Professional Development: Conferences & Seminars: Creating Broadcast Quality Video

The seminar "Creating Broadcast Quality Video" was hosted by the Philadelphia Music Project and WHYY on March 21, 2001 and held at the WHYY Technology Center. Approximately thirty representatives of Philadelphia music, dance, and video organizations attended presentations in which four panelists shared their experience and expertise in creating broadcast quality video. Panelists were Glen Holsten, producer and director of documentaries and performance programs for public television; Eugene Martin, independent filmmaker and director of City Story Pictures; Rodney Whittenberg, composer, multimedia artist, educator, and president of Melodyvision/ProjectRESPECT; and Clemente D’Alessio, Emmy award winner and president of D’Alessio Media.

The seminar consisted of two sessions separated by a short break. During the first session Holsten, Martin, and Whittenberg addressed the rapidly changing nature of the video world. What once required a team of professionals can now be done with a relatively inexpensive camera and computer software. This easing of technical requirements, however, does not mean that anyone can create a quality video. Careful pre-production planning that considers artistic goals, potential audiences, multiple uses, and a realistic time table is essential to a successful video. Projects should be designed, planned, and executed by professionals, so although the cost of equipment has gone down, the cost of people has not.

After giving their presentations, panelists took questions from the audience addressing the use of video for archival purposes, capturing movement and space in dance performance, adding interest to a relatively still performance, budget, copyright, DVDs, transferring from video to digital, and finding the right people to help

During the second session Clemente D’Alessio discussed the relationship between the performing arts and the media. He cited PBS as a case study of a media organization that has shifted its emphasis away from the performing arts due to an increasingly competitive market. D’Alessio suggested that PBS stations collaborate with local artists to produce low to middle budget programming that would be aired in a regular time slot each week to draw a regular audience. He also questioned the lack of arts programming for young audiences, the group most prized by advertising agencies.

Ken Finkel, WHYY’s Executive Director of Arts & Culture Service and facilitator of this seminar, responded to D’Alessio’s presentation and to some questions from the audience. He encouraged arts organizations to incorporate broadcasting into their organizational structure. He also encouraged organizations to work with WHYY in creating new models of cooperation.