. I think the Express and Echo will be ok with another version of a video but I am not sure how the space will work out.

Meanwhile some of the recording from a hand held camera has worked out ok. I am still interested in a YouTube channel on a new level of resources but things are ok as they are. I can link in a blog to other clips and organisations such as the Echo now have a wider range of video available.

I am also doing sound shows on Phonic FM. We cannot cover politics till after the election. Creative Commons and social media has not been a topic much anyway. Well perhaps on the sideleines but not a lot about how policy could support or improve. Maybe more possible later. A lot of it is not really about legislation, more a set of understandings that allows things to work out.

Event Facebook page HERE , I think there will be a link to the live stream.

Exeter Hustings 2017

This post is about the Boat Shed Hustings for the General Election. I previously did a YouTube playlist for the Devon County Council elections. I had hoped to do another for this one but have been told it is an exclusive for Devon Live as they will do a live stream on Facebook. Since the event has now been postponed I am trying to raise some issues around this in case things might change.


Social media is now much better known than a few years ago. Newspapers have some business model problems so they have fewer reporters. They sometimes use content from public sources. The playlist I did was all Creative Commons. I don't think there has been much reuse of it but in theory there could be. The web at least started with an open approach. The theory of content marketing can come close to the idea of open access. I find that Facebook Live content can vanish after the event while YouTube is more available for mixing in a playlist with other comment. In the long run I don't see how local mainstream media will survive better with content on Facebook or YouTube unless they revise their approach to working with the public in how content is generated.

Another thing, on the DCC hustings I asked each speaker for permission as if it was a performance. I usually will take down a clip on request as people change their style or have other reasons. But I don't think a news event should have too long a delay so permission could be assumed. Is it public?

Anyway, I think meanwhile there could be various ways to continue on YouTube. I have found clips close to the announced speakers. Three from Harry Mottram who may be connected to Trinity Mirror. More info later. Suggestions welcome on clips to add. I think the production standard is not too hard to achieve. Do not break your back carrying round a tripod and lots of lights. Phone clips may be enough if the content is interesting.

Ramble about video in Exeter

This is background for the previous post about the hustings at Boat Shed. I welcome policy about government support, funding, education etc. but also wonder about how video is done with limited resources.

Previously there were the Dark Times. Bike Shed Theatre and Bar on loan to Phonic FM for a few days in August 2015. The lighting was terrible.

Recently I asked the Standup Philosopher about a new show and he told me about exeter Visual Arts as a venue. I enquired about a space to store a tripod and if they would invest in a green screen. But then a handheld approach turned out ok and I found a green door on the quay opposite the Boat Shed.

Over the summer the daylight should be ok for video. Sound may have to be recorded again in studio of Phonic FM. Guests welcome on Wild Show Thursday 10 -12 and @wenotno Tue 12 - 2.

What makes the Boat Shed a studio for video / radio ? to be continued

Cultural Hustings at Boat Shed continued

I do not know much detail but there will be another hustings at the Boat Shed tomorrow evening. Part of the general election.

Previously I did some  clips from the Devon County Council hustings and put them in a playlist.

My plan is to bring a camera again and hope to get permission to upload some new clips.

Arguably this is a news event so permission could be assumed but the Boat shed policy seems to be to regard everything as a performance. works ok so far but I am trying to get some clearance ahead of time so things can work more like news.

Background issue is how the Boat Shed can work as a video studio. Can any kit be stored? I have already found out that the green doors just across the river work ok as a green screen. But what else is possible?

Playlists, Performance promo, DCC Cultural Hustings

Each of the clips from the Devon county council Cultural Hustings is now uploaded to YouTube, including the full session and there is a playlist. The playlist can be added to before the election so suggestions are welcome. Liberal Democrat for example as Vanessa Newcombe was ill at the time.

I will also look at other playlists that show what is possible with video to promote and relate to cultural events. Joseph Parsons has extended his 2017 tour from 2016 but still seems to be based in Topsham and Launceston. Sound of the Sirens are at the Phoenix soon and there is an excellent recent video from the Exeter Cathedral.

With Tubers now in Exeter there is increased interest in how online video can work. At a low level the issues are just about lighting and sound. The hustings video clips were with a hand held camera relying on the excellent sound and lighting provided. The Boat Shed could be a good base for more interviews and performances over the summer. Maybe there could be a space to store a tripod and other resources.

Issues that came up include access to broadband. Perhaps we should just accept that in Devon this happens at different rates. We have a very wide variety of acccess. But this could result in an interesting situation for amending content into different formats.

The clips are all with Creative Commons so they can be reused. Could there be more content like this? Content marketing is another aspect but the theory depends on actual content.

Mainstream media now supply clips to YouTube and other outlets. Newspapers also work with video. So there is a wide variety of content available. News and culture reporting can be part of the same developments. So much to discuss in how Devon as a locality can relate.

Reboot of blog ahead of Culture Hustings at Boat Shed

As far as I can remember this blog is fairly neutral from politics point of view. I will try to be balanced in covering the Hustings at Boat shed in Exeter for Devon County Council elections. Seems a good time to look at how content and cloud can work out as local media. I know the Bike shed Theatre plan to try out a building near the Quay over the summer so I guess the Hustings are a stage towards this.

Topics that interest me still include Creative Commons and local cable. When Exeter TV was proposed the model was USA law that any TV cable has to have a local option. Jeremy hunt was genuinely enthusiastic about this but not much seems to have happened. TV still important so an update would be interesting.  Creative Commons is still not well understood. If chosen as an option on YouTube for example than the clip can be mixed with something else.

I hope to find enough content to start a playlist on YouTube. If Creative Commons then there can be an edit with highlights. This clip from the Phoenix a while ago.

Also found a phone vid, other link suggestions welcome.

I guess video will be allowed at the hustings. Suggest tags are announced so that it can all be found together.

Meanwhile the Tubers studio is a great resource for Exeter. I am still working on how to combine the green screen and the area around the river and canal where soon the sun will provide lighting and video production will be quite cheap. The Boat Shed could be a useful resource as a place to store a tripod . Maybe even more production resource, not sure what they have in mind. With Jon Mahy I did some clips in the Bike Shed the last two summers. Lighting is an issue so the outdoors may solve this but some resource still needed as backup.

Video link suggestions welcome, especially to expand scope towards balance.

Adding tags to YouTube clips #13SWMA for example

This post is to show how to add tags. The occasion is the forthcoming South West Music Awards. I want to encourage people to use #13SWMA. Should be ok but needs some explanation. (The order is like this to avoid confusion with the Supporting Working Moms Act) The example in the screenshots is just to add the suggested tag to another video, about how to find Blackwells bookshop. but this should be enough as a guide. Start with the list of videos, then click the edit button

Then in edit, look for the tags. These are used in a search, so can be the same as for Twitter or Facebook. In this case thjere is a suggested tag official for Exeter University.

See detail

So if you have some video for the current South West Music Awards, please add the tag #13SWMA . From last year #SWMA12. Thanks.